No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 305 



THE SANITARY HOME. 



By Mus. MOLI.IE MAcCLAtTGHRY ALLKN, Osivegn, N. Y. 



Sanitary comes from the Latin mnitas, which means conducive to 

 health, or relating to the preservation of health. Hence the sani- 

 tary home means the healthful home. Health is, in my opinion, 

 the thing most to be desired in this life, for with health all other 

 things may be added; or, failing, the addition will not be missed. 

 What are millions to one whose stomach refuses anything but a 

 diet of toast and tea; whose nerves are racked by hours of sleepless- 

 ness? Broad acres, well-stocked, and beautiful homes matter not 

 without that joy of living that comes from the sound mind in the 

 healthful body. You all know the weakening effect that disease 

 has upon the mind; I believe, nay, I know, that disease and ill- 

 health tend to lower the moral tone no less than the mental power 

 of the individual. Therefore it should be the most sacred duty of 

 th;e wife and mother so to rule her household that they may _go 

 out to their life-work strengthened and helped by the pure, clean, 

 healthful home atmosphere. 



But how shall we do this? How keep disease at bay? We may 

 do this in two ways: by protecting the body as far as is possible from 

 the germs of disease; and by making the body so strong and full of 

 vigor that it will resist the attacks of these germs. 



The second question brings into discussion the question of diet, 

 how to feed children for growth and vigor, and is too long to be 

 considered in this little talk. So we can only discuss the question 

 of how to protect the body from its foes. Just as the farmer wages 

 war upon the foes of his crops and orchards, such as potato beetle 

 and the San Jos6 Scale, so have we to fight in protection of our 

 healthful home, the more subtile, because invisible foe, the disease 

 germ. 



All bacteria, or germs, as they are commonly called, the helpful 

 as well as the harmful kind, are the smallest and lowest known form 

 of living matter. They are tiny plants of the very simplest kind 

 of construction, consisting of a single cell. They reproduce them- 

 selves by division; that is, the cell lengthens, a wall is put in, and 

 two independent plants take the place of one. If conditions are 

 favorable, they may do this in from 20 to 30 minutes, so you can 

 see how enormously they can multiply in a short time. They are 

 able to swim in liquids, but are unable to travel otherwise, only as 

 they are blown by the wind, or carried by other bodies, such as in- 

 sects, dust of the air, clothing, skirts or Vvomens' dresses, etc. Like 

 other plants they require food (carbon, nitrogen, etc.), warmth and 

 moisture for their growth but they can accommodate themselves to 

 hard times, some kinds even living in water that has been distilled. 

 But, unlike other plants, direct sunshine is death to germs, the ex- 

 posure necessary varying from a few minutes to some hours. 



Since these germs reach us by means of other bodies, what is it 

 most necessary to guard in our welfare? Insects, water, air, milk, 

 and other food». 



20—7—1908. 



