The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-08-17
POWER OF THE HUMAN BODY,
4 Celebrated Anatomist Talks Int
rcstinglN on the Subiect.

"Man. know myself is an old maxim
but it is one that has been pretty gener-
ally disrogarded for there is not one per-
s0n in "a thousand who knows what a
queer combination of things exists IN
the human body. Years ago "a witty
physioloeist said that the greatest man
on earth was nothing more than So much
white az c1g alive and I'm this observa-
ton he came very near TO striking the
mark. for everything that is required 70
construct the perfect man Of 100 pounds
welcht is contained I'm 100 eggs. If
we only knew how 20 do IL We could
take the contents of these eggs and from
them make "a perfect man. But even TINS
-tl0u. astonishing as ~ may be- lS
only general statement Of the case. a'
any careful student of physiology Will
attest FOR this remarkable machine that
walks. eats. sleeps thinks. talks. laughs
and cries U.s. made up of the most complex
mixture of gases. liquids and solids or
which one could possibly conceive.
solid ass the body may seem 10 is
largely composed of gases. the five gases,
oxygen. hydrogen. nitrogen. chlorine
and nuorine. constituting all but small
fraction Of the body's bulk. I'm fact 80
has been estimated that there is enough
gas iu "a mans body TO nm n gas0mcter
nine substances that go 10 make up tho
solids in "a mans composition are carbon.
calcium. phosphorus. iron sulphur sod
im. potassium. silicon. and maGne- STUN.
In some people traces Of other substances
such os copper aluminium. manganese.
load mercury. arsenic and lthium may
De- found bat in such cases the unusual
substances may Doe regarded as trespass-
ers.
The amount of oxygen that Is contain
e1 in "a human body ls something pro-
digious. i'm q 150pound man 10 IS no
less than lG pounds ond if &c should be
set free rs bulk would De equal 10
beam Of wood one foot square and nearly
q quarter of "a mile long. II measured
hv the gallon 90 would nm POP arrels,
each holding 36 gallons. Thus IL can be
seen that the oXygen represents many
times the bulk OF the body itself
While the hydrogen is much tighter
than tho oxygen 10 is much more bulky.
enough being contained in each $50
Mound man 90 initiate "a balloon large and
strong enough 20 life himself balloon and
tackle included. OF nitrogen there IS
olso enough TO make twenty times the
bulk OF the body but the other gases are
represented in smaller amounts.
OF the solids carbon is one 90 the most
important substances there being enough
IA =
mounds. or in other words. enough %
rake sixty-tvc gross Of leod pencils.
Carbon IS TIE handspring of animal life.
tho fuel OF the BODY 10 Keeps us warm
and gives us energy 90 move. and yer
rrifhouf phosphorus we should De in a
pitlabio state indeed We should have
no arms. lers. skull or teeth. but should
bc "A soft mass compelled 90 crawl about
like the worms and live on some pap-like
foods. The substances OF which the hu-
man body rs composed play such n rromi-
mont part that 70 is dlnlcul. 20 single out
any one and say that II IS the most inn
po~tant. bat II must be admitted that
the one pound and a half OF phosphorus
S. as essential as the lo5 pounds of oxv-
rem Small as this amount OF phosnhor
us Is n is enough o. poison every resident
~ "a good sized village or 90 make S.o6i
boxes OF matches
Estimates vary ass 20 the exact amount
Of each substance contained In a body but
So for that matter do the amounts
ihems elves vary according 10 fhe condi-
tons ~ each body n is not difficult
however. 10 iiN an approximate estimate
go upon that some yely interesting cal
cu,ations may be based. Water Is one Of
The important compounds In the bo3y. 1t
ls composed OF two parts Of hydrogen and
ons Of oxygen. and in a man weighing