THE CHEMISTRY OF HEALTHY HOMES.

Timaru Herald, Volume XL, Issue 2945, 1 March 1884, Page 3

THE CHEMISTRY OF HEALTHY HOMES.

Under the auspices of tho Edinburgh Health Society, Dr Stevenson Macadam, Edinburgh, delivered a lecture on this subject, which is thus reported by the Scotsman : — , Dr Stevenson Macadam began by pointing out tho great progress that m recent years had been made m sanitary science. Statistics now plainly proved the value of sanitary measures. The death-rate and sick-rate of many towns have been , lessened or reduced m proportion as sanitary works have been carried out. Such health raeanures have consisted m the avoidance of overcrowding, the opening up of air spaces m townn, which are the lungs of a populous place, the systomatic removal of house garbage), the improvement of the water supply, alike as to quantity as well as quality, iind tha introduction of modern drainage and sewerage properly ventilated. These measures have succeeded m many cases m warding off fevers and other ailments, and m reducing the mortality from 28 to 20 per 1000 annually, being m the proportion of four deaths being brought down to three deaths, or 25 per cent lesfl, and virtually declaring that where four people died previously, then only three shall die now. But sanitury reform commended itself not only to professional and municipal authorities collectively, but individually to all of us ; and Dr Stevenson Macadam impressed upon his audienoe that sanitary reform is of a private, or at most of a semi-public character, and roust begin at home m the ventilation of our rooms and houses, and the effioient cleansing of^such, m cleanliness of person and clothing, m proper food, both solid and liquid, and m proper, thoughtful interest m, aud supervision of, all home sanitary nffairo. The ohemistry of sanitation demanded a special knowledge of »ir, water, and drainage ; and every householder ought to possess a Bufiioient acquaintance with these three health agents, which might be conveniently termed the air faotor, the water factor, and the drainage faotor. The air factor ranked 6rst ; and of tho constituents of the air oxygen gas was (he most

' ' important for tho life of all animate Th 1 ( lecturer proceeded to illustrate the deadl. character of the carbonic acid yas which m breathing, we throw uflf, and of th water vapor and organic matters whicl also are thrown off and m the same pro cess. Carbonic acid gas was a deadb poison j m otlior words, the air wi breathe m is flame and life-inspiritint air, but the air we breathe is a deadly air. Over and above the giise-j anc vapors, the atmosphore of our rooms it liable to contain more or I<>ss dusi diffused throughout the air. The dust of our rooms is accompanied by minute fibres, hairs, and scales from the skin. Th( noxious effects of these gnses and vapors W( exhale havu hoen at times mournfully illustrated. They had all heard of the Black Holeof Calcutta, wherel46pmonoif were confined with plenty of elbow room, but comparatively little air space, anc practically no ventilation, and m a few hours 123 were dead, and only 23 survived, but with enfeebled frames which they never got the better of. Anothei catastrophe of the same kind occurred after the battle of Austerlitz, where 30C Austrian prisoners were confined m a small apartment with moving apace, but not air space, and 260 died, leaving only 40 survivors with more or less wrecked constitutions. Again, m a Londonderry and Clyde steamer) some years ago, the steerage passengers were, during a storm, kept m the foreoabin, and many died. But m most cases fatal results do not immediately follow, though the mosfcnoxiouß effects aro more or less apparent. The vitiated air m confined rooms, when breathed m part at least over and over ngain, soon throws the animal Bystum out of tone, the general health becomes impaired, there ia quickly a falling off m the muscular and nerve power, the man or woman becomes more or less unfit for work, the boy or girl more or less unprepared for school, and all become more predisposed to ailments, especially those of a pulmonary character. How, then, aro we to guard our houses from the deadly influences which we are thus daily engendering ? First, we must have capacious houses ; and second, we must SB'S to the ventilation of our houses. In. the ventilation of any room means should be provided both for the ingress of pure air and the egress of the foul air. la the proper ventilation of our rooms we must provido equally for the entrance of the good air and the exit of the bad air. The vent or chimney innnt always be an important ventilator — vary powerful when the fire is on and the long chimney heated, but also, though less powerful, when the fire is not used, provided the damper is kept open and tho vent is not choked with a bag of straw or other rubbish. Always keep the vent open. The ventilation of a room .nay bo assisted much during its occupancy by a reasonable amount of ventilating, which may be cirried out without draught. Without, any special ventilation at all, but leaving the room door ajar by a single inch, or at most by two inches, and the chimney vent be open, then the ventilation will proceed m a somewhat satisfactory manner, still more so if the window can be opened a little. Any system of ventilating an apnrtment is most materially aided by a firo m the room, and the great Bafety m th« occupancy of many of our small houses lies m tho fact that; tho living and sleeping rooms are one and the same, and that the fire required for daily wants does triple service m the cooking of food, the warming of the apartment, and the ventilation of the hoUBe. Whatever difficulties there maybe m the ventilation of our rooms when they are occupied by sitters and sleepers, there can be none when morning time comes, and tho husband goes to his work and the children to school. Then the intelligent housewife should see that the windows are thrown open, and, if convenient, the doors too, and let the fresh air flow m abundantly, not only to chase out the foul air, but to dry up the animal moisture and burn up and oxidise the animal organic matters which have condensed on walls and furniture during the evoning. Beds should be well aired, tho blankets and sheets being turned over. Inattention to such aeration of rooms and to tbe proper daily cleaning of apartments; and furniture leads to the encrusting of the walls, door 3, and furniture, as well as bedding and carpets or rugs, with animal organic debris, which m time begins to decompose, and communicator to the house a fusty and foetid aroma, most difficult to eradicate by even half-yearly cleanings. These remarks should apply with greater force to bed-closets than even to rooms themselves. All doors of bed-closets Bhould be kept wide opon at night, if, indeed, they be not removed altogether. Wa should remember thnt there are gases and vupors exhaled from our animal systems by day and night which form the atmospheric sewa >c of humanity, and the quantity of such is largo. During each day nvory man, woman, and child consumes Boz, or Mb of carbon within the animal "frame, and such m tho population of Edinburgh — viz., 250,000, gives 125,0001 bof carbon or more than 55 tons, which calculated by the yoar, yields 20,000 tons of carbon. As exhalod, this carbon is evolved as carbonic acid to the amount of 60,000 tons, annually from man alone. Other animals will yield as much and coal-fires, gas jets, candles, and lamps will bring the total carbonic acid up to 300,000 tons each year. When you arid to that the water vapor from the lungs and skin, which, for each human being averagPß 240z, or Hlb per day, nnd for the population of Edinburgh 167 tons per day, or 00,000 tons per year, r.s well as that from other animals, and coal nnd gas, we get at leiiHt 200,000 tom of impure water vapor, making, with the !! 00,000 tons of carbonic acid, no Idbh than 500,000 tons of uerial impurities from ourselves and our houses, which pollute) the atmosphere and constitute the aerial sewage oi the city of Edinburgh. Granting thai; we who are the polluters do our duty to ourselves and our homes, and by efficient ventilation and cleanliness allow these impurities to escape from our houset. into the open air, then we may rest satisfied that natural forces and natural agencies will not fail to assist m getting rid of the pollution. By the law of diffusion of gases, at work by day and night, m sunlight and m dark, m summer and m winter, all noxious gases and vapors which aro allowed to pass into the open air are quickly diffused throughout tho atmosphere. Winds waft the air to and fro on the liurface of the earth. Rain showers tend to purify the atmosphere by washing down the impuritieH to fertilise the sf.il. Eloctric storms assißt m clearing tho air of noxious principles, and plantH a— "wvdy to absorb tho dendly carbonic acid, and give us back pure lifeinnpiring oxygon m its stead. Our part of the purifying work is very simple. All we need do is to ceatuj imprisoning the polluted air within our homoH, and put forth our hands to liberate thn deadly nnd poisoned air, and tho God-orduined natural forces nnd agencies then complete the mighty tank. Tho practical application of this lecture might be Bummed up m the following lessons : — (1) Pure air is food to uh ; (2) polluted and stagnant air is poison, slow but nob lens sure ; (3) never lot air stagnate m rooms or houses ; (4) havo reasonable vontilntion of our rooms by open doors or slightly opon windows, or other ventilators ; (5) never shut dampers m grutos, but remove thorn and keep the vent open ; (6) thoroughly air nil uleeping apartments during the day ; and lastly (7) aiwist and do not impede naturo m the restoration of purci and

c wholesome air for tho impure atmospheri y sewage of humanity. Remember, too, a i, hntmehold words for ourselves and ou c dttle ones : — That a healthy man m ai h unhealthy home is surrounded by circum i- stances which are opposed to tho con y tinuance of the robustness of his con j Htitution ; that a healthy man m a health; r home has much m hie favor m his sojourt 7 through life on this eiirth ; and thnt ever 1 iin unhealthy man m a healthy home hai i the advantage of much which will palliati t his ailments and will tend to lengthen hii b days.