The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-13

otdle 6O8I0 OF Hedlln- LIT. VII 80
called attention to the fact that the con-
tagious diseases OF children and the death
rate among children OF school age always
increased nc with the opening OF sc g sssti 81
tics now collected by the State Boarc OF
Health that of the total deaths from dipn-
liberia and scarlet fever Z:6 per cent were
children of school age-that is. between nve
and fifteen years of age. He showed Also
by statistics and charts that the contagious
glIsas ass Of Children k WeTs les as IN the sa opDen-air
months OF the year. than for the otner elgnt
months. From these statistics. which cover
september. the first month or school,, there
Is an increase of 1873 per cent in the numper
of deaths from infectious diseases Octo-
Der shows a further increase OF about 8 per
cent. over September. while November and
December show an increase OF III per cent.
Beginning with January. the contagious dis
ease deaths usually decrease. and wnen
April comes and the outdoor life begins the
minimum death rate returns.
SUSCEPTIBILITY TO DISEASE.
DR.. Hurry explained this condition on the
theory that the sudden transition from the
free life in the open air, to a life of confine-
ment with its lessened amount of pure air
and sunshine, created a susceptibility TO dis
ease. I'm addition to this" said DR.. Hurry,
"a certain number OF children will be found
bearing the germs of various infectious
diseases. They perhaps have suffered with
mild diphtheria or mild scarlet fever and
the maladies have not been recognized. The
infection is readily transferred from these
children to their susceptible companions
with whom they come in contact. Two pro-
cedures are necessary to control this. The
first Is TO build schoolhouses which are
sanitary in every respect and then before
introducing the children into these houses
they must be thoroughly inspected TO see
thai none carry infQPfiOn Roth OF THESE
conditions must be supplied by the govern
ment of the State, for individual effort cam
not do 1t. 1t Is obvious hat the medical
inspection must be commanded by law or
IT will not be accepted and IL is further OBJ
vious that the statutes must specifically de-
scribe the sanitary principles which shall
be Incorporated into every schoolhouse.
Such a law was prepared by the State
Board of Health and introduced into the
Legislature of 1901. 1t received nine votes
in the House. The same bill was intro
duced at the session Of 1903, passed the
House by a large vote and passed the third
reading In the Senate, where 1t was defeat
ed by an ex-school teacher, who made a
speech which amounted to ridiculing the
idea of preventing disease among children
and saving their lives. The idea of this
kind of a law is not u new one for just such
a law exists in four other States, producing
most excellent results
DR.. Hurry said that In his experience over
the State in trying to surround school chill,
dren with the conditions of health demanded
by nature he had found much opposition
proceeding from parents, the argument be-
ing that they could not afford to pay for
having the SchoOlhouSeS cleaned and dis
infected and proper heating and ventilation
provided. This is a remarkable situation"
said DR. Hurry, since the cost of these pre-
yen<iVe measures would be less than medi-
cines and funeral expenses which are in
cident to the unSanitary conditions which
they claim they cannot afford to abate."
REPORT OF JOHN A. WOOD.
job A. Wood. superintendent of the La
porte city schools, made a report as chair
man of a committee on heating, ventilating
and fuel for school buildings. The report
was adopted. 1t recommended that school
boards. superintendent and school archi-
tects be solicited to give attention to ven
~tilation commensurate with it's Importance;
that where possible heating plants, fur
naces, ETC., be centralized and the heat be
distributed from this central room by
means Of fans; that immediate provision be
made for securing more natural conditions
Of air as regards humidity; that proper
mixing valves (valves arranged to mix
warm and cold air) be provided for all
school rooms so that proper air volumes
the question of schoolhouse legislation as
hereinbefore recommended, be given seri-
Gus consideration in the next session of the
State Legislature. In this connection the
@NRNNt AOtbA III Ohh W NC PtC-
scented to the Legislature. One section de-
clares that all public school buildings here
after remodeled or constructed for school
purposes must be lighted by windows
placed in one rear or side wall of each
class and study room, and such windows
shall contain glass surface Of not less than
one-hfth OF the floor space Of each room.
All desks and seats shall be so arranged
that the windows will be on the left, or In
the rear. so far as possible of the pupils.
Another section says that all class and
study rooms shall contain not less than
fifty square feet of floor space and not less
than one hundred and eighty cubic feet of
air space for each pupil. The bill says
that schoolhouses must be provided with
such heating and ventilating apparatus as
will facilitate the introduction of warm air
when the occasion requires into each class
or study room, not less than eight feet
above the floor, with provision for exit of
impure air at the floor line and the whole
shall be arranged so that the required tenn
perature of 40 degrees can be maintained
throughout each room even In the coolest
weather, and the air changed in each room
combined average measured at inlet and
exit openings) at least eight times in each
hour, without lowering the temperature or
creating a noticeable draft at or below the
breathing line
SUPERINTENDENT MOORE.
In discussing the relative efficiency and
relative cost of the gravity and fan sys-
tenn of ventilating school buildings Super
intendent Moore. of Elkhart, declared tina,
this system is not only simple in construc-
ton and free from the complexity Of man
agement, but is moderate in cost. 1t will
however, produce the best results only un-
der certain conditions. 1t is more or less
at the mercy of climatic conditions, and
is therefore erratic and unstable. Much
may be done to remedy this by care in In
stallation. superintendent Moore called at.
tention to some of the superior points the
fan system has over the gravity system
One important point is that Ii may be
operated independent of the heating sys-
there is no fire. The air in any room NAV
be changed twice as often In any giver
time by the fan system as by the gravity
I system.
Z. r. Vincent. of the Home Heating and
Lighting Company, addressed the confer
ence, describing the method of heating
buildings as pursued by his company.
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