Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-15
HEALTH AND SCIENCE,

That lack of knowledge of physical sci
ence is one of the greatest hindrances to
the advance of our civilization is shown by
the manner in which householders ventilate
their homes in the south. To how many
does the word ventilation possess any real
meaning?
A vague notion that a window opened
anyhow and anywhere or ventilator of
which the construction and mode of action
. are totally unknown will in some mys-
ferrous manner ventilate the apartment
sums up, 1 should say, the average person s
ideas on the subject; whereas the procedure
involved in changing the air of an apart
ment depends upon laws for ignorance of
which there is no excuse, on account of
their simplicity. This is the problem To
remove from an apartment the gases which
come from it's inhabitants and from the
flames of active combustion of gas, candles
and kerosene lamps.
Though we cannot see the products, a
simple experiment shows their behavior.
Obtain a toy balloon; fill it with air from
the flame of a candle or from the lungs by
blowing into it. 1t will ascend to the roof
After a period it will descend. Why is this ?
Its contents are the same.
Because the air from the lungs or candle
is lighter than the air in the room. Heat
makes substances less dense; that is, less
heavy. Gases when lighter than those sur
rounding them ascend, just a cork will
ascend to the surface when placed in water.
The balloon falls again because it's con-
tanned gases are, when cooled to the tenn
perature of the room, heavier than those of
the atmosphere 1t contains carbon diOXide.
This gas from the burning candle and the
breathing animal is the substance Which we
wish to Danish from our houses by Ventila-
ton.
1t is obvious that 1t should be removed
before 1t has an opportunity to cool and
mix with the pure air. Therefore it should
be removed Immediately it ascends by an
opening at the top of the apartment. Upon
this principle the laws of ventilation de-
pend.
Defective ventilation is the chief cause of
consumption. The constructive death rate
is much greater in southern cities than in
those of the north. This is paradox be
cause southerners live with open windows
all the year around. But it is exceedingly
rare to find the window opened save at the
bottom. A breeze passes from the opening,
cooling the inmates bodies but a constant
stream of polluted air is descending from
the roof and mixing with the pure air from
the window; so that the inmates are
breathing contaminated atmosphere While
under the impression that they are living
in the pureSt of air.
Goodness and ventilation are not the same
things although the air brought into our
than the impure air in the room The air
of church or a vault is generally, though
cool, exceedingly impure, while the hot air
of the desert is of highest purity.
In the majority of families nightfall is a
signal for closing all windows, however
few, which have been open. A vague fear
of night air, a relic Of the days of savage
dom or our ancestors, when security in the
cave or rude hut could only be gained by
barring every opening, is the cause of this.
AS a matter of fact, the air of cities is at
it's purest in the night; there is less traffic,
which means less dust; factory furnaces
are less active; Saslights less numerous as
the night progresses; the suns moisture
drawing power is no longer eXerteG so that
the blanket of moisture which prevents the
diffusion OF sulphur fumes, SCOT and dust
is absent But most important of all, each
gas jet in an apartment consumes five times
as much OXYGEN as one Individual in the
same time; so that instead Of the windows
being closed at night they should be open
more widely to let out the gas fumes and to
admit the increased supply of air neces-
sary then for healthy breathing.
A draught Is not in itself hurtful. Con-
sumptives in Senatorial so far from being
guarded from draug'hts, are, from the mode
of life there, constantly exposed thereto.
In popular parlance, consumption is form
of cold, and may be caused by draught.
That this idea is erroneous Is shown by the
aforementioned treatment, which is the
most successful known for this disease. 1t
IS so successful that 80 per cent of cases
are cured by It, while by the old method
of protecting from draughts (Which cannot
be done without robbing of pure air. out
of a total of 5000 consumptiVe persons in
Michigan between 1894 and 1899 only forty
nine recovered. K. u
Consumption is caused by a microbe
GERM. Cold (catarrh) does not occur when
germs are absent. These cannot grow in
extreme cold; hence Narisen5 relates that
during the whole three years his thirteen
were in the arctic regions not a single case
or catarrh (cold) occurred, though they
were constantly exposed to draughts and
chllls, to wettings, inability! to dry their
clothing and deprivationg of food, which
must have rendered them very susceptible
to cold. AS soon, however, as they reached
the temperate zone every mansuffered from
violent cold IN the head. No unprecedented
mind can fail to conclude from this that
even cold cannot occur in the absence
of microbes IC u
A cold, then, is realIyua fever; and its
treatment should be the same. 1t is con-
tracted because constant bathing of the
mucous membrane of the nose and throat
In impure air weakens their power of re-
sistence to microbic Infection.
Cab drivers rarely contract influenza,
another microbic disease This is because
they live In pure air all day long. Besides,
these microbes flourish In dirty air just as
they do in dirty water or filth of any de-
scrlptlon. Filth has been defined as mat
ter in the wrong place." and the walls of
our rooms, the furniture, the hangings and
the air are certainly the wrong place for
the impure matter arising from our lungs
and bodies We are truly unclean unless
our houses are properly ventilated; and
unclean air is a more fragrant negation Of
the virtue nearest to goodness than any
other variety of uncleanliness.
For, sixteen times in every minute we
must breathe what nature has given us
pure and plentiful, while no one need touch,
drink or eat what Is unclean.
Abstinence here can be measured by
hours OR even days, but mortal mans