PURE WATER VENTILATION, &C.

Inangahua Times, Volume V, Issue 39, 17 April 1878, Page 2

PURE WATER VENTILATION, &C.

\t is ft somewhat ronvirkablo. fact that thero should oxUt in a young nnd growing commuuUy like, ours so much apathy on nlj sanitary questions. It might lnm> boon supposed that the pioneers of.« n,o,^. colony, impressed by tho bitter e^pcri-. onoo of many hu'no cities nt Homo would, lwivo boon specially nnrrous to indoctrinate the public mind with this maxim,— that in I lie nbscneo of proper sanitary. conation:! no people enn over nrrivo at truo pro: pority. With regard to our o'viv •.•if v- ii n;u:;l< strike tlio most ordinary observ:v thai, wo are qitigulivly. deficient in nil regulations nmlapplinncos for ensuring i,!ir y- lblio health. Indeed Ijhoro is Rood re.f-'O i io believe that our only .safeguard nf: prcMijntH consists in tho rftftfoicnt high, winds, of \yhioh wo arc all but too roniiy. to complain. For spmo (jimp, past there, has been a considerably amount of talk ivl.'itivo to tho remedying of- our drainage system, but hitherto nothing definite, has been decided on. Whnt wo need in tho present case can bo curtly expressed by tho old Latin motto, Factfron, verba. J,t in not, however, our intention to enter, into the drainage q.'ii'stion now, nor, ovon to do Bioro than albidp to the somewhat hindered, subject of tiie i-xistenre in our midst of at Ions) in too close prox'initv to what will becomo n densely nnpn'iiiod part of tho town, what many think, is, now a bod of disease. Wn alludo to thp^ oempiery. It is our intention to, treat this' latter subject at greater length nt \[ i'tiiui'o date. \Vo wish toaday to draw public, nttontion to thooxtroineimportanco, ol both puro watc;* and, pure air, nnd moro particularly tho lattes,, mil wo do so btfvmso it is certain tl. it tliorouuhly.loirnt t,]v> lesson. So much' attention ha* Iwn divected to tho importance of' drinking pure water, that at tur.es w!hmi opidemies aro iit'o tr.iioit alarm is felt, and lV\v. perrons would c.-iro to drink of b woll contaminated with sewage, to an extent no sm\U that only tlio most duli* eato chemical annlysis can dotecf its, presence. Yot thoro, olitains such n evirious diff^rcuco in tho c.isoofair, tluit an a'vorago body of men fool no rcpu^rinni'o, to brentbing impurities ir( Rueh q;inn; ; ti(>s| that tho amount tu>»v boiiistnutlv <ii"e>;to<i' by tho aenso of smol.l. And yot wjiil«« tbo quantity of watei;vfliioh ovon a tottot iller, will dnnk daily, msy bo roMsonably limited to on avonvgo of throo pints, om\\ mm noods, on n tnodornto computation 1500, gallons of puro air evorv t'wrtiity-four hours. Air is known to boa mjnlucnof* two ga«os— oxygen and niirou'en— and,a'l, practical experionep prores that to broatho air oontnining ns high a por«* contago of oxygen at all time as Naturo will supply, is to sflcure to a groat extent^ porfect immunity from a certain deadly class of di»ofl«os. Now, it has boen, ascertained tint th.> nir of to^vns is' constantly charged with an n mount of oarbonio acid in woss ot that usuilly prcsont in tho country, and when wi> loavo tho streets and ontor iivo tho old. theatres, concert hnlLs, an I rc.iding. roomn of the town wo ar<- a» ones »uh« joctod to n system of «l >w pohonHg. ns cortain in its effect as tho canton ts of any poisonl" boiled phial pr<nn'nb|e nt, the chemists'. Tn do'ilin^ w 'th »li." atiuosphora of ''oloso" p!ioes :v«i hivo in tlio propor'i'on of imrlv.>n\« n ,.;.i n cortain index <ift!ip nrgmir miUer 'vh-nli is likoy to bo just a« h'lrf'u'. and h certainly moro constantly injurious fhu; that in witor; but it do«s not sh <w its effects iv tho outbreaks of "pidnmio*. and so fnils to attra-t «ttenlion nnd oauso alarm. It works tulcntly does t'»is poison, but in a doidiy manner • and tho reports of medio.'il men tell m ilmt a very largo numbor of oases ofoonsumption, and other pulmonary comphints ar.v ontiraly duo to the breathing of vitiated air. And ovon if tho ovil docs net nssumo any Tory marked form. Ha effects nro plainly proved by tho provalonco of pale cheeks and lips, vfanfc of energy, partial loss of appetite, loworinrc of tho spirits, and doorcase in musonUr stvvjTicth. Those evils nro only to bo veinrdiod by the introduction of a porftsct Kjstcm of ventilation, suoh a? Nt prosont. in to ho found in fowof the public, nud in very few of tho private buildings in this city, tho now theatro is an cicoeptipn, being furnished throughout with tho now stylo of ventilator, which is an oxoollojit idea— •Wellington Chroniojo.