Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-09-08
COLD AIR IN HOSPITALS.
If Artifcially Provided Many Cures
Might Result.

From American Medicine.
It is amazing that the medical pro-
fession has made so little therapeutic
use Of cold producing machinery, as it is
many years since II was discovered that
there was some mysterious therapeutic
virtue in the breathing of cold air.
Consumptives, for instance, were found
10 improve in winter. but not in sum-
mer and they made extraordinary
progress toward recovery where the tenn
perature was far below zero f., while
in hot climates the rapid mortality is
dreadful.
Then came the startling discovery that
in many respiratory diseases particu-
larly the pneumonias Of children, cold
air was almost specific even Wnen
both lungs were greatly involved and
death was certain il the patient was
kept indoors in a warm room.
In the winter we rig up rooms on the
roof or yeranda for the benefit of the
cold but III summer we hold up our
hands hclplessiy and let the sick die IN
stead of creating the cold air they
need We give them cold storage III the
morgue after they are dead instead OF
keeping them alive BY II.
There is earthly reason for this
helplessness. when it is such a simple
matter TO cool the air of hospitals. All
that IS needed is steam coil or radia tor
in which cold brine circuateS instead of
hot water. Instead of radiating neat il
is an abSorber and the air forced around
the pipes may be cooled to any required
degree,
Calculations show that what is de-
scribed in the trade as 'one kilowatt
ammonia compression set is sufficient
to reduce the temperature of all the air
needed To ventilate twe!ve-hed ward
from - 10 - degrees. This equipment
can DC installed on q base ten feet
square The pumps and fans being run
bother with. and the ammonia which
may leak out will not annoy if the
apparatus IS il the basement.
Tile air is damp when it leaves the
coils. hut il warns Up en- route TO the
room or Gan he warmed to he de-
livered dry. The coils Of course drip
moisture deposited from the air as il Is
cooled and cannot be put in the living
room The air should he delivered near
the floor and the escape valves put at
the ceiling for the warmed impure air.
The details can be worked out by any
engineer or architect who knows how
and very short experience viii show how
10 keep the room ~ amy required de-
gree We can defy the death-deaiing hot
season, particularly III the case of the
sick babies now slaughtered by every
hot wave. From experience OF the bene-
int Of the very slight reduction Of air
temperatGre ny storms III the tropics. !
have no doubt that If all tropical hos
piiaiS were 50 equipped the record Of
cures would he several times what they
now are and the homcGoing stream OF
iuvalid enormously reduced.
/ have been Informed b. physician
who had much experience with SICK soi-
.iicrs in the summer OF 1854 and 1860
that If They were stopped of ut Wash
iugton or Baltimore II vas exceedingly
difficult to keep them alive, ana an en0rt
MAS made To rush the h"spltal trains
OH 10 the cool spots Of New Eng and, IT
Ne have another war the hospitals must
lie established in the cold north, ana
those III the south must be mere correct
inG points, unless they are aruhcldiiy
cooled and protected from light