The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-07-30
DEPRESSING HEAT
CAUSE OF SUICIDES
Suggested BY Eminent Doctor
That Fresh Air Be Brought to
British Metropolis By Means
Of Tube Railways-Con-
ditions Are Very
Bad.
Especial Gable to The Times Dispatch and
pscuv ye,rt Jt.ra III

New York Hernd)
Copyright. BY the New Yora Herald Coz s
LONDON, July 29. 9.--Strangc to say while
some Of the lowlands and the Channel
have been dense with fog most of the
week, London has seen nothing Of It's par
y ticular plague. Hereafter It would seem
that the London particular is to be
known by Il new name, that new namc
having been coined ut the Public Health
Congress this week, where DR.. Des Soeux
lecturcd on coal smoke abatement and
coined amid applause. the new word
"smog." which is a compound Of the
two words. smoke and fog.
Here again the old charge against Lon
don Of being oldfnshioned and out Of
+ date was levcled at her, for, said DR.. Dcs
Voeux, II the obsolete kitchen fire were
abolished there would be less "smog."
In fact, Or. Des voeux profcsscd TO be
able TO detect three distinct diurnal
"snogs"-breakfas luncheon and dinner.
''Smogs," which, added the Hon. Rollo
RUSSELL III this discussion. cost the me-
tropolis s5,2Oo.ooo t32so0Oo,ooo) every year,
and, In addition, the deterioration Of
health and depression OF spirits. I'LL
Killing Children.
Following the talk about "smog" and
how to get rid of It, another Indictment
was brought against London, In regard to
It's vitiatcd atmosphere, smog or no
'tsmog.'' l
Dr. ]. Glover Lyon. physician to the
s city OF London Hospital for Diseases OF
the Chest, the principal speaker on this
subject, drew lurid picture OF life in the
4 cGnter OF London that was not calculated
2 ~ S1ts sif n
Il town.
Owing TO the deficient air supply he said
London was quite unfit as dwelling
place for men and women who engaged In
intellectual pursuits, and 1t was impos-
sible for the rearing Of children, rs both
the infant mortality and the sickly looks
Of those who lived testified. s
Small gardens and parks were quite
Inadequate to allow blast of pure air
"a enter. The consequence was that Lon
uon was killing It's children and allowing
ncak children to grow up to die miscra bic
deaths.
The remedy suggested by this eminent
doctor OF chest diseases was that fresh
,,ir should be brought TO London BY means
81 tube railways, though which 1t could
be pumped and by means of which thc
Impure air could be removed; also large
buildings he said, should be split up into
s
present the upper parts We're foulcd by
he air from the lower and the leeWnrd
,ide by the windward.
Many Suicides.
Though no new thermometeric rccorc
has been created, there Is no gansay1nl
that such heat as we have been suffer
ing from in London during the last week
bad been more trying than has been eN
perIcnced in the present generation q
least, much worse, indeed, than ! men
toned a fortnight ago.
1t has been almost an indescrlpabl'
Il moist heat. making one physically wear
and depressed In spirits. 1t is we'll To-
onc reason that business Is slack, To-
lam told that theHe is hardly an Office
in the city where the staffs of the clerk!
are not reduced through illness caused bl
the heat One coroner remarked at al
\inouest the other day, he did not remem
bcr a season Of so many suicides, al
caused by the depressing heat.
Accidents, too. have been numerous
and the fact that the ambulance equip
ment has been hardly adequate In some
quarters to meet the demands throws {
peculiar light on the action this weel
of the Finance Committee or the Lon
don County Council. who have refused
to sanction pan LOT Slhe 'hst'tu''o ~
of public ambulance service, or at any
rate, decided that 1t must be dropped TO
the present. q
This is done, tho committee. state. OF
purely financial grounds, for tho Council
has yet to discover how 1t stands IN re
gard to the extraordinary expenditure
in tho Holborn to the Strand Improve
ments, and the fact that Inc building
sites in Kingsway and Aldwych are no
being taken up With that readiness whlcl
was anticipated, Meanwhile, because tn
Council cannot see the way to sanction
the expenditure OF some few thousand
for a much needed public want, afte
having sunk millions In Improvement
which are not widely appreciated, IT J
likely there will be more incidents TX
that recorded IN one paper, IN whlcl
an injured man was wheeled four mile
to a hospital In an uncomfortable' spring
less police handcnr.
Il