Vol. XXII. No. 1.] 



POPULAE SOIEFOE NEWS. 



i^ome, iFann, ana €5artien. 



— ♦ — 



ARTIFICIAL WARMTH. 



The climate of the greater part of this 

 country is such, that, during six to eight 

 months of the j'ear, some method of warming 

 our houses is absolutely necessarj\ A discus- 

 sion of some of the various methods in general 

 use may be of interest. 



The oldest and simplest method is the old- 

 fashioned fireplace, and from a sanitary point 

 of view it is the best of all. It furnishes 

 ventilation, and warms by direct radiation of 

 heat, rather than- by heating the entire body 

 of air in the room. When seated in front of 

 an open fireplace, one can be comfortably 

 warm, even when a thermometer shows quite 

 a low temperature of the air. Unfortunately, 

 however, thej- do not furnish heat enough for 

 the almost arctic weather of our winters ; and 

 the trouble and expense of one or more open 

 fires in every room is prohibitory' of their 

 general use. In England the coal-fire in an 

 open grate is the sole means of warming most 

 houses, and their temperature in cold weather 

 is far below that which an American would find 

 comfortable. The cold east wind, so much 

 dreaded by the English, would lose its terrors 

 if a more eflScient system of house-warming 

 should be introduced. As a supplementary' 

 means of heating, in connection with steam or 

 hot-air furnaces, the open fireplace is strongly 

 to be recommended, both for rendering the 

 room more pleasant and cheerful, and furnish- 

 ing good ventilation. 



Stoves furnish a large amount of warmth at 

 a small expense, but are objectionable on ac- 

 count of the lack of ventilation which obtains 

 in rooms heated by them. With the doors and 

 windows shut, and the draught of the stove 

 nearlj- closed, the air is breathed over and over 

 again by the occupants, and in a short time 

 becomes vitiated and unwholesome. Although 

 one maj' after a while become accustomed to 

 this overheated impure atmosphere, it is, none 

 the less, prejudicial to health, and the offen- 

 sive condition of the air is very apparent to 

 one entering such a room from out of doors. 



With proper attention to ventilation, how- 

 ever, the principal objection to the use of 

 stoves can be overcome ; and, as they are 

 the most economical means of heating small 

 houses or single rooms, they will undoubt- 

 edly continue in general use for a long time 

 to come. 



Next to stoves, hot-air furnaces are perhaps 

 most extensively used for heating purposes. 

 They can be divided into two principal classes, 

 — the very good and the very bad. If a fur- 

 nace is in good condition and perfectly gas- 

 tight, it will in most cases warm a house 

 satisfactorily and healthfully. If, however, it 

 allows any gas to escape into the rooms above, 

 it should be removed or repaired immediately, 

 as the impure air it supplies is very detrimental 

 to health. The chief practical disadvantage 

 is the diflScultj' of sending the heated air where 

 it is most needed. The tendency is for the hot 

 air to be driven to the rooms on the leeward 



side of the house, and for this reason a hot- 

 air furnace will be most satisfactor}' in those 

 houses where the living rooms are on the south 

 side. The coldest winds coming from the 

 north will drive the heat into the occupied 

 rooms ; and during the warmer southerly winds, 

 any lack of warmth will not be noticed. The 

 air-supply should always come from out of 

 doors, and never from the cellar; and the 

 larger-sized furnaces should be preferred, as 

 with a small one the fire must be forced in 

 very cold weather, and there is danger of over- 

 heating the radiating surfaces. A large amount 

 of air moderately heated is to be desired, rather 

 than a small quantity at a verj' high tempera- 

 ture. 



The advantages of steam-furnaces are their 

 superior heating power, and the ease with 

 which rooms in the most distant parts of the 

 house can be warmed. It is a mistake to 

 suppose that steam heat is anj- "moister" or 

 in any way different from other kinds. Air 

 warmed by passing over a steam radiator is in 

 no way different from that warmed by a stove 

 or hot-air furnace. In fact, the air is more 

 likely to be impure in a room heated by steam 

 radiators than in one which is heated b}- a hot- 

 air furnace, from which a current of fresh air 

 Is constantly flowing. In what is known as 

 the system of heating by " indirect radiation," 

 the steam radiators are placed in the cellar or 

 underneath the floor, and a current of fresh air 

 allowed to pass around them into the room. 

 This method combines the advantages of both 

 steam and hot air, and is a very satisfactory 

 one. 



The greatest objection to steam is the im- 

 possibility of regulating the heat in accordance 

 with the outside changes of temperature. If 

 the radiators have any steam at all in them, 

 they must necessarily always be at the same 

 temperature (212°), and the house ma3- be 

 uncomfortably hot ; while if the fire is allowed 

 to go out entirely, it becomes too cold. In the 

 sj'stem of heating by hot water this difficulty 

 is obviated, for water may be heated to any 

 temperature up to 212°, and thus be regulated 

 as desired. A heating apparatus is in use in 

 which the pipes and radiators are usually filled 

 with hot water ; but, in case of very cold 

 weather, the water can be drawn off, and steam 

 used instead. It would seem as if this ought 

 to be a very satisfactory combination. 



The most important thing to be borne in 

 mind in all sj'stems of artificial heating is ven- 

 tilation. If a supply of fresh, pure air is con- 

 stantly introduced into a room, it is of minor 

 importance whether it is warmed by stove, fur- 

 nace, steam, or hot- water apparatus. There is 

 no need of evaporating water in such a room : 

 that is a matter which will take care of itself. 

 It will, of course, reqliire more fuel to heat a 

 well- ventilated room than one in which the air 

 remains unchanged ; but fuel is cheaper than 

 medical attendance. Plentj' of pure air at a 

 temperature from 6.5° to 70° is one of the fun- 

 damental conditions of good health ; and with 

 the numerous modern inventions in heating 

 apparatus, this can be obtained at a moderate 



expense, even in such a winter climate as ob- 

 tains in the northern and north-eastern section 

 of the United States. 



CLEANED WHOLE WHEAT AS AN ARTICLE 

 OF DIET. 



BT E. CUTTER, M.D., I,L.D., NEW YORK. 



In August, 1884, I was at my brother-in-law's 

 grist-mill, and noticed the Michigan winter wheat 

 as it came through the smutting-machine clean and 

 fair, ready to be ground. The idea struck me, Why 

 not use this cleaned wheat for food ? It is free 

 from dirt, and contains all the form and chemical 

 elements in proper proportions for nourishment 

 that our Creator intended mankind should have 

 when wheat is eaten. We do not crack or grind up 

 other fruits, as tomatoes, apples, bananas, potatoes, 

 etc., for a long time before they are eaten, deprive 

 them of their natural protective garments, and 

 mechanically separate their form elements, so that 

 one-half at least of the nutritious elements are 

 taken away and fed to animals, as we do in wheat. 



If the above-named fruits were subjected to such 

 treatment, they would become unfit to eat. Why 

 not, I thought, get the aroma and bouquet of the 

 wheat in the cooking, and not lose it in the milling? 

 Acting on this impulse, I brought home with me 

 a half-bushel of the clean whole wheat, and put my 

 family on to the wheat, to see how long they would 

 live on it without being tired of it. The experi- 

 ment has been carried out up to the present (more 

 than three years), with no signs of tire. 



Modes of Cooking. — My wife, who is my author- 

 ity, gives the following: For an amount sufficient 

 for four adults, take one cupful of the wheat, wash 

 it clean in cold water ; put in a tin pail or crockery 

 bowl, or other suitable utensil, and add a half- 

 teaspoonf ul of salt and three cups of cold water. 

 Then suspend the pail in a pot of cold water set 

 on a heated stove. Boil eight or ten hours, or 

 cook for the same time in a double water-jacket 

 boiler. A common glue-pot does well for small 

 quantities, or a Chamberlain or other steam cooker 

 may be used. When cooked, it should be soft, 

 adhesive, glutinous, and easily masticated. Serve 

 with butter or milk or cream, or eat it without, as 

 the Asiatics eat rice, with no seasoning. 



If the cooking is well done, there is an agreeably 

 nutty flavor of the wheat, which corresponds to the 

 bouquet of grapes. This flavor seems to be lost 

 when the wheat is cracked, crushed, or ground 

 before cooking. If this flavor is not desired, the 

 cleaned whole wheat may be pounded in a mortar 

 or run through a coffee-mill. 



This will shorten the time of cooking to four 

 hours and less. 



This is a perfect food, and gives all the body 

 tissues a chance to be fed and nourished. It is 

 intended that this should take the place of oatmeal, 

 which has less gluten as compared to wheat, and is 

 harder to digest. It is better than flour. Magendie 

 fed dogs on flour exclusively, and they died in forty 

 days; while other dogs thrived on whole wheat. 

 Judge Abbott of Boston once told the writer about 

 some shipwrecked sailors who were obliged to live 

 on flour alone, and they nearly starved. They could 

 have lived on wheat. 



It is more economical than flour. It goes farther, 

 feeds better, and gives better nutritive results than 

 flour. Hence, when money is scarce, and resources 

 have to be husbanded (or " wifed," more truly said), 

 a resort to this food will be very satisfactory. 



The objection to the tegumentary coats is not so 

 great as is supposed by some. I have practically 

 tested this point to my satisfaction on my patients. 

 This food is free from yeast, and hence less liable 



