Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-10-30

Announcement is made at the office
of the state Board of Health of the is
suance of Circular No. 1913. the subject
of which is "BadAir Poisoning" The
circular. which is a four-page PAM
phlet, embodies letter written by DR..
Wilfred r. Grenfel, the well-knov7,
medical missionary to Labrador is
reprinted from The Outlook by permis-
SION. and is in part as follows:
IF it is important that the nations
FOOD should be pure because the human
bodies of its people are made of proto-
plasm, which depends for its healthy
existence on proper metabolism. it is
certainly equally important that that
process should not be hindercd by i'm
perfect oxidation in Il machine that Is
periodically poisoned with carbonic
acid. We must remember that the real
value of food is not guaged by how
much gets into the stomach, but how
much gets into the tissues through the
medium of the blood, and also that the
blood stream with its oxygen carrying
corpuscles deprived of that life essen-
tai, and instead clogged and half-dead
with foul gases, simply refuses. from
sheer incapacity, to do the work nee
essary to convert it into body tissues
TO rise from q modern dinner and
go sit in a crowded, ill-ventilated rooni
whether 1t be for recreation, inStruc-
uon or worship. most certainly is Il
much more serious matter than is ger
orally believed. Much of the modern
nervous instability, and probably no
httlc crime. might be well avoided by
better ventilation.
"ro rely or windows for ventilating
purposes appears to be an absolute
mistake. Only possibly under very ia
Vorable conditions, such as a hot day
or perfectly calm, warm evening can
we consider these seriously as auXilar-
les to Il ventilating plant. Indeed. the
best of all ventilation systems is de-
pendent upon the fact that the WIN
COWS are entirely unable to be opened
This is not because there is real
danger of catching cold In reality
rhintiS. being due to Il specific bacil-
lus, is much less likely to be contracted
when windows are open than when aii.
- Ioui. IN the Arctic regions colds are
seioom, if ever. contracted. After
t"eh'F-four hours on floating iCe-pan,
wet TO the skin. | personally never got
" WIN III tllt' nose even. whereas
nave had many from Stuify, crowded
rooms. The reason windows are no
good Is because an audience feels a lit :
Tie coid, and. seeing an open window.
CLOSES IL nj once. The sight of it makes
some people uncomfortable in body and
soul. The fact is largely that orr
houses are almost all kept too hot. as
are our carriages, and as evening dress
IS proverbiallv at a low limit. we are
IKE sensitive plants, doomed to stife
anu poison ourselves accordinglv.
When it comes to the best methods
lor ventilation. I can leave that to ex-
perts IN that invaluable department q,
puouc science, and l heartily wish that
the state would make it its husiness
10 ihslst on every room used for public
sfeaklng being free from the stigma of
SLOW poisoning with foul air as II has
seen III to do in enforcing and drafting
iesulations for safety against fire. AT.
yer ALL 1t is only a question of in one
ease OF insisting on oxidation being
sunlcient, in the other of insisting that
oxidation shall not be excessive. Deatt
only follows more. subtlv and more
slowly in the former case. and if is
propaoiy more to be really reeratted
ior these very reasons"