Читать книгу The House We Live In; or, The Making of the Body онлайн

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SUBSTANCES IN THE BODY

OTHER: Percy, do you remember what men use in building houses?

Percy: They use stone, wood, brick, iron, glass, lime, and paper.

Helen: And some houses are made of earth and straw.

Mother: Yes, and some of these things are found in the body-house.

Amy: Why, mother, we are not made of wood, stone, glass, or lime!

Mother: That is true; yet some of these very things are in your body. Those who have studied the blood tell us it is iron, partly, that gives it its rich red color. You saw what a pretty red it is when you cut your finger to-day, Helen. Some of the things of which glass is made are in our hair and finger-nails, and our bones would soon become useless if we did not give them plenty of lime.

Percy: But how do the iron and lime get inside of us? That is what I would like to know.

Mother: It does seem strange, but the houses we live in are made of what we eat. I once knew a young lady who thought she needed more iron in her blood, so she put some nails in water and let them stay till it was full of iron rust, and then she drank it. Perhaps if she had thought her bones needed lime, she would have taken lime water; but this is not the proper way to get iron and lime “inside of us,” as Percy says. We can not eat iron and lime, but grains and fruits can, and we eat the grains and fruits. Iron is found in apples, tomatoes, and strawberries. We get lime in wheat, peas, beans, and other foods. Have you noticed how the men are building that brick house across the street?