The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-04-14
THE BAROMETER AND HEALTH.

III III.
EVERY person capable OF putting
two and two together and obtainfny
the correst answer has been con.
scious OF feeling out OF sorts as the
printer would say, when the clouds
hung low and the sun was obscured
A week OF dull weather sets q whole
community on edge and the mental
moral and physical components of
man are. at its close. about fit for the
SCRAP heap. Under such atmospheric
conditions. when prolonged for mum.
Der OF days, an Englishman admits
that he feels "seedy" and the Ameri.
can confesses that he is feeling
mean" both adjectives relating to a
state of mental and bodily dumps.
says Senior Surgeon Chas. E. Banks
of the United States Public Health
Service.
Ihis situation is generally attrib-
uted to the lack OF sunshine. for
every human being retains the an.
clent beliefs in the potentiality of the
sun IN It's relation to his life and its
w'alLbe1ng. He knows that it gives
warmth AID light and brings forth his
crops from the fruitful earth, and
rightly yields it respect for its
great and generally benign influence
over mundane existence. It is true
that we feel bully" in sunshfny
weather, but sunshine is the accom-
paaiment of certain atmospheric con-
dihons not wholly shown by the Their
mometer or the solarimeter. A few
sunless days or hours are not suf,i-
Client. however. to put a hoo-doo on
the temperament and activities or a
whole population: there is another
important controlling agency but little
understood. even If appreciated. and
1t exercises much greater influence
than the sun In a given space of
time. II the sunlight were absolutely
necessary to our ulkeep night watch
men and laborers on the morning edf.
tio11 would be chronic invalids. and
mine workers the most unhealthy
people in existence. II sunlight were
necessary to animal life all OF the
night providers would cease to exist.
The gaseous envelope OF atmos-
pheric air surrounding the earth Is
the medium il which we have to live.
and it bears the same relation to the
human family as the waters of the
globe to the order of fishes. The air
and water are essential to the life Is
much a factor to man as the quality
of water to the fish. This normal at
mcsphere air exe-ts On our bodies a
definite dynamic force or physical
pressure of 14.7 pounds on every
square inch OF our bodies. IL We live
at or near the sea level. and the
higher up we go this atmospheric
pressure dimilishes until on the
heights of the Rockies it is probably
two pounds less. The normal pres
sure at sea level is indicated by the
barometer as go (inches), and it de-
creases by an estab lished scale as II
ascends these mountain heights
Most persons know that ascents OF
mountainous peaks, thousands of feet
above sea level results in marked
physical distress, difficult breathing.
general depression at the SUBMITS.
and in extreme cases bleeding at the
nose and even from the lungs. due to
this lessened atmospheric pressure.
Just so it happens that when the
barometer is low" for a considerable
period, say a drop from 30, the nor
NAL gauge, to SO or below, when
stormy Or dull weather ensues, we get
the analogous effect imperceptibly, but
in an appreciable degree; for it has
happened that a definite measure OF
atmospheric pressure is released from
our bodies and naturally there follows
a dislocation of our normal balance.
The average adult man sustains Oh
every pleasant day an atmospheric
pressure Of about fourteen tons at
sea level. when the barometer reads
at 30 and a drop of an inch or more.
10 30 and below practically takes off