Connecticut western news., 1902-02-20
VENTILATE.

First of a Series of Articles on Public
 Hygiene and the Prevention of
 Disease.
 In presenting to the public the sub iect of Hygiene as applied to each in- of 8 community like our own, the author becomes in a way 8 public benefactor if the principles he lays down are accurate and up-to-date on the one hand, and if the people to whom his remarks are addressed follow the precepts set forth in the article.
 First we must ascertain the meaning of the word Hygiene. It is the science that treats of the laws of health and their observance. Hence as it concerns each and every one of us, we should know more about the conditions which keep us in good health, or on the other hand produce disease, or rather foster the germs of disease in our locality The first element that presents itself to our consideration is air, and the second is water. Of the first only we shall speak in this article.
 Living in a mountainous district, as we do, far away from large cities where the atmospheric air is more or less con- taminated by gases from large manu- featuring plants and factories; and be- ing relatively free from swamp lands where malarial and fever. germs Turk, we can say that the air is pure. Pure .~a ko.- oI, luted with four-fifths nitrogen-a var ious amount of watery vapor and con- taminated with carbon di oxide about four parts to each ten thousand parts of air. The oxygen of the air is the ele. ment that supports all forms of life, both plant and animal, although for plants it is combined with carbon in the form of carbon di oxide.
 The practical point is in the ventila- tion of our houses. The air is taken into our lungs-the blood takes up a certain amount of the oxygen which supports life, and throws off the oxygen which has been used, combined with carbon in the form of carbon di oxide which is the gas used by the plants. If we remain in a close room Ia sleep ing room for instance) the oxygen of the air after awhile becomes used up and the room becomes filled with car bon di oxide which is not exactly poisonous but is irrespirable As an instance of this fact when you are spending an evening in 2 close room where there is no ventilation one of the first signs of insufficient oxygen Is that you become sleepy much earlier than you ordinarily would if the air was pure. At such time if you take 8 short walk in the fresh air or even open a window the desire for sleep dis appears. That is the effect of carbon di oxide for brief period. If this con- tinues day after day the result is general running down of all the organs on account of lack of oxygen.
 Tho prime object of this article is to bring before you the great necessity of ventilation of your living and sleeping rooms, as the majority of all lung dis eases, such as tuberculosis or consump- ton and the like, are brought on by an impoverished condition of the blood through breathing impure air or air laden with carbon di oxide. Each in- dividual requires about 100 cubic yards of pure air per hour, and it is readily observed that if the sleeping room has not been aired for a week, or if the con- tained air can not be replaced or diluted constantly with fresh air, the condition of the contained atmosphere must become very foul. The result is the occupant awakes in the morning with headache or possibly has spent a restless night and wonders what is the cause.
 The horrible story of the "black hole" of Calcutta is doubtless familiar to everyone. Of 146 prisoners con- fined inla dark cell at night, 23 only were found alive in the morning After the battle of Austerlitz 300 prison. CTS were crowded in prison; 260 died in a short time from inhaling the poisoned air. Numerous other ex- amples are recorded of the effects of polluted air. Usually, however, the effects of foul air are not so sudden and striking In most instances, especially where the pollution has not reached 8 high degree, there simply results 8 general deficiency of nutrition, which manifests itself in an impoverished condition of the blood, loss of vigor of body and mind, and a gradual dimin- tuition of resistance to disease. The above facts pertain to school rooms'and churches as we'll as to living | rooms.
 WM THos. OWENS, M. D. Feb. IT, 1902.
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