Jankovic’s focus on the development of professions that consider the connection between public health and the ‘environment’ can be attributed to the fact that he was a historian of weather by profession. Thus, his focus could have been on the need to connect the ‘environment’ to various ailments. Likewise, people lived, worked, slept, and entertained themselves within physical spaces for most of their lives (Jankovic, 2010). This could have been another reason that Jankovic sought to determine the effect of these spaces on the health of people. His approach raises a question as to whether the presence of humans plays a role in the regulation of a building’s interior climate, or whether the process negatively impacts them instead. Many scholars disregarded “the role of indoor climates.” Jankovic sees a problem in this since people spend a considerable amount of time in such surroundings. He asserts that “the weather would hardly merit notice were it not perceived from somewhere else, i.e. from within the…safety of shelter and behind the window of a weather-tight house. Such interiors possess meteorologies of their own that were far from insignificant ” (Jankovic, 2010). This statement is meant to emphasize the need for investigations on the relationship between interior environments and health since these environments could not be taken lightly. Jankovic argues that the emergence of such technologies as heating, ventilation, and lighting was due to ‘pathologies’ associated with the emerging urban public spaces. However, this differs from my assumption that these technologies were developed as a means of solving the challenges that emerged with the new urban lifestyle, and the subsequent increase in population in the urban spaces. This is in line with Elliot’s historical account and the assumption that technology is a product of civilization. Jankovic argues that “confined air, lack of good plumbing, smoke, humidity, pollution and overheating…represented a result of social and economic trends with major implications for the identity of the nation as a whole” (Jankovic, 2010). Examples of such identities included physical conditions of urban environments, abnormal work levels, and other lifestyle excesses. Some of the inventions that were aimed at addressing the moral perspective of the ‘unhealthy’ interior included sanitary, architectural, and comfort technologies. In line with James Adair’s argument, the city is implicated in the ‘poor air’ culture in that the urban space is a hub of “artificial wants” which affect air quality. Misuse of rooms with fireplaces, candles, and closed windows affects the circulation and quality of air within (Jankovic, 2010). Additionally, public places agglomerated with many people leading to a decline in the quality of air. Since fresh air is valuable, ventilation is an important aspect of any home. With the rise of classes, domestic places turned into a “battleground of mundane health” (Jankovic, 2010). This implies that household practices were aimed at giving an impression of enhanced health. For instance, Jankovic states that high-class homes heated beds with “warming pans or stones.” The number of house-workers was also limited to keep “the environmental appearances of a respectable home” (Jankovic, 2010). Increased sensitivity to smell and dirt formed part of the culture of the middle-class home. Jankovic (2010) cites that the “socio-atmospheric overhaul of the bedroom, kitchen, and drawing room” became centers where emotions merged with scents and gathered with affection. His argument is that the middle class had lost control over their lives. He gives an example of the negative traits of “household appliances like the Rumford stove” (Jankovic, 2010). Jankovic ends the chapter by talking about domestic labor. Homes demanded intensive work for maintenance. Hence, workers crowded the domestic spaces, altering their comfort and environment. More workers were required to support the affluence that characterized middle-class families. For instance, the acquisition of flashy carpets and other goods results in an increased labor force and frequency of cleaning. The acquisition was aimed at boosting interior comfort. Thus, the current consumer trends are driven by the readily available labor force.
References
Jankovic, V. (2010). Cursed by Comfort. In V. Jankovic, Confronting the Climate: British Airs and the Making of Environmental Medicine (pp. 41-65). New York: Palgrave Macmillian.
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