The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1874-02-27
Concerning Air.


stand H. physiological relations to the ami
mai economy.
Air accomplishes two things-it Is the
vehicle by means Of which large portion
OF the waste, dead. poisonous matter which
Is constantly generated in the system, and
thrown OF by the lungs and skin, II car
ried away from il. and IL brings To the sys-
TEN oxygen, "A Substance without which no
life can exist for a moment.
Inregard 10 the first point. il j. only nee
essary to state that the ability Of the air To
carry away from the body lis poisonous
cmanations j. in exact proportion 10 the
purity of the air. In order that the air be
pure IL must be continually changed !.
otherwise person j. enyeloped in a con-
stantly thckening cloud of his dead
self. :" and brcathes himself over and over
again under which circumstances II may
truly be said that " mans worst enemy l.
his own breath"
In order the more fully 10 understand
what is accomplished by oxygen within
the system. let III call To mind what occurs
outside the body when oxygen forms COM
bination> with any OF that class OF sub
stances called organic.
The term organic matter - used 10 lis
tinguish that which has at some time un-
dergone the process of growth; il includes
anu Nt-ttftNlt Nliitl ist~
not lost its character rs such by the process
of decay. or by some form of combustion
il differs from all Coher matter (Which il
called inorganic) in the very important
| circumstance that il contains stored up
within il. in latent form, what i called
force.
During the process OF growth, all ami
NAL and vegetable existences appropriate
and imprison the rays OF light and heat
which they receive from the sun. the veg
etable directly and the animal for the most
part indirectly, through the medium Of
food.
Now ii is the great Office of oxygen to
iibsrafs this latent force. In the familiar
example Of ordinary combustion il j. lib
Grated Is light and heat. but the particular
form OF it, manifestation varies with the
varying circumstances attending its liberia
ton
Ii a kernel of wheat, for Instance. be ex-
posed 10 an elevated temperature in the
presence of oxygen, a chemical union |
takes place between the oxygen and the |
elements OF the wheat. light and heat are |
given out. and that which was organic. |
live matter becomes inorganic and dead. l
The oxygen has. a. il were. entered i'm and 4
driven ont the force from it, hidlng-place. 4
\ process similar To this occurs in the liy-
INC body; here a in the kernel of wheat |
is force in a latent form. which must be set /
free by the same agent. oxygen.
In the body. however, matter exists in a 1
great variety of forms. and the circum-
stances and conditions attending the liberia
ton of its force are many and dissimilar. \
Hence we might expect what we actually \
observe. a great variety OF dynamic mani
festations within the body.
ONV0en j. carried by the blood To q very Il
microscopic point OF the system. il stands 4
ready wherever there is organic matter. \
which j. everywhere. To form combinations /
with it and set at liberty the imprisoned /
force. When this force j. set free in mus
cular tissue. ii maniieSts itself as muscular |
contraction: in nerve tissue. IL takes the /
form of nerve force: in one organ il l
shows itself rs an eXcretive. in another as |
"A secnetive force: while in the brain. that /
most wonderful of all mechanisms. il |
manifests itself under all the varying |
forms of thought evolution and conscious !
ness. This union of oxygen with organic |
of all activity within the body. But the |
matter which By this union has yielded I
up it, force has become dead it, office in I
the system has been accomplished. No |
sooner. however. does il assume this life |
less form. than there j. developed i'm the |
surrounding atoms force Of repulsion |
which separates il from the living tissue |
aud throws ii OFF into the blood. by which !
il j. carried to the different secretory or
gans. and by them alicnated from the sys-
tenn. The lungs and skin do large share |
of this eliminating. and il i with this Gillette |
matter that a person communicates the air. |
But the blood which carries the oxygen |
carries also the material for repair and no !
Il fh. .l.a1 ..tn IaI 10,
live atom PUSHES i'm and takes its place. |
where il remains until called upon In turn |
TO yield up It's life. and thus fulfill its mis- |
sion in the great economy of nature.
These considerations enable us To realize |
the important part which oxygen plays in |
the phenomena of life. There can be no
perfect development and no healthy eili- |
cient action without liberal supply. This |
supply. i'm the exact form winch the sys-
TEN demands. i furnished by pure atrnos- |
pheric air. I'm this way oxygen comes TO |
the lungs mingled in due proportion with |
nitrogen. a portion OF il being i'm that mod |
ified form called ozone.
All pure air contains ozone. and owesits |
life and health-giving power in no small |
degree to it, presence.
Air i, deprived Of it, ozone. and loaded /
with poisonous matter by being breathcd. |
by passing through the hot-air chamber Of /
an oyer-heated furnace, and by passing /
over decaying animal and vegetable mat
ter. such. for instance. as exists in open /
sewers and cess-pools.
Foul water-closets and damp. unclean
cellars accomplish the same result: so in
AN eminent degree do those ingenious con-
triyances called Baltimore heaters: also
stoves and ranges with heater attachments.
In all of them air that has been brcathed.
perhaps several times over. j. called upon
10 do duty second time. after having been
purified. as the writer has been gravely in
formed. by passing through "A heated
chamber, where II j. deprived of its ozone.
and freighted with coal-gas. These things