Vol. XXII. No. 1.] 



POPULAR SOIEITCE NEWS. 



13 



ifletittinc anu Pbarmarp. 



ARE AMEBICANS A NERVOUS PEOPLE? 



The term " American nervousness " has 

 become almost proverbial, and it is a popular 

 belief that the nervous temperament is charac- 

 teristic of the inhabitants of the United States ; 

 that all our affairs are conducted on the "high 

 pressure" system, and that our normal state 

 is one of the highest excitement. To this 

 alleged state of affairs is attributed the nu- 

 merous " break-downs " and cases of nervous 

 prostration and insanity so frequentl}- re- 

 ported. 



Like many other generally accepted beliefs, 

 we think there is but little actual foundation 

 in fact for such an idea. The average Ameri- 

 can is well fed, warmly clothed, and properl3' 

 cared for in every way. His average weight and 

 size are faWy equal to those of his transatlantic 

 brother ; and the tall, sallow, lean, and ex- 

 citable individual supposed to represent the 

 typical American, like the conventional Yankee 

 or Irishman, is only to be found between the 

 covers of novels or in dramatic representations. 



Let any one make a mental review of his 

 acquaintances, and we venture to predict that 

 the number of those who can fairl3- be con- 

 sidered as " nervous " will be very small. 

 One meets as many persons in England or 

 German}' who answer to this "American" 

 type as in our own country. We have 

 watched the proceedings of the stock ex- 

 changes both in Berlin and New York, and 

 can bear evidence to the fact that the supposed 

 stolid and quiet Germans attain a degree of 

 excitement in their business dealings which is 

 far beyond that exhibited by their American 

 brethren. The dryer and more exhilarating 

 climate, and the social and political conditions 

 of this country are more favorable to business 

 activity and industrial enterprises than is the 

 case in European countries ; but the nervous 

 temperament is not dependent upon these con- 

 ditions at all, but to causes which prevail in 

 all parts of the world. The immense systems 

 of transportation, and the enormous mercan- 

 tile and industrial operations carried on in 

 this country, could not be managed by ner- 

 vous men, or by any but those in the most 

 perfect and robust health. 



It is a significant fact that the class of func- 

 tional nervous diseases to which the late Dr. 

 Beard applied the term "neurasthenia," were 

 first specially studied and described by Ger- 

 man phjsicians. The Germans have been 

 generally considered as being an}' thing but a 

 nervous race, but the same trouble which is 

 popularly considered as a peculiarly American 

 one occurs among them as well as ourselves. 



We cannot, then, come to anj- other conclu- 

 sion than that the Americans, as a people, have 

 as strong nerves and as vigorous constitutions 

 as any nation on earth. With the general 

 adoption of modern comforts and conven- 

 iences, and the better sanitary conditions under 

 which we live, the death-rate is constant!}- 

 diminishing, and the average length of life in- 

 creasing ; and there is no reason why we should 



not claim for ourselves as much superiority in 



health and strength as we are accustomed to 



do in business and political enierprise and 



sagacity. 



— »— 



SANITARY SCIENCE AND DOMESTIC 

 ARCHITECTURE. 



BY JOHN CKOWELL, M.D. 

 lU. 



In every well-planned house ample room must 

 be apportioned for sleeping-apartroents. Too often 

 such vital conditions are neglected for the sake of 

 a multiplicity of rooms, and we find houses with 

 spacious halls and drawing-rooms, without any 

 thought bestowed upon the places to be used for 

 sickness and for the hours when tired nature seeks 

 repose. A sleeping-room should be generous in 

 size, open to the sunlight, and as free as possible 

 from superfluous furniture and ornament. It should 

 have the sunshine, for the sake of ventilation and 

 dryness; and it should be simple in furnishings, 

 because of dust and "germs" of disease. 



Modern luxury has made sleeping- rooms recep- 

 tacles for elegant appointments ; and we find them 

 filled with numberless articles of fanciful design, 

 — kniokknacks, draperies, rugs, carpets, and every 

 conceivable thing that aesthetic taste can iuvent. 

 Hence there can be no pure air in such rooms, 

 and the accumulation of Jiltk and dust is some- 

 thing wonderful. While we would not strip these 

 rooms of all artistic adornment, we insist upon 

 simplicity; and first of all, we would discard 

 heavy woollen carpets. They are filthy; and if the 

 good housewife does not believs it, let her look 

 across the room when the sun is shining through it, 

 and see the line of dust constantly rising. Of 

 course, this process goes on night and day, and it 

 is unavoidable when the floor is encumbered with 

 the woollen covering. Let the floor be laid in solid 

 wood, — birch thoroughly kiln-dried is perhaps the 

 best, — and let there be no cracks or seams for 

 dust and vermin. A few closely woven rugs can 

 be disposed in front of bed and toilet table, and 

 these can be removed and shaken every day, while 

 the floor is wiped with a damp cloth The moral 

 influence of such cleanliness is certainly conducive 

 to sleep, to say nothing of the direct sanitary effects. 

 Bare walls are better than paper hangings, even 

 when the paper is free from arsenic; and with the 

 soft, warm tints at the disposal of the painter, the 

 walls can be made to glow with cheerful light. 



Sinks with hot and cold water, connected with 

 the sewerage system, should be discarded for obvi- 

 ous rea.sons ; and in all houses where these fixtures 

 pollute the sleeping- room, there should be a com- 

 plete revolution in their removal.' Not one in 

 twenty of these filthy receptacles is securely 

 trapped; and with the old devices of chain, 

 plungers, overflow pipes, and leaky crevices, we 

 are at variance with all sanitary rules and condi- 

 tions. Let all such " conveniences " be relegated 

 to the bath-room, with the open plumbing suggested 

 in a former paper. 



It Is better to go back to the old wash-hand stand 

 than to endanger the health with any such super- 

 fluous trappings. An open fireplace is not only a 

 luxury, but a neces.sity as a mode of ventilation; 

 and then, with iron or brass bedstead, with woven 

 wire bottom and hair mattress, and with simple 

 window-shades or shutters, we shall have a sleep- 

 ing-room combining the requisite conditions for 

 cleanliness and health. 



A nursery should be furnished with still more 

 rigid simplicity, with ample space for the free 

 movement of the children with their baby pas- 

 times. The walls may glow with the adornment 

 of bright pictures, and the attractive furnishings of 



child-life should not be lacking. But draperies 

 should be discarded, and carpets, if used, should 

 be of the simplest and most closely woven texture. 

 A room that can be easily kept clean and easily 

 ventilated, light, open, and cheerful, is the place 

 for the nursery. 



The kitchen should receive special attention, for 

 it is here where the important work of the house- 

 hold is done. And yet how often is this apart- 

 ment neglected in the plan of the house, and 

 crowded away in some angle, small, dark, and in- 

 convenient. A kitchen should be at least fourteen 

 feet square, with ample arrangements for range, 

 sink, and other culinary appliances. The sink 

 should be thoroughly trapped, the water that sup- 

 plies the tank should not come from the cistern that 

 feeds the water-closets, and the drip-pipe of the 

 refrigerator should not enter the general sewer. 

 The backs of sinks and wash-tubs should be pro- 

 tected with high soapstone slabs, to prevent the 

 accumulation of moisture and filth; and care 

 should be taken that no waste material finds lodge- 

 ment in any of the crevices or traps. Open plumb- 

 ing should be observed, and no place should be 

 found under the sinks for mops and rubbish. The 

 floor should be solid and seamless, with grooved 

 edges where it joins the mopboard. This concave 

 line prevents the accumulation of dust and vermin, 

 and greatly facilitates the process of cleaning the 

 floor. 



It is desirable to have the kitchen shut off from 

 direct communication with the dining-room, in 

 order to avoid the odors and steam incidental to 

 cooking. The pantry and china-closet should in- 

 tervene between kitchen and dining-room, where, 

 by means of slides, the food and china can be 

 served without inconvenience. By this arrange- 

 ment also the noise of the kitchen is shut out from 

 the dining-room. Nothing makes the work of the 

 kitchen move on so smoothly among the ser- 

 vants as to have at their command the conven- 

 iences of a well-planned kitchen and pantry. A 

 dinner-party often proves a failure because of the 

 scanty surroundings of the culinary apartment. 

 Let no architect, therefore, think that he has done 

 a fine thing unless he has given thought to the 

 practical working of the kitchen. Oftentimes a 

 house with elegant appointments in hall, library, 

 and drawing-room, is provided with a kitchen so 

 cramped in space; the range, sink, and working- 

 table being in such close proximity, as to interfere 

 with the necessary operations of that important 

 apartment. The transition from kitchen to dining- 

 room is quite natural, and this room should have 

 easy access to the kitchen without a direct com- 

 munication. A short hall or entry should inter- 

 vene, for the sake of protection from the noise and 

 odors. Entrance to this room should also be had 

 from the hall or drawing-room. The dining-room 

 should be of generous size, capable of seating at 

 table at least twenty persons. This room is very 

 apt to be too narrow, making it difficult for guests 

 to be served without crowding them. Twenty-five 

 by fifteen feet is none too large in a good-sized 

 house ; but we often find the room cramped into a 

 space twelve by fifteen feet, to the great embarrass- 

 ment of the host upon special occasions. 



In decorating and fm-nishing this room, we must 

 study propriety. ' It should differ from other rooms 

 inasmuch as its uses are different. It should be 

 inviting and hospitable, with nothing in excess 

 either in coloring or furnishing. As the hour spent 

 around the family board should be one of the most 

 delightful of the day, so should the room have that 

 cheerful, restful look so refreshing to the tired 

 hands and weary brain; for we need something 

 besides the act of eating to build up the waste places 

 in our exhausted forces. Let the room _glow in 



