Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The atmosphere in relation to human life and health. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University Libraries/Information Services, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University.
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![The accurate determinations of Bunsen of the oxygen in the general air gave a mean of 20.93 per cent. Two hundred and three analyses by lieiset gave nearly the same result. Hempel found the amount at Tronso to be L'0.!>2; at Dresden, 20.i)0; at Taris, 20.89. Those amounts must be received with qualilication, because in comparing one town with another more depends on the position in the town than on the situation of the town. The average proportion of oxygen in the ojien country or at sea may be stated at about 20.95 per cent. In large, open spaces in Lon- don the amount of oxygen is nearly normal; in the streets, about 20.885; in Manchester, in fog and frost, 20.91; in the suburbs in wet weather, 20.90 to 20.98. These figures are merely approximate. In the air of mines an average of 20 has been observed, and in extreme cases the amount was no highet than 18.6. In the midst of vegetation on open ground, especially in the daytime, there is an excess of oxygen. Angus Smith and others found the following quantities of oxygen in air in different situations: On t]io Atlantic (Regnanlt) 20.918 In tho Andes on Picbinclia, about (Regnanlt) 20. 949 Tops of hills, Scotland 20.98 Northeast shore and open heath, Scotland 20.999 Stockholm (Petersson and Plogland) 20. 94 Suburb of Manchester, wet day 20. 98 Middle of Manchester, inclosed space 20. 652 Manchester, fog and frost 20. 91 Manchester, backs of houses and closets 20. 70 Manchester, dense fog 20. 86 Heidelberg (Bunsen) 20. 924 Low parts of Perth 20.935 Swampy places, France and Switzerland | 90 q-' Bengal Bay, over bad water (Eegnault) 20.387 Sitting room, rather close 20.89 Small room with petroleum lamp 20. 84 Gallery of a theater, lO.SO p. m 20. 86 Pit of a theater, 11.30 p. m 20. 74 Court of Queen's Bench 20. 65 Chemical Theater, Sorbonne, before lecture 20.28 Chemical Theater, Sorbonne, after lecture 19.86 In cow houses 20. 75 In sumps or pits in mines 20.14 Worst in a miuo 18.227 Very difficult to remain in many minutes 17.2 Eecent experiments by Messrs. Smith and Haldane on impure air contained in a leaden chamber showed that with oxygen 20.19 and carbon dioxide 3.84 two men instantly got headaches on entering. Oxygen is the breath of life, the element without which no human being could exist for a single hour. Brought into contact by every inhalation of the lungs, it revivifies the loaded blood, spreads over the](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21208724_0019.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
