Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1883-07-19
0PWER OF THE HEART
what That LfttIe Organ Endure,
and Accompanies From Day Ia

and Accompanies From Day Ia
Day.
This important little organ of the
body is the primary source of The
movement of the vital stream. As
with each stroke the heart projects
something like SIX ounces of blood
into the conduits of the system, and
as it does so some seventy times eyery
minute and 4, 200 times in an hour. II
does the same thing 100, 500 times in
twenty-four hours. 80, 600, 600 of times
every year and more than 2, 500, 000.
600 of times in life of seventy years
The mechanical force that is exertej
at each stroke amounts to a pressure Of
thirteen pounds upon the entire charge
of blood that has to depressed onward
through the branching network Of
blood-vessels. This gives an eXertion
of force that would be adequate in
another form of application to lift 12O
tons one foot high every twentyfom
hours. Yet the piece of living mechan.
icism that is called upon to do this, and
do it without a pause for three-score
and ten years, without itself beng
worn out by the effort, is small bun,
die of flesh that rarely weighs more
than eleven ounces. 1t must also be
remembered that this little vital ma
chine can not at any time be stopped
for repairs. If it gets out of order. it
must be set right as it runs. To stop
the action of the heart for more than
the briefest interval would be to change
life into death. So, also, a considera
ton of other organs of the body will
show the vast amount of labor that is
constantly going on within us of
which we scarcely take note. The
digesting, secreting, and the eXcretin.
apparatus, and some supplementary
structures associated with them, NAV
well be called the servant organs Of
the body, and are mainly engaged
with preparing the flood so that it may
perform its task of supporting the &C
tivitieS of the muscles, brain, and
nerves, with the least possible strain
upon their own energies, and with re
moving out of the way the waste
resulting from their action The body
may thus be spoken of as am elaboH-
tely constructed machine, devised for
the purpose of converting the latent
energy manifested in muscular move
ment, sensation, nerve influence, and
brain operations.
The various changes that are carried
out in the materials of the living body
are all etfectually directed to this con
versation of latent energy, brought in
by the food, into the active energy
which is the attribute and immediate
purpose of animal life Not more than
one-seventh part of the energy which
is thus developed in the human body
is devoted to the performance of ex-
ternal work, the moving about from
place to place, and the operating upon
and the holding relations with the OBJ
iects of external nature. The remain
ing six-sevenths are reserved for what
may rather be termed the internal
work of the mechanicism--the opera
tons which are requisit to keep its own
structures in efficient repair and in
tit state for the performance of their
proper functions 1t has been estimat-
ed that the power which is applied in
this way TO internal work in the hui
man body, if used for external work
instead, would suffice to lift 5000, 900
pounds one foot high every twenty
four hours Add to this the amount OF
force used in the circulation of the
blood, and we have the sum total OF
force required to keep up the internal
operation of the animal economy, the
immense aggregate equal to lifting ),
$50 tons every twenty-four hours
Now, if we can estimate the amount
of brain work and physical labor
which can be performed by healthy
well-developed individual as the re
naming one seventh part of his pow,
ers, we see at once how immense and
almost measureless are the capacities
of human endurance, when these
capacities are well guarded and prop
erly sustained by careful and well
selected elements of nutrition. Nor Is
it at all to be wondered at that men
engaged in the activities of life fail IN
health and break down when they go
on year in and year out putting into
their systems the various and multi
form food eleme nts without once
or knowing what it is to be
the effect Of it all ON the vital econ
omy Edinburgh Review.