Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1867-04-25
House Cellars.
HT L. s, PENNINGTON, srEAlmo. ItL,

Br L. g. PENNINGTON, StEALiNo, IN,
- H....fH
II has been said, and very wisely
too, that II is the duty Of the State
to enforce the laws of vaccination,
or rather, tina; the State should make
and enforce on every parent,
stringent law on that subject. There
is, however, another subject no less
worthy Of State and individual at
tention, affecting to a greater orless
degree the sanitary condition ofthe
State. And II is, that the cellar TO
every dwelling house should, thrO'
the chimney, or in some other way,
be thoroughly and efectually venti.
lated, at all times through the year.
The cellar of every farm house
is the receptacle of matter that can
and does decay. 1t matters little
whether 1t be vegeteble or ANIMAL,
decomposition sends forth a poison
or bad air, known as malaria. tits
so minute and subtle, that II cannot
be discovered by the sense, nor.by
any chemical tests, We should not
then be surprised that men, even
when slumbering over it, regard it
with SO much indifference. 1t is
only known by the fatal effects
which it produces. Our cellars would
be incapable of sending forth this
poison, to great extent, were it
not that certain portion Of the
year they are entirely shut out from
the external air. No avenue is left
for escape but through the apart
ments of the dwelling, to be there
inhaled, not only day by day, but
by night, time when malaria rev.
els without the neutralizing effects
of the suns rays as an opposing
agent.
How few Of our dwellings are
entirely free from this source of dis
ease2 We find their inmates living
over and breathing from day to day,
and from year to year, this tainted
air, Coming forth from its impris-
oned cell, it is frequently produced
in form so concentrated and vir-
ulent, as to produce disease OF the
most fatal character. Typhoid and
other fevers often arise in individu-
ais and families, which cannot to
casual observer, be accounted for
and too often to reconcile the living
to the loss of friends departed, it is
passed over as mans destiny and as
a decree of Providence.
Could we look deeper into the Sc
cret cause of disease, we should most
likely find it some gross violation of
natures laws. Thus we go ON from
year to year, from generation to
generation, in the beaten track of
error, decimiating the young and
middle aged, before half their time
for usefulness is ended.
Cholera has been known to in
wade many household, and to cut
off almost whole families, having
for this (cellar exhalations) an ex-
citing cause. But the more active
forms Of disease thus engendered
are not more to be feared than that
slow and insiduous form which has
too often sapped the best COnstitu-
ton, and cut offin early life, the most
promising hopes.
In no house should chimney be
constructed except from the bottom
of the cellar, and no cellar built ex-
cept it have in it large open fire
place or air passage, and this at all
times kept open and connected with
the outer air. Far better have no
cellar than one that will, whenever
closed, send forth a virus which is
ever ready to act as the exciting
cause of disease. Could the cellars
and vaults of many of our public
houses, store houses, and other pla-
ces where vegetable or animal mat
ter is suffered to rot, be opened up
and their history told, fear the
picture would be a sad one. / can
but believe that our people, when
they investigate fully this subject,
will not be slow to adopt means
so important, and one on which an
improved sanitary condition of our
State so much depends Ohio
Farmer