State board of iiealtu. 
299 
our nerve force is greater when we are surrounded by a warm at¬ 
mosphere, and Mr. Leeds’ suggestion, that the walls and floor should 
be kept warm by express design, would operate still more bene¬ 
ficially by volatilizing the foul accretions which tend to adhere to 
cold walls and the lower stratum of atmosphere in our rooms. 
The Ruttan system aims at making the house breathe; that is 
the design of the best process yet submitted; and, if it is not inva¬ 
riably successful, it is not for want of a correct appreciation of the 
great purpose which the architect should keep in view. The ven¬ 
tilating shaft, constructed in the center of the building, is traversed 
by the smoke pipe, which serves for the whole structure; and this, 
by its warmth, compels a current of air, such as it is claimed will 
not fail at all seasons to carry olf the atmospheric impurities col¬ 
lected from all parts of the building. The furnace, admirable in 
construction, sends its superheated smoke over the building to ra¬ 
diate warmth before it departs by the flue; and the warm-air pipes 
convey to registers in every room a supply of heated pure air from 
without. Over the furnace is a continuous warm-air flue which can 
be tapped by the teacher to supply any lack of atmospheric fresh¬ 
ness which the registers may not fill. After the heated air has 
passed through the building, traversing under the floor, specially 
raised for the purpose, through the partitions and over the ceilings, 
so that all the advantages of the Leeds scheme have been attained, 
the foul air having no outlet but by the shaft already described, 
must return to the basement of the building, radiating in its travel 
the last degree of its available calorie before passing through the 
tall chimney into the upper region of the atmosphere. Objectors 
to the system, as now operating, contend that, when contrary winds 
prevail, the foul air is liable to be forced back in the building with 
results disastrous to comfort, and that the draught does not operate 
on all the rooms alike. It is even said that some rooms in well 
constructed buildings have altogether failed to procure ventilation 
under certain conditions. It has been suggested in reply that the 
inconveniences deprecated as likely to result from contrary winds 
may be minimized or removed entirely by increasing the height of 
the conducting shaft and the temperature therein. The answer 
seems to be conclusive. The second objection that some rooms are 
not ventilated at all, or partake in the general advantage insuffi¬ 
ciently, may be found on further experience to require graduated 
