The free citizen. (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1875-10-09

in the causation ofdiseasc, than any which
we possess ut present
| NENTILATION.-Evcr since ventilation
was first talked and written about, it has
beer Il more or less obscure and uncertain
subject; a subject on which it was easier
to show what ought to be than what could
be. We have, therefore, the more salts
faction in calling attention .toa paper by
DR.. Francois dc Chaumont, OF the Army
| Medical School, Nctlcv, which laws down
definite principles ofvcntilation, and will
enable any obscrvant person to decide
whether building is properly ventilated
or not. The paper III qucstion-"O the
theory OF vcntilation; an attempt To cs-
tablish positive basis for the calculation
OF the amount of fresh air required for IN
inhabited air-space"- read at Il meet
ing OF the Royal society. and has been
published i'll their proceedings, and is thus
avallablc to all who desire to make use of
it.
The basis taken by DR.. Francois de
Chaumont is "thc evidence of the senses"
but with proper care and precautions
lhe poison i'll impure air, he remarks, is
organic matter either suspended orin the
form of vapor; and it is this poison which
imparts to air that disagrccablc quality
commonly described as sclosc." This
closcncss can be rcmedied ONLY bv dilu-
ting the confined air with 4 quantity of
fresh air; and to determine this quantity
isonc ofthc steps in Il theory of ventilation.
| alton. Observation shows that thc'amount
of organic impurity bears fairly rcgu-
lar proportion to the amount of carbonic
acid developed by the inhabitants in an
air-spacc. This being accepted, and gen
eral diffusion being admitted, we can cas-
lly calculate the amount of fresh air re
qulrcd to bring down the carbonic acid to
some fixed standard. If, now" continues
the doctor, "wc adopt ais sour standard the
point at which there is no sensible differ
cncc between the air ofan inhabited space
ana the external air, and agree that this
shall be determined by the effects on the
sense OF smell, our next step is to asccr-
: tam from experiment what is the average
, amount OF carbOnic acid in such an air.
, space, from which we can then calculate
.ne amount OF air required to keep it in
I !ilil condition. But as the sense of smell
' Is very quickly dullcd, each :ir-spacc t.
l ne examined ought to be entered dircctl,
: from the open air."
/, by observations in hospitals and bar
| racks III different parts of the country
| DR.. Francois de Chaumont has arrived :,
l conclusions, and obtained data on whicl
+ to base his theory. Under the scycra
| heads: Fresh -tair-not closc-close-
very closc-cxtrcmely close, he record
his observations in a way which will or
/: able any one interested in the subject t
test them for himself. The condition
laid down i'll the paper as 'thc standar
| OF good, ventilation are, that the temper
, aturc should never be very much bclo,
Q sixty degrees Napor ought not to cxccc,
~ grains per cubit foot, ut II tcmpcratur
$ OF slNty-thrcc degrees, or so grains at
@ temperature of sixty-fivc dcgrccs-Iu
5 mldity(pcr cent? ought not to exceed sew
|. enty-thrcc to osevcnty-fve-Ca Carbonicacid
$ respiratory impurity ought not to cxccc,
# o.oOO2 per foot, or 0'20O0 per thousan,
/ volumes. Another point established b,
this inquiry is that, where disease pre-
r walls, more fresh air is required than il
f health; hence, hospitals demand more pur
/: air than barracks.- Chambers Journal