Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-04-10
Health Talks by DR.. Brady
The Town Hall cntn.troph..

The Black Hole OF Calcutta Is still the classic
instance OF the deadly effect OF foul air. The
tragedies daily enacted In schoolrooms where
either teachers or their supcrora are deter
mined to admit draft are not sufficiently
dramatic to interest the public much.
February TO- writes n correspondent, 1.-The
hre department OF the town OF Sea Cliff. Long
Island. held dance In the town hall Tho
hal! was filled to capacity. literally damned
with men, women and not few children.
Although tho hall has large windows down
each side and n door at back and front not n
breath Of outside air allowed to enter
every window and door was kept closed
imagine the air condition. especially with from
ESQ TO 400 people dancing and others looking
on One OF the iremen on the floor commit
tee would not permit tho opening OF win
COW or door. We don't want to send all
these people home with colds he said. Final
ly. when the place became unendurable a
young man lowered one window from the
top, and the crowd focked about to get a
breath. but number OF old women cried
warnings about the draft and the floor com
mittee men came and closed the window and
forebade opening any more. Several members
in our party went home with stuffed noses and
dry crusty Threats and had dull headaches
Now. shouldn't II be compulsory to arrange
FOR some sort OF suitable ventilation when
such public gatherings are held indoors?
shouldn't the health authorities supervise tho
matter Of ventilation?"
That il question.
The average benishted layman has two
tremendous. overawing obsessions-nrst tina I
Oh starving when his food Is withdrawn for
day or two, fear founded on good sound
instinct; and second. that OF suffering some
illness ns IA result OF passing zephyr OF fresh
air blowing on his carcass and this fear Is
not instintive. but the result OF faulty etuca-
ton. like the superstitious fear OF thunder or
snakes or the dark. When you undertake to
regulate conditions which bear upon these oh
sessions. you are tacklins a whale q a Job
Yes. undoubtedly tho health authorities should
attend TO the ventilation OF places OF public
gathering. So should the health authoritie.
insist upon the Isolation OF persons with com
municable respiratory disease--but they dom
DO SO, because they haven't the courage tn
tackle the popular obsession. Now and then
n health officer health board does brace
nr. when popular apprehension seems to war
rant II. and mildly regulate" public gather
ihSS in the attempt TO control" some respra
tory infection which Is unusually prevalent
But this is sRasmodic. If the health authori-
ties should step Into the town hall and direc,
the lowering of window or two. the Sew
ing circle would probably take steps to have
a change of adm inistrntion-and since health
authorities generally their places to no
iiticai favor. tho public is likely TO have n,
air raw. cooked billed as the master ri
tho crowd or group may elect Probably tho
Sea Ciln folks were fed up on fresh raw air
and wanted to revel in atmosphere cal
culatcd TO stupefy drug the guests into
temporary forEetfulncss OF the fact that they
lived on Long Island.