Our planet is alive not only because water exists, but because it circulates. Water's movement accounts for, amongst others, the presence of weather, migration patterns, varying zones of vegetation, and land purification. Similarly, we rely on the circulation of our blood to maintain the supply of oxygen and nutrients essential for life.
Chemically, blood and seawater are quite similar. The sodium, potassium and chloride ions in blood are also found in the oceans, as are the dissolved gases oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen, since all cells need these to function. In 1897 French scientist Rene' Quinton made the discovery that human cells could actually live in seawater. In a bizarre and daring experiment he removed virtually all of a small dog's blood and replaced it with a saline solution that was essentially diluted seawater. The liquid was called "isotonic" because it's concentration of salts and minerals was the same as that of blood (9 parts per thousand). The dog, named Sodium (presumably after the formula for salt - sodium chloride), accepted the saline solution and returned to full health within a week after the treatment. Sodium went on to live a further five years in good health. Since Quinton's breakthrough saline drips have saved countless lives. 50 years later his studies were successfully replicated on dogs of varying breeds. Questions have of course been raised about the implications of this strange compatibility for other mammals. And because isotonic seawater is essentially a living substance, researchers now believe that Marine Plasma, also called Quinton Serum or Ocean Plasma, can actually be used to protect against illness and cell decay due to its ability to rejuvenate cells. My brief article Our Bodies of Water has more interesting facts on water and its importance for us.
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