In a world where rain water is polluted more and more by run off following the decimation of forests, trees, and large tracts of land, it is no wonder that we suffer from ozone at ground level and not at stratospheric levels, its only a matter of time before we all have to invest in portable oxygen concentrators to keep our homes habitable.

Impurities in Rain-Water.--It contains, however, small quantities of organic matter, nitric acid and ammonia, all of which are washed out of the air through which it descends as rain. The source of the nitric acid is believed to be the nitrogen of the atmosphere, which combines with oxygen under the influence of the electric spark during thunder-storms. Nitric acid in rain-water exists in such insignificant amount as to be entirely unimportant in itself ; but it adds very seriously to the danger of impregnation with lead from lead pipes, roofs and cisterns by rapidly dissolving that metal and forming the very soluble and highly poisonous salt, nitrate of lead.

Additional Articles from the Book of Medicine:

• Cholera Infection
  
  

  Cholera Infection. — a few days after their return the same terrible disease rapidly attack other members of the household, so that, within a fortnight, and that one little circle, 11 person’s had been seized with cholera, including a mother, father, grandmother, two daughters, sons, doctor, serving lad, serving maid, labor and countrywoman, and of these 11 only three survived, namely, the Sun, a daughter and a serving lad. Later, in the countrywoman’s family, there was another fatal case. It cannot well be doubted, concluded Mr. Simon, but that the exciting cause of the succession of events was in some way or other the return of the parents from Weymouth-of the father with the remains of choleraic diarrhea upon him, of the mother with apparently the beginnings of the same complaint. But this is only part of the case, and the remainder teaches a most impressive lesson. All the drinking water used in the house came from a well beneath the floor of the scullery, and into that well there was habitual  soakage from the water closet.

  Now for some people reviewing 100 year old accounts of cholera epidemics might be about as exciting as reviewing marketing budgets and covering line items for promotional pens to insure that enough red pens versus blue pens have been ordered. That said this actually has some very interesting historical references in the next few sections so don’t miss them.

• Muscles of the Eye
  
  

  Muscles of the Eye.-I’m turning the flap we see four of the six delicate, who with all strong muscles which I would hold I firmly in its bony orbit, but also moved upward toward the canopied vaults of heaven, downward to view the beauties of nature on earth; or sideways to the right or left, Spain have to horizon at a single glance! The next illustration gives us a graphic and faithful to limitation of the beautiful arrangements of the numerous curtains, humors, lenses, pigments, membranes, nervous coats and blood vessels which enter into the composition of this remarkable organ, each of which is exquisitely adapted to the respective functions has to perform.

  As you can tell, we are getting back on track with this effort after a couple month hiatus mostly do to (ironically) poor health.  No other projects are going to slow us down and we now have a promoter that will even help us hire more transcriptionists as we cover Wilmington real estate.

   

  del.icio.us tags: history of medicine, eye, eye muscles
• Interior Arrangement of Lungs
  
  

  Interior Arrangement of Lungs. — On turning this flap over we find a vertical section of lungs, showing their anterior arrangements. The lower end of the trachea divides, one portion going to each long. These again subdividing continue to subdivide in geometrical order, growing smaller and smaller with each division, and extending to every part of the lungs, finally terminating in a cluster of air cells, bound together by cellular tissue and forming a lobule. These lobules vary in size accordingly as they are located on the surface of the lung or deeper in its tissues. Each lobule is separate and distinct from the other, and forms in itself a perfect and independent lung in miniature

  Function Of the Lobules. — In this arrangement we see the boundless wisdom of the Creator displayed, for were it not for this wise and perfect; provision — one of the very greatest importance in the process of respiration, since it enables each individual lobule to perform its functions independently of the rest — tubercular disease, bronchitis and inflammation of the lungs would not only be incurable, but would prove to be very rapidly fatal.

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  The last paragraph of this section is written with very peculiar grammar, some of it seems to be due to its age of a hundred years or more and the rest seems to be bad grammar that slip by the editor, this mixed in with the nonsecular reference makes what would probably be an important statement somewhat obscure.