The daily Argus., 1875-12-02
Hot-Air Poison.

Hot as an oven in hcre!' is the usual
exclamation of man as he steps into his
family sitting-room from the outdoor air,
any time from November to April, in this
northern cline. And yet he opens no win
dow, turns off no heat from the furious
coal.fre in the furnace or the patent base
burner, nor retreats into fresher atmos-
phere; he stays there with the rest-wife,
children and yisitor-"gets used to the
red hot condition OF things, and sits down
to be-broiled. His lungs at first rebel
against such usage, and demand a contin-
uance of the pure element with which he
had been feeding them in his walk or ride
out.of-doors; but the demand is unheeded
and they are supplied with oYer.heated air
burnt air-carbonated air-coal gas
iron gas -poisonl Along with the others
in the room the man is committing slow
suicide.
The season has arrived when this COM
mon method of killing off the human race
is being revived. Stoves are being put
up, fires kindled for winter, coal poured in
by the hodiul, heat accumulated, lungs
made delicate, headaches manufactured,
diseases generated, and subjects prepared
for the physician and undertaken. All
this from the chronic habit of the Ameri-
can people of lowering over the fire, and
avoiding fresh air and open-air exercise.
On this subject there is no dispute
among medical men and scientists
all concurring in the assertion
that a sitting, devitalized atmosphere Of
an over-heated and.unventilated room is in
capable cf supporting life, and is most
pernicious in its effect upon the human
system. A noted French army surgeon
once noticed that new disease was taking
hold of the patients of certain wards in his
hospital. Investigation satisfied him that
his charges were being blood poisoned By
the overheating of their rooms. BY
breathing carbonic oxide, generated from
pan OF charcoal, many persons have been
suddenly deprived of life, as in numerous
instances of suicide and yet this deadly
gas is produced by burning hard coal.
But does it not pass up the chimney p
will be asked The answer is that it does,
mostly, when the drafts are we'll open, but
when they are not, the gas escapes into
the room, for carbonic oxide finds no OBJ
struction to its passage through red hot
iron.
The diseases which are the outgrowth
of hot rooms are more numerous than
those which come from exposure to cold.
To ''catch cold is bad enough, but to
catch heat" is worse. A person accust-
omed to exc xcessive heat will take cold upon
the least exposure to the cCol air. but no
sooner than will person accustomed to a
cool atmosphere catch heat from breath
ing hot air, In diseas es caused by expos
ure. that remedy, without which no one can
become strong and healthy--pure airs
at hand to assist in correcting the evil
done. In complaints brought about by
confinement in dry atmosphere
there is no such helpmeet at hand as pure
air to feed and brace up the exhausted
system, neither can it be introduced except
with caution without augmenting the
trouble. Men and women, who ought tt
know something of self preservation, and
poor little children, from whom nothing
better can be expected, are being slaught
cred by the thousands annually ,On account
Of the liberation of too much heat ant
insufficient ventilation in our family sitting
or sleeping-rooms.
There are many who believe iron stoves
to be failure, and, with seeming gooC
reason, advise the further introduction o
CRATES, steam heating apparatus and terra
Gotta stoves. The fault with iron is tina
when red-hot it will not confne the case
which are generated by the burning coal
and as this is true, those using iron stove
cannot use too much caution in keeping tn
stove from remaining at red heat. excep
when the drafts are open. Every perso
who prizes his own health and that of hi
family will use great care in warming til
house properly and in watching th
temperature of the home atmosphere
which alone, if kept pure, will general
keep away those gaunt ills and discomfort
headaches, dizziness. 'snihles." hea
complaints, throat troubles fevers, cor
sumption-cver lurking about the hous
whi1h keeps its living rooms heated abov
20 degrees or which, fer lack of ventilation
is kept filled with atmol rheric poison.