The custom among some nations of retaining a physician to maintain the health of the family rather than to regain it, to avoid disease rather than to cure it, has its distinct advantages.
We should not be satisfied with anything less than perfect health and we are beginning to realize that this perfect health is a possibility for almost every individual.
In the maintenance of health, as well as in the cure of disease, diet is often more important than drugs.
To-day, scientific knowledge of hygiene and of food values is within the reach of all, and every mother and teacher may learn how to guard the health of those in her charge.
It is necessary to know the comparative values of foods as nutrient agents, in order to maintain our bodies in health and strength, and with economy of digestive effort, as well as efficiency.
There is no study, therefore, more important than that of bodily nutrition, which comprises not only the right proportion of food and drink, but also the manner in which they must be prepared in order to yield the best returns under varying conditions—age, employment, health, and sickness.
The body is certainly a marvelous machine! It is self-building, self-repairing, and, to a degree, self-regulating.
It appropriates to its use foodstuffs for growth and for repair.
It eliminates its waste.
It supplies the energy for rebuilding, and eliminating this waste.