El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-09-20


be found in the growing number of
people who insist on proper ventila-
ton. Thirty years ago the number of
families in the rural districts who
slept with windows down and coal oil
lamps turned low was almost equal
to the whole number of houses. 1t was
not unusual for two or three of the
smaller children to sleep in
trundle bed in the room with their
father and mother. Thus there were
often five persons in a single room,
with turned down lamp aiding them
in yitiating the air, and yet not
window was up to permit the escape
of the bad air and the coming in of
the good.
EVIL Effects of Bad Air.
No full appraisement of the evil eff
fects of bald air has yet been made.
1t has been demonstrated so plainly
that he who runs may read that peo-
pie who live in i'll ventilated quar-
tiers are much more susceptible 10
disease than those who live where pure
air is to be had in abundance. But it
must be remembered that good venti-
lation usually implies better santa
ton in other directions, and perhaps
all of the added number of cases OF
sickness in i'll ventilated places are
not attributable to bad air But Ger
tain 1t is, from figures that have been
brought out, that impure air IS
handmaiden Of disease and the crimes
numerous enough at best
A notable illustration of the evils
of bad ventilation comes from an ex-
perience of the United States govern
ment some years ago Wien the
pension bureau was located in num-
Der Of scattered and poorly ventilated
buildings, the average number OF days
of sick leave per year taken by the
600. When the bureau came to be
housed in the present building the
average number of days of sick leave
fell to about 10000, in the face Of
considerable increase of force
Impure Air Causes Sickness
Some years ago big hat factory
was built in Baltimore in which no
adequate ventilating apparatus was
installed. During the first two win
tiers the factory was operated, more
than p percent of the time of the en-
ployes was lost through sickness The
sick rate was so great that the own
ers of the factory decided to install
a ventilating apparatus The Hollow
ing winter the sick rate was cut down
to Z percent. In other words. three
fourths of the sickness of that fac
tory, it was demonstrated, came from
bad ventilation. In neighboring
remedied by the installation of a Yenti-
lating equipment and thereafter less
/ than half as much time was lost
Not only do the statistics in hand
ventilation promotes sickness. but also
that il tends to retard recovery. 1t
is shown that in the S. P Smith sana-
torium on Staten Island. New York,
there were two wards in which pa
TENTS Of the same class were treated.
The one ward was well ventilated, the
other was not The average patient
recovered in 10 days in the well venti-
lated ward. while the average patient
in the poorly ventilated ward required
16 days to recover. Some years ago
: the Boston City hospital improved its
sanitary conditions, mainly BY the in
stalation of good ventilation. The
death rate in the hospital declined
from A percent to 13 percent as
result.
High Prices Don't Affect Air.
The air We breathe is the one thing
that cannot be affected by the hign
cost OF living Normal air contains
slightly more than one fifth oxygen,
the only part of it essential for
acts only as a diluting agent If we
reduce the amount OF oxygen IN
quantity of air by one fifth IL there
after becomes incapable of support
air there has extracted from IL one
fourth of its oxygen. Carbon dioxide
is given to il in exchange.
The lungs are never entirely filled with
pure air after the first inspiration
following birth. since they are never
wholly emptied, and what remains is
vitiated. The upper part of the res
piratoly tract is the only part that
receives strictly pure air. 1t has been
demonstrated that IL an animal IS
forced to breathe through a long tube
II will die of asphyxia. The amount
Of oxygen used, OF course, varies with
age An average adult inhales "a
pounds Of air a day, about seven
pounds of which is oxygen. He uses
about two pounds of the oxygen and
exhales the rest.
The exhalation of carbonic acid gas
by animal life is one of the wonders
of creation It has been estimated
that the amount given off from all
sources, which includes the products
of all combustion, amounts 10 five
billion tons year. ton OF coal,
burning, yields $1,000 cubic feet. While
animals and fires and decaying matter
are releasing these immense quantities
of gas the vegetable world is drinking
II up. An acre OF woodland, IL is esti-
mated, breathes four and a half tons
Of air in season, extracting from IL
one and fifth tons of carbOnic gas,
and giving off three and a quarter tons
Of oxygen in return.
Carbonlc Acid Gas.
The normal amount of carbonic acid
gas that may be breathed constantly
without Objectionable results, is be-
( lieved to be around seven parts in TO-
600 Of air. The hygienist however. de-
clareS that the more carbOnic acid
there is in a room the more organic
matter there is likely TO be found, and
therefore the more danger there IS of
contagion being gathered from the air.
Dust is another evil that usually ac-
companies bad ventilation, and enough
of that has to be inhaled at best. 1t
has been estimated that during an
hour in New York and London the av-
erage person inhales some 100000
germs and spores That is, out OF doors.
What must 1t be indoors in some OF the
tenements?
One frequently hears Of fatal acct
dents through the inhalation of carbon
monoxide produced by a defective gas
stove. This is one of the most deadly
of all gases, and yet every man who
smokes tobacco generates 1t in no in
significant quantities. 1t has been
demonstrated in the laboratory that
man smoking a perfecto cigar releases
many cubic inches OF this deadly gas.
1 This was illustrated once by a scien-
fist exposing a small amount of blood
solution to two puffs Of tobacco smoke
and demonstrating its absorption BY
means of a spectroscope
Value of Wholesome Exercise.
The hygienic value of wholesome eX-
ercise has been overlooked by most
urban dwelling people. OF course those
who do manual labor and those who
play tennis, golf and the like, get their
proper share, but very few people in
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