THE MICROBE 
23 
It is these microbes which live on living 
bodies that we must try to guard against. We 
cannot escape all of them, for microbes are 
everywhere—in our food, in the air, and on the 
things we touch during the day. Luckily, most 
of these are harmless. However, there are some 
things that we can do to prevent these harm¬ 
ful microbes from causing sickness. We can 
keep our bodies clean, and care for any cuts in 
the skin. Few microbes are able to enter the 
body through the skin if it is well cared for. 
Brushing your teeth is not just a good habit. 
It is necessary in order to keep these microbes 
from growing on the teeth and thus causing 
decay. Once they have been allowed to grow 
there, they sometimes spread over the entire 
body, causing more serious sickness when you 
are older. 
Fortunately, most of the common soil, water, 
and air microbes obtain their food from lifeless 
material and are unable to grow when they 
find themselves in a living animal body. They 
are, therefore, harmless. There are some kinds 
Where do 
they live? 
