The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-09
AIR AND DISEASE.
Paramount Importance Of Pure and Jnde-
filed .AtmOsphere.

To THE EDITOR or THE SuS-,Sir' The letter
from +. E. ChadvlcS in your paper Monday. April >.
calling attention to the entire absence In some and
the poor ventilation In other OF the vehicles in
which we travel. Is worthy Of most serious conSid
Grafton. 1t will be a long time before the average
human being can be brought to realize the vital
necessity OF living day and night In an unpoliuted
atmosphere.
Our senses are more or less bcnumbed by a
gradual Inhalation OF bad air In these too fire.
quently overcrowded. tightly sealed conveyances.
and very few even intelligent persons can appre-
clate at the time how gravely they are being con
taminated, But any one OF moderate sensiblllty
upon suddenly entering from out Of doors into one
OF these alright compartments cannot fail TO per-
Ceive the noKious conditions. This wretchcd state
OF affairs obtains In many theatres. churches. hos
pitfalls, hotels, restaurants and like places OF con
grcgatlon. Were each expired breath, loaded as
II is with Impurities. 10 collect In a visible cloud
about our heads until diluted by the requisite
amount OF fresh air. there would not he so much
dirlculty In seeing the necessity OF ventilation.
Few self respecting persons would be willing 10
enter an ordinary bathtub that contained tho
water which had served the purpose OF cleansing
the skin Of a number OF individuals. and get the
danger 10 health probably would be much less
than breathing into the very citadel OF life. the
lungs. the, air which Is saturated by what OF neces.
sity are poisonous eXhalations. The problem OF
adequate heating and ventilating in winter. at least
for places OF public gathering when hlled 10 their
fnll capacity, apparently mas not bccn satisfactorily
solved by the architects, or II II has their Intentions
are for various reasons frequently frustrated.
II Is evidently a Gificult proposition to supply
sum Client warmth In winter and at the same time
to keep the air pure enough for our ptlon.
Even when the means OF ventilation are suficient
their efHcieney Is too often destroyed In order TO
save fuel, or more frequently through Ignorance.
Aside from q parslmonlous desire TO curtall eX-
pcnses or a dire necessity 10 economize heating
material In cold weather. fresh air Is not seldom
rigidly excluded because OF a deeply ingTained
belief among most persons that II Is dangerous.
1t Is probably Il risk to be exposed to a small con
tlnuous draught of air. over a limited exposed sur
face In a room that Is superhcAted as well as badly
contaminated. Nevertheless. VIC do not catch
colds. in the light of modern pathology: we catch
Infections. We catch neither when out OF doors.
as a rule, however inclrment the weather.
The reason for the prevalence OF Infectious dis
eases, especially of the respiratory type. In winter
is not directly due TO the cold but TO the almost
universal overcrowding and overheating and TO
the lack OF adequate ventilation. Contrariwiso.
che general hcalthfulneSs of the summer is Ger.
talnly not on account OF the absence OF, cold but.
owing TO the warm weather, may be attributed 10
the presence everywhere. in ali likelihood, Of air
unlimited and undenled. Educating the people al
large In regard to matters hygienic is a slow and
tedious process. though not entirely improbable.
and meantime, In consequence, the Board OF Health
should be invoked, as your correspondent init.
mates. TO compel those In charge Of public means
OF travel and places OF asScniblngc to supply this
much needed ventilation.
The quality OF the food we eat, the water we
drink and the air We breathe should be an object
OF intelligent discrimination but the quality Of the
air we breathe is the question which is manlfestly
paramount. Consequently no such Important
function as the regulation of ventilation should be
left to the discretion Of personS ignorant OF the
orst principles OF the physiology OF respiration.
FEW YORK, April Z. H.RAY.