Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-07-02
WHAT MAKES A MAN.
Result of Passing an Average Man
Through a Chemists Laboratory.
From he Was1tn0ton Sldr.


ataman. That was the reflection OF re-
porter, as he stood before case forming
part OF the exhibits in the section OF foods
at the National Museum. Thecontents Of
the case showed one what 154 pound
man appears like from the chemists point
of view. In other words, a suppositlous
man feet S inches high, weighing lo4
pounds, had been passed through the
chemists laboratory and divided ana sub
divided into his ultimate elements. There
stood all these elements and chemical
compounds in glass Jars, properly Ia
beled. All OF the man was there, except
the subtle breath of life, which m some
way escapes before the chemist can get 1t
corked up IN a jar and labeled. Hence, -
this important element IL lacking III "uulu
be difficult, so the chemist admitted 70 tue
reporter, to make man that wout
amount to anything, out OF the contents
of these lars. Ihe case OF EXHIBITS forms
a part OF a series being prepared under
the direction OF Mr. R0myn Hitchcock,
curator OF the section, and wnch, When
complete, viii Illustrate not ohiy Tue
chemical composition OF the human BODY,
but the daily income and expenditure OF
the body, based upon the results OF analy-
ses made by Prof. w. O. Atwater.
The story, or meaning of the exhibits, is
told so plainly by the different sizes OF the
jars and the graphic aud explicit state
ments of the labels that it can be easily
understood. even by Que who knows little
or nothing OF chemistry. The hrst series
OF exhibits represent the thirteen ele-
ments, which large label informs you
enter into the chemical compounds OF
which our bodies are made Five OF these
y.(,T ia sal. -444y4 hG
oxygen is SHOWN in jar Win label
which states that the weighto OF oxygen in
man weighing l54 pounds is - pounds.
This jar, which would mold about gal
lon, represents only oue-ten thousAnitn
part OF tue oxygen of man OF that
weight. II the 80 pounds OF oxygen were
set free from the body, II would fill space
OF 900 cubic feet. The oxygen is the great
supporter of combustion IN the system
The next jar represents the 10 pounds OF
hydrogen going TO make up The l54 pound
man. This amount OF hydrogen SET Tree
would fill 100 cubic feet, and the jar
represents Only one ten-thOusandth OF the
whole amount. Auo,hcr Jar or bottle,
having capacity OF little over quart,
represents the lbs. and Is OF. OF
nitrogen found in tue imaginary mau.
This nitrogen, II free, would I'LL 4s.3 cubic
feet Another small bottle contains,
combined with calcium, the 80 ounces Vi
fuoriue, and another jar contains one
tenth OF the ounces OF chlorine TO be
found in the man. Chlorine IS one OF the
constituents of bleaching powder. After
the jar OF chlorine was put in the case
the stopper was blown cut and tue gas
bleacbed all the tinted labels in the case.
Thus the elements OF the human body are
shown to comprise nV3 gases existing IN
such quantities a. That. 1t they were set
free, would till a space OF about 1000
cubic feet which, if pAsd Tor at the rate OF
81 70 a thousand at the usual discount for
promptness would amount 10 So. Ii
the gases OF a 1874 pound mau began to
expand and expanded to their utmost,
the man would til a large room ~ hall.
The Hall OF kepresen atives, commodious
as 1t is, could nod only lew men in the
gaseous stale.
SOLIDS OF THE BODY.
The next series OF jars or EXHIBITS repre-
sent the solids OF lbe body. Frs there is
the carbon. represented by y solid cub OF
charcoal weIgbmg 81 pounds. Ii man
had to take MS carbon ouJ and carey 1t
around with him in a basket all day he
would be pretty tired al nisht. Yet every
man, miiliuna re- or tramp, IS weighed
down Withd of carbon. which If coiled
into diamonds would enable him TO
rival the sRlendors OF Monte Crlsto. The
ouncas ~ nno.,,t,nro,,- a "A + ,nI,,cns ~
snInbur Arer fn. "a. a.. he carbon ,na
nbe.nhorous and st'.naur nav peen ex.
tracted from the man there Is nothing LETT
Of him but metals. sdoubt.ul whether
metals exist in The human BODY in such
paying quantities as TO offer Inducements
10 mining companies, sAll one would be
surprised 70 look iuto this case AMI see
how much a man Is weighted down VITA
various metallic substances. First there
is iron, OF when the average man de-
scribed carries onetenth OF an ounce IN
his 81 stem. Tails QUaaaty is sHown ia he
exhibit IN the form OF lron wire. The
metal with VIII en- tha BODY is most
abundantly provided calcium, the basis
Of lime, oil wnicn the man supposed 10
have been resolved INTO h chem cal m
stituents Welded pounds ana IL ounces.
This is a yeiluwish metal, and the amour
obtained IS SHOWN IN cube about 3
inches htgu. i little hlocE OF magnesium,
sllYer-hued metal, weighing x ounces,
and then IS ounces OF p ta.~ium were
taken from the maa, anH an that re-
NAMED WAS little qua .lsF of sod um
weighing : oz. Thu weights ot the chem
ical clemens IN the b dy oj mau weigh
ing l53 pounds are sumnar It ON one of
the labels as follows. OXYGEN. - -
pounds; carbon, 3l.}U; hydrogen. - -;
nitrogen, $50 c9c am, 3.Su:
49, .A