HEALTH AND WELL-BEING 45 



both cases they are parasites, and they are destructive of the tissues 

 in which they lodge and multiply. 



As the germs live and multiply they also produce substances known 

 as toxins which have the effect of poisons upon the body as a whole. 

 The human body when infected seems to have the power of forming 

 other substances known as antitoxins which counteract the effects of 

 the toxins. If these are in sufficient quantity in the body they lessen 

 the severity of the illness or wholly prevent its development. 



Blood withdrawn from an animal which has had an infectious dis- 

 ease, such as diphtheria, is supposed to contain in its watery part, or 

 serum, antitoxins developed in the animal. This serum introduced 

 into the blood of a human being counteracts the poisonous effects of 

 the germ life without waiting for the slow development of antitoxins in 

 the body of the one who is ill. 



Hope of controlling infectious diseases, if not of their eradication, 

 lies in the prevention of the scattering of the germs developed in in- 

 fected persons. This involves the isolation by quarantine or otherwise 

 of any one sick with an infectious disease. It is equally important that 

 all discharges from the body of the patient, and all infected clothing and 

 other articles, shall be disinfected thoroughly by use of chemicals, by 

 sterilization, or by fumigation. The discharges from bowels and kid- 

 neys especially should be treated with a strong solution of hypochlorite 

 ("chloride") of lime before being thrown into sewer or cesspool. 



Danger of infection through foodstuffs is almost wholly removed by 

 thorough cooking. In the laundry clothing should be boiled for fifteen 

 or twenty minutes. Raw vegetables and fruits, and milk not pasteur- 

 ized, are always possible means of infection. One argument for the 

 use of hot drinks rather than cold water lies in the use of water that 

 has been boiled. 



SANITATION 



Providing the food -supply for a family to-day in the 

 United States is a very different matter from what it was a 

 half century ago. Then the vegetables, fruits, and meats, 

 together with the products of poultry yard and dairy, were 

 home products for home consumption, or were bought 

 direct from the producer. Home-grown animals were 

 slaughtered at home. Some of the meat was used fresh, 



