The worth of fresh air : no. 1 of deposits in the Savings' Bank of Wisdom, made in behalf of working men and women.

Date:
[between 1850 and 1859?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The worth of fresh air : no. 1 of deposits in the Savings' Bank of Wisdom, made in behalf of working men and women. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    11/34 (page 11)
    indeed, cannot be breatlied by them without mischief. AVe are able to stand near the manure-heap for some time without taking any particular harm, because the vapours are scattered as fast as they are formed, and are mingled in small quantities with large quantities of pure air. We thus breathe air tainted with these vapours, rather than the vapours themselves. But suppose all the air were taken away, and you were left standing with nothing around you but these vapours, what do you think would happen to you? You would be dead in less than three minutes, killed by their poisonous power. The yapoubs which aee BBED IN DECAYING SUBSTANCES AEE POISON-YAPOUES. You would like to know why it is, as these poison- vapours are poured out in such quantities from all decaying substances, that you do not see people dying all round from breathing them. Did I not tell you, in the case of the poison-vapours of the manure-heap, that you could breathe them because they were freely scattered into the fresh air ? Now just come a few yards this way. You observe the smell of the manure grows less and less. Here you cannot any longer perceive it, although the wind is actually blowing over the manure-heap towards us. The fact is, these poison-yapoijes cannot beae the PEESENCE OE PUEE AiE. Purc air is the natural antidote or remedy for their poison. The instant it mingles with them it begins to destroy their hurtful- ness, and in a few moments it has so thoroughly