IKON. 37 



There are various principles which may be obtained from 

 '.he body of an animal, or from the substance of a vegetable, 

 und which are recognised as important in inducing important 

 hemical changes in the body. To these the chloride of 

 sodium, carbonates, and phosphates already referred to be- 

 long. Iron must be regarded as one. The rapid manner in 

 which the weak and emaciated animal rallies under treatment 

 by ferruginous tonics indicates their powerful reconstructive 

 properties. The blood, once poor and watery, becomes plas- 

 tic, of a deep red colour, and maintains a great activity of 

 function. So remarkable is the influence exerted by iron OD 

 the production of blood red, that the latter was believed to 

 be a red salt of iron, until Graham proved that there was not 

 sufficient iron in the blood to colour it, and Scherer demon- 

 strated that hsematine retained its properties though the iron 

 was dissolved out of it. 



VIII. IKON. Common salt is extensively diffused over the 

 globe, in every substance, organic and inorganic, and so is 

 iron. Our soils contain large quantities, and hence the plants 

 receive it, through which animals acquire their necessary, 

 though small, proportion. It is not a little remarkable that 

 this constituent of blood and tissue, though in infinitesimal 

 quantities, cannot be dispensed with. I have often quoted 

 Dr Lankester's Lectures on Food; and we find in them, 

 on the subject of iron: "The French are in the habit of 

 performing the process of incremation on their dead friends ; 

 that is to say, instead of burying them, they burn them, which 

 is a much more wholesome process. The Romans burned 

 their dead, and collected their ashes in an urn, which they 

 kept as a memorial ; but the Frenchmen do better than this : 

 they would not be Frenchmen unless they could improve 

 upon the old Roman plan. The French, after burning their 

 friends, take the ashes and extract the iron, and convert it 



