Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1869-03-26
FRESH AIR FOR THE CON-
SUMPTIVES.
BYDR. HENRY I. BowD1roH.

Build your house in the country, in
preference to any place near the sea-
coast. In the country choose a slope
rather than plain to build upon, and
| where the sun can have full access to
/ 1t, If possible, all the dav, Be sTre fif
| need be, by effeetuaI b-drainage) that
the soil, is thoroughly permeabIe to
! water. Let no moisture from the soil
| from any source, be permitted to distil
| Its perniciOus influences upon the fu-
ture dwelling or its inmates. Let the
rooms be large, of Su bStantial breadth
rather than height, and so pierced bv
| windows that the air NAV have a
bounteous and free entrance and exit.
Let hreplaees be built in every room
and ehamber,-hreplaee made for real
use not Kept Tor show, and not closed
! with iron plates which are to be pierc-
| ed for air tight stoves. Esehew all fur
mace heat except for warming the en-
tries and corridors.
Outside the house let there be ample
space for air and sunlight. One or two
trees may be permitted to grow near
Gne mouse, but not to OVershadoW it,
for nothing but evil comes from much
shade, either of trees or clim bing vines.
Both ofthese may very materially pre-
vent the warm rayS of the sun from
reaching and bathing the exterior, or
from penetrating the interior of the
house, which they should be allowed
to do freely, even in the depths of sum
phere as the too constant closure of the
windows, blinds, and curtains, where
Dy light and heat as well as fresh air
are excluded. Every morning let
the windows be opened widely, SO as
to drive of the remains of foul air that
mas necessarily accumulated from the
sleepers during the previous night
Every night let a part of the windows
be left open, and if possible at the TOP
and bottom, so that during sIeep there
may be still a plenty of fresh unbreath-
ed air for the children and adults to
use. OF course the amount of space
thus opened will vary with the season:
put often even during our Northern
winters, especially in a furnace-heated
mousse, small aperture, at least, may
thus be left. Two or three extra blank
cts only will be needed for any cold
ness thus caused.
As to the value of fresh air. alike for
the healthy and the invalid, there
seems to exist great doubt in this COM
munity. Even the healthy have no
real faith in its efficacy as a means of
giving health. Invalids, almost with |
out exception, we have to educate to |
that faith. They have so many doubts |
about the weather. 1t is too cold, too |
hot, too windy or too clustering. It is |
or an east wind prevails
these and a hundred other trivial de- |
v1atiOns from perfect weather are noted |
and the unfortunate lnVallds, quietly |
stay within doors day after day to |
avoid them. Nothing is more pernici- |
Gus, no behavior more unwise. Both |
invalids and healthy persons ought to |
eschew all such views as arrant folly, |
Whenever in doubt,'' we say to our /
patients, "abOut going out, always go out
If a violent storm is raging, to which
no one would willingly expose him
self, then keep to the house, but the /
1t ceases, seize the occasion for /
out of DOORS" "It would be better"
said the late John Ware, "for every
body sick and well, to face every storm,
Than to be fearful, as we usually are,
Of even trace of foul weather.p'-At-
,Gatic Monthly, for March.