284 INTRODUCTION TO GENERAL SCIENCE 



References : 



1. Farmers' Bulletin No. 270. Modern Conveniences for the 



Farm Home. 



2. Farmers' Bulletin No. 317 : 5-9. The Farm Home. 



3. Reprint from Yearbook Department of Agriculture for 1909 : 



Comforts and Conveniences in Farmers' Homes. 



206. SANITATION 



" Sanitation " comes from the same source as the word 

 sanity, and the two should go hand in hand. Conditions 

 are now no worse than they were hundreds of years ago, when 

 little was known and less was thought on the subject of sani- 

 tation. Now we know the causes of many diseases, and that 

 they owe their origin to unsanitary conditions. For that 

 reason there are some persons who seem to think that the 

 fault lies in knowing too much, and that if we did not recog- 

 nize the presence of bacteria, they would do no harm. We 

 cannot afford to fail to recognize the true conditions, and we 

 should take steps to remedy the conditions according to our 

 knowledge of sanitation and sanitary measures. 



There are bacteria everywhere, in everything. Many are 

 necessary, and even the bacteria of decay, which trouble the 

 housewife, are of great value in the production of soil and the 

 removal of plant and animal waste. On the other hand, 

 disease bacteria are very liable to be present in putrefaction, 

 and we must guard ourselves against their attacks. 



Cleanliness and neatness are sanitary measures. In fact, 

 if there were no contamination from the outside, cleanliness 

 would be a sufficient guard against disease. We should not 

 allow the refuse from the kitchen to accumulate even for a 

 few days. The decaying material serves as a place where 



