Show Simple Laws of Good Health Written for The Independent by John of the University of A knowledge of the laws of health is the first principle of It was Herbert Spencer who stated that knowledge may have intrinsic value and that the value of some knowledge must be greater than that of In our brief lives it is most essential to distinguish and give precedence to the real and effective knowledge over the and Bacon's phrase is must determine the relative value of All knowledge passes into action and that leads men to better physical lives is a common as well as an individual and is essential for the perpetuation of human Graded Values in Spencer has ably classified these values of knowledge and activity with which life is in the order of their as Those activities which directly minister to Those by securing the necessaries of indirectly minister to Those activities which have for their end the rearing and disciplining of Those activities which are involved m the maintenance of social and political 5 Those miscellaneous activities which make up the leisure part of life devoted to the gratification of taste and It is readily seen that those activities which minister to self preservation are the most important in The greatest share of the early school curriculum should be devoted to this know ledge and these In other a knowledge of the laws of health is the first principle of education because it ministers to direct self Hygiene in the Public the importance of self what are the methods' most suitable for the dissemination of this Public may be but personal and domestic hygiene must be properly and effectively No law can compel citizens in times of epidemic of typhoid fever or cholera to boil their drinking-water and cleanse food that is to be eaten without Nor will a law compelling the segregation of the in the most effective the dissemination of this great white The most efficacious manner of prevention of the teaching of by in the public Its importance cannot he And it should begin in the earliest Teachers can readily impart to very young children many of the most important lessons in practical for the principles of contagion and the advantages' of Children more advanced may be taught by illustrated without text book the salient principles of of proper the care of the and these lessons may he so firmly impressed while the mind and character are in the development stage that they are never By far the greater majority of the ills and sufferings of mankind would soon be eradicated by this As to Methods of Instruction should begin with a general simple survey of their mode of relation to and manner of dissemination including the principles of Nothing is more interesting to the child than this subject treated in a proper These talks are to be followed by discussions of diseases peculiar to such as whooping scarlet Later on in the typhoid pneumonia and other infectious diseases may be introduced in a similar Pay special attention to the manner of entrance of these bacteria of disease into the body and the methods of After this general survey and later In the grades the various systems of organs in the body should be Each organ should be considered in the following a brief talk on the structure showing its special adaptation to its particular This should be followed by a discussion of its function or never forgetting the relation of the organ to the system and of the system to the whole The care or hygiene of the nervous systems and of the entire body should always occupy the greatest part of the Health is man's greatest birth- It is the most essential factor in life's progress and General Laws of We shall succeed in outlining here only a few of the laws of health so essential to life's The teacher may readily adapt these rules to the special organs and conditions Death usually results some infection caused by which most tun body through the the or the digestive the importance of A warm bath at least once each week is oftener is higher Each bath should be succeeded with a complete change of clothing worn next to the The care of the respiratory system is essential to good especially nasal The structure and function of the nose is such that it warms the and catches the dust and bacteria always present in the In month cold air laden with dust and bacteria enter the These organs are influenza or tuberculosis may The Nose Its The chief obstructions to nasal respirations are the Adenoid Deformities of the More common in and These should be treated by a A very common and detrimental First among the causes of catarrhal nasal affection is exposure to To avoid catching cold Shun prolonged exposure in moderately low Make the body resistant to The cold shower-hath is of great value for this Avoid overheated rooms and too much The sleeping room should be properly cooled at Avoid dust The air of the room should be The boiling kettle or the moist cloth in the radiator are effective in keeping the air In ease of the daily use of an atomizer contain- See April number of Educational Review for a discussion of adenoid The removal of adenoids is of greatest importance not only in the maintenance of health but also in mental ing a saturated solution of boric acid is very The daily bathing of the neck and arms with cold water containing salt in solution is of great value to those who are subject to the modern social dress Let me emphasize once more the necessity of avoidance of Each cold only leaves the tract in a less resistant A fertile soil is prepared for the development of Deep Breathing of Pure Deep respiration of pure air is essential to good All vital processes are dependent upon Hence the importance of deeply inspired pure air to all brain Nothing impairs the intellectual processes so quickly as impure The windows of the sleeping air should be permanently The windows of the living room or school room should be in the same condition if The highest efficiency of the lungs as organs of demands a well formed The thorax is often deformed a fact which accounts in part for the frequency of lung The physical attitudes that are causes of such deformities as stooping lateral should be Seats should be adapted to the child's The curvature of to suit the erect position of the The plane of the book-surface should be parallel to the plane of the child's exercises designed to give vigor to those muscles that support the spine and are essential and should be Shoulder braces are as are also arm movements for these It is only the muscles of the back that these But respiratory gymnastics should be Care of the The cleanliness of the mouth should be Decayed tartar-coated tongue enlarged tonsils are the most favorable breeding media for the growth and development of pathogenic The mouth always contains a great number of Hence the importance of the frequent use of a good mouth wash and the daily use of some mild antiseptic such as boric Avoid putting into the mouth any article picked up at Enlarged tonsils should be by a surgical Many untimely deaths have resulted in children from enlarged Thorough mastication of all food is essential to good Practically all digestive disorders are due to the abuses of swallowing food without Practically all gastric disorders are curable by thorough See Fletcher's B. C. of Bodily A daily movement of the essential The great majority of all are due to absorbed toxins resulting from a process that in the Reduction in the amount of food taken into the system is in most instances highly Every teacher be familar with the nutritive value of the various foods About six per cent of the dullness in children is due to improper The proper of children is one of the most serious problems of our present educational Much more could be said regarding the digestive Space will not Care of the The care of the eyes is indispensable for good Practically all intellectual advancement is through the use of the More than one-half of all cases' of blindness are The care of the eyes should begin at The moment the mother or nurse notices the of inflammation in the child's eye during the first week of a physician should be Inflammation is known as and is responsible for at least one-half of all the blindness in the The eye is normally longsighted or methods such as W focus of the eyes to some work is decidedly The old-fashioned chart blackboard method of reading is preferable to the books m early school Examination of eyes by means of visual ehart essential More than See Educational 1909 Defects Mental one-nail of all fc S those involved i 1 are defect resulting from ft H usually begins in the Jl gastric disturbances aad 1 afflictions are due to dS and are ed by proper glasses c the Attention given to the lighting l Artificial light M The windows I numerous and should come from the r-ar the There should be one square foot of J to each four square feet of jl Dimensions for School We shall give here theE sione of only one ideal room Height of ceiling Length of room IJ Width of room j Pier or blank rear of b m Pier or blank front oj m room j B sill from floor I Space to group of ri Ij dows ft Top of window from floor Height Of window M This arrangement affords mf tal capacity of mm or cubic feet for M Too said regarding the care W Ml Hygiene of the Nervous M The hygiene of system requires en So dose are of mind and of the most prolific humanity is continuous and one of the surest store health is to keep cheerful and hopeful ism misdirected J longing for the for the of future f sense of fn ing of troublesome q I ready excessive j and the eW J iff A tion of melancholia Many of sufferings of some abnormal 13 best |