The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1874-07-16
From the Scientific American ]
Farmers Health.

| rOIn Ine SclenJlHc American.
Farmers Health.
The State Board of Health of Massa
chusetts are doing admirable work
Their fourth annual report, published
| last year. was model volume of its kind
and copious reproductions from its pages
found place in our columns. It's success.
sor, now before us, is every whit as val
liable. 1t is not dry mass of undigested
statistics, nor a bundle of official plati-
tudes which nobody understands and no
one takes the trouble to read; but Sc
ries of papers, plain, practical, and full
OF common sense on sanitary questions
which are of the nearest importance to
every one. We commend the work as
exemplifying what report addressed to
the people should be; and it seems to US
that an immense amount of good would
be done if the general government,
among the tuns of documents supplied
to our representatives for distribution to
their constituents, would provide similar
volumes on similar subjects, and COM
piled in a similar manner e..
Some papers in the book before us, we
have already embodied in articles on
these topics. At the present time we
desire to direct attention to the very i'm
portant subject of the sanitary condition
of farmers, who though popularity con-
sidered the healthiest people in the
world, have, it appears, yet something to
learn tending toward their improvement
and to the prevention of dangers Incl
dental to their calling
The basis of the views presented is the
opinions of the country doctors all over
Massachusetts,, and no better foundation
could be obtained. A paper based upon
their combined experience cannot be
otherwise than instructive. The farmers
in the above State constitute one-eighth
of the industrial population, less pro-
portion than in the Western States, as
in Illinois the farmers with the farm la
borers make up one-half of all persons
having occupations so that no further
argument is necessary to prove that their
sanitary welfare is that of very large
proportion of the entire population of
the country.
The first question considered is that of
longevity. A table collated over twenty
eight years shows the average age of
farmers at death to be 6513 years, fig
ures far in advance of all other callings,
and greatly exceeding the lifetime of ac-
tive mechanics (not in shops who, aver
aging 5262 years, appear next on the
list The opinions of the physicians CON
suited also go to show that the farmers
chances of long life are somewhat greater
than those of any other class As re-
CARDS general health, there appear to be
divided views. the large majority of doc
tors, however, holding that farmers and
their families enjoy better health than
most people, while respectable minori-
ty advocate the reverse. This leads to a
more direct examination of the causes
which tend to impair the health and
shorten the lives of the agricultural class
es. First of these is overwork, that is,
not the nature but the amount of labor
performed, combined with exposure to
the weather. Labor carried too far ex-
hausts and enfeebles the frame. During
a short season, however, when the year s
operations are crowded into q space of
five months, and when wages are high,
overwork on the part of the farmer is too
common. In spring he works at the
plow from morning until night. to hurry
through the planting in summer, prodi-
gies of moving and pitching of hay are
done, which too frequently tend to cause
serious rupture or other physical injury.
In winter, there is a continual series of
hard work in hauling wood and doing
similar exhausting labor, causing sudden
changes of temperature in the body.
The result of the whole is that rheuma-
tism becomes by far the most prevalent
disease. Again, farmers wives work
even harder than their husbands, and, it
is said, are the most likely to be over
burdened. The remedy for such excess
of labor on the part of farmers and their
families is a better comprehension of
sanitary laws. 1T should be understood
that it is not true economy to lay up
money when the process of accumulating g
it makes the farmers wife an invalid,
and necessitates the expenditure of a
much larger sum for sickness. More
labor-saving machinery should be intro
duced~-. For small farms, where the
more expensive machinery is not availa-
BILE, cheaper substitutes would doubtless
be invented, were inventive genius
turned that way through the liberality
of agricultural societies.
1t is a somewhat singular fact that
| farmers live so little upon their own pro-
ductions. They send their fresh vegeta-
bles, fruits, eggs, and poultry to the
market, and live themselves upon salt
pork, pies, and saleratus bread The re-
suit is dyspepsia and train of kindred
diseases. 1t is important that good cook
ing should be cultivated. 1t is actually
easier to cook well than badly, provided
the work is not done in hurry. In the
]
traceable, and it is the very pressure oi
labor which causes the preparation oi
the food to be done in any way so long
as the materials are rendered eatable. A
pork diet is not healthy. The meat is
slow of digestion; it contains an excess
of fat; it may, if impror erly cooked, pro
duce trichiniasis and tapeworm, and it
increases the liability to consumption
and scrofula. Farmers should live on
plenty of fresh meat, use less tea, avoid
ltfrying as a means of preparation, eschew
pies and cakeSi excess, and provide for
their own tables an abundance of vegeta
bles and fruits, with wholesome, well
kneaded, yeast bread.
AS rule, it is said, farm houses are
very badly located, worse so than city
residences. Farmers should compre
hend the necessity of choosing dry ano
airy locality, and the dangers resulting
from living on damp soil or in low
shut-in situation. Where the house il
placed low, house drains are sluggish
and imperfect, and fogs are frequent
when shut in by higher ground, the ali
is stagnant, and the effluvia from the
house and outbuildings are not blowr
away. Too many trees conduce to damp
ness and shut out the sunlight.
| Uncleanliness of surroundings is pro
life cause of disease. Typhoid fever anC
summer bowel diseases abound in tn,
vicinity of putrescent animal matters
which poison both air and waters
Faulty drains and neglected privies ar