The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-05-31
Books On HeaIth
By R. ADpHNaroN MRUCn

hecently there came to my desk copies of five little books which I would heartily rec ommend to my friends everywhere: They are the initial volumes in what promises to be valuable series edited by the National Health Council.
 The idea underlying this series may be briefly stated
 It is recognized by physicians and health workers in general that the public are alert as never before to the importance of per- sonal hygiene and disease prevention. It is recognized, too. that much transformation with regard to both hygiene and prevention is today being given to the public. Hence the officials of the National Health Council deemed 4 it desirable to engage in health education on their own account, As one means to this end they conceived the plan of issuing small handbooks, each deal ing with some important phase of health or disease, written by leading authorities, and published at price making the books avail able to everybody.
 The price at which it was actually found possible to issue the different volumes in the National Health Service is only thirty cents apiece. Of those now issued it may truly be said that they are worth far more than many more pretentious health publica- ticns put out at five or ten times this price
 "Man and the Microbe,'' "The Baby's Health" Personal Hygiene" Community Health" Cancer" such are the titles of the five volumes at hand. None contains more than seventy pages. But also none is waste full 0. words. the several authors admirably combining directness, simplicity and sound ness Consider. for example, from the book on Personal Hygiene" Dr. Allan J. McLaugh- lin's presentation of art of correct eating F "In the first place, eating should be done under pleasant conditions. Clean, quiet de- cent surroundings help a great deal. Irri- ableness should be left behind when meal time comes. Scientists have definitely proven that emotional disturbances when eating cause digestive upsets. &t"
 Fatigue is another detriment to good digestion A person should endeavor to go to the table rested. Slow eating is prefer able to fast eating. Food should not be washed down with liquids. Water is food and is essential, but there is a right time to drink it, and that is not when the mouth is filled with solid foods.
 "Alons with slow eating goes proper chewing of food, a function which will be aided by sound teeth. Finally, overeating should be avoided. It is better to get up
 
 an overloaded feeling. One of the wisest things for any person to do is watch his weight"
 These passages are typical of tue clarity and practical helpfulness of the/f first five books in the National Health Series. Be cause of their brevity there necessarily is no detailing of matters concerning which the reader may crave more knowledge. To off set this, reference is made to sources where more information may be obtained-other books, health associations, etc.
 And, to my mind fact of outstanding importance, while the primary aim of the series is to assist the individual to conserve his own health, 1t obviously aims also to stimulate his sense of his social obliga- tions in matters of health. This is service of great significance, in itself justifying the publication of the series and it's wide dis tributiop.