464 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



the infinite play of the terrestrial powers: in the falling away of 

 the rocks, and the springing forth of plants ; in the oxidation of metals, 

 and the emission of the perfume of flowers ; in the deposition of dew, 

 in the falling rain, the rattling hail, and the drifting snow ; in the rush- 

 ing of the wind, and the conflict of the storm ; in the friction of the 

 clouds as they pass in the sky, or rest on the summits of the moun- 

 tains ; in the ceaseless evaporation on sea and on land; in the rush- 

 ing torrents of the hills and the dashing breakers on the shore. ? 



Ozone a Disinfectant. — The disinfecting powers of ozone have 

 long been noted. It is one of Nature's great purifiers. It is some- 

 times generated artificially in hospitals and public buildings. It acts 

 both on animal and vegetable matter. According to SchSnbein, air 

 containing but TSToVffo" °f ozone is capable of disinfecting its own 

 volume of air filled with the effluvia, evolved in one minute, from four 

 ounces of highly-putrid flesh. 



Ozone, in disinfecting and purifying decaying and putrid matter, 

 is itself destroyed. It dies, that others may live. Hence it is that 

 there is so little of ozone in the air of towns and cities and villages, 

 and in hospitals. The ozone is consumed in the process of oxidizing 

 the products of combustion and decay. 



Dr. Richardson has noticed that oxygen, that has been repeatedly 

 passed over decomposing animal matter, loses its power of oxidation. 



Physiological Effects of Ozone. — The physiological effects of ozone 

 have been studied both on man and on animals. It is believed that 

 the bracing and inspiring effect of a clear, crisp, and sparkling morn- 

 ing, is due in part to the great amount of ozone in the atmosphere. 

 When it is held in combination with oxygen or common air, it acts 

 much like oxygen, but more powerfully. It affects the pulse, the 

 respiration, and the circulation, in various ways, according to the 

 quantity taken, and the temperament of the individual. In this re- 

 spect, it behaves like electricity. It has been thought that ozone is 

 formed in the body from the contact of oxygen gas with the blood, 

 and there are those who believe that it is absorbed with the ozone in 

 the air, and is carried into the blood, where it takes part in the process 

 of oxidation. 



There is a possibility, if not indeed a probability, that electricity, 

 in its passage through the body, generates ozone in very minute quan- 

 tities, through the electrolytic and other changes that it produces, 

 and the theory, that the beneficial effects of electrization are in part 

 due to the ozone thus generated, has some plausibility. But on all 

 these subjects very little is known. Experiments made in the labo- 

 ratory with ozone, artificially prepared, are highly suggestive. Ca- 

 tarrhal symptoms and attacks, much resembling epidemic influ- 

 enza, are produced by long breathing air laden with ozone. It is 

 stated that it would be difficult to distinguish between the symp- 



1 Vide Fox, above quoted. 



