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THE THERAPEUTICS OF THE CACODYLATES.

THE THERAPEUTICS OF THE CACODYLATES. Underground transit and public health. The question of transportation in our great cities is one that is agitating public opinion and becoming more or less an issue in local politics. The inconveniences of obsolete systems not progressive pari passu with the growth and needs of the cities call more and more for better facilities, especially in view of the modern tendency to concentration of population and expansion of municipalities. The inconvenience, however, of permanent surface railway tracks in the business centers is such that some substitute is constantly being advocated. Surface railroads are going out of date in some of our larger cities and elevated and underground transportation are being advocated. New sanitary questions will be raised by these changes and it is worth while to make some inquiry for the benefit of the public as to all possible dangers. The subject is taken up by Dr. Louis C. Parkes in the Public Health article of the London Practitioner for February. He points out the dangers to health from the confined air in subways. He shows that the amount of carbonic acid gas is increased in the atmosphere of the railway tubes and that the sanitation of the Central London Railway underground line, as shown by most recent investigations, is very bad, especially at the times when the traffic is greatest. Air of the carriages has been found to contain as much as 15 to 25 parts of carbonic acid per 10,000, or four or five times as much as in the atmosphere. While this is unquestionably deleterious to health, even though breathed for a comparatively short time, there are still other dangers to which he calls attention in subway traveling, such as the danger in the warm summer and the cold winter months alike of bodily chilling. In hot weather the traveler changes suddenly from a warm street to a much colder atmosphere and in winter the reverse happens. Then, again, the air is so confined that it can not purify itself of carbonic acid gas, and also contains a large amount of organic material and the dangers of contagion, tuberculous infection, etc., are vastly increased. It is impossible to prevent overcrowding of these cars at certain periods of the day, and this greatly aggravates the conditions. He also speaks of the tendency of large numbers of people living adjacent to these routes and traveling by tube to their working places and back again to their homes, living their whole lives in an artificial atmosphere. What can be expected, he asks, from such a mode of existence but physical degeneration and lowering of the national health? While this is at present more especially a London problem and one hardly yet applicable to American conditions, except possibly in New York City, it is still one to which, in view of future possibilities, we can give our careful attention. He thinks there is danger of the passive and little-assertive Londoner being rushed into costly and ill-digested schemes of multiple "tube" transit. It is a pretty generally acknowledged fact that in matters of public grievance the English are better "kickers" than the Americans, and we would do well to take some of this warning in this country where underground transit projects are being considered. The question of rapid transit in our municipalities is very far from being settled. We should utilize the experience of older countries where methods like the underground railways, etc., have been long in use and have afforded chances for observation of their effects. JAMA. 1903;40:651-652 http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png JAMA American Medical Association

THE THERAPEUTICS OF THE CACODYLATES.

JAMA , Volume 289 (9) – Mar 5, 2003

THE THERAPEUTICS OF THE CACODYLATES.

Abstract

Underground transit and public health. The question of transportation in our great cities is one that is agitating public opinion and becoming more or less an issue in local politics. The inconveniences of obsolete systems not progressive pari passu with the growth and needs of the cities call more and more for better facilities, especially in view of the modern tendency to concentration of population and expansion of municipalities. The inconvenience, however, of permanent surface railway...
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Publisher
American Medical Association
Copyright
Copyright © 2003 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved.
ISSN
0098-7484
eISSN
1538-3598
DOI
10.1001/jama.289.9.1174-a
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Underground transit and public health. The question of transportation in our great cities is one that is agitating public opinion and becoming more or less an issue in local politics. The inconveniences of obsolete systems not progressive pari passu with the growth and needs of the cities call more and more for better facilities, especially in view of the modern tendency to concentration of population and expansion of municipalities. The inconvenience, however, of permanent surface railway tracks in the business centers is such that some substitute is constantly being advocated. Surface railroads are going out of date in some of our larger cities and elevated and underground transportation are being advocated. New sanitary questions will be raised by these changes and it is worth while to make some inquiry for the benefit of the public as to all possible dangers. The subject is taken up by Dr. Louis C. Parkes in the Public Health article of the London Practitioner for February. He points out the dangers to health from the confined air in subways. He shows that the amount of carbonic acid gas is increased in the atmosphere of the railway tubes and that the sanitation of the Central London Railway underground line, as shown by most recent investigations, is very bad, especially at the times when the traffic is greatest. Air of the carriages has been found to contain as much as 15 to 25 parts of carbonic acid per 10,000, or four or five times as much as in the atmosphere. While this is unquestionably deleterious to health, even though breathed for a comparatively short time, there are still other dangers to which he calls attention in subway traveling, such as the danger in the warm summer and the cold winter months alike of bodily chilling. In hot weather the traveler changes suddenly from a warm street to a much colder atmosphere and in winter the reverse happens. Then, again, the air is so confined that it can not purify itself of carbonic acid gas, and also contains a large amount of organic material and the dangers of contagion, tuberculous infection, etc., are vastly increased. It is impossible to prevent overcrowding of these cars at certain periods of the day, and this greatly aggravates the conditions. He also speaks of the tendency of large numbers of people living adjacent to these routes and traveling by tube to their working places and back again to their homes, living their whole lives in an artificial atmosphere. What can be expected, he asks, from such a mode of existence but physical degeneration and lowering of the national health? While this is at present more especially a London problem and one hardly yet applicable to American conditions, except possibly in New York City, it is still one to which, in view of future possibilities, we can give our careful attention. He thinks there is danger of the passive and little-assertive Londoner being rushed into costly and ill-digested schemes of multiple "tube" transit. It is a pretty generally acknowledged fact that in matters of public grievance the English are better "kickers" than the Americans, and we would do well to take some of this warning in this country where underground transit projects are being considered. The question of rapid transit in our municipalities is very far from being settled. We should utilize the experience of older countries where methods like the underground railways, etc., have been long in use and have afforded chances for observation of their effects. JAMA. 1903;40:651-652

Journal

JAMAAmerican Medical Association

Published: Mar 5, 2003

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