DANGEROUS BREATHING

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1688, 15 October 1887, Page 3

DANGEROUS BREATHING

* ("Epoch," U.S.) Professor Preyer, one of th 6 moat distinguished physiologists of Germany, and specially noted for bia experiments on the prooesa of respiration, remarks m a recent article on hygiene :— " It la one of the many inconsistencies of civilised men and women that whereas neglect of cleanliness m clothing or food ia considered unpardonable, they do not hesitate to breathe air which reeks with filth of the worst description. " What ia the source of these atmc spheric impurities. There are several sources. One ia the devitalised air, charged with carbonic add gas, that is constantly exhaled from avery pair of lungs, Profeeuor Huxley eaya that •• to be supplied with respiratory air m a fair state of parity, every man onght to have at least 800 cubio feet of space to himself, and that space ought to be freely acoaasible, by direct or indirect channela to the atmosphere." Now, if we consider that Jl a cubical room Oft high, wide, and long, contains only 729 oubic feet of air," we understand how shamefully raoßt humsn being* are oxygenstarved m their Rmall, crowded, unventllated roorrs. Bat the most objectionable Impurities iv the ait we breatha m our rooroa »re the millions of particles of dust which float about m it Ihose people who breathe through the rruuth draw dust constantly Into tbett lungs, where it remains permanently ; for Professor Tyndall has shown that the exhated air is absolutely frea from dust (articles. Professor Keclam asserts that city people at the a c of thirty usually have m their lunpa a whole gramme of calcareous dust which ihey can n9ver again get rid of, and which may engender dangerou3 disease. Few people know that their ekina as well aa their lunga need a constant supply of oxygen. The skin, as well as the lungs, breathes, and purifies the blood, aa 1b Bhown by the fact that the arterial blood which goea to the skin does not turn venous and dark elsewhere, but remains red and pare.