The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-07-27

Inc night between MONDAY and IueS-
day was the hottest of the year, indeed.
IT. was the hottest night for many years.
Monday was the hottest day, perhaps, al
though the thermometer didn't say so of
either period.
The reason why the night of Monday
and Tuesday was the hottest was be-
cause there was an excessive percentage
of humidity In the air, with high tenn
peratures. The humidity reading at the
weather bureau Tuesday morning showed
percentage of 81. which is extremely
high for this section. At the same tirno
the temperature was rs, which was II
degrees higher than normal. The high
percentage Of humidity combined with the
high temperature made the night one OF
exceeding discomfort.
Tuesday was also hot. but again the
thermometer did not show IT. Still, the
thermometer was kind enough to say that
1t was far from Arctic weather. A special
reading made by Director Thicssen of
the weather bureau at 3 o'clock Tuesday
afternoon showed a street-level temper
aturc OF % and an official reading of 50 l.
The street reading was made by means
of a government thermometer hung In
the shade at the Seventh Day Adventist
tent in postoffice place. The instrument
was hung in the shade and a point where
the air circulated freely about IL. The
official thermometer OF the bureau is on
the roof OF the Boston building.
The difference between the street tenn
perature and the official temperature
so-called for convenience's sake-was be-
tween and 5 degrees, and this difference
Is Il fair variation at all RlmcS. Thus,
when the official temperature reads 96,
as il did for the maximum of Monday, II
is safe bet that the temperature on
the street.-The place where people live
also. when the temperature was 81
few days ago, the high official record for
the season, 1t was easily 101 and 102 on
the street level.
There are plenty of thermometers on
the street that register to degrees
higher than would the government street
reading yesterday These arc the In
struments that are hung UP against the
buildings. on iron posts and stone walls.
From the superheatcd buildings the heat
radiates with intense effect on the mer-
curry, so that the Thermometer gets the
heat "going and coming" Therefore II
Is reasonable to say that when the official
thermometer reads 9s. the thermometer
hung in the shade and In the open on
ment getting the doubtful benefit OF
hoated buildings will run up to 106.
Z But IT isn't the direct heat that causes
heat prostrations. True. sunstroke Is the
the sun beat down upon the victim
head. Sunstroke is the paralysis OF the
heat center The center controls the
heat in the human system like n COVER
nor controls the operation of a steam on
gine. Therefore, when the heat center
is Daralyzcd the heat runs riot, and the
patient usually dies IT
1t is different with heat prostration,
There are many chemical changes devel-
oped in case OF heat nrostration, but the
theory that Is generally accepted nova,
days IS that a patient. II he die. is killed
by poisoning. This is accounted for by
the excessive combustion within-the
burning process which is always going
on in the human bodyIand the imprls-
heat which Is imprisoned. so to speak.
because 1t docs not radlate into the air
from the surface. as IT does when the
temperature is lower. This results in
piling up Of used tissues, which are rank
poisons. and consequently the victim dies
from an auto-toxic condition, nothing
moro or less than being poisoned to
death.
When the relative humidity is high
and the temperature is also high, the air
closes around the body and prevents the
throwing off OF 1he excessive heat large
Iy because there is no place for II to go
and nothing to carry It Where humid
conditions do not prevail, heat prostra-
tons are quite impossible. no matter how
intense the direct heat is, For example:
Did you ever hear OF heat prostration
on the desert?
sldcration OF heated conditions, There
IL in the first place, the real heat OF the
air; that Is the actual temperature OF
there the 5a In Of the the %i@S hsS pacsS
promotes or diminishes evaporation. As
everybody knows. rapid evaporation
makes 1t cool" This may he illustrated
by the cooling effect produced by the re-
leasing of ether. The third considera-
ton is the relative humidity in the air.
combined with the temperature. The
fourth Item. and really an exceedingly
important one is the condition OF him
who enjoys or suffers. The latter con-
sideration depends upon ''how a fellow
feels n his power of resistance to ex-
ccssive heat Is good. he will not have
heat prostration, If. on the contrary. this
power Of resistance has been impaired,
IL predisposcs him to attack.
= The popular understanding of the
meaning OF the term humidity" is al
most nil, a man is rarely found. indeed
who knows what humidity really is.
though eyerybody talks about Il slibly'
midity'' that 1t may be understood by
any other than n scientific mind. and
certainly IT. Is too hot 10 study anything
scientifically these days. Relative hu-
midity is that percentage of vapor (euual
to moisture) In the air computed against
the amount of vapor the afr would hold
at the temperature prevailing at the
time. Ninety-threc degrees OF relative
humidity does not mean That the air is