VIII 



HEALTH ON THE FARM 



r I MLtt farmer should live longer than the urbanite. 

 JL Does he ? The answer appears to be negative in 

 the case of some diseases. The farmer lives in the 

 open at least by day, should have access to fresh and 

 wholesome food and as a rule is not worried by cares 

 of business. Therefore, he should live longer than his 

 city cousin. 



On the other hand, the farmer sleeps in poorly venti- 

 lated rooms, especially in winter, his food is often 

 largely composed of products he cannot sell. The 

 choice bits of the farm's products go to the city. The 

 farmer too often keeps for himself the specked apples 

 and small or injured potatoes. He is exposed to vio- 

 lent extremes of heat and cold. He shivers with cold 

 and is half baked before his open fireplace half a dozen 

 times a day. In hot weather he works at planting or 

 in the harvest field twelve to fourteen hours a day. He 

 eats hurriedly and does not as a rule get sufficient rest. 

 He is peculiarly prone to have typhoid fever, pneu- 

 monia and influenza. The cooking in his home is too 

 often of the greasy kind. He has " hot biscuits " once 

 and often three times a day. His meats in winter are 

 usually home cured, and, therefore, subject to all the 

 disasters that follow unskilled handling. I think I 

 may say without transgressing the truth, that the far- 

 mer has far poorer sanitary surroundings than the city 



man. The farm springs or wells are likely to be pol- 



53 



