New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-07-30
4 STORY OF VEN7YLATION.
Berlin Letter to San Francisco Chronicle.

francisco
Chicago and |, having made the acquaintance or
q German medical student accepted an invitation
to attend lecture on physiology. we entered .
room 25x30 and found 1t already occupied by
about seventy-hve other people. All the windows
were tightly clOsed-doube Windows at that. Ana
everyoue who came in opeued the door Just WHO
enoueh to allow his body to slip in and hastily closed
it. But even the small amount OF fresh air thus AL
mitted filled the souls OF the previous coners WIN
n great anxiety, causing them 10 regard each sue
cessive unfortunate with dlstayVr There wasa
combination of most puugent ana searching sntlS
in that room, besides those coming from the swell
tcring bodies and iabOrlng lungs OF the people prs
sent The fumes of carbOlic acid predolninatcd;
but iOdOiOme was only little way behind, anu
made the acld bestir itself 10 keep III the lead.
linen came a lot Of unsortcd smcils-from sulphu-
retted hydrogen TO ammcnia-varylng only III iheir
different degrees OF Citensivencss Ana theh cdho
fine smell of the air which had been confined IA that
room since the windows had been last Opclieu-
probaby a year or two-and which had been
ireathed rebreathed and brcathed over again GailV
by from seyenty-fyc to a hundred pairs oi good'
strong vigorous German lungs. make no h'h-
ton of the German cigars aud long 1rfhah ppeS
that were adding their smells u the are ahy over
hurtIened air because smoke once IN while my
self and 10 acknowledge that tobacco smoke IL
offensive under any circumstances would De giving
the enemy "A point. Therefore. 10 keep MP appear
ances ! must say that this tobacco smoke was
rather agreeable In the course oi hye OF Ten
minutes the Professor beg pardon the Herr ITO.
feSsor-came in And he came IN the pipes and
cigars went ont. but the foul air did not ihe Herr
Professor began TO talk His subject was the crcn-
lation of the blood through the lungs aud lis pufn-
cation there. He described the process IN detaii.
He spoke of the impurities emanatlng rom tho
human lungs at every expiration. lie waxed cio-
ouent ever tho black hole at Calcutta. lhen 10
came down 10 facts and Figures auirming mat
every adult person eXhaled foui AIR enough at every
expiratOn to render such room rs the one We
we're then IN unit for human habitation IN very
few hours. ~, -, 80 80, i'm,
pressed it upOn his hearers that fresh ar Is neces-
sary adjunct of perfect health. And all that time
the four score pairs of lungs in that room were
working most vigorously, and things we're becoming
10 init Chicago
began to perspirc proiusely, our heads began ID
ache. our ears rang, and we ieit dlLky ana NV
double And all this time the Herr Professor was
ailating upon the benefits OF pnre air and the dele
teriOus effects of tho toni article.
Finally Chicago who was sitting near ihc noVr,
could stand it no longer but aided aud aDeited by
me reached over and softly opened the door an men
or So We drank in the lie-gvng oxygen ana Ieit
as old Ponce de Leon would have teit had ne iouhu
fine fountain OF youth Chicago was 80 aett win ms
door.opening that h. attracted No ones attention.
NJ tLc effects of the fresh air began to show
themselves. The students WHO were sitting near
the door began TO revive and wake mp. lhey
stopped yawning and rubbing their eyes. lhey
vsibly br ghened and began 10 take little interest
in what the Herr Professor was saying. lDaly
one of them happened TO look around, ana disco.-
cred the crack in the door. lie was astonished,
and could hardly believe his eyes. As soon ~ no
fairly took IN the situation he turned up his coat
collar and tried very hard 10 deceive himself ihto
the belief that he felt cold. lie endeavoIs r 90
shiyer and look uncomfortable ana trIeu various
little expedients to make himself feel 30. ~ was
not oug before several other students ~ 'no
vicinity noticed the turncu-up tOItdi
of the first one and began to look around Tor tho
cause of it They saw the door. turned up their
collars and conducted themselves lust IKE ,ho
original discoyerer: though If i had not been Ior
The fresh air thew wonld have been unable 90 DIS
cover anything. Chicago tried very hatd to look
unconscious intelligent and unconcerned, ana maze
n,isarahIe failure Of it. lie developed an unusual
Interest in what the Herr Professor was saying.
never saw him take such an interest In anythng
hetore or since and tried to appear entirelv all
sorhed i'm the lecture. But 1t was al no those
students actually succeeded in making themselves
believe that they were cold. and kept looking
around at the door often that Chicago could not
stand il long. lie closed the door the coat collars
Nere turned down the shiyering ceased, and every
body became contented: soporihe and happy. Ne
closed Then bolted for fresh air. and regis
tered solemn vow moi to pass through such an
other ordeal Yet the lecture was model one. IL
was full complete illustrated by numerous expert.
ments, and under ordinary circumstances woah
have been very interesting. In short. Il was iheo
reticaly perfect but practically 1t was not sue