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Show MINHRALS ESSENTIAL TO LIFB Important Role Played by So-Called Inorganic 'Substances. That tho minute traces of metallic substances found In living bodies aro not accidental, but essential to tho porformanco of the functions of life, Is asserted by Herrera, a French biologist. bi-ologist. He goes so far as to say that Zoology and botany are but chaptors ot mineralogy, so Important Is the rolo played In organic llfo by these so-called Inorganic substances. For Instance, all tho phenomena ot movement In nn animal arc, ho asserts, as-serts, duo to oxidation. As to nutrition, nutri-tion, It Is Impossible, ho Bays, when the food Is deprived of Its mineral elements. Dogs fed on substances from which tho salt and other Inorganic Inor-ganic matter has been carefully ro-moved ro-moved die of starvation. At tho bottom bot-tom of our vital processes, assorts this writer, nro fermentation nnd oxidation, oxida-tion, or their analogues; and these depend de-pend on tho presenco of certain mineral min-eral bodies In tho tissues. Even tho rolo of pepsin In digestion seems to depend on tho presence of Iron. In short, tho organic substances on which llfo depends nro, ho Bays, "pi pared In Inorganic workshops wltu mineral reagents"; nnd thus n living being Is practically n member of tho mineral kingdom. Success. COWS NOT FAST ENOUGM. Trouble Was They Could Not :::. Ahead of the Train. "While I was traveling out li ' last month," said a drummer, "I i -occasion to patronize a mlsev 'one-horse' railroad which serve-- t eral of the Ohio river towns. 'V wero Jogging along at a dlstres-'-i low rate of speed when of a wl ' tho train came to a dead stop In I middle of a largo meadow. Ma i r tho passengers whoso patlenco h" . 'i come exhausted asked a brakoman i'.. cause of the delay. '"There's a herd ot cows on t' r track ahead,' ho answered. "In about ten minutes the tntlr under way again. Jerking convnUI ' ly along for about a mile or two, w h it again came to a halt. That wa-. limit. An old man who was slttltr near the door turned to the br.i'-' man, who was plainly annoyed by i'.i many questions, nnd said Irrltahl. "'What In thunder la the ma't-r anyhow?' " 'Why, we've caught up to the co again!' sarcastically explained t brakeman." |
