"HEALTH IN THE HOME"

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 36, 11 August 1923, Page 9

"HEALTH IN THE HOME"

LECTURE BEFORE RED CROSS

SOCIETY.

In the course of an interesting address on "Health in the Home," delivered under the auspices of the Wellington branch of the Bed Crops Society, Dr. C. Gordon Kemp remarked that the subpect was important because the majority of women spent much more than half of their lives in their homes, and most men spent more than one-third of their lives at home. Wellington, ho said, was the healthiest city in New Zealand, because (1) it was windy—the used up air being rapidly, and frequently changed; (2) it was near the sea on three sides, and co had abundance of pure air, rich in oxygen and ozone; and (3) it was billy, and therefore well drained and dry; rain water did not collect and make the ground damp. The speaker dealt with the composition of the air we breathe, and the changes in it which occurred as a result of breathing; the effects on health of breathing impure air; and the amount of fresh air required by each person to maintain' health. Plant life, he said, was the source of oxygen in the air; green plants breathed -in carbonic acid, and gave out oxygen in the daytime, but gave out carbonic acid and' took in oxygen during the night. That was the reason why flowers and plants should not be kept in the bedroom at night. He spoke of the necessity for ventilation, i.e., changing the air in the living and bedrooms often enough to ensure a supply of 5000 cubic feet of fresh air per person per hour. The principles of ventilation were that there must be (a) inlet for fresh air; (b) outlet for foul air. This was illustrated by a simple experiment— a lighted piece of candle covered with a lamp glajss. The light went out very sooP- Put a piece of card vertically into the upper end of the glass, and the candle went on burning; the air entered down one side of.-the card arid the foul air escaped up the other side of the card, so providing an inlet and a n outlet; or, in other words, efficient ventilation. The best inlet in ordinary rooms was through a window opened at the top. if that •caused too much draught, put a board, cut to size, below the lower sash with the upper sash closed; the air then entered, in an upward direction between the two sashes, in the middle of the window. Various special forms of inlet were mentioned, c.1., vertical tube ventilation, the Shervingham valve, etc. The best outlet for foul air was the chimney,, especially when a fire was burning m the grate. There was then a, draught up the chimney, which sucked the foul air out of the room. Sunlight was the beet antiaeptic known. He urged the pulling up of the blinds and the letting in of the sunlight. Few, if any, disease germs, could live in the sunlight. It was better to have faded carpets than pale faoes and loss of health. Dr. Kemp then dealt with the different methods of warming of 'rooms. Ho described flies as the greatest household enemy. They tainted food and caused summer diarrhoea in children. Dr. Kemp advocated the taking of daily warm baths by the people, adults and children. It was said that "the natural oils of the skin should not be washed away." He explained' that these "natural oils" were excretions; a- proportion of the waste products of the body waa got rid of through the skin. Therefore we should help by removing thesewaste products; and a warm bath, followed by a cold shower,'or a. cold sponge down, was the best way. As to bedding, he Eaid the most important were (a) a hard mattress no feathers, which were unhealthy; (b) plenty of warmth underneath ; (c) light covering above. He urged that clothes "should not bo piled on top of the bed; you should"rather see that there, was plenty under you. Neglect of fjijs in many cases was the cause of being cold in bed. The bed should bo stripped (in the morning, and the windows of the room thrown"wide open; and the mattress should be turned beforo the bed was remade. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded tt- Dr. Kemp for his address.