Connecticut western news., 1874-12-04
The PerfIs of the School Room.

Dr. A. V. Bell, of Brooklyn, read before the American Health Council an important paper upon the subject ot "The Perils of the School-room, which Demand the Attention of Education and other Authorities. The address opened by reference to the over-, crowding of the school-room, thus en- gendering auraI naaJdria. He thought that children and adults should be deemed to require equal allowances ot air and ventilation. If 800 cubic feet of air only be allowed the air must be changed at least every twenty minutes. The poisonous atmosphere of the close and lily ventilated room is not only re- breathed, but it adheres to all the sur roundings. It creates 8 tridus, which is not only in itself poisonous, perpetu- ally lessening the vital force of all who inhabit it and predisposing to blood poisons, but it secures hot-bed TOT the planting and propagation of sPe- cifc poisons, such as smallpox, scarlet fever, measles, whooping cough, dlph- ther1a and the whole category of cpl demic diseases, and source of scrofula and consumption. It is remarkable that the beginning of the autumnal school term should be simultaneously with or followed by the sickly term. There is surely something more than a mere coincidence in these relations. They stand much like cause and effect. There is no question that heat exercises a very important influence, but we are fully persuaded that it is so entirely secondary in it's relations, even in the heat of summer, as to be among the most preventible of causes. Its iniu- ence is mainly due to it's effect on or ganic matter, unventilated apartments and filthy surroundings, and, above all, on the food of party artifcially fed. Carbonic acid in school-rooms, in some respects, bears similar relations to heat. Dangerous and fatal as it is known to be when in great excess, its importance per SC is unquestionably very much ex- aggerated. Besides the danger from active and fatal disease from exposure to the conditions which have now been described, all physiologists recognlze the influence of depressing agents on the human organism in bunting tho sensibilities, obtruding the intellect promoting stupidity, idiocy and physical deformity, The paper treated at length of the several schools Tn brOOKlyu3 BlNluS buOAA 0AhhOASAVA"Sb aSsA rangements, methods of management, the health of pupils and instances in which children had eugendered disease in the school-room. Statistics were given which showed that over 600 young people who had attended sessions in these institutions had died in the last year from such diseases as scarlatina, measles and diphtheria. While the school-rooms of that city are no more perilous than those of other munich palities, there is the same room for comment there that exists in the most dangerous places. Indeed, he believed that lack of proper and healthy accom- modation prevailed in most cities throughout the country. The worst features of the ill.conceived principle of school-room construction are devel- oped when they are used at night when those in attendance are mostly in clothing which cannot be perfectly clean. He concluded by saying that American school houses generally are disgrace to our civilization anda shame to our humanity.