The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1883-05-10
Why Few People Live 10 Grow Old.

Why Few People Live 10 Grow Old.
The eighth lecture Of the course in
connection with the new Century Even
ing Glasses for Women was given on
Saturday evening at the Franklin Instl.
tute by DR.. Henry Hartshone. To !ivea
healthy and vigorous old age was, he
said, the right of every man and woman.
That SO few attain it is due in part to I'M
hygicnic ways of living, and IN part to
the inherited effect of the bad living OF
our progenitors One hundred years IS
the terminus to be expected from the or
ganization of man, yet only one in 1000
reaches it. OF these there are more wo-
men than men, more foreigners than ma
tives, more colored than white. The
average of life in this country is less than
40, which, after allowing for epidemics,
casualties, ETC., is still unreasonably
low.
Many are handicapped at the start by
a bad Inheritance; many child is born
with shortlived constitution, is 40 at
birth, and dies OF old age in infancy.
The children Of drinkers are ap. to be
unhealthy. even when the habit has not
obviously affected the parents. The
marriage of consumptives Is always dan
gerous; weak lungs in both parents are
almost certainly fatal offspring, and most
of all the marriage of persons under age
is likely to ill the world with weaklings.
The waste of life among children, espec-
tally in cities in hot weather, Is due In
|, large proportion to dirty streets, un'
clean and unventilated houses, and close
packing together. This is so obvious
that a physician could go through the
city and predict in what streets and al
leys, and almost in what houses, pestilen'
lial diseases would be generated which
should spread to punish a city. The
speaker was especially earnest on the
subject of vaccination. Consider no
child SAFE" said be, because once vac
cinated; but when about twelve years
old re vaccinate, and don't be satisfied
until it has taken. Hot weather is more
dangerous to children than adults. The
Children's Country Week and Sanitar'
ium give to thousands every summer the
boon of something to breathe. 1t would
be we'll il the mothers in any given court
or small street would take turns through
the hot days in spending each day in
a public square with the children OF sew
eral families together.
Cold is also very trying to your chill
dren, and the positive cruelty uf mothers
in allowing, for fashions sake, the legs
of children to be lightly clothed in win
ter, was earnestly condemned. When
child is in bed, it is not enough to de-
pend on bed clothing for warmth; no
amount of cold clothing will make heat;
il will simply coutine the amount Of ami
NAL heat already in the body. II u
child is put to bed cold it may stay cold,
although under pilcs of clothing. The
right way is to have artificial heat in the
room. not only for its own warmth. but
to make it easy to lower the windows
and let into the lungs of the sleeper the
oxygen, bearing fresh air, which shall
turn to heat in the body itself. Take a
child in ordinary health, ont of doors
every day, even in midwinter. even an
infant IN the first month Of its life, wrap
up carefully and don't keep ont too long.
THE best sort of warmth is that which
comes through exercise, not kept up too
long. The reason why skating, one of
the very best modes of exercise, lost ia
yor. is that peoE 10 skated too long at a
time. and sat down on the ice when
warm. Hardening" is q good thing if
wisely done, but it is not accomplished
by wearing too little clothing or going
about III wet feet.
The Spartan practice of putting the
baby out OF doors during the night to
see il it is robust enough to live till
morning, was not recommended by the
lecturer. The food for babies is milk
aud nothing else.
The theory of adding water is now al
most wholly abandoned said the speaker.
except by milkmen. But above ali
things the milk used by an infant should
be kept as fresh AZ possible; even few
hours in . warm room may bring disease
TO Il Q delicate stomach Of the child. II
ice cannot be had, it is better to boil it
at once. Beware Of giving starchy food
alone TO babies. They need nitrogen IN
we'll as starch. You can almost starve q
child by giving it all it viii take OF ar.
row.root and water. And don't be for
ever feeding. Often q child simply
wants drink, and thon water is far bet
Ter than milk. For older children and
sdults tea il better than coffee; milk and
AZ GAcOs -