Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1893-11-25
AIR We BREATHE.
Professor EiugSbuTy on the Great
Supporter Of Life.
An INTERESTING DISCUSSION.
Co.siitueuts Of the Air-iImcly Sugges'
lions ~ to How Keep II Pure
for Breathing.

The following is synopsis Of a lee
lure delivered by Professor Kngsbury
before meeting OF salt Lake County
school teachers:
The air we breathe envelops the
Earth and extends upwards from rs
surface fifty miles-prohaby hve nun,
grrd. Il consists mainly OF oxygen ana
nitrogen. in small quantities cafbonic
acid gas aud watcry yapori and 30 very
minute quantities ozone, hydrogen,
pfroxide, nitrous acid, organic matter
stc. The oxygen IS the great supporter
of combustion; through It's presence
animal he is enabled to exist, In the
Iottle before you, has been collected
sopr of this gas. You will observe on
inserting a glowing taper into the bottle
that the spark bursts out into lame.
Tine nitrogen which acts as diluent mas
lust the opposite properties TO oxygen.
II is a non-supportyf VI combustion and
/, incapable OF maintaining lite. You
observe that as the flame on the END oil
mis- stick is brought into the bottle be.
fore YOU containing nitrogen d IS eN'
unguished.
Garbonic acid gas Is found in the
atmosphere generally, In the proportion
OF tour parts 70 ten thousand paris OF
air. When il Is increased to seven parts
or more Il then becomes detrimental to
health. This gas is the product OF
animal respiration. As wc inhalc, the
air enters our lungs and the oxygen
coming IN contact with certain organic
matter oxidzes il. and produces carbonic
acid gas and water which are then eN'
pclled from the lungs as We eXhale.
tarbonic acid gas Is the principle food
Of vegetation. Vegetation absufhs this
vas. decumposcs Land lihetates oxygen.
Animal life supplies food for the vcge.
table Kingdom and vegetation provides
oxygen Tor the animal kingdom. Car
blnic acid gas Is non.suppOrter OF
combustion and hence cannot maintain
animal life. BY breathing into this glass
jarthus aud inserting n lighted taper into
II. YOU observe thai the light IS instantly
exilnguished. This gas Is not poisonous
VET Il Is detrimental 10 health when
found In considerable quanlitle, In the
ado. as well as an Indicator Of the
presence usually OF Injurious substances.
Watcry vapor. always IN larger or
smaller quantities IN the air should be
present IN amounts equal 20 ABOUT
seventy to seventy five percent Of sat.
ufation for health. Ozone, q different
form Of oxygen, Is one OF the very active
uXidiz.ug constituents OF the air Il
readily destroys organic matter Ia It's
presence. 10 Is found in the largest
proportions in the Country" air, aud M
the smallest amounts In aud about large
dirty cities. This Is necessarily so from
the TACT that the organic matter IN cities
being quite abundant uses up the ozone.
This Important gas Is produced during
electrical storms. The electricity pass
iag through the air changes some OF the
oxygen into ozone.
Hydrogen peroxide is another very
active Ingredient 1t oxidizes organic
matter, tending therefore to destroy any
vegetable or animal germs present. Il
J, the product Of the oxidation Of
ammonia Ia the atmosphere by ozone.
Nitrous acid Is another substance des.
trucliye OF organic germs aud the pro-
duct Of a chemical action between
oxygen and nitrogen brought about by
electrical discharges during electrical
storms or during any electrlal discharges
through oxygen.
Organic matter Is found in larger or
smaller quantities IN the air, depending
upon the conditions present In cities
where there are streets containing con.
siderable dust, much organic matter
may be hurled into the air during wind
storms " not Kept down by sprinklng
This may include disease germs along
with other matter. For instance, IN
Naples Doctor Manlredl found IN one
gram OF dust on one OF the streets
70, 52t, coo microbes, on one OF the best
streets Io,oooooo per gram, and in one
OF the most filthy streets 5000 900. 900
microbes per gram, In this dust there
were several different disease germs. II
is quite important To have the streets
Bpnnkled to allay the dust and thus TO
prevent as mucn as possible organic
matter from rising In the air.
In aud about our homes Il Is neces.
sary to look well to the surrounding
conditions. In cellars underneath our
dwelling houses, no decaying organic
matter should be allowed to remain; for
gases produced by It's decay may either
promote the growth of other organic
matter, animal or vegetable, or through
their presence deteuorate the air In our
living rooms and render II unhealthiul.
Such cellars should have cemented
floors and walls, aud these walls and
the ceilings should be whitewashed
with lime to disinicct them. II is best
TO keep In the cellars cupboards and
boxes In which to put away foods OF
different kinds and TO occasionally take
these from the cellars and wash them
thoroughly
Great care should be bestowed upon
our cellars, especially when they arc
underneath our houses, Tor whatever the
air Of those cellars is may determine
more or less the kind OF air peryading
our living rooms above. Floors should
be hardwood II possible and the joints
between the boards should be close SO
that dit could find no lodging place
where II might remain year after year.
lie dirt which might thus accumulate is
partly organic matter and might even be
disease germs, II not disease germs II
might be such AS would supply on de-
composition the kind Of food necessary
Tor the growth OF these germs Floors
should be painted and oiled, the latter
being the better TO thus prevent them
from absorbing organic natter
Walls whitcWashcd are much more
productive OF health than those Ca.gi
mined OF papered. Neither calclmng
nor paper IS permeable 10 air but 40,
ordinary plaster is, You will observe q
| blow through the stem Of this pip Z
against the flame of the lamp that tue
ar passes through the plaster contained
M the bowl and throws the flame 10 oEg
side, Moreover the glue paste used
both in the calcimue and for paperinl
might undergo decomposition and thu,
become obnoxious.