Suggestions for Reducing Temperature. 87 



people or to hospitals. This could not be done on a very 

 extensive scale, or, indeed, at all, without a great loss of 

 power, for, in compressing air to be forced through tubes to 

 a distance from the compressing engine or water-power, 

 much of the applied power is necessarily lost. I was aware 

 that great heat is evolved by compressing air, having often 

 seen fire procured by suddenly compressing air in a tube a 

 few inches in length with a little tinder placed at the bottom, 

 to which a piston was driven down by a blow with the 

 palm of the hand ; but, as my idea was to supply pure air 

 discharged through a small tube from which heat would be 

 absorbed as it expanded to escape, I calculated that the 

 temperature of a room would not become much reduced, 

 and, as there would be no occasion for the discharge to be 

 constant, it could be turned off by a tap. I do not know if 

 my communication was published. Probably the editor 

 thought that, coming from Australia, it was unworthy of 

 any consideration. 



On reading recently the very interesting paper read by 

 Dr. Cutts before the Medical Society of Victoria, especially 

 that portion of it referring to the intense heat which has to 

 be endured by every one on board the mail steamers in 

 tropical regions, but chiefly in the Red Sea, where persons in 

 delicate health, returning to their native land from India 

 or the Colonies, almost invariably die or experience great 

 distress, in consequence of the fearful and excessive heat by 

 night and day, from which, as Dr. Cutts says, there is no 

 escape — the sea- water itself being nearly of the same tem- 

 perature as the atmosphere — I at once thought it would be 

 an easy matter to overcome such fatal heat. I may mention 

 that, on communicating my ideas on the subject to Dr. 

 Cutts, he advised me to bring them into public notice. 



When we have on many of our passenger steamers 

 appliances for keeping beef and mutton in a frozen state 

 throughout the whole voyage, why should living human 

 beings in the saloons or on deck be exposed to such high 

 temperature as to cause suffering and death ? It seems 

 nothing short of an oversight to keep everything within the 

 meat chamber frozen, and yet permit men, women, and 

 children in the saloons, between decks, or even on the deck, 

 to suffer or die from excessive heat. 



It seems only necessary to make a suggestion that living 

 human beings are as worthy of being taken care of and 

 preserved as beef and mutton, to find that it will be 



