Pneumonia, Influenza, and Colds 117 



pneumonia. It is most frequent in the late 

 winter and the spring because then the general 

 resistance of the body has been commonly 

 lowered by the long overstrain and confine- 

 ment of the season's work. 



Pneumonia is essentially an indoor disease, 

 or if it occur among out-door folks this is 

 almost always because they have been to 

 town or have consorted with house dwellers 

 who habitually harbor the pneumococcus. 

 Exposure to cold and wet, contrary to the 

 common belief, plays but an insignificant 

 part in predisposing to this disease. 



In the United States, pneumonia is one of 

 the most frequent and serious of the infectious 

 maladies. Over ten per cent, of all who die 

 are victims of this largely preventable disease. 



Through unguarded sneezing and coughing, 

 by the uncared for sputum of those who are 

 suffering from pneumonia, the pneumococcus 

 may be distributed in virulent form to those 

 who do not harbor it. 



If we safeguard ourselves against these out- 

 side sources of contamination and attend 

 properly to the toilet of the mouth and keep 



