, 1885-04-26
AGENTS OF DEATH
WHICH THRIVE IN KITCHEN. PANTRY
AND CELLAR.
Some HyeienIc Facts Tina Are Too Little
Understood Crevices Through
which Disease and Pestileuco
Mny lcreep-warninE.

[csncinnati Enquirer
Tho first essential to n whole5ome prepare
ton OF food is a clean, sunny and well-aired
kitchen The latter condition depends on
the means at hand Of ventilation. All kitch-
ems should have at least two windows, and
these ON opposite sides Of the room The
sash should DO lowered and raised by means
Of pulleys, so that without any trouble they
may be lifted or draw Town from the top
at a moments notice. Without the proper
means Of ventilation, and the use Of them,
the imprisoned odors Of tho kitchen will
penetrate and poIlute the air of the whole
house. Among the worst Of these is
grease spilled on tho stove, which
instead Of being wiped of imme-
diately Is left to burn of; egg shells, and
even bad eggs, thrown by careless cooks
into the ash pan underneath the FIRE, in
stead OF in the fire; cooking onions, beans,
turnips and cabbage, all combine TO send
their reeking odors through the house, to DO
absorbed by carpets, bedding, curtains and
clothing. Every housekeeper is aware Of
the vile odor which is given off by certain
vegetables while cooling. Special effort
should be made, particularly during the
first stages Of their boiling, to keep the
kitchen well aired; otherwise one may go
into the spare chamber or parlor IL it has
not happened to DO open, and inhale the
stale odor Of q dinner prepared three days
before.
at Is a fact too little understood, i" says an
authority on tho subject. "that water and
other liquids, and even semi-huid substan-
ces, are stewed fruits, juicy vegetables, etc.
have the power OF absorbing foul gases
from an impure atmosphere TO such an ex-
tent as TO render them half poisonous from
which it follows that disagreeable odors es-
Gaping from filthy dish-cloths, burning
grease, musty old carpets, pans OF stale gar
bage, foul drain-pipes, ste. are not only
breathed by the inmates Of the house, but
they are actually eateni'
Vessels containing kitchen refuse should
not stand in the kitchen; indeed, in winter
time there is no need of any such vessel.
Everything may be burned, and from a san
itary point Of view should be. 1t has been
done by a good-sizsd family during summer
months, even TO the watermelon rinds and
coffee grounds. A great assistance to such
a disposition OF waste matter Is a perfora ted
pan or a small-sized colander kept in the
sink, into which. peelings OF all kinds, egg
shells and tea and coffee grounds may DO
emptied and there drain until the
proper time, which should be oncs
a day, comes for their cremation.
II other disposition OF the garbage
must be made, there should be kept two
buckets, using them alternately and cleans
ing with a strong alkali each one as it is
emptied. In either case, such refuse as egg
shells, spoiled eggs and all animal matter
should be consigned TO the flames at once.
The water in which vegetables OF a strong
odor have been boiling, as beans, cabbage,
etc, should not be emptied into the kitchen
sink. II there are stationary washstands in
the house, and If the plumbing i not perfect
the odor will ascend through the pipes to the
very upper stories of the building. Wherever
there is an outlet there 1t will rush, with &C.
c~ompanying foul gases, which even a flush
ing of the pipes fails to remove
There is nothing so deleterious to the good
health of a household as imperfect drainage.
With this disastrous foe to contend with ono
may as well toss hygjenic rules to the winds.
The drain pipes in most modern built houses.
which are intended TO carry away foul mat
ter, generally perform the double office Of
conducting back into our dwellings moro
poisonous materials in the form Of gases
than they carry out. There Is a beautiful
residence in one OF our suburbs, with fins
grounds and rare shubbery, the cultivation
of which is no small item in the yearly ex-
penses- An underground drain leads from
the h~ouse-which stands on an eminence-
TO the street gutter. This convey Stops from
the kitchen, laundry and Wristbands into
this gutter, where they stand from week to
week, turning green with mold, even to the
very mouth Of the pipe; and the intolerablo
stencil can be detected half a square away.
The prevailing winds carry it directly into
the mansion. The doctors carriage often
stands at the gateway, for diphtheria is n
frequent guest there.
Another enemy to that perfection OF
health and strength, which all women de-
sire and SO few possess, is to be found IN
basement kitchens. As a rule they abound
/ in damnnaaa and - nm ffraI racr.1t In
mold, that arch enemy to healthful sur
~roundingx- 1t forces its insidious way into
closet and pantry; it marks with disease
breeding germs the jellies, the fruits, the
Vegetables, the bread, and fringes and
pumpkin pie. 1t lines tho carpet ON the
floor and creeps up the wall, d~efacing paint
and paper. We brush down the mold from
the wall; we breathe tho air from tho closets
many times in a day, often an hour at a
time while the periodical cleaning is going
on; we raise the carpet, and are almost
strangled with its pungent odor. We get
sick, we have sore throats, we have head
aches, our strength fails us, and we never
seem to sec what is back Of it all.
Another important requirement in tho
preparation Of wholesome food is a perfectly
clean, pure cellar in which TO keep the every
day supplies. 1t should extend under every
foot of the house, and have every facility
for thorough ventilation and perfect drain
age. Without this it is an unfit place for
storing food of any kind, more especially
butter, milk and meats, they all being alb
sorbents. Even with these provisions, a
cellar may become a source Of contamina
ton To the whole house. Decaying VOC
stables, soured fruits and tainted meats
should not be tolerated ~twenty-four hours.
But what are these compared to musty old
boots and shoes piled up in one corner,
pieces of carpet and mating falling apart
from decay and mold, cast-of clothing, even
to hoop skirts and bustles, all of which ara
known 10 have been found underneath
houses Of pretentious appearancei
The Cost of stopping a Train.
mhuadalnhia pra4s1