ABSTRACT
By the mid-century, sanitary reformers were quick to try and address the problem by improving the levels of sanitation and cleanliness, particularly by considering the benefits of good ventilation in buildings. Their main concern was the supply of the volume of fresh air needed per person and the technology to dispense it. The problems of proper ventilation were not really solved by the technologies of the time. The natural means of ventilation are gaseous dispersal, the action of winds, and the effect of heat and moisture. Artificial ventilation is achieved by mechanical means, such as fans, or by the properties of furnaces. Both medical practitioners and hygiene activists knew that in all systems of ventilation, inlets for fresh air and outlets for foul air were among the basics of healthy living. Types of central heating systems in the nineteenth century included steam, low-pressure hot water, and higher medium pressure hot water.
