Passing the Gas
I've been reading an interesting book, Human Wildlife - The Life That Lives on Us, that The Donald loaned me. It's about all the viruses, bacteria, worms, and insects that we host on and in the human body.
The author of the book being British, the subject of flatulence eventually came to the forefront. Now, it seems that the smell associated with flatus can be blamed on human wildlife, specifically sulfur-metabolizing bacteria that produce a range of volatile sulfur compounds from sulfur-containing proteins, namely meats. The bulk of the gases released by flatulence, however, are odorless hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane. Two of these gases (hydrogen and methane) are flammable and, indeed, flatus will burn (with a blue flame) if ignited.
All this is good stuff to know. Better to go to sea in a submarine with a crew of vegetarians than a crew of carnivores, for example. But the really interesting thing to know is how often we "pass the gas".
How often? An average of eleven times a day. Men, women and children.
And, now you know!
The author of the book being British, the subject of flatulence eventually came to the forefront. Now, it seems that the smell associated with flatus can be blamed on human wildlife, specifically sulfur-metabolizing bacteria that produce a range of volatile sulfur compounds from sulfur-containing proteins, namely meats. The bulk of the gases released by flatulence, however, are odorless hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane. Two of these gases (hydrogen and methane) are flammable and, indeed, flatus will burn (with a blue flame) if ignited.
All this is good stuff to know. Better to go to sea in a submarine with a crew of vegetarians than a crew of carnivores, for example. But the really interesting thing to know is how often we "pass the gas".
How often? An average of eleven times a day. Men, women and children.
And, now you know!
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