The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-03-24 00:00:00

COIIRE,gPONIAINCE

VENTILATION OF CHURCHES AND PUBLIC

BUILDINGS

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

SIR,—As there is no subject connected with the health of
the community to which so little attention is paid, or of which
so little appears to be known, as that of ventilation (by which
I mean a supply of air in any building), I take the liberty of
submitting you a few facts relating to it, which are compiled
principally from the writings of some of our eminent physio-
logists, in the hope they may be the means of impressing
some of your readers with the importance of the subject,
and especially those who have the management of buildings
where many people are congregated together.
It is not generally known that it is necessary, for the pre-
servation of health, that every drop of blood in the human
body should be exposed to the action of atmospheric air about
once in every three minutes, in order to effect a change in
the blood named aeration—a change from venous, or black
blood, to arterial, or red blood ; nor that the same air cannot
produce this change twice. Hence the necessity of a con-
stant supply of air in every room, but especially in those
where many people are. The quantity of air required by
each individual has been ascertained by Finlaison to be about
18 pints each minute of his existence--air that has never
been breathed before: this will be in one hour 2 hhds. 20
galls., and in one day about 57 hhds. From ignorance of
this fact, we have experienced for many generations the evil
results of deficient ventilation, and suffered the penalty in
delicate health, fevers, and consumptions ; and yet architects
go on planning and erecting edifices, without bestowing a
thought on the means of supplying air for the number of
people they are to accommodate, though their health cannot
be retained without it; and while ingenuity is taxed to sup-
ply water, air, which is of far more consequence, has been
left to creep in, like a thief in the night, through any hole
by which it can find an entrance. Were a knowledge of the
facts stated above, and of man's structure generally, made a
part of general education, such inconsistencies would soon
disappear, and the architect would soon speedily devise the
means of supplying our houses with air, as the engineer does
with water.
The only kind of air which will maintain the body in health
is that containing the precise proportions of the atmosphere
of oxygen and nitrogen, with a thousandth part of carbonic
acid. If the relative quantity of any ingredient be increased
or diminished, the blood will immediately suffer, and the
health be injured. If, for instance, the air contain more
carbonic acid than the minute trace of it in pure air, it will
be to that extent unfit for respiration, and act deleteriously
upon the system. Now, during its action on the blood in
the lungs, the air loses a great part of its oxygen, or life-
sustaining principle, and gives out carbonic acid, a poisonous
principle, in its stead ; therefore, if the same air be breathed
again and again, the quantity of oxygen is gradually dimi-
nishing, and that of carbonic acid increasing, till at last it
becomes incapable of supporting life. This is the cause of
feebleness, head-aches, and other symptoms, that so often
follow attendance at a church or meeting, where many bun-
dled pairs of lungs are absorbing oxygen and pouring out
carbonic acid for hours, no means being at the same time
used to carry off the breathed air, and to supply fresh. There
are numerous instances on record of the fatal consequences
of ignorance of this law of our nature. The black hole of
Calcutta affair is one in which about 130 individuals perished.
Crabbe the poet nearly fell a victim to this ignorance. He
and several of his playmates were punished for playing at
soldiers by being put into a large kennel. Crabbe was the
first who entered. The place was crammed with offenders;
the atmosphere consequently was rapidly consumed. Crabbe
shrieked in vain that he would be suffocated (he being far-
thest from the door) ; at last, in despair, he bit the lad next
him violently, roaring "Crabbe is dying! Crabbe is dying !"
and the sentinel opened the door. Crabbe says, in his ac-
count of it, " A minute more, and I must have died."
Walpole mentions another instance. A parcel of drunken
constables took it into their heads to arrest every one they
met, and thrust them into St. Martin's round-house.
Twenty-five were thus shut up all night with closed doors
and windows. In the morning four were dead; two died
soon after, and twelve more were permanently seriously in-

lured.
In these deplorable examples of the miseries caused by
ignorance of one of the simplest laws of animal life, the
effects of want of air are pourtrayed in appalling colours ;
but those which are produced by breathing an atmosphere
vitiated to a much smaller extent, are by no means less real.
God has decreed that a certain portion of air is necessary to
sustain health. If we adapt our circumstances to this law,
we reap comfort and health; whereas if we transgress it,
and breathe au atmosphere with a less than usual quantity
of oxygen, and more than usual of carbonic acid, we have no
more right to expect to enjoy health, energy, and activity,
than we have to expect a fire to burn without air, or a fish
to live out of water. From opposition to this law, much
suffering is incurred, especially in large towns. n 1838
about 60,000 died of diseases of the lungs in England, and I
observe that 344 died of similar diseases last week in London
alone. Now, it is an ascertained fact that the lungs, in most
instances, are the first part to suffer from want of air. The
blood, being insufficiently aerated, deposits tubercular mat-
ter in the lungs, and disease is generated. Ido not mean to
say that a strict attention to this law would have prevented
the whole of these deaths from this disease ; but experience
has proved to us, that as a knowledge of, and attention to,
this law have increased, in the same ratio these diseases have
diminished; and it can also be proved, that the deaths from
diseased lungs amongst those who, from their occupations,
are most shut up in ill-ventilated places, are by far the most
numerous ; while butchers, and those who live in the open
air, hardly ever die of these complaints.
Dr. Combe (the physician, not " the philosopher"), from
whose work on physiology many of my preceding remarks
are taken, says on the subject, If the air we breathe be
impure, the proper aeration of the blood in the lungs will be
prevented, and consequently rendered unfit for its destined
purposes in the animal economy, and the h.ealth become im-
paired. Of its deteriorating influences, proofs everywhere
abound." Where, from the want of air, or neglect in any
way, the blood becomes impaired, bad health will never be
far distant. Let those who are not aware of the influence
of the blood consider what occasionally occurs in disease,
and they will obtain a more correct idea of the fact. Cases
are not wanting in which persons at the gates of death have
been resuscitated, and ultimately restored, by having healthy
blood transfused into their veins. Nay, the mind itself is,
in some measure, influenced by the pure or impure state of
the blood, because the co-operation of the nervous system
is indispensable to the action of the mental faculties; and,
therefore, if the brain is imperfectly sustained by blood, their
tone and activity also become reduced.
I have, however, said enough for the present. If you can
oblige me, I will trouble you with one more letter.

Yours, &c.,
A YOUNG PHYSIOLOGIST,

THE BUILDING 1N CATHERINE-STREET,

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

SlR,—The detailed account of the ecclesiastical structure
in Catherine-street, published in your late numbers, appears
evidently to have been written by authority, and taken in
connexion with a letter signed " Catholicus" on the same
subject, exhibits, evidently, a desire to attract public atten-
tion to it, as well by a detail of its splendour as by keeping
up as much mystery, and exciting as much curiosity, as pos-
sible

An the first place, " Catholicus" ridicules the idea of mys-
.ery altogether, but in the same paragraph wonders " what
authority they have for taking such high standing as a
church." He professes moreover to have been much grati-
fied and instructed by an hour's conversation with a " mys-
terious individual." What he learned, except that it was an
" attempt of man to make as beautiful an habitation for his
God as was in his power," does not appear. He may, per-
chance, have forgotten that " God dwelleth not in temples
made with hands." Acts, vii, 48.
It appears, according to " a gentleman connected with the
works," that " it is to be a Catholic Apostolic church, dedi-
cated, not to any particular saint, but to the whole of the
apostles ; and that all who have been baptized will have free
admission within its pale." The gentleman, however,
aithough so well acquainted with its destination, with lauda-
ble caution and desire to keep up his character for carefully-
disclaimed mysteriousness, " would not undertake to say
from his own knowledge, whether the doctrine of this church
would assimilate to those of the disciples of the late Edward
Irving." However, the next week it is " distinctly stated
that they are not the same." but that "the Liturgy, we find,
includes a very great portion of those prayers which our own,
church has adopted." Pray, Mr. Editor, does it need any-
thing further to tell us that this mysterious and cruci form
building, with its carved choir, its elegant aisles, its lofty
clerestory, its gorgeous roof, its splendid windows, its oblong
monumental-framed altar, with canopy of carved work, its
rich and powerful organ, its credence or table of prophecies
for the sacramental elements, its Sedile, and its Piscina, its
carved rood or cross over the entrance, and its range of
oaken stalls for the ministers who will be attached to it, does
it need, I say, anything more to inform us that this fragment
is to be, when completed, a SUPERB ROMISH CATHEDRAL.?
It may be noticed that this church, which is to be dedica-
ted to all the apostles was, according to the account given to
Catholicus, " never intended" to be handed over to the
bishop for consecration. Of course not, so far as the title
bishop means any bishop of the church of England ; but no
doubt the gentlemen connected with it look elsewhere for
authority to consecrate. I only hope that our protestant
townsmen, when visiting this attractive edifice, will be on
their guard against the instruction they may receive from the
polite and jesuitical gentlemen with whom they will come in
contact.

CATHOLISSIMUS-PROTESTANS

March 22, 1843.

[Our correspondent appears as wishful as " Catholicus"
to keep up the mystery connected with this unusually splen-
did structure. We had no other desire of giving a descrip-
tion of it than we have had in noticing any other remarkable
building in our good old town, and altogether disclaim any
intention of creating any curiosity by attempting to attach
any needless mystery to the architectural designs of the erec-
tion or to the doctrines or ecclesiastical discipline of its sup-
porters. " Catholissimus-Protestans" knows however little
about the matter to surmise that the " fragment" is intended
for a " Romish cathedral." If lie will look through the
liturgy intended to be used there, he will find it opposed
essentially to the glaring errors in faith of popery, though
we are not prepared to say so much of its opposition to the
superstitions and some of the practices of that apostate
system.]

TO THE OWNERS OF WAREHOUSES AND OTHER
PROPERTY IN LIVERPOOL.

It is quite time that your attention should be directed to
the Fire Prevention Bill, which has been already framed and
is intended to be passed into an act with as much haste as
possible. The most objectionable clause is section 8, relating
to existing warehouses, which enacts " That every tvarehouse
now built within the borough, and not being in accordance
with the provisions of this act, shall be by the owner thereof
altered and improved according to the regulations in the
schedule (B) to this act annexed ; and if the owner of such
warehouse shall not alter the same within six calendar
months after notice in writing for that purpose shall have
been given by one of the surveyors under this act, every
such owner shall for every such default forfeit any sum
not exceeding £lOO, and not exceeding £5O for every week
such default shall continue unamended." The first
question upon this clause is, what does schedule B re-
quire to be done ? Upon turning to this you will find
that it requires doors and door-frames, or jambs (external
only), door-sills and heads, window-shutters and frames,
pent-houses or cat-heads, and teagle-blocks, to be of wrought
iron, but door-frames and door-sills and heads may be of
wrought or cast iron. The thickness and construction of
the doors, &c., arc then regulated. The expense of these
alterations must of necessity be very great. I have been
wholesiuieto.llaeyN,f
front,
Now, the
tcootrmyd
informed that in some cases it would exceed £5OO for a sin-
repareni ltnioincgamlaaanknyedotuwhinei unjustifiable
alterations.
Ift
epa
suchgtolew a rt te,aleino
rbraoi
teri)
oea
nrctsty..
In many cases it would be necessary to take down and re-
buildl
n many cases a party may contemplate, in the course of a
year or two, taking down an old warehouse
of rebuilding ; but this act will compel for the purpose
time, to expend a large sum upon hishim, in the mean-
adding one farthing to their value, old buildings, without
pe-
nalty of £5O per week. e, or subject him to a
Many other serious injuries and inconveniencies will appear
upon a consideration of the term otvne
By the interpretation clause the word", as used in the bill.
owner " shall mean
the party in possession, or in receipt of
the
any tenement." So that trustees, rents or profits of
executors, and mortga-
.