Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1906-10-11
COMPONENT PARTS
or HUMAN BEIMG
Can Be Secured at Almost Any
First-cIass Drug Store, Wi!h
One Exception.
TIE VITAL SPARK---L.iFE
Al 154-Pound Person Are Ninety-sey-
en- Pounds of Oxygen, Which II Re-
leased Would Fill 1000 Cubic
Feet of Space.
TIE VITAL ---L.iFE
From the Washinrton star

"a" 80 10 a. ufuS store ana buy
All TIE materials to make "a man. T.is
statement is NOT intended as a Jug
sestion to the 1850 females IN the
district of Columbia. who. according
20 the last police census. constitute the
excess of females oyer malts in the
district. 1t is merely set GOWN as in
formation calculated TO arouse interest.
III the reader does not care to incur
the expense OF purchasing the matte
RAILS with which To maxi a man, II
may at least be interesting 10 study Tho
chemical composition Of the human
body. as exhibited at the National mu-
scum. This will personally appeal to
the man who is 5 feet 5 inches and
weighs 154 pounds, as The exhibit at
the museum represents the elements
ana their quantities in the body of
an average, healthy man of that height
and weight. These compounds are
placed in Il glass case, the collection
consisting of thirty-two bottles. jars
n boxes. labeled ana set on shelves.
Man does not show to advantage
when reduced to water. powders and
gas. but he Is worth attention from IA
scientific viewpoint. The chemical COM
pounds of which our bodies are made
up are shown by analysis TO consist
mainly OF thirteen elements. Five of
these. when uncombincd with other
elements. are the gases. oxygen,
hydrogen. nitrogen. chlorine and
huorine. The remaining eight are
solid substances, three of which
are non-metals: carbon, p%hosphor-
us and sulphur: while the other
i've are metals: iron, calcium, mag
nesium. potassium and sodium. Be
sides these thirteen elements are mi
mute quantities of Il few others. as sill
con. manganese and copper. This sci
entific analysis differs radically from
the nurse-lOre theory that boys-and
presumably men-are made of snaps
and snails and puppy-dog tails" and
can be relied on as an official table of
your cOntents-provided you are Il man
of 1874 pounds.
Much Phosphorus.
The Inspector of the museums ex-
hibit ON man first takes note of IL Jar
OF reddish powder. The label tells one
that 1t Is phosphorus. of which "A per-
son contains "a pound and u half. The
specimen owes its lurid hue to long eX-
posure. In it's natural state it is soft,
waXy II so iniiaminablc that to pre-
vent spontaneous combustion 1t Is pre-
served under water. United with oXy-
gen it forms p%hosphoric acid, which. in
turn. combined with calcium. as phos-
phate OF lime. is an important con-
stituent of bone. Phosphorus also oc-
'currs in the brain and nerves. Next
~ ~ JdI 10 Il Ciluiih ol sulphur Ine size
of an egg. 1t is found in ariou parts
of the body. notably in the bones and
teeth. The next bottle contains what
looks To be five cents worth of darning
needles. 1t represents one-tenth of an
onnc of iron. an important constituent
of the red coloring matter of blood.
The visitor ext learns that his body
includes three pounds and thirteen
ounces of calcium, which Incidentally,
may explain amy laundering he may
have for the lime light. This calcium
Is q yellowish metal, somewhat harder
han lead. 1t is the basis of line and
occurs throughout the body. princip-
ally as bones and teeth. in the form of
phosphate.
On another jar II reads "Potas-
sum-: a soft metal, easily cut with Il
knife and showing u silver white luster.
When thrown on water it decomposes
the water. combining with the oxygen
with such avidity that the hydrogen,
set free. takes fire. 1t is the basis of
potash and occurs in the body prin-
Naturally. you know this must all be
%. but appearances are against it. The
specimen does not, I'm the least, look
Qife "a soft metal with a silver white
IuEter." It Is the living image of two
pounds OF shopworn dates, the appear
ancc of It being due to exposure. no
doubt.
Ninety Seven Pounds of Oxygen.
In Il 164-pOund human body are nine
ty-Seven pounds of V which
would, II set free. fill II space of nearly
1000 cubic feet. The body also carries
fifteen pounds Of hydrogen, which. IL
allowed to escape. would fill a corre-
spending area. One shoul be partic-
Ularly glad to know about this gas. be-
cause 1t explains where spellbinders
get their supplies. The specimens of
these gases are compressed in big glass
Jars that look sweaty inside, but. 9TH
erwlsc, arc apparently empty. Hydro
gen, like carbon, is burned in the body
by uniting with oxygen, thus serving
as fuel. The water produced Is given
off in the respiration through the lungs
and as perspiration through the skin.
On the bottom shelf. along with
other specimens. is Il tin box contain
Ing thirty-Onc pounds OF anthracite
coal. II represents that amount of
carbon in a human body. Carbon COM
bines with oxygen. In this combination
heat and force arc generated and car
taken in the body in food is burned
! In this way by the oxygen of the in
hailed air, yielding heat to keep the body
warm AndhS0rce muscular strength Cor
work. Tho carbonic acid gas is given
out by h lungs and skin. Carbon
thus serves as fuel for the body and is
Its most important fucl element.
Then there are the fats. twenty-five
md One-fOurth pounds out of 1874. HUI
man fat consists of staria. palmitan
and olein. with varying portions in diff
ferent parts. On u care may be read:
THE so-called complex fats. protagon.
1ecithin. cerebrin and others. resemble
the neutral fats. The quantity Is not
definitely known. but is supposed to
amount TO about twelve ounces. These
Eats are very difficult to obtain, and
only small specimens arc shown. with
special labels. They occur chiefly In
the brain. spinal cords and nerves.
though found In other parts"
A Ball Of TaiiUw.
Ey way Of Illustration. there are Jars
packed with tal.ow that account very
naturally for the mutton-hcaded people
who oppose our views.
A small Jar contains what looks to
be q smear OF black molasses. 1t is n
specimen Of hcithin which occurs in
ones brain-and which as also found
In the FOLK OF an egg. Another little
dab Of something IL labeled "Cerebrin,"
. complex fAt from Il. brain ard
spinal marrow. GlycogeA. still another
1ittle mess. 81 an animal starch from
tn liver. and inosite u "a hind Of su-