78 APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY 



142. Catching diseases. Some diseases, like measles, 

 smallpox, and typhoid fever are caught from other cases 

 of the same disease. These diseases are caused by some 

 germ which can live in the air or soil after it passes off 

 from the sick person. One may get these diseases by 

 breathing the air of a sick room, or by eating some of the 

 germs which stick to the hands or clothes, or by drinking 

 some well water into which slops from the house have 

 trickled. So great care must always be taken of a person 

 sick with a catching disease. 



In the first place, a sick room needs plenty of air, even 

 in cold weather. This drives out the disease germs as fast 

 as they form. Sunlight also kills the germs. So it is 

 almost impossible to catch a disease in the open air. 



In the second place, the sick room must be kept clean. 

 The bedclothes must be changed often and washed, and 

 the person himself must be bathed often. This also 

 removes disease germs. 



In the third place, soiled clothing must be boiled to kill 

 the germs, or else they will carry the disease. Slops must 

 be buried, or else have carbolic acid or some such sub- 

 stance poured over them to kill the disease germs. 



In the fourth place, you must avoid handling the patient 

 or his dirty clothes. When you come from the sick room 

 you must not eat without washing your hands. You must 

 not put your hands or fingers to your mouth in the sick 

 room. 



143. Effects of alcohol. Since alcohol starves and poi- 

 sons the cells, the white blood cells suffer with the rest, 

 and are not able to fight bacteria or to repair injuries as 

 they should. So inflammation is more likely to take place. 

 A drinker is more likely to get pneumonia or consumption 

 or other disease of the lungs. Alcohol scalds the throat, 



