THE H0:\1E IX RELATION TO HEALTH 367 



sufficient to supply all the heat needed on the coldest days, and 

 yet subject to easy regulation, and they should be of a kind that 

 assists in the ventilation. Hot-air furnaces and hot-water sys- 

 tems are most satisfactory in most cases. Floors and ceilings 

 should be smooth and solid, without cracks in which dust and 

 vermin may gather, and these as well as the walls should be 

 finished to permit frequent cleaning. The arrangement of rooms 

 and hallways must be planned to avoid dark corners or passage- 

 ways, and dangerous steps, and to reduce the amount of work 

 needed to keep things in order and clean. The kitchen espe- 

 cially needs to be carefully planned to save work and to insure 

 cleanliness. 



In the course of time the advantages of town and country 

 housing will be available to city dwellers, as well as city com- 

 forts to rural dwellers. ]\Iany plans are being developed to sep- 

 arate the industries and business of a city from the residence 

 portions, so that all the people may have an opportunity to live 

 in suitable homes. 



277. Cleanliness and sanitation. It is not often that the vis- 

 ible filth about a house is a menace to health. At the same time, 

 visible filth indicates neglect, and neglect gives opportunity for 

 vermin to multiply and for microbes to spread. To keep every- 

 thing about a home spick and span means often to prevent sick- 

 ness ; it means often to prevent pus formation or festering after 

 a slight cut or scratch ; it means more pleasant surroundings 

 for everybody, and so is an aid to mental health ; and it means 

 getting children into the habit of demanding cleanliness and 

 maintaining cleanliness. 



The amount of water used by a people may almost be taken 

 as an index of its civilization. Every home, whether in the city 

 or in the country, should have an abundance of running water. 

 Where modern plumbing is installed in country houses, merely 

 as a matter of convenience, the health of the people improves. 

 In larger cities there is a large and measurable difference 

 between the health in districts which have running water in 

 all the homes and that in districts which have not ; not only is 



