Evening star., 1923-01-22
OVERHEAT|NG EVIL
SHOWN BY REPORT
Experts of New York ventiIa.
tion Commission Discuss Z.
Best Way to Air Rooms.

How to assure for schooirooms and
other public meeting places an ade-
quate circulation of fresh. pure air
at the right Temperature and also the
. concurrent removal of the impure air
from such rooms is explained in the
Forthcoming report of the New York
state commission on ventilation.
based on long and exhaustive series
of practical experiments over a period
of several years. The full report of
this commission is about to be pub
lished. The standing and char
acter of the six Investigators IN
report. They are: DR.. c. e. A. Wins
low, chairman of the Yale Medical
School: DIR. Frederick S. Lee. Dalton
professor of physiology of the New
York College of Physicians and Sur
geons: DIR. James Alexander Miller,
tuberculosis specialist of the New
York College of Physicians and Sur
geons: DR.. Earl b. Phelps, professor
of chemistry in the United states
Hygienic Laboratory, Washington
of educational psychology in Colum-
bia University, and Dwight ID. Kim
ball, yentilating engineer.
Prof. Winslow tells how these in
yestigations have furnished the clear,
est evidence that the effects OF pad
ventilation are in the main to be
traced to overheating, excess OF hI-
midity and lack of air movement. IL
appears further that the funoamen-
tai problems of ventilation are phys
ical, not chemical, and cutaneous US
rather than respiratory. That is, tney
deal with the physical effect OF the
air upon the outer skin OF the poay
rather than in it's effect upon the
organs of breathing.
Danger in OverheatinE.
Evidence of a striking character
has been obtained by the commission
showing the extent or the oannass e
due to comparatively slight degrees
of overheating. They have shown
that a temperature only a little over
SS degrees produces demonstrdpie
arrangements in the circuiatory sys-
tenn Of the body, that it initiates 70
and that it contributes in substantial
measure to increased susceptibility
to respiratory infection.
From actual tests it was found that
the bodily work performed by men
in rooms at Is degrees was 10 per
cent less than in the same rooms az
a temperature of 6S degrees. At 50
degrees the work dropped to ~ per
| cent Of that done at 6S degrees.
The practical tests conducted by
schoolroom ventilation are or even
greater popular interest and value.
1t was found that it is rarely pos
sible to properly ventilate the ordi-
nary schoolroom by the use OF Win
dows alone. But Prof. Winslow says
that this conclusion has no bearing
upon the problem of the open-air
rooms in which it Is desired to main
tain a temperature of so degrees or
less. He is of the opinion that open
l al
value, in combination with proper
clothing. feeding and rest, for the
subnormal child, and he urges that
such a room should be included in
the plans for every school building"
Window Plan Best.
Two methods of schoolroom ven
tilation are compared. One Is the
air supply through pipes. The other
is the modified window ventilation
method, in which the fresh air passes
through open windows over slanting
window boards and through heating
radiators, with a gravity exhaust pipe
at the top of the room.
It is found that the fan system
gives a greater amount OF air change
and lower carbon dioXide content, as
compared with the modified window
system. But invariably the fan-ven-
tilated room has to be kept at slight
" higher temperature than the modi-
fed window plan necessitated. The
conclusion reached is that lower
tempera ture with less air movement
is distinctly more comfortable to the
average occupant than higher tenn
perature with more vigorous currents
of air.
Finally Prof. Winslow makes the
very positive statement that the COM
mission obtained striking evidence
that a slight degree of overheating
incident to overventilation is not only
distasteful, but seriously detrimental
10 health"
Prof. winslow does not hesitate to
express the opinion that if the flnd-
ings of this commission are accepted
they will go far to revoIutionize ex-
istinE practice in school architec-
ture."