HEALTHY AN.D UNHEALTHY RESIDENCES. 51 



throughout the country. Farmers whose houses are already built 

 in malarial districts, such as in low, "made" lands, near stagnant 

 water, or in the neighborhood of sluggish streams, may exempt 

 themselves, almost altogether^ from the whole class of malarial 

 diseases, such as diarrhea, dysentery, chills and fever, of nearly every 

 grade, by eating a warm breakfast before they attempt to go out in 

 the morning, and by taking their suppers just before sunset. The 

 philosophy of the matter is. that a hot or hearty meal so excites 

 the circulation, and so invigorates the whole frame, that the latter 

 acquires the power of resisting the disease-engendering influences 

 of malaria. The Creoles, in portions of Louisiana where vegetation 

 is rank, as in swamps, upon which the summer's sun beams with 

 great power for many hours during the day, are proverbially ex- 

 empt from fevers, as are others, who adopt their habits that is, 

 have their breakfast, or at least a cup of hot coffee with milk, on 

 rising, or have it brought to their bed-side before they rise. 



The value of this practice is known and appreciated in many 

 other portions of the country, and used with complete success. 



Malarious Locations not Sickly at all Times It 

 may be practically, in some cases, useful, to know that in one year 

 a house on the banks of a sluggish stream, or mill-pond, may be 

 visited with sickness; the next year it may be exempt, because it 

 is a very cold summer; the third year it will escape, because it was 

 a very hot summer ; the fourth year it is a very healthful habita- 

 tion, because of a very wet summer. The causes of these variations 

 are briefly as follows : 



1. Malaria cannot rise through water, and the wet summer 

 kept the bed of the pond or stream covered. 



2. There can be no malaria without dampness, and the hot 

 summer dried the bed of the pond to dust. 



3. The cold summer did not give the degree of heat necessary 

 to the generation of malaria. 



4. Modern scientific discovery has taught us that the exist- 

 ence of microbes, is the real cause of what we term malaria and 

 the production of these microbic germs is caused by decomposition; 

 this is brought about by alternate rains and summer heats promoting 

 decay in vegetable matter. 



Another effectual prevention against malarious diseases. As 

 has been stated, heat rarefies malaria, rendering it comparatively 

 harmless ; therefore, in order to accomplish this result, let a brisk 

 fire be kept, for an hour, in the sitting room, at sunrise and sunset, 

 from July to October, and the family repair to this room, and re- 

 main there until after breakfast, and as long at sunset. This done, 

 it would save an immense amount of suffering from chills and 

 fever, and other malarious diseases. 



Where to Build To those who are able to choose their 

 habitations we offer a few suggestions. The subject is especially 

 important to delicate families, and to persons predisposed to con- 



