The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-11-08
DR. CUNNINGHAM WRITES OF AIR
 IN TWENTY-FOURTH BULLETIN


 oration from the skin If the air is
 dry it will take up moisture rapidly:
 if the air is moving. fresh air Is con stantly supplied to the surface and the
 heat is not felt.
 When the air is very moist and stag nant. there is d diminished elimina
 tion of heat and. therefore, heat op-
 pressiin- This explains the benefit of natural breezes and tanning which ere ate artificial breezes-both removing
 the stagnant and vapor- saturated wa
 ter around the body. It also explains the reason why proper clothing keeps the body warm. the air between the clothing and the body is stagnant and
 moist and hence holds the body heat clothes do not keep the cold out but keeps the warmth in. Bearing these phenomena in mind. sensible and. ap- propriate clothing can be selected ac- cording to the season. In summer clothing is needed that will favor sur face evaporation and. therefore, pro-
 mote elimination of body heat. Atmos- pheric movement, density. moisture and temperature are the factors that reg ulate the elimination of the body heat 1 "The most mischevous combination is cold moist air and moist hot air Smoke
 Smoke is a product of combustion
 and consists of a mixture of gases con- taining solid rticles.'-Rosenau
 Solid particles consist mostly of un-
 consumed carbor. or faulty combustion. The important gases are carbon diox- ide and monoxide. There are also found
 at times in small quantities mineral acids. Smoke in part cuts out the light
 deposits soot everywhere and from an aesthetic point of view is a nuisance As a carrier of disease. 1t is not of
 muc himportance. Some claim that il predisposes to tuberculosis. while oth- , CTS deny this. The only absolute ster- ile place in community is the mouth
 of chimney or smolSestack.
 In the regulation of the smoke nuisance
 complete combustion is the object. Fog
 This is caused by the condesation O water vapor upon particles of dust" Car
 hon dust particularly causes fogs. The more carbon contained the darker it is It Is quite common over manufacturinl
 cities, in large populations where coa
 is used as fuel. Fog contains all tn, irritating properties of smoke in concen trated form" Carbonic acid gas increases in the presence of fog, sometimes to Il parts per 10000 It has been observed tha during foggy seasons sickness increase and the death rate rises" Fog is 10 time
 worst than smoke" q. Dust
 '.Dust is in reality a normal and yer, 1 important constituent of the air; it exist everywhere in the atmosphere, and pow 1 erfully affects some of the physical con ditions of environment."- has both an organic and inorganic source 1 Organic dust is fine particles from tn | plant and animal kingdoms. Inorgani dust comes from the soil, dried and blowI ! by the winds, smoke. and from the in 1 terplanetary spaces 'cosmic dust" Dus | is carried to very great distances, iron | continent to continent and froc city t. city by the winds. "The smoke of burn | ing Chicago reached the Pacific.'' Tn | important function of dust in the air i l the regulation of temperature. in forming | globules of water. and in the modified | ton of light, causing, according to Tyn
 dalt the azure blue in the sky" Dus ! enters the lungs in respiration and ma | to q moderate extent change the norma structure of the lungs, and causes 1 change in their color. All old people hay clark or mottled lungs. It may irritat 1 the air passages in a moderate degree
 Dust free from bacteria is negligible a q cause of disease. According to some, may act as a predisposing cause of tuber
 culosis, but others deny this. Altogether | dust free from bacteria in causing dis | ease is negligible.
 Bacteria
 | Bacteria in the air are generally de