364 THE PRESERVATION OF HEALTH 



sunlight. Those persons who live habitually shut out from 

 sunshine never have strong, buoyant health. 



It is not yet common for public authorities to interfere 

 in respect to this matter. In our cities it is even permitted 

 to one citizen to cut off completely from his neighbor's 

 family this prime necessity to well-being. 



524. The Air in Streets and Alleys is often rendered offen- 

 sive and dangerous by accumulations of filthy refuse from 

 dwellings, stables, factories, etc. Neglect of prompt and 

 thorough cleansing of all such passages by the officials 

 whose duty it is, should never be tolerated for a day, and 

 cleanliness of private premises should also be legally 

 enforced. 



525. Pure Food. Governmental inspection of the vari- 

 ous foods offered for sale is now recognized as an impor- 

 tant duty. Diseased meat, adulterated milk, butter, lard, 

 cheese, etc., are supposed to be excluded from the markets, 

 while adulterated sugars, baking powder, spices, etc., are 

 doubtless less common than formerly. But occasionally an 

 outbreak of typhoid fever or other fatal disease is traced 

 to the carelessness or ignorance or cupidity of some dealer 

 in dairy products, and hundreds of poor families are found 

 to be suffering in health from the adulterated bread or 

 flour or other necessary sold by an unscrupulous dealer. 

 The inspection of foods should be made much more strict, 

 and should be enforced in the smaller communities as well 

 as in the large cities. 



526. Pure Water. Nothing is more essential to the 

 health of a community than an abundant supply of whole- 

 some water for drinking, and good citizens look well to the 

 source of their drinking water. Water from small streams, 

 rivers, or lakes is seldom, in thickly settled parts of the 

 world, pure enough for drinking until it has been treated 



