Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1899-01-14
MICROBE NESTS IN HOUSES.
Picture holdings and window Castings
Hiding Places For Dust.

Picture holdings and Window Castings
Hiding Places For Dust.
Modern Investigations into the
causes of disease and the best meth.
DDS of disease prevention have led
US to look for sources of i'll health III
many places formerly neglected.
This is especially the case in connec-
ton with BODYBUILDING, and there
are many apparently minor details
in connection with building con-
struction which have an important
bearing UkCn the health of the occu-
pants.
The Sanitary Record contains Il
discussion Of this phase of building
construction by MI Peter Fyie,
chief sanitary inspector at Glasgow
Mr., Fyfe says: "A healthy house
must, firstly, be dry i'll every part;
secondly, it must ho able to he thor
ou9hly cleansed throughout, and,
thirdly, it should leave no facilities
within the -FOUR walls for the harbur
neg of iuieCtive or other dust.
The prutc".on against dumpness
is mainly 10 be found in the work
of the mason, and, unless Il real
damp proof course Is put III tho
walls OF if II damp site is not pro-
tected by II layer OF concrete or as.
phalt, the work of the joiner be-
comes serlousl y affected. Not only
wood, but also bricks when exposed
to dampness, become the prey of
fungi and molds, producing rotten
ness and dls!ntugration.
Many sites which seem dry and
comfortable to the eye may dis
charge large quantities of ground
air into cellars aud similar spaces,
owing to the rise and fall OF ground
water beneath
This ground air contains a large
proportion of moisture and speedily
causes decay and possibly disease.
One point especially emphasized
by MIR. Fyte is the reprehensible
practice of covering up damp walls
and partitions with woodwork, and
thus endeavoring to conceal the evil
which instead should he eradicated.
Among the various obnoxious
dustholes Nh. Fyfe is especially Sc
we're upon the incloscd lofts and roof
spaces SO common in many houses,
more particularly those having
peaked or sloplng roofs. These
spaces form storehouses, not only of
microbes, but also of close, stulfy
and contaminated air, and are often
constructed without openings for
light or neutrality-suspicious. I'M
der which cleaning is an utter i'm
possibility.
The sliding sash window also
comes in for Il share of condemua-
ton. Here we have Il long, hollow
box for the weights, which in timo
becomes Il dust chamber, and one
peculiarly situated in the direct line
OF the air supply to the room. 1t
must not be overlooked that through
the chinks left all around our Win
dows the large proportion of the
fresh air to the room enters, and
incoming air should not, if practical
BILE, be caused to pass through or
over any chambers OF hollows where
dust and dirt, to say nothing of fun
gold growths, are permitted to
lodge
Another place for the Judgment
of dirt is tho picture molding, now
SO generally found in residences,
nailed around the wall to permit tho
hanging of pictures without the he
cessity of driving nails into the plas-
ter. This forms IL very comfort,
able situation from which myriads
of microbes may select their time
for bouncing down ON the unsus-
picious tenant In 80 cases out of
100, on inspection, this elongated
dust shelf will be found completely
covered with the germs, mixed up
with all the inorganic debris con.
tinually floating about in our atmos-
phere. boston Herald.