October 3, 1912] 



NATURE 



153 



those in the chamber breathed through a tube the 

 pure air outside he was not relieved. 



R. A. Rowlands and H. B. Walker carried out a 

 large number of observations in the chamber, each 

 acting as subject in turn. 



They recorded the effect on the respiratory ventila- 

 tion and on the pulse rate, both when resting and 

 when working. The work consisted in pulling a 

 20-kilo. weight about i metre high by means of a 

 pulley and rope. 



In some of the experiments the exhaled carbonic 

 acid was absorbed, and in others carbonic acid was 

 put into the chamber. The subjects inside could not 

 tell when the gas was introduced, not even if the 

 percentage were suddenly raised by 2. The introduc- 

 tion of this amount of the gas made no sensible differ- 

 ence to them, but increased their pulmonary ventila- 

 tion. 



In everv one of the experiments they suffered from 

 the heat, and the putting on of the fans gave great 

 relief, and in particular diminished the pulse rate 

 during and after the working periods. The relief 

 became much greater when cold water was circulated 

 through the radiator and the temperature of the 

 chamber lowered 10° F. 



The subjects wore only a vest, pants, and shoes in 

 most of these experiments. When they wore their 

 ordinary clothing the effect on the frequency of the 

 pulse was more marked and the discomfort from heat 

 and moisture much greater. 



I have made observations on men dressed in the 

 Fleuss rescue apparatus for use in mines, and exposed 

 in a chamber to 120° F. dry bulb and 95° F. wet bulb. 

 The skin temperature rises to the rectal temperature 

 and the pulse is greatly accelerated — e.g. to 150 — and 

 there arises danger of heat stroke. The conditions 

 are greatly relieved by interposing on the inspiratory 

 tube of the apparatus a cooler filled with carbonic acid 

 snow. The cool inspired air lowers the frequency of 

 the heart and makes it possible for the men to do 

 some work at 95° F. wet bulb, and to endure this 

 temperature for two hours. 



The observations made by Pembrey and Collis on 

 the weaving-mill operatives at Darwen show that the 

 skin of the face may be 4° to 13° F. higher in the 

 mill when the wet bulb is 71° F. than at home when 

 the wet-bulb temperature is about 55° F. The tend- 

 ency of the warm, humid atmosphere of the mill is to 

 establish a more uniform temperature of the body as a 

 whole (surface and deep temperatures) and to throw a 

 tax upon the powder of accommodation as indicated 

 by the rapid pulse and low Jjlood-pressure. 



The mill workers are wet with the steam blown 

 into the sheds, their clothes and bodies are moist, and 

 the long hours of exposure to such uncomfortable 

 conditions are most deleterious to physical vigour and 

 happiness. The operatives asked that they might be 

 allowed to ' work without steam-injectors and with 

 diminished ventilation, so that the mill rooms became 

 saturated with moisture evaporated from the bodies of 

 the operatives'. The old regulations, while forbidding 

 more than 6 parts in 10,000 CO™, put no limit to the 

 wet-bulb temperature, and this often became excessive 

 on hot summer days. The operatives were quite 

 right. Less ventilation and a lower wet bulb is far 

 better than ample ventilation and a high wet bulb. 

 The permissible limit of CO- has now been raised to 

 II parts in x§,ooo, and the wet-bulb temperature is 

 to be controlled within reasonable limits. 



The efficiency of workers in mills, mines, tunnels, 

 stoke-holes, &c., is vastly increased bv the provision of 

 a sufficient draught of cool and relatively dry air, so 

 as to prevent overtaxing of the heat-regulating 

 mechanism.. Mr. F. Green inforins me that by means 

 of forced draught the stokehole of an Orient steamer 

 NO. 2240, VOL. 90] 



is rendered the coolest place when the ship is in the 

 tropics. 



'I'he electric fan has vastly improved the conditions 

 of the worker in the tropics. 1 would suggest that 

 each clerk should have a fan just as much as a lamp 

 on his desk. It will pay the employer to supply 

 fans. 



In the modern battleship men are confined very 

 largely to places artificially lit and ventilated by air 

 driven in by fans through ventilating-shafts. The 

 heat and moisture derived from the bodies of the men, 

 from the engines, from cooking-ranges, &c., lead to a 

 high degree of relative moisture, and thus all parts of 

 the ironwork inside are coated with granulated cork 

 to hold the condensed moisture and prevent dripping. 



The air smells with the manifold smells of oil, cook- 

 ing, human bodies, &c., and the fresh air driven in by 

 fans through the metal conduits takes up the smell of 

 these, and is spoken of by the officers with disparage- 

 ment as ■• tinned " or " potted " air. This air is heated 

 when required by being made to pass over radiators. 

 Manv of the officers' cabins and offices for clerks, 

 typewriters, &c., in the centre of a battleship, have no 

 portholes, and are only lit and ventilated by artificial 

 means. The steel nature of the structure prevents the 

 diffusion of air which takes place so freely through 

 the brick walls of a house. The men in their sleep- 

 ing quarters are very closely confined, and as the 

 openings of the air-conduits are placed in the roof 

 between the hammocks, the men next to such open- 

 ings receive a cold draught and are likely to shut the 

 openings. To sleep in a warm moist " fugg " would 

 not much matter if the men were actively engaged for 

 many hours of the day on deck and there exposed to 

 the open air and the rigours of sea and weather. In 

 the modern warship most of the crew work for many 

 hours under deck, and some of' the men may scarcely 

 come on deck for weeks or even months. Considering 

 the conditions which pertain, it seems to be of the 

 utmost imoortance that all the men in a battleship 

 should be' inspected at short intervals by the medical 

 officers so that cases of tuberculosis may be weeded 

 out in their incipiency. The men of every rating 

 should do deck drill for some part of every day. In 

 the Norwegian navy every man, cooks and all, must 

 do gymnastic drill on deck once a day. In the case 

 of oiir navv, with voluntary service, the men should 

 welcome this in their own interest. 



In a destrover visited by me twelve men occupied 

 quarters containing about 1700 cubic feet of air. 

 There was a stove with iron pipe for chininev, from 

 which fumes of combustion must leak when in use, 

 and a fan which would not work. When the men 

 are shut down the moisture is such that boots, &c.. 

 go mouldv, and the water drips off the structure. The 

 cooling effect of the sea-w^ater washing over the 

 steel shell of the boat is beneficial in keeping down the 

 temperature in these confined and ill-ventilated quar- 

 ters. On the manoeuvring platform in the engine- 

 room the wet-bulb temperature reaches a very high 

 degree owing to the slight escape of steam round 

 the turbines. Commander Domvile was kind enough 

 to send me the wet and dry bulb temperatures taken 

 there on a number of days. The wet bulb was found 

 to be never below 80° F.', sometimes reaching 95° and 

 even 98^ F. It is impossible for oflficers to work at 

 these temperatures without straining the _ heat- 

 regulating mechanism of the body and diminishine 

 their health and working capacity. If such wet-bulb 

 temperatures are unavoidable, means should be pro- 

 vided, such as fans, which would alleviate the discom- 

 fort and fatigue caused thereby. A supply of com- 

 pressed air fitted with a nozzle might be arranged 

 and used occasionally to douche the body with cool 

 air. I have tried this plan and found it very effectual. 



