,.«'■>. ^r^i^it IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /. %^ 1.0 I.I ■50 ^^" Hi ■ 56 l^|Z [HII ' Hf U£ 12.0 1^ 12.2 18 N25|U Is: < 6" — ► v^ yl ^;. ^ > y ys^ Hiotographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14SS0 (716) 872-4503 '<^ 'V- v" K CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques Th to The Institute hes attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filminff. Features of this copy which may be bibiiographicaily unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checked below. D D D D n Coloured covers/ Couverture de couleur I I Covers damaged/ Couverture endommagde Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaurte et/ou peliicui^e I I Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverture manque Coloured maps/ Cartes gdographiques en couleur Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) I I Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ D Planches et/ou Illustrations en couleur Bound with other material/ Relid avec d'autres documents Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin/ La re liure serr6e peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distortion le long de la marge int^rieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajouttes lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, mais, lorsque cela itait possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6t6 f iim^es. Additional comments:/ Commentaires suppl6mentaires: L'Institut a microfiimi le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a 6t6 possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-dtre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la methods normale de filmage sont indiquto ci-dessous. □ Coloured pages/ Pages de couleur □ Pages damaged/ Pages endommag6es □ Pages restored and/or laminated/ Pages restauries et/ou pellicui^es Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ Pages d6color6es, tachet^es ou piqui D Th po of fill Or be th( sio oti fin sio or Pages d6color6es, tachet^es ou piqu6es Pages Pages d6tach6es Showthroughy Transparence Quality of prir Quality inigale de I'impression Includes supplementary matarii Comprend du materiel suppKmentaira Only edition available/ Seule Mition disponibie I I Pages detached/ r^ Showthrough/ I I Quality of print varies/ I I Includes supplementary material/ I — I Only edition available/ Th shi Tir wh Ma dif ant be{ rigl r^q me Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been ref limed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalement ou partiellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, etc., ont 6t6 filmtes A nouveau de fa9on A obtenir la meillaura image possible. This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est filmA au taux do reduction indlquA ci-dessous. 10X 14X 18X 22X 26X 30X ^ 12X 16X 20X 24X 28X 32X The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks to the generosity of: National Library of Canada L'exemplaire filmd fut reproduit grdce d la g6n6ro8it6 de: Bibliothdque nationaie du Canada The images appearing here are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications. Les images suivantes ont 6t6 reproduites avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et de la nettetd de l'exemplaire film6, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de filmage. Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impression. Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en papier est imprimde sont film^s en commenpant par le premier plat et en terminant soit par ia dernidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par ie second plat, selon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont filmds en commenpant par la premidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernidre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol «^ (meaning "CON- TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols — ► signifie "A SUIVRE ", le symbols V signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as r<)quired. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre filmds d des taux de rdduction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clichd, il est filmd d partir de Tangle supdrieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 S 6 LECTURES ^■ ON THE VENTILATION OF BUILMNdS, DELIVERED AT TltC Cobourj? Mechanics' Inslilutc, BY HENRY RUTTAX, ES^., SHERIFF OF THE NEWCASTLE DISTRICT, COBOL RG: PRINTED AT THE OFFICE OF THE STAR AND GAZETTE. 1848. t* .«.» *►♦■ • •♦ %-Jt^ ■ "% r\ \^\ » . • $t-\ >^ '> i « '. %^^ "I N rV • • ■%--«»> 4 *.*-. ^- ■•% 1^ ijl it* PREFACE. Thf. subji^ct of the following Lpctures, although a matter of the utmost concern to the whole world, appears to have engaged little of the attention of mankind. One reason for this may be, that the importance of breathing a pure atmosphere has never been, until within the last few years, either properly imdersiood or its necessity enforced. Another reason may be found in the diffidence with which every person, who might be really cap • ble of rightly thinking upon the subject, would approach a matter so purely scientific, in the face of the great names which are connected with it either directly or indirectly, in various countries. But the principal rea- son, it appears to me, is that those scientific men, whose attention may huvt been attracted by, and who have been capable of investigating the subject, have, for the most part, been inhabitants of such climates as stand in less need of the ventilation of their dwellings. Necessity, it is com- monly said, is the mother of invention, and it is thereibre natural to sup- pose that any improvement, especially in domestic economy, which more or less influences all, should emanate from those who are likely to be most affected by its operation. 1 have myself, for many years, been anxiously looking for, and expect- iiig some discovery by which the enormous consumption of fuel, to wliich under our present system of heating our dwellings we are obliged to v«ubniii, might be prevented. But what was every body's business, iii this a!i> in all other matters, appears to have been no body's business, and not even an attempt has until novj been made. It was in the course of my experiments for the economising of fue>, which, for the laet few years, has engaged my attention, that I happened to stumble upon the important fact that the principle involved in the saving of fuel teas that by which alone a proper system of ventilation could be carried out t So that, after all, it appears in this as in all other instances where the true principles of philosophical enquiry have been pursued, — Nature proves herself the most scientific agent ! It is because we interfere with, and constantly contravene, the laws of Nature, that the necessity of scientific enquiry has arisen ; and this is es- pecially the case in the science of medicine. If we would from our infancy allow Nature to prevent disease there could be no necessity fur all that labour and toil which is now undergone in the cure. The Almighty has ordained that all creation must perisih, and that llie process of decay shall begin with the life of every thing— animate aud i¥. inanimate. He lias nlso provided an agent ihrough wIiopc innuencci the decomposition of all living matter shall be retarded or kept back until that goal which He has set be attained — an noent without which nothing could live. Tills agent is the common Atmosi-hkrk. If then, by any means, we throw obstacles in the way of, and prevent the universal purifier and disinfecter from executing its proper ofTice, what can we expect but a dissolution of that organism which it is its peculiar province to protect against that constant, unremitting and inexorable enemy of all anmial and vegetable life, — decomposition ? 1 am not so sanguine as to suppose that anything which I have writtea in the following Lectures will share a fate materially different from that which usually awaits such productions — negligence and perhaps for some years to come— 'oblivion ; but I am quite certain that no other pnnct/»/c of ventilation will ever be universally adopted. HENRY RUTTAN. Cobourg, let June, 1848. The Author begs to submit to the reader the following note from the Rev. Principal of Victoria Collkok, who, by his talents and able ma-» nagement, has rendered that Institution one of the most flourishing and useful in the Province. Victoria College, 30th May, 1843. My Dear Sir, — Having listened wiih great interest and profit to the Lectures recently delivered by you in this Town, on the important sub- ject of Ventilation, I take the liberty of assuring you, on my own part per- sonally, and in behalf of other members of the Faculty of Victoria Col- lege, oi our high appreciation of their superior merit, and at the same time of expressing a hope that you may be induced to give them an imme- diate publication, in order that the valuable sentiments they contain may have a circulation as extensive as possible throughout the Province. Atfectionately and respectfully yours, A. MACNAB. H. Ruttan, Esq., Cobourg. i: 1 LECTURE L ! In common with many otliers, inhabitants of this cold icgion, I have been, for many years unable lo shake off an apprehension that a day will come in the history of the North American Colonies and the northern parts of the United States, when their population will cease to be aug- mented by immigration from Europe, and other countries whose climates may be less cold and inhospitable. I\or am I ashamed to acknowledge that fancy has pictured to my mind, that some day, however remote that may be, an emigration — confined at first, perhaps, to the poorer classes of society, will take place from these regions toward the more southern parts of this continent. These api)rehen- sions have been in no wise abated by the recent report of Mr. Logan, our Geological Surveyor, who has failed, after two or three years' investigation, to discover any coal forma- tions within the boundaries of the Canadas. It is true that there are Coal beds in some of the West- ern States, in Nova Scotia, and in Europe, especially in England, containing what appears to be an inexhausiihle supply, and forcHs of wood fuel in Canada, which, lor the present, at loy rate, may be regarded as sufiicient to quiet our fear^, upon the subject. But the question will recur — are these forests, coal, coal beds, and mines, \n facif inexhaustible? We know they are not. But, supposing they are, can the poor afford to burn coal even at the present jjrices ? can they supply themselvrs even with wood fuel, which is as yet rather cheaper than coal in most parts of Canada? Is it not every day's ob- servation and exj)erience, that thousands, especially in the 6 Towns and Villages of Canada, and some of the Eastorn Provinces, are suliering all but the pangs of starvation from cold, even now ? And can it be denied — can we shut our eyes to the fact, that fuel of every kind is becoming more and more inaccessible, and gradually, but certainly, rising in value every year, all over the northern settlements of the American continent? This is especially the case with most of the Towns and the more dense settlements — the prices of fuel having doubled within the last ten years ! And here I may remark that 1 think it is just as impera- tive upon the more wealthy of the community that they sup- ply the poor with fuel in this cold climate as with bread. — \Ve cannot say to them in the one case, more than in the other, " Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled, notwith- standing we give them not those things which are needful to the body," for " whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor he also shall cry himself but shall not be heard." My ideas upon the coming want of fuel may by some be characterised as mere vagaries of the fancy — as puerile and visionary, and these observations as uncalled for and posi- tively mischievous. "Let us not borrow trouble," say such persons, " sufficient for the day is the evil thereof." Not so. " forewarned is forearmed," and " a prudent man foreseeth the evil, but the simple pass on and are punished." I do not quote this because I think myself more <' prudent" than thousands of others who view this subject in much the same light, but because it is a fact. Supposing, however, that it be unnecessary for us at this time to " borrow trouble" on account of the next or future generations ; it will not be denied that our own im- mediate interests lie in the direction of bringing within reasonable bounds, and economising the present enormous and extravagant consumption of fuel, and that on that ac- count alone this subject is worthy of immediate and serious consideration — to say nothing of the preservation of health, which in my opinion is of far greater importance. These impressions having grown upon me for many 1 1 years, it is not unnatural that I should have turned my at- tention in some measure to the practical accomplishment of an object to which I have attached so much importance ; and, accordingly, the experiments which I have made within the last few years have opened up to me what 1 consider to he one step — and the only one, I believe — in the right direction — that is, for obtaining and applying to its proper purposes, a much greater quantity of heat con- tained in fuel than has ever as yet been obtained, as well as a thorough ventilation of buildings. I do not pretend that all the heat contained in the fuel can ever be made available for domestic purposes, much less that I have made any such discovery, but I have no hesitation in asserting, that the theory upon which I have already carried out its practical working, approaches such a consummation more nearly than that of any other which has as yet been made public, and that the principles are those only by which perfection can ever be attained. The space which I have been obliged to occupy by the discussion of the ventilating process having extended be- yond what I anticipated, 1 have been obliged to abandon for the present, the interesting and important subject of the properties of fire and heat, and the machinery for their de- velopement, which I had intended to comprise in the pre- sent paper. This part of my plan, which I hope shortly to lay before you, will place in its true light the enormous waste ol fuel incident to the present system of warming our dwellings. Before I proceed any farther, it is necessary for me to say that I have no pretensions to science, in the strict sense of that term, and that whatever of philosophy may be discovered in the theory and practice of ventilating buildings, which I am about to propound, is in this case nothino; more than that which lies at the foundation of all philosophy, and without which no science could exist or be comprehended— common sense; or, in other words, ^^ The due selection, arrangement and adaptation of the 8 w laws oftinturc, to the attainmont of a desired end or pur- pose.'' Jl is ill this SL'uso only, that I liav«! any claim to hcing considered an "inventor.'* Indeed, it is the only .lense in which that term may be used at all ; for that '•' there is notliin<^ new under the sun," is just as true now as it was three thousand years a^o. The IVIagnetic Tele- graph is nothin<; 7ieiv — it is, or at least all its constituents are, as old as creation itself. The effects which we wit- ness arc merely the result of "the due selection, arrange- jiienl, and adaptation of the laws of nature to the attain- ment of a desired end or purpose," by some person or per- sons who have happened (accidentally, perhaps,) to turn their attention in that direction ; and who, by means of experiments, have produced the effects which we witness. !My " invention" is a mere discovery of this kind — at a very humble distance I admit — but nevertheless, the effect of a close attention to this particular subject, and of expe- riments founded upon a train of thought naturally suggested ov it. m I have said that I have no pretension to science ; this, however, must be so qualified as to allow me the privilege of understanding so much as may enable me to make use of the terms necessary to prove, as I go along, tlij^t my theory and practice of ventilation are perfectly consistent with the whole range of those branches of philosophy, which are naturally incident to the work which I have taken in hand. To the scientific alone, I am aware, that the manner in which I shall treat this subject, will be considered much too diffuse; and, perhaps, as containing a fidness of expla- nation and illustration, approaching to redundency — whilst to those wholly unaccustomed to scientific investigation I ohall, from an error on the opposite side, fail to make the general principles of so complicated a subject fully under- stood. My desire, however, is to carry my instruction, if such it shall be considered, into every family, and to every individual. Health is a matter of universal concern. \i> If my subject bo oriyinal, certainly my manner of treat- ing it will be considered not loss so ; and at the hazard of covering the grain of wheat with a busl»el ol chalf, 1 shall make my quotations, explanations and illustrations, follow closely upon every thought. Indeed where so much ex- planation is required, as in this case, where the subject is the result of original thought alone, unaided by the expe-. rience of others, frequent digressions, in explanation, are unavoidable. Every pretender to any new discovery, whether ho tells you so, or not, wishes to bo considered a practical man, and especially if he bo engaged in the practical application of the physical sciences ; and I can see no good reason » % ■»..«i why I, amojigst the rest, should not also desire to be in- cluded in the list. I have succeeded in thoroughly esta- blishing the principle, by the construction of machinery and apparatus, however imperfect in the detail, which ac- complish the object sought. All this too, by means so ob- vious and simple that, but for the assurance of scientific men (with whom I have communicated, both with regard to my plan of ventilation and the absorption and radiation of heat,) they are original, 1 should hesitate to believe that, amongst the amount of scientific research upon the properties of heat and air, it had never been hit upon. ^Vhen I say that I am a practical man, I mean practi- cal in contradistinction to a mere theorist. It must not therefore be supposed, that in the discussion of this sub- ject I repudiate philosophy, on the contrary, I intend to prove by the experiments of others, based upon philosophi- cal data, that my systems are based upon those immutable laws of nature, which, when properly selected, arranged and applied, produce the effects which we can readily trace back to first principles. It is further necessary to explain that the word practical has a two fold meaning. The man who by experiments is enabled to produce effects from causes, which lie concealed from the ordinary and every day observation of the generality of mankind, anti I;' 10 who by such process discovers and CKhiblts properties in matter, which, while they appear impossible and repug- nant to sense, are nevertheless brought into the practical and useful purposes of life — is a practical man. So also is the artisan — the man who makes the patterns — moulds, casts, and manufactures the engine, and carries out the principles laid down by the experimentalist, to some prac- tical and useful purpose. In short the distinction which I make between the practical man and the mere theorist is, that the one always builds upon truth, and the correct- ness of whose theory is proved by its perfect consistency with the whole range of philosophy ; whilst the other erects a fabric upon a foundation which however specious m . and reasonable, is entirely false, and relies for^hrtrtlv wholly X«<^^ A*, upon the fallacies suggested by the external senses.' / Therefore, before I enter upon the subject generally, which I have undertaken to discuss, it is necessary for me to shew that the external senses, however useful, and indeed necessary, they may be, are not of themselves to be de- pended upon as sufficient evidence in all cases, and espe- cially are they fallacious in guiding us aright on the parti- cular matter in hand — that whilst our senses of touch, and sight which are those chiefly to be brought into requisition, may be gratified, our health, strength and mind may be en- dangered if not utterly prostrated. I shall make no ajwlogy for drawing upon others, in order to prove that if we wish to maintain our health and strength of mind and body at the same time that we at- tend to the gratification of our senses, and the economising of our means, we niust, in warming and ventilating our dwellings, repudiate that, I will not call it theory, but system, which depends upon the external senses only, and follow out that which springs from a philosophical exami- nation of the laws of nature. "Of all the means," says Doctor Lardner, "of esti- mating physical effects, the most obvious, and those upon I xiihtcii mankind place the strongest confidence, are the 11 4f I I ^9^- senses: the eye, the ear, the touch, are appealed toby the whole world as the unerring witnesses of the presence or absence, the qualities and degrees of light and colour, pound and heat. But these witnesses when submitted to the scrutiny of reason and cross-examined, so to speak, become involved in inexplicable perplexity and contradic- tion, and speedily stand self-convicted of palpable false- hood. Not only are our organs of sensation not the best witnesses to which we can appeal for exact information of the qualities of the objects which surround us, but they are the most fallible guides which can be selected. Not only do they fail in declaring the qualities or degrees of the physical principles to which they are by nature seve- rally adapted, but they often actually inform us of the pre- sence of a quality which is absent, and of the absence of a quality which is present." " The organs of sense were never, in fact, designed by nature as instruments of scientific enquiry ; and had they been so constituted, they would probably have been unfit for the ordinary purposes of life. It is well observed by Locke that an eye adapted to discover the intimate consti- tution of the atoms which form the hands of a clock, might be, from the very nature of its mechanism, incapable of informing its owner of the hour indicated by the same hand." " The term heat, in its ordinary acceptation is used to express a feeling or sensation which is produced in us when we touch a hot body. We say that the heat of a body is more or less intense, according to the degree in which the feeling or sensation is produced in us." " The touch, by which we acquire the perception of heat, like the eye, ear, and other organs, is endowed with a sensibility confined within certain limits ; and even within these we do not possess any exact power of per- ceiving or measuring the degree or quality by which the sense is affected. If we take two heavy bodies in the hand we may, in many cases, be able to declare that one is hea- ¥ It «■ 13 vier than the other, but in what degree or how much, our sense fails to inform us." " If we look at two objects differently illuminated, we shall in the same way be in some cases able to declare, which is the more splendid, but the exact difference in the illumination we shall be unable to decide. It is the same with heat. If the temperature o( two bodies be very dilr ferent the touch will sometimes inform us which is the hot-^ ter, but if they be nearly equal, we shall be unable to de, cide which has the greater or which the less temperature*" Feeling can never inform us of the quantity of heat which a body contains, much less the relative quantities contained in two bodies. Heat in its latent state can never be felt at all ; for example, ice — cold water and ice ap- pear to be of the same temperature, but the difference is considerable. " If we hold the hand in water which has a temperature of about 90^, after the agitation shall have ceased we become wholly insensible of its presence, and shall be unconscious that the hand is in contact with any body whatever. We shall of course be altogether unconscious of the tempera- ture of the water. Having held both hands in this, let us now remove the one to water at a temperature of 200 ° , &nd the other to water of a temperature of 32 ® . After holding the hands for some time in this manner, let them be both removed, and again immersed in the water at 90 ° ; immediately we shall become sensible of warmth in the one hand and cold in the other. If therefore, the touch be in this case taken as the evidence of temperature, the same water will be judged to be hot and cold at the same time.'' If, in the heat of summer we descend into a cave, we are sensible of cold ; but if in winter, then wo have the sensation of warmth. Now a thermometer suspended in the cave will always shew the same temperature. Thus we see that the sensation of heat depends as much upon the stat3 of our own bodies, as upon the several 4ti id QfTdilcie!^ which eXcite tho sensatiorii If we step oiit of d, warm bath into the air at the same temperature, we shall experience a sensation of coldness, because air being a more rare and attenuated substance, a less number of it3 particles are in actual contact with the body. If we step into a room of a hifjh temperature, say 120 '^ , the ct'pL-t will feel cool and the tiles of the hearth or the chimney piece will he insupportabiy hot. If wej enter a room of low temperature^ say 32 * , the reverse \i the case — -tlie carpet will feel warm, and the tiles and chimney piece very coldj yet the temperature is the samei If we wrap a thermometer in a blanket and lay another upon a piece of marble in a room of any temperature, the indications will be the same in both cases, yet to the touch the two bodies will be very different — the one will feel cold, the other warm; I shall not detain you by muhiplyinjEf quotations of ex- amples upon the fallaciousness of the sense of feeling, aU though this is, perhaps, the most exposed to have its im- pressions misinterpreted. All the other senses are more or less obnoxious to the sanie charge. The inadequacy of the sense of sight, however, as well as of the others, must hereafter be referred to as constituting a very importantj if not indeed, the only cause or ground-work of the present vicious systems of warming btiildings. The reason of this observation will appear hereafter. In the meantime I shall proceed to point out what I consider to be the principal defects of, and objections to, all the present modes by which our dwellings are heated. 1st. The common fire place. There is no observation more dommon than that this mode of heating houses is the besti That it is upon lh6 whole preferable to any other now in use, I believe, but I deny that there is no better way. I shall here say nothing of the enormous consumption of fuel, this will be referred to upon another occasion. In the first place^ if your room be a perfectly close one^ 14 m A ¥ I you cannot keep fire in it at all, for there will be no draught to your chimney. If, then, the open fire place re- quires a certain quantity of air to be admitted into the room, this air must of course be cold, and local currents of this material will be established from every crack, crevice, and aperture in the room, toward the fire place. These innumerable currents of cold air ^wmwy eihi toward the^^^^j^e^^^u chimney, and when near the hearth, form one continuous 7/ sheet of cold air floating close to the floor; for wherever the cold air enters the room, being heavier than the air al- ready rarified, it immediately falls down toward the bot- tom, of the room. To estimate the quantity of air which enters even the closest made room heated by a fire place, it is only necessary to hold your hand, or head if you like, over the top of the chimney for a moment. All this vo- lume of air must be drawn into the room or it could of course not go out of it. The greatest draught of air thus drawn into the room, all other things being equal, will be directly in front and at the sides of the fire place, through the floor and side walls — the velocity of the current grow- ing less and less toward the farthest side of the room and up the side walls, until at or near the ceiling, whence, in most rooms the draught has a tendency outward. The warmest place in any room, heated how you like, is within a few inches of the ceiling ; and an aperture of one square inch made here will lower the temperature by allowing the warm air to escape, more than one of twenty square inches made in the floor, allowing the cold air to enter. There is then a constant current of cold air from every part, and close upon the floor, of the room toward the cen- tre of heat, increasing in both volume and velocity as it approaches the chimney, and the more rapidly in propor- tion as the draught of the chimney is good. The rarefac- tion and consequent expansion of the cold air drawn into the room, begins the instant it enters, and of course after a very short downward direction, gradually rises, and the more ipidly ipp. 15 dfMM/tUy you perceive, the bottom of a cylinderof airis formed near the floor, the bottom turning toward the fire and the top of the cy Under /rom it ; those currents which take their rise nidway or at the farthest side of the room, in general, rising above the arch of the fire place and ascend to the ceiling — and that part only of the air-cylinder which comes within the immediate attraction of the draught of the chim- ney, going up the flue ; so that the air in a room thus heated has a constant rotary motion, supplying the draught of the chimney from the under side of the cylinder, similar to the flax leaving the distaff of a spinner. If I have made myself thus far understood, you can have no difficulty in appreciating my objections to this mode of heating a room. The temperature in the first place, must be unequal ; this is a serious objection, especially to persons of delicate health, and always un- pleasant and inconvenient where there are a number of persons in the room, both to those who are nearest to the fire, as well as those who are farthest from it. You can never have warm feet in any room heated in this way. The nearer the fire you sit or stand at any place beyond the iiearth, the colder will be the bottoms of your feet, be- cause the draught is greatest there. The warmest place for the feet in such a room is that farthest from the Are place, because the draught is less. But a far greater evil is the continual and never-ending fog of dust in which the whole of the inmates are enve- loped. If the sense of vision were equal to it, you would be astonished to see the enormous quantity of filth which must be taken into the lungs from the body of dust in this state of ebullition, (and this is common in a greater or less degree to all rooms heated by any of the present modes,) and especially in a room cursed with an invention called a carpet. How it is that life is prolonged to the extent it is under this unnatural treatment is to me astonishing. As I am no physiologist, however, and as I am here dealing with facts, it would be foreign to my purpose to pursue this I^A^ I 16 ulea. 1 therefore drop it where it is ; leaving, howevei') on record, my public leslitnony added to that of llie whole body of th^ medical profession without an exception — that the kings to be and remain healthy and vigorous in their action must be supplied with ^ure air. It is indeed wisely ordered that our organs of sense should be constructed for actual and practical use, rather than that they shoiild by the delibacy or grossness of their Sensation, render us miserable; and it is especially so with the eye. It has already been observed that the eye \vhich is capable of discerning the atoms of which the hands of a clock are composed would fail to inform us of the hour indicated by the same hand. On the other hand it may be added, says the author, that a pair of telescopic eyes which would discover the molecules and population t)f a distant planet, would ill requite the spectator for the loss of that ruder power of vision, necessary to guide his steps through the city he inhabits, and to recognise the friends who surround himv But although no dependence can be placed upon the manifestations of our senses as to whAt may be good or evil, useful or injurious, yet the Almighty has endowed man with a mind and a capacity to investigate, scientifi"* cally, all subjects connected with his physical existence : and this he is as much bound to do as he is to investigate those laws which He has placed before us for a guide in our moral existence. If, therefore, by ordinary observa* lion we cannot see the contamination of the atmosphere which we breathe, this is no more a reason why we should set at defiance all experience, both personal and scientific, as well as the evidences furnished by all our other senses, both internal and external^ than it Vvould be for a man who would swallow a poisonous drug merely because he could perceive no difference either in Colour or substance, be- tween it and a cup of tea. The air of a room has to our sight no colour, yet we know it is blue. We know that the sea is grecu) yet there i 17 js not The sliifbtest indication of colour in a glass full of the water. If as we liave seen, we remove our hands from water at 200 ° to that which is at a temperature of 100° it feels cold, yet we know it is warm. If, there- fore, the senses of seeing and feeling, and in fact all the others, are so imperfect or rather, I should say, such erring guides, is it not reasonahle that in all matters relating to our health we should have recourse to sources of mforma- cion other than those which we know may lead us astray ? The fact that in carpeted rooms we are living enveloped in an atmosphere of dust is sufficiently proved even hy the ordinary sight. The rays of a rising or a setting sun ac- cidentally entering a window frequently exhibits this to the naked eye, and to such an extent, frequently, that the be- holder involuntarily moves away, as he supposes for the moment, from its influence. The whole room is filled with it, and in constant motion ; and so long as woollen carpets are in use, and any of the present modes of heat- ing houses be |)orsisted in, so long will the inmates of such dwellings be subject to this health-destroying respiration. With those, if there be any such, who doubt the evil effects of breathing an impure atmosphere, I cannot argue;. If the first, constant, and never varying advice of the whole medical world to unhealthy persons, especially those whose lungs may exhibit symptoms of being affected ; if the no- torious fact, that millers, stone cutters, lime burners, coal heavers, painters, and indeed all artizans and workmen whose avocations compel them to live in such an atmos- phere, are unhealthy and generally short-lived, will not convince them, then nothing that I could say would have that effect. In support of what I have here advanced, I will make one extract. It is from the proceedings of the British Association for the advancement of Science. " Dr. Mcintosh read a communication from a medical student on a disease of the lungs, caused by the deposition of particles of dust. It would contribute, he observed, to- B t 18 ward llic elucidation of that class of diseases afTecting ar- tizans, which had in a more sysleniaiic loiin, heen treated by Mr. Thackary. In the neii^hhourhood of Echnhurgh were many stone quarries, and the workers in which not unfrequenlly died of consumption. A mason, a worker in the Craigleilh quarry was ill ; ho was hied and treated for a connnon cold, recovered and returned lo his work. A short time afterward he was ayain taken ill, and two years after the first attack he died." The accoimt goes on to give the details of the appearances of the lungs on a post mortem examination, and a(Ms " He directed particu- lar attention to this analysis, for ])r. William Gregory had published an account of the Craigleilh quarry stone, and the analysis of this stone gave the same ingredients as those Ibund in the lungs of the workman. Dr. (jlregory found in the stone carbonate of lime, silica, and alumina. The deduction must necessarily he" he adds, " that this must be an absolute deposition of the Craigleith quarry stone, from small particles taken into the lungs, (luring respiration, producing consunq)tion and death." 1 cannot resist giving an extract also from Dr. Fitch's lectures on the " use of the lungs, &ic." " Inhaling or drawing in large qnantiti(is of (hist, will cause a deposition upon the lungs, and thus by mechanical irritation lead to consumption. This is seen in stone cul- lers, millers, dry grinding of metals, pickers and sorters of rags for paper making, and many others. ' once knew a case of a stone and marble cutter, who died suddenly. His chest was opened and it was found that a large proportion of hoth lungs was so impregnated with stone dust as to have caused his death. This case occurred in Cinciimati, Ohio.' ]3ut, say the ladies, how can we do without a carpet ? and then, too, they are so warm and comlbrtahle ! Of course the ladies must he gratified ; I'ar he it from me to desire to deprive them of a single indulgence, but 1 must be permitted to demur to the charge that there is vulgarity I 19 in llio ab'^niino of carpets. Tlioy are fasliionuljle, I admit, but that is their solo recoinmeii()ation. 1 havu not tlu; least (loiiht ill my own mind, lliat to the hcallii of persons usinir thoin, tlu^y are the most dostructive tliinii; possible, and that the sins of those who peisist in theii' use, will be visited upon their children to the third and lourlh genera- tions. () ur ancestors were vullaling, as shortly as possible, an altercation wbicli occurred some years ai^o, and to wbicb 1 was a witness, in a sta^^e coach between Toronto and this place, and between two gentle- men, disputing as to which side of the Jiiiiralo robe, which they shared between them, was the warmest next the person. The one contended stoutly in favour of the fur side, and by various argimicnls but chiefly by the sense of touch or feeling, converted nearly all the j)assengers to his way of thinking; and after some time, with jierhaps less deference than exactly becan)e a person so much the ju- nior of the gentleman wdio shared tiie robe \\ith him, and who had wrapped it around with the flesh side next him, deliberately twisted his half of the " BulUiIo" \\ilh the fur side inward. This posture of affairs, of course, — tho 4mit of both being left exposed, in a cold and boisterous De- cember day, could not last. The elder gentleman, after a little, turned toward his companion, and after administering a severe but gentlemanly rebuke for the liberty the young man had taken, asked him whether, if the fur side of the robe next the person were the warmest, he did not think the anlmctl icho furnished it would have so worji it ! Tho gendeman rightly judging that the animal knew best how to wear his own hide ! This ridiculous, though perfectly philosophical argument, after some further conversation among the passengers generally, not only restored the co- vering to the old gentleman's feet, but immediately created a revolution amongst all the robes in the vehicle, and a hearty laugh at the youngster's expense. Now if the carpet could be placed underneath and against the floor, I admit that a good deal of cold might be excluded ; but upon the top of the floor, like the fur side of the " Buffalo," the ingress of the cold air by capillary attraction of the carpet would be much facilitated instead of being prevented. 2nd. Tiie Stove. M 81 yUr i And hero 1 may proinisn tliat if! liavo cotuU'imuMl ilic open fii-e place lor dust and cold feet, I n>ay denounce llie slove for dust, dirt and hot heads. I3ut the condeni- iiulion of this mode of heatin<>[ dwellini; houses has no\s' become nearly universal, and were it not for the want of a substitute in the matter of economy, would lonu; nt in a stove room are kept warmer than in one having an open fire place, hut the head is ahout iIiHty degrees w armer ! so that the dill'erence of temperature between the head and feet in the two cases is far irreater, and therefore more injurious in a stove room than in one heated hy a (he place. All these evils, how- ever. I'all into utter insignificenco when compared w ilh that of respiration I '• The air is a compound substance ; — of 100 parts of pure air ; reckoning by weight, about IG parts are niiroL^'n, '■^''l oxygen, and 1 carbonic acid gas and watery vapour. Both as respects weight and bulk, nitrogen forms the chief ingredient of the atmosj)here. This gas, which is some- times called azote, acts chielly as a diluent to modify the strength of the oxygen, in the same way as water is some- times tiscd to mix with and modify spirits. V'/tt oii/gcn is the active and essential part of the air. It serves to keep up combustion or l)urning, and is the principal clement re- quired for the breathing of animals and the life oi' plants. 1 n sorvmg its many |un'poses, oxygen undergoes a mate- rial change, but tlie nitrogen which conveys it is seldom altered in character. Animal respiration changes the con- stitution of air ; ortjgcn is destroyed or dtjjosiltd in the blood, and carbonic acid is given out in its stead. Thus we inhale jiure air, and exhale that ivhichis foul, carbonic acid being an impure and heavy species of gas.'' I (juoie this passage to shew w iiat pure air is. and how breathing or taking it into the lungs "destroys the essen- tii an d act ive par t, the oxygen gas (y ou w ill 1)1 ease re- mendjcr that I quoted from Mr. Jackson, that '•oxy!:ien gas is the life giving principle in the air.") ISOw', in or- der to estimate the evil of a stove room, let us in.aiiine a 1i r--1 88 H >' closo apaitinont, Into wliicli llttio, if any, inoro fiosli air, (if, indeed, you can call iliat fivsli air which is drawn throii'j;h the pores and apertures of iho soddt-n tinil)er of tjie Moor covered with dust and a car|)et, throui^h both of which 11 is filtenMl,) enters than a suHicient cpianlity to sup- ply the stove with conihustion air. This /res/t n/r (?) he- in^r heavier than that within the room, of courst? always keeps helow that I'^vel in which the inmates take their breath. Suppose this to be an ordinary sized room, inha- jited by an ordinary sized family, say six persons ; sup- pose' then that the air of this room supplies the lungs of these persons for fifleen out ol the twenty-four hours. This room is shut up at ni;;ht, and, in the morning, after the dust lias been again thoroughly set afloat by these nuisances, brooms and dusting brushes, with the addition of the stove ashes, is again "heated up." And supposing this routine continued during a whole winter, can there be anything more shocking than the state in which the air of such a room, without ventilation, must be! It is well for us that our vision and sense of smell are not equal to its perception. It tiiay be supposed that the opening of a window or two in the morning and the occasional opening of the door during the day will in some measure be a sudicient venti- lation. This is not the case. The opening of all the windows and doors in a room, unless there he a draught through the house, from outside to outside, and that too in nearly opposite directions, has little or no effect, and even where this is the case, and it be frequently attended to, only about one half the air in the room is changed. I have already stated that the warm air lies at the top of the room and the cold at the bottom ; it follows therefore, that all the air above the point at which the sash is raised, re- mains undisturbed, and very likely some part of the air in a room may remain within it for weeks, perhaps months ! Indeed the practical fact is, that under the present custom of opening a single window for half an hour in the niorn- i! I Hi I 24 mg (and perhaps not even tliis,) the same identical air or some part of it is breathed for months ! [ It is quite a mis- take to suppose that because the room is cold in the morn- ing the air is therefore fresh and pure : nineteen twentieths of it is the same that was shut up in it at niglit. It has merely lost its temperature, and the same air is again heated up, and this round continued all winter ! It really horrifies one to contemplate much more to name it, but a stern sense of duty compels me to allude to the quantity of contaminated and putrid matter which, under such circumstances, must be inhaled, and what is still worse, — shared with each other H ! If it were not for the generosity of the Carpenters, Join- ers, and Bricklayers in providing so munificently for the free ingress of the weatlier through our floc's, walls, doors, and windows, thousands upon thousands would be added to llie present lists of mortality, much the greater propor- tion of which is made up by diseases originating in the con- tamination of the blood by means of impure air, and who die without ever having suspected the original cause of their maladies. It will be remembered tiiat I have now been speaking of dwdling houses heated by stoves. With our public inns and boarding houses it is fully as bad, if not worse. There would be somewhat of a drawback in favour of our Churches, Chapels, Theatres, Prisons, Hospitals and Asy- lums, and other places of public resort, on account of the absence of carpets, provided they were not in general so dirtily kept ; but as it is, the disturbance of the dusi upon the floor by the movement of a couple of thousand feet in our Churches, to say nothing of the absorbtion of liie oxy- gen by a thousand setts of lungs ; or what is still worse, the dense masses of people composing the nightly au- diences of the n eeting-houses and lecture-rooms in our large towns, must impress every thinking person with the importance, nay absolute necessity of some step being ta- ken to arrest the pernicious system of stove heating. ■1 >S' 4 25 With private families and taverns and boarding houses wc cannot of course interfere, but I insist upon it that our public authorities ought to be held responsible for the due and proper ventilation ol the public places of resort, but especially our Hospitals, Gaols and Asylums. It is well that travellers, in general, are confined within the cabins of steamers and rail cars but for short periods. If it were otherwise, I am satisfied that the miasm and putridity of these loathsome apartments, especially at night, sensible even to the olAictories of the most obtuse nerves, by the stench emitted from the lungs of persons frequently aiiect- ed by diseases of the most revolting nature, would, and in fact does as no person who has had the misfortune to expe- rience it can doubt — infect thousands of individuals to the ultimate destruction of their health. These vehicles may be ventilated with very little expense. Srd. Steam or hot water. This mode of heating buildings is preferable to that by the stove, but not equal to the fire place. The oxygen of the atmosphere cannot be so utterly destroyed by it as it must be more or less by the hot metal plates (fequently overheated through carelessness,) of the stove. But like the stove heated building, they wiU not admit of ventila- tion, because there is no ad JitionnI x\\.nni\ty of air brought into t!ie building. I shall hereafter more pariicularly ex- plain how it is that no building heated by either of these modes can ever be ventilated in a cold climate. How- ever, the cumbrousness and expensiveness of steam heating for ordinary purposes, renders any lengthened remarks here, unnecessary. 4 th. Hot air. 1 now come to the last and most pernicious of all sys- tems of heating buildings. It may surprise those of you who may have happened to become acquainted with the experiments which I have been making for the last few years upon this subject, that I should repudiate hot air. Nevertheless, I do denounce and condemn it in the mosi l i m 26 '■ 11 ■^ h i ■| ' i unequivocal manner. I have thoroughly tested and have found it to be the most vicious of the vicious modes of heating a dwelling house. Before I point out all the evils attendant upon the "Hot air'' system, it will be necessary for me to review, as shortly as possible, however, its present state. it is but a few years since it was introduced upon the continent. It was, I believe, borrowed from Russia, where what is called " The Russian stove" is used in order to disseminate a general warmth throughout the whole dwelling, or rather so far to raise the temperature of the building as that by ordinary additional fires, the inmates may, in that intensely cold region, be kept comfortably warm. I have never seen one, but so far as I can learn, the material of which it is constructed is clay, in some in- stances, amongst the nobility, a species of porcelain, and is made in all shapes and sizes, cylindrical, pyramidal and rectangular, but in all, very thick sides or walls. It is ob- vious that in a climate where they dare not allow a suspen- sion of artificial heat either by night or day, this invention is the only one which will accomplish the object of keep- ing up a continual heat ; — for the walls or sides of the stove are so thick, and the material so slow an absorber and radiator, that any quantity of fuel, sufficient at all events to last a whole night, may safely be put into it; and there being always such a quantity of ignited fuel or coals of fire within this chamber, that fresh fuel will need little or no additional quantity of combustion air, and there- fore no flame to endanger the chimney flue or pipe, as with the metal stove. This machine must give out an equable and pleasant heat, but you cannot veritilate with a Russian more than with a metal stove. There is 1 believe little doubt but that the idea of a me- tal stove was taken from the Russian invention. I cannot trace its history back to its first construction and use, but it is quite certain that as an absorber and radiator of heat, for which it is solely intended, little, if any, improvement i 27 can liave been mode ; for amongst the myriads of forms, shapes and fashions the metal has been made to assume, not one single philosophical idea appears to have been ei- ther suggested or adopted. And this is the more to be wondered at when we reflect that there is perhaps not a single trade or calling upon which more competition amongst the manufacturers has been exerted than in the stove manufacturing business. It will be easy for you to judge of the improvement which has been made in hot air machinery, when I tell you that setting a large (the largest that can be found) metal stove in^the cellar, with as many sheet iron pipes and eloows as' can be crowded upon it, (to increase the surface as they say I) enclosing the whole by a brick wall, leaving a certain space around for a hot air chamber, and a few apertures through the outer walls of the chamber to admit perhaps a square foot or so of cold air, and then con- ducting the hot air from the top of this hot air chamber by tin tubes upward through the floors of the rooms to be iieated, forms about the sum total of the "inventions" of the '• hot air" operators of the present day ! One of the principal, amongst many other, reasons, why greater progress has not been made in this important branch of science which comprehends the warming, (ventilation has not been thought of,) ot buildings is, in my opinion, attributable to the (jreat and fundamental error of all those who have attempted it, in their not being able to divest themselves of the idea, that the same principles by which the generation and power of steam have been effected must be those, or analogous to those, upon which hot air is to be produced. Now the fact is that from the begin- ning to the end, they stand in most respects, in all that regards their production, use and operation, opposed to each other. The one is generated — produced from ano- ther body — the other is capable of receiving a change of temperature only — steam acts from and by propulsion — air by attraction only — steam may be speedily changed in (■■. 1 k I 28 M i » ■> ^ Mi form — air never. All this, it is too obvious to need furlher remark, arises from the difference in gravity and power of expansion, of water and air — those of water being nearly two thousand tnnes that of air. It will be found, upon examination of the system (for there is hut one amongst them all) of healing houses pur- sued by the hot air people that they have entirely lost sight, or been ignorant of, the following general and im- portant principles and properties o( hcot and air. As for ventilation the thing has never been attempted by any of them. 1st. That the life-giving principle of die common at- mos{)here is much injured (if not destroyeJby heat. 2d. That its power of expansion when heated in any of the ordinary ways, is small, not exceeding perhaps forty per cent. 3d. That it circulates or moves naturally by repulsion or attraction only. 4lh. That cold air cannot be heated by hot air ; and 5th. And most extraordinary of all — that heated air is lighter than cold air. Before I proceed to the correction of the errors just mentioned, it is necessary that I should say that whatever discoveries I have made in this department of the sci- ences, are w^iolly the result of long, close and practical observation, but, at first, with no other view than the mere gratification afforded to perhaps a rather inquisitive dispo- sition, for the moment. In committing these thoughts to paper and bringing them before you, therefore, J claim at your hands an immunity, to a certain extent, in the use of terms, and also the right to adhere to expressions which, if not strictly scientific, shall be such as will be understood by practical men, and in a practical sense. Indeed, unless we become utilitarians in this utilitarian age, and are al- lowed a latitude beyond that which was enjoyed by our fore-fathers, we should scarcely, now-a-days, be under- stood. Even the very rudiments of our language aro 29 ihi-Gatenod with a modernisation alto<;etlior incompatible with those rules prescribed by our progenitors. 1 do not mean by tbis to repucbate those terms wliicli learned and scientuic men eni|)loy m those enqun-ies winch are neces- sary to trace ettects to tlieir causes ; all 1 desire is, that my pbraseology, if it shall happen to be objectionable to the merely scientific enquirer, may not be construed to detract from its obvious meaninif when it sliall be consistent with tlie general and practical view of the subject taken as a whole. If I lay my hand upon a piece of marble and say that it is cold, 1 do not wish to be understood as denying that this is philosophically not true ; but whilst I assent to this as a p/iUosojjhical untruth, 1 claim also that my as- sertion shall be considered a practical truth. If my posi- tions, assertions, or opinions, merely speculative though some of them may be, should fall short of, or exceed the theories of a merely philosophical enquirer, and shall, ne- vertheless, be found to work out a practical result, and one which cannot be successfully controverted, I demand for such, an immunity from critical observation. With these prefatory remarks, I proceed to shew that all hot air inventors, judging from their operations, have either lost sight, or been ignorant of ist. That the " life-giving principle" of the common at- mosphere is much injured, if not destoyed, by heat. They are either ignorant of this fact or else they are practismg an imposition upon those who, from various cir- cumstances, have never had their attention awakened to the enquiry, — they may take either horn of the dilemma. I am inclined to the charitable side, and attribute it to ig- norance rather than to a desire of making monev at the expense of the health of those by whom ihey may be em- ployed. Of pure atmospheric air, oxygen forms about one-fifth part of its bulk, as we have already seen, and the other four-fifths, called nitrogen, acts as a diluent to modify the strength of the oxygen. If, therefore. Nature has so ap- -,: 1 1 n i'l li i I: M v\ 30 portioned the constituents of the air which it has supplied for breathing, we must conclude that any other mixture would be unnatural, and therefore unfit lor healthy respira- tion. And this is a fact. One of the most wonderful pheno- mena in nature is, that notwithstanding the great diversity in temperature, notwithstanding the constant motion in every direction, of the body of atmosphere surrounding the Globe, the same relative proportions of gases are always found to be its constituents, unless interfered with by the operation of some local cause. Such is the provision made by the all-wise Creator for the sustentation ol the whole animal and vegetable creation. Dr. Reid in his researches on the quantity of air required for respiration, states that on the occasion of his experiments on the admixture of foreign gases with the common atmospheric air, one-five- thousandth part of sulphuretted hydrogen was enough to "knock up' a whole room full of persons, and produced very serious effects. And Professor Liebeg says " the air is rendered incapable of supporting the process of respira- tion when the quantity of its oxygen is decreased 12 per cent." The is less than one-eighth part. How careful then should we be to jireserve this precious commodity in its purity ! Now, if we in the same way lake nature for our guide in the temperature of the air we breathe, as well as its con- stitution, w hat is that temperature which she has pointed out as that which is most natural and therefore mos) healty ? Tlie temperature of the human body, in a healthy con- dition, is about 100 *^ of Fahrenheit, — the blood of course about the same. According to my mind, then, it follows that that is the temperature above which, certainly, the air we inspire should not be raised. It may be /owtr because ature has provided a duct by which the air, in its passage to the lungs, may be raised to nearly the temperature of the blood before it reaches its destination, but the same duct would fail to reduce ';e temperature in the same proportion. I 31 Dr. Roston, in considering the subject of animal heat, observes that, notwithstanding the constant uniformity of atnios|)lieric air under all latitudes, with respect to chemi- cal composition, its physical qualities are extremely varia- ble. Cold renders the air more dense: the introduction of a greater quantity of this cold fluid into the lungs, sti- mulates the lunctions of these organs and also increases their capacity. By a contrary action — by reason of the respiration of a warm atmosphere — the chests of southern nations attain less expansion. But every day's experience will be found as sure a guide in this matter, as we can have. We tind that breathing warm air is generally debilitaling, and breathing cold air invigorating. The fainting person will be restored by cool air, the healthy will become faint by breathing warm air. Cold air will check, if not prevent, the decomposition of animal and vegetable matter — warm or hot air w ill induce and facilitate it. I merely state these things as facts, without attempting to account for them physiologically; and this is sulHcient for my purpose. Supposing, then, tiiat the constituents of the air which we breathe ba jjitre, its temperature, when higher than that of the blood, 1 be- lieve to be unhealthy But although 100"^ be about the temperature of the hu- man body, yet, strange as it njay ap|)ear, we cannot in our climate conifortably exist with the temperature of oui* rooms, in winter, above 65 ° or 70 ° , and, as it follows of course, that we must breathe the same air in which we live, 70 ° or 80 ° is the maximum of the temperature of the air which we actually do inhale during this season of the year. ISitrogen which forms four-fifths of the bulk of the air, never changes its form or character, oxygen does both, and that upon the slightest occasion, either by coming in con- tact with vegetable or animal matter, or heat or cold. When air is impure, it is wholly owing to llie change in that constituent which, according to Mr. Jackson, is '' the I W i I t '! u f ■ ! '. I ' ,M !!l 1 ^ ■ Y 4 i 32 {"tnnci|)al clomont required for llie lircatlilnijof niiimals iuhI tiio li[(! of pliiiifs," and, according to Dr. Lardiu-r, *• llni life-L;iving principle," — oxygen gas. IN'ow, no one w lio has pairl allention lo tlie liot air pro- ceeding from the liot air furnaces coistructed thmiiiiiiout the country, can liave failed lo notice its at ileal. Il may hai)|)en lliat, w liero the tin conducto.o are of consi- derahle length, the air enttring the room may be compa- ratively low in temperature, uui its fall of temperature is no prool of its purity. If the oxygen has heen iiijnied or destroyed in the hot air chamber, it cannot be ))urilied by becoming cool. 1 have never tried it, but 1 will venture to affirm that a thermometer placed in their hot air cham- bers will range in none of them less than 200 ° , and that in most cases the heat will go up to 400 ° ! Indeed, upon the princi|)le upon which they go, ol' head ng the air that is in the room, they are obliged to bring ihe air to this tem|)erature or they could not produce the eliect which they desire. Let us, however, appeal to facts, — to the actual clTects of this hot airsysiem. There is not one person out often who, when first inhabiting or even going occasionally into a room heated in this way, who will not experience an op- pression upon the head and a soreness, or perhaps it is better described as a drynes-;, in the throat, and other un- usual and disagreeable sensations. Hang a cage of birds 3 CO any where above the centre of the room and they will lan- guish and die. Place green-house plants in the same po- sition — they will wither and decay. The very Hies will be exterminated. The destruction of the furniture is a matter of minor consideration, and indeed this evil is in some degree common with that of a stove heated apartment. But it is said that a supply of vapour will resuscitate the air — will re-supply the place of the decomposed oxy- gen. This is an absurdity, for although the 'Mile-giving principle" be destroyed, for respiration, mind, yet iho Oidk is still left, and it is as impossible to put two volumes .imSlk^ 33 of air or gas into one as it is to put two bulks of marble in the place of one. And if you attempt to sunply a room with vapour, in any quantity you cIiool to designate, the conse- quence will be so great a diminution of oxygen gas, even supposing this last to remain uninjured, (which in the process under consideration it cannot,) that animal life could not be sustained. Water is composed of about two-thirds hydrogen and one-third oxygen. Now the space filled by vapour must of course be the measure of the diminalion of atmospheric air, ihe composition of which is one-fiftli oxygen and four-fifths nitrogen. It is evident, therefore, that under this process you lose the " life-giving principle" in proportion as nine to four. This is not all. Nature (to whom we must always appeal in order to test the truth of our philosophy) has ordained that the residue of the atmospheric air which we breathe shall be nitrogen, whereas in the case of mixing the burned air with vapour, this residue must be hydrogen. Now, all the gases have been divided into two classes, — the one, " respirable and capable of maintaining combustion," the other, " non-res- pirable and incapable of maintaining combustion." "Non- respirable gases are those which, when applied to the ex- ternal organs of respiration stimulate the muscles of the epiglotis in such a manner as to keep it perfectly close on the glotis ; thus preventing the smallest particle of gas from entering into the bronchia, in spite of voluntary ex- ertion." The authority which I quote then goes on: — " Of the respirable gases, or those which are capable of being taken into the lungs by voluntary efforts, only one has the power of uniformly supporting life, namely, atmos- pheric air ; other gases, when respired, sooner or later im- pair the health of the human constitution, or perhaps occa- sion death, but in different modesJ" I could go on and demonstrate by innumerable quota- tions from the most eminent medical men, that nothing but what nature's God has ordained for the support of f i ■ ..'t : If H 34 i ' I S I' I I'i human life should be either eaten, drunken, or respired. I will add only two more wiih respect to the suhject in hand, respiration. " Some gases effect no positive change in the blood ; animals immersed in it die ol' a disease pro- duced by the privation of atmospheric air, analoirous to that occasioned by their submersion in water." Slower m its operation, however. " Others again produce some po- sitive change in the blood, as ap])ears from the experi- ments of Dr. Bedoes and Sir Humphrey Davy. They seem to render it incapable of supplying the nervous and muscular fibres with principles essential to sensibility and irritability. These gases, therefore, destroy animal life on a different principle." So that it appears that what of nature is once destroyed can never be supplied by the art of man; and that neither hydrogen nor any other gas than the two w hich constitute air can with safety be taken into the lungs. Again, " the respiration of animals produces the same effect on atmospherical air as combustion does, and their constant heat seems to be an effect of the same nature. When an animal is included within a limited quantity of atmospheric air, it dies as soon as the oxygen is consumed , and no other air will maintain animal life but oxygen or a mixture which naturally rontains it. Pure oxygen main- tains the life of animals r<.mch longer than atmospherical air, bulk for bulk." Once more, as it respects the consumption of oxygen gas by heat. Some substances have much greater affinity to, and consequently absorb oxygen gas more rapidly than other substances, all, however, absorb this material in pro- portion to their temperature. It is estimated that "char- coal will absorb nine times its own bulk of oxygen." This power of absorption is much increased when the charcoal is in a state of incandescence or burning, and instances of the death of persons shut up in rooms heated in this way, are, unfortunately, too common. The heating an unven- iilated room with a common fire, if it were possible to ex- im elude the smoke without aving an ipertur ^or its esc ipe, would have the same effect, but les^j in d -e ; an(' y the absorption and radiation of the heat by the metal. I have thought it necessary to dwell upon this part of the sul)ject in order, if possible, to remove the strong pre- judice 1 may call it, which has lately sprung up in favour of the use of that worse than useless succedaneum of pure oxygen, vapour, under a false impression that it resusci- tates the injured air. 2nd. Hot air inventors appear to be ignorant of the ex- pansibility of cold air by heat. The proof of this asser- tion will be given when we discuss the 4th error of these gentlemen. 3rd. That it circulates naturally by attraction only. Their error on this point also, I have thought it best lo treat undir the next, >\hich is the 4th. Error of hot air inventors, viz : that cold air can be heated by hot air. To heat cold air by hot air pre-supposes a mixture, or a diffusion of the hot air amongst the cold air. To shew the abi^urdity of such an attempt we will quote from Dr. Lardner, the properties of air. " Since air may be seen and fell — since it has colour and weight — and since it op- poses resistance when acted upon, and strikes with a force proportionate with the speed of its motion — ^we can scarce- ly hesitate to admit that it has qualities which entitle it to be classed among material substances ; but one other qua- lity still remains to be noticed, which, perhaps, decides its title to materiality more unanswerably than any of the others. Air is impenetrable ; it enjoys that peculiar pro- perly of matter by which it refuses admission to any other body to the space it occupies,, until it quit that space. — This properly air possesses as positively as adamant." Now if air be thus impenetrable and refuses admission i: 36 ''h to any other body, equally with adamant, I slioiild like to know how theso people expect to mix or dilFiise hot air amongst cold air ! The thing is impossihie. The fact is they have succeeded in warming rooms exactly in pro- portion as they happened to be badly enclos(!d and open, where a small quantity of the air already in the room might, by chance, escape — and no further. They cannot ventil- ate, because like the stove-heated room, all the heat would escape, and their room left as cold as before, because as you have seen the hot air will always lie ut the top. With respect to the idea that hot air inven'')rs have uniformly regarded the expansibility of air equal, or nearly equal, to that of water, is abundantly proved by the fact of their expecting to heat a building by the small quantity of cold air let into their hot air chambers, not exceeding in any one instance I think two square feet ! and this too, professedly, merely to give a draught to the heat ! whilst the fact is that water has fifteen hundred times the expan- sive property of the air ! Now if the air in a close room can neither be displaced or compressed by means of the hot air furnace, how is it that these " inventors" expect to heat a room which is full of cold air? The whole of their proceedings clearly shew that they imagine that they are heating the body of cold air which is already in the room ; and that this is perform- ed by means of a great heat communicated to a small quantity of air (say just sufficient to " create a good draught") as effectually as if the same quantity of heat was imparted to a large quantity of air ! They find too that they can heat an old and open house easier than a close one, but why, they cannot tell. In short they ap- pear to have no notion of expelling the cold air at all. A few of them have lately, however, by some means or other imbibed a notion that quantity of air has somehow some- thing to do with the heating of rooms ; but how or in what way they seem at a loss to determine. That the motion of air which we call wind is not the ef- 37 feet of any propulsive force, but caused entirely by the at- traction caused by a sudden expansion or vacuum created, perhaps thousands of miles ahead of it, is familiar to every one. This is caused by nothing more than the ever-shift- ing temperature of the atmospiiero ; in consequence of which while the warm air rises here, there the colder sinks or rushes siduwiso to supply the deficiency ; in short, its motions are indescribably various, all in consequence of these changes of temperature. So that with the exception perhaps, of a slight deduction for its expansive quality, the air in its natural state moves from attraction only. Yet hot air " inventors" are every day attempting to force air into the buildings which they undertake to heat, when they ought to know that it can only be attracted there, — when they ought to know that the air already in the roo-n is im- penetrable, and when they ought to know that it is, for such purpose, incompressible. How they have succeeded, even as far as they have, will hereafter appear. 5th. That they do not understand that hot ?L\r\^Ughtcr than cold air, is evident from the fact that they studiously bring their hot air into the room through the jioor, of course, supposing that they are thereby heating the lower part of the room first ! If this be not their object, I do not know what it can be ; but so far from this being the case, the hot air keeps in a compact column, and the very first dispersion it is subject to is from the check given to its upward progress by the ceiling of the room ; and they are as effectually heating the tops of the room first as if the air were brought in at that point. Having already shewn the great error of hot air " inven- tors," who, from the beginning to the end of their practice, have so overheated the air as to injure, if not wholly des- troy the "life-giving principle of the atmosphere, I need only further observe, generally, that the objections to this mode of heating dwellings are common to i\\e fire-place and stove^ with the exception of the cold draught to the feet ; and I 11 ' :i 38 I' I m k Ml must be permitted to repeat, (for it is all-important.) that if Mr. Jackson's assertion be true, that "oxygen gas is the essential and active part of pure air, and is the princi- pal element required for the breathing of animals and the life of plants," then the hot air which is produced by the machinery at present in us, must more or less affect the lungs of every living being sulJ^ect to its influence. Down to the present time, most of those engaged in hot air operations, have gone on in total indifference to, and I charitably believe, ignorance of, the effects of the quality of the air introduced into their stove chamber ; taking it indifferently from a kitchen or contaminated cellar, and in so small quantity that in order to accomplish their objects, even though the air happen to be pure, is necessarily de- stroyed by the excessive heat which they are obliged to impart to it. The oxygen gas (which is at the same time the life-giving and the heat-giving principle,) contained in air, forms only about one-fifth part of the whole body, and must, in undergoing this process, be decomposed, or at all events so far injured by the intense heat within the hot air chamber, that it must be unfit for respiration. Butjbesides the evils which I have elsewhere enumerated, the column of burned air constantly oozing through the floor of the apartment, carries with it every particle of floating air in the apartment, in its turn, to the ceiling, and keeps the whole mass, saturated with an impalpable dust, in a constant state of ebullition, (similar to that of a boiling spring,) in a greater degree than a stove ; and it is, in my opinion, taking it altogether, the most pernicious mode of heating a building ever adopted. Having now, in rather a desultory manner, I admit, brought under your notice my opinions upon the necessity of an amelioration of our condition in regard to the warm- ing of our dwellings and other buildings ; and having also made objections to all the modes now in use, it, of course remains for me to lay before you my ideas as to what remedial measures ought to be adopted. 39 I Before I do this, it is necessary that I should give you a right understanding of my views upon the influence which climate and atmosphere have upon our physical and moral constitution and powers. After what we have heard, it is scarcely necessary for me to say that I intend to substitute, for the contaminated air in which we at present exist, a pure and unadulterated atmosphere. It will also be inferred from what has been said, that this can only be accomplished by means ol a thorough ventilation of our dwellinjis with this material. The difference in the colour of the inhabitants of North- ern and Western and those of warmer climates, has long been a fruitful theme for speculation, but I am not aware that the difference in health and vi£;or of constitution has ever been accounted for. That there is a considerable difference, and that this difference is in favour of those ol the temperate and colder regions, admits, in my opinion, no longer of a doubt. It may not therefore, be out of place to mention the ge- nerally entertained idea, derived from History too, that no great conquests have ever been made by a southern over a northern people ; but, on the contrary, the balance of vic- tories has always been, or at all events terminated, in fa- vour of the people from the colder climates. That such was the case in the olden time, the Biblical reader will find no difficulty in believing. The mind, too, of man, there is no doubt, sympathises with the body. It cannot be disputed that, as a general characteristic, the people of the middle and northern na- tions of Europe and even America, are endowed with more vigor of mind as well as strength of body, than those of the southern. As another coincidence of what I have stated with res- pect to the constitution of both mind and body of the in- habitants of cold countries, it may not be irrelevant to mention that the language, partaking, in its bold and dis- tinct character of the physical formation of the organs, no i<'ill m i J t '1 ;i ! j\, ';>•*' 40 doubt, denotes a superiority, both in comprebensiveness and force, orer the people inhabiting the more southern latitudes. I will go one step further and venture to enquire whe- ther, if it be shewn that monarchy is the general form of government in the northern hemisphere, and if it be proved that a monarchical form of government, be stronger and more vigorous than that of a republic, there may not be some weight, legitimately attached to the supposition that the body and mind of nations, if I may so speak, partake of the properties constituting the mass of the individuals composing that nation ; thus completing the chain which binds together the whole moral, political, and physical world ? The animals of the Forests, certainly those which are domesticated, and which are common to both climates, are stronger and more vigorous in the north than the south. Inanimate nature, too, it appears to me, is another proof of a coincidence in the comparison of the two climates which I have been making. Where can such timber be found in any warm country as that which abounds in the northern parts of Europe and America? Where the size, beauty and strength of the oak and pine, equal to that which grows in Norway and Canada ? This subject might be pursued with advantage by the politician, but my business is with domestic not political economy, and shall therefore leave the metaphysical dis- quisition which it invites to other hands. My purpose is merely to point at those facts in order that such inference may be drawn from the effects of climate, as the subject may warrant ; and if I have succeeded in satisfying you that there is more health of body, vigour of mind, power of language, and strength of government, with the inhabi- tants of cold countries, than with those of the warmer cli- mates, I do not. see to what other cause you can attribute these peculiarities of character, than that to which I attribute 41 them, viz : the effect of the purity of the atmosphere upon the constitution of man, in mind as well as body. Havino; been born in Canada, and having been for nearly hall a century capable of making some observation, and latterly with minuteness, I could have no hesitation, should I be asked the question, in answering that there has, within that period, been an evident declension of health amongst the inhabitants, and, what I wish you particularly to observe, this declension of health is most conspicuous in, if not almost confined to, that part of the community whose avocations and situation compel them to lead seden- tary lives, shut out from the pure atmosphere. This class of the community is composed of the artisans, mechanics, tradesmen, and the upper and more wealthy class, together with nearly all the females. That this portion of the community is less healthy than the farming or rural portion of all countries, I believe will generally be admitted, but I aver that the difference in health between the two classes is greater in this cold climate than it is in the more tempe- rate climates, for instance, the British Isles. I believe too, that the difference here spoken of as existing between these two portions of the communities of all countries, is aUribu- table, mainly, to the deprivation of pure air, for respiration, on the part of those who are for the greater part of their time shut up in artificially heated buildings. If this be true, it follows of course, that this cause must operate more injuriously in this country, where a very great degree of artificial heat is required to be kept up for six or seven months in the year, than in the old countries, where but a very moderate artificial warmth is required for two or three months only. And it cannot, I am afraid, be denied that, notwithstanding the superiority of our climate, the people, generally, from Great Britain and Ireland, are more rug- ged, robust, as they certainly are more ruddy — take them class for class — than those of the northern and more cold climate of America. The reason of this is, to me obvious enough, there they take more out-door exercise and air. I I ■ \ It \ f ■ ■ ( 42 vll '■€ i ' ; i I! and are subject to much less confinement amongst the dust of stove rooms and other artificially heated apartments. Indeed, it may be said that fire in any shape, even in win- ter, there, is the exception instead of the ruL, but here, we are obliged to keep it up during six, seven, and sometimes eight months out of the twelve ! Hence it is that old countrymen stand our climate even better than we do, for the first few years. Our dwellings during a Canadian winter, are oppressively hot to an old country emigrant, — theirs, to a Canadian, are always uncomforta- bly cold. It is clear to me then that this difference in health is sole- ly owing to the circumstance of the one breathing a pure, unadulterated air for the greater part of the year, whilst the other is shut up in a contaminated atmosphere during the same period. The people of Great Britain and Ire- land are, moreover, accustomed to living in a temperature of from J5 ° to 20 ° lower in winter and summer than Ca- nadians ; and the latter, in order to guard against the great vicissitudes of temperature, (ranging at times between 30o and 40 ® below zero in winter, up to 100 ° in summer,) are obliged to submit to being overheated whenever the ther- mometer rises, these alternations being so frequent and uncertain, in winter especially, as to render it impossible effectually to guard against them, either in our dwellings or clothiufj. You will, of course, have anticipated my opinion upon the influence of climate upon the physical and moral con- stitution of man. 1st. That the coldest climate is the most conducive to health and vigour of constitution, and, as a consequence, strength of mind. 2nd. That n hat climate is the most enervating to both mind and body. 3rd. That a temperate climate partakes of the nature of each in proportion as it approaches in degree toward either. 43 Since I have given an opinion that old country people are more healthy and robust than Canadians, it might, with- out explanation, be charged to me as an inconsistency in here putting down the coldest as a more healthy climate than a temperate one. When we speak of climates we must of course mean their natural state, because they can- not be altered by artificial means. But I speak of the in- habitants residing within these climates as in their artifi- cial state. It is not the fault of our climate that we shut it out of our dwellings and create an artificial one, about two-thirds of the days in the year, and two- thirds of the hours of every such day ; and destroy by means of stoves and hot air machines, even that little which (fortunately for us,) forces itself into our dwellings. It is not denied by any one, I believe, that the rural and out-door labouring portion of the population of all countries, is the most healthy. The cause of this has been, and I believe, is now, generally attributed to physical exertion. My opinion is, that labour has nothing further to do with the maintenance of health than as it tends to the extraordinary and frequent expansion of the cavity of the chest, by the action of the muscles from bodily exer- tion,* by which means a much greater quantity of air is brought in contact with the blood. Health is never, other- wise, dependent upon bodily exertion, though bodily ex- ertion is always dependent upon health. But we will see what evidence we can find in corrobo- ration of my theory : and the witnesses which I shall sum- * Since the above was written, I have been favoured by a friend with the perusal of Dr. Fitch's Lectures. In the cue on the " Uses of the Lungs," is the following remark : — " Another striUing instance," he says, ** i8 the use of the right arm. It is seen with ail the natives of tliis Globe, that the right arml^referred in its use over the left ; in other words, that all men are right-handed, as a general rule. Some very unsatisfactory reasons are given for this. The true reason is found in the fact, that the lungs give us the power of action, and that the right lung is larger than the left ; hence it gives more power to the righYarm. I have often seen the right arm ha^ quite ^elesa at the side by extensive disease of right lung." •'"•^ I, il n: 44 !■ A ^ I .' ' y PI = 1^1 mon will be none the less credible because they are un- willing, or at least, unintentional witnesses. A. Quetelet, perpetual secretary to the Royal Academy of Brussels, in his dissertation on Man, and the de. 'jpe- nient of his faculties, says, that the influence of disturbing causes on the number of deaths are — professions, morality, intelligence, and political and religious institutions. Sta- ticians, he says, have already proved that the mortality in manufacturing; districts is greater than that in agricultural; and greater also in towns than in rural districts. Wealth, or at least, competence, is also ascertained to be more fa- vourable to longevity than poverty. Among negroes who are slaves, the annual mortality is 1 in 5 or 6, while among negroes serving in the British army it is only I in 33. Again, the same author says, — It would appear that both in northern and southern countries the rate of morta- lity is greater than in temperate regions. The mortality is also greater in towns than in country districts. Dividing Europe into three regions. North, Middle, and South, M. Quetelet considers the rate of mortality to be as follows : North, 1 in 41. Middle, 1 in 40. South, I in 33. The lowest rate of mortality, he says, occurs in Eng- land, it being only 1 in 51 ; and the highest in Russia, 1 in 21. If England be excluded from the calculation, the central part of Europe will still exhibit the smallest por- tion of deaths. He then gives the rate of mortality in situations nearer the equinoctial line, thus : S. Lat. e^Batavia, 10® Trinidad, 14 ® Martinique, 15 ® Gaudaloupe, 18® Bombay, 20 ® Isle Bourbon, 1 in 1 ia 26. 1 in 27. 1 in 28. 1 in 27. 1 in i:.- 45 'i' rt. 23° Havana, 1 in 33. 34 ©Cape of Good Hope, 1 in 51. Thus showing that within the range of 28 ® , near the equator, the difference is nearly two to one against the hoS climate. Yet this excites no wonder in, or elicits remark either from the author or his commentator ! Now if my principle be applied to this, as in all the other cases, the solution becomes easy. Although the atmosphere possesses the same constituents and ill the same proportions, and is equally pure in all climates, yet, says Professor Foissac, " in warm climates the air being rarer and more expanded, the lungs absorb less oxygen, — the proportions of the venous system will thus preponderate over those of the arterial, &c." Now this direct testimony coupled with one from Professor Lei- beg will be conclusive as to the cause of disease in warm climates, viz: the want of a supply of "oxygen" for the lungs, and not, as is generally supposed, cutaneous trans- piration, and the action of heat upon the head and surface of the body. This gentleman, after demonstrating that all animal as well as vegetable substances are in a constant state of de- cay, says, " The greatest wonder in the living organism, is the fact that an unfathomable wisdom has made the cause of continual decomposition or destruction, (namely, the support of the process of respiration,) to be the means of renewing the organism, and of resisting all the other at- mospheric influences, such as those of moisture and change of temperature." M . Quetelet next gives a table which exhibits the influx ence of reasons on mortality. It is too long to copy, but the result is, that the deaths, in the winter months., taking all Europe, are as 5 to 4 in summer. Upon which he re- marks that " the fewest deaths take place at that period of the year when men have least to fear from the incle- mency of the weather." Professor Foissac corroborates this. " From the researches of statistical writers it ap* ^1 H m { ' 46 J Mi pears that all over Europe the maximum of deaths occurs toward the close of winter, and the rninimu^iott^m^ the close of summer." These are, in my opinion, clear proof that disease is both engendered and also rendered more vi- rulent whenever, from the inclemency of the weather or any other cause, we are shut out from a pure atmosphere. It is remarkable that whilst all these staticians agree in their general /flc^«, only one has had a glimpse '^f the right cause, and only upon that of the hot climate. The num- ber of deaths in the temperate and colder climates keep pace exactly with the length of time the inhabitants are shut up in their dwellings, breathing an impure atmos- phere. Nothing can place this view in a stronger light than the fact that the English, who are scarcely ever sub- jected to artificial heat, lose but 1 in 51, whilst the Rus- sians, who are necessarily compelled to live much the greater part of their time excluded from their natural at- mosphere, lose 1 in 21, or more than double that number, by death. Lord Bacon, says the Rij'- Honourable Sir John Sin- clair, seems to have been the first who, by a careful and minute inquiry into the duration of the lives both of man and a number of different animals, established the princi- ple, that longevity is in proportion to the slowness with which the animal reaches maturity. This, indeed, is the case in the vegetable as well as the animal kingdom. It is owing to this circumstance that people in cold countries, (he means England,) and whose growth is not accelerated by enriching food or early debauchery, live much longer than natives of warm countries, who are reared, as it were, in a hot bed, and who are full grown men and women at twelve years of age. I believe that the longest lived animals, and those longest in coming to maturity, are men and the eagle. It is cer- tain that these have the largest limgs, in proportion to their bulk, of any part of creation. L- it unreasonable then to infer that length of life depends upon the quantity of air 47 I consumed, as also its purity 1 It strikes me, therefore, that >vhilst Lord Bacon has hit upon the effect he has mistaken the cause. The following table is quoted from Casper, on the ex- pectancy of life in different ^ro/e«mni. THE NUMBER Or 100 WHO REACH 70 TEARS OF AGE. Theologians, 42. Agriculturists, 40. Superior Clerks, 35. Merchants and Manufacturers, 35. Military men, 32. Inferior Clerks, 32. Advocates, 29. Artists, 28. Teachers and Professors, 27. Medical men, 24. M. Quetelet remarks upon this table of mortality, that it would appear that mental occupation is more prejudi- cial to life than bodily fatigue ; that the most favorable to longevity is a sedentary life not exposed to any excess; and that the most unfavorable is that in which mental and bodily exertica are combined. We have already dealt with agriculturists ; no one dis- putes that theirs is a profession most favourable to health. Let us now contrast with each other, the three highest classes with the three lowest, except Physicians, on the list. Theologians, Superior Clerks, and Merchants and Manufacturers, on the one hand, and Advocates, Artists, and Teacheis and Professors, on the other. Now I think it impossible, upon any correct principle, to assign or at- tribute this remarkable disparity of age to the difference in mental occupation alone. There must be some cause as- signed other than that which is given by the author, viz : mental occupation. This omission I think I can supply. The Churches, on the continent of Europe especially, are very high in the ceiling, and being only occasionally •| t;i 48 # 'I ;t. W i: occupied, and tliat for a short period, It may be taken for granted, tiiat the air within them is always, at the com- mencement of the service at any rate, nearly as pnre as the external atmosphere; besides, ti)e dust may be sup- posed to be settled, nor is it brought to that state of ebul- lition which the introduction of artificial heat invariably produces.* In this building a clergyman speaks to a * Let any one who doubts that heat will afTect air in the bame way as it will WHier, try the experiineni by causing tobacco to be btiiokcd in a house in which (here is no heat, and then again when the buildin * I' >> fatigue ; 6, Sleep as many hours only as may be necessa- ry to restore the strength of the body and mind ; 7, Cow- troul the passions and bear with fortitude the disappoint- ments of life. These are the most effectual means of pre- serving health, of enjoying life, and of attaining longevity. I leave it to the experience of every man or woman of observation what proportion of this health of body and mind is contributed by breathing of a pure atmosphere alone. Notwithstanding however that I am willing to make great allowance for the influence of mental occupation upon the lives of individuals, I cannot go to the extent to which it is carried by the author of the table which I have quoted. Of Medical men, which this table places at the foot of the list, I have as yet said nothing. At a first view, this class of men should live as long as other people ; for they certainly are not less exposed to the open air than clergy-* men, or in fact any of the others. The table however allows only 24 of them to reach 70 years whilst it allows 4*2 Theologians to live to that period — thus making the mor- tality of the former, within a fraction of, double that of the latteri It can easily be understood that the mental occupation of the physician is greater than that of any of the other professions, yet we can hardly attribute this im- mense difference of mortality to that cause alone. It is my opinion therefore, and this table is another proof of its correctness, that we have no more natural cause to which to ascribe it than to the miasm of the sick room. When we come to consider this subject of miasm more at large we will then be enabled to judge of tlie effect which it is likely to produce generally. As applicable here it may not be improper to quote from Professor Leibeg — " When the functions of the organs of secretion are impeded, for- eign substances will remain in the blood, or become accu- mulated in particular parts of the body. The skin, lungs and other organs, assume the functions of the diseased se- 53 creting organs, and the accumulated substances are elimi- nated by them. If, when thus inhaled, they happen to be in a state of progressive transformation, these substances are contagious, that is, they are able to produce the same state of disease in another healthy organism." Again, " Ammonia is very generally produced in cases of disease ; it is always emitted in those in which contagion is gene- rated, and is an invariable product of the decomposition of of animal matter. The presence of ammonia in the air of chambers in which diseased patients lie, particularly those affected with a contagious disease may be readily detec- ted." " Cold meat," he says, " is always in a slate of decompositluii ; it is possible that this stale may be com- municated to the system of a feeble individual, and may be one of the sources of consumption." Now if the " exiia- lation" from cold meat is sufficient to communicate disease in " an healthy organism" can a doubt remain that tlie miasm of a sick room will much more communicate dis- ease ? But as examples recent and near home have generally a more powerful effect I take the following deductions from enquiries instituted by Drs. Cusack and Stokes which present a lamentable picture of mortality among the phy- sicians in Ireland, during last year's sickness in that afflic- ted country. '* 1. That the physicians and surgeons of Ireland are, by their profession, more exposed to the inufluence of fatal disease than any other class of the community of a similar grade ; and that they are at all times liable to these influ- ences, from the period of their entering the profession as students to advanced life. — 2. That few, if any of the medical profession in Ireland escape typhus fever; that many have had it twice, and several three times. — 3. That the fevers of medical men in Ireland are almost always of a bad character, even when the epidemic is not of the worst kind ; and that consequently, fever has proved more fatal to medical men than to any other class of the com- ^i^i'l ' V I 54 / h ^ I I munity of a similar grade in this country. — 4. That the fevers and other infectious diseases, from which our pro- fession suffers so severely, are generally contracted in dis- charge of public duties, either in attendance upon sanitary institutions, or in the miserable, ill-ventilated, and dirty dwellings of the poor. — 5. That, according to our returns received for the period prior to 1813 — undoubtedly defi- ficient — 56S out of 1,'220 practitioners, in charge of medi- cal institutions suffered from typhs fever ; of these twen- ty-eight had fever twice, and nine three times ; and that of the whole number, three hundred, or one fourth, died. — 6. That the calculation contained in the papers which we have now laii before the public, show that, of 743 deaths of medical men, of which we posses the particulars, 331 were caused by tiphus fever, or I in every 2.24 — nearly 45 per cent, of the whole. — 7. That, during the prevalence of the late epidemic, 500 Irish medical men, at the lowest computation, suffered from fever or other epidemic disea- ses, contracted, for the most part, in discharge of piL!''- duties, by which themselves and their families suffe*-. considerable loss. — 8. That about one-fifteenth of the < - tire medical community of Ireland have died during the year 1847. — ^. That during the continuance of an attack of fever, and in cases of recovery, for a long period subse- quent to it, the families of medical men are deprived of their exertions — usually their only means of support. We think that as the risk incurred in the public medical ser- vice in Ireland is so great, an adequate remuneration should be afforded for the performance of these services ; and as the widows and children of medical men who have died during the last two years have been, in many instan- ces, left totally unprovided for, we most earnestly recom- mend to the consideration of the government the proprie- ty of making some legal provision for the families of those gentlemen whose lives have been sacrificed to the public service." The deaths among the physicians and clergy of Que- 55 bee during the fever at Gross Isle amongst the emigrants, as well as of that philanlhophist Colonel Calvert who died in making his experiments with M. Le Doyen's disinfec- ting fluid, ought of themselves to be sufficient proof of the fatal effects of miasm. 1 have been lately informed by Mr. Campbell, a gentleman of science and high standing in Quebec, that all the habitants who purchased bed, and other cloths, from the emigrants, died — that every one of the workmen who was employed in the construction of appertures on the tops of the sheds for ventillation took the fever and most of them died. This gentleman also says that a much greater proportion of the inhabitants and emigrants in the lower town of Quebec died, than of those in the upper Town. A striking proof of the theo- ry, now generally admitted to be correct, that miasm is specifically heavier than, and sinks in, the common atmos- phere. But this, it may be said, is typhus fever, which every one knows to be contagious. Very true, so are all other fevers contagious, not perhaps so certainly or so virulent in character, but that the miasm of the sick room, what- ever may be the ailment may communicate disease to weakly constitution^:, no one can doubt. It is true that the naturally strong constitutions and healthy organism of some, may, and frequently do withstand the immediate ef- fects of miasm. It is a frequent occurrence that children of a large family as well as adult persons, escape the Small pox, Whooping cough. Measles, Scarletina, and the whole catalogue of infectious diseases, whilst all the other mem- bers take them. These are the exceptions, the rule is otherwise. From these facts may be gathered some idea of the pe- rils which medical men are oMiged to encounter; and whose devotion to their duties afford ample proof how much that noble profession, whilst it stands at the head of all others for usefulness, also serves to elevate the man and constitute the philanthropist. S 56 lip K'\ U then lam borne out in my theory that the health of so large a proportion of the inhabitants of tlie colder re- gions of America as is comprised in the class which I have mentioned, is affected by the deprivation of pure air to supply the lungs — the question is what is the remedy for this state of things? I answer — if from any cause you cannot bring these people into a pure atmosphere you must bring the pure atmosphere to them. You must cause the inside of your building to resemble as much as possi- ble (except the temperature in winter) the outside. Pure air you must have in one way or another ; without it, no earthly power can preserve your health. Therefore a thorough — a constant day and night ventilation is the only remedy we have. Upon the necessity of a supply of oxygen to the lungs I shall make one extract out of a thousand : " Unless suf- ficient oxygen be supplyed to the lungs by daily exercise in the open air, the products of decomposition will fail to be removed, in sufficient quantity for the maintenance of a healthy state." " When the system, therefore, undebili- tated by disease, will admit a good supply of oxygen by muscular exercise, it is the best means of diminishing the amount of venous blood, and (in conjunction with a legi- timate supply of proper food) of increasing the amount of arterial blood ; and in proportion as the latter preponder- ates over the former, shall we possess health and muscular strength, as well as elasticity of mind.'' But we have no occasion to go to books for advice up- on this subject. We have thank God as yet within the British dominions, a host of scientific men whose business and I will add duty it is to watch over the health of the people. And it is here worthy of remark that, whilst hun- dreds and thousands of quacks and empyrics are daily practising and fattening upon the credulity of the people of Europe and America, and by the administration of their nostrums, laying the foundation of disease and death which must inevitably be visited upon the children's children of I 57 such as suffer themselves to be misled by them, for genera- tions to come, not one, so far as my knowledge extends, has ever advised his patient "a change of air" — whilst the scientific and regularly bred physician, makes it his first business to enforce upon the attendant of his patient if he be unabled to go out — a thorough ventilation of the sick chamber ; and to the debilitated — whether in mind or bo- dy, his first advice is " get into pure air." If it were for nothing else, I should honor the science of medicine lor this cardinal trait in its practice; which, even at a pecuniary sacrifice of the practitioner, enjoins up- on its disciples and followers, the obligation which if they are conscientious men they dare not violate, to enforce this all-important remedial agent — "purity of air." It must be admitted that we -annot judge either by hearing, seeing, feeling, smelling, or tasting, what n ay be healthful for us ; and hence we are compelled from our infancy to defer to others whose experience in those mat- ters render them qualified to advise us. If we wanted a horse shod we would not go to a joiner ; nor would we go to a shoemaker to mend a clock, but we should apply to those whose experience and education we knew qualified them to perform our work. In the matter of health our exter- nal senses, as I have repeatedly said, are not safe guides. With what caution do we taste of any vegetable which is new to us ? Children will not, of their own accord, eat what they never have before seen. The dumb brute, being incapable of receiving reasonable instruction, is supplied by the Allwise Creator with an instinct which stands instead of reason (the faculty given to man) and prevents him from eating a poisonous herb. Why not then in the all- important matter of health take, and follow, the advice of those who, I have no doubt, are the appointed ministers " for this very purpose ?" tr I ;:l LECTUKE n. I In the Lecture of last evening I endeavored, 1st. To bring under review the situation and prospects of Canada in rei'Td to fuel. 2d. To shew how inadequate were our e" c »al senses alone to guard us against the many evils to which we are doily subjected. 3d. To compare and esti- mate the value of the different modes of heating buildings at present in use. 4th. To set forth and correct the er- rors of hot air inventers. And 5th. To draw a comparison between the different climates and the different classes in each climate as it respects health. I intend at this time to describe some of the properties and attributes of air as well as the quantity required for respiration and ventilation. 2d. The chemical effects of miasm. 3d. To suggest some alteration in the construc- tion of our dwellings. 4th. To show the true philosopi- cal principles of ventilation. 5th. The erroneous system of ventilation in Great Britain. 6th. The evil effects of our present habits and mode of living; and lastly, to give an opinion, with my reasons, that the proper ventilation of our dwellings will prevent most of the diseases to which we are subject, and especially consumption. Since, then ''pure air^' is that, and that only which the Almighty has provided for our use — and since it is the foundation upon which the science of medicine predicates the recovery of the sick — we must in the first place en- quire what pure air is ; and secondly how much we re- quire for use. Besides what I have quoted upon the properties of air from Mr. Jackson, Dr. Lardner says, " The atmosphere is a thin transparent fluid, which surrounds the earth to a V I '! 1 1 ■ .• 60 J considerable height above its surface, and which in virtue of one of its constituent elements, oxygen gas, supports animal life by resparation, and is necessary also to the due exercise of the vegetable functions." Mr. Jackson, of Edinburgh, says, "The atmosphere is an invisible acreform fluid which wJ'aps the whole earth round to an elevation of about forty-five miles above the highest mountains. This great ocean of air, as we may call it, is far from being of a uniform density throughout its mass. At and near the level of ihe sea it is most dense, in consequence of the pressure above. As we ascend mountains, or in any other way penetrate upwards, the air becomes gradually less dense ; and so thin is it at the height of three miles, as for instance at the summit of Mont Blanc, one of the Alps, that breathing is there per- formed with some difficulty. Beyond this limited height, the density of the air continues to diminish ; and at the elevation of about forty-five miles, is believed to terminate. So dense are the lower, in proportion to the higher re- gions, that one half of the entire body of air is below a height of three miles — the other half being expanded into a volume of upward of forty miles." So important an element as that which the Almighty has designed for the sustentation of all his animal and ve- getable creation, is not left without means for its own pu- rification. Mr. Jackson says, that "The constant preser- vation of atmospheric purity is one of the greatest pheno- mena in nature. The purification is effected by divers processes — as, by winds ; by the vast extent of ocean over whose surface is an inexhaustible reservoir of pure air ; by electric agency, but chiefly by the solar rays." Now, it appears to me, that unless we by some means attain a system by which we can be supplied within our dwellings, constantly, night and day, whether sleeping or waking, with this fluid in its original and pure state, we cannot, and indeed ought not, to reasonably expect either health of mind or body. 61 Now l«'t us enquire how much of this " fluid*' is required* iJr. Thompson thinks that " We should not be far from the truth in supposing that the ordinary quantity of air* contained in the lungs is '280 cubic inches, and that there enter and go out at each inspiration and expiration, 40 inches. Thus, supposing '^i) inspirations in a minute, the quantity of air that would enter and pass out in this time would he 800 inches ; which makes 48,000 in the hour, and in '24 hours 1,152,000, cubic inches" equal to 66G cubic feet ! You will please recollect that only one-fifih part of the air is the '' life; giving principle" oxygen gas — the other four-filths — nitrogen, being a mere "diluent to correct the strength of the oxygen." It follows, of course, that if a person inspires, during 24 hours, 1,152.000 cubic inches of air, he desiroijs 2."30,200 cubic inches of oxygen. I say destroys, because, as you will remember, the lungs ab- sorb and the blood retains the whole of the oxygen and sends forth in its ste.id nitrogen or azote, as it is sometimes called. A room 20 feet square and 10 feet high contains 6,912,000 cubic inches of air ; so that one person confined in a perfectly air tight apartment of that capacity would live just six days and no longer, or six people would con- sume it in one day and then die. We have no alternative then^ but to so construct our dwellings that this unadulterated fluid shall constantly cir* culale through every room in such volume as shall not only supply the respiratory organs of the inmates at every breath they draw, but also be sufficient to carry off, as a disinfecter, all the putridity caused by combustion of the lungs, cutaneous transpiration and otherwise incident to every dwelling. And this is the whole object of my en*- quiry, and the desideratum which 1 have both experimen- tally and practically attained. It is no easy matter I know for us to entirely divest ourselves of preconceived notions which may have grown into prejudices^ but I must in this instance request you to il ri ■! ./ M r.M 62 go along with me in clescarding for the time the terms " heating or warming buildings" as conveying a wrong idea, and to adopt in its stead the word ventilating. For these purposes let us suppose that we are living in a tem- perate climate where no artificial warmth is roquired ; he- cause the ventilating of buildings depends not ut all upon the temperature of the air — whether it be hot or cold the same process is as recessary in one climate as another — in a Canadian winter as in a Canadian summer, in the fri- gid as in the temperate and torrid zones. 1 do not intend to heat your building at all even in winter; all I intend to do is to ventilate it — with warmed air in winter and cooled air in summer. For this |)ui pose 1 intend to erect ap[)aratus outside of your building by which means 1 shall cause a volume of air, according to the size of the build- ing — (s:iy for one of 40 feet scpiare and two or three sto- ries high — at the rate of 50 sijuare feet per second) to circulate through your house night and (l;iy, the year round. (The article you know is cheap — the Almighty luis given it to us for this more than any other purpose.) Then by the erection of metal machinery intercepting ibis trunk of of air at some convenient point before it be dis|)ersiHl throughout the building, and so constructing it as that by heating, it will bring this volume of air to ^urU temprra- ture as may be required — your dwiHing will in wmier be warmed as well as ventillaled. This is all. Now if it be objected that the distinction whioh I make between warmed air and heated air is without a dillerence I have only to answer that the dillerence is alioiil iIkj same as it would be for a person to take a dose of laiula- nnm every night to induce sleep instead of daily and heal- thy exercise. I must repeat to you that we have entirely thrown over- board the term " heating" and turned our undivided atten- tion to ventilating. Then we must suppose that a vo- lume of pure air admitted by an apperture of nine or ten square feel at a velocity of five feet per second is ready to ♦ >i» 63 enter the hall of your house, constantly — in winter raised (by a lire to he kept in the metal niaehine) to a temperature of about 100° Fahrenheat, and in hot weather (by the air bein^ l)rou[!;ht under or near the ground) at a tempera- ture of about 70 ° . Before I proceed it \s further necessary for me to remind you of two things, which it is important in the further dis- cussion of this process, should be constantly borne in mind — 1st. That warm air is lighter than cold air and will alivnijs be found at the top — '^d. That air whether warm or cold is impenetrable ; and for all practical purpo- ses in our process — incompressible. INIr. Jackson says " The more heated any fluid becomes, it is the more expanded, and consequently lighter. Being lighter, it rises or mounts upward, while the colder fluid sinks and occupies its place to be warmed and lightened in its turn." But to convince ourselves of this fact we have only to get up clo.->e to the ceiling of any artificially heated room ; or o|)en a door between a cold room and a heated one both rooms will become cold at bottom and warm at top ; and as furdier proof, whilst this change is going on, hold a candle near the top of the opening and set another at the bottom, the one will draw into the cold room the other om^ of it. liKJecd you cannot compel cold air and hot air to be- come blended or mixed, by whatever means or however you may disturb it — the moment the agitation ceases the warmest will be found at the top and the coldest at the bottom. With respect to the impenetrability of air Dr. Lardner says *' Since air may be seen and felt — since it has colour and weight — and since it opposes resistence when acted upon, and strikes with a force in proportion to the speed of its molicMi — we can scarcely hesitate to admit that it has qualities which entitle it to be classed among material substances ; but one other quality still remains to be noti- ced, which perhaps decides its materiality more unan- n i V *<(• G4 swerably than any of ihe others. Air is impenetrable ; it enjoys that peculiar property of matter by which it re- fuses admission to any other body to the space it occupies, until it quit that space. This property air possesses as positively as adamant." The mere gratification of our sense of feeling, by raising the temperature of our dwellings, allhotigh, 1 admit, a matter of necessity at certain seasons of the year iii cold climates, is yet but of secondary importance ; our prima- ry object should be a full supply to the lungs of the in- mates, with that material which the God of nattu'e has ordained for that purpose — pure air. Our second object should be the purifying of our dwelUnii ilut sii1)Ji;lI. Tlii~ geiitle- »u la iiuiu.jdiiaciy rjoC';^.a/.eil in my sug^tbtions ilie uue i)iiuc;4)Iu, uuii » 4^ 66 f ' I If this be characterised as an utilitarian age, the style of our buildings boih public and private, certainly form no part of the proof. If indeed any little inipiovenfient in this respect, has, within the last century been gaining ground, it is only where the severity of the climate has forced it upon the inhabitants. Even this innovation, slight as it is, seems to have attracted the attention of our old-fashioned gentry, especially 1 notice some of the cler- gy, in Great Britain and Irelard, and Societies have ac- tually been formed for the purpose of checking this spirit of "innovation" as it has been termed, and forcing upon the inhabitants of this cold region of the northern parts of the American continent a style of Church and other public buildings, such as miidit have have been fittinir in Eng- land in the reign of our good Queen Elizabeth, and might have suited ihe climate of the southern parts of the European coniinent, whence it has been borrow cd ; but to transplant into a cold country, is about as sensible a proceeding as that would be w hich should direct its efforts to the introduction of breeches and stockings to the snows of Canada ! Comfort, convenience and health are by such considered as secondary to what is called " good taste." If, instead of the deeply vaulted ceiling, — thrown up to the enormous height of 40, 50, and soimuimcs, ] believe, CO feet, — our churches had a plane tlat ceilin'j:, not ex- ceeding half the height, where the congregation, in winter, would be insured a comfortable degree oi warmth, a:^ well as the gratilication of hearing the minister, which, of itself, is no inconsiderable advantage, the great object of their construction would be attained ; and our cor,'Me'Miions I am certain wo ild be much increased. At present, all the old and infirm, especially if a little dull of healing, and those of habitual delicate health — male and female — sel- dom think of attending service in a cold or bluslerinf' win- ter's day, and never at night. beMiig jjossessed of inju-iniity ns well as soifiifc. Ijy iorce of liis own jmlgemeni coiiii)reliciulcd and alniO:>t, unticiiiatcd my whole scheine. 67 Our churches, generally sneaking, are very cold in win- ter, and very opjiressivo in summer, all for want of a con- venient consiruction and veniilalion, and are often, in my opinion, the unsuspected cause? of attacks of illness in de- licate persons; I can at all event:j speak of my own case upon I'li.-; i;ulij(!(*t, feelingly. JNurcun J rc.?!sl. whilst upon ihe subject of chinches, to hazard the opinion that our stvh^ of cliurch huiklinir, is not onlv inconvenient for a Canadian climate, but also that it is unnecessarily cxpen- sivi\. and, in many places, beyond the means of the con- gregation to properly (Inish and comfortably furnisli, which, instea not the on ly or the •jreatest evil of our jiresent unhealthy (nr.i) 1 say filthy) hai»it of Tu iiig. It is the con.-tanl day and night inhaling of the miasm emrendered bv the saturatitm (encrustation 1 iiiav tUU ) of ll le walls 01 our ( f dwell iniT, our lurniture, 'o> but C'pei.ially oiu' cmtains and cnrpits. and above and beycmd all our sleeping rooms and bed elothi *<. by the accumula- tifjns of the e\IiaIaiions from the surface of the body, (no iilier by what clothing surrounded, or how frequently m waslieii.) caused by respnalion, cutaneous transpiration, the products of the combustion of our lauips and candles and the elHuvia from our kliohens. all of which taken lu- it 68 i i ' ¥ gethor to be rendered innocuous, require the cirrulalion of a quantity of pure air at least equal to that lor the con- sumption of ti)H lungs; so that 10 cubic feet per minute for each individual, is, in my opinion, rather under than over the quantity absolutely necessary to be in constant circulation through our dwellings, for the insurance of health. And here I must again trouble you to follow me in a digression in order to prove the injurious effects j)roduced by the miasm of a cellar, or, in fact, any other contami- nated atmosphere. I quote from Professor Leibeg, who is, 1 believe, generally allowed to be the first chemist of the day. Speaking of poisons, contagion and miasm, and tlieir mode of action, Dr. Leibeg says: " IS'o othor com})onent part of the organism can be compared to the blood, in re- spect to the feeble resistance it oilers to exterior influences. The blood is not an orjian which is formed, but an organ in the act of formation ; indeed it is the sum ol all the or- gans which are being formed. The ch«'mira1 force and the vital principle hold each other in such pcrfcci equili- brium, that every disturbance, however trifling, or from whatever cause it may proceed, efiecls a chanue in the blood. This liquid possesses so little of permanence that it cannot be removed from the body wiihoiil inmitdiately suffering a change, and cannot come in contact with any organ in the body, without yielding to its attraction. "The slightest action of a chemical agent upon the blood exercises an injurious influence ; evrn the momen- tary contact with the air in the lungs, although ellected ihrough the medium of cells and membranes, alters the co- lour and other qualities of the blood. Every chemical action propagates itself through the mass of the blood ; for example, the active cheniical condition of the cotisiuVients of a body undergoing decomposition, fermentation, putri- faciion, or decay, disturbs the e(|uilil)iiuni between the che- mical force and the vital principle in the circulating fluid." 69 Again, he says : "An animal substance in the act of decomposiiion, or a substance generated from the compo- nent pints of n living body by disease, communicates its own condiiioii to all pails of the system ca|)able of enter- ing into the same state." And again, "The state of change or decomposiiion which allects one particle of blood, is imparled lo a second, a third, and at last to all the particles of blood in the whole body. It is conuuuni- cated, in like manner, to the blood of another individual, to thai of a third person, and so on ; or, in other words, the disease is excited in them also." Once more he says : " Chemical actions are propagated in no organs so cosily as in the lungs, and it is ucll known that diseases of the lungs arCj above all others, J riquent and dangerous. *' If it is assumed that chemical action and the vital principle mutually balance each other in the blood, it must further be supposed that the chemical powers will have a certain degree of preponderence in the hmgs, whcM-e the air and blood are in Inunediale contact ; lor these organs are fit- ted by nature to favour chemical action ; they offer no resis- tance lo the changes experienced by the venous blood. " If the mailer undergoing decomposition is a product of the decay or pulril'aclion of animal and vegetable sub- stances, or causes their decomposiiion, it is termed miasm. Gaseous contagious matter is a miasm emitted from blood, and capable of ueuiMaling itself again in blood. But mi- asm, properly so called, causes disease without being itself reproduced. "Carbonic acid and sulphuretted hydrogen, which are frequently evolved from the earth in cellars, mines, wells, sewers and other places, are amongst the most pernicious miasms." Whilst u|ion this subject I may as well give you Pro- fessor Leibeg's opinion upon the use of Chlorine as a dis- infecter. I recollect that during the times of Cholera Mor- bus in this Province, about fifteen years ago, ils use was I'- ll it (I I 70 !l ^ ll much reported fo, nnd it is, I boliovo, froqnontly u=!cd at lliis di'.y about dwi'llin^s. After iiamin;^ .s(M( r;d acids wliicli niuy, wiili .tdvaiitago be evaporated in air coiilain- ini; i,Mseoiis conta<,'ions, lie says : " Chljriiit al.'-o is a mh- ••tauce uliieli destroys aiuuioiiia and oiuanic bodies with nuich facility, but it exerts such an Injurious and prejudi- cial iuilu<'ncc u|)or. the lung's, that it Mi;i)' be classed amongst the most j)ois()nous bochcs known, and sliould never l)e eiuployrd in places in which n)en Ln athe." If after these (juotatioi:, so din'ctly in point, and taken from the writings of the ablest chemist in the world, it is still con-sidercd [lerfeelly safe to inhabit an unveutilateci building erected over a cellar, or for persons of weakly consti- lulions to frequent an unventilated sick room, then 1 can only say that li;;ht and knowledge are thrown away. We w ill now endeavour to make fmther jirogress in the erection of our building. The basement story of the dwelling house being above ground, a free circulation of air should be perniittetion of wet by the earth, but will al-o tend to preserve the timber.* After the ground lloor joists are laid, the outer walls should then be built, hollow throughout. There are so many ways of building hollow walls, that I shall not attem[)t to d«'scribe them ; any practised mason will know what I mean, and the unpractised may easily learn. The greater the number of chinmcy tops (or they may now more properly be called (lue tops,) the better, these hollow walls being connected with liieui. If hollow walls be objected to for any reason, regular tliies are to be carried up from bottom to top, so that an opening made in every story of the building into one of these Hues, the cold air may be thus ejected from every room in the building. These openings are made at the floor of every room, and " The earth under the basement should be coiuplcitly covered over by brick, btone, or lile, cloaely laid. 71 are to terminate in a general nnd lateral flue, which is madtJ to coininunicate with the (lue lops. I should never build higher ilian ei^hl or nine feet be- tweeii joi.sla. The lower hall should be ten or twelve feet wide. From the hall in each story there must be a complete communication by means ol' :.p(Miuri^s ronstrucl- ed at llie lop of the hall and of every room, and from room to room ; these may be j)laced either under or behind the cornices, and are to vary in size according to ihe number of rooujs to be ventilated.* Havini; now established a free communication from the bottom of every room, out of the building, and from the hall into the building and from room to room, it only re- mains to put the air in motion and then the ventilation or circulation will be complete. It is unnecessary for the purpose -f this lecture, parti- cularly to describe the machine for warming the air for winter ventilation, nor is it necessary that 1 shotdd describe the apparatus by which the pure air is brought into the building; these must form the subject of another lecture.f At present, I assume that from the machine (which if re- quired for cooking purposes also, in winter, will be best placed in a kitchen, which I shall suppose is at the end of the hall,t) there is ready to issue from an aperture of, say, three feet square, a quantity of air as before stated equal to 40 or 50 cubic feet j)er second, which would fill one room in a very few minutes, and the whole building in about half an hour. * If there be no oljjoctioii to liiiviiiir the tloors open occas' top apertures may be dispensed with altogetlier. t It is most remarkable iliat the qreater the ipiaiitity of air nia'^ I ^1 ': You will excuse rnc for af,'ain reminding you of llie itn- penotraltiliiy of air; lor unless you believ.e, and constantly bear in mind the fact that not a sin|,de panicle of air, aJiJi- tional to that already enclosed in a perfectly closs room, can be brought into it, without allowing the same qnanlity and at the same instant to escape out of it ; and that not a single particle can escape out of such a roon) unless the same quantity be at the same instant let into it, all J liave to say upon this part of my subjict must go for nothing. We now return to our dwelling, which ve have left prepared with cold air flues in the walls, from the y/oor of each room in the l)uilding, vjiward, and connected with the cbinuiey or flue tops; and with the warm air apert'iics of corresj)onding size, at the tops of the rooms, (or the doors left v. pen,) forming a complete comujunication from room to room, throughout the several stories and rooms of the building. The external air, warmed in winter, is rea- dy to come into the hall. JNow if we suppose all the cold fliV flues to be shut by means of slides, gales or fans, which arc constructed for the purpose, and the house as well as every room to be perfectly close, every attempt \o force this external air into the hall will prove abortive ; no quan- tity of air brought up to the aperture in the ball, plied even with a fire however intense, can force one particle into such a building. I wish you now to accompany i.ie to any one of the rooms on the first floor, say ISo. 4, lor example, draw the cold air slide and inunediatrly the air rushes out in full volume of the capacity of the flue, and exactly that quantity you will finil coming into the hall, and no more. This circulation will go on until all the cold air (if in winter) lying above the bottoms of the upper apertines be drawn into No. 4. and its place of course sup- plied with warm air, then first this room receives the warm air which will speedily fill it. The whole body of cold air lying bdow tiie level of the upper or warm air aper- tures, in the three intervening rooms, still lies there undis- turbed, and will remain unchanged in temperature, as long i:-'^ 73 as the cold air slides at the bottom of these rooms are kept closed. In this way any or ail of the apartments n>ay be vemihiled, as rapidly as the apertures %vill allow the cold air to e.sca|)o. To reader more plain the operation of this ventilating system, suppose two rooms, the one above the other, the bottom one filled with cold water and the lop one with warm, open an aperture hetwcen them, and no alleration in the temperature of either will take place, each will re- main much the same as if no communication had been opened between them ; but if we suppose a gate to be opened at the bottom of the cold room, it will then fill with the warm water as rapidly as the gate will penni« the cold water to escape. It comes to this, in fact, that the venti- lating a building by this process (hptiuh vpon the * '[M 16 immodiatP cfTect is motion, and tlie oporation of what wo lerm a dnuij^'lit, or upward motion to the air, is fxaclly si- milar to, and <;ov«'rnod by tlio saimj laws as hoilini^ or healed wale;-. Tlie h(!at which is applied to the bottom of lhore rapid the motion of the exter- nal air, the greater will be the vacuum created, and conse- quently the belter the draught. tJrd. The pressure of the atmosphere is as great inside of a building as il is outside, in the same maimer as tiie water in a vessel submerged in that element ; and there- fore an a|)erture, or thousands of "cracks or crevices" mado in a room, connnunicatiug with the external atmosphere by pipes or ducts, however small, circuitous or labaiinlhine, or at however great a distance, will exercise tlie same in- fluence upon the air enclosed in a room, as if ihe room were wholly uncovered. To return from this digression. — Thus we have the building ventilated ; and we will now pursue the sul»jt'Ct, and endeavour to show in what way this ventilation is superior to the plan said to have been invented by Dr. Franklin, and so far as I know and be- lieve, followed to this day in all parts of the world where ventilaiiou is jiraciised at all. In the first jjlace it is evident that the \\ hole body of air in a roonj thus ventilated must be constantly stttlinir, ha- ving a downward icndancy, similar lo a body of wuicr I 78 ) '4 drawn oil' from llif bottr':» f u vessel ; tliis downward ciirinil aclin;^ dirt'cily n^ m-.» ,» \\\e lisiir'; io^ of ilu^t and |)U" trid exlialalions willi w! V. vol')' iiihabiltMl loom but 1^ more uspt'cially a carpoied on«, is always tilU'il, k('r|)iiig it near llii- (lour, or at all evtiils bi'low bn-aiirni': distance, and j;ivinLf all llie ini|)i.iiiiit's, wiib the? wliob' body ol air, a diii'clioii toward llu.' rold air Hue, tbrougli wliiidi it final- ly escapes. Ill the second place yon secure tin.' four-fold advanta,;'o, by liiis bottom ventilation, ol gfuin;; rid of the roldrst air in the room, instead ol (he \\ariiie>>i as in iht old mode, and thus savini,' all the heal; of drawing' tiie dusi juid mi- asm ilownu'(irh and un:ididltr;ited. Moreover, the breuth \\r expire, is hcdvicr than thai which ue in.spiri'. " Ani- mal respiration," says Mr. .lackson. "chanLfrs the roii'-:!- tntion of air; oxy^^cn is de>troyed or ticjtosited in the blood, and carbonic acid lms is ;^iven ciii in its ?tead. Tims w(« inhale pure air and exhale that wliieh is f t,d, earlionic acid beinij; an impiu'e and heaw '>pecies df uas." Indeed it has never been denied, for it is undeniable ll:al j)ure air in its natural ^lale, is like water, alwiy- lii^hter than that which is impure, and of course \\lll float ahovr. The impure and |)utrid air ;_e leiaied in the fens, marshes and .-wamps, never ascends to the topsofthe adjoinin^f lidls cither in Hnrope or An)eri;a. Indeed this assertion is fully borne out l>y l!ie experience of others. Persons visiiini; caverns and even common wel I -di '/infers will attest this fact ; nor could the colliers exist willioul mnnerous shalls beini; let (low n from the open air in order to discharge the foul vapour. And to these may be added ihe valley of death 79 i\ in Java ami llio cailionic ao'ul sprinL'"? in Huvaria, as well as thu wi-ll aullienlicatcd Carl ul' lliu (irotlo iltl cano, in Italy, ill wliicli a man may walk altout uiiluirmed, wliiUt n tloi,', In'cailiiii'^r iliat piiil of iho body of air lyin^,' at the bottom, immt'diatcly «'\|)irt's. t'liitlu'i', as ii alU'Cls livintf oru;anism, inaiiimato as well as animate. It is in low and swampy liiomids ilial the most poisonons rt'pllitjs and noxious licrbs and |>laiiis are found. l"'cw, if any, of ilu? ci'ival plants wliiidi all()rd jsns- t(MiaiKM) or nomislimcnt to man are lound to tliiivr in these situations. Tim timbiM" <,Mo\vin;j; hcru, allhouLih perhaps larger and coarser in texture, is ntjvertheless far inferior in slrenniii and durabi iiy to that j^iowin;,' in airy and dry si- tuations. Wood cut for fu«d in low ^'rounds is not wortli as much as the upland limbfi- by 'JO or 'H) per cent. I need scarcely airain allude to llio iiijnrious eflects arlsini!; from the putrid almospht-ro of our cellars, uhich, undi'r the present mode of lieatin;^ our ilwellin'j;s is not only peruiitti'd, but actuiilly (Iniini u[i into our apartments, from both cellars and cclliir kitcheiH. This is inevitable, and it is in fact the foul vapour from them, still more contami- nated by the lilterinn which it receives in its ascent ihronj^h the cra(d\s of the floors, pores of ihe limber, half an inch of dust, and the carpet itself, whiclj constitutes the princi- pal supply for the hm^fs of a family ! iJefort; I |irocee.l to show the clieiuieal effcts upon thr? IniiLis and i^enerally upon healtli, I will reniind \ on of the d 'scription of hamlicruflsmcn iiiosily subject to this stale of breathinir. Kvery individual human ho\n'f is ninri^or lessinterr';ted, but thos ? whose condition is r.ccessarlly most e\j)ose;l to the evils of a putrid atmo^plu re, are ail manufacim'i is, but es|)ecially of wool. Max and hemp. Millers, IJakers, Stone cutlers, I'rinters, Painters, woikers in cloths, metals, ami paper manufacturer-. I mention these out of the hosts ol others, becausn they appear to bavo eiiL'a^'ed the particu- lar attention of medical statlcians. As it respects the I I ll 80 J •^ \- l'\ \vorkers anioni,'st wool, flux and lieinp, the amdiorntion cl* tlieii- coikIiIioii by ;i propei' sysieiii of veiuilaliuii, is too ob- vious to need any lUillior leinaik. Tluj dense log ol" par- ticles, visible as well as invisil)le to the naked eye, as well as the miasm of ve^^eiahle and aiiimal decomposiiioi;, wiiich fill the rooms, and of necessity are taken into tlic hui^s, must be truly dreadfid, and accounts at once ih: the pale hagi^ard countenances, sickly constitutions, and number of deaths amongst the manufacturers, both in Europe and America. There appears to be a diversity of opinion with respect to the longevity of printers. iM. Chevalier, a French l*ro- fessor of Medicine, denies the assertion of IM. Tlinckrah and M. Cassicourt, that on account of the bodily inlirmi- lies and diseases with which Printers are adecied, such ^s, of the stomach, head and eyes, and consumption, scarcely a compositor above the age of 50 years can be found ; but although he makes the denial he adinits his inability to prove the contrary. M. Chevalier's own view of ihe mat- ter, however, induces him to recommend, amongst a gn'at many admonitions, that printers should nrnkeuse, suHicient- ly early, of glasses to preserve their eyes; to substitute lamps for candles ; to have the air of the ojjicts rtnciveJ, especially when they are being cleaned ; to point out the necessity of warm clothing, and to avoid sudden transitions from heat to cold ; to keep up in the printing olllces an equable and medium teniperature during the cold seaiun ; to choose dry and airy places for work shops, and not to dry in them the siicets wet from the press, which keep up an unwholesome air ; to reticw the oir of their ti'ork rooniif by opening the windows at night, and to take care during the day, and es|)ecially in the evening, that thtie shall be fl current of pure air from without, aujjicitnt to moke ?//; for its vitiation and ixhau:-, indeed, "a current o( pure air from w illiout.'' He do-, s i.oi appear lo know that Ik? is re- commendin<,f un imi'ossibiliiy, unless llie same (|uanliiy be let out the room at iht; same time; and unless il' ihat were let out at any odicr place than the holtom of the room, all the heat of ihc room would go with it, and not only so, but the dust and miasm would bt; drawn npivnid, and breathed the same as before, — somethiuf^ less perhaps in (juanliiy. Now it is evident that if the fresh air bebrouiihlio a tern- perature (Hcr so little nhove ihe air already in the room, before it onifv, the room wiil bej;in tolill from the top, and *A' let od'at the bottom will, with the constantly falling body of air, carry (hiciiiconl every j)article of |)uiri(liiy. Thus all the evils which he has pointed out uould be remedied at one sin^'lt: opeiation. The lemperatiu'e of the whole, es- tablishmi'iit wtndd hi; " eriuable."' The feet wouhl be warm, lb '1' je eves would remuui unmiured, aiul above a nj' ill.— the lungs would be preserveil from dust, and the miasm ex- baling from the wet paper, ink, type, as well as what is worse than all, that portion of the air which has already been in .i state of coniljustion by the lungs, or in other words that w hich has already been in llu? lungs. Tin,' life of a Printer is indeed a laborious one, and the least that could be expected from the owners of Printing establishments would be an ample supply of pure air, winch, by p >reservmLr their iieaiiii am I enl iveniniT thei r spi- rits,* would be some amelioraiioii to the penitentiary lii< * Is llu.'rc a |)ersoii in tin' world wlio li.is ii -l e>w|»orii;nco(! a pii'iisiire- al)ii' siMi-i;itioii upon Ijcim^; roiiiuvcd tVoiii iliiMn-i.t'.- ol'si hiiililiiii^ to the tnil-iiili', Iroiii a >m.ill, clusi-, i'Oiit;muii;iii". runiii to !i lny^f uiul uuy on-:', Iroiii ;i lov^'cr iipariiiriil to iiii u|t(n.T one ' Tiiis sun-.uium ariMus !o-i> Iroin :^ii;lii iluui liom ihc eiloct oi a inucr aliuo.-'ijiiijit} coiiiiriuiucaitfd lu the bioud. 4 4l ' frm } \ '■ w 82 to which tliis useful and respectable class is doomed. Most of lliese remarks are equally apijlicabie to offices, public and private, in which a number of men follow the occupation of writers, and especially to sciiool rooms. But it is not the French and German Piofessors alone who are at fault in the matter of ventilation. The Eng- lish and Scotch, so far as 1 have had it in my power to be informed, seem equally with them at a loss. The idea of filling and keeping constantly supplied, an ordinary sized dwellinii-h ith fresh and pur in quantity equa louse to 150,000 or '^uu,uuu cunic leet per nour, n)y wiiicii not only the respiiatory organs of the inmates would be sup- plied, but the ceiling, the walls, the curtains, the carpets, the furniture, and the floors, would be kept in a coik4ant state of ablution, if I may use the term, night and day,) seems never to have been thought of, or il iliought of, must be abandoned from its impractirabiliiy under the sys- tem hitherto pursued ; no amount of fuel at all compatible with ordinary mearis being equal to the keeping up of a temperature even tolerable during a Canadian winter. In order to form some idea of the tlieory of some of the scientific men of (ireat Britain, who have stood foremosi upon this subject, 1 will trouble you with the suhstunce of two or three extracts fi'om their writings, which have very lately fallen into my hands. Dr. Arnolt says : " consumption is the disease w hicli carries off a fifth or more of the persons horn in Britain ; owing in part, no doubt, to the cbangeableness of the cli- mate," but he adds, " mueh more to the faulty modes of warming and ventilating the houses."* This irentleman finds fault with all those who had ve also win.ij il iijally could uot be avoided, udd^d :t note ori'.liiiiiutiuii. 83 ** Whenever/' he says, " a proper supply of air is achnilterl, an equali'/zuioii of iiioveiiieiit is t?sseiuial, more particularly in crovvdtMl aparliiKMils. iNoiliiii;^^ i^ easier llian to remove the foul air lioin an apartmeut and inlrodiiciuu' pure in its stead; but if not properly warmed, a mo>t olT-Mi-sive and dangerous series ordiilling draughts are the conseipience. In rooms fi>r invalids this s^uhject hecomes of great conse- quence, especially in diseast^s of the cliest. And geni-rally speaking, to a great number ofconstiiulion^, une([ual cur- rents are ntore dangerous than an oppi'i--.sive almu^phert;." After stating, amongst other things, •' ihtM'e i^ little or no ventilation above the level of the chiumey-piece — where no other mode of ventilation is practised — and >he\>king that all the s[)aoe above this point is and ket-ps Dlled with the Stairniuit proilucls of respiration and the lainp^, Sic, wliih; the fr<'sli (?) current movtjs along the floor, " he concludes by recommiMiding that '• hot iuid c:ol(l air chand)ers :5lioul(l be provided, hom which a supjily of cold and warm air nnv be obtained, and a n)i\ing chamber for min^lin'' the various proportions." lie adds: "inordinary aj)artments where nothing more can be atl'unied, two openings at dil- feren! levch will always give umcli le-lief: the one u-iially adnniiing eohl, and the other, which should be as high as po<*>ib!e, discharging hot and foul air." Out of re^-pect, and reverence indeed, to the '' Biiiish A*>ociaiiou," of which Dr. Arnolt was a ilistinguished MiendM.'r, 1 refrain from properly charactt'rising the int'Xpli- cable exhibition which, iis a philosopluM', a man accu-tomed lo ti' -ing eliects back to their causes, he makes in ihesen- tenci s which I have just rpioled. Fiom the Penny Ci/cloixcdia, published under the pa- tronage of I>ord JJrongham, and a host of scientific men, I make two or three other extracts. '• I'ln* sup- ply of I ciiliic ft.'et o(" air for each individiiil, of course in- volves tin- condition, that an e(jual (piantity of vitiated air per minute imist be allowed lo escape ; and the encpiiry naturally follows, how docs ihisc-cape lake j)!acu f Ai'wr 64 ! some obsprvntions upon the wci<;l)t of air. tlie author con- cludes, " From all these circuimstance'S il is (bund that ro-* spired air ascends to tlu^ iippcM' part of tlic room, and it follows (hat the. ccilins^ or some neiir/ihuiiriim; part is the proptr. place for on outlet.^^ This writt-r procfiMJs, '"IJul il is prohahle that in most iMi^li-h rooms, provided as they :ire with tolerably lari^c; open lire places, and w ith doors which are freqnenily opened, the ventilation is suHicienlly complete. The fresh air enters the room by the creviceg around the lower part of the room, and escapes f)ut of U ill I I but those at me little more judgement, '* In crowded rooms, where the amount of vitiated breath bears a much larj^'cr ratio to the cubical contents, and where the doors are generally small compared with the i]eiiasm of tin; cellars, ^cc, must be constantly taken into the lun^';s of the imnates. liut it is needlv'ss, indeed I did not intend to anrue tlto f)oint, 1 merely (juoied a few passages, more lijr the piu'-* 85 pose of corroborating what 1 liave stated in rorjard to the fact that juire.it and sujall, learned and unlearnt'd, are equal- ly at fault u|H)ii [Uv philosophij of the subject. All these f^'e.nllenien, Sir John Snicl.m', Rt'id, Loudon, l^rofessor Napier, with "-oinc oiiu-rs of less note, (liircr somewhat in the detail, but [Uvir princijdc, if any tlu-re he in it, is pre- cisely the same. They lidk of " ciacks," "crevices,'' "apertures," and "doors," iliey " dilUise," " mix" and "niinii;le," and make a very confused, intricate, and <;reat matter of one of the most beautiful and simple o[ierations o( INalure. What says Professor 7^t'/7*r£f. furlht r upon this subject of miasm. " 'I'be coniacl of air with \ri ous blood i>> li- mited to a very >liort period of i. ue by i motion of tlie lieart, and any eiianne beyond a determinaie point is, in a tain det^qve, prt'veiited by lin^ lapid removal of the l)lo(){| whii'h has bi-come ;uleii,dised. Solid substances, sucli as dust from ve'j;i'iai)li-, meal, animal, wool and inor;ianic bo- dies, act in ilie s.imtj way as ilWy do in a sattu'aied sohuion of salt in llie act of crvsialisaiion, that is, ihev occasion a deposition of solid matters from the blood, by w biidi iln; action of the air upon the latter is alu-red or previ'iiti'd. Tile chemical process of slow condiusiion in the hm^s is accelerated \)\ all sid»slances in a state of decay or putu- faclioii. ' AL^iii). " Wiien the process of respiration is mo- dified by contact wiili matter in tin! progress of decay. when this matli-r communicates the state of decomposition, of which it i> the subjticl to the blood, diseasf; is produced." Avails, " Jf the matter underLjoin^ decomposition is the product of disease, it is called conia^ion : but il it is the product of tlie. decay or putrilaction of animal or \t';ictable substances, it is lenned inia.Mii. Miasm properly so called cause.-, disea>e, \s iihoul beini,' il>eM reproduced." Once more, 'Every chemical action ^wopa;;ates itself through the mass of the blood; for example, ihe active clu'iiiical condition of the consiiiuents of a body niuhMi^oiim decom- poiitiun, ferment. iiion, putrilaction, or decay, distuiha the 86 oquilibriiim bol'vopn the cliomical force anil llie vital prin- ciplo ol Ihe cirnihitini,' (Itud. in am ri^liily inlormcil the Hoiiseof Coniinons is lient- ocl from the lloor and suit; walls, l)Otlj ofwliicli are pt'ifo- ratod sullicicntly fo admit tlu» liDt air from llii'ir caviti<'s. Tin? ir.emhcrs ;\vc thus hukcd, litcially kiln-(!riL(l. Tiie ventilation takes phu'e, of conrse out of the top of tin: room. This '^ulijects " the eoHective wisdom" olihi' nation to all the evils which 1 have descrihed as incidt-nt to such a sys- 1 ible, be Loni. I a(hnit that the (eet >hould, as lar a> possible, kept warm and dry, hotli indoors and out of doors; but that it can he hfalthy imkI proper for a person to live in a situation, where a constant and aciive hciit is applied to the soles of his feet, 1 leave to the " Faculty" lo deter- mine. My auihorlly for tiie •statement of liie ninnncr in which the Mouse of Conmions is ventilated, and that a Mr. Per- kins is the operator, is men^ hear-sny. 1 lia\e. however, the authority of ihc proceedings of ihe jiriti^h Association for llu! advaiicement of Science, for the follow inLi statement of Dr. ]{i-n\, who ventilated the old House ol" Connnons. " Dr. Keid explaintid the mode he had adopted to venti- late the lloH^e of Connnon's, which he illiKirated by dia- fframs and demonstrated by the exhibition of a j,da/eil mo- th;! of the House. The ourent of fresh ww rou\A l*e intro- duced either IVom below or from above, dilliiseil uniformly and not by violent draughts, but, as it were, insensibly, and was under the most exact controni as to quantity. Tlie air when used for respiration or cond)uslion was con- veyed aw a)' in an opposite; direction to that in wi)i(di it had been intioduced.^ Tin; products of combusiion should, if possibh', be carri(Ml off so as not lo interfere with the im- niediiite supply to each individual. For the purpose o( rais'nif t'.ie temjierature. hot water was used in iron tubes, not raised above 150 ° ." *' f/jWssiUi,'^ says !)r. Reid, "the products of conjbus- lion should be carried od', &:c." 1 agree w iib him ; but 87 iiii- lia- ino- tro- luly ity. Oll- if iiii- ui )es, us- but according to Iiis plan of adinilting tlie air into tlie room, and carryinji; it out in '* an opposite direction," ii is not pos- sible ; and liM sec. is to admit this. It is evident that in any such hiteriil curn^nt throui^di a room filled wiih people, those at the Ictwtrd sidt; miisl inhale those " products of combustion" thrown oil' the lunifs of those on tlie windward side. He does not appear to have: had the least idea of ^nvinij these '' products of coinhnsiion" a downward ihrac- tion, by which every individual in the room, be they many or few, inhales at every succeedinj; breath, the fiesh air. He is ri;;lit in statin'j; that the air in a room should not bo brouiflit up to mon; ih.m 130 ^ . My o[)inioii is that that is considerably too hiiih. In a climate like that of Eni;land, for the f;;reater part of the year I do not deny that a lari^'e (piantity of outside air niii^hi bi; carried ihroui;h a buildinif or room of the size of the House of Commons witliout any very <;reat dan^^er to the health of the members, w ho, i belit.'ve, ^renerally wear their hats there : but let us lake a ca'^e of every day's and ni'dit's oecurren(;e, when the thermometer standi at or be- low zero in (Canada. Suppose a Court room, Mec^tini; house, or Tiocture room, 50 feet square and 20 feet hii;h. This buildin^i; contains 50,000 cubic fe(!t. Now let in an audience of '200 peoj)lo, each one of these desiroyin.; by conibu>.iion of the lungs and cutaneous transpiration (to say nothing about the stoves or lamps, or candles, if in the evening.) 10 cubic feet of air per minute, in '25 minutes every particle of this air will have been bre abed. What next ? The idea is too re- volting for description. How, I ask, will the suj)ply of " fresh air" through "the doors," " windows," and ''cracks and crevices," mentioned by these philosophers, square with our ideas of the necessity of the case ? It is well that the Judges and Lecturers are generally placed near the walls and windows whenee they get the first chanoe at the air from the "cracks" and " crevires," or they would soon be utterly incapacitated to fulfil their duties. I 88 J .»f Yet because we cannot see tlie pollution by which we a^e sunoundi'd, undei" such cnounisiuiices, wo aro conlont witii, becau-io unconscious of, oui ^iuiiuion. J}i;cause we cannot yie/ ilie dilleience briweon this and u pure iilnios- plicre ol' lh(! sanie tiMnpeialuie, we do not suspect its ini- j)urity. Sintll it we can and do, but haviiii: been boi'n to sucii a state o (■ tl mii^s and known);^ our iielnl essness we submit to our fate with a feelini; similar to thai by which the VVesttMii Africans aro actuated when the headsman ap- pears with his scimiler to lake olV then- iieads (or sacrifice ; we are intnipahie, because \s e do not understand how, to m ake a sin'j,h! i'lforl in orth-r lo escape! Perforated lloors for churches and other public buildiiii^s, not covered with car|)eis, 1 should certainly recommend ; but for exactly a contrary purpose than that in the House of Commons. I should there let the cold air lscoi>c, and if these perforations were maiK' in blocks, ihey miidit be conv(M)iently opened and shut by false lilidin^,^ tluors under- neaiii. It is useless here to speculate upon the many ways in w hicli these apertures of w hich I have l)een speak- ing, may be constructed (behind llili^uralion of the rooms. \\ ooden buildin'j;s n)ay be vt.'ntilated with etpial if not greatiM' facility than llio:>e built ol stone or brick. If objection be made to the apertures in the tops of the walls, the door^!, if left open will answer the purpose as J)as b(MMi ahiNidy stated. 1 have hitherto beei\ mostly considiM'ing a winter venti- lation. If 1 have succecnled in impreisiui; you with the belief that a purilieation of our dwellini^s is necessary du- rine in estinuiling it at its proper value, du- riui"; our hot summers. It is true that in the very warmest weather, we Irequently open our doors and windows, in those aparimeiils most commonly used, in order to gratify our sense of fedine^^ 80 and by lliis means a partial vontilallon Is obtained ; but our cellars, attics, and sb-eping rooms, are ii( line of diseased (jlispiln^f. In an unventilated dwelling, the sleej)Ing cliandn-rs should be the lai'^^est rooms, all the inner doors of every room should, upon the iinnates retirini; to bed, be thrown opi'u ; every article of bed clothing' should e\ery morein^ ht; exposed, .st- 'pnratchf, to the pure air, upon an aninet, or drawer, sta;^- natcs and putrifies the same a^ water w lien confined, and this should on no account be sudered. \\ we wish to be convinced of this we have only to walk inl) such a room or open sucdi a drawer. An "her practice to which I decidedly object is very commo:i, — the use of an ordinarily occupieMjrreeal>le or a^ 'o m. V. '^ '■■ ^ o f> ^ ■^ k.^ D3 mulate tlieir jaded organs by continually changing the ob-i jects of their enjoyment." But every day's experience must convince the most careless observer of how little dependence can be placed upon the sense of smelling. We move into a new tene- ment, we are at once sensible of a difference of smell, in a very few days we become insensible to it. We walk into a different apart nent of the same building even — perhaps our own — we notice a peculiariiy. We notice the loathing with which a person comes into one of our prisons, in a few days he ceases to complain. In short such is the un-^ certainty of our organs, that, delicate and refined as they are, if our health depended solely upon their indication, they would be worse than useless to the human family ; certainly we cannot take them as a criterion by which to judge of the purity of the air we breathe. Under these circumstances; our only resource evidently, is to apply to iNature. She is always, I repeat, the safest guide in anything which regards our physical wants. She has provided, and provided abundantly, a standard for us to go to — that univeisal purifier, the common atniosphere, which, notwithstanding all the labour which it has had to ])erform for thousands of years, is yet just as pure as at the beginning, and just as willing to perform its part as it ever was. We, however will not allow Nature to do her office; we studiously shut her out of our dwellings — our dwellings, I say, for it is there, if any where, where her powers of purification are needed, it is there where she can be of most use to us, and it is there therefore, blow high or blow low, sunshine or rain, be the weather warm or cold, where she ought freely and constantly to have undisputed sway. Without pure air, no part of mankind, those who *' live in ceiled houses" especially, can ever be a healthy race of people ; and more especially will it be so with those who inhabit a cold climate. Sir John Sinclair, in remarking upon the beneficial ef- fects of country air to the inhabitants of towns, extracted 1 ; "'! . 93 ■i . 1 from Wilson's travels, says " the above remarks on air, ar6 equally lively and just. Indeed when the imperious ne- cessity for constantly repeated inspiration and expiration is Considered, and the very short time that any of the more complicated animals can exist, if deprived of air, it would appear that a constant supply of thai fluid, in as great pu- rity as possible, is more immediately requisite for the sup- port of life, (and health) than any other external circuni' stance whatever. The very spirit of vitality seems, through the medium of the lungs, to be derived from the atmos- phere." In considering the evils attendant upon a want of a sys- tem of ventilation withih our dwellings, I have hitherto made no distinction in the diseases which may be engen- dered or aggravated in consequence ; because in most of these, the medical profession, by a long course of collation of facts, and the application of scientific enquiry has been enabled to grapple with and master them, but there is one disease which has baffled their utmost skill. It is the most terrific of all, and from its unconquerable nature drives us to the only alternative — lis jfreveniion. It is in this view of the subject that I originally instituted my experiments, and have ventured to approach and publicly discuss the system of ventilation before you, believing as 1 do, that if followed up, it will not only prove to be a preventive, but will, with the blessing of God, immediately check its aw- fully rapid progress. To this end chiefly will the remain- der of this paper be directed to a notice of what I consi- der the most fruitful source of this disease. Upon mothers, in my humble opinion, rests the greatest responsibility as it respects the communication of any ac- quired or hereditary taint in the blood. In outward form and developement of all {he jjhi/sical poii-ers, children more fre- quently resemble the father, whilst in nine cases out of ten the mind will receive its impress from the mother. We seldom see a clever family of children who have not had a mother of strong intellectual powers, imd vice versa. And V 94 so it is with respect to the transmission of any disease de" veloped by means of an affection of the bloorl. It is to- mothers therefore, and indeed all females^ that, before clo- sing my remarks, I would address a few hints which, how- ever they may come from an unprofessional man, are, nevertheless the result of long experience and a close attention to tiie subject. In most families there are persons, and especially among the females, more or less delicate in canstilution, and fre- quently, invalids. How much it behooves all suth to be ever on the watch for the preservation of that portion of health and strength which the Almighty has vouchsafed them, I leav(^ to the physician to determine ; but there is one practice common amongst ladieS; which is so palpably mischievous that I cannot avoid specially referring lo it. When about going out in winter they are in general com- mendably careful in securing themselves against the cold ; but they, without any hesitation, and at all times, visit rooms, up stairs and down stairs, in their hall warmed dwellings, whose temperature is as low as it is outside the building, without any additional clothing. Not only so, but they without scruple sleep in an atmosphere down to zero, after having spent 15 hours out of the 24 in one up to 70 or 80! How health can be maintained, even by an ordinarily healthy person, under such circumstances, it is difficult to imagine. Under a proper system of ventilation-, these sudden transitions from heat to cold within our dwellinii;s would be effectually avoided, the same temperatui'e would be found in every rooin by night and by day. M. Foissac. speaking af the peculiar effects occasioned by hot and cold climates upon the constitution, says that " the cutaneous transpiration, undergoes, from the effect of temperature, more considerable variation than the pulmo- nary transpiration, it being even probable that the one is destined to replace the other. This close correspondence will account for the freq^uency of pulmonary diseases occa- I 9& sioned by the impression of cold made on the surface of the skin." The same author, quoted by the Edinburgh Medical and Surgical Journal, says again, speaking of consumption of the throat and the liability of females to its contraction, "that some of the causes are great extremes and sudden transitions in the atmospherical air. Of the former, dry heat and great cold, and of the latter, transition from a hot to a cold air, and inversely. Hoarseness," he says, "will be brought on in a person predisposed to the disease, if he be exposed to a temperature which differs much from that in which he habitually lives. It is a fact also, worthy of commemoration, that the hoarseness is greater when the patient passes from a cold to a hot air, than it is when the transition is from a medium to a cold temperature." Professor E, H. Barton, M. D., New Orleans, on a comj)arison of deaths by j)ulmonary consun)ptIon in warm and cold climates, slates that whilst the deaths in the nor. thern cities of the United States from this disease amount to I in 4, those in New Orleans amouiit to 1 in JiO. Thus making the difference against the northern cities more than 7 to 1» The cause assigned by Dr. Barton is this; — "In the north the most active apparatus of the sy'^tom is the respi- ratory, on account of the great demand for caloric to ena- ble the inhabitaiits to withstand the influence of cold on their systems ;. and hence the predominance of their pul- monary diseases over others. But on coming to the south where this increased temperature is no longer required to preserve the integrity of his organisation, this active de- mand on the respiratory system is diminished, and trans- ferred to other systems, Stc. This gentleman has here stated and proved by, no doubt, accurate statistics — a fact, that no one has ever denied or can deny — that deaths from consumption, in cold climates greatly preponderate over those in warm regions ; but the reason, which he gives, viz. the greater activity of the res- peratory apparatus requiced in a cold cHmate in order tO' J gb Supply the additional quantity of caloric required in a low temperature — is lalacious. It lias already been stated, on the authority of Mr. Jackson, of Edinburgh, that the atmosphere, weight for weight, contains the same constituents all over the Globe — in the torrid as in the friged zone — but bulk for bulk there is nearly double the quantity in the coldest that there is in the hottest climate. If then, as Dr. Thotiipson has it, a man in ordinary health and in a temperate climate, say 70 ^ , inspires 40 cubic inches of atmospheric air, con- taining one-filih, that is, 8 inches of oxygen, it follows that the respiration necessary in a temperature of 100 ° , in or- der to supply the lungs with ihe same quantity of oxygen, must be of nearly double the rapidity of action which would be required in a temperature down to zero ; and that, therefore, so far from the " respiratory apparatus" be- ing more active in a cold climate than in a warm one, the very reverse is the case. Dr. Foissac, however, whom I have before quoted, set- tles the matter when he says, "In cold countries, and du- ring winter, the respiration, instead of being accelerated, as some authors have stated, is perceptibly retarded ; but a greater quantity of oxygen is absorbed ; a more electrical and less rarified air enters the lungs. The result of this is, a more considerable disengagement of caloric. Nor is Dr. Barton more fortunate in his statement that less ca- loric is required in warm than in cold climates. Titsing, quoted by Dr. Foissac, says that the animal heat is less in the people within the tropics, than in those beyond them. Ross and Parry advanced as far as 74 ° north latitude^ there the alcohol thermometer marked 60 ° below zero, without this extreme cold producing any material diminu- tion in the temperature of the body. Neither does exter- nal heat, says Dr. Foissac, appear to have a more marked effect than cold on the phenomenon of animal heat. The Russians, Poles, and Swedes, Can endure iheair of stoves heated to 167 ° without inconvenience. 97 But it is needless to multiply quotations in order to prove that Dr. Barton has not satisfactorily accounted for the different effects of climate upon this disease ; we know from every day's CKperience that whilst in a very cold day we are obliged to make an effort to prevent too much air from entering into the lungs, in a hot day we are pant- ing after more. When a great and an alarming fact, such as has been stated by Dr. Barton, and which cannot be controverted, that mortality from affections of the lungs is so much greater in cold than in warm climates, is laid before us, certainly it is not unnatural that we should look for a rea- son — a cause not confined to a locality or an isolated case, but one consistent with the whole range of philosophical enquiry. I will not take upon myself to deny that there may be instances of accidentally caused affection of the lungs, but this I do say, that within the whole range of my experience, and it has been an extensive one, I can call to mind but one single instance of death by this disease, which was not clearly traceable to contagion, either mediate or immediate. My belief is that a very large majority of the people comprised in the classes which I have designated as the se- dentary population of all countries, by being necessarily shut up within the contaminated atmosphere of artificially healed dwellings for the greater part of their lives, have contracted a predisposition to this disease, which has des- cended, and which will continue to descend to their chil- dren from generation to generation, and that — so long as we continue to live without properly ventilated dwellings — unless we are ever on the watch, and successfully ward off through care and attention all those excesses, especially those sudden transitions of temperature, which are beco- ming every year more fruitful in awakening this insidious predisposition, we may expect this disease to continue its onward course in frequency as well as virulency, in pro- portion as it becomes, through the lapse of time, inherent I ,] s *. 98 in the population, and instead of the deaths being 7 to 1, it will become one universal epidemic. To conclude. If in my anxiety to make myself understood, I have been too diffuse and particular in my manner of treating the whole matter ; if I have manifested an earnestness be- yond what you may consider it merits, or if I have attached too much importance to the subject, the excuse I have to offer is, that it has for the last few years been, from circum- stances, so forced upon my attention that I could not avoid giving this public expression to my opinion, that the cause of this disease must be sought for in the contamination of the blood alone, and that nothing short of a remedy co-ex- istent with such contamination, can ever have the slightest effect in withstandinir or checkint; its ravages ; and al- though this be a tedious and circuitous route, yet I am firmly persuaded that it is the shortest as it is the onl^ road to its ultimate extermination. If, then, we are convinced that in our present unventi- lated and unpurified dwellings we breathe an atmosphere, the life-giving principle of which is destroyed by heat and saturated with impurities, shall we persist in it because we cannot see it ? If we are satisfied that we are subject to a temperature which is unhealthy, shall we continue to re- main so because we cannot feel it? If we are by night and by day surrounded by a body of air in every way con- taminated by putridity, shall we take no means for its ex- pulson because we cannot perceive h } In short, if we are convinced that our external senses are not to be trusted as regards our general healthy shall we wilfully neglect those precautions, which we are so willing to adopt when some immediate instead of remote calamity awaits us ! If this dreadful malady which carries sorrow and deso- lation into thousands of families, be not contagious and spring not from contamination of the blood, either remotely or directly, why has it, for so many hundreds of years de- fied the skill of the whole medical world ? If it do spring 99 from that cause let us make an effort at least to rescue our children from its awful ravages. The disease, once deve- loped, we know is incurable, our only hope, therefore, as I have before stated, lies in prevention. To this end, then, let us turn our most serious attention and earnest en- deavours — exertions which we owe alike to ourselves, our country, and our children — by adoi)liii;;siicli means as will be most likely to strike at the root of the evil, and lay a founilation by which, ultimately, under the blessini;- of ihe Almighty, we may expect to effectuall extirpate this pre- disposition to a disease the most awfully appalling to which the human family is subject; a disease which (in the words of an eloquent writer) so prepares its victims, as it were, for death ; which so refines it of its grosser aspect, and throws around familiar looks unearthly indications of the coming change — a dread disease in which the struggle between the soul and body is so gradual, quiet and solemn, and the result so sure, that day by day, and grain by grain, the mortal part wastes and withers away, so that the spirit grows light and sanguine with its lingering load, and feeling the immortality at hand, deems it but a new term of mortal lile — a disease in which life and death are so strangely blended, that death takes the glow and hue of life, and life the gaunt and grisly form of death — a disease that medicine never cured, wealth warded off, or poverty could boast exemption from — which sometimes moves in giant strides, and sometimes at a trrdy, sluggish pace, but slow or quick is ever sure and certain.