Rural Hygiene

by Henry N. Ogden

Baths have always served as therapeutic agents, and evidences of their use may be found in Roman paintings and in Egyptian sculpture to-day. But from our standpoint it is their hygienic importance that is insisted upon. Ordinarily, the temperature of the bath should be between 90 and 100 degrees, and enough soap should be used to counteract the oily nature of the deposits on the skin.

Unfortunately, facilities for bathing, except in summer, have not been generally supplied to detached houses in the country. Plumbing in most houses has been lacking, but in these days bath-rooms are being installed with surprising rapidity, and the conveniences resulting are enjoyed as soon as they are understood. Only a few days ago, the writer was told of a small village of perhaps two or three hundred persons where this last summer one house, the first in the village, was provided with a bath-room, to the great interest of all the villagers. The convenience and comfort involved were immediately appreciated, and the plumber, who came in from a neighboring city twenty miles away, secured contracts for and installed twelve bath-rooms in twelve houses before he was allowed to leave the village. This same interest is everywhere noticeable, and the lack of bathing throughout the winter, formerly, alas, so common, is now giving way to a greater cleanliness, thereby improving the health and character of the inhabitants.

A great deal has been written about the value of a cold bath, particularly in the morning, and many people, from a sense of duty, suffer what is almost torture taking a shower bath or a cold plunge bath on rising. When a cold bath (which should not last more than a few seconds) is followed by a good reaction, that is, when after drying, a distinct glow is felt, there is no objection to its use, and undoubtedly it has a tonic effect for those whose vitality is able to endure the shock. But cold baths for their tonic effect are desirable only when the individual is assured of their lasting benefits. Nor must one judge of the effects by the immediate results, inasmuch as the splendid feeling which follows may be succeeded by a period of depression lasting the rest of the day; in which case, the total effect of the cold bath is bad rather than good. Baths for cleanliness are everywhere desirable, and their frequency should depend upon the individual, his constitution, habits, and work; upon the season and temperature; and on the conveniences for bathing in the house. Baths for tonic effect are not necessary, and if not a pleasure, may very properly be omitted.

One other point to be noted is that no practice is of more value in reducing the ravages of contagious diseases than a frequent and conscientious washing of one's hands. For germs are most certainly transmitted from one person to another, and it is accomplished more frequently by the hands than by any other part of the body.

The invitation, therefore, to a guest to wash his hands before dinner is really an invitation for him to disinfect himself or to get rid of the germs which he is carrying, in order that the host and his family may not be infected during the meal. The guest owes it to his host always to accept the invitation, whether he thinks he needs it or not. Doctors recognize the necessity, and it is surprising to observe how many times during the day a doctor washes his hands, even though he may not come in contact with any particularly infectious disease. An ordinary man, on the other hand, washes his hands only when he thinks they are dirty, although his daily occupation may expose the skin of his hands to infection many times worse than that which the doctor experiences.

Mouth breathing.

Children have sometimes wondered why they were made with both mouths and noses, since they could breathe equally with either, and many years have gone by before they realized that breathing through the mouth was not intended, but that the exclusive province of the nose was to furnish air to the lungs. The reason for nose breathing rather than mouth breathing is twofold. In the first place, no provision for removing or filtering out germs from the air is made in the mouth, whereas in the nose the crooked passages, the moist surfaces, and the hairlike growths all tend to strain out any germs normally in the inspired air.

Further, breathing through the mouth has a tendency to induce inflammation in the tonsils and in the air passage connecting with the ear. This inflammation develops into those growths known as adenoids, which, when enlarged sufficiently, close the nostril entirely and prevent its normal use. A recent examination made by the New York Board of Health of 150 school children, all in some way abnormal, showed that 137 had either adenoids or enlarged tonsils. Example after example could be given of school boys and girls whose mental and moral development has been markedly retarded because of mouth breathing. One need only look at a child or adult who constantly keeps his or her mouth open to be impressed by the listless, vacant, inert appearance of the face thus disfigured. Figure 74 shows a photograph of a schoolgirl just before an operation and the characteristic expression due to adenoids is plainly marked. Earache is largely due to adenoids or to inflammation that rapidly leads to adenoids, and Mr. William H. Allen, Secretary of the Bureau of the New York Municipal Research, reports that in 415 villages of New York State, 12 per cent of the children living there were found to be mouth breathers. Whenever a child is unable to breathe through his nose, is slow in talking, and then speaks with a stuffy accent, calls "nose" "dose," has a narrow upper jaw, and is either deaf or has inflamed eyes, it is practically certain that enlarged tonsils and a well-developed growth of adenoids are present and should be removed. Not merely do these growths interfere with the mental and physical development of the child, but they also make him more susceptible to contagious diseases, particularly those of the lungs and bronchial tubes.

Fig. 74.—Schoolgirl with adenoids.