342 THE CHEMISTRY OF CREATIOX. 



cold ; and, 2nd. That it has a power of refrigera- 

 tion, or of reducing its temperature, by which 

 it is enabled to prevent its natural temperature 

 rising beyond a certain point. The latter func- 

 tion, upon which we shall not further speak, is 

 due to the cold produced by the enormous eva- 

 poration which takes place from the surface of 

 the body, and the extent and rapidity of which 

 are proportioned to the external heat. The 

 former and more mysterious power is known to 

 physiologists under the title Animal Heat. 



It is found that whenever the element carbon 

 undergoes, in any of its combinations, the pro- 

 cess of oxidation or union with oxygen, the 

 change is invariably accompanied by the evolu- 

 tion of more or less heat. It is no matter where 

 the combustible material is burnt, that is, is 

 united with oxygen ; whether in a furnace of 

 iron, or in the animal frame, the same quantity 

 will give out the same amount of caloric. Eea- 

 soning upon this fact, ingenious speculators 

 have been led to suggest that the organs of 

 respiration are the heat-furnaces of the body, 

 and that -fuel supplied to them produces just 

 as much heat in them as it would do if burnt 

 in a fire-place or consumed in a lamp. 



It has been seen above, that in the lungs a 

 continual process of union of the constituents 

 of the blood, carbon, hydrogen, with oxygen, 

 takes place. Chemistry positively assures us 



