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General Hygiene
187
are cramped and compressed. Ill effects follow the practice so com-
mon, especially in sedentary pursuits, of stooping at one’s work. In
this position it is impossible to breathe deeply. Superficial breathing
soon becomes a habit, and the lungs lose their power to expand.
A similar effect is produced by tight clothing around the waist.
Sufficient room is not given to the lower part of the chest. The
abdominal muscles, which were designed to aid in breathing, do not
have full play, hence the lungs do not take in a sufficient supply of
oxygen. The blood moves sluggishly. The waste, poisonous matter,
which should be thrown off in the exhalations from the lungs, is
retained, and the blood becomes impure.
Not only the lungs, but the stomach, liver, and brain are affected.
The skin becomes sallow. Digestion is retarded. The heart is de-
pressed. The brain is clouded. The thoughts are confused. Gloom
settles over the spirits. The whole system becomes depressed and
inactive, and peculiarly susceptible to disease.
The lungs are constantly throwing off impurities, and they need
to be constantly supplied with fresh air. Impure air does not afford
the necessary supply of oxygen, and the blood passes to the brain
and other organs without being vitalized. Hence the necessity of
thorough ventilation. To live in close, ill-ventilated rooms, where the
air is dead and unhealthful, weakens the entire system. It becomes
peculiarly sensitive to the influence of cold, and a slight exposure
induces disease. Close confinement indoors makes many men and
women pale and feeble. They breathe the same air over and over
until it becomes laden with poisonous matter thrown off through the
lungs and pores, and impurities are thus conveyed back to the blood.
Ventilation and Sunlight
In the construction of buildings, whether for public purposes or
as homes, care should be taken to provide for good ventilation and
plenty of sunlight. Churches and schoolrooms are often faulty in
this respect. Neglect of proper ventilation is responsible for much of
the drowsiness and dullness that destroy the effect of many a sermon
and make the teacher’s work toilsome and ineffective.
So far as possible, all buildings intended for human habitation
should be placed on high, well-drained ground. This will ensure a