The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-04-06

Inc New York City Sanitary Inspector,
IN ordering u series of scientific tests of
the atmos sphere of pnblic school rooms and
manafacf"i'es, has rendered Il service to
the public which cannot be over estima ted.
These tests, as conducted by DR.. Eudeman,
consisted mainly of chemical analyses of
samples of air obtained from school rooms,
prisons, and certain workshops, the main
purpose OF the analysis being to determine
the relative amount of carbonc- acid gas
contained In them rs shown by the official
report, the examination of seventeen sam
pies or air taken from seven public schools
determines the presence Of from 90 to .35
per cent. of carbonic acid. That the i'm
portanee OF this discovery may be tho bet
ter understood, it should be remember, d
that pure air, such as that obtained from
the hills of Scotland and Switzerland, or
even the crowded streets of Manchester
contains only from .O35 to Oh per cent. of
this dangerous gas. In treating of the
snoJect' Robert Smith, in his recent work
on g Air and Rain, Z" illustrates the impor-
lance of even slight differences in the am
cunt OF carbonic acid in the air as follows
Some people will probably inquire why
we should give 80 much attention to such
minute quautities-between 90 $50 and 90.
999-thinking these email differences can
In no way affect us. A little more or less
oxygen might not affect us, but, supposing
Its place to DO occupied by hurtful matter,
we must not look on the amount as too
small, subtracting $50 from e999. we |
have difference of one hundred and nine
ty IN a million. In a gallon of water there |
are seventy thousand grains, let US put
into 1t an fmpurity at the rate of one hun
dred and ninety in q million, it amounts to |
10 grains in gallon this amount would |
be considered enormous if it consisted of |
putrefylng matter, or any organic matter
usually found in waters. But we drink |
only comparatively small quantity of
and no vbnl IA
not be swallowed in day whereas, we |
take IN our lungs from one to two thousand |
gallons of air daily. The detection of i'm
purltIes IN the air is, therefore, of the ut
most Importance, and it is only by the fin
est methods that they eau be ascertaiued in
small quantities of air, even when present l.
m such quantities as to prove deleterious
:" heaith." ReturningN to DR.. Endeman's
report, we find that when the windows of
me OF these crowded school-rooms was
'iosed for but ten minutes, the amount of
;arbonic acid advanced from OH per cent
o O.32 per cent, an increase of Ol5 per
'ent., an amount which 80 oppressed teach
n and pupils that the experiment could
10 no longer continued. Regarding the pre-
Use physiological effects of this atmosphe-
nc condition, little is as yet fully deter
mined. 1t is known, however, that de-
feaae IN the normal pulse action, and Il
onseqpent arrangement of the circulation,
one of the Immediate results and, as
n"wn by Dir. Smith, we are not to conclude
hat; btcause the quantity of carbonic acid
> small, the effect is small, as 1.-THE small
st dI,ninuti"n OF oxygen in the air breath
q affects animal life, yits place is supplied
y carbonic acid" The lesson OF these
bservations is too apparent to need special
utorcement, and it is to be hope that those
Tho have the designing aad construction of
IL public buildings-aud emphatically
hose intended for educational purposes
hi
ton the attention it merits aud should
ective.