THE CARBON OF VEGETABLES. 37 



tributed to the possession by her of the mandrake root. These and 

 other superstitious ideas in connecting natural objects with religious 

 faith by monks, nuns and others, exhibit far less love of the good and 

 beautiful in nature, from their intrinsic excellence, than of ignorance, 

 and prejudice from their imaginary advantages. 



Carbon, as a constituent of Vegetables. 



Of the fifty-four elementary substances composing the material world, 

 four only enter generally into the composition of bodies, viz. : oxygen, 

 hydrogen, carbon and nitrogen ; and of these but one is found univer- 

 sal. This is carbon. Consequently every variety of form and appear- 

 ance must be given to this important element. It constitutes one-half 

 of the whole vegetable kingdom and a still larger portion of the 

 mineral world. It also enters largely into the composition of animals 

 and forms a portion of the atmosphere and of water. Its purest form 

 is that of the diamond, and next that of charcoal. It is the least 

 destructible of any known substance. If heated for centuries no 

 change could be perceived. Sugar, in which it is an important con- 

 stituent, may be reduced to carbon and water, but we are incapable 

 of reuniting these to form sugar. The process is gradual and known 

 only to nature. 



The diamond, if decomposed by means of the galvanic battery, would 

 combine with the oxygen of the air and form carbonic acid gas, which, 

 floating in the atmosphere till inhaled by a plant, would pass through 

 all the secret processes of elaboration and assimilation by the plant. The 

 plant: suppose it to be grass, is then eaten by an animal the ox it 

 then again passes through all the processes of assimilation and be- 

 comes at length, incorporated in his body, as it was before in that of 

 the plant. Now, if the flesh of the ox be eaten, it again goes through 

 all the processes of assimilation in the human body, is converted into 

 chyme, then into chyle, is then taken up by the innumerable lacteal 

 vessels and carried at length, into the general circulation into the 

 heart, then into the lungs and a part through the arterial vessels ; is 

 thence secreted by the lymphatics and converted into the secretions 

 perhaps tears taken up and passed off by the glands in various 

 ways, or perhaps, becomes incorporated in the bones, etc., and re- 

 mains for years and becomes at death, and in the process of time a 

 constituent of the earth, from whence in many years, it may be again 

 incorporated into plants. 



Plants derive their food, in part, from matter once organized in tne 

 animal or vegetable kingdom, but not less from the mineral kingdom. 

 A rock presenting a new surface is soon covered by lichens which, 

 with the air, rains, etc., ultimately decompose its surface and form soil 

 in which trees may rise and tower above it. The production of carbon, 

 4 



