HEALTH AND DISEASE 425 



nonabstainers. The number of weeks of sickness in the table 

 refers to the average number of weeks for which the members call 

 upon the sick fund of the society. 



The following are rules of individual hygiene as summarized 

 from the Yale Lectures on Hygiene by Professor Irving Fisher, 

 1906-1907 : — 



Air 



Keep outdoors as much as possible. 



Breathe thi'ough the nose, not through the mouth. 



When indoors, have the air as fresh as possible — 



(a) By having aired the room before occupancy. 



(6) By having it continuously ventilated while oer-upied. 



Not only purity, but coolness, dryness, and motion of the air, if not very 

 extreme, are advantageous. Air in heated houses in winter is usually 

 too dry, and may be humidified with advantage. 



Clothing should be sufficient to keep one warm. The minimum that 

 will secure this result is the best. The more porous your clothes, the more 

 the skin is educated to perform its functions with increasingly less need 

 for protection. Take an air bath as often and as long as possible. 



Water 



Take a daily water bath, not only for cleanliness, but for skin gym- 

 nastics. A cold bath is better for this purpose than a hot bath. A short 

 hot followed by a short cold bath is still better. In fatigue, a very hot 

 bath lasting only half a minute is good. 



A neutral bath, beginning at 97° or 9.S°, dropping not more than 5°, 

 and continued 15 minutes or more is an e.\c(>llent means of resting the nerves. 



Be sure that the water you drink is free from dangerous germs and 

 impurities. " Soft " water is better than " hard " water. Tee water 

 should be avoided unless sipped and warmed in the mouth. Ice may 

 contain spores of germs even when germs themsehes are killed by cold. 



Cool water drinking, including especially a glass half an hour before 

 breakfast and on retiring, is a remedy for constipation. 



Food 



Teeth should be brushed Ihoroiitihb/ seve.'al times a day, and floss silk 

 used between the teeth. Persistence in keeping the mouth clean is not 

 only good for the teeth, but for the stomach. 



Masticate all food up to the point of involuntary- swallowing,', with tlie 

 attention on the taste, not on the mastication. Food should simply lie 



