The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1917-08-21
Home Reading Course
For Citizen Soldiers
YOUR HEALTH

of Honor. z, Making Good as . Sol
der. 8. Nine Qualities of a Soldier.
4. Getting Ready for Camp. S. First
Days in Camp. 6. Cleanliness in
Camp.)
The living conditions in the Army
are just what most vigorous men
need for their physical well-being.
Every day brings an ample amount
Of exercise, fresh air, and good food.
Yours will be very unusual case if
you do not find yourself after a
few months stronger, healthier, and
more buoyant than you have ever
been in your life.
It is true, on the other hand, that
extreme exertion in marching or
fighting may in time be called for.
But this will not be until you are
thoroughly trained and fit. The
periods of strain or exposure will
probably be short and are not likely
in themselves to do you any real
harm. At any rate, you owe It to
yourself-and, what is more, you
owe it to the country-to make
yourself "fit" at the earliest possi-
BILE moment. Sick men can not do
much toward winning this war. In
the Army they are only loss, but
during their sickness a positive hand
leap.
There are few simple, common
sense rules to follow, which are
briefly summoned up in this lesson.
Everything you eat will be care
fully inspected by the officers in
charge of that duty. You will have
plenty of fresh meat, bread, pota-
toes, and other vegetables, and other
simple and nourishing food. A gen.
eral rule, you should eat nothing not
supplied in your company mess.
Especially avoid green or over-ripe
fruit and the inferior "soft drinks"
which will be put before you in
shops and by peddlers outside the
camp limits. $50
Your chief care in connection
with food will be to chew it
thoroughly and eat it slowly. Don't
drink excessive quantities of water,
tea, or coffee with your meals: this
is rather a common fault among SOL
diers.
Avoid needless exposure. You may
be often called upon in the line of
duty to march through mud and
rain. So long as you are actively on
the move it will probably do no harm
AS soon as you are off duty, take
proper care of yourself. Give
battle your feet and change your
clothing. Use little extra care to
protect your belly from getting
chilled; it may save you some annoy
ing attacks of cramps and diarrhea.
If you come in from exercise or
drill sweating freely, try to cool off
gradually instead. of ollowing your
self to get chilled. Even in hot
weather throw light coat or wrap
over yourself for a few minutes.
One of the most important rules
of all is to be careful about drinking
water not provided in the camp or
recommended to you by medical or
company officers. If pure water is
not at hand, it Is better to drink
boiled water or weak coffee or tea.
Boiling kills the disease germs.
II you are in the habit Of using
tobacco; be moderate, especially
while you are on the march or just
before taking strenuous exercise.
Your smoke will do less harm and ct
the same time will be much more
enjoyable, if you wait till you can
can sit down quietly during one Of
the periods Of rest.
Eight hours of each day are set
aside for sleep. This is ample, but
not too much for most men. Even if
you can't sleep for any reason lie
still and get a good rest during those
hours.
The medical officer will be ready
to do everything he can to keep you
well. Don't hesitate to report to him
if you ned any attention even for
slight ailments. Every day at "sick
call" any soldier who is not feeling
well may ask for medical treatment.
1t is frequently assumed by we'll
meaning critics that illicit sexual in
tercourse and veneral diseases are
more common in the Army than in
civil life. This is probably mis-
taken impression, due largely to the
fact that statistics of these diseases
are collected in the Army, whereas
the corresponding figures for civil
Continued on page 81