The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1847-02-13
For the Culcdonian.
Common Schools. No. w.
THE VENTILATION AND WARMING
OF SCHOOI-ROOMS.

THE VENTILATION AND WARMING
OF SCHOOL-ROOMS.
nature laws are inhexiblc. And this is
one which she has strictly laid on every liv-
ing thing she ever made, they must breathe
or die, And to breathe. in the true physiolog-
cal accc ptaion of that term, implies the pres
encc of pure atmospheric air. Put a fish in
water whicil'has been deprived of air, by boil
ing or any other process, and it dies as soon as
if cast upon dry land. Cover an insect with a
thin coating ofwax, so as to exclude air from
its spirHcles, and it expires in agony. Plunge
kitten into jar filled with choke lump and
death will cnsuc in less than two minutes; and
it is presumed the experiment would have a
similar result, if it were tried upon HttIc bog.
Atmospheric air is n compound or mixture of
two gaseous bodies; and the proportions, in
which these united to constitute air, are in
variaby the same. Four-ftlhs ofevery room.
full of air, are nitrogen, a gas which cxtin-
cuisines flame and destroys animal life in
short time. The remaining fifth is oyygon, a
gas which in its pure state, is ovcrstimuating
and delcterious; but diluted by admixturc with
its fellow constituent in the form of air, is the
great supporter of lifc-the paJmIum riG.
Air which has been brcathed, is found by n
nalysis, TO have undergone important changes.
In the first place, it has lost n portion of it OK
ygen; and in proportion to this loss, is hence
forth unqualified for purifying the blood And
blood which is not purified contains an ex-
cess OfCARBoN: which, circulating in the sys-
TEN, is direct poison, operating precisely like
the class of substances called narcotics. This
alone is sufficient to account for the drowincss
u langour invariably felt, by persons who sit
for some time, i'm close and crowded rooms But
this is not all
At every expiration, there is expelled from
the lungs, mixed with the air, quantity of
carbonic acid or fired air. 1t is important
that the nature of this gas should be better un-
derstood. When inhaled in a pure state, it is
one of the most quickly fatal, of all the mar
cotic poisons and it is rapidly destructive of
animal life, even when largely diluted with
atmospheric air. Its delctcrious properties
began to be known, at least as long ago as the
discovery ofthc Grotto del Cane; and they
were demonstrated by DR. Black and published
to the world, nearly hundred years ago; yet
intances of death from going into wells, or
from sleeping with pan ofburning Goals in
the chamber, continue to be of frequent occur
renee. So stupid and obstinate is ignorance;
it can see no danger, and therefore there is
none.
When mixed with air in too small n proper
ton to produce death, this gas still manifests
its noxlous power. In this state it is readily
inhaled; and passing into the system through
the medium of the lungs, it operates, like the
exhliaratng gas or the "Anodyne vapor," di-
rectly upon the nervous system. And it is
still narcotic. People in close and crowded
rooms, sometimes suffer from headache and
dizziness They are partially poisoned by it.
Some are apt to faint in such places Occa-
sionaly they have fits. They are drugged
with curbonic acid. All feel restless aud
uneasy, they hardly know why. They grow
unaccountably languid, dull and sleepy; or
perhaps fall into profound slumber They
are, all the time, inhaling a subtle narcotic,
and its leaden influence lies upon their senses.
And ifthe very Lethe of forgetfulness and stu
por, which the ancients speak of hath real
existence, it must he diluted oarbonicao id and
nothing else.
tits hardly necessary to say that persons
cannot be daily and habitually exposed to n
confined atmosphere, without essential injury
to the health. They suffer from two pois-
onous influences, an excess of carbon in the
blood and of carbonic acid in the air. And it
cannot fail to have been noticed, that such per-
sons penerollv have sicklv conntpnances and
suffer from langour, low spirits, weakness, dys-
pepsia and long train of chronic ills
But there is no place where want of pure
ar does more mischief than in the school
room. For here it not only operates against
health, but also interferes with the progress
of the pupils-with the express object for
which schools are set up. 1t is calculated by