ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 257, 16 October 1862, Page 5

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

PRRSP.NTJ.IRMT OF THE GRAND JTJIIY— .VENTILATION OF PLJHLKJ BUILDINGS. {To the. Editor of the Otago Daily Times.)

Sin, —The time has n;>w arrived when ignorance must no longer be allowed to reign. Letter after letter has appeared in your columns, setting forth i.he necessity for sanitary measures being forthwith adopted for preventing disease and doth amongst the rapidly increasing population of o tamo's nif;tr:)jx>iis —such as water supply, a complete system of sewerage, (fee. —t.iu imm^ihtc necessity of which no one will for a moment deny ; hut thew are costly works, and must, of necessity, require a, considerable to bring to completion. Ths fjvbjeut of ventilation of all huiHing-s where business or pleasure causes nnm'iers to congregate is a matter of no .e.->s importance than tlio.se above referred to. The lungs, to bo in a healthy stat>, require a constant supply of pure air, of the precise chemic tl combination of gases that the allwise Creator instituted fV;nn the be-.yiiminp:; any variation in their relative proportions is certain to produce disease of t!ie respiratory organs. The celebrated Dr. Arnott, than whom a, greater authority cannot be quote 1, ha> statsd, that. " a person of healthy lungs breathing an atmosphere "which Iris been deprived of its due proportion of oxygon by the respiration of others, for only two hour,-! out. of every twenty-four, and this continue.! for a length of time, would be almost ceitain to die of pulmonary pthysis or consumption. It is ([uite certain that wilh due regard to a sir ply of fresh air, consumption might be Iv-mislcd from the land, and be'looke t upon as n tiling- of tho past —a remir.i-eoiico of ibrmer ages, of ignorance, :ui i !.'a:--baris?n. Take waning in time, ye who will persist in cxc'.u 'ii.g' the air iVoni your s!e(;ping'-rooms at night; fr.-rh air at ui;;ht is of more consccjuorfce than in the day, £>nm w« generally obtain sullioici.t in following our various caliin^s in tlic 'iaytime. jßut. nr- r;.'g;in!s |»üblic l.uil;ii;igs, churches. Fchools, &c. it i; i'-'t in tiio power of individuals to obtain the Decenary ssup;.jly of fresh air when business or divotion f ails tnvm thovo. Let every one real attentively the minute of th; Grand Ju-y, of October VZ, 18J2, ia your issun cf the 14t.1i u!t., on " the defective ventiiation of tie Court House." Rejecting the offer of agrntfemau well a'.'fjtiii''nfc"i! with the subject, who fore-I t Id the consnqu^ico" ar.tl dibcis now eomp'ainpu o"'. lo uiulerL^ke the ventilation of this same building ai the tr.u-: tho fouwdtition v/as "being "l i', the Government for tiic lime being nnd "tin-, c iitractor, perasted in tiv.'ir plans, so tliat. the oal; ti r.e win n sysu-ni-it/c v nu!atio:i could have levin tfi-e-te-l w;n a!lowed to pass, and the con<?aqiiince has been a number of fruitions ate np s to b .pp'.y the defect from that time to the pres-mt, c.-.-st-im'it-'ii tinn-fi the r.ijwinr, v/1.-icli it would have required in Vas beginning. The v/ritn4 has taken the trouble to inspc.t several buildings now in prore-s. lie would meiHion the m\v stone Episcopal Uimmh, tlie new High t?ciio;:l, and a f-chool in Cxi cat Kingstreet.. In neither at t!ie-.e buildiuus has any regard b^ni had to tii'i future health of those frequenting them, tiiC conscqucnco is they will prq-.-e " iruih'u"; h itbeds of consumption." He is aware tliat the builcbr.s (f tlu-se evlii-ej will a-s.ser, <; we liave vcntilar.jr.iiu ihe roof!' Th-?y hid far better li.jM thc:r tongues rh:u thus betray thair ignorance. Has not the\'oi!rc- House had a so-called vevitilutor in the roof from tho first'! and. of what use was^ib._ A ro, si;*, '■'no.plan of ventilation to prove c(F jclive can 1)3 adapted unless it, is laid iv the foundation, ami before the o:iter fouadalion walls arr; completed. Soaiewill siy we open t!:c windows; this is quiw; as dangerous as kfti.-.-niiic thorn dosnd—by causing' draughts, when pfoulc' arrive lieatel after walking to c'mrch or scho->l, Sec , and no lo»»-«r >>eitsg able to keep up the circulatioi1. 1.• v (x-rcise, .soon become chilled, thereby contracting bronchiiis eit'uer iv its acute or chronic form. These arc facts which every medical man knows, and connot be gainsayed. Let us, then, turn over a new leaf; let Government bestir itself, so that our children may enjoy the bit>:sing of health instead of being a con.-iJcral'ie source of anxiety and expense to their parents, objects of pity to all around, at length dropping- into the grave at the. period when wvA.:Y other conditions they would just hive attained tho vigor ot" manhood.

Mrdicu?.

Diniedin, Octubcv loth, 18G?.