The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-12-01
Health Hints and
Rules Of Hygiene
Suggestions That May Save You Many
a Doctors Bill.
WlSDON FOR THE HOUSEHOLD
These Hints Don't Cost Much, Are MOI
Copyrighted, and if They Don't DO
You Any Good, They'll Not
Do You Any Harm.

of health embodies some valuable in
formation about diphtheria. 1t says
whenever a child or young person has
sore throat with a bad odor to its
BREATH especially If it has fever, it
should Immediately be separated from
all other persons, excepting necessary
attendants, until it is ascertained by
physician whether it has diphtheria or
some other Communicable disease. Mild
cases may communicate malignant and
fatal forms of the disease. Diphtheria
is believed to be caused by a special
poison (contagium) which may be con-
veyed to persons previously unaffected,
by personal contact, by infected cloth
ing, rags, hair or paper or by any of
the discharges of the body of a person
sick of the disease. The seeds or germs
of this terrible disease may be received
from anything which has touched the
sick person, as air, food, clothing,
sheets, blankets, furniture, toys, books,
wall paper, curtains, cats, dogs and
flies. The discharges from the throat,
nose and mouth are believed most fire.
quently to contain the germs of the
disease and to communicate 1t to others,
but the discharges from the kidneys
and from the bowels are also dam
gerous. The diphtheria poison has
great vitality, and may lie dormant
in clothing, blankets papers and houses
for weeks, and even months. 1t seems
to be able to travel in the air of sewers,
and thus to pass from house to house;
also to rise in the emanations from
putrid privles and cesspools. 1t can
also, undoubtedly infect foods, milk
and water and with them enter the
bodies of children. The time which may
intervene between exposure to the
pioson of diphtheria and the appear
ance of the symptoms of the disease
varies. 1t may be from two to six days
the average is variously stated at from
six to ten days, but the time may be
extended to five or six weeks.
adults, whose services are not need
ed, should keep away from the disease
When necessity requires one to visit
such house, the clothing should after
wards be changed and bath taken be-
fore going where there is a child. Be
| ware of any person who has sore
throat. Do not kiss or take the breath
| of such a person. Do not drink from
| the same cup, or use any article handled
| by such a person until it is disinfected
| Whenever child complains of a sore
throat, or is in the least hoarse, it should
receive careful attention from its par
| antc p,. f,,in mi
ever the disease is prevalent in any dis
| trict, children should be removed from
the day and Sabbath schools. They
| should also, at these times, not travel
| in the public cars or public carriages,
| the upholstered seats of which may har-
! Dor the poison. Parents in whose fami-
/ lies the disease has broken out, who are
! able to do so, may send their children
unaffected with the disease, to homes
/ in which there Is no one liable to con-
! tract it, But whenever such removals
are made, the children should not mingle
with the public until after the lapse of
| two weeks. From families in which this
! disease is prevalent, children must not
attend school, church, or any public as
] "
stain from attending church and public
assemblies as much as possible. Close
attention should be paid to the sources
of the water and the food supplies. If
/ possible, only the purest water should
| be used If there is any doubt about
the purity of the water boil it thorough
ly before using it. Food and milk should
] l, s,l, "a In
which there is diphtheria Tor any con-
tagious disease), for these articles may
carry the germs of the disease. Perfect
cleanliness should be enjoined in the
house and all its surroundings. Sewer
gas must not be permitted to enter the
house. All foul odors must be destroyed
in privies and cess-pools by the appro-
pirate disinfectants. Let the house re-
ceive all the pure air and sunlight pos
sible. Do not send your clothing to a
public laundry to be washed during an
epidemic of diphtheria.
"It is of vital Importance" says a
we'll known authority, that an upper
opening be kept in every living room
. I
cape of the foul air emanating from
life, labor and decay. Rooms that are
not provided with an upper register OF
window ventilator can be perfectly
ventilated by lowering the window q
fraction of an inch. This imperceptible
opening Is u regular life insurance. II
this precaution is needed all winter
! 1aN will 40 10
duction in lung and throat diseases. In
consumptive cases this law should be
rigidly enforced"
We have heretofore alluded to the
excellence Of the common apple as Q
remedial diet And now we have the
American Practitioners word for II
that the phosphorous in the apple is
admirably adapted for renewing the es
sential nervous matter-leCithin--o the
brain and spinal cord. 1t Is, perhaps
for the same reason, rudely understood
that old Scandinavian traditions repre-
sent the apple as the food of the gods
who, when they felt themselves to bt
growing feeble and infirm, resorted t
this fruit, renewing their powers o.
mind and body Also the acids of thu
apple are Of singular use for men o
sedentary habits, whose livers are slug
gish in action, those acids serving t
eliminate from the body noxious mat
ters, which, If retained, would make tn,
: brain heavy and dull, or bring abou
jaundice or skin eruptions and 'othe
allied troubles. Some such experience
must have led to the custom of takin,
apple-sauce with roast pork, rich COOS
; and other like dishes. The malic aci,
of ripe-apples either raw or cooked
; will neutralize any excess of chalk.
matter engendered by eating too mucl
meat. 1t is also the fact that such rip
fruits as the apple, the pear and tn
plum, when taken ripe and withou
sugar, diminish acldity in the stomach
, rather than provoke it. Their vegetabl
sauces and juices are converted int
alkali carbonates, by the chemical nc
ton of stomach Juices, which tend [