Page:The Road to Wellville (1926).djvu/18

This page has been validated.
 
The Road to Wellville

in the air, it should be stirred to action by a fan. It is bad to sleep in a stuffy bedroom. The windows should be kept up at the bottom and down at the top. Fresh air helps to prevent colds and infections.

Sunlight also is a germ-killer. It is good to spend as many hours as possible out-of-doors where we can get its benefits.

Rigid observance of the laws of cleanliness is necessary if we would travel with Wellville’s happy throng.

CleanlinessOne of the first essentials to health is a clean dwelling place. Disease germs lurk in damp and darkness and dirt. Fresh air and sunshine drive these foes of health from their dwelling places. The vacuum sweeper swallows dirt instead of tossing it into the air like the old-fashioned broom. Sterilization with disinfectants, cleansers, and scalding water kills germs and makes the house a safe place for the human body.

The body itself should be kept clean. Frequent bathing rids the body’s pores of clogging dirt and lets them do their important work of eliminating the body’s waste. A warm bath two or three times each week may serve, but a tepid bath each day followed by a cold sponge or shower is better.

Today modern science is placing much stress upon the cleanliness of the mouth. It is through the mouth that the body gets its food and nourishment. The teeth and gums should be brushed regularly at least twice a day with a cleansing, purifying dentifrice. It is well to use a good antiseptic mouth wash and throat gargle

[ 8 ]