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POPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
various ways, but in all instances it illustrates bow terrible 
a poison the breath of a sucking babe is, from the carbonic 
acid it contains. The maternal instinct of the mother leads 
her to care for her child ; but, alas ! in her ignorance, she too 
often destroys its life. Frequently the child is found dead 
on her breast ; for whilst providing for its nourishment she 
falls asleep, and the fresh air being excluded from the nostrils 
of the child, it dies from the carbonic acid circulating in its 
frame. More frequently the child is covered over with bed- 
clothes to keep it warm, thus preventing the natural escape 
of the carbonic acid, and it is poisoned as surely as the men 
in the Black Hole of Calcutta. Even a handkerchief thrown 
over a child’s face is sufficient to prevent the escape of the 
poisonous air, and children are smothered by the attention 
which is intended to keep off the flies, or a draught of air. 
The evils of an accumulation of carbonic acid gas are very 
great from the deficient ventilation of our places of public 
assemblage, and our dwelling-houses. Amongst public places, 
churches, chapels, theatres, and courts of law may be named 
as most exposed to the evils of an atmosphere corrupted by 
carbonic acid. Our places of worship are seldom constructed 
with any reference to the dangers that may arise from the 
atmosphere being contaminated with carbonic acid gas. 
Every available space is used for sittings, and at night they 
are lighted with gas, thus adding another source of carbonic 
acid to that of the breathing human congregation. Large and 
ample provision should be made in such places to allow of 
the escape of the noxious carbonic acid and the access of the 
pure oxygen. It is not the heat of these places which renders 
them so unpleasant to the large proportion of the audience, 
and occasionally sends a delicate female or aged person out 
fainting, or the more healthy to sleep ; it is the accumulation 
of carbonic acid gas. There is, however, a limit to the expo- 
sure of persons to this atmosphere in the necessary conclusion 
of the religious services, and persons in ordinary health recover 
the effects of the poisoning before they are again submitted 
to its influence. It appears to me to be a first duty of church- 
wardens, deacons, or committees to whom the comfort of 
these places is committed, to see that persons engaged in 
the service of religion should not be injured by such service 
or prevented altogether attending a place of worship from its 
notorious want of salubrity. 
Our theatres are more dangerous than our places of worship. 
There gas-light always adds its quantum of poison, and people 
sit for five or six hours without any change of atmosphere. 
Recently great improvements have been made in many of the 
metropolitan theatres; but, throughout the country, theatres 
