Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1922-10-02
DEAD MAN WORTH ONLY
N|NEN-E|CHT CENTS
Body Simply Iron, Sugar, Sui
phur. Magnesium, &C.,
Says Scientist.

Commenting upon the composition
OF the human body, The Journal of the
American Medical Association draws
attention TO the fact that physicians
often get 20 close TO the details that
they do not see the whole, as men get
40 close tothe forest that they cannot
see the woods for the trees. This, the
writer Gays, Is especially true in re-
spect 10 things that are examined with
the microscope or determined by
microchemical meane lie Gays that
GcorEine Luden has called attention
to this tendency, and points out
number OF quantitative facts that are
somewhat startling.
In the gross, we are made Of soap
tfaD, iron. sugar. lime. phosphorus,
magnesium. potassium and sulphur.
Tho total value or this is about 80
cents per individual.
For example, says the writer.
tho entire volume Of circulating
blood, which fills about half an ordi-
nary bucket. contains only small
teaspoonful (from 4 to gnn.) OF sugar
and n tablespoonful (32 gm.) Of salt
| Wnen we consider the minute varia-
tons In the sugar content that the
| modern chemist can measure in n few
drops OF blood, we gain added respect
for the science Of cumulative analy-
eie. The iodin in the entire blood
amounts TO but 0.01 gn.. or an average
dose Of atropin.
When the Psychologist tells us that
epinephrin can be detected by biologlc
| methods In dilutlon of 800, 900. 600.
II means far less than 70 say that il Is
equivalent TO diluting a small glass OF
whisky (10 c. GA very email glass,
| that--into the contents Of 1920 city
street sprinkling carts. which would
form procession about six miles long.
we all know that the normal blood
contains abut 5000, 900 red corpuscles
in each cubic millimeter, but do we all
realize that the entire blood must
| therefore contain some twenty-five
trillion red cells and thirty billion
| leukocytes. figures that have an as
Economical aspect2 And do we realize
that in all that mass OF blood Is die
tributcd the insignificant quantity Of
from to 3 graine (65 TO 200 mg) Of
uric ACID which we assay accurately
and speculate about vaguely?
buden quotes an amusing, II no,
very precise. estimate OF the total
chemical COMPOSITION OF the avera re
man., which has recently been pub
lished by big Industrial company and
which may be thus summarized: Fa,
enough for seven bars Of SOAP: iron
enough for medium-sized nail; sugar
enough 70 I'll a shaker: lime enough
TO Whitewash a chicken coop; phos.
phorus enough 10 make 2,200 match
tips; magnesium enough for a dose
or ma&nesia; potassium enough 70
eSpiode toy cannon; and sulphur
enough to rid a dog Of fieas.
Many items IN this estimate are Ief,
largely 10 the imagination, such as the
size of the dog and the number OF his
tornentors, but the total cost OF the
ingredients is given as 9s cents, which
rs neither expensive nor calculated Il
roster regalonlania. The practica,
value OF visualized scientific data Iies
not only in the Stimulation of mem.
Dry through the imagination. but aIsc
In The food for thought which tbe1
oner and in their bearing on great med.
ical problems.
II mental pictures of the billion,
and uillions of blood cells crowdine
Jcstlng and possibly struggling for !;
snare OF the mere teaspoonful of suea.
IN the total blood volume of a full
sized man." the endless procession o
sprinkhng carts representing the cpl
: hepnrn concentration to which a nj
: maj tissues respond. appeal TO one
, sense OF humor, they also do rnuc,
! more than this:
ot lhey bring home the delicacy O
l .ne adjustment by which the Yun,a,
, oody mechanism is regulated; the ex
5 tent to which this fine adjustmen
S may oe disturbed by seemingly trivia
r lactors; the obligations of both Law
men and physicians do NOT ;ynor,. -,
shght tokens Of distress Of The bod
engine and the value of connnarin
.he quantities used in the body chen,
.stry with the dosage in therapen