972 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



with the disease. That was a time when physicians were not as alert to discover sanitary 

 defects in the household as they now are, so it went on until the third member of the family 

 was attacked ; then diligent search was made for the cause, when it was found that the cellar 

 bottom was constantly covered with water, mingled with decaying vegetable substances. 



This is no isolated case, but can ba verified by the testimony of many. In such a way, 

 an otherwise fair home is surrounded by a cordon of disease-producers, while the owner flatters 

 himself upon his desirable and healthy location. The question now recurs, How should a 

 man reason in the construction of a home in the country? Something like this: I am about 

 to construct a house, which is to be the home of my family, consequently I must consider, 

 first and above all, how best to adapt it to the health and comfort of its occupants. I must 

 realize that the causes of disease to which we shall be subjected are many of them to be of 

 our own making; and if I construct my home so as to avoid them at the outset, I shall be 

 teaching them a lesson, and maxigurate a course of action which they will naturally learn to 

 follow. The man who reasons thus will reason simply and intelligently, and his home will 

 bo a model wor iiy of imitation. It is no difficult matter to construct a home in this manner. 

 No one rule can be laid down for all cases; but if the importance of building upon sanitary 

 principles is once realized, there is no place where it can be more easily and better done t lan 

 in the country. If the soil is damp, it should be well drained. In the matter of damp cellars, 

 they should be well cemented, or sub-cellars only should be constructed, three or four feet 

 deep, thoroughly cemented and ventilated. All out-buildings should be located at a safe 

 distance from the house. The house should be warmed throughout, if possible, and all 

 rooms should be thoroughly ventilated. Slop water should be disposed of in such a way that 

 it cannot contaminate the air near dwelling houses. The best way is to deposit it upon the 

 surface of the ground, not near the dwelling, by means of suitable discharge pipes. All 

 tanks, cess-pools, reservoirs, etc., for storing liquid or solid refuse, should be looked upon as 

 likely to cause serious trouble. If they are used, they should be made tight and frequently 

 emptied. Water-closets should be used if possible; if not, there should be a frequent disin 

 fection with dry earth, and prompt and complete removal of all excrement. 



The line of thought has thus far been directed to the homes of the well-to-do and industri 

 ous part of the community. But there is another class in the country namely, the poorer 

 and impoverished class to whom a special consideration is due. In every town and hamlet 

 they are to be found, and usually congregated together in one locality. Of all poor people, 

 they are the poorest. Seemingly without energy or decision of character, they go on through 

 life surrounded by the means of comfort and a livelihood, but yet are content with a bare 

 existence. Most of them have intermarried into the same class, and have thus produced a 

 numerous offspring, possessing the same qualities of mind and character; and so the succession 

 is kept up from generation to generation, and the passer-by of twenty years ago, should he 

 revisit the same locality, would soe the identical worn and dilapidated houses that met his 

 gaze before. These people are many of them well-meaning, some of them industrious, but it 

 is no misrepresentation to say that among them are found the open vices of our country 

 homes, for the most part. It is common among these families to find one or more of them 

 the victims of their own or their parents vicious habits. - It may be phthisis, or epilepsy, or 

 idiocy which they are afflicted with, but the cause may usually be traced to their immoral 

 habits, or to intemperance and irregularity of life. Much is due to intemperance, for this is their 

 special vice; they are the village rumsellers main support for among the better class this vice is 

 comparatively little practiced. Almost all the male members of this community are habitual 

 drinkers, and many of the female portion also; and when they reach middle life are more or less 

 broken down by the effects of this habit, while the children follow in the same course at a slower 

 pace. The amelioration of this class is a problem for the philanthropist, as well as the physician, 

 and it is a difficult one, too; but a united action on the part of the profession, backed by the 

 better part of the community, can do much toward their elevation, and particularly in the 

 matter of intemperance. The closure of the low groggeries from which they obtain their poison 

 would be a beginning in the right direction, which would lead to a higher moral standard, and 

 thus toward permanent results. Systematic effort applied to the elevation of this class of people, 

 which familiarity has made contemptible, would materially lessen the number of those sup 

 ported at public expense in jails, hospitals, and reformatory institutions generally. 



Occupation. Most of the inhabitants of our country homes are engaged in the 

 occupation of farming, though, of course, manufacturing is carried on to some extent; but 

 most of these are located in the larger towns, and do not come within the scope of this paper. 

 The causes of disease, then, which fall to our consideration as due to occupation are those 



