Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1878-11-27
For the Freeman.
/ Chat with the Family.
No. 5.
BY AGliICOLA.

Nature has employed various renOvating
agencies to rid the air of its impurities
BY the law of diffusion all gases inter
minge and soon become weakened and
lost in the great body of the atmosphere
Winds tend to dispense and dilute local
impurities Rains wash out and absorb
from the atmosphere gaseous eXhalations
Vegetation ab,orbs carbonic acid, while
he oxygen burns up the comhustible con
Examinations which are thrown into the at
mo>phere. By these means the air is con
stantly maintaining its purity.
The object of ventilation is to enable
these natural agencies to do the same
work in dwellings, hospitals, work shop,
aud other buildings where human being,
dwell. 70 do this etlectually, without
risk to health and comfort, the ventilation
must conform to certain fixed laws. The
air which enters must itself be pure. Or
dinarily this may be secured by simply
admitting it from any exposed situation,
unless there is some special source of i'm
purity near by. In cities and large villages
the mir should be admitted from an upper
stratum, if possible, as poisonous exhaIa-
tions are constantly floating next the
ground.
Air must be supplied in sufficient guam
tily. The external atmosphere should be
the standard Of purity for the air to be toll
Grated in our dwellings, if we would
preserve the health of the inmates. Re
cent investigations show that not less than
| five hundred cubic feet are necessary fol
every passing hour, and still larger
quantity would be safer. When possible
an unlimited supply should be furnished
to all, both in sickness and in health, by
night and by day. Another condition Of
safety is that the movements of the air in
our apartments must lie imperceptble.
Air may move one hundred feet per min.
ute, without violating this requirement.
Still much less velocity is needed fol
ventlating purposes, after the air la.
once entered the apartment. Special re-
gard must also be had to the temperature
of the air we breathe. 1t must be made
warm enough for comfort, and vet not
over heated lest its capacity for moisture
should be too much increased. The true
policy is to introduce large quantities OF
/ air whose temperature shall range from
sixty to seventy degrees, with II steady
and rapid change, so rs to have always Il
fresh supply. Heat impaired to the nil
in this process becomes means of pro
ducing the needed motion which secures
the desired puriticaton. But natures
remedies cannot always reach the evil. In
such cases, artificial publication by disin-
fectants is absolutely necessary. The
more common and effective of these are
heat charcoal, chlorine, carbolic, nitrous
and sulphurc acids, copPeras and soda
Heat is especially valuable for the disin-
lection of clothing, bedding and the like
where it can he confined. 70 be effective
it must have n temperature of one hun.
drod and forty to one hundred and eighty
degrees. Charcoal presents an immense
absorbent surface to the air One cubic
inch of coal equals, in surface, one hun
dred square feet. Hence it is powerful
oNidizer of organic matter. 1t is eSpec
tally effective with sewage gases, and the
emanations of organic disease. Chlorine
is an energetic aerial disnfectant, but it il
ritates the lungs, and must be used care
fully. In solution, it is excellent for wash
ing infected clothing, and cleaning the
walls of sick rooms. Carbolic acid is Il
very powerful disinlGctant, and is used tc
arrest all kinds of putrefactive change
is highly poisonous, and hence must b,
used with great care. Nitrous and sui
phurous acids act with energy to the enc
in view. Coppcras is especially valuable
for disinfecting sewage, vaults and cess
pools. Soda gives OF oxygen and rapid
ly destroys organic matter.