Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1852-09-22
Nigllt Air.

1t is .he prevalent idea that night air IS
not so healthy as the atmosphere when un-
der influence of light. The opinion mus,
have originated from some cause, or else IT
must be set down as old wives fables. Nc
ole had ever an opinion that the compost
ton of AIR was changed during the night
hours; bus certainly it is we'll known thai
air and the atmosphere are two different
things. The atmosphere may become per-
fectly corrupt, and in many places 1t be-
comes so, but air is fixed composition =
therefore, when It becomes mixed with q
superabundance of carbohic acid or any
other gas,it is no longer air-the atmosphere
the ocean in which we continually bathe,
and on which we continually feed, often
becomes unfit for respiration by extraneous
matter floating in it, under the name OF MI
asma, infection, sc. 1t has been said, that
''the belief that night air being injurious. IS
an error, which has hlhdered the introduc-
ton of ventilation more than all others. =
This we do not believe. for it is we'll known
that the effluvia of marshes is the most dan
gerous during night hours, and those who
are exposed to the night air in any country
except upon the ocean, never enjoy such
good health as those who are protected
from It's influence. The domestic animals,
such as cows and horses. which are housed
every night in summer, "do better" as the
farmers say, than those which are exposed
to the free ventilation of chilling damps,
and the extraneous gases which slugglshly
float near the earth's surface at night, ow-
ing to the absence of the sun,which during
the day, carries them up like the dew, above
the stratum in which we live and walk
No one ever supposed that the pure atmos-
phere had anything to do with causing the
death of persons exposed at night within
the tropics nor does it produce the cough
of the consumptive and asthmatic, nor the
languor and misery which the sick SO fire.
quently feel.
These and other sufferings experienced
more particularly at night are caused by
carbonic acid, absence of sunlight, rapid re-
ducton Of the temperature, the air being
saturated with moisture, &C., and not by
that air without whichwe cannotllv three
minutes. 1t is absurd to suppose that fresh
air supports our life and destroys our health
at one and the same time. The same thlng,
cannot possess the utterly incompatible
characters of good and evil, of supporting
life and destroying it. 1t is nonsense to
talk about pure air being hurtful to life and
health at any season night or day, but
while carbonic acid, absence Of the sunlight,
rapid reduction of temperature, the atmos-
phere saturated with moisture, sc. at night
are the cause of sickness and suffering,it Is
no error to believe that the night atmos-
phere is oftentimes injurious to health A
belief in this need not prevent good sinti-
lation, for if cotton cloth screens are plac-
ed IN windows during night hours, free
ventilation is obtained, and the air is some
what rarifed before it enters the apart
ment.
Those who believe that constant expo
sure to night air is not injurious have new
er had the good fortune of trusting to that
notable appendage, placed so prominently
on maus front for detector, viz: good
olfactory explorer Scientific american.