Sleep And Fresh Air

A paper read to the D rench Academy of Science by M. Delauch, braoohes a new ibeory. lie thiuks it "singular that, wiiile ill medical trien are unan:Hióiis in prescnlñig severa] cubiö meters of. pure air l'or each sleeping in a loom ás absolutely eéfeehti'ül to liealth, all animáis appear to shun the opeo air as mueh as possitle, in order to compose themselves to sleep. Thus the Hon and titrer rotire to some dark cavern, wliere the air ib confinad; the dog goes to his kennel, and thrusts his snout under his belly ; birds, to wliioh the open air would appear to be a necessity, whether asleep or avrake, retire to some private corner and put their heads undtr tlieir wings. Nay, what does the echool-boy do wlion teft in a dormitory airad with particular care ? If he finds he cannot fa.ll asleep, the first thing ha does is to bury his head amoug the bedclothe-. Henee if, when awake we exhale a quantity of carbonic acid, we must inhule a oertain quantity of tbis gas during sleep just as the plants exhale by day the oxygen they absorb during the night." Hall's Journal of Health quotes this passage, and instead of' disoussing it philosophically, venta its iudiynntioQ in harsh words. There is no doubt there is a partial truth in the suggestion of the French savan. Sleep is a lowcring of the line of the body and braiu during whieh the temperatnre of both as tested by the theimnneter is lowered. The lungs during sleep, take very much less of air ; and if from any cause the inspiration of the sleeper is as irequent and full as fchat of the waking trian, his sleep is ievered and without refreshment. If the ordinury air were oxygenatod, a person breutbing it would hardly get any sleep ualess of a congestiva churaater. Air in whioh a portioD of the oxygen bas been consumed would have the contrary effect. The phenomena of respiration have been compared to those of combustión. When we wisli to put the coal-fire to sleep oer uight, we put astiea on it t-j keep off the frosh air, or we reduce the draught to the minimum. If we allrw the air to be deoxygenized the result íh the same. The object of sleep is to suspend m-.iny vital f'unctions, and to retard and give repose to others.. It is most perfect when the '' combustión" is lowest ; trhoügn of course, there are exceptions lo such a theory. The hybernation of pillar animáis, and the phenomena of the l'ing lif'e of fmis, etc., imheded in stone which have been uuexplained, may dei ive sonie light froiu the theory we havo advaooed.