SCIENTIFIC SUMMARY. 
321 
Analysis of the Air of Public Schools in America, — The Sanitarian,” a 
New York Journal, of which the present is the first numher, and is most 
creditably got up in every respect, says that from their public schools Dr. 
Endemann obtained seventeen samples of air, the examination of which 
determined the presence of carbonic acid, varying in amounts from 9.7 to 
35.7 parts in 10,000 ; or, in other words, from more than twice to nearly 
nine times the normal quantity. The ventilation in these buildings is 
generally faulty, and can be obtained only by opening the windows — a 
practice detrimental to the health of the children who sit near or directly 
under them. The following experiment, made in the Roosevelt Street 
School, shows the inefficiency of ventilating fines in the wall unprovided 
with means for creating an upward current. An examination of the air in 
one of the class-rooms provided with a ventilating fine was made while one 
of the windows was opened, and yielded 17.2 parts of carbonic acid in 
10,000. The window was then closed, and after the lapse of ten minutes 
another examination gave 32.2 parts of carbonic acid, or an increase of 15.6 
parts. The experiment now became to the teacher and children so oppres- 
sive that it was not continued. Dr. Endemann says : If the accumulation 
of carbonic acid had been allowed to continue, we might have reached 
within one hour the abominable figure of 110.” 
Measuring the Chest. — Dr. Frohlich, of Dresden, gives the following 
simple rules for measuring the chest, with the useful object of securing 
uniformity of proceeding, whether for recruits, for statistical purposes, or for 
personal examinations : Medical Record,” March 26th. — The person to 
be examined should stand in an unconstrained position before the physician, 
breathing with his mouth shut, and should raise both arms, stretching them 
out horizontally. A tape not broader than 1 cm. (about | of an inch) 
should be placed around the chest directly under the inferior angles of the 
scapulae behind and the nipple in front, and should then be read off, first 
after the deepest inspiration and then after the deepest expiration, and both 
data recorded. The author then sums up the results which he has obtained 
by this method of observation, of which some of the more important are as 
follows. The average circumference of the chest measured in 725 healthy 
men, twenty years of age, was, after deepest inspiration, 89 cm. (about 35 
inches), and after deepest expiration, 82 cm. (about 32| inches), the average 
play of the chest being thus 7 cm. A circumference of only 75 cm. 
(29| inches), indicates what the author calls an unripe chest, and should 
exclude the person from military service. A circumference of 750-759 mm. 
should, under, exceptional circumstances, be considered sufficient for military 
service, but when it reaches 760 mm. (30 inches), if the person is otherwise 
healthy, then it ought to suffice. 
Death of Baron Justus von Liebig. — It is with the deepest and most 
sincere regret that we have to announce the death of this celebrated chemist, 
whom our readers will remember by the fact that the articles which intro- 
duced the now well-known “ Liebig’s Food ” into this country were written 
for this journal by the Baron himself. We have, therefore, much sorrow 
in announcing the death of this well-known and distinguished savant^ 
whom we saw quite well about a year since in a trip to Bavaria. Baron 
Liebig died on Friday, April 18th, at the age of sixty-nine, in Munich, where, 
VOL. XII. — NO. XLYIII. T 
