The Coolidge examiner., 1935-01-25

q multitude of
diarrhea complaints. But now, due
to more sanitary water systems, TO
inspection of cattle and TO pas
teurizatlon OF milk, to better un-
derstanding of quarantine. and to
our greater knowledge OF diet and
proper care OF foods, we do not
have so many summer illnesses. We
still have much work to do TO cor
rect the summer diarrheas among
infants, but on the whole we have
made great headway in the preven-
tion of food and water borne dis
eases.
In the matter Of such winter III
nesses as colds, influenza, bronchI-
tls, and pneumonia, however, we
are still pretty much at bay. These
now have higher death rates than
the strictly summer diseases.
So that, so far as health is con-
cerned, the winter months are now
our disabling months. II is at this
time, rather than in summer, that
we should have our yearly periods
of quest of sunshine and recreation
and rest.
Our Industrial life is so spaced,
though, that not many OF us can
leave our jobs In February and
March. And II we can, then what
about the children? They need hours
of sunshine, too, and there are no
school vacation weeks in winter ex-
cept at the festive Christmas time,
when all life centers In the home.
But Is 1t necessary that our In
dustrial activities run at full speed
during the dark cold winter months,
and have curtailed output during
the summer months when the work
er can get all the sunshine he re-
quires before and after office and
factory hours and on Saturdays and
Sundays? Force Of habit has made
Il so, but need II continue? Might
II not be possible also to revise our
school schedules so that there could
be vacation periods In the winter
months? Modern air-conditioning
would make It possible to have both
factories and schools run In the hot
test days without discomfort.
The question may seem far
fetched, but IL Is not outside the
realm of probability that we may
change our habits of thought so that
We will make our vacations CORE
spond TO our health needs.
1t Is true that November and De
cember are usually dark months,
but II is also true that the peak Of
eolds. sore thrOats, bronchitis and
pneumonia comes In the late win
ter months. This means that the
stored up sunshine which we man.
aged to accumulate during the sum-
mer and fall months has been suffi-
cient TO carry us through the early
winter. But by January our resist
ance TO disease starts getting real
knocks. and the weak easily sue
cumb.
Economically II need not cost any
more to take a winter vacation than
a summer vacation. If one wants
TO go South. trains offer vacation
rates. Fashionable hotels are high,
but fashionable hotels are always
high, and why be fashionable? It
does not cost any more to run the
family automobile on winter trip
through the South than on a sum-
mer trip through the North.
For those who do not want south
ern sunshine there are many resorts
In the North now that offer winter
sports and roaring fireplaces to
gather around.
The point is that in the late win
ter, when we have used up our stock
of stored summer sunshine, and
storms and cold spells take toll OF
our vitality, and we have had the
strain of months OF full productive
work. beginning before daylight and
extending until after dark In the
short winter days. our bodies have
their period Of greatest physiologi-
cal exhaustion. That is the time
we should give them rest.
Also it is the time when human
beings, instead of being herded to-
gether, should spread apart. Cold
germs are contracted by getting our
noses too close together.
In a packed factory or Office or
school room, or in a church or
movie or social gathering, our noses
seem to collect droplets from other
peoples noses. And If we were rid.
ing out on an open highway, or
diving In the Gulf of Mexico, or
skiing down a long slope, we should
have chance to get away from
such of our fellow citizens as are
infected with colds.
But meanwhile while we are wait
Ing for this happy day when our
industrial and school habits will
have changed to accord with our
present day health needs, get out
into as much winter sunshine as
you can.
a waatarn Newspaper Union.