PREVENTING SICKNESS
=212. How our body kills disease germs.=--We take disease germs into
the body in three ways: first, through the mouth, second, through the
nose, and third, through the skin. So we should watch the purity of
our food, drink, and air, and should be careful about putting things
into the mouth, and about the cleanliness of the skin. We often take a
few disease germs into the body without catching a disease. This is
because the white cells of our blood fight the germs and kill them (p.
53). If the body is hurt or weakened, the white blood cells may also
be weakened so that they cannot kill the germs. We should take good
care of the body so that every part of it may do its work well. We
need not be able to run fast, or to lift heavy weights, but the best
sign that every part of the body is in good order is to feel bright
and wide-awake. Then our white blood cells will also be in good order
and able to fight disease germs.
=213. Catching cold.=--When we catch a disease, we often say that we
have caught cold. We used to think that cold air and dampness were
almost the only causes of taking cold, and this is the reason why we
called many kinds of sickness by the name of colds. Now we know that
we catch cold by taking disease germs into the body. The germs will
not be able to grow unless the body is weakened in some way, as by
cold and dampness. Yet if we are wet and cold, we shall not catch cold
unless we take disease germs into the body. We do not get the germs
from the outdoor air, for very few germs are there. We get them from
the foul air of our houses when we come in to warm and dry ourselves.
If the air of our houses were always as clean and pure as the outdoor
air, we should hardly ever have colds.
We can safely let the cold air blow on us if we are out of doors, but
if we sit in a house, a small draft sometimes seems to make us take
cold. This is because there are likely to be many disease germs in the
house and few out of doors.
Other things besides cold air and dampness may weaken the body, and so
help us to take cold. If germs of colds are in a warm room, we may sit
there and take cold even if we are not wet or chilled at all. The body
may be weakened by poor food, wrong eating, or overwork, so that
disease germs will easily grow in it. We take as many colds from these
causes as from cold air and dampness.
=214. Kinds of colds.=--A person takes most of the germs of colds
through his nose and mouth. If they grow only in his nose, we say that
he has a cold in his head. If they grow in his throat, he has a sore
throat, or tonsillitis. If they reach as far as the upper part of his
windpipe, he is hoarse, or has a cough, or the croup. If the germs are
planted in his lungs, he may have bronchitis or pneumonia. All these
kinds of sickness often spread from one person to another. If one person
in a family has a cold, others in the family often catch cold from him.
=215. Diseases like colds.=--Diphtheria, tuberculosis, whooping cough,
and measles all begin like a common cold and often look like a cold
during the whole sickness. Colds do not turn into any of these
diseases, for each of them comes from its own germ, just as corn comes
only from seed corn.
=216. Curing a cold.=--If you have a cold, you ought to stay at home
and rest, or lie in bed. Then your white blood cells can gain strength
to fight the disease germs. You ought to have plenty of fresh air in
your room. You ought not to eat much food for a few days, so that your
stomach and intestine and liver can use all their strength in throwing
off the poisons of the germs. But you ought to drink plenty of water,
so as to help wash away the poisons from your body.
=217. Keeping colds from spreading.=--You should keep away from other
persons while you have a cold, or other catching disease, so as to
keep from spreading the sickness. You ought not to go visiting, or go
to school, or to church, or to other meeting places. When you cough or
sneeze, you should hold a handkerchief to your mouth, so as to keep
from blowing disease germs from your throat and nose. You ought to
sleep in a bed by yourself, so that no one may take the disease germs
from your bedclothes. No one else should use your towel, or
handkerchief, or knife, or fork, or spoon, or dish, until they have
been washed in hot water, so as to kill the disease germs on them.
=218. Keeping from catching cold.=--You can keep yourself from
catching cold by keeping your body strong and in good order. You
should keep your clothes dry, eat good food, breathe pure air, get
good rest and sleep, and keep your body, your clothes, and your house
clean. You should also keep disease germs out of your body. You should
not form a habit of putting your fingers or a pencil to your mouth (p.
127). You should keep your nose, your throat, and your mouth clean.
=219. Cleanliness of the nose.=--The inside of the nose is wet with a
slippery liquid. If you have a cold, the liquid is thick and stops
your nose, and is called _phlegm_. The liquid catches and holds dust
and disease germs, and keeps them from going into the windpipe. It
also kills many of the disease germs.
You should always carry a handkerchief and use it so as to blow the
germs out of your nose. You should have a clean handkerchief every day.
[Illustration: =Photograph of model of the nose and throat.=
_A._ tonsil; _B._ adenoids; _C._ opening of Eustachian tube.]
=220. Adenoids and large tonsils.=--Sometimes children have large
tonsils growing in the back of the throat, or soft bunches of flesh
called _adenoids_ back of the nose. These children cannot breathe well
through the nose, but must breathe through the mouth. Then they take
dust and disease germs deep into the body, and so take colds and other
sickness easily. If a child has adenoids or large tonsils, an
operation should be done to take them out.
=221. Cleanliness of the mouth.=--We often breathe dust and disease
germs into the mouth or snuff them into the throat from the nose. Then
they are caught between the teeth and in the folds of the cheeks and
throat. There they may grow, and finally go deeper into the body and
make us sick. A dirty mouth is very often the cause of colds and other
sickness.
We should keep our mouths clean by brushing our teeth with a
toothbrush two or three times a day. We should also rub the toothbrush
over the tongue and around the back part of the throat so as to clean
the germs from every part of the mouth. Each child should have a
toothbrush of his own, and should use it every day.
=222. Contagious diseases.=--Diphtheria, whooping cough, measles,
scarlet fever, and smallpox are all dangerous kinds of sickness, and
spread with great ease. The germs may float in the air, and we may
take them into our bodies if we go into a room where any one has the
sickness. So we call these diseases _contagious_. If a person has one
of these diseases, he should be made to stay in a house or room by
himself until he is well. Keeping the sick away from well persons is
called _quarantine_. When the sickness is cured, the sick room and
everything in it should be cleaned and washed so as to kill the germs.
=223. Board of health.=--There is a board of health in every city and
town. The men on the board show persons how to keep diseases from
spreading, and make them obey the rules of health. Everybody in a town
should help the board of health in every possible way.
WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED
1. The white blood cells of our body kill disease germs.
2. We catch cold by taking disease germs into our body.
3. The germs of colds are not often found in the air out of
doors. They are often found in the foul air of houses.
4. If a person has a cold, he should keep away from other
persons, so as to keep from spreading the sickness.
5. Cleansing the nose helps us to keep from catching cold.
6. Cleansing the teeth and the inside of the mouth removes many
disease germs.
7. Adenoids and large tonsils should be taken from the throat by
an operation.
8. If a person has a dangerous contagious disease, he should be
quarantined.
9. Boards of health have charge of the prevention of contagious
diseases.
INDEX
Abdomen, 60.
Adam's apple, 68.
Adenoids, 136.
Air, 59, 65, 129.
Albumin, 10, 17, 18, 49.
Alcohol, 38.
Alcohol and arteries, 56.
biliousness, 46.
bitters, 46.
blood, 55.
brain, 95.
breathing, 70.
burning, 69.
catching cold, 71.
character, 97.
cooking, 47.
delirium tremens, 96.
digestion, 46.
eyes, 103.
feeling, 95.
habit, 44.
heart, 56.
heat, 72.
heredity, 96.
insanity, 96.
Jamaica ginger, 47.
kidneys, 81.
liver, 46.
lungs, 70.
medicine, 47.
money waste, 97.
motion, 95.
muscles, 119.
sickness, 82.
skin, 81.
stomach, 45.
strength, 56, 120.
strong drink, 40.
suffering, 97.
taste, 107.
thirst, 44.
thought, 95.
Alcohol, use of, 39.
Ameba, 7, 52.
Appetite, 27.
Arteries, 51, 55.
Ashes, 12, 62, 78.
B
Bacteria, 123.
Bathing, 78, 126.
Beer, 43.
Bile, 18.
Biliousness, 20.
Bitters, 46.
Bleeding, 49, 52.
Blood, 13, 19, 49, 61.
Board of Health, 137.
Bones, 109.
Bowels, 18.
Bowlegs, 110.
Brain, 88.
Brandy, 44.
Bread, 24, 38.
Breathing, 59, 60, 67.
Broken bones, 110.
Burning, 61, 118.
Butter, 23.
C
Cake, 24, 29.
Candy, 29.
Canning fruit, 37, 124.
Capillaries, 51, 61.
Catching cold, 54, 65, 72, 125, 132.
Cells, 8.
Cells, blood tubes of, 51.
breathing of, 61.
burning of, 62.
composition of, 11.
food of, 13, 55.
messages of, 85, 100.
Cells of blood, 49, 132.
bone, 109.
brain, 88.
epithelium, 76.
muscle, 115.
skin, 75.
spinal cord, 86.
yeast plant, 38.
Cheese, 23.
Chest, 60.
Chewing, 14.
Chewing gum, 34.
Chewing tobacco, 33.
Cider, 42.
Cigarettes, 34.
Cigars, 34.
Clams, 24.
Clot, 49.
Clothes, 63.
Coated tongue, 20.
Coffee, 27.
Cold, feelings of, 101.
Colds, 54, 65, 72, 125, 132.
Connective tissue, 9.
Contagious diseases, 137.
Cooking, 13.
Cotton, 63.
Cream, 23.
Cross-eyes, 102.
Cuts, 53.
D
Deafness, 105.
Decay, 124.
Delirium tremens, 96.
Diaphragm, 60.
Digestion, 13.
Diphtheria, 53, 134, 137.
Dirt, 126.
Dirt in eye, 102.
Disease germs, 29, 53, 65, 72, 81, 123.
Distillation, 43.
Drinking cup, 128.
E
Ear, 104.
Ear wax, 104.
Eating, 20.
Egg, 23.
Epidermis, 76.
Epithelium, 75.
Eustachian tube, 105, 136.
Exercise, 118.
Eye, 101.
Eyeball, 101.
Eyelids, 102.
F
Far sight, 103.
Fat, 11, 18, 25, 49, 92.
Fear, 92.
Feeling, 100.
Fermentation, 37.
Fever, 125.
Fire drill, 93.
Fish, 24.
Flannel, 63.
Flies, 130.
Food, 12, 13, 19, 23.
Fresh air, 67, 129.
Fruit, 25.
Fur, 64.
G
Gastric juice, 17.
Gelatine, 11.
Germs, 29, 53, 65, 72, 81, 123.
Gizzard, 14.
Good habits, 94.
Grain, 24.
H
Habit, 94, 127.
Hair, 76.
Hair dyes, 77.
Hair oil, 77.
Handkerchief, 135, 136.
Healing, 53.
Hearing, 104.
Heart, 50.
Heart beat, 50, 55.
Heat, 62, 101.
Heating houses, 65.
House flies, 129.
Hunger, 29.
I
Intemperance, 29.
Intestine, 18.
Iron, 12.
J
Jamaica ginger, 47.
Joints, 110.
K
Kidneys, 62, 78.
Knowledge, 89.
L
Lead, 27.
Life, 12.
Lime, 12.
Linen, 64.
Liver, 18, 19.
Lungs, 60.
M
Maggots, 130.
Malaria, 130.
Matter, 54.
Meal, 24.
Measles, 134, 137.
Meat, 24, 116.
Memory, 89.
Microbes, 123.
Microscope, 8.
Milk, 23.
Mind, 9, 84, 88.
Minerals, 11, 19, 49.
Mosquitoes, 130.
Motion, 88.
Motor nerves, 85.
Mouth, 14, 127, 137.
Muscles, 115.
N
Nails, 76.
Near sight, 103.
Nerve messages, 85.
Nerves, 84, 116.
Nervousness, 92.
Nicotine, 31.
Night air, 67.
Nose, 127, 135.
O
Oatmeal, 24.
Oysters, 24.
P
Pain, 100.
Pancakes, 24.
Pancreatic juice, 18.
Pencils, 127, 135.
Perspiration, 78.
Pie, 29.
Pneumonia, 134.
Poisons, 19.
Potash, 12.
Potatoes, 25.
Public drinking cup, 128.
Pulse, 51.
Pus, 54.
Q
Quarantine, 137.
R
Red blood cells, 49, 54, 61.
Reflex action, 86.
Root beer, 43.
Round shoulders, 112, 117.
Rubbers, 64.
S
Saliva, 14.
Salt, 12, 26.
Scarlet fever, 137.
Senses, 88, 100.
Sensory nerves, 85.
Sewers, 81.
Sick room, 66.
Sight, 101.
Skin, 63, 75, 126.
Sleep, 90.
Slops, 80, 126.
Smallpox, 137.
Smell, 106.
Smoke, 62.
Smoking, 34.
Snuff, 33.
Soda, 12.
Spinal cord, 86.
Spitting, 32, 127.
Sprains, 112.
Starch, 11, 14, 18, 25.
Steam engine, 62.
Stockings, 64.
Stomach, 17.
Strength, 117.
Strong drink, 40.
Sugar, 11, 14, 18, 25, 28, 38, 42, 49.
Swallowing, 15.
Sweat, 63, 78.
Sweeping, 129.
Sweetbread, 18.
T
Taste, 28, 106.
Tea, 27.
Tears, 102.
Teeth, 14, 137.
Tendon, 115.
Thinking, 89.
Tight shoes, 112.
Tobacco, 31.
Tobacco and brain, 98.
breathing, 72.
chewing, 33.
children, 33.
digestion, 33.
eyes, 104.
habit, 34.
heart, 57.
muscle, 121.
strength, 32.
taste, 107.
teeth, 32.
Tongue, 15.
Tonsils, 134, 136.
Toothpick, 15.
Touch, 100.
Tuberculosis, 134.
Typhoid fever, 53, 127.
V
Vegetables, 25.
Veins, 52.
Ventilation, 65, 129.
Vinegar, 39.
Voice, 68.
W
Warmth, feeling of, 63.
Washing clothes, 80.
Waste of body, 75, 78.
Water, 10, 19, 26, 49, 127.
Wells, 26, 81.
Whisky, 44, 71.
White blood cells, 49, 53, 132.
Whooping cough, 134, 137.
Wigglers, 131.
Windpipe, 15, 59.
Wine, 42.
Wool, 63.
Words, 68.
Working of fruit, 37.
Worry, 91.
Y
Yeast, 24, 38, 42.
* * * * * *
Transcriber's note:
Pg 137 Added period after "223" in "223 Board of health".
Pg 141 Replaced a comma with a period after "101" in "Eye, 101".