CHAPTER IV. 

 PEESONAL HYGIEImE AND CAS-E OF THE FEET. 



PERSONAL HYGIENE. 



History shows that in almost every war many more men die 

 of disease than from wounds received in battle. Much of this 

 disease is preventable and is due either to the ignorance or 

 carelessness of the person who has the disease or of other 

 persons about him. It is a terrible truth that one man who 

 violates any of the great rules of health may be the means of 

 killing many more of his comrades than are killed by the bullets 

 of the enemy. 



It is therefore most important that every soldier should learn 

 how to take care of his health when in the field and that he 

 should also insist that his comrades do not violate any of the 

 rules prescribed for this purpose. 



A great many diseases are due to germs, which are either 

 little animals or little plants so very small that they can only 

 be seen by aid of the microscope. All diseases caused by germs 

 are " catching." All other diseases are not " catching." 



There are only five w^ays of catching disease : 



{a) Getting certain germs on the body by touching some one 

 or something which has them on it. Thus, one may catch 

 venereal diseases, smallpox, measles, scarlet fever, chicken pox, 

 mumps, boils, body lice, ringworm, barber's itch, dhobie itch, 

 and some other diseases. Wounds are infected in this manner. 



(b) Breathing in certain germs which float in the air. In 

 this way one may catch pneumonia, consumption, influenza, 

 diphtheria, whooping cough, tonsilitis, spinal meningitis, mea- 

 sles, and certain other diseases. 



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