Litchfield enquirer., 1834-08-07
HEALTH AVID cLEANLINEss.

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We are all thoroughly awaFesOf the ne
cessity of breathing; and the agreeable
freshness and reviving influence Of the pure
morning air must convince us sthat the
breathing pure atmosphere Is conductive
to health; yet we as carefully exclude the
air from our houses as if its approach we're
ROxious. Intending to shut out The incleM-
encies Of the weather only, in our care TO
guard ourselves against the external air,
we hinder that renewal Of the atmosphere,
which is necessary 10 preventits becoming
stagnant and unfit to support animal life.
Few persons IRE aware how very neces-
sary thorough ventilation is to the pre-
servation of health. We preservoS life
without food for considerable time, but
keep us without air for very few minutes.
and we cease to exist. Ii is not enough
that we have Gir, me must have fresh AIR !;
for the principle by which life is supported
is taken from the air during the oct of
breathing. One fourth only OF the a,mos-
phere is capable Of supporting life; the
remainder serves to dilute the pure vital
air, and render it tho more fit 10 be respir-
ed. A full grown man takes into his lungs
nearly pint Of air every time he breathes
and when at rest he makes about twenty
Inspirations in a minute. In the lungs, by
ian appropriate apparatus, the air is expos
ed To the action OF the blood, which chan
ges its purer part, the vital air (oxygen gas)
into fixed air (carbonic acid gas) which is
not only unfit to support animal life, but
absolutely destructive Of it. An adnlira-
BILE provision Of The great Author OF nature
is here visible, to prevent this exhausted
aud now poisonous air from being btea,h-
ed second time while in the lungs the
air receives SO much heat as makes tspe-
officially lighter than the pure atmosphere:
It consequently rises above our heads dur
ing the short pause between throwing ont
the breath and drawing It in again, and
thus secures to us a pure draughr. BY the
care we take 10 shut out the external air
from our houses, we prevent the escape Of
the deteriorated air, and condemn ourselves
to breathe over again tho same contamin-
aled unrcfteshing atmosphere.
| Who that has ever felt the refreshing eff
fects Of the morning air can wonder at the
lassi,ude and disease that follow the con-
.inual breathing Of the pestiferous atmos-
phere Of crowded or i'll ventilated apart
tnents? 1t is only necessary 10 observe
The countenances Of those who inhabit
close rooms aud houses, the squalid hue Of
their skins, their sunken eyes, and their
languid movements, to be sensible of the
bad effects Of shutting out the external air.
Besides the contamination Of the air from
being breaihed, there are other matters
which tend 70 depreciats is purity these
are the effluvia constantly passing OF from
the surface Of animal bodies, and the CONF
bustion Of candles and other burning SUBJ
stances. On going into abed room In the
morning, soon after the occupant has left
his bed, though he DO iii perfect health,
and habitually ,cleanIy in his person, the
sense of smelling never fails to be offended
with the odor Of animal effiuvia, with which
the atmosphere il charged. There is am
other case still more striking, when a per-
son fresh from the morning air enters the
coach in which several persons have been
close slowed during long night. He who
has once made the experiment will never
voluntarily repeat il. The very simple
expedient Of keeping down. both windows
but single half inch would prevent many
Of the colds, and even feyers, which this
injurious mode Of travelling oiten produ-
ces. Outside passengers, though they may
suffer little more from cold aud wet, gene
orally escape those everyday complaints
Of those who pay double fare.
If under such circumstances the air is
yitiated, how much more injurioUsly must
its quality be deprecated, when several
persons are confined to one room, where
lhcre 10 utter neglect Of cleanliness IN
which are necessarily performed where
the windows are immoveable; and the door
is never opened but while some one Is pas
sing through it3 On entering such u den
Of 9Th, The nose is saluted by stencil 50
horrible, Us 10 make any person unused 10
it, recoil and pause before he enters it.;
bnt the wretched inhsbitsnt has bis sense
|ofsmelling so blunted that heidoes NOT per-
ceive that, with every breath he takes, he
inhsles poison, which is sspping the Wig
or Of Ibis body, and destroying tho energies
Of his mind. n
A constant renewal Of tho air is abso-
lulcIy necessary 10 its purity; for in all Sit.
uations tits suffering either by its vital part
being absorbed, or by impure yspors being
disengsged and dispersed through ii. Kss-
tiEation, there fore, yesOlUes itself into secEr-
ing Of a constant supply Of fresh air.
In the construction Of houses, especial
Iyin those built for the poor, this great OBJ