■ I 
H HI A SYLLABUS 
HYGIENE 
for the 
Lower Grades of the 
Public Schools 
A Guide for the Teacher 
H. C. LOUNSBERY, R. N. 
Supervisor School Nurses. 
Supervisor of 'Hygiene Teaching. 
CHARLESTON, W. VA. Copyright, 1924 
By H. C. Lounsbery FOREWORD 
During the Great War nearly one-third of the 
Americans examined for duty were rejected on 
account of diseases brought on in many cases by 
neglected adenoids, diseased tonsils, ear troubles, or 
bad teeth. 
These defects might have been corrected when the 
men were children. If this had been done they 
would have been saved from the heart, lung, and 
rheumatic troubles that rendered them unfit for 
duty. 
The Army surgeons who have had charge of this 
examination have impressed upon those who have 
the care of children the necessity of having their 
defects corrected while they are young. 
The ignorance of the soldiers of the common rules 
of hygienic living has showed us how important it is 
that these habits should be taught and practiced by 
the children while they are of school age. 
The teaching of Positive Health is a new study, 
but one that merits an honored place on our curri- 
cula, as upon this foundation all other studies must 
rest. Every teacher knows that a sick child cannot 
study; his pains and aches occupy his attention to the 
exclusion of every other subject. 
Pain is a useful sensation given to us to show us 
that some member is going wrong; it is a warning 
and a call for help: but we should not have pain, 
and this new science, whose first name is Hygiene, 
and whose second name is Common Sense, and whose 
last name is Carefulness, will teach us to keep our iv 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
bodies functioning so perfectly that we will not be 
aware of any of our component parts. Our nerves 
will record only delightful sensations and the satis- 
faction that comes from deeds well done, works 
crowned with success, through patient endeavor, and 
the joy that comes through well directed effort. 
It is not the mere study of hygiene or physiology 
that will give .a child the necessary health habits. The 
fact that he has 24 ribs and 32 feet of intestines will 
not have any influence on his daily life. It will 
not keep him from eating improper food, or becom- 
ing stoop-shouldered from habitually improper pos- 
ture. What we should teach the children-yes, and 
teach ourselves-is to put in practice health habits, 
otherwise all this knowledge does us no real good, 
does not touch us any more than the knowledge 
learned in the geography that the Andes mountains 
are in South America, or the Ganges river is in 
India. 
"With the increase in the complexity of our social 
structure, the added nerve strain, the misuse of foods, 
the physical accident hazard, a knowledge of health 
methods means nothing short of life itself. 
"Health instruction relates health habits to daily 
life. The study of physiology and anatomy and mem- 
orizing health rules do not assure right habits of 
living. Health laws must be lived." (Detroit School 
Hygiene Book) 
Hygiene is the study that should stand out amongst 
all other studies as the one that is the most practical, 
the one that means the most to our very own selves 
from the day when we draw our first breath to the 
day when we give it up to Him who gave it. A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
V 
"Health education does not consist in the several 
activities of washing the face, brushing the teeth, 
combing the hair, but in the development of the 
driving power of the ideals behind these activities." 
(Gessell) 
Is this teaching easy? No. Is it a short lesson that 
can be covered in a few weeks? No. Is it always 
pleasant? No. Will the children love it? That 
depends on the way it is presented to them. Shall 
we have a text as concrete as a spelling lesson, and 
give out the lessons page by page? Again I say Ao. 
This is something we must give them to live, not to 
recite: this should be a training in habits, not a 
memory lesson to say today and to forget tomorrow. 
This teaching and training is to try to give them a 
happier life and a longer time in which to enjoy it. 
A life of freedom from the pain, the weakness, the 
weariness that comes from the many mistakes we 
make in caring for this marvelous machine committed 
to our care, which we call our body. 
Are we treating the children fairly when we do 
not give them the habits that will save them from, it 
may be, years of suffering, from maladies that they 
need not have had ? 
Let us then gird ourselves to this task, and let 
us endeavor so to train the little ones-yes, the 
littlest little ones-to do those things that are right. 
To realize that dirt is detestable, that food must be 
fit to eat, that we must be as wTise as the cats and 
dogs who will turn away from the things that are not 
good for them-that like them we must rest when we 
are tired, and not stimulate overstrained nerves and vi 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
bodies with trashy drinks and exciting amuse- 
ments. 
The new hygiene seeks to give the child health 
habits, not health rules. It tries to have him realize 
that choosing his food is a responsibility and he 
should be guided not wholly by the taste, but by the 
usefulness of the food in his bodily economy. 
It tries to show that the brain is given to him 
for care and cultivation. That to be a useful citizen 
he must care for the body entrusted to him so it may 
work well for himself and so for his City, his State 
and his Country. 
It is only by constant repetition and unceasing su- 
pervision that a habit can be formed, so the teacher 
will find the same lesson here in different grades, but 
approached in a little different manner. She should 
be familiar enough with the book to take any lesson 
from any part to "put over" the lesson she desires 
to teach. She should remember that it is first, last 
and always a system of hygienic habits that we are 
trying to form. Percival Symonds in the "Educator" 
says "Whether these habits can also be repeated as 
rules is a matter of pedagory. Perhaps the rules may 
be used to assist in the learning of the habits, to 
emphasize them. But the primary thing is the habit 
regardless of pedagogic accessories." 
H. C. Lounsbery, R. N. 
Charleston, West Va. INSTRUCTIONS 
Fifteen minutes or more twice a week should be 
devoted to these lessons in Hygiene. They should be 
put in practice every day. 
The subjects here indicated are intended as sugges- 
tions. The teacher with initiative, with enthusiasm, 
with the vision of the importance of this work will 
enlarge upon what she finds here, as the widest 
latitude is permissible. 
Any kindred subject, any project that will drive 
home the lesson and will help to form a health 
habit may be employed. 
Any rhymes or plays are legitimate if the children 
thoroughly understand and practice the lesson they 
are supposed to teach. Otherwise they are useless 
as hygiene lessons, though they may be useful in 
other ways. 
It has been found better to keep this period more 
as a conference than as a time for categorical instruc- 
tion. The better pedagory drawing from the child 
his own reaction to his surroundings. This is especial- 
ly true of hygiene, which seeks to deal with the 
child's daily experiences. For this reason no hygiene 
teaching in the lower (3) grades should approach 
any subject that does not readily appeal to the 
child. 
'i Teachers are earnestly requested to recognize and 
send to the office, for the nurse or doctor to inspect, 
all cases of poor eye-sight (including squint), nasal 
obstruction, or poor hearing. viii 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
The following are the most common defects of 
school children: 
1- Eye strain, shown by styes, nervousness, head- 
ache, nausea. 
2- Nose or throat obstruction. 
3- Deafness. 
4- Discharging ears. 
5- Deformities. 
6- Bad teeth. 
7- Poor nutrition. 
8- Nervous disorders. 
9- Mental defects. 
Any sore throat or rash should exclude a child 
without waiting for the doctor or nurse to come. 
All such cases should be reported to the nurse 
on her next visit."-Summer School, 1923, Teachers 
College, Columbia University. 
Children should be weighed and measured once a 
month, as decreasing weight may be a premonitory 
symptom of tuberculosis. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 
The author wishes to make grateful acknowledge- 
ments to Dr. iS. E. Weber, Ph. D., Supt. of the 
Charleston public schools, who has read and ap- 
proved the subject matter of the lessons for the 
several grades. To Dr. Franklin W. Barrows, As- 
sistant Medical Inspector, State Dept, of Education, 
Albany, N. Y., who has supervised the appendices. 
To Miss Theresa Dandsdill for paragraphs taken 
from her book "Health Training in Schools". To 
Detroit Free Press for the little verse credited to it. 
To Professor John W. Ritchie for paragraph as to 
the classification of foods, taken from his book 
"Human Physiology". To Bureau of Health, Dept, 
of the Interior, Washington, D. C., for the 9 Rules 
of Health. To several of the principals and many 
of the grade teachers of the Charleston schools, whose 
sympathetic co-operation and advice has made this 
book possible. 
Dedicated to the Teachers 
of the Charleston Public Schools. CONTENTS 
Page 
Grade 1-B 1 
Grade 1-A , 6 
Grade 2-B 11 
Grade 2-A 16 
Grade 3-B 22 
Grade 3-A ' 27 
Grade 4-B 32 
Grade 4-A 41 
Grade 5-B 49 
Grade 5-A 58 
Grade 6-B 67 
Grade 6-A 76 
APPENDICES 
1- The Bones ; 85 
2- The Joints 88 
3- The Fly 93 
4- Muscles, Tendons 95 
5- Nerves 98 
6- Skin 103 
7- Protection of Birds 106 
8- The Brain 107 
9- The Eye, The Ear 110 A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
xi 
10- The Throat 112 
11- The Tongue 113 
12- Water 114 
12- Bathing 115 
13- The Stomach, Digestion 119 
14- Louis Pasteur 125 
15- Lungs 126 
15- Tuberculosis 129 
16- Diaphragm 130 
17- The Heart 132 
18- Arteries, Capillaries, Veins 135 
19- Doctor Jenner 138 
20.-Florence Nightingale 139 
21- Exercise 140 
22- Rest 142 
23- Germs, Mosquitos, Havana 144 
24- The Blood • 150 
25- Glands 155 
25- Glands, Part II 158 
26- The Nose 161 
27- Rats 162 
Mice, Fleas, Lice, etc. 164 LOVETT PRINTING CO., 
CHARLESTON, W. VA. HYGIENE FOR THE FIRST GRADE-B. 
Time for Lesson: 15 Minutes-Twice a Week. 
Time for the Practice of the Lesson: Every Day- 
at Any Time. 
FIRST WEEK LESSON 1 
Give general instruction about clean hands. Inspect 
all hands. 
FIRST WEEK LESSON 2 
Talk about clean face and hands and instruct the 
children that the hands should always be washed 
before each meal. 
SECOND WEEK LESSON 1 
Talk about well kept hair and the improved ap- 
pearance of a child who takes care of his hair. 
SECOND WEEK LESSON 2 
Talk about clean finger nails and inspect all hands. 
Comment favorably on those whose finger nails are 
clean. 
THIRD WEEK LESSON 1 
Talk about pets and their care. See how many 
children have pets. Let them tell what they do for 
them. 
THIRD WEEK LESSON 2 
Ask the children how often the cat washes her face. 
How does she do it? 
FOURTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Ask how the cat and dog clean their teeth. Do 
they keep them clean? 2 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
FOURTH WEEK LESSON 2 
We cannot gnaw bones, so we have to use a tooth 
brush instead. 
FIFTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Find out how many have tooth brushes and use 
them. How often are they used? 
FIFTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Inspection for clean face, hands, clothing, and 
teeth. Write names of the cleanest on the board. 
SIXTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Talk about the bad habit of putting the fingers and 
pencils in the mouth. 
SIXTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Tell the children that no animal puts fingers or 
paws in mouth except the monkey. Other animals 
keep the mouth for food, and so ought we. 
SEVENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Speak of the danger of the common drinking cup. 
Explain why we have drinking fountains for all the 
children. 
SEVENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Explain the reason why there are sanitary drinking 
cups in all public places. See if any child has used 
a paper cup on a train and let him tell his experience. 
EIGHTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Milk. Why children should drink it. It helps them 
to grow big and strong. Coffee does not do this. 
(Make two lists on the board, one for those who 
drink milk, and the other for those who have coffee. 
See if all cannot be on the milk list.) LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
3 
EIGHTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Retain these lists as long as possible and speak 
frequently of the benefit of milk. Add more names 
as more children leave off the coffee and drink the 
milk. 
NINTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Instruct as to table manners. Children should sit 
at the table and stay there until their meal is eaten. 
Eating while walking about will scatter crumbs on 
the floor, and make more work for the mother. 
NINTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Speak of the benefit of fresh air while we are 
asleep. See how many sleep with windows open. 
TENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Talk about care in crossing the street. The child 
must stop on the curb and look both ways to be 
sure no auto or street car is coming. When all is 
clear he should cross quickly. 
TENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Instruct that children should not play in the 
middle of the street, but on the sidewalk or in the 
yard. Ask if any know of an accident to a child in 
the street, and show that the child should not have 
been playing in such a dangerous place. 
ELEVENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Always reprove a child when the fingers or pencils 
go in his mouth. 
ELEVENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
If any child is habitually dirty, find out his home 
conditions. It may be his mother's fault. Report him 
to the school nurse if one is employed. 4 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
TWELFTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Ask the children what kind of soap they use on 
their hands. Tell of the countries where there was no 
soap after the war, and how the people suffered for 
want of it. 
TWELFTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Instruct the children that after the hands are clean 
the soapsuds must be rinsed off, and the hands 
wiped very carefully, so they will not get chapped. 
THIRTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Instruct that the children must be careful not to 
throw any papers, fruit skins, apple cores or other 
trash on the sidewalks. 
THIRTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Fruit skins may cause a bad accident if any one 
should step on one. It might be the child's own 
mother. 
FOURTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Ask the children how they could help the mother 
in the home. 
FOURTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Suggest wiping the mud or dust from the shoes 
before entering the house. Hanging up the coat and 
cap when coming to dinner from school. 
FIFTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Tell of the harm the flies can do. Speak of the best 
way to get rid of them. 
FIFTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
See how many have a garbage can; what is put in 
it, and tell whv it should always be covered. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
5 
SIXTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Speak of helping to keep the yard nice and clean. 
A child can be of much use weeding the garden, 
and watering flowers and vegetables. 
SIXTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Impress upon the children the necessity of being 
careful in crossing the street and of avoiding acci- 
dents. Speak of the long sickness that follows an 
accident, the care it gives the mother, the expense 
to the father. Try to drive this lesson home. 
Note:-The teacher should have inspection for cleanli- 
ness every day. The neglected child should be re- 
ferred to the school nurse or to some one of the 
Parent-Teachers Association. The dirty child should 
not be overlooked; he may be a menace to the whole 
grade as the dirt may be a lodging for disease germs. 6 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
HYGIENE FOR FIRST GRADE-A. 
Time for Lesson: 15 Minutes-Twice a Week. 
Time for the Practice of the Lesson: Every Day- 
at Any Time. 
FIRST WEEK LESSON 1 
Review principal parts of Grade 1-B. 
FIRST WEEK LESSON 2 
Emphasize the instruction as to cleanliness, especial- 
ly teach washing hands before each meal. 
SECOND WEEK LESSON 1 
Talk about well kept hair and the improved appear- 
ance of a child who has her hair clean and well cared 
for. 
SECOND WEEK LESSON 2 
Talk about clean finger nails and comment favor- 
ably on any whose finger nails are clean. 
THIRD WEEK LESSON 1 
See if any child has a pet bird at home. Comment 
on the importance of the bird's daily bath. A daily 
bath would be just as good for children. 
THIRD WEEK LESSON 2 
When the circus comes to a town where there is a 
river or lake, the elephants are given a good bath. 
They are washed with soap and a brush. They love 
this. Children should also love the bath. 
FOURTH WEEK LESSON 1 
When the mother calls the children to dinner they 
should come immediately, no matter how much inter- LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
7 
ested they are in their play. They should not omit 
washing their hands before they sit down to eat. 
FOURTH WEEK LESSON 2 
At the table they should be careful not to spill any 
food on the floor or table cloth. Talk about table 
manners. 
FIFTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Talk about care in crossing the street. See if any 
child knows of any accident caused by carelessness. 
FIFTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Warn against climbing on the back of any truck 
or ice wagon. Speak of all the trouble a sickness 
would cause to the mother, all the expense to the 
father. AH of this might have been prevented. 
SIXTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Instruct the children in the care of books. Show 
how to turn the leaves without wetting the finger. 
Show how to keep the place with a piece of paper as 
a book mark. Never turn down a leaf. 
SIXTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Care of books. Never cut or tear a book. Never 
throw a book on the floor; it breaks the binding. Do 
not mark it with a pencil or anything else. 
SEVENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Speak of cleaning the teeth. See how many do 
this. Refer to Grade 1, 4th Week, Lessons 1 and 
2. 
SEVENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
See if any children have loose teeth. Instruct that 
all loose teeth should come out to make room for the 
new ones that are pushing to come in. 8 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
EIGHTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Speak of the benefit of drinking milk, not to make 
the children fat, but to help them to grow strong and 
big. 
EIGHTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Speak of the harmful effects of drinking coffee, tea, 
or coca-cola. 
NINTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Speak of the benefit of eating whatever is put on 
the table for the child to eat. Children should never 
say "I don't want that" when mother has taken 
pains to put good food on the table. 
NINTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Speak of the benefit of eating the hard crusts of the 
bread. This helps the teeth to grow properly, for 
they must have work to do to keep them strong. 
TENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Speak of the benefit of going to the toilet every 
morning before coming to school, and washing the 
hands afterwards. 
TENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Speak of care in crossing the street when going on 
an errand. Of going and coming home quickly, no 
loitering on the way. Speak of danger of sitting on 
the curb stone. 
ELEVENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Helps to mother. Speak of doing the dusting with 
a damp cloth. Why this is a good thing to do. Little 
folks can get down more easily than the mother, and 
can dust the legs of the chairs and tables, and all low 
places. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
9 
ELEVENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Helps to mother. See how many have a baby in 
the home. It would be a great help to the mother 
if the sister or brother who goes to school would help 
in the care of the baby. They should do just as she 
tells them as the baby is very precious. 
TWELFTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Speak of the danger of coughing or sneezing and 
not covering the mouth and nose. It is very bad 
manners besides being unsanitary. If the sneeze 
comes so quickly that the handkerchief cannot be 
reached, the hand should cover the mouth. It should 
be washed afterwards. 
TWELFTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Speak again of the fingers being kept out of the 
mouth. The mouth was made for our food, not for 
fingers, chewing gum, pencils, pennies, pins, paper, 
marbles or anything except food. 
THIRTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Speak of the benefit of long hours of sleep with 
plenty of fresh air in the room. Ask the children 
what time they go to bed. 
THIRTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Speak of taking all the day clothing off when pre- 
paring for bed, and of washing face and hands, and 
cleaning the teeth. 
FOURTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Speak of the way the cat or dog will lie down and 
go to sleep in the daytime if they are tired. A nap 
would be very good for the children, if they would 
lie down and take a rest when tired. 10 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
FOURTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Speak of correct posture. No leaning over the desk 
to write should be allowed. Wetting the pencil in 
the mouth, or chewing the end should always be 
corrected. 
FIFTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Speak of the danger of playing in the street. 
"Scooters", "kiddie cars", and roller skates should 
be kept on the sidewalks. 
FIFTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Warn the little first grade children that they should 
not accept an invitation to ride on a bicycle with a 
big boy. There have been some very bad accidents 
caused that way. 
SIXTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Speak of the danger of cutting the foot when going 
"bare-foot". If the foot does get cut, the child should 
go home immediately and have his mother wash the 
cut and bind it up with a clean cloth to keep the dirt 
out. 
SIXTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Speak of the danger of a child having any matches 
in his possession. See if any of the children have 
any matches in their pockets. 
Note:-The teacher should inspect every day for cleanli- 
ness. The dirty, neglected child should be referred 
to the school nurse if one is employed, or to some 
member of the Parent-Teacher's Association. A dirty 
child should not be overlooked, he may be a menace 
to the whole grade. The dirt may harbor disease 
germs. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
11 
LESSONS IN HYGIENE. GRADE 2-B. 
Time for Lesson: 15 Minutes-Twice a Week. 
Time for the Practice of the Lesson: Every Day- 
at Any Time. 
FIRST WEEK LESSON 1 
Review principal points of Grade 1-A. 
FIRST WEEK LESSON 2 
Instruct that children must sit up straight; leaning 
over the desk very bad for eyes and back. 
SECOND WEEK LESSON 1 
Talk about the attractive appearance of the clean 
child. The children would not like to look at a dirty 
teacher. The teacher does not like to look at dirty 
children. 
SECOND WEEK LESSON 2 
Speak of the reason we have drinking fountains 
in the school house. The children should not touch 
the fountain with the lips. The mouth should be two 
inches from the fixture. 
THIRD WEEK LESSON 1 
See how many children have a clean handkerchief. 
Explain why this is necessary. Fingers should never 
be in the nose. 
THIRD WEEK LESSON 2 
See how many know how to blow their noses. Teach 
those who do not know. Be careful that both nostrils 
are not held shut by the awkward little hand, when 12 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
the "blow" is performed. It is better to teach blow- 
ing first one nostril, and then the other. 
FOURTH WEEK LESSON 1 
See how many children have had toothache. Make 
a list on the board of those who have decayed teeth, 
or loose teeth that ought to be removed. (See the 
school nurse about this if one is employed). 
FOURTH WEEK LESSON 2 
See how many children have tooth-brushes, and use 
them. 
FIFTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Talk about keeping fingers out of the mouth. 
Correct this habit always. Talking does no good 
unless followed by action. Insist on correct posture. 
FIFTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Speak of the mouth as being for food, not for 
pencils, marbles, gum, or wads of paper. We may 
take a good lesson from the animals who never chew 
gum or put their paws in their mouths. 
SIXTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Instruct the children as to starting for the school 
in time so they will not have to run, and arrive at 
the school house tired out. 
SIXTH WEEK LESSON 2 
When coming to school warn them about care in 
crossing the street. Watch for street cars as well as 
for automobiles. Never touch a strange dog or cat. 
They may carry diseases. 
SEVENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Helps to mother. Setting the table, be careful of 
the dishes, and glasses. See how many children have LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
13 
this to do. Encourage them to tell the ways in which 
they may be of use at home. 
SEVENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Ask how many have a garbage can; explain why it 
must be kept covered. (Flies gather in it if it is 
uncovered). 
EIGHTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Speak of the danger of flies in the house. 
EIGHTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Instruct as to screens and the necessity of little 
children keeping the screen doors closed, so the flies 
cannot enter. 
NINTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Speak of washing before going to bed, especially 
if the child has been bare-footed all day. 
NINTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Children should go to bed willingly when mother 
says it is bed time. This will be one of the " helps 
to mother". See how many do this. 
TENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Speak of eating a good breakfast before coming 
to school. Eating the good breakfast put before each 
one. 
TENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Speak of eating without "fussing" about the food. 
All that is given to eat is to make the child grow 
to be a big and strong man or woman. It has been 
chosen and prepared by the mother, and she knows 
best what children need. 
ELEVENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Speak of drinking milk for breakfast. Coffee or tea 
is not good for children; will not help them to grow. 14 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
ELEVENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Speak of good manners at the table. When the 
meal is finished always ask to be excused before leav- 
ing the table. See if any do this. 
TWELFTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Discuss breakfasts. Ask the children what they 
have had for breakfast, and if they ate it nicely. 
TWELFTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Have the children bring pictures of the food that 
is best for breakfast. (Fruit, cereal, eggs, bacon, 
bread, toast and milk.) 
THIRTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Choose the best pictures and paste them on a 
large sheet of paper, the milk should occupy the 
place of honor in the center of the picture. Explain 
to the children why this is so. 
THIRTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
The children should assist in placing the pictures 
on the sheet of paper, and as each picture takes its 
place they should understand why it is valuable. 
FOURTEENTH WEEK LESSONS 1 & 2 
It is much better to have this finding and placing 
of pictures of proper things to eat take a long time, 
and provoke much discussion. In so doing a deeper 
impression is made on the children. If uncolored 
pictures are brought the children can color them. 
FIFTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Talk about soap. What it is for. See how many 
uses the children can think of, and write down every 
use on the board, so the children can see the long list. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
15 
(Washing clothes, floors, windows, dishes, hands, hair, 
feet, and the whole body when one takes a bath). 
FIFTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Instruct the children that it is necessary to use the 
soap to get the dirt off, but that the soap must be 
carefully rinsed off, and the hands wiped very dry, 
to prevent chapping. 
SIXTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
As this is so near vacation time it is best once more 
to talk about accident prevention. Climbing on trucks, 
or the ice wagon, playing in the middle of the street, 
skating across the street are all dangerous. 
SIXTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Have some of the children make little speeches 
about accident prevention, cleanliness, proper things 
to eat, fingers in the mouth, or any other subject 
about which they have been taught this semester. No 
two children should speak on the same subject. 
Note:-The teacher should inspect for cleanliness every 
day. The dirty, neglected child should be referred 
to the school nurse or to some member of the 
Parent-Teacher's Association. He should not be 
overlooked, he may be a menace to the whole grade, 
as disease germs may lodge in the dirty clothing. 16 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
LESSONS IN HYGIENE. GRADE 2-A. 
Time for Lesson: 15 Minutes-Twice a Week. 
Time for the Practice of the Lesson: Every Day- 
at Any Time. 
FIRST WEEK LESSON 1 
Review lessons in Grade 2-B. 
FIRST WEEK LESSON 2 
Instruction on inspection by one of the class. 
(To the Teacher) The teacher picks out the cleanest 
child, who acts as inspector. He goes from desk to 
desk, and looks at each child's hands and finger- 
nails. Those who pass the inspection he taps on the 
head; they leave their seat and go to the front of the 
room where they stand in a row. Those who have dirty 
hands remain in their seats. When all have been 
examined the inspector looks at all in the row and 
determines who shall be inspector for the next day. 
As he announces the cleanest one, all the children 
applaud for a moment. This inspection takes about 
six minutes, and has the virtue of being a matter 
of daily interest to the children; enthusiasm for it 
never seems to flag. 
SECOND WEEK LESSON 1 
Instruction as to clean clothing, underwear as well 
as the outside garments. Speak of the disagreeable 
odor of soiled underwear. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
17 
SECOND WEEK LESSON 2 
Overshoes and sweaters should not be worn in the 
warm school room. (The teacher will have to exercise 
much vigilance in this regard.) Wearing outside 
garments indoors gives the children colds when they 
go out of doors. 
THIRD WEEK LESSON 1 
Instruct that no roller skating, no riding on "scoot- 
ers" should be done on the roadway. The side-walk 
is the only safe place. 
THIRD WEEK LESSON 2 
Instruct that it very dangerous to play near a 
train or in the railroad tracks. No child should ever 
creep under a train, even if it is a stationary freight 
train. One never knows when the engine will come to 
move it. 
FOURTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Instruct the class that if they get their feet wet 
they must go home and change both shoes and stock- 
ings. Wet feet if neglected give colds, sore throats, 
and perhaps worse sickness. 
FOURTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Children seem to take a strange delight in walking 
through a puddle. It will be wise to notice the boys' 
shoes on a muddy day, and if any look suspicious 
make them take them off and dry them. 
FIFTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Helps to the mother. Have the children tell the 
ways in which they can help their mothers. Write the 
list of "helps" on the board and have them ambitious 
to make the list as long as possible. 18 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
FIFTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Give instruction as to going to the toilet before 
coming to school. Hands should be washed after going 
to the toilet. 
SIXTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Instruct the children that they must answer any 
one who speaks to them, and not nod the head as so 
many children do.' Nodding the head for "Yes", 
shaking it for "No" is bad manners. 
SIXTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Children should not greet an older person by saying 
"Hello". They should say "Good morning" or 
"Good evening" as the case may be. Make a 
demonstration of this. Have a child come in the 
room and another meet him and greet him politely. 
The one who enters should reply with equal polite- 
ness. 
SEVENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Instruct that the hands must always be washed 
before a meal. Have the children try to tell how 
many things they have handled through the day, so 
they may realize how much the hands need to be 
washed. 
SEVENTH WEEK LESSON 2. 
Instruct that plenty of water should be drunk with 
the meal, but it should not be ice cold, nor should 
a swallow be taken with each bite, as that would wash 
it down without it being properly chewed. 
EIGHTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Instruct as to the proper posture both sitting and 
standing. Shoulders forward, head bent low over the 
desk is very bad. Injures both eyes and spine. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
19 
EIGHTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Care of the eyes. Little children's eyes should be 
carefully guarded from the faults of posture that are 
so common. Facing the light when reading is a 
common fault, and a very bad one. Holding the 
book too close is another common but bad habit. 
NINTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Instruct that a child should never touch a strange 
dog or cat. Most dogs will appreciate a kind word of 
greeting and will show their pleasure by a friendly 
wagging of the tail. The word is enough, he should 
not be patted; many diseases can be carried in the 
of animals. 
NINTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Instruct as to washing off the soap and thoroughly 
wiping hands, so they will not get chapped. 
TENTH WEEK-LESSON 1 
Helps to mother. Hanging up coat and cap when 
a child comes home from school. Being careful io 
bring in no dirt on the feet. 
TENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Raking the yard, sweeping the porch, keeping the 
garbage can covered, are ''helps to mother". 
ELEVENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
See how many children eat the crust of the bread. 
Instruct that the teeth will be stronger if hard food is 
chewed. Plenty of water should be taken at meal 
time, but not a swallow with each bite. 
ELEVENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Why do we have drinking fountains in the schools. 
See if the children know, and explain the reason. 
Speak of danger of "common cup". 20 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
TWELFTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Children should not eat candy before their meals. 
It will take away their appetite and they will not eat 
such a good meal. Teach this. 
TWELFTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Clean, pure candy is good for children if too much 
is not eaten. The best kinds are made at home. 
THIRTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Good posture. When standing, have the children 
stand stragiht, both feet firmly on the floor, head 
erect. 
THIRTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Good sitting posture also necessary. (See 6th Week, 
Lesson 1.) 
FOURTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Use of handkerchief. Be careful that no child picks 
at his nose. Instruct that every child should bring 
a clean handkerchief to school every day. He should 
use it if he has a cold, and after using return im- 
mediately to his pocket. It is not a plaything. 
FOURTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
When coughing or sneezing instruct the child to 
cover mouth and nose with handkerchief, or hand. 
-This keeps others from getting the cold that caused 
the sneeze. 
FIFTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Have the children learn this rhyme: 
Mary caught a little cold, 
That settled in her head, 
But she was very careful, 
And would not let it spread. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
21 
She sneezed into her handkerchief; 
She coughed into it, too. 
She breathed fresh air into her lungs, 
Oh, she knew just what to do. 
So, Mary stopped the little cold, 
That started in her head; 
And no one caught it from her, 
And had to go to bed. 
-Unknown. 
See that the children understand the rhyme. 
FIFTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Have the children apply the rhyme about 11 Mary" 
to themselves. 
SIXTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Vacation time is near. Talk about accident preven- 
tion. Going in the river to bathe without an older 
person is dangerous. Children have been drowned 
for this reason. 
SIXTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Show what poison ivy looks like, how and where it 
grows. This is especially dangerous to bare-footed 
children. 22 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
HYGIENE FOR GRADE 3-B. 
Time for Lesson: 15 Minutes-Tivice a Week. 
Time for the Practice of the Lesson: Every Day- 
at Any Time. 
FIRST WEEK LESSON 1 
Instruct the children in the rules of the school as 
to cleanliness. Review Grade 2-A. 
FIRST WEEK LESSON 2 
Inspect for clean hands, face and finger nails. 
SECOND WEEK LESSON 1 
Speak of improved looks of children with clean 
persons and clothing. 
SECOND WEEK LESSON 2 
Talk about the bad habit of nail-biting or putting 
lingers in the mouth. (Always corect these when 
seen.) 
THIRD WEEK LESSON 1 
Talk about accident prevention. Crossing the street, 
playing in the street instead oE on the sidewalk. 
THIRD WEEK LESSON 2 
Skating in the middle of the street dangerous, 
climbing on trucks or the ice wagon dangerous. Have 
children give experiences of falls or more serious 
accidents, all from carelessness. 
FOURTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Talk about the necessity of cleaning the teeth. See 
how many children have suffered with tooth ache. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
23 
FOURTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Find how many children have tooth brushes, and 
use them. Have each one who uses his brush come 
up to the board and write his name. Call the atten- 
tion of the principal to this list, and its growth from 
day to day. 
FIFTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Instruct on the necessity of having a good light. 
Show why we have children sit so the light will come 
from the left. 
FIFTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Classes standing for reading must not face the 
light. Light facing the child is very bad. It puts 
the book in shadow. (Teachers should be careful 
about this.) 
SIXTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Good posture very necessary. Leaning over the 
desk, bringing the eyes close to the book is bad for 
the eyes, bad for the spine, and bad for the lungs. • 
SIXTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Find out if any child seems near-sighted, and refer 
him to the nurse. If eyes are normal, insist on proper 
posture. 
SEVENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Accident prevention. Danger of playing with fire. 
Children should not carry matches in their pockets. 
Never light a lire in the woods or field and leave it. 
Stay by it until it has burned out. 
SEVENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Children should not step in puddles on purpose (as 
is often the case). If the feet get wet instruct the 
children to remove wet shoes and socks. Explain 
why. A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
24 
EIGHTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Find out how many children drink milk for break- 
fast. Explain that it makes children grow big and 
strong. 
EIGHTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Find out if any drink coffee. Have them write 
their names on the board. The milk drinkers write 
theirs. See which list will be the longest. 
NINTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Instruct as to washing hands before meals. See how 
many do this. 
NINTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Many little girls will want to pick up a stray 
kitten. The more forlorn the kitten the more they 
will want to care for it. It is most unwise to do this. 
TENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
See if any child has a pet bird in his home. Show 
how necessary the bath is for the bird. It is just as 
necessary for the child. 
TENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
See Grade 1-A, 3rd Week, Lesson 2. 
ELEVENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Speak of the fly. Instruct as to why we do not 
want him in our homes. 
ELEVENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Instruct that the cleaner we keep the yard and 
back porch the fewer flies will come to our houses. 
Speak once more of keeping the cover on the garbage 
can. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
25 
TWELFTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Instruct that dogs and cats are very careful about 
the food they eat. They will not touch things that 
are not good for them. We should try to be as wise 
as they. 
TWELFTH WEEK LESSON 2 
The time to eat candy is after the meal. If we eat 
it before it takes away part of our good appetite for 
the food that would make us grow. (See if any child 
goes to the store as he goes home to dinner, and buys 
candy, and eats it.) 
THIRTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Children should eat freely of all green vegetables. 
They contain many things that will help them to 
grow properly. Have them name the vegetables; write 
the list on the board. 
THIRTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
See how many children eat these vegetables. Write 
number after name of vegetable. 
FOURTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Children should eat the crusts of bread. This 
exercises the teeth and helps them to be strong. 
FOURTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
See how many children have tooth brushes and use 
them. 
FIFTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Speak again on the bad habit of putting the fingers 
in the mouth. Putting pennies, pins, paper, or 
marbles in the mouth is equally bad. Pencils should 
not be put in the mouth. 26 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
FIFTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Always correct a child who bites his nails. This is 
a hard habit to cure, and the earlier the attempt is 
made the better for the child. No picking of nose 
to be permitted. 
SIXTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Have the children make little speeches about any 
of these subjects. 
SIXTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
See if jpiy child can tell of an accident caused by 
carelessness. Draw from it a lesson on carefulness. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
27 
HYGIENE FOR GRADE 3-A. 
Time for Lesson: 15 Minutes-Twice a Week. 
Time for the Practice of the Lesson: Every Day- 
at Any Time. 
FIRST WEEK LESSON 1 
Review lessons in Grade 3-B. 
FIRST WEEK LESSON 2 
Inspection for cleanliness. Include clean teeth. 
SECOND WEEK LESSON 1 
Always do the roller skating on the sidewalks. No 
small boy should accept an invitation from a big 
boy, to ride with him on his bicycle; it is dangerous. 
SECOND WEEK LESSON 2 
Speak of the danger of climbing around lumber 
piles. A cut or scratch made by a rusty nail on the 
foot should be taken care of immediately. It should 
be washed clean, iodine put on it and a clean cloth 
bound on the foot to beep the dirt away. 
THIRD WEEK LESSON 1 
Speak of rough play at recess time. Children 
should take this as it is meant and if hurt a little 
by accident, not be babyish about it or get angry. 
THIRD WEEK LESSON 2 
Be sure to play fair whatever the game may be. 
Play hard and play fair and the game will be enjoy- 
ed. Never mind the tumbles. 28 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
FOURTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Explain how necessary good manners are. Children 
should always reply when spoken to, on the street. 
They should say "Good Morning" or "Good Even- 
ing". Never say "Hello" to an older person. 
FOURTH WEEK LESSON 2 
. A boy should remove his cap when entering the 
house, when he meets a lady, and when a lady enters 
an elevator. All gentlemen do this. 
FIFTH WEEK LESSON 1 
A boy could help his mother by setting the table 
for dinner just as well as a girl could. He could 
also clear the table and wash the dishes. See if any 
boys help in this way. 
FIFTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Have a discussion as to the method of washing the 
dishes. See how many rinse them in hot water. Speak 
of clean dish towels and washing the dish-pan before 
it is put away. 
SIXTH WEEK LESSON 1 
See how many children like fresh vegetables. Have 
them write on the board the kinds they like best. 
SIXTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Explain why it is necessary to eat fresh vegetables. 
Green vegetables contain iron and will help us to be 
strong. They contain many other things that are 
good for every body. 
SEVENTH WEEK LESIONS 1 AND 2 
Ask if all the children eat breakfast before they 
come to school. Explain the word break-fast; one has LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
29 
fasted all night and now needs food. Be sure they 
wash clean, and clean the teeth before eating. 
EIGHTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Have the children find where their bones are. Have 
them feel the hardness of the head, the ridges of the 
ribs, the smoothness of the long bones in arms or legs, 
then the abdomen where there are no bones. 
EIGHTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Explain that the spine or back-bone has to hold up 
the body and head, too. This is a big job and we 
must not make it harder by sitting crooked, as that 
may injure this very important spine. 
NINTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Explain the difference between a stimulant and a 
food. Coffee, tea, and coca-cola are stimulants and 
make the child wakeful when he should go to sleep. 
They do not help him to grow. 
NINTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Milk is a food and contains all the things necessary 
for a child's growth. Little babies have nothing but 
milk, and they grow faster then than at any other 
time. 
TENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Be always careful as to correct posture. Especially 
be careful of the children's eyes. Stooping over the 
book or holding the book.too close to the eyes is very 
injurious. 
TENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Holding the head down near the writing is equally 
bad. Always insist on correct posture. Warn the 
children that it is wrong to try on other people's 30 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
glasses. Looking cross-eyed for fun is another thing 
that is wrong, and children are very apt to think 
it smart. 
ELEVENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Accident prevention. Speak again about care in 
crossing the street. If when one is crossing, a car 
(auto) comes suddenly, before you know it, stop 
where you are. The chauffeur will then know how 
to avoid you. If you run first one way and then the 
other the driver cannot tell where to go and may run 
you down. 
ELEVENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Teach this same lesson as No. 1. Be sure they 
realize the danger. 
TWELFTH WEEK-LESSON 1 
Talk about fingers and pencil in the mouth, and do 
not allow the habit to become fixed. 
TWELFTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Talk about nail-biting and what a bad habit it is. 
Ask if any child knows a nail-biter, and if he thinks 
the fingers look pretty when the nails are bitten. 
THIRTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
See how many children have a clean handkerchief. 
Instruct that each one must have one every day. Give 
instruction in use of handkerchief. 
THIRTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Instruct that the mouth must be covered when one 
coughs or sneezes. Give reason. 
FOURTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Clean cup for drinking. Never drink from a glass, 
that some one else has used. Show why. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
31 
FOURTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Tell why we have drinking fountains in our schools. 
Children should never touch the fountain with the 
lips. They should touch only the water. 
FIFTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
See how many have decayed teeth, make a list on 
the board. How many have had toothache. 
FIFTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
See how many have been to the dentist and had 
their teeth filled. Make a list of these also. 
SIXTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Speak of the danger of poison ivy. 
SIXTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Speak of care in walking barefoot. Speak of the 
care of a foot that has been cut or hurt with a nail, 
or splinter. 32 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
HYGIENE FOR GRADE 4-B. 
Time for Lesson: 20 Minutes-Twice a Week. 
FIRST WEEK LESSON 1 
Review principal parts of lessons in Grade 3-A. 
FIRST WEEK LESSON 2 
Give demonstration of what to do if the clothing 
catches fire. A girl or boy scout could do this effec- 
tively. Talk about the danger of making a bon-fire 
near the house. Have boy scout show how to make a 
bon-fire. Have him stress the necessity of properly 
guarding the fire, and extinguishing it before leaving 
it. 
SECOND WEEK LESSON 1 
Show the children how to find the places on their 
bodies where there are bones. Have them find the 
place where there are no bones. (In the abdomen) 
Instruct as to the use of the bones. 
SECOND WEEK LESSON 2 
Explain that the bones of children arc always 
growing, and if they do not sit and stand properly 
they will grow in the wrong way. This may be seen 
in a "hump-shouldered" man or woman. Always 
correct an incorrect posture. 
THIRD WEEK LESSON 1 
Good Manners. Instruct the children that they LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
33 
must always reply when spoken to. Shaking the head 
instead of saying "No," nodding the head instead 
of saying "Yes", shows bad manners. Demonstrate 
the use of this by asking questions of several. Be 
careful they answer politely. It is bad manners do 
say "Hello" to an older person. 
THIRD WEEK LESSON 2 
A boy should take his hat off when he comes in 
the house or when a lady greets him on the street. 
Children should be careful to hang up their outside 
garments when they come in the house. Explain why 
one should say "Please" or "You are welcome" 
(Analyze both). 
FOURTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Cure of books. Explain that it takes many people 
to make a book. They work a long time and they 
must keep their hands clean so the book will be nice 
when the child buys it. The children should also be 
careful, and not make pencil marks on the book, not 
soil it with dirty fingers, not turn down the corner 
of the leaf. (Teach turning the leaves of a book.) 
FOURTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Tell about books before printing was invented. Tell 
how they were written out by hand, and how precious 
they were. How very few people knew how to read. 
In those times there were no newspapers, no mag- 
azines, and very few books. After discussion of this 
subject have some of the children make little four- 
minute speeches about books. 
FIFTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Accident prevention. Have the children watch the 
daily papers and cut out accounts of accidents caused 34 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
by automobiles. Discuss these accidents and bring 
out the truth that accidents do not "happen"; they 
are "caused," and what caused them. 
FIFTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Speak of "one-way" streets, and see if the children 
know why we had to have them. See if they know 
what a "traffic" riian is, where he stays and why he 
is employed. 
SIXTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Joints. See Appendix 2. 
SIXTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Joints, continued. See appendix 2. Have demon- 
strations of movements of different joints. 
SEVENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Food. Explain that food is what we eat that will 
keep us well and strong and help children to grow. 
Some things that we eat and drink are not food as 
they do not do the body any good. Sour pickles, 
coffee, coca-cola, unripe fruit, greasy things, too 
much candy; all these things are not good for us. 
SEVENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Explain how many kinds of good food grow for us. 
See if any have a garden and have them tell what 
grew in it. Have a child go to the board and the rest 
of the class help her to write a list of the vegetables. 
See if she can get a list of 12 or more. 
EIGHTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Care of the teeth. Find out how many in the grade 
own tooth brushes, and use them. Put two headings 
on the board.' One reads "Clean teeth", the other 
"Unclean teeth". Have each child go to the board LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
35 
and place his or her name on the list indicated by the 
looks of the teeth. Try to have the "clean" list 
embrace them all. (Not easy) Be sure to commend 
any whose name can be taken from the "unclean" 
list and placed on the other. 
EIGHTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Explain that it is a sign of neglect for any child to 
have a toothache. If a child would only go to the 
dentist when a tooth has a wee little hole in it, the 
filling of it would not hurt any, and it would not cost 
much either in time or money. Draw a picture on the 
board of the tooth, the beginning and progress of 
decay. 
NINTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Food. Hold an election for the vegetable in this 
way. Have a child go to the board and Teacher says, 
"Some child tell of a vegetable." The one at the 
board writes it down. Say "All who eat this hold up 
their hands." Count the number and have it placed 
by that vegetable. (Sample) 
Potatoes 25. 
Peas 27. 
Tomatoes 10, etc. 
In this way a fair idea of how much the vegetables 
are being eaten can be formed, and those that are 
neglected can have their good points described, so 
that more shall be eaten. 
NINTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Food. Explain to the children that these vegetables 
did not come.naturally in our gardens. Many were 
brought from a long way off. The potato came from 
South America, and so did the tomato. Beans, 36 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
cucumbers, onions, and melons were in the gardens 
of ancient Egypt, thousands of years ago. Have the 
children find South America and Egypt on their 
maps. 
TENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Accident Prevention. Have the children solve this 
problem: John e.arns $5.50 a week delivering grocer- 
ies after school and on Saturdays. He runs his 
delivery truck too fast as he turns a corner that has 
just been sprinkled. The machine skids, runs into a 
telephone pole and is badly damaged. The groceries 
costing $22.68 are spilled out and spoiled. John is 
thrown against the telephone pole and has his arm 
broken. The repairs to the auto cost $93.38. The 
doctor's bill is $15.00. How long will it take John to 
pay for his carelessness? 
See if the children can invent other problems show- 
ing the cost of carelessness. 
TENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Have some of the children make little speeches 
about the safety slogans that are seen on the street 
cars. Telling what they are, what they mean, and 
why it is necessary to have them. Have the speaker 
stand on the platform. Be sure he stands correctly 
and uses good English. 
ELEVENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Milk. Speak of the great use of milk in helping the 
children to grow big and strong. We do not care 
for the children to be fat but we want their muscles 
to be as big as they ought to be, and to- be as strong. 
Milk is just as good for a fourth grade child as for 
those of the first grade. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
37 
ELEVENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Tell the children that many other animals besides 
the cow give good milk; though in our country we do 
not use any other. Have the children find Switzer- 
land on their maps. In this country they use goats' 
milk. The goat is driven from door to door, and as 
much is milked out as is wanted. Have the children 
find Arabia, and tell them that in that country the 
milk from camels and mares is used. Have them find 
India. Here the cow is a sacred animal and she is 
allowed to wander about wherever she wants to go. 
Sometimes she even will go into a shop hunting for 
something to eat, and if she takes a fancy to eat up 
what the grocer has to sell he has to let her eat it. 
TWELFTH WEEK LESSON 1 
The Foot. The human foot is made of many little 
bones all bound together with muscles that go in 
every direction, so there can be great strength and 
great flexibility. A baby's foot is a beautiful thing, 
but as we grow, and wear badly fitting shoes our feet 
lose all their beauty, and corns, bunions, and other 
foot troubles give us much pain. 
The Educator Shoe Co., of New York City, pub- 
lishes a set of photographs of feet, and they send a 
little talk about them and their care. 
Have the class write to them for this literature. 
Send the best letter. Address Educator Shoe Co., 
New York City. (Street and number not needed.) 
TWELFTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Foot, continued. For this lesson have the letter 
from the Educator people. Read and discuss it, and 
show the pictures. 38 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
THIRTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Candy. Speak of the universal love of candy, and 
the care we should take that the candy we eat is pure. 
Ask the children what kinds they prefer. Speak ot' 
the wrong habit of eating candy before a meal. This 
will take away some of the appetite for good plain 
food. Eating candy after the meal is the best. 
THIRTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Sugar. Tell the children that in the old, old days 
there was no candy, because sugar had not been dis- 
covered. (Exact date of its discovery vague; it was 
introduced into Europe about the time of the Cru- 
sades.) Honey was the only source of sweet they 
had. See if the children know what candy is made 
from. Where do we get sugar; where does sugar 
cane grow? What does it look like? Have the chil- 
dren look up all the countries that produce sugar. 
FOURTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Accident Prevention. Ask what a child should do 
if he saw a board on the side walk with a rusty nail 
sticking up in it. Suppose he saw some fruit skins 
on the sidewalk. Suppose a grade of little children 
were trying to cross the street and the traffic man 
had not come to help them. Have the grade discuss 
each of these conditions and tell what they would 
do and why. See if they can think of any other con- 
ditions that would call for their assistance. 
FOURTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Accident Prevention. See if the children realize 
the use of a "fire drill". Carelessness may cause a 
fire in the home. Have the children learn this little 
verse, and tell in their own words what it means. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
39 
Only a little match head dropped on the closet floor. 
Only a little apron hung beside the door. 
Only a little flame creeping up the apron strings. 
Only a home in ashes-think of all these little 
things. 
(From the Detroit Free Press in "Health Teaching 
in Schools," Theresa Dandsdill.) 
FIFTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Care of the Eyes. 
Be careful that the children have a good light on 
their books. If the eyes of children are injured by 
carelessness in this respect they are hard to cure. If 
glasses are worn they should be kept clean. They 
should fit the face, not hurting behind the ears. They 
should sit straight on the face, not one lens higher 
than the other. The pupil of the eye should be in the 
center of the lens. If any children in the grade wear 
glasses, inspect them. Children should never try on 
other people's glasses, nor allow any one else to try 
on theirs. 
FIFTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
I MUST 
Always have the light at my left. 
1 must hold my book at least 12 inches from my 
face. 
I must have plenty of light on my book. 
I must hold my head up when I read. 
I must go to the eye doctor if my eyes hurt, or 
my head aches often when I read. 40 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
I MUST NOT 
Face the light when I read. 
Wipe my eyes on a soiled towel, handkerchief, or 
dirty hands. 
Use my eyes if they hurt or are red. 
Stoop over the desk to read or write. 
Hold the book close to my face. 
Have the children copy these two lists, and enlarge 
upon any topic that is specially applicable to the 
grade. 
SIXTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
See Appendix 3-"The Fly". Discuss the flies. 
Explain why they are dangerous. 
SIXTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Flies, continued. Have speeches on the fly and his 
danger. Be careful of posture and English of the 
speakers. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
41 
HYGIENE FOR GRADE 4-A. 
Time for Lesson: 20 Minutes-Twice a Week. 
FIRST WEEK LESSON 1 
Review Fourth Grade-B. Be careful of the chil- 
dren's eyes. No reading facing the light. 
FIRST WEEK LESSON 2 
Accident Prevention. Find out if any child has 
had an accident during vacation, analyze the accident 
and explain that accidents do not just happen, they 
are caused. If any child has to cross a railroad track 
when coming to school, he should be very careful to 
look and listen for a train. Warn against creeping 
under a freight train when it is stopped. The engine 
may be just coming to the train when the child is 
under the cars. 
SECOND WEEK LESSON 1 
Finger Nails. Instruct that the Finger nails should 
be cut and never bitten. Biting the nails is a habit 
hard to break, and the sooner it is begun the better. 
The mouth was made for food, not for fingers or 
finger nails. These may cause disease from the dirt 
that lodges under the finger nails which often con- 
tains some disease germs. (Inspect hands and finger 
nails often.) 42 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
SECOND WEEK LESSON 2 
Contagious Diseases. The contagious diseases are 
chicken-pox, small-pox, scarlet fever, measles, mumps, 
whooping cough, pink eye, infantile paralysis and 
diphtheria. Have the children write down these 
names of contagious diseases and try to impress them 
with the lesson that they are never to go to a house 
where any of these diseases are. 
THIRD WEEK LESSON 1 
If a child has a friend ill with one of these con- 
tagious diseases, and he wishes to do something nice, 
let him write a note, send some flowers, telephone a 
message, but stay away. If a child knows of a house 
not quarantined, where there is one of these diseases, 
he should get his father to report it to the Health 
office. This is just as much our duty as calling the 
fire department if our neighbor's house is on fire. 
THIRD WEEK LESSON 2 
The Muscles and Tendons. See Appendix 4. And 
also Appendix 22. 9th Grade-A. 
FOURTH WEEK LESSON 1 
The Nerves. See Appendix 5. 
FOURTH WEEK LESSON 2 
The Nerves. See Appendix 5. 
FIFTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Accident Prevention. Have a committee of the 
class go to the Secretary of the local automobile 
club and ask for their regulations. (Arrange for the 
visit so as to be sure the committee will be welcome.) 
Discuss the regulations with the pupils. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
43 
FIFTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Accident Prevention. Have the regulations of the 
auto club written out by the pupils. Discuss the 
danger of two boys riding on one bicycle. Warn the 
boys of the danger of having a little child as a 
passenger; there is no good, steady seat for a little 
child. 
SIXTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Early Rising. Instruct the children that they must 
get up in the morning early enough to have time to 
sit down to the table and eat a good breakfast. They 
should be sure to go to the toilet before leaving home, 
and should wash their hands after going to the toilet 
always. See how many do this. 
SIXTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Colds. Children with bad colds should not be in 
school; their coughing and sneezing will infect others. 
See that all children bring clean handkerchiefs to 
school. Call for a display of handkerchiefs fre- 
quently. Instruct the class that if any feel sick it 
must be reported to the teacher. She will determine 
if it is severe enough for the child to go home. Severe 
contagious diseases generally begin with seemingly 
trifling symptoms. 
SEVENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Food. Tell the children that our bodies are made 
of many different kinds of. materials, and we need 
many different kinds of food to supply the body with 
all it needs. Milk comes the nearest to supplying all 
the materials, but even that will not be enough for a 
fourth grade child. He does not need much meat, 
but he does need five or six glasses of water every 44 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
day, and some cereal, and many vegetables, and some 
fruit. 
SEVENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Have the children write out what they have had 
for breakfast, and what they think would be good for 
dinner. Suggest improvements as seems best. (Some 
children may be much restricted from poverty.) 
EIGHTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Skin. See Appendix 6. 
EIGHTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Skin. Have the children look closely at their 
fingers,, at the ends inside, and note the many little 
ridges to be seen there. Tell them that no two people 
have exactly the same ridges, and that each one of 
them keeps his particular ridges all of his life; they 
never change. This peculiarity is made use of in sev- 
eral ways. In every penitentiary the convicts are 
made to have their thumb prints taken, so no matter 
what disguise they assume they can always be identi- 
fied. 
NINTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Helping at Home. See how many of the class have 
a baby sister or brother at home. Helping to care 
for the baby is one of the greatest helps to the 
mother. The baby should be protected from flies when 
asleep. Should never have a glare of sun in its eyes. 
Should be kept clean, and not be trotted or jerked. 
Should be carefully watched but not played with all 
the time. 
NINTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Good Manners. It is not good manners to chew 
gum in public. It is much better not to chew it any- LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
45 
where. Americans are the only people in the world 
who chew something that does them no good. Merely 
keeping something in the mouth to make one's jaws 
move is a very ugly habit. 
TENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Posture. A correct posture is a sure sign of a 
strong body. See how many of the class can tell what 
constitutes a correct posture. Have several pupils 
stand on the platform, one by one, and have the class 
decide whether they stand correctly or not. 
TENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Proper Manner of Speaking. Many children speak 
in a very slovenly way. They do not form their 
words properly in their mouths; they eliminate the 
final t's, d's or s's, and the result is disastrous to 
the English language. Have speeches as often as 
possible and insist on clear enunciation. 
ELEVENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Eyes. There should be plenty of light in the school 
room, but no direct sun light on the children's books 
or papers. Watch that the children do not bend 
down over their books when they are in their seats. 
Try to arrange the window shades so there will not 
be a glare on the black-board. Sometimes the glare 
on the board makes it almost impossible to see what is 
written on it without straining the eyes. 
ELEVENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Eyes. The part of the eye that makes us see is the 
round black part just in the center of the eye. It is 
called the pupil. The colored part that is some times 
brown, sometimes blue, and sometimes grey, is called 46 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
the iris. The round black spot is only a hole through 
which the light comes to the eye behind. When too 
much light comes on the eye, the iris closes down and 
makes the pupil very small, and this protects the eye. 
When there is a little light the iris draws back and 
the pupil is large enough to let in more light. Thus 
we see that the iris is a curtain that lets in just 
enough light for the eye to see properly. If we have a 
glare of light for some time, the delicate little muscles 
that regulate the iris get tired, and the eye is more 
or less injured. We should be very careful of these 
very useful eyes. Eye troubles are hard to cure. 
TWELFTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Accident Prevention. If any child sees fruit skins 
on the sidewalk he should push them into the gutter. 
Some one might slip on them of left there. It might 
be his own mother. If any one sees a broken trolley 
wire, he should by no means touch it. It might kill 
him. He should report it to the nearest policeman. 
If no policeman can be found he should take a per- 
fectly dry stick and push it out of the way. Be sure 
the stick is dry. Electricity will follow anything 
wet. 
TWELFTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Accident Prevention. See if any boy carries 
matches in his pocket. It is not a wise thing to do. 
See that the girls do not carry scissors, knitting 
needles, or crochet needles in their pockets. Severe 
accidents have been caused in this way. Have a 
demonstration by boy scouts of the way to put out a; 
fire of the clothing. Make it a serious lesson. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
47 
THIRTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Smoking. It is against the law for a boy to smoke 
cigarettes. Wise men have made this law, for they 
want the boys to grow up to be big, strong men, and 
they noticed that the boys that smoked were not very 
much good when they were grown up; not very 
strong and not as big as they ought to be. 
A good citizen obeys the laws of his country. 
Explain the difference between the savage who knows 
no law, and a good citizen who obeys the law. Which 
kind do we want in our country? 
THIRTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Smoking is a man's habit. It is as foolish for a 
boy to put on a man's habit as it would be to put 
on his clothes. Neither will fit him. The smoking 
is bad for his heart, as it makes it work too fast. 
Every one who sees him feels like laughing at him for 
trying to be a man when he is only a boy. 
FOURTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Rules of Health. Have the children copy these 
Government rules in their note books: 
"1. A full bath more than once a week. 
2. Brushing the teeth at least once a day. 
3. Going early to bed, and sleeping with the 
window open. 
4. Eating some vegetables and fruit every day. 
5. Drinking at least a pint of milk, but no tea or 
coffee. 
6. Drinking five glasses of water every day. 
7. Playing part of every day out of doors. 
8. A bowel movement every morning. 
9. If losing weight consult the family doctor."- 
Dept, of Interior, Bureau of Education. 48 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
FOURTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Drinking Fountains. Why we have them in. the 
school house. Explain the danger of the common 
drinking cup. Speak of the paper cups in public 
places and why they are placed there. Have some of 
the class tell how to get a paper cup on a train. 
FIFTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Flies. See Appendix 3. Grade 4-B. 
FIFTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Continue the crusade against putting the fingers 
and pencils in the mouth. Inspect hands frequently, 
finger nails also. 
SIXTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Helping at Home. See how many of the children 
have little vegetable gardens at home. Ask what they 
plant. Encourage the planting of different kinds of 
vegetables. Speak of the benefit of green leafy vege- 
tables. Beet tops, spinach, etc. 
SIXTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Show the children how important all planting and 
cultivating is, and how it has been done from the 
earliest times. Read the 2nd chapter of Genesis, 15th 
verse. God told Adam to "keep the garden and to 
dress it". We can thus have the best reason for 
knowing that it pleases God when we, too, "Keep a 
garden and dress it." Discuss this with the children 
so they will realize that it is a good thing to plant 
the seeds in the ground, cultivate the plants and eat 
of the fruits of their labor. Speak of the harm done 
by killing birds. See Appendix 7. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
49 
HYGIENE FOR GRADE 5-B. 
FIRST WEEK LESSON 1 
Review the most important lessons in Grade 4-A. 
Inspect for cleanliness. 
FIRST WEEK LESSON 2 
Have the class discuss and define the term "Jay 
walking. ' ' Why it should be avoided. Why we have 
one way streets. What is the necessity of mounted 
police? Have the class find out the population of this 
city, and then the number of automobiles owned here. 
Now have them work out the percent of the popula- 
tion who own automobiles. They can thus see the 
need for the care that the city tries to exercise. 
SECOND WEEK LESSON 1 
The Skull. Discuss the cavity of the skull. Be sure 
the class knows what a "cavity" is. Discuss the two 
brains and their uses. See Appendix 1. The 
cerebrum or 1 rge brain occupies the larger part of 
the skull cavity. This is the part that can be cul- 
tivated and in which all the knowledge one gets in 
school is put. (To the teacher) Enlarge upon this 
thought. The {her brain is called the cerebellum; 
it is much smai r than the cerebrum. See Appendix 8. 
SE OND WEEK LESSON 2 
Below the cerebrum is a small but very important 
part called medulla. This connects the brain 
with the spin 1 cord that goes all the way down the 
spine in the igs of the vertebrae. We may think 
of the two hr is and the medulla in this way. The 50 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
big brain is the one we can cultivate, the one that 
may give us the power to do good to others. The 
cerebellum and the medulla are situated down in the 
back part of the skull where the bone is very thick 
and they work only for ourselves, making us breathe, 
making the heart beat, making us digest our food, 
and making the muscles do their work. 
THIRD WEEK LESSON 1 
Posture. Explain to the class that a child's manner 
of carrying himself indicates in a great measure what 
kind of a child he is. A bright, smart boy will not 
be slouchy in his walk, will not lean over the desk 
with his head on his hand, or stand on one foot with 
his hands in bis pockets. General appearance counts 
for so much. 
THIRD WEEK LESSON 2 
Girls should be warned not to carry their books 
always on the same arm. This tends to make one 
shoulder higher than the other. Standing habitually 
on one leg tends to make one hip higher than the 
other. Very few women have symmetrical hips in 
consequence of this bad habit. Have the class write on 
the board the things in manners or posture that 
would influence a prospective employer against a boy 
or girl. 
FOURTH WEEK LESSON 1 
V entilalion. Describe ventilation as air in' motion. 
When we go into a room that has been closed for a 
long time, we say the air is bad, but no one has been 
there to make it bad; it is merely stagnant. We in- 
stinctively go to the nearest window and open it, a 
current of air blows through and the air is all right. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
51 
A window should be open at night so there will be a 
current of air through the room, but we should be 
protected from the draught. 
FOURTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Temperature. The proper temperature for a school 
room is 68 degrees. Have a child .read the ther- 
mometer once or twice every session and put the read- 
ing on the board. If too high or too low have it 
reported to the teacher. This teaches the child what 
the proper temperature of a room should be. Have 
the thermometer hinig on a level with the children's 
heads as they are seated. Bad air in the school room 
is caused by closed windows, bad breath, soiled cloth- 
ing, unclean skin of the children. 
FIFTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Accident Prevention. See how many of the grade 
own bicycles. Discuss the danger of holding to a 
truck or auto while riding. A sudden stop, a sudden 
turn might throw the boy to the ground. See if all 
who ride have a bell and a light on their wheels. 
FIFTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Two boys riding on one bicycle run a risk.1 A 
larger boy should never take a little child on his 
bicycle; the place where he has to sit is too small. He 
might fall and be badly hurt. When two boys are 
on the same wheel the one that is the motive power 
has too much to do, and the passenger has a very 
insecure seat. 
SIXTH WEEK LESSON 1 
The eye. Instruct that the greater part of the eye 
is deep in the skull: this is for its protection; in 
front, the eye lid and the eye lashes protect.it. The 52 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
tear gland that secretes the tears that keep the eye 
just moist enough is above the eye near the outer end 
of the eyebrow. The opening of the overflow pipe 
that lets the extra tears go down the nose, is on the 
lower lid in the inner corner. See also Grade 4-A, 
11th week, and Appendix 9. 
SIXTH WEEK LESSON 2 
The Ear. This organ is still more carefully protect- 
ed than the eye. AH the hearing part is deep in the 
skull, where it is well protected. The outer part that 
we call the ear is only a device for catching sounds. 
The ears of animals such as dogs, cats, horses, or 
rabbits, show very plainly what they are for, as the 
animal turns them always in the direction of the 
sound to catch it and direct it into the inner ear. 
These ears are very sensitive as any one can prove 
by lightly touching the hairs in a cat's ear; she feels 
the slightest touch. The hairs help to screen away 
any dust or dirt. See Appendix 9. 
SEVENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Good Manners. Explain to the children that the 
only way a stranger can form an opinion of a boy 
or girl he sees on the street is by observing his or her 
manners. Children are too prone to act on the strec 
as if they were at home where every one knew them. 
Have one of the class write on the board a list of 
the bad manners she has seen on the street. Ha\e 
others suggest more bad manners. Then try to have 
the children see that they are wrong in being so 
thoughtless. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
53 
SEVENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Care of Books. Instruct as to proper way of turn- 
ing the leaves of a book. Wetting the fingers to turn 
the leaf is wrong. Turning down a leaf to mark the 
place is wrong. Bending the backs of books together 
is wrong, as it breaks the binding. Marking the book 
with a pencil unless so directed by the teacher spoils 
its looks. Tearing out leaves, scribbling on the cover 
and any marking of the book shows it has an idle 
owner. 
EIGHTH WEEK LESSON 1 
The Throat. See Appendix 10. 
EIGHTH WEEK LESSON 2 
The Cavity of the Chest or thorax. Speak of the 
difference between the walls of the chest and the 
skull. Chest bones more like a lattice work. They 
must be slightly movable so the lungs may have room 
in which to expand. Speak of chest expansion and 
how it corresponds to lung capacity. Take a tape 
measure and measure the chest expansion of several 
of the children. Have them expel all the air from the 
lungs, measure the chest; now have them slowly take 
in the biggest breath they can hold, and note how 
many inches difference there is. 
NINTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Food. Speak of this being the only part of our 
bodily functions that is given into our care. We 
cannot direct our hearts, they go on from the time 
we first begin to live. We cannot direct our lungs, 
we must breathe whether we think about it or not. 
But the choosing of our foods we must do, and it is 
so important that it is made a pleasure. We like 54 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
to eat. We want to have the food three times a day, 
and arc very unhappy if for any reason we do not 
get it. (Enlarge upon this theme and try to have the 
class realize their responsibility.) 
NINTH WEEK LESSON 2 
"Foods have been classified according to their 
constituent parts, thus we have carbo-hydrates, which 
include the starches and sugars. Almost all of 
these come1 from plants. We have corn starch, wheat 
starch, potato starch, and many other varieties. All 
grains and most of the vegetables are starchy foods. 
Fats include all such things as butter, cream, oil, fat 
meat. The carbo-hydrates and fats give us energy 
to do our work. Proteids are the food we get from 
other animals. Lean meat, milk, fish, cheese, and 
also many vegetables; there is more proteid in peas 
and beans than in any other vegetable. The proteids 
are the ' foods that help to build up the body." 
(Human Physiology. Ritchie.) 
TENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Practical Jokes. Discuss practical jokes and show 
how unwise and sometimes cruel they are. Have 
the class analyze them and show where the fun 
comes in when a companion is made to look foolish, 
or when he is actually hurt. 
TENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Discuss air-guns, pop-guns, slings, bean-shooters 
and the dangers that may result when these things 
are carelessly handled, especially when little children 
are near. See how many of the class are playing 
with these toys. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
55 
ELEVENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
The Spine. Describe the spine. It begins just where 
the skull ends; on the first two vertebrae the skull 
rotates. It is composed of many bones. Have the 
class feel the ridgy places all down the back, and 
instruct that each one is part of a separate bone. 
This spine is a compound joint, the largest one 
in the body; it enables the body to turn in every 
direction. Habitually leaning sideways makes the 
spine grow sideways instead of being in a straight 
line down the back. 
ELEVENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
The Mouth. Have the class give the contents of the 
mouth. This is the door of two important places-the 
digestive tract and the lungs. Have the class give 
the three uses of the tongue, speaking, tasting, assist- 
ing in chewing the food. Speak of how well the 
tongue keeps out of the way of the teeth, and how 
painful it is when it accidentally gets in the way. 
How seldom this happens. See Appendix 11. 
TWELFTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Accident Prevention. Poison Ivy. Teach the ap- 
pearance of poison ivy. Have a picture of it drawn 
on the board and have the class copy it. Instruct as 
to its danger. Ask the class if they know where it is 
to be found. Speak of the good that would be done 
if they would take hoes and root it up, and burn over 
the place so it would not spring up again. 
TWELFTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Warn the class to be always on the watch for 
poison ivy when they go on a hike over the fields and 
woods. If any touch, it they should wash with water 
and strong soap as soon as possible, scrubbing hard 
to get rid of the poison juice of the plant. 56 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
THIRTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Water. Besides the food that we have to chew, we 
must drink plenty of water as it is a great aid to 
digestion. If a person is deprived of all food, he can 
live much longer if he has plenty of water to drink. 
See Appendix 12. 
THIRTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Water continued. See Appendix 12. 
FOURTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Teeth. Continue to inspect the teeth of the chil- 
dren. See how many have tooth brushes and use 
them. Speak of the necessity of giving the teeth some 
work to do. Eating apples, raw cabbage, hard bread 
crusts are good exercise for the teeth. Trying to crack 
nuts with the teeth is not wise. This is not the kind 
of exercise the teeth need. 
FOURTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Care of the Teeth. Try to impress upon the chil- 
dren that it is best to go to the dentist twice a year. 
In six months a cavity cannot get very big, and to 
fill it takes only a little while and best of all it does 
not hurt. Also it does not cost much. 
Many diseases have been traced to decayed neglect- 
ed teeth. Have all children who have good teeth 
hold up their hands, then those who have bad neglect- 
ed teeth. Try to have all see the necessity of caring 
for these very important members. 
FIFTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Obedience. Speak of the diffeernce between a 
savage and a civilized state. We have many laws 
so that we may be at liberty to live our lives without 
fearing harm from others. See how many of the class know the Ten Commandments; who gave them? Note 
that the last six show us how we should treat our 
fellow men. See if the children can tell which have 
the most commands to obey, the child or the parent. 
FIFTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Obedience, continued. Have the children write this 
in their note books: "Obedience is to do what you 
are told when you are told." "When we break the 
law of the land we are put in jail, so we cannot harm 
any one else. When we break the laws of health 
we get sick and have to go to bed and suffer much 
pain, which seems worse than going to jail. A sick 
person's prison is his bed. 
SIXTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Accident Prevention. Explain spontaneous com- 
bustion. Speak of the danger of leaving oily, dirty 
rags in a closet. Damp excelsior will generate heat. 
Cellars should be kept very clean as the air from 
the cellar goes all through the house. They should 
be aired often. 
SIXTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Matches should never be carried in a boy's pocket. 
Matches should be kept where the little children 
cannot get them. Burned matches should be put in 
a place that cannot catch fire. Have the class discuss 
the right and wrong way of getting off of a trolley 
car. Have them learn this little verse: 
' ' This little rule will take you far, 
If you will only mind it. 
Don't cross before a trolley car; 
You'll find more room behind it." 
City Railway News-"Health Training 
in Schools."-Theresa Dandsdill. 
LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
57 58 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
HYGIENE FOR GRADE 5-A. 
FIRST WEEK LESSON 1 
Review lessons in Grade 5-B. 
FIRST WEEK LESSON 2 
Inspection for cleanliness, especially finger nails 
and teeth. 
SECOND WEEK LESSON 1 
Accident Prevention. Have the children try to 
remember some of the safety slogans that have been 
on the street cars, as warnings to careless auto drivers 
and pedestrians. Have these read and commented 
on. Be sure the class appreciates what they mean, 
and why they are on the cars. 
SECOND WEEK LESSON 2 
Have the class watch the papers for accounts of 
accidents, and bring the notices to the school. Have 
these read and discussed and show where the fault 
was. Impress the children with the fact that care- 
lessness is a very grave fault and that risking one's 
life or that of others is not a sign of smartness, but 
just the reverse. 
THIRD WEEK LESSON 1 
Milk. Milk is just as good for children of the fifth 
grade as for those of the first. Have the class think 
of all the good things that are made from milk. Have 
one of them write the list on the board. 
See how many can tell what different animals 
are used in other countries to give milk. Have this 
list put on the board. (See Grade 4-B-Week 11.) LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
59 
THIRD WEEK LESSON 2 
Cereals. Explain to the class that cereals were so 
named from the old Greek goddess Ceres, who was 
supposed to have the care of the fields, and to make 
the grain grow. Have the list of the cereals put on 
the board, and have the children tell where they are 
grown. Cereals contain both carbo-hydrates and pro- 
tein, so they give us energy and help us to grow. 
FOURTH WEEK LESSON 1 
The Stomach. See Appendix 13. 
FOURTH WEEK LESSON 2 
The Stomach, continued. See Appendix 13. 
FIFTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Clothing. See if any of the class can tell why we 
wear clothing. The earliest clothing was made of 
skins. Perhaps the ancient man, seeing that the 
beasts were clothed and he was not, got the idea 
that he needed the skin more than the beast did. So 
he killed the beast and took his skin, probably with 
the fur on it, and was much more comfortable when 
he wore his fur coat. Have the children tell what 
people wear fur clothing all the time. Where do they 
live ? 
FIFTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Clothing, continued. Have the children tell what 
materials are now used for clothing. Have them tell 
the places where linen (flax) is grown; what plant 
it comes from. Where the best linen is made. Where 
cotton is grown, and the importance ot' this crop. 
Where silk comes from. Is silk grown in the fields 
like cotton and flax? Where does the wool come 
from that makes our warm blankets and clothing? 60 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
SIXTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Accident Prevention. Have one or two of the boy 
scouts make a five minute speech on accident pre- 
vention. 
Be sure the speaker stands correctly and uses good 
English. 
SIXTH WEEK-LESSON 2 
Have one or more girl scouts make five minute 
speeches on first aid. Be careful of posture and good 
English. 
If these speeches are well done have the best re- 
peated at the next Parent-Teachers' meeting. 
SEVENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Foods. Have the class tell what kinds of meat we 
eat. Meat belongs to the class called protein. Other 
nations eat other kinds of meat. The European 
nations eat horse meat. The French eat snails. The 
Chinese eat rats. Some of the Balkan nations eat 
dog meat. Perhaps this is because they cannot get 
the kinds we have. 
SEVENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Foods, continued. Our Government is always try- 
ing to find new and better foods for us. Men who 
have made a study of foods are sent out by the 
Government to hunt for these better foods for us. 
They have found a kind of wheat in Siberia that will 
grow out West where there is very little water. 
They have given us the navel orange and the grape 
fruit. Some of our common vegetables have not 
always been eaten. The tomato was for a long 
time thought to be poison, and was grown only 
because the red fruit was pretty. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
61 
EIGHTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Care of Books. Inspect the books of the class. Have 
a little talk on the time and care necessary to make 
a book, its attractive cleanliness when it is first 
bought, and the pity of destroying its good looks with 
pencil marks, torn leaves, broken binding and dirty 
covers. 
EIGHTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Care of Public Buildings. Tell the class that all 
public buildings are paid for by the taxes. Every 
man must pay his taxes, so every man has helped to 
pay for the school buildings. If a child destroys 
or defaces any part of the school building he is de- 
stroying his father's property. If the children could 
be made to realize this they might be more careful 
of the school buildings. 
NINTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Germs. A germ is a tiny thing so small that the 
naked eye cannot see it. Many germs are very benefi- 
cial, and some are just the reverse. The good germs 
make our bread rise when we use yeast; they give 
our butter the good taste that we like; they help to 
make the soil of our garden fertile; they attack all 
•dead things out of doors and help to turn them into 
soil that will be good for the gardens and they do 
many more good things. 
The bad germs give us diseases; they make us have 
boils, tuberculosis and other diseases that are called 
4'catching". 
NINTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Pasteur. See Appendix 14. Pasteur was the first 
one to find out that our diseases were caused by 
germs. 62 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
TENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Accident Prevention in the Home. Be careful not 
to leave anything on the stairs. Some one coming 
down stairs might slip and be badly hurt. Many 
small rugs are dangerous for the aged and the very 
little ones. They may cause a bad fall. Keep knives, 
matches and sharp pointed scissors out of the reach 
of the little folks. 
TENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Accident Prevention. Ask how many of the class 
have a medicine closet at home. Tell the danger 
of leaving strong medicines where little brothers and 
sisters can get at them. See how many know that 
bi-chloride tablets are very poisonous; that carbolic 
acid is poisonous. Instruct that all such drugs that are 
used for disinfection must be kept in different shaped 
bottles from the rest of the medicines. 
ELEVENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Sanitation. Explain that sanitation means the keep- 
ing of our surroundings in a clean and healthy 
condition. Keeping the back yard as clean as the 
front yard, keeping the streets clean. Ask the class 
if it would do any good to have the streets washed 
every day if the people and children felt at liberty 
to throw fruit skins and papers on the street. Explain 
that it is good citizenship to respect your city and try 
to keep it clean and nice. 
ELEVENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
If possible have the street commissioner come to 
the school and talk to the children about how much 
they can do to keep the town, looking clean, and 
how much the officials would appreciate their help. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
63 
After the talk see how much the children remember 
of what was said. 
TWELFTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Elimination. Be sure that the children understand 
the great necessity of regularly casting out the worn 
parts of the body and the refuse food that is left 
when all the nourishing part has been used. This very 
important habit is often neglected. The casting out 
of the refuse of the body should be carefully at- 
tended to every morning before the child comes to 
school. The hands should be washed after visiting 
the toilet. 
TWELFTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Show on one of the children where the small in- 
testine is, and explain that much of the digestion 
goes on in this small intestine. The part of the 
food that is to do us good is taken up from here; 
the rest that is of no use is sent on to the large 
intestine that begins low down on the right side, 
ascends nearly to the waist line, crosses over to the 
left side and descends by several curves to the rectum, 
where it is cast out. 
THIRTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
The Nerves. If possible have a boy or girl pre- 
pare the skeleton of a rabbit by removing all the 
meat (muscle) after it has been cooked and the 
family has eaten all it wants. Here he will find a 
skeleton very much like the human skeleton, only 
it is very little. By separating two of the delicate 
little vertebrae he can see the spinal cord from 
whence many nerves originate. He will see that the 
vertebrae are strung upon this cord as beads might 64 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
be strung on a thread. Have the class understand 
that our spinal cord is protected in exactly the same 
way, and that it too gives off many nerves. 
THIRTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
The Nerves. The nerves are all connected with 
either the spinal cord or the brain; so great care, is 
taken to protect both of these important organs. The 
brain is protected by the skull which is very thick 
and strong in the back where the cerebellum and 
medulla are situated, as these control the heart, 
lungs, digestion and muscular action. 
FOURTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
The Nerves. The nerves are the captains or gov- 
ernors of the body. They make the heart beat, the 
lungs take in the breath, the digestive tract to nour- 
ish the body, and the muscles to do their duty. They 
are spread out all over the true skin, and so close 
together are they, that the finest needle cannot touch 
the skin any where but what we feel it. Like the 
capillaries which carry the blood to every tiniest por- 
tion of our skin, so the nerves, which look like fine 
white threads are everywhere. 
FOURTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Nerves Continued. We should take great care of 
these nerves that are always helping us: and right 
here is where we sometimes make great mistakes. 
Some drinks, like coffee and coca-cola, make the 
children's nerves work too hard. These nerves that 
make us see, hear, feel and run about, should rest 
at night so they be be ready for the next day. But 
when boys or girls drink coffee for their supper, and 
some coca-cola when they come home from a picture LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
65 
show they cannot go to sleep, and the next day the 
poor nerves are so tired they make the child cross 
and sometimes very disagreeable. See how many do 
these things. Ask when they go to bed. 
FIFTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
The Foot. See Grade 4-B-12th Week. The foot, 
like the hand, is made up with many small bones so 
that it has great freedom of motion when it is bare. 
When we wear shoes that push our foot bones to- 
gether we are very likely to have some foot trouble 
sooner or later. The high heels and the pointed 
toes of some shoes are responsible for much suffering. 
The high heel throws the weight of the body forward 
to the ball of the foot, instead of leaving it where it 
belongs on the heel. Add to this the pointed toe, 
which pushes the toes together instead of letting them 
have some room to do their work properly, and we 
have the source of much of our common foot troubles. 
FIFTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
See how many of the class know what kind of shoes 
the ancient peoples wore. What kind of shoes do the 
Chinese women wear"? What did the Indians wear? 
What kind do the Turks wear? What kind of shoes 
do the Japanese wear in the rainy, muddy weather? 
Have the class bring pictures of these various kinds 
of foot gear. Chinese women with bound feet cannot 
really walk. They hobble along. 
SIXTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Accident Prevention. See how many of the class 
own automobiles. Ask how many know how to drive 
one. Ask them to give the rules for auto drivers. 66 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
Ask about the age limit for auto drivers, and why 
there should be a limit. 
SIXTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
See if any know who puts up the signs seen on the 
highways, and why they are there. Which driver 
shows the better sense, the one who respects the signs, 
or the one who pays no attention to them? 
In a near-by town there is this sign. 
"Welcome. Drive slow and see our town. 
Drive fast and see our jail." 
Discuss this and be sure the class appreciates its 
meaning. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
67 
HYGIENE FOR GRADE 6-B. 
FIRST WEEK LESSON 1 
Review some of the lessons that may seem needed 
in grade 5-A. 
FIRST WEEK LESSON 2 
Inspect for cleanliness, especially finger nails and 
teeth. Talk about the necessity of cleanliness. 
SECOND WEEK LESSON 1 
Speak of the cavity of the chest. Describe the dif- 
ference of its walls from those of the skull. See Ap- 
pendix 15. 
SECOND WEEK LESSON 2 
Tuberculosis. No one has tuberculosis il" their 
weight is up to normal. Speak of the places where 
those who have tuberculosis should go. Have you 
any place in this city for sick people? Any place in 
the state? West Virginia's State tuberculosis sani- 
tarium is in Terra Alta. Have the children find this 
place on their maps. Explain that this name means 
"High Ground." That is the reason this place was 
chosen. It is high up in the mountains and the air 
is pure and free from dust (Appendix 15, page 129). 
THIRD WEEK LESSON 1 
The Diaphragm. Appendix 16. 
THIRD WEEK LESSON 2 
Explain what is meant by correct posture, and why 
it is so necessary for growing children. When grown 
the bones cannot be made to assume correct postures 
that were neglected in youth. Stoop-shouldered men 68 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
and women had the habit of stooping when young, 
their bones grew that way, and now they cannot stand 
straight. The spine has to hold up the whole body, 
and when it is held in a crooked position it cannot do 
this as it ought. Leaning over the desk, or sitting 
on the "small of the back" is very wrong. 
FOURTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Accident Prevention. If possible have the Presi- 
dent of the local Automobile club, or the Chief of 
Police, come and give the children a talk on "Safety 
First." (Be sure he knows how to talk interestingly 
to children.) Have a committee from the class go 
to him and ask for the talk. (Arrange for the chil- 
dren's visit.) 
FOURTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Discuss the talk of the previous lesson. See that 
the children understand all the points touched on. 
FIFTH WEEK LESSON 1 
When one coughs or sneezes, a fine spray is forced 
from the mouth, and this spray contains the germs 
of the cold or disease that makes the cough. If 
other people are near enough to breathe these germs 
they take the disease, whatever it may be. If the 
mouth is covered with the handkerchief or hand, 
other people are protected. The hand should be 
washed after covering the mouth. Children with 
coughs or colds, if not sick enough to stay at home, 
should sit on a front seat. 
FIFTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Have the class understand that coughing or sneez- 
ing in a crowded place is very unsanitary. Recall LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
69 
Billy Sunday's ruling on this subject, and his suc- 
cess in having his audience free from coilghs. See 
Grade 5-A, 9th week. 
SIXTH WEEK LESSON 1 
The Heart. Instruct as to the exact location of 
the heart. Have each child place his hand over it. 
Be sure they are right. See Appendix 17. 
SIXTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Arteries, Capillaries, Veins. See Appendix 18. 
SEVENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Books and Their Care. Ancient books were writ- 
ten on round pieces of soft clay. These are called 
"cylinders." They were about 8 inches high and 2. 
inches in diameter. The letters were made with an 
implement something like a sharp pointed knitting 
needle. When the cylinder was written all over, it 
was put in an oven and baked hard. This writing 
lasts forever. Some of these clay books have been 
found that are many thousand years old. They may 
be seen now in museums. 
SEVENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Books and Their Care. The ancient Egyptians 
wrote their books on "Papyrus." This was made 
from the stems of the papyrus plant, and these books 
are now found sometimes in the Egyptian tombs. 
Later, the people of Europe used parchment. This 
is made from the skin of a sheep and is very durable. 
Some of these books can be seen in the great libra- 
ries in the big cities. They are very large. Three 
feet or more by two feet. The writing is all done by 
hand and illustrated by very beautiful pictures, all 70 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
done by hand also. Sometimes a man would give his 
whole life to writing one book, which was almost al- 
ways a copy of the Bible. This was before paper was 
invented. 
EIGHTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Important People. Jenner. Dr. Jenner was the 
first one who found out that if we were vaccinated 
we would not have the small-pox, or if we did have 
it, it would be very mild and not like the dreadful 
disease it used to be. See Appendix 19. 
EIGHTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Important People. Florence Nightingale. We 
should remember this name as Miss Nightingale was 
the one who first had women trained as nurses. See 
Appendix 20. 
NINTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Food. Sugar. Speak of all the different sources 
of sugar. Have the class think of as many as pos- 
sible. Cane sugar, sugar made from sorghum, beets, 
from the juice of the sugar maple, grape sugar (This 
is the name given to all fruit sugars), milk suger, 
and a kind made from chemicals called saccharine. 
Have the class tell where each of these kinds is 
found. 
NINTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Food. Sugar. Sugar gives heat and energy. 
Every one likes candy, and if it is not eaten at the 
wrong time, and too much eaten, it is not harmful. 
The trouble is, it tastes so good we eat too much, and 
then it does no good, but the reverse. The sweet 
turns to an acid in the stomach and gives us some 
form of indigestion. A bad complexion, poor diges- LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
71 
tion, poor appetite, distaste for plain, wholesome 
food; these are some of the penalties we have to pay 
for indulgence in too much candy. 
The ancient peoples did not have any sugar. See 
if the children can tell what they used for sweet- 
ening. (Honey). 
TENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Good Manners. Ask the class why people chew 
gum. Tell them that Americans are the only people 
who like to chew for no good reason. The gum does 
not give them any nourishment, it gives them the bad 
habit of spitting, and finally it is very bad manners 
and should be discouraged in every way possible. 
TENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Good, Manners. Ask the children to notice the 
gum-chewers in a group of people. Their jaws work 
with the regularity of a cow chewing her cud. The 
cow has a good reason for her chewing, but the gum- 
chewer has none. 
Do not omit inspecting the hands. Even children 
of the 6th grade need constant supervision in this re- 
spect. When the time comes for marble playing this 
is especially necessary. Inspect fingernails also. 
ELEVENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Use of Food. The blood which goes all over the 
body to the remotest part, has to have the things in 
it to help the body to grow and to be strong. If we 
do not remember this, and eat those things that will 
give the blood what it needs, we will not grow as we 
ought. We should therefore eat those articles of 
food that will do us good. Some things that are often 72 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
eaten are not food. Food does us good, these things 
do us harm. 
Some of these .things are coca-cola, greasy (so- 
called) food, sour pickles, and too much candy. The 
class should think of other things. 
ELEVENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Food, continued. Every vegetable and every fruit 
is good for us to eat if they are fresh and the fruit 
is ripe. We should eat freely of them all and not 
pick out one or two and refuse the rest. Some we 
like better than others, but we should not refuse any. 
Have the class make out (on the board) a list of 
all the vegetables they can think of, and see how 
many eat all listed. Urge those who eat only a few 
to eat them all, as in that way they will have in their 
blood many of the things necessary to make them 
strong and well. The-deaf vegetables are especially 
to be commended, as they contain iron. 
TWELFTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Accident Prevention. See if the class understands 
this saying: "Accidents do not happen, they are 
caused." Discuss the cause of some common acci- 
dents, like children being hurt when playing on the 
railroad track, or in the middle of the street. 
Speak of the proper way of getting off of a street 
car. Should one face the front of the car or the 
back? Why? Explain "Inertia." 
TWELFTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Accident Prevention. Have some of the class give 
three-minute talks on accident prevention. Have 
girls as wTell as boys speak, and be careful of pos- 
ture and good English. If the speeches are well done LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
73 
have them repeated before the next Parent-Teachers' 
meeting. 
THIRTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Care of the Eyes. Like other parts of our bodies 
our eyes will bear a good deal of abuse, but if the 
abuse is continued long enough the eyes will give 
much trouble, and when once weakened by unwise 
treatment they are hard to cure. The following bad 
habits will weaken the eyes: 
Reading while lying down. Reading in the twi- 
light. Doing fine sewing with the light in the eyes. 
Using the eyes if they are red. Using them if they 
hurt or water. 
THIRTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Care of the Ears. Poor hearing is quite common 
and should never be neglected. It may come from 
adenoids, or hardened wax in the ear, or a chronic 
catarrh. Whatever is the cause the child should be 
under the care of a physician. 
See how many of the class have been to the dentist 
and have had their teeth put in order. See if any 
can give a short talk on the importance of the teeth. 
FOURTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Instruct as to the use of cooking. Speak of ancient 
ways of cooking. If possible read Charles Lamb's 
essay on "Roast Pig." 
FOURTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Have some of the Boy Scouts show how the Indians 
make a fire by rubbing sticks together. Have them 
demonstrate the scientific manner of building a fire, 
and have them tell of the care necessary to keep the 
fire from spreading. 74 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
FIFTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
See how many of the class know what Prohibition 
means. Analyse the word. Why was prohibition 
made a law? See if the children know that in West 
Virginia there was a plurality of 90,000 in favor of 
prohibition for this state. Have the class talk a little 
about the evil of drunkenness. 
FIFTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
What is "Moonshine?" Why is it so called? Ex- 
plain what happens to those who are found making 
this drink. Why are they so treated? Is this drink 
healthy or not? 
SIXTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
See if any of the class can tell if we live in a civil- 
ized country, and what makes it civilized. If we 
break the laws of our country are we good citizens? 
Are we civilized? Do we want savages living in our 
country? A man or boy who breaks the laws must 
be put where he cannot do any more harm. Discuss 
good citizenship. 
SIXTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Illiteracy. See if any of the children know what 
this means. Analyze the word and show where the 
illiterate nations are. Explain that it is a disgrace 
for the people of a nation to be illiterate, and show 
why. 
For this reason we have schools, for this reason we 
try to give our children all that will make them in- 
telligent citizens, so they may vote properly when 
they are old enough; so that they may make good 
lawyers, doctors, ministers, merchants, governors, LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
75 
mayors, or that they may be ready to fill any office 
and fill it honorably. Nothing that is worth while 
comes to the man who cannot read and write; noth- 
ing that is worth while to the man, or woman, who 
does not command the respect of his fellows. 76 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
HYGIENE FOR GRADE 6-A. 
FIRST WEEK LESSON 1 
Inspect for cleanliness, especially hands and fin- 
gernails. 
FIRST WEEK LESSON 2 
Review as seems needed any lessons in the previous 
grade. 
SECOND WEEK LESSON 1 
Exercise. See Appendix 21. 
SECOND WEEK LESSON 2 
Rest. See Appendix 22. 
THIRD WEEK LESSON 1 
Germs. Some of the most poisonous germs are car- 
ried to us by mosquitoes, as they sting a sick person 
and then come to a well person, thus giving the germ 
of the sick person to the well one. The mosquito has 
been responsible for more sickness than any other 
insect except the fly. See Appendix 23. 
THIRD WEEK LESSON 2 
Germs, continued. Learned men are trying all the 
time to find the germs of all the diseases. They have 
found a good many, but they will not be satisfied 
until they find them all. Those that are already 
found are tuberculosis germs, those that cause in- 
fantile paralysis, typhoid fever, diphtheria, lock-jaw 
(tetanus), and some others that we seldom see in 
this country. Most of the diseases caused by germs 
are the kind that are "catching." The children 
should be cautioned never to go to a house where 
there is any kind of disease-it may be "catching"- LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
77 
and if they get it they will suffer, and they will make 
much trouble and extra work for their families. 
FOURTH WEEK LESSON 1 
The Work of the Blood. See Appendix 24. The 
blood may be likened to a grocer's cart that goes to 
every house and leaves there what is needed. The 
tiny capillaries carry the blood everywhere and their 
walls are so thin that each part of the body that 
needs something can get it through these thin walls. 
The bones may need more lime to help them to grow, 
so the blood gives them the tiny specks they can use. 
The muscles call for something to help them, and the 
milk, eggs, pease and beans that have been eaten 
supply this want; it is already in the blood prepared 
in just the right way to be of use, and the right 
amounts slips through the capillary walls to the mus- 
cles that call for it. 
FOURTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Eating the Proper Kinds of Food. We may see now 
how important it is for every one to eat the food that 
will do some good, otherwise the blood will not be 
able to supply the wants of the body. When the 
bones want more lime to help them to grow, and the 
child has been eating oatmeal and milk for his break- 
fast the bones get just what they need; but if he 
has eaten ' ' wienies, ' ' and drunk coffee, then the bones 
will not have anything to grow on. 
Paraphrase the first chapter of the book of Daniel, 
and show how much better off those boys were on 
plain food (pulse) than if they had eaten the rich 
viands from the king's table, and drunk his wines. 
{Health Training in Schools, Theresa Dandsdill.') 78 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
FIFTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Bad Manners. Have the class make out lists of the 
bad manners one sees: 1st, in the school room; 2nd, 
on the street; 3rd, in the home, or in a public hall. 
Do not let them omit fingers or pencils in the mouth, 
or chewing gum. 
FIFTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Bad Manners, continued. Have the children decide 
on what makes a thing "bad manners." See if they 
can tell why we should be forbidden to spit on the 
sidewalk, why smoking is forbidden on the street 
cars, why children should not be noisy in public 
places, as in a moving picture theater. Make them 
realize that anything that annoys others or hurts 
them should not be done. The golden rule might be 
quoted here. 
SIXTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Glands. See Appendix 25. 
SIXTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Speak of the danger of keeping wet shoes and 
stockings on the feet. The foolishness of walking 
through a puddle on purpose. The wet shoes do not 
hurt the feet, but they may give the boy a bad sore 
throat, a cold, and make him feel very miserable. 
Speak often of the unwisdom of wearing heavy 
sweaters in a warm school room; this, like the habit 
oE putting the fingers or pencils in the mouth, needs 
to be constantly watched by the teacher, and as con- 
stantly reprimanded. 
SEVENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Fire Protection. Find out how many of the class 
know where the neighboring fire-boxes are. How LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
79 
many know how to use them. What color they are 
painted, and why that color is chosen. See how many 
know where the neighboring water hydrants are, and 
what color they are. 
SEVENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Fire Protection. See if any of the class know why 
automobiles are not allowed to park near a hydrant. 
Ask where the fire stations are, and how many are 
there. If the clothing catches fire how can it best be 
extinguished ? Have a boy or girl scout give a 
demonstration of the manner of extinguishing a fire 
of the clothing. 
EIGHTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Food. Have the class plan the three meals for one 
day. Have one do the writing (on the board) and 
the others suggest the kinds of food. Have each one 
who makes a suggestion tell why he prefers that kind 
of food. What good it will do tl'e body. Correct 
the mistakes made and explain why. 
EIGHTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Foods. Speak of the many dried fruits that wTe 
have and have the children tell where they come 
from, and how they get to our town. (Describe the 
journey.) Figs, dates, raisins, prunes, citron. AH 
of these except the citron are very nutritious. Ask 
if any know where our pepper comes from. (India.) 
(All of this information will be found in their geog- 
raphies. ) 
NINTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Clothing. The first clothing of which we have any 
record was made from the skins of animals; whether 
the fur was left on these skins or not we do not know. 80 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
As time went on clothing was made from other ma- 
terials. Have the .children tell what other materials 
are used, and where they come from. Which is the 
warmest? Which is coolest? Which best for win- 
ter; which best for summer? We still use the first 
kind of clothing-the skins of animals. Speak of the 
leather used for shoes, for gloves, for many kinds of 
bags, for the bindings of books. Much of our leather 
comes from Argentina. Have the children locate this 
country. 
NINTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Speak of the fur-bearing animals. The most valu- 
able of them is the seal. See if the children know 
what is done with its skin. Tell where seals are 
found. They are so valuable that the United States 
has had much trouble in protecting the seals that we 
own from some other nations. 
Speak of the pew industry of rearing foxes for 
their fur. Have some of the class look up this sub- 
ject of fox farming and make a speech about it. 
TENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Water. Have the class try to realize in how many 
ways water is of use to us. Have these written out 
on the board. Drinking, cooking, washing, both our 
bodies and our clothing, warming our homes with 
steam heat, cleaning of streets, watering our gardens; 
all this for our personal use. Have the class think 
of the uses of water to the manufacturer, to the na- 
tion 's commerce, then have them try to visualize what 
it would be like if there was no water. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
81 
TENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Water. Speak of the necessity of having -our 
drinking water pure, and the efforts that are made 
to purify it. Find out if the children know where 
our drinking water comes from. How many towns 
does the river pass, and how much may it be polluted 
before it reaches this town? 
One can readily see how much it is in need of 
cleansing before it is fit for people to drink. A visit 
to the city water works would be of the greatest 
value, as the class would then appreciate why we do 
not have the typhoid fevers of former years. Water 
that is at all suspicious should be boiled. 
ELEVENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Glands. These are the little factories inside our 
bodies that make out of the blood many different 
things for use in the body. See Appendix 25, Part 2. 
ELEVENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
The Nose. See Appendix 26. 
TWELFTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Compulsory School Law. See if the class knows 
what this means, and if it is a wise law. Speak of 
the disgrace of belonging to an illiterate people. 
Show why the people who cannot read and write 
miss more than half the good things of life. Show 
the children that education is like opening a door to 
show them how many beautiful and wonderful things 
there are in the wrnrld. The more we know the greater 
enjoyment we take in every thing we see. To the 
ignorant man a bee is at best only an insect that can 
make honey. To the scientist it is one of the most 82 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
interesting of insects, and he can write a whole book 
about it. See "The Life of the Bee"-Maeterlinck. 
TWELFTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Show how much care the State takes that those 
who teach shall know how. Tell of the years of 
study, of the examinations a teacher must pass before 
she is allowed to have a grade in school. Tell of her 
passing her vacations at a summer school, so she may 
learn better and better ways of teaching. 
THIRTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Finger Nails. The finger nails, like the hair, grow 
out from the skin, and are considered a part of it. 
A well kept finger nail is an ornament as well as a 
protection to the finger end. Biting the nails is a 
very bad habit and like putting the fingers in the 
mouth should be corrected whenever it is seen. The 
teacher should frequently inspect the finger nails. 
THIRTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
The Hair. Our hair seems to be given to us as an 
ornament. We should try to keep it clean and free 
from, all vermin. It should be washed often enough 
to keep it glossy, and brushed every day to keep the 
scalp in a healthy condition. 
Ask the children to tell how the little Japanese 
children wear their hair. How the Chinese wear 
theirs. How the Indians wear theirs. Have them 
bring pictures of these children. 
FOURTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Bats and Mice. Insects. See Appendix 27. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
83 
FOURTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Cooties, Etc. During the great war we heard a 
good deal about "Cooties," which is another name 
for fleas. It seems that the people in Europe do not 
mind having fleas and lice on them as we do. We 
know that even one flea will make us very uncom- 
fortable, so we can imagine how our soldiers were 
tormented when they had hundreds on them. At first 
it was not thought that the fleas were really injur- 
ious, but it was soon found that their bites made the 
soldiers ill, and when this was proved the "delous- 
ing" process was employed. This means that the 
man was undressed and had a hot, cleansing bath, 
his hair was cut, and he was shaved. Meanwhile his 
clothing was put in a hot oven and baked so that 
every living thing on it was killed. 
Emigrants who come to this country from southern 
Europe are examined for fleas and lice, and if any 
are found, they have to be put through this delous- 
ing process. 
FIFTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Care of Public Buildings. Instruct the class that 
the schools and all other public buildings are paid for 
with the money collected in the form of taxes. Every 
one is obliged to pay their taxes, so we see that all 
public buildings belong to the people, and it follows 
that the people should be careful of their own prop- 
erty. When children wilfully destroy any public 
building they are wasting their father's money. Dis- 
cuss this with the class. 84 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
FIFTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Care of Public Buildings. The public library is 
also paid for with the taxes. 'When a child goes 
there to look up some subject he should remember 
that though the books are there for his study, they 
are not there for his abuse. Every public library 
suffers more or less from the carelessness of the chil- 
dren who come ostensibly to study, but who tear, soil, 
or sometimes steal the books. This should be dis- 
cussed with the class. 
SIXTEENTH WEEK LESSON 1 
Food. Speak again of the necessity of eating veg- 
etables. If the season is right for gardening see 
how many have planted gardens, and what vegetables 
they intend raising. Have lists of vegetables put on 
the board and see how many eat them all. Stress 
the importance of the leafy vegetables. See Grade 4, 
9th Week, Lesson 1. 
SIXTEENTH WEEK LESSON 2 
Accident Prevention. Have any child who knows 
of a traffic rule write it on the board; have it dis- 
cussed by the class. Have them give the age when a 
person is permitted to drive an automobile. Why 
must there be an age limit? Have the children ex- 
plain why we have one-way streets, mounted police, 
and traffic police. What is the rule as to parking be- 
fore a fire plug; before a fire station? Why is this 
a good rule? See if any child can write an original 
slogan. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
85 
APPENDIX 1. 
The Bones. 
The bones are called the framework of the body, 
as they hold the body in position, and give it sta- 
bility. 
Bones are of many shapes, and sizes according to 
their place in the body. The bones that form the 
skull are made differently from the other bones, as 
they have to guard the brain, which is such an im- 
portant part that it has to have extra care. 
The skull is something like a big bowl, and the 
bone is in two layers, one inside of the other; between 
these is a layer of 1 'spongy" bone; this helps the 
skull to resist any blow that it may receive, and 
so protects the precious brain inside. 
Some of our bones are long, as those in the arms 
and legs; some are short, as the bones in the fingers 
and toes; some are thick, like the bone at the back of 
the head; some are thin, like the shoulder blade; 
some are big, like the hip bones, and some very tiny, 
like the wee little bones way inside of the ear. There 
are many bones in the wrist and ankle that are not 
much of any shape, but though they look so irregu- 
lar they are all made to fit together so the foot and 
hand may have great freedom of motion. There are 
eight of these little bones in the wrist and seven in 
the ankle. 
The longest bones are the leg and arm bones, these 
have big ends, as one may see in a chicken or turkey 
' ' drum-stick. ' ' These big ends of bones are not solid, 86 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
as that would make them too heavy, they are 
"spongy" bone. That means they are full of holes 
like a sponge, but of course they are hard bone and 
not soft like a sponge. 
Some bones are smooth like the bone on the top of 
of the skull. Some are very rough, like the bone in 
the heel. A rough bone has to furnish attachment 
to very strong muscles or tendons. If they were 
smooth the tendon could not get a firm hold. 
The class should feel of their bones, so as to have 
first hand knowledge of them. 
The hard, round, smooth skull; the ribs, so dif- 
ferent in their arrangement; the leg bones, the arm 
bones, and the little bones in the fingers. 
After we feel the last rib we feel no more bones 
until we come to the hip bones. All is soft, except 
in the back, where the spine has the great work of 
holding up the body without any other bones to as- 
sist it. All this soft part is the place where most of 
our organs of digestion are, and these are held in 
place by strong muscular walls. This place is called 
the abdomen. 
Continuing down at the back we find a big flat 
bone low down, and the hip bones at each side. 
The big bone at the back, and the side bones, are 
called "The pelvis." Pelvis is a latin word and 
it means '1A basin, ' ' and these bones are called 
so because they make a basin-shaped place, where 
the intestines are held. There are only three pelvic 
bones: one at the back, and one on each side, and 
these bones are held together by immovable joints. 
It is in these side pelvic bones that we find the cup- LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
87 
like socket into which the ball of the leg bone fits, 
making the "ball and socket" joint we will learn 
about. 
The blood, which nourishes all the parts of our 
body, nourishes the bones also. If one could get a 
shin bone of beef, that has been boiled, and look at it 
carefully, he could see the little holes in the bone 
where the blood vessels enter. The blood has to go 
there or the bone would not be able to grow, or keep 
alive. Sometimes, from an injury, or from some dis- 
ease, the supply of blood is cut off from a part of the 
bone, and then the person has a very bad sore, and 
it takes a long time and much pain before the place 
can get well. 
The children should know that certain foods help 
to make our bones grow right. These foods they 
should be sure to eat. They are milk, all cereals, 
and meat (fresh meat). Of the cereals oat meal is de- 
cidedly the best bone making food. Of course, this 
does not mean that these are the only foods the chil- 
dren should eat, but that the foods mentioned are 
necessary and should be eaten during some part of 
each day. 
Sometimes when children do not get enough of 
these foods, their bones do not grow straight, and 
they get crooked legs. We sometimes see little chil- 
dren with "bowed" legs; they have not eaten the 
right food, and they have tried to walk before the 
leg bones were strong enough to hold them. 88 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
APPENDIX 2. 
A joint is a "joining. The joining of two bones 
so they cannot be separated. 
Joints are divided into six classes: Immovable, 
slightly movable, hinge, ball and socket, compound 
and gliding. 
We see joints or joinings in many things. Our 
furniture is made up of many different pieces of 
wood joined together and generally glued tightly 
so they cannot come apart. This is exactly the case 
with our immovable joints; they are put together so 
tightly that they cannot come apart. There are not 
very many of these joints, as most parts of the body 
have to move. The principal immovable joints of 
the body are in the skull which is made of several 
curved pieces which when put together make the 
round covering of the brain. These joints are so 
close and so firm that they are not called "joints" 
but "sutures". Suture is a latin word that means 
"sewing" and these joints are so close and firm that 
they seem almost as if the bones were sewed together. 
The hinge joints are the most numerous. Like the 
hinge they have only two ways of moving, forward 
and back again to their original position. We have 
the hinge joints in all of the fingers and toes, and in 
the knee and the jaw. All of these joints can only 
open and shut, and this is what makes them so strong, 
as if they bent back the same as they bent forward, 
we would have no use of them. One can easily see 
Joints. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
89 
that if the knee bent backwards as well as forwards 
there would be no strength in it. The knee is the 
largest hinge joint in the body. 
Note.-The children should find the hinge joints 
of their bodies and observe their limited motion. 
We have in the "ball and socket" joint one that 
has the greatest amount of movement. These joints 
are limited in number; we have but four, two where 
the arms join the body, and two more where the legs 
join the body. In all of these joints the ball part is 
on the bone that must move, and the socket part is 
on the body. Every boy knows how a base ball fits 
into the round place in the glove that the catcher 
wears; this is the way the round end of the leg bone 
fits into the place made for it in the big bones of 
the body. The arm bone is made in the same way 
and it fits exactly into a cup-like place in the 
shoulder. These joints can move in any direction, 
forwards and backwards, up and down, and round 
and round. They have to be held in place by many 
very strong ligaments and muscles, so the muscles on 
the upper part of the leg are the largest in the body, 
and the strongest, and the muscles of the upper arm 
are much larger than those near the wrist. 
Note.-The children should move the ball and 
socket joints and note their free movements. 
We have five compound joints; two at the wrists, 
two at the ankles and the largest is the spine, or as 
it is commonly called, the "back bone". It seems 
as if the wrists and ankles must be ball and socket 
joints, as the hands and feet can move in nearly 
every direction. But here we have quite a different 
kind of a joint; it is made up of many little bones 90 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
all fitted together loosely but with the greatest ex- 
actness, so that though there is but little motion be- 
tween any two, there is a great deal of motion when 
all are used together, as they always are. There are 
eight of these little bones in the wrist, so the free- 
dom of movement is very great there, and seven in 
the ankle, where there is not the necessity of so much 
motion. These bones are all bound together with 
many small but very strong muscles, and there is a 
kind of fluid, which is a little thicker than water, 
that is between all of these little bones to keep them 
moist so they can work well. This same fluid is al- 
ways in every joint, and it works the same as the 
oil we put in the bearings of a machine,-it makes all 
the joints work smoothly. Sometimes this fluid is 
called "joint oil". Of course it is not really oil, 
but it does the same work as oil, so that is how it got 
the name. 
The spine or back bone is the largest of our com- 
pound joints. Many people think that the back bone 
is just one long bone with many joints or ridges in 
it. If it were one bone we could not bend our 
backs; they would be as stiff as the leg between the 
ankle and knee. Any one can feel the ridges of the 
spine, and we must realize that each of these ridges is 
the sharp end of a separate bone. There are twenty- 
four of these bones. Each is shaped ilke a very 
irregular ring with several long points coming out 
from it. One of these points we can feel, especially 
if the person is thin, and we pass the hand down the 
middle of the back. 
The spinal cord which is the great, big nerve of the 
body passes down through these rings something as a LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
91 
cord is passed through a string of beads. These 
bony rings are called "vertebrae" and they are very 
strong and are fitted together with wonderful ex- 
actness, so that the body may move in any direction, 
forward or backward or sideways, or it can twist 
around to the right or left. Between each two verte- 
brae is a cushion of cartilage, which protects the 
spinal cord from any severe jar. 
These vertebrae are bound together with many 
muscles that are wound in and out among the bones 
in a very complicated way. This gives us strength 
in our backs as they have to hold up the entire body 
and the head. The ribs are attached to the spine, 
too, so one may realize how important it is, and try 
to keep it straight in the proper position so it can 
easily perform its duties. 
When there is a chicken for dinner or a turkey, 
the children may see for themselves how complicated 
the bones of the spine are, if they will take a neck of 
either of these birds and examine it. The meat on 
the neck is not easily separated from the bones, as it 
is the many little muscles that are wound in and out 
amongst the bones to hold them in place, just as ours 
are. When the bones are cleared of the meat the 
child can fit them together and see for himself how 
wonderfully they are made and how they work, giv- 
ing strength and flexibility to the neck. He may re- 
flect that his neck is made on the very same plan, 
and he will understand its working better in this 
way than in any other. 
There are only two gliding joints in the body. 
These are the shoulder blades which get their name 
from their manner of gliding or slipping over the 92 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
ribs which are under them. They are fastened to 
the arm bones at the point of the shoulder, but are 
not fastened any where else; so they can raise the 
shoulders, or draw them back, which they could not 
do if they were bound down tight to the ribs over 
which they glide. 
We have one other kind of a joint, one which has 
•a very little movement, but that little is very im- 
portant. Every one of our ribs, and we have twenty- 
four of them, is fastened to the spine, and here we 
have the slightly movable joints. Every time we 
take a long breath, these ribs change their places a 
little. They are pulled up a little to make room for 
the lungs as they swell out with the big breath we 
take. They only move very slightly but they do 
move. The collar-bones also have a slight movement. 
These are the straight bones that start from the base 
of the neck in front, and go out to the shoulder. 
When we lift up the shoulder the collar-bone in front 
has a slight movement; if it was fastened down 
tight we could not move the shoulders at all. The 
other end of the coller-bone helps to make the socket 
for the arm bone to work in. This is where the 
other ball and socket joint is. 
APPENDIX 3. 
For Grade 4-B and 4-A. 
The Fly. 
Flies have always been with us. We read of them 
long ago in the days of Moses when there was a LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
93 
plague of flies in the land of Egypt. They have 
always been a nuisance but it is only lately that we 
have learned that they can do us any positive harm. 
"When the mother fly is ready to lay her eggs, she 
looks about for some place that will be warm for her 
ibaby flies when they hatch out of the eggs. If she 
can find a pile of manure she likes that best, as ma- 
nure is always warm. She creeps as far into the pile 
as she can, and there she lays her eggs and the 
warmth of the manure hatches them out for her. 
When they are hatched out they are not flies, they 
are little white worms, and are called maggots. 
Sometimes in the summer a woman will forget to 
put the meat in the refrigerator and a mother fly 
will choose it to lay her eggs in. After awhile they 
will hatch out and then there will be a lot of mag- 
gots on the meat and it will not be fit for any one 
to eat. It should be burned so that the maggots will 
not have a chance to turn into flies, for that is just 
what they would do. 
Sometimes we see a fly in the house in the winter, 
and these should by all means be killed as they are 
the first to lay their eggs in the spring. 
Wise men who know how to tell what they see 
through a microscope have taught us that the legs 
of the flies are almost always covered with germs of 
one kind or another. Their legs have many hairs on 
them and the tiny germs stick to these hairs. Flies 
like to go in all dirty and disgusting places. They 
light on sores and the stuff people have spit up and 
so their feet and legs are covered with disease germs. 
When they come into the house and cannot find 94 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
anything dirty, they go to the table and crawl over 
the food and of course leave a lot of the dirty germs 
behind them. If we then eat the food we probably 
will get sick. If there is a baby in the house the fly 
will settle on the nipple of the baby's bottle and 
leave many bad germs there to make the baby sick. 
A few years ago typhoid fever was one of our very 
common diseases and people often died from it. We 
know now that it is the fly leaving disease germs on 
our food that gave us this disease, so we try to keep 
the flies out of our houses and away from our food 
and typhoid fever is not as common as it used to be. 
To keep the flies away from the house we must be 
very clean as to the porch and the yard, and always 
keep the garbage can covered, as the flies would 
gather in it if it was left open. We must not allow 
any one to spit on the porch floor, especially if they 
are sick, as the flies would like to walk in that. 
We must put up wire screens so we can open the 
windows in the summer and still not let the flies in. 
We must have screen doors for the same reason, and 
the children must be careful to close those doors so 
the flies cannot enter. 
Some years ago, before we knew that flies could do 
us any harm, a man made up this little rhyme about 
them, 
Baby bye, here's a fly. 
Let us watch him, you and I. 
How he crawls on the walls 
Yet he never falls. 
But now we say it this way: LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
95 
Baby bye, here's a fly, 
Let us kill him, you and I, 
For he's a filthy, dirty scamp, 
And on our food he likes to camp, 
And there he'll spread the germs so thick 
That they will make poor baby sick. 
APPENDIX 4. 
Muscles, Tendons. 
The bones hold us up in proper shape, but we 
could not move if there was not something more to 
us than bones. The muscles make the bones move 
and give shape and beauty to the body. Every 
muscle is fastened to two bones. . The second bone is 
the one that it to be moved, the bone to which the 
muscle is attached stays still. This simple experi- 
ment can be tried in the class. Every boy has prob- 
ably done it many times. 
Have him draw up his fore-arm to show his "mus- 
cle". The class will see that he moves one part of 
his arm, but the muscle that gets big is on the other 
part and that does not move at all. 
The bone that is to be moved has the muscle fas- 
tened to it by a tough cord called a "tendon". These 
tendons are sometimes called "leaders", but the best 
name for them is "tendons" as that is what the doc- 
tors call them. These tendons can be easily felt in 
the bend of the elbow when the boy brings up his 
arm to show his "muscle". They can also be felt 
in many other joints, under the knee, back of the 
heel, the inner side of the wrist, under the arm and 96 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
in other places. These tendons all help to move the 
bones with which they are connected. 
The teacher should have the pupils find all of these 
tendons on their own bodies. Those I have men- 
tioned are very easily found. The tendons of the 
neck are very large and strong and can be easily 
seen in an old person, but children's necks are usual- 
ly too plump to show them to advantage. The leg of 
a roasted turkey shows these tendons very plainly. 
Most every child has had the turkey leg given to 
him at a Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner, and he 
will remember the many hard substances like flat 
strings that made it hard to get all the good meat 
that laid between them. These are the tendons that 
fasten the turkey's muscles to his legs, and there 
are so many of them because turkeys like to go great 
distances and they must have big muscles on the up- 
per leg (we call that part the second joint) and the 
muscles must be fastened very securely to the lower 
part which we call the 1 'drum-stick". 
The big tendon back of the heel is very strong and 
hard, and feels almost like a bone. 
I will tell you a story about this tendon and you 
can see how it got its name. It is called the "Ten- 
don of Achilles". 
Long ago the people who lived in that far-away 
country called Greece were very great warriors, and 
every woman expected her sons to go to the wars, 
as the Grecians were always fighting some other na- 
tion. These people worshipped gods of wood or 
stone, and they believed some very strange stories 
about them. 
Now there was in Greece a lady who had a very LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
97 
beautiful baby boy, and she prayed to the gods to 
show her how she could protect her boy from his 
enemies, for she knew that when he was a man he 
would go to the wars, as the Greeks were always fight- 
ing someone. 
The gods told her that if she would dip the child 
into a strange river called the river "Styx" and 
have the water go all over him, his enemies would 
never be able to wound him. His mother was very 
glad to have this news, and took him down to the 
water, and grasping him by the heels she plunged 
him into that strange river. When this was done 
she was very happy as she thought that none of his 
enemies could ever hurt him. She forgot, however,, 
that the heels by which she held him did not feel 
the water. Long after, when Achilles went to the 
wars, as his mother knew he would, he showed that he 
was a very brave man and none of the arrows of his 
enemies did him any harm, until one sad day when 
a chance arrow pierced his heel just where the big 
tendon is, and as the magic water had not touched 
that spot, the arrow made such a bad wound that it 
caused his death. 
I expect that this is only a fanciful story, as of 
course no water could protect a man from an arrow 
wound, but the Greeks believed it, and it is because 
they gave the tendon that name that our doctors still 
call it the "tendon of Achilles". 
Perhaps when some of you children are older and 
go to college and study the Greek language you will 
read this story which is told by a celebrated Greek 
poet named Homer. 98 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
APPENDIX 5. 
Nerves. 
The nerves which look like fine white threads, start 
from either one of the two brains we learned about, 
or from the spinal cord, which is a big nerve that 
goes like a cord through the bones that form the 
back-bone. These bones are threaded on the spinal 
cord as a string of beads is strung on a thread. Out 
from this cord go many of the nerves and like the 
blood vessels they divide and divide again until when 
they reach the true skin they are very tiny and are 
so close together that they form a close net-work all 
over the body. 
The nerves are so fine and so numerous that 
the skin cannot be touched anywhere without 
coming in contact with a nerve fibre.. Some places 
have more fibres than others, or they are more sensi- 
tive; the finger tips are especially sensitive, so is the 
tip of the tongue. The middle of the sole of the foot 
is very sensitive in a peculiar way to many people, 
and we say they are "ticklish". The fine bones of 
the upper part of the nose are covered with a net- 
work of the nerves of smell. When we have a bad 
cold we cannot smell very well, because these nerves 
are partly covered by the swollen membranes, and 
every one knows how much we miss this power of 
smelling. The inner ear likewise is covered with fine 
nerve fibres, so that we can hear. The nerves of all 
the special senses, eye, ear, nose, and tongue, con- 
nect with the brain, and are its windows by which it 
tells what is going on. The brain, you remember, is LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
99 
shut in. a tight box called the skull, and these special 
senses keep it informed of what is going on in the 
world. 
The nerves of touch, or sensation as they are called, 
which are spread all over the true skin, are covered 
and protected by the outside skin. When this out- 
side skin gets rubbed off, as it sometimes does when 
a boy or girl falls down and skins the knee or shin, 
the place is exceedingly sensitive, as the protecting 
outer skin is gone and the nerve ends are exposed. 
This shows how necessary the outside skin is. 
The business of the nerves is to keep all parts of 
the body working in the proper manner. They also 
give warning of anything that is wrong in the body. 
They do this important service by giving a pain, so 
as to call our attention to the place that is in need 
of help. Thus we see that pain is a great blessing, 
as it warns us of something going wrong in our 
bodies. 
It is the nerves that make the heart beat, that 
make the lungs take in the air, that make the stomach 
digest the food we eat. It is the nerves of the eye 
that enable us to see all the beautiful things around 
us; it is the nerves that make us hear, the nerves that 
make us feel, the nerves that guide our feet when 
we walk, the nerves that show our muscles what to 
do, the nerves that show us how to use our fingers. 
These nerves are both our servants and our masters. 
When a boy has a sore foot it hurts so to walk on 
it that he often has to have a crutch so he need not 
put the sore foot to the ground; the hurt really 
makes him take the care of the foot that will make it 
well. When we have a pain we must find out what 100 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
makes it, and 'we must pay attention to it, as the 
nerves are trying to tell us to be careful, for some- 
thing is going wrong; and if we cannot tell why we 
have the pain we should go to our doctor and have 
him find out, and then we must do as the doctor 
tells us, so the nerve will have some rest and we will 
not have to have any more pain. 
The nerves are also the directors of the body. We 
cannot really understand how it is that when a boy 
steps on a piece of broken glass the brain knows it 
right away, and he snatches his foot away from that 
place just as quickly as he can. We know that if for 
any reason the nerves between the foot and the head 
are broken or diseased he would feel no pain in the 
foot no matter what was done to it. But neither 
could he use it in any way. The bone would be there 
and the muscles, the arteries, the veins, the liga- 
ments; but they all would be of no use because the 
master, the director, could not work. The action of 
the nerves is as mysterious as the action of elec- 
tricity; we know what it can do but just how it does 
it we cannot explain at present. Perhaps in a 
higher grade we may find out some more about both 
nerve force and electricity. 
We have learned how very useful our nerves are 
to us. Now knowing this we should be very careful 
of these servants, because if they are not properly 
treated they will not work aright; and if they be- 
come diseased they may stop work altogether, as 
when a person is paralyzed. The nerves of a part 
of his body are diseased, and though all the parts of 
the arm or leg are there, they are useless because LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
101 
something is the matter with the nerve that should 
guide it. 
If a boy smokes cigarettes or chews tobacco it has 
an effect on these faithful little servants, our nerves, 
and they cannot do their work as they should, espe- 
cially the nerve that controls the heart,-it makes 
mistakes and beats too fast, and that makes it weak. 
The nerves of the stomach make mistakes, too, so the 
stomach does not digest the food as it ought. 
The effect of whiskey is still more noticeable. The 
nerves that control the muscles are powerfully af- 
fected. The hands of the man who drinks are 
shaky; he cannot hold them steady. Every one 
knows how the muscles of his legs act when he is 
drunk, and one expects to see him fall down at any 
moment. The nerves cannot act properly when the 
whiskey poisons them. The nerves of his tongue are 
also affected and he cannot talk distinctly. All this 
is because the nerves are not treated as they should 
be, but poison is put in the body and the nerves 
have to suffer. There are several other ways in 
which w'e abuse our nerves. The nerves of little chil- 
dren are very delicate and need much rest so that 
they may be strong and vigorous and help the child 
to grow as he ought. Many children do not go to 
bed early enough, and get the long hours of rest 
that' their nerves need, and when they awaken in 
the morning they are not rested as they should be, 
so they are cross and disagreeable. These children 
are hardly ever as bright in their lessons as those 
who get plenty of good sleep, so they do not get 
promoted as they might if they paid more attention 102 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
to resting the nerves that would help them if they 
were not so tired. 
The nerves of our body keep every part of it ac- 
quainted with what goes on in every other part. 
Thus one can see that we are not made in separate 
sections, but all are bound together by these nerves, 
and one part sympathizes with the troubles of the 
other part. If our stomachs are out of order, many 
parts of our body complain though there really is 
nothing the matter with them; the stomach and its 
workings are so important to our well-being, that we 
hear complaints from many organs when the stomach 
has too much to do, or too little, or if it has not the 
right food put into it. Perhaps the head will ache, 
perhaps we get little canker sores in our mouths, per- 
haps we have neuralgia, and all these things are try- 
ing to tell us that they are sympathizing with a suf- 
fering stomach. So also when we get wet feet and 
take cold, it is not the feet that get sore, but the 
throat or lungs. Sometimes when a child has ade- 
noids the throat does not hurt at all, but the ears 
will ache, and even the eyes will be weak. A child 
will get a bad pain in the side from running too fast. 
The pain makes him stop. The eyes may hurt when 
used in a poor light. This pain makes us rest the 
eyes. We get dizzy from some whirling games. Then 
we fall down and stay quiet for a time. We get 
toothache, the worst pain of all. We must then go to 
a dentist and have him treat the tooth. So we must 
learn from this to pay attention to these little les- 
sons in pain. It is as if Nature said to us: "Now 
you are doing wrong, and I will punish you with a 
little pain, or discomfort. If you do it much more LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
103 
you will have a bigger pain, or perhaps you will have 
to be very sick before you will learn the lesson I am 
trying to teach." 
APPENDIX 6. 
The Skin. 
The skin is the part of the body that is always visi- 
ble. It is all over us everywhere, covers us com- 
pletely. It is one of the most useful parts of the 
body, as it protects us from both heat and cold, and 
by means of the perspiration it helps the kidneys to 
get rid of certain poisons that are always present in 
greater or less degree. 
We really have two skins, one inside of the other. 
The outside skin gets thicker on some of the exposed 
parts. When the children run around bare-footed in 
the spring time, the stones and rough places on the 
ground may hurt the feet. Soon, however, the skin 
becomes thickened, and no inconvenience is felt from 
the roughness. 
The palm (of the hand often becomes thickened 
when rough, hard work is done. Both of these cases 
show how Nature protects what is very valuable, as 
it is the inside skin that is so tender it must be cared 
for. It is full of nerves, blood vessels, and glands; 
so the outside skin is very necessary, but it is the in- 
side skin that is of the most importance. 
The skin does several kinds of work. It keeps out 
disease germs and protects the soft, moist, inward 
parts of the body from being injured and from los- 
ing water too fast by evaporation. "By means of the 
sweat glands the skin helps to get rid of some of the 104 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
body wastes, and it also cools the body and thus 
helps in the regulation of its temperature." 
(Healthy Living, Winslow, p. 148.) 
The sweat has other uses, too, which we will learn 
later. Besides the sweat glands, we have little oil 
glands that are useful in keeping the skin soft. 
There are a great many of these little oil glands on 
and near the nose, and when a person gets pretty 
warm these oil glands send out a great deal of oil. 
We all know how every girl hates to have an oily, 
shiny nose, and how she keeps some powder in a lit- 
tle box in her pocket, so that she can ''powder her 
nose" when it becomes shiny, and now we know what 
it is that gives it the shine that she does not like. 
In 'addition to the sweat glands and the oil 
glands, we have one more thing that we can see on 
the skin, and that is hair. The hair grows on the 
skin where there is not any rubbing or friction,- 
the back of the hand, the outside of the arm, the leg, 
(the outer surface) the scalp, and, in men, the 
cheeks, upper lip and chin. At this time, 1924, it is 
the fashion for the men to shave off all the beard and 
moustache, so we forget often that any hair would 
naturally be there. I cannot tell why this hair 
should grow; many people think it is just for an 
ornament. We know that beautiful hair on the head 
is a great ornament to man, woman or child, and 
the hair should be carefully kept, should be washed 
often, and arranged neatly, and perhaps that is 
enough for us to know. 
As long as the skin is whole we do not have to pro- 
tect it from disease germs, but as soon as we get a 
hole in the skin, as a cut, or the outside skin scraped LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
105 
off as from a fall, then we must take some care or we 
will have trouble as the disease germs can have free 
entrance unless kept out by washing the place clean, 
putting on some iodine, wrapping it in a clean cloth, 
and keeping it wrapped up until the skin grows back 
again. 
Our principal care for the skin is to keep it clean, 
to bathe frequently, and to rub the skin vigorously 
when we have finished the bath. Many hundred 
years ago, in a country a long way from America, the 
people loved to go to the public baths. These baths 
were in very large and beautiful buildings, and the 
water was always nice and warm, and there were 
plenty of slaves to help the bathers, and it was the 
fashion to go there every day, and bathe in the 
warm water, and have the slaves rub the people dry 
with coarse towels, and then put on some sweet 
smelling oil, and rub that in with the hand; and 
when it was all done the man felt good all over. 
In some cities we have something like this now, and 
this way of bathing is very cleansing, and very de- 
lightful. • It is also very expensive as we do not have 
any slaves to do the rubbing. 
In the winter, some children always suffer from 
chapped hands; sometimes the skin is so dry and 
broken on the knuckles that the blood comes. There 
are several reasons for this. The child may wash 
his hands and not dry them thoroughly; he may 
wash them and not rinse the soap off carefully; 
either of these will cause chapped hands in the 
winter. The skin becomes dry and stiff, and cracks 
appear, especially over the knuckles; this condition 
is not very easily cured; it requires careful wash- 106 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
ing, rinsing, and drying, and the application of 
cold cream, mutton tallow, or goose grease, which 
must be thoroughly rubbed in, to do any good. 
Skins are so vmnderfully made, and so valuable, 
that from the very earliest times they were used 
by man as clothing. We do not know what kind 
of skins Adam and Eve used, but we read that 
their first clothing was of skins, and ever since then, 
man has used the skins of the animals, or birds, for 
clothing or ornament. The skin of nearly every ani- 
mal is useful. All our shoes are made from skins, 
and many different kinds are used; cows, horses, 
oxen, goats, kids, deer, reindeer skins are all used 
for shoes; the skins of dogs, cats, rats, kids and 
lambs are used for gloves; and more kinds of skins 
than I can think of are used, with the fur on, for 
clothing. The fur-bearing animals are so important 
that our country has had trouble with another coun- 
try, because she took the seals, whose skins are used 
to make the beautiful sealskin coats, and we felt that 
they belonged to us. 
APPENDIX 7. 
Protection of Birds. 
All boys love to shoot at something, especially if 
an air gun or some more formidable weapon has re- 
cently come into their possession. If the boys un- 
derstood the great use of the birds I feel sure they 
would never shoot at them.- 
All birds are useful, even the little English spar- 
rows that are not pretty and do not sing. The great LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
107 
use of the birds is to keep the fruit trees and bushes 
free from the destructive insects and grubs that ruin 
the fruit, and sometimes kill the trees. 
Birds are very fond of these insects and grubs, and 
their sharp little black eyes can spy them out, and 
their sharp pointed little bills are made just right 
for picking them up. 
Sometimes one can see a bird searching a tree 
trunk for these grubs; he will (like the wood pecker) 
run up and down the tree and stop every little while 
to pick up the grub he has found. 
In some places where thoughtless people have 
killed the birds, the trees have withered and died be- 
cause such great quantities of these insects and grubs 
have been allowed to multiply. When the birds were 
gone there was no other way to get rid of them. 
Air guns sometimes cause severe accidents, when 
the boy makes a mistake and wounds a comrade. 
They are dangerous toys. 
APPENDIX 8. 
Brains. 
The inside of our head is nearly all taken up with 
our brains, of which we have two. These two brains 
are for different uses, and each one is very import- 
ant. If any one would like to know what our brains 
look like, he can go to a butcher shop and ask for 
"brains", and he will be shown a curious looking 
mass which I could not describe. These may be the 
brains of a cow, a sheep, or some other animal, but 
they look very much like the brains that we have 108 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
inside of our own skulls. The resemblance is only 
partial, however. Our two brains are separated by 
a strong membrane, so there is no danger of their 
ever getting mixed. One brain occupies all of the 
upper part of the skull and is much larger than the 
other which is at the back part of the head and is 
low down in the large part of the skull at the back. 
This upper brain makes us think, makes it possible 
for boys and girls to learn lessons, makes it possible 
for us to imagine things. It is the working of this 
brain that made Edison invent all his wonderful 
machines, that made Christopher Columbus so sure 
that the world was round and that he could sail 
around it. It was using this brain that made Ben- 
jamin Franklin so sure that the lightning came from 
electricity and that electricity could be made useful 
to men. We could go on and mention hundreds of 
men and women who have done fine things because 
they made that upper brain go to work. 
Sometimes when a child does not get his lessons 
the teacher may say "John you will never amount 
to anything until you put your brains to work." 
The teacher knows that all the best work in the 
world has been done by people who made their brains 
do the work they were intended to do. 
This brain will work if we are in earnest to make 
it work, but if we do not care whether it works or 
not, it will stop its work and we will not have any 
bright ideas, or be of very much use in the world. 
If it is used rightly, and made to work as it should, 
it works more and more easily, like a well kept ma- 
chine; but if it is neglected and only works once in 
awhile, it works very badly. When a boy who has LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
109 
never tried to learn begins to go to school, he finds 
the lessons very hard, because his brain has not been 
taught to work, but if he perseveres, the longer he 
tries the better he will be able to learn. This brain 
is called the cerebrum. This brain also makes us 
see, taste, hear, smell and feel. 
The other brain, the little or lower brain which is 
called the cerebellum, has a little addition to its 
lower part, has quite a different kind of work, and 
this work is not under our wills at all. Its busi- 
ness is (roughly speaking) to make all the different 
parts of our bodies work as they should. The action 
of heart, lungs, digestion, our walking, the use of 
our limbs are all controlled by the lower brain and 
the little addition, which is a very important addi- 
tion though it is so small. It is called the medulla. 
All the work of this little brain is so very import- 
ant that it is taken entirely out of our care. We 
could not possibly learn how to make our hearts beat, 
or our lungs breathe, or our stomach do the work of 
digestion, and if we did know we might forget some- 
times to make these organs do their work properly 
and the consequences would be very serious. So we 
see that this work has been very wisely planned, and 
we do not have to think anything about it, and it 
goes on from the time we draw the first breath, un- 
til we die, no matter how old we may be. 
If we get sick and some of the parts of the body 
cannot do their work, we then realize how wonderful 
it was to have all parts work properly, and we go to 
a doctor and he tries to make them all work as they 
should once more. 110 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
APPENDIX 9. 
The Eye-The Ear. 
The children should be carefully taught the care 
of the eye, as if it is injured it is very difficult, and 
sometimes impossible to cure it. The child's book 
should never be held very close to the eyes; this may 
produce near-sightedness. The book should be held 
where he can easily see, but no closer. The light 
should come from the left and should shine on the 
book, and not on the child's eyes. 
Constant headache during school hours shows that 
the eyes are strained. An unusual position of the 
head (turned to one side) holding the book to one 
side, skipping words or lines, all indicate some eye 
trouble. A succession of styes usually indicates 
some defect of vision. 
As a rule, the less that is done to the ear the bet- 
ter, it is so easily injured by injudicious people. 
The outer ear, the sound gatherer, should be care- 
fully washed every day. It is made of cartilage, 
the same material as we find in the movable part of 
the nose, and it will bear a good scrubbing every 
day, and it should be washed both outside and in- 
side. Sometimes when the boys go in swimming 
they get water inside of the ear, and it feels very 
unpleasant; when that is the case the boy should lie 
down on the side of the affected ear and stay there 
until the water comes out; he will know when it 
comes as it will feel very hot, having been inside of 
the head. If the water does not come out and he has LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
111 
pain in that ear, he should go to the doctor without 
loss of time, as it may cause serious trouble. 
Sometimes an insect gets inside of the ear, and its 
buzzing around in the effort to escape sounds as loud 
as the roll of a dram. The best way to get the in- 
sect out is to have the child lean his head way over 
to the well side, and very gently pour warm sweet 
oil in the ear where the insect is. It will be drowned 
and will float to the surface and will be easily re- 
moved. Warm water may be used if oil cannot be 
obtained. 
Any earache may become serious, and a child who 
is subject to the earache should be under a doctor's 
care. 
From the inside of our ears a little tube or pipe 
goes down to the throat. This tube is very small 
but it is very important, and when it is open as it 
ought to be we hear very well. But sometimes when 
wre have a bad cold that tube gets stopped up, and 
we have to open the mouth and work the jaws around 
and we can feel it open; then we hear all right again. 
When it is stopped up we do not hear naturally. 
When a child has adenoids this tube is often 
stopped up down near the throat; the adenoids press 
against it and close it. Then the child does not hear 
very well and often has earache, but the trouble is 
not in the ear but in the throat near this little tube. 112 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
APPENDIX 10. 
The Throat. 
The throat is very important because it leads to 
both the lungs and the stomach. There are two 
tubes low down in the throat, one for the lungs and 
one for the stomach. The one that leads to the lungs 
is in front and always stays open. It is kept so by 
rings of cartilage which are easily felt. The other 
tube is back of it and leads to the stomach. This is 
not kept open as we do not eat all the time. It is 
made of muscle and when it feels some food coming 
the muscles contract around the food and force it 
down to the stomach, and we say we have swallowed. 
You may wonder why the food does not go into the 
first tube. It would if there was not a guard placed 
there. At the base of the tongue is a little piece of 
cartilage that fits exactly over the "glottis" as that 
part of the tube is called. This is called the epi- 
glottis ; epi means upon, and this is upon the glottis, 
and when any food goes over the tongue on its way 
to the stomach it has to pass over the epiglottis and 
in passing it lays it down over the glottis where it 
fits, so no food can get in the wrong place. Some- 
times, however, when we are laughing or breathing 
very hard, if we have something dry in our mouths 
a little crumb may get past the epiglottis, and then 
we have to cough and cough until we get it up, for 
the glottis is very sensitive and is made only for air 
to pass; anything else makes trouble immediately. 
The little epiglottis is a very faithful sentinel and 
does not let things get by very often. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
113 
The throat has also some very important tubes 
leading up into the head. One leads to the nose, 
and two more lead to the ears, one on each side. 
Sometimes small growths called adenoids grow in 
the passage that leads to the nose and partly stop 
it up, then the child does not breathe as he should 
because his breath has so little room to get through. 
When these adenoids grow near the little tubes that 
lead to the ears they press against them and. the child 
has earache and becomes hard of hearing. Some- 
times the tonsils that are in the back of the throat 
on each side become very much swollen, the child 
has attacks of tonsilitis, and the tonsils become 
diseased, when this is the case the child does not 
grow as he ought, as these diseased tonsils do not let 
him breathe or swallow very well. When this is the 
case the best plan is to have the tonsils and adenoids 
removed, then he has plenty of room for his breath, 
and he will grow better and feel better. 
APPENDIX 11. 
This very important part of our bodies is covered 
for most of its upper surface by the nerves of taste 
which tell us when a thing is sweet or sour, bitter 
or pungent (like mustard and pepper). We know 
by the taste whether we like a certain food or not. 
There are many thousands of different tastes to 
our various articles of food and our tongue is the 
member that always tells us what it tastes like. 
The tongue is also the organ of speech, and a net- 
The Tongue. 114 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
work of nerves go from the brain to the tongue and 
guide it as to what it is to say. 
It also helps us to chew. The tongue and the 
muscles of the 'cheeks roll the food about in the 
mouth, so that we do not bite on exactly the same 
place twice. 
APPENDIX 12. 
Water. 
Thirst is the hardest thing a human being can be 
called upon to endure. Hunger is bad enough, but 
thirst is worse. Children can understand this, as 
they so often are thirsty. The reason we need so 
much water is that three-fourths of the weight of our 
bodies is water, so we have to take a great deal of it 
all the time. We get it in most foods, such as milk, 
fruit, vegetables, butter, and everything that is 
moist; even meat. If we tried to live on perfectly 
dry crackers, we would not like it; we would crave 
water so much, we would do anything to get it. This 
shows us how precious water is. and how we should 
value good water, and what care we should take to 
have it come to us pure, and good to drink. 
If there is any doubt as to the purity of the water, 
it should be boiled, as that will kill all harmful 
germs. (Explain purifying water at the water 
works.) 
It has been found that some diseases, particularly 
typhoid fever, are caused by impure water, and since 
that was discovered, and people are careful of the LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
115 
water they drink, there is much less typhoid, and we 
hope that after a while it will all be gone. 
The water supply of the town should be explained 
to the children, and if possible they should go to the 
water works, and see how the water is purified, and 
the care that is taken to make it fit to drink. They 
should see the pump that forces the water through 
the water mains, and have it explained that it is this 
pump that makes it possible for them to have the 
water come from the faucets when they go for a 
drink. We are so prone to accept all modern con- 
veniences as a matter of course and to give no 
thought to the labor it costs to arrange them. This 
would be a good opportunity to impress upon the 
children the time and trouble it costs to bring the 
water to the house, so that they could get a drink 
by merely turning a faucet. They might thus bet- 
ter appreciate the advantages they enjoy. 
One of the Government rules for good health is, 
"A full bath more than once a week." 
We have two layers of skin. The outer layer 
is very thin and is for the protection of the in- 
ner layer. It is being constantly worn out, cast off 
and replaced by new layers. In some parts of our 
bodies that are not exposed to constant friction (the 
parts covered by our clothing) this worn out skin is 
not taken away as fast as it ought to be. When we 
take a warm bath and dry ourselves on a rough bath 
towel, and rub the skin hard, the worn out skin 
comes off in little rolls, and the harder it is rubbed 
the more rolls will come, until the place is all cleaned 
Bathing. 116 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
of the dead skin. The surface is then very red, and 
the skin feels soft and much refreshed, as the dead 
skin is gone and the new skin has a fresh supply of 
blood sent to it. 
Baths help to keep the skin healthy and active. An 
active skin is one through which the blood flows 
briskly, and in which the pores are open. We wash 
the protected parts of our bodies to remove the old 
worn-out skin, and the unprotected parts, bare feet 
and legs, bare hands and arms, face, neck and ears to 
remove the dirt that accumulates on them. The more 
we can toughen the skin, with cold baths, the less 
likely we are to take cold. A cold sponge bath, fol- 
lowed by a vigorous rubbing, is especially useful, and 
has the same effect on the skin that exercise has on 
the muscles. It makes the skin active and strong. 
Almost all large cities now have public baths for 
children. In New York the children go into the 
North and East rivers. These rivers flow one on 
each side of New York, and they are salt water. 
Places have been set apart on the docks for the chil- 
dren, and they go in swimming every day. In sum- 
mer thousands of children go and enjoy their bath. 
In Chicago they go into Lake Michigan, on which 
lake Chicago is built. In Cincinnati they go into, 
the Ohio river, and some good men have made 
big tanks on the roofs of some of the biggest build- 
ings. These tanks are about 3 or 4 feet deep and the 
children go there by the hundreds and swim in the 
tanks. In many cities also they are allowing chil- 
dren, and grown folks, too, to bathe in the lakes and 
ponds in the parks. It is very good for every one to LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
117 
go in bathing and every boy and girl should know 
how to swim. 
Water is such a wonderful play fellow if we know 
how to play in the right way. People who live in 
dry countries miss many of the pleasures that those 
enjoy who live near the water. 
Swimming is one of the finest exercises; every 
muscle of the body is called into action and the 
pleasure of feeling the water all over the body, and 
of gliding through it is very great. Besides the 
pleasure it gives, swimming is necessary, as a knowl- 
edge of the art may save one's own or another's life. 
Much attention is given to teaching this most useful 
accomplishment, and swimming pools are to be found 
in all well equipped Y. M. C. A's and Y. W. C. A's. 
Instructors are almost always to be found at all 
swimming beaches. 
In hot countries babies are taught to swim as we 
teach them to walk, and so every one knows how, and 
it makes very little difference to one in those hot 
countries if his boat turns over or is wrecked, as he 
can swim to shore. In the islands of Honolulu the 
people play many games in the warm surf as it beats 
on the shore. These games call for great skill and it 
is interesting to watch the men riding the breakers 
on boards and always landing safely on the shore. 
Boating is another great sport that is a very 
healthy way to play with the water. From earliest 
times men have had some kind of a boat to carry 
them over the water. We learn that when Christo- 
pher Columbus came to the shores of America he 
found that the savages had boats and used them very 
skillfully. 118 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
I could not begin to tell you of all the different 
kinds of boats. (The teacher should have the chil- 
dren think of all the different kinds of boats, and 
enlarge upon the fact that it is the water that makes 
all the pleasure and profit of boating, from the canoe 
to the largest warship.) 
If the people of the hot countries have their 
swimming and boating all the year around, those who 
live in countries where the winters are long and se- 
vere, have many healthy sports brought to them by 
the water. (Water is so necessary, so life giving, is 
such a blessing, that I am trying to show the chil- 
dren some of its usefulness, hoping that they may 
appreciate what is so much a part of our daily life 
that we forget to be thankful for it.) 
If those who live in hot countries can swim, those 
in cold countries can skate, can coast down hill, can 
walk on snow shoes over the deep snow, can glide 
over the hills on skis, can even build houses of the 
snow and live comfortably in them. They can live 
in a snow house built on a frozen lake, and cut a hole 
in the floor (ice) and catch fish enough for dinner. 
Across the Atlantic ocean there is a country called 
Holland. That country has very many canals in it 
and in the winter the canals are frozen and the peo- 
ple use them as roads or streets. They skate to mar- 
ket, they skate to school, they skate to make a visit 
to a friend, they even skate to church as that is the 
easiest way to get there. I read in a paper the other 
day that the queen of Holland and her little daugh- 
ter had skated twenty miles on a canal to make a 
visit. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
119 
All this pleasure and convenience is due to the 
presence of WATER. 
In many places in our own country and also in 
other countries are springs coming up out of the 
ground that do not taste like the water we drink be- 
cause they have some kind of medicine in them. 
Most of them do not taste nice and we know that 
very few medicines are pleasant to the taste; but 
these springs have been found to cure many of the 
diseases that people have, so people go to them and 
drink the water and are sometimes cured of what- 
ever ailed them. 
No one has put the medicine in these springs. 
The water comes up out of the earth with the medi- 
cine in it all ready for the sick people to use. 
APPENDIX 13. 
The Stomach-Digestion. 
The stomach is a bag-like organ that lies in the 
front part of our body under the diaphragm. It is 
larger at one end than the other. The oseophagus, 
or gullet, the tube through which the food passes 
when we swallow, leads into the larger end which is 
about the center of the body. The other end is 
smaller and lies toward the left side; it is connected 
at this end with the small intestine where the pro- 
cess of digestion is completed. 
The stomach has two valves, one at each end, 
whose functions will be explained later. It will hold 
nearly a quart in a half-grown child, in a grown 
person it will hold , about three pints. As it is very 120 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
elastic more than three pints can be forced into it, 
but that stretches the muscles that form its walls 
and is not a wise thing to do. 
The stomach lies just under the heart with the 
diaphragm between. It is so close that sometimes 
when the stomach is not feeling just right the heart 
will not act right either. They are such close neigh- 
bors, one sympatizes with the other. 
I have said that the stomach is a bag, and that 
sounds as if it was a very simple thing as we all 
know what a bag is like, but no one ever could have 
imagined such a bag as this is. In the first place 
its walls are made of muscles that go in several dif- 
ferent directions. Some go round and round like the 
thread on a spool, and some go lengthwise, and over 
all there is a covering of smooth membrane, some- 
what like the covering of the mouth. So much for 
the outside of the stomach; the inside is really more 
wonderful, as attached to the sides are countless tiny 
glands which have the very important work of di- 
gesting the food when there is some food to digest. 
When there is none they rest, but if they rest too 
long they do not like it and they give one the sensa- 
tion called Hunger. This means that they are ready 
for work and something ought to be put there for 
them to work on. 
Some of the things we eat are more easily di- 
gested than others, and these things are sent on first; 
the things that are hard to digest must be worked on 
longer before the stomach can get rid of them. 
Sometimes something is put into the stomach that 
it cannot work on; it may try a little but the thing 
is so bad that it gives up the job, and we say we LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
121 
feel "sick at the stomach". If the stomach is good 
and strong it will refuse to have anything to do with 
the offending material and with a big contraction of 
its muscles it throws off what is giving the trouble. 
We then say the person has had a spell of vomiting. 
If all the stuff comes up at once the person feels 
better right away, but sometimes it takes several at- 
tempts before the stomach has cleared away all that 
does not belong there. 
Sometimes the food is not so bad that the stomach 
refuses it, but it does all it can to digest it and then 
passes it on to the intestines, as if it said, "I hope 
you can do some good to this, I cannot." So the in- 
testines take it and they try, but they are not as pa- 
tient as the stomach and as they work they give the 
person a sharp pain, and they pass the offending ma- 
terial along as fast as they can, giving sharp pains 
very frequently. As soon as possible the indigestible 
food is thrown out of the body. But sometimes the 
intestines are not strong enough to do this of them- 
selves and they have to be helped. The best way to 
help them is to take a dose of Castor oil, as this will 
clean away everything that ought not to be in the 
body and will leave it in good working order. It 
is not a pleasant dose, but when we have been fool- 
ish enough to put something into the stomach that 
ought not to have been there we must do the best 
thing we can to get rid of it. 
As we have seen, the stomach does not always ap- 
prove of everything that is put into it. Some things 
it throws up, some things it passes on to see what the 
intestines can do, and some things it keeps until it 
can digest them. 122 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
Sometimes we delay digestion because we drink 
several glasses of ice water with our meals. 
The process of digestion is largely by means of 
muscular- fibres, that turn the food about so the 
glands may pour their digestive juices on it. If 
there is a quantity of ice water poured into the 
stomach when it should be working it has to wait 
until it can warm that cold water before it can do 
anything. A muscle can not work when it is cold. 
Every child knows that he cannot write when his 
hands are cold; he cannot play on the piano or violin 
with fingers that are cold; they cannot work well 
unless they are warm. It is the same with the mus- 
cles of the stomach: they cannot work well unless 
they are warm, so no iced water should be taken with 
one's meals. It seems as if this rule would also for- 
bid ice cream which we often take as dessert when 
the stomach is full of dinner. Ice cream, however, 
is not swallowed when it is icy. We always have to 
eat it slowly and so it is melted and warm by the 
time it reaches the stomach. 
As I have often said we are macle in a very won- 
derful way, and in no place do we notice this more 
than in the way the whole body seems to sympathize 
with a suffering stomach. The nerves of the body 
connect one part with another and attention may 
be called to a part as being out of order when there 
is really nothing the matter with that part at all; 
but some other part is going wrong and this part 
is seeming to suffer in sympathy. A familiar ex- 
ample is the fact that when one gets his feet wet on 
a winter day, and does not change his shoes and 
stockings, he is very likely to have a sore throat, he LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
123 
has a cold and it shows far from the place where the 
injury took place. No harm comes to the feet, but 
away up in the head and the throat he has pain and 
suffering. 
So with the stomach: if we are very hungry we 
may have a headache; there is nothing the matter 
with the head but the pain is very real, and it will 
not go away until we feed the stomach. Perhaps we 
have been imprudent in our eating and have put 
things that are too rich in the stomach. We may 
have our face disfigured with pimples, and it is the 
skin that is sympathizing with the stomach. It may 
be a. sharp pain, called neuralgia, that is trying to 
tell us that the stomach is not treated properly. It 
may be that we get painful little sores in the mouth. 
All these ills and many others come from the sympa- 
thetic action of our various parts with the stomach. 
The more we study about what goes on in our 
bodies the more interesting things we find out. We 
have learned that the suffering stomach does not suf- 
fer alone, but many members suffer with it. We will 
now learn of another kind of sympathy. 
We may perhaps not have noticed that we were 
hungry, but the sight of some kind of food of which 
we are fond makes us realize how much we want to 
eat. The glands in our mouth which pour forth the 
first digestive juices begin right away to work, and 
we say we want the food so much that "our mouth 
waters for it." This is often seen in dogs when a 
piece of meat is held for them, and yet not given to 
them; the water will drip from their mouths as their 
longing eyes gaze hopefully at the coveted dainty. 
The smell of an appetizing dinner cooking will make 124 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
one's mouth water, and the glands of the stomach 
will begin to pour forth their digestive juices in an- 
ticipation of the congenial work that is before them. 
So also if one is eating the food that he relishes, 
and he sees in it anything disgusting, the juices that 
were assisting his digestion will stop their work, 
and all that has been eaten may be .vomited up. 
Strong emotion has a very decided effect upon 
the digestion. Becoming very angry just after eat- 
ing has been known to lead to indigestion that was 
hard to cure. The juices that should have digested 
the food were stopped, and the food laid for some 
time in a stomach that was unable to digest it and 
serious stomach trouble was the result. 
A sudden fright or great grief as well as joy may 
stop the action of the stomach glands completely. 
The person may say, 111 just cannot eat; do not 
make me try." It would be wrong to urge such a 
person to eat until the strong emotion has passed 
away, as then the appetite will return and the glands 
can and will do their usual work. 
Going without food for a day will not injure any 
one, but eating when the stomach is not in a fit con- 
dition to digest the food is very unwise, and may do 
much harm. 
Good foods build the body and make it grow. We 
have big appetities and we enjoy our food. There 
are some drinks that are not food but are called 
"stimulants" and these drinks are not good for 
growing children and some of them are not good for 
grown people either. 
These stimulants are tea, coffee, coca-cola, and last 
and worst of all, whiskey. These drinks have all the LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
125 
same effect in varying degrees. The nerves are 
forced to act too strongly, the heart beats too fast, 
the child is restless and excited when he should be 
quiet and ready to go to bed. When the effect 
passes off he feels cross and miserable. 
Because these drinks prevent a child from getting 
as much sleep as he needs he does not grow well, he 
is thin and pale and has little appetite for the food 
he ought to eat; he cannot get his lessons as he is too 
nervous to sit still and study, so he has the mortifi- 
cation of not passing his examinations and not being 
promoted. 
Whiskey is the most powerful stimulant, and for- 
tunately our American parents do not often allow 
the children to taste any. The parents ought not to 
take it either, especially since they have voted to 
keep it out of the country. 
APPENDIX 14. 
Louis Pasteur was a Frenchman, and though he 
did a wonderful work for the good of mankind he 
was not a doctor like Jenner, who found out about 
vaccination. He spent much of his time looking at 
the wonderful things that can be seen through the 
microscope and studying what he saw. He made a 
great many discoveries that we could not really un- 
derstand, but which were very valuable to the French 
nation. The thing that makes his name one that we 
should always remember, is his discovery of the way 
to cure a person who has been bitten by a mad dog. 
Louis Pasteur. 126 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
Before he made this discovery any one who was bit- 
ten by a mad dog would surely develop a dreadful 
disease, called Hydrophobia, which always caused the 
person's death. 
It was such a wonderful thing that this calamity 
could be prevented that people could hardly believe 
it was true. Pasteur showed many times by giving 
his medicine to people who had been bitten by mad 
dogs that they could be cured, so at last there was 
a hospital built for him in the city of Paris, and it 
was called the Pasteur Institute. Several boys from 
America, who had been bitten by mad dogs, were sent 
to Paris for treatment, and they were all cured and 
never had hydrophobia. It was a long and ex- 
pensive journey for any one in America to go to 
Paris, so a Pasteur Institute was built in New York 
City and Pasteur showed some American doctors how 
to make the medicine so we could have it on hand if 
we needed it. Many people have been treated there, 
and now there is a Pasteur Institute in nearly every 
one of our large cities. 
All of this very great work was made possible by 
the work of this one man, Louis Pasteur, whose name 
I hope you will never forget. He died in 1905. 
APPENDIX 15. 
The lungs are made for us to breathe with. Every 
living thing has some kind of a lung; even such lit- 
tle things as bees, flies and wasps, have lungs, but 
they are not made just like ours. They get the air 
Lungs. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
127 
into the bodies of these insects however, and that is 
all our lungs can do. Some wise people say that 
the trees breathe by means of their leaves, and that 
in the winter when the leaves are all off, the tree 
does not breathe or grow, but just waits until the 
spring returns, so it can breathe and grow again. 
Our lungs make us breathe, and we just have to 
breathe. No one can keep from it, though one may 
hold his breath for a little while,-but it will be for 
only a minute, or perhaps a little more. 
These lungs are in the upper part of our bodies, 
and take up most of the space above the waist line. 
They share this space with the heart. The teacher 
should have one of the pupils stand on the platform, 
and she should show on him, just where the lungs 
are. She should show that they come up to the col- 
lar bone, and in front they follow the line of the ribs, 
extending down nearly to the last rib. Then, turn- 
ing the child, she should show that almost all of the 
back, above the waist line, is taken up by the lungs. 
She could show the action of the lungs, by taking a 
piece of string or tape, and, telling the child to let 
the air all out of his lungs, measure his chest with 
the string, then still holding the string have him 
take a big breath, the teacher letting the string slip 
through her fingers as the chest expands. She 
should explain that the reason the chest gets bigger, 
is because the breath fills out the lungs, just as the 
balloons one buys, when the circus comes to town, 
are big when they are full of air, and when the air 
goes out they become smaller. 
We must breathe while we live, and every living 
thing breathes. There is something in the air that 128 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
goes into our lungs, that makes us live, and when 
the air is good and pure, and we breathe in good, 
deep breaths, then we are stronger and better, 
healthier people; and when the air is not good, we 
do not feel like taking deep breaths, and the little 
breaths do not do us very much good. The best air 
to breathe, is the air out of doors. That is the 
purest, and will do us the most good. This is the 
reason that children go out of doors for recess. They 
run and play and get "out of breath" and have to 
take long, deep breaths when they stop for a moment 
to "catch their breath", and the good, pure air that 
is everywhere out of doors, gets way down, and way 
up, in their lungs, and does them ever so much good. 
They come back into school with bright eyes and rosy 
cheeks, and can study much better than if they were 
kept in the school room all the morning. 
This is also the reason that we want all children 
to open their windows at night, and to sleep with 
them open. When they are dressed, in the daytime, 
they can go out of doors, and get the good, fresh air; 
but at night they have to be undressed and in bed, 
and they cannot go out and get the fresh air. So 
they must open the window and then the fresh air 
will come in to them; it is always there just outside 
of the window, waiting to come in, and give us health 
and strength while we sleep, so that we will feel full 
of energy and will be ready to do our tasks when we 
waken in the morning. 
We have said that every living thing must breathe, 
and this is true, and it is very interesting to find out 
some of the curious ways some animals get their 
breath. The way the fishes breathe is very different LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
129 
from our ways. In their heads, near their mouths, 
they have what are called gills. These gills are like 
thin sheets of paper, with many little bones in them, 
to hold them out stiff, so they will not crumple up. 
The fish opens his mouth, and the water rushes in, 
and goes right out again over these gills. Now this 
does not seem as if it could do the fish much good, 
but there is some air in the water,-not much, not 
nearly enough for any of us, if we got in the water, 
but it is enough for the fish,-and as it goes out over 
the gills, the very same thing that makes the air 
good for us, makes the little air the fishes get, good 
for them, and keeps them alive. If any of the chil- 
dren have some gold fish, they can watch them as 
they breathe through their gills, and they can now 
know why they have to have fresh water so often. 
They breathe up all the air in the little globes, and 
must have fresh water that has plenty of air in it. 
When the children get into a higher grade they will 
learn what it is in the air that makes us live.' 
Sometimes our lungs, which are so very important, 
get sick, and this kind of sickness is very bad, be- 
cause it is so hard to cure, and because it very often 
is never cured. This sickness has a very long and 
hard name, and it is a long and hard sickness; per- 
haps the children have heard its name; it is tuber- 
culosis. It is a great pity, but many people have 
this disease, although we are all the time trying to 
cure those who have it, and to keep others from tak- 
ing it. 
When the poor lungs get sick, it is very hard for 
them to breathe, and the person in whose breast they 
Tuberculosis. 130 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
are suffers much pain; but the lungs keep on breath- 
ing just as long as they can, and they get worse and 
worse, and it is harder and harder to breathe, until 
at last they have to give it up, and the poor person 
has to die. 
Tuberculosis' is acquired, not inherited. There can 
be no tuberculosis without the germ. The common- 
est method of infection is by inhalation. Dried 
germs from sputum of consumptives float in the air 
and are breathed into the lungs. Hence the neces- 
sity of destroying all sputum, and of special pre- 
cautions in coughing and sneezing. Tuberculosis 
may also be acquired by ingestion i. e., by swallow- 
ing the germs with infected milk and food and more 
rarely by inoculation through cuts and wounds. 
APPENDIX 16. 
The Diaphragm. 
The diaphragm may be remembered if for no other 
reason than because it is spelled in such a very curi- 
ous way. Like many of the names of the parts of 
our bodies, this is a word taken from the Greek. 
It means a "barrier", which it is. It is the barrier 
between the chest where the heart and lungs arc, 
and the abdomen where the stomach and liver and 
many other important organs are placed. 
This diaphragm is a thin, fiat muscle, something 
like strong paper, and it is attached to the floating 
ribs and breast bone in front, and follows them to 
the back bone. It allows the gullet (which is the 
tube that goes from the throat to the stomach) to 
pass through it, also the large blood vessels. These LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
131 
vessels that pass through have all the space near them 
carefully sealed up so that no air can get through, 
just as the plumber seals the place where the water 
pipe goes through the floor, only this sealing is clone 
much more beautifully and effectually. 
This gives the heart and lungs a comfortable room 
all to themselves. They are so very important they 
have to have plenty of room. 
This "barrier" is the floor of the chest and the 
ceiling of the abdomen, just as in a house the ceil- 
ing of the living room makes the floor of a bed- 
room above it. Now this barrier or floor has some 
very curious things about it: it is not a level floor 
for it is higher in front than in the back; and it 
does not stay still; it goes up and down with every 
breath we take; when we take in a breath the floor 
bulges downward so as to give our lungs plenty of 
space, when we let the breath go out, the floor comes 
up; and so it goes on all the time and we never 
know anything about it unless we get the hiccoughs, 
which come to us all occasionally; then this floor or 
barrier gets a spasm, and every few breaths we feel 
it jerking, and sometimes the jerking lasts so long, 
and is so hard we get very sore in this part of our 
body. 
Sometimes this lasts so long that it is very dan- 
gerous, but that seldom happens. 
Hiccoughs can usually be cured by taking a very, 
very big breath, and holding it and clasping the 
arms above the head; this holds the diaphragm out 
tight so it cannot do any more jerking. 132 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
APPENDIX 17. 
The Heart. 
Each person.'s heart is about as large as his closed 
fist. It varies with the size of the boy or girl. The 
part that we feel is the apex or point. The biggest 
part of the heart is in the center of the chest; it lies 
mostly on its side, and it is shaped very much like a 
strawberry. 
The apex or small pointed part of the heart lies 
on the left side, a few inches above the waist line, 
and this part is easily felt by pressing the hand 
against the left side. 
The heart is made entirely of muscle and it is 
about the most important muscle in the whole body, 
as our very life depends upon its regular action. 
The heart is a pump, and it pumps the blood all over 
the body. When we are in good health the heart 
never seems to get tired; all day and all night our 
whole lives through it keeps at its work of pumping 
the blood. The heart of a grown person beats about 
seventy to eighty times every minute. A child's 
heart beats faster. It spends four-tenths of a sec- 
ond with a beat, and then rests for six-tenths. In 
this way it gets enough rest. So instead of working 
all day and resting at night as wTe do, it does a little 
work and then rests, does a little and rests. When 
we are in good health the beat is strong, but if we 
are not well it beats faster and weaker. 
One reason why tobacco and whiskey are injurious 
is that they weaken the proper action of the heart. 
Every boy knows that no one who is to take part LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
133 
in any athletic contest can use tobacco, because its 
use weakens his heart, and he needs a strong heart 
for any athletics. 
The heart is like a house with four rooms in it. 
Two on the first floor and two on the second. The 
rooms above have rather thin walls, and the rooms 
below have thick, strong walls, particularly the room 
on the left side; that is the strongest room in the 
whole house. Nothing can pass from one side of the 
house to the other; each side has its own special 
work to do. 
All of these rooms are entered by doors that al- 
ways shut when the occupant has passed through. 
These doors are called valves. The rooms above 
are called auricles. This is another latin word and 
it means ear, as the doctors in the old days thought 
these rooms looked like an animal's ear. The lower 
rooms are called ventricles, that is where the most 
important work is done. (More latin.) 
Valves open in one direction only. A door is 
really a valve. It opens in one direction, and the 
more one presses on it in the opposite direction the 
tighter it shuts. An old fashioned swinging double 
door is a very good example of the heart valve (semi- 
lunar). Our newer fashioned sliding doors do not 
illustrate; it must be a swinging door. The blood 
rushes through the valve when the heart beats, just 
as the children rush through the doors, of the school 
house when school is out. Now, if the teacher should 
close those doors the children could not get in again. 
So when the blood, with one powerful beat of the 
heart, is sent through these valves, they are shut, and 
it cannot get back, but must go on through the ar- 134 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
teries all over the body and do all the good it can, 
and then the veins are allowed to bring it back. 
We have learned that there are doors in this house 
of life that we all have in our bodies, and that these 
doors are called valves. We must now learn that 
each room in the house has two doors, one for the 
occupant to come in and one for it to come out, as it 
never goes in and out of the same door. The valves 
of the auricles are near the top of the heart and the 
valves of the ventricles are at the top of the ventri- 
cles. Now that we know something about this house 
Ave must learn how it works, for this is a very busy 
house and it works all the time. The house is made 
for the blood that brings to every part of our bodies 
just what they need to keep them living. The blood 
could not go all over the body unless some force made 
-it go. The heart is that force. 
The blood comes from all over the body through a 
Valve into the right auricle, from there it goes when 
the heart beats through another valve to the right 
ventricle, and from there to the lungs to be purified. 
When it comes back from the lungs it goes (through 
a valve) to the left auricle, then through another 
valve to the strongest room of the heart, the left 
ventricle, when a big strong beat of the heart made 
by the thick muscle of the left ventricle sends the 
good blood all over the body. Thus we learn that 
the right side is used only for the old blood that has 
been all over the body and has given out its good 
parts. Here also comes much of the newly digested 
food and mixes with the old blood. All go together 
to the lungs where they are made into good pure life 
giving blood that is sent to the left side of the heart LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
135 
and away goes the good blood once more to help us 
to grow and do our work in the world. We see that 
the heart is a pump as well as a house. 
APPENDIX 18. 
Arteries, Capillaries, Veins. 
The arteries carry the bright red, good blood from 
the heart. They are for the most part hidden deep 
down in the muscles, just as the water mains are 
put down deep in the ground, and for the same rea- 
son, to protect them. Long ago before the body was 
as well understood as it is now it was thought that 
the arteries carried air through the body, because it 
was found that after death these arteries were quite 
empty, so for a long time they were called air car- 
riers or air carters, which in time got to be called 
"arteries". 
Arteries are made of stiffer material than the veins 
and they always stand open like the water mains. 
This is so because the blood has to flow through them 
very fast and nothing must be in the way to hold it 
back, it is so important. They go all over the body 
and in a few places they come near the surface and 
can be felt. In these places we can feel the beats 
of the heart in the artery. When a thing has a reg- 
ular beat like the heart beat it is called its "pulsa- 
tion" and the pulsation of the heart that can be felt 
in various parts of the body is called the "pulse". 
We can feel the pulse in the wrist on the thumb 
side, that is the place where it is generally felt be- 136 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
cause it is the most convenient and easily found. 
Another place is just in front of the ear. There are 
several other places that are not as easily found. 
The arteries as they get nearer and nearer to the 
places where they must give up the good that is in 
the blood get smaller and smaller and thinner and 
thinner until they are as thin and fine as a hair. 
Here we find another of the latin names that seem 
to be so good to describe what we are talking about. 
We call these very fine blood vessels "capillaries", 
the latin word is "capillus" which means "a hair". 
These capillaries are so numerous that they are 
literally everywhere, just under the skin, making a 
very fine net-work all over us. We know that if 
wre prick ourselves anywhere with even the finest 
needle wTe will pierce one of these capillaries and a 
drop of blood will appear as if to tell us that it is 
everywhere. The capillaries are even in the bones. 
Their business is to give to every part what it needs 
and also to gather up all of the worn out parts of 
the body, so we see how very important they are. 
They go on with their work of giving out good and 
gathering up the worn-out parts all of our lives. 
When the blood has been through the capillaries 
and has given up all the good and collected all the 
the useless parts, it comes back to the heart by a 
different road, for the arteries will not have it now. 
It is only the pure, bright red blood that the arteries 
carry, and it is now a dull, bluish red; so it must 
take its journey back to the heart by the veins, which 
are very different from the arteries. They are 
nearer the surface of the body and are made in a 
different way, and for just this purpose. When the LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
137 
blood gets finally back to the heart and goes in 
through a valve, it is not yet with the bright red 
arterial blood, but it must stay by itself in the right 
side of the heart, which is not quite so large as the 
left side and its walls are not so thick and powerful. 
When the heart beats, this side sends this old blood 
and the new nourishment, made of the food we eat, 
to the lungs, which is only a very little journey of a 
few inches. Here the good, pure air we breathe 
makes the old blood and the new food all over into 
good, pure, bright red blood, which goes into the 
powerful left side through a valve (always it goes 
through valves which are very important), and as it 
is now fit to build up the body the strong beat of 
the heart sends it (through the valve) out into all 
the arteries once more. 
The veins are nearer the surface and, appearing 
cause the blood goes more slowly through them there 
are more of them. They contain many valves and 
are made of much thinner material than the arteries. 
The branches of the veins come together as do the 
branches of a tree, and the various branches get 
larger and larger as they come near the heart until 
finally there is one big vein that pours its blood into 
the right auricle as has been explained. 
The veins are nearer the surface and appearing 
somewhat like blue cords, can be seen in the hands 
and arms of older people. An interesting experi- 
ment is to allow the hand to hang down until the 
veins are full, and with the thumb follow the course 
of the largest vein, pressing from the arm towards 
the fingers; press firmly enough to exclude the blood, 
which will stop at the last valve, and a little depres- 138 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
sion will be observed where the full vein was. Re- 
move the thumb and the blood will rush back to its 
place. This cannot be done with very young chil- 
dren, as their veins are not sufficiently prominent. 
The teacher had better try it on her own hand. 
APPENDIX 19. 
Doctor Jenner. 
One hundred and twenty-five years ago the dis- 
ease called small-pox was very common. It was 
then a very dreadful disease and the people were 
very much afraid of it because it left them with 
so much disfigurement. Sometimes it would leave 
them blind, sometimes all their hair would come out 
and never grow in again, and always it left them 
dreadfully scarred. The worst of it was that it was 
always the face that suffered the most, so that no 
matter how smooth and soft the skin was before the 
attack, after the patient recovered the face was full 
of deep scars. 
This much dreaded disease had gone on in this 
way for I cannot tell how many years, when an Eng- 
lish physician, named Doctor Jenner, found that 
vaccination would prevent a person from ever having 
small-pox. It took him a long time to make sure 
that he was right, and to show the people that vac- 
cination would really protect them. He vaccinated 
his son, and when the place was well he put him 
close to a person who was sick with small-pox, and 
the boy did not suffer any harm. This helped to 
make the people believe in him. There was in Eng- LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
139 
land at that time a woman who also believed in the 
vaccination. Her name was Lady Mary Whortley 
Montagu. She was very well known and every one 
thought that what she said must be true, so when she 
said that vaccination was the best thing for every 
one,-and to prove her belief she was vaccinated,- 
many more people followed her example, and very 
gradually nearly every one came to believe that it 
should be done. We now see the great good of vac- 
cination, as the disease of small-pox is quite rare, 
and if it does come into a community it is generally 
so mild that it is hardly any worse than measles. If 
there are many cases, the doctors hurry up and vac- 
cinate every one, and that stops the disease. We 
should always remember the name of Doctor Jenner. 
APPENDIX 20. 
Florence Nightingale. 
Florence Nightingale was an English woman. 
There was a great war in the Crimea, which is in 
the southern part of Russia, and the English soldiers 
were there fighting in the war. There were no 
trained nurses then and no Red Cross, and the 
poor soldiers that got wounded in the battles gen- 
erally had to die, because there was no one to take 
care of them. 
When the news of this state of affairs came to 
England every one was very unhappy over it, and 
Florence Nightingale was asked if she would go to 
the Crimea and see if she could help the poor sick 
men, as she knew something about nursing. She con- 140 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
sented to go, and she took 28 ladies with her, to help 
eare for the men. 
When these women arrived they found everything 
in the hospitals dirty and they were crowded with 
the sick and dying. It was a very hard task to make 
things as they ought to be, but they worked night 
and day, and were rewarded by seeing the men re- 
cover, instead of all dying as they had been doing. 
When Florence Nightingale returned to England 
the people were so grateful for what she had done, 
that they gave her a large sum of money. She took 
the money and with it founded the first training 
school for nurses. She said that never again should 
men die because there were not properly trained 
women to care for them. From this first training 
school for nurses have come the training schools 
that are now all over the world, and this is the rea- 
son that we should always remember the name of 
Florence Nightingale, as she started and directed the 
first one. 
She was always an invalid after she came back 
home. She worked so hard in that terrible Crimea 
that she was never able to do any work but head 
work ever after. She wrote several books. 
APPENDIX 21. 
The function of the muscles is movement; they 
move the bones and so move the body, but they can- 
not move all the time, they must also have time to 
rest. We can notice this need for rest if we watch 
Exercise. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
141 
a kitten or a little dog at play. After awhile the 
kitten gets tired, and she curls up before the fire or 
in some other comfortable place and goes to sleep. 
Her muscles need rest before she can play any more, 
and it is just the same with a child; after he has 
run a long race or skated a long time he is tired, the 
muscles have done so much that they need a rest and 
he is glad to sit down for a little while. But while 
this is true there is one great difference between the 
kitten and the boy; the boy gets "tired" when he 
sits still for a long time and the kitten never stays 
still long enough to feel this kind of tired. It is be- 
cause children's muscles must make them move about 
that they have a recess when they are at liberty to 
run and play just as hard as they wish. The child's 
muscles were made for movement and when that 
movement is denied to him his muscles ache for the 
motion which they were made for. 
Here we see that there are two kinds of "tired",- 
too much movement and too little movement. Either 
when carried too far is injurious. 
Exercise is necessary for children who go to school 
or for those who work at some trade where they have 
to remain seated for a long time. 
Exercise in the open air is the best because then 
the good fresh air out of doors is forced into the 
lungs. Both boys and girls take much pleasure in 
playing ball out of doors, and it is very good for 
them. To do the most good one's exercise should 
give pleasure. The boys laugh and shout over their 
play and that is good for them; it shows that they 
enjoy it. 
A man who has been busy all day in his office will 142 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
long for the time to arrive when he can close his desk 
and go for a game of golf. This shows that his mus- 
cles are tired of inaction and they want to be doing 
something. 
The man who has to walk around the streets all 
day, like a policeman, or the man who drives a cart 
or who digs ditches, longs for the time to come when 
he can go home for supper, and sit still and rest the 
muscles that have been at work all day. 
When we take regular out-door exercise it makes 
our muscles strong and helps to keep us in good 
health. 
When the men who went to the Great War were 
learning to be soldiers they had to take some very 
hard exercises every day. They had to go out on 
their drill grounds and a master would make them 
exercise every muscle of their bodies, and in this 
way they got to be very strong and they held them- 
selves very straight, with their shoulders put back 
and their heads held high and they were taught to 
stand evenly on both feet. When they had done these 
exercises for a long time they got in the habit of 
standing straight and this habit, if they keep it up, 
will do them good all the rest of their lives. 
The blood which is so very useful in the body 
cannot give especial care to more than one part at a 
time, therefore when digestion is going on and there 
is an extra amount of blood going to the digestive or- 
gans it is not wise to try to take any violent exercise 
like playing baseball. Nature has wisely provided 
for this, as after a hearty dinner one does not feel 
like taking any strenuous exercise. Nature makes us 
feel like resting for a little while, and this is the LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
143 
right thing to do-rest or take only gentle exercise. 
Too much exercise taken occasionally is harmful. 
If one has not played tennis for a long time, and 
then plays all afternoon, he will not be benefited by 
the exercise, but will be stiff and sore for some days, 
or until he can recover from his unusual exertions. 
But if he plays for a little while at first and gradual- 
ly lengthens the time, he will be able to play all af- 
ternoon and feel no ill effects, as he has strengthened 
his muscles and they are able to bear the strain of 
prolonged exertion. 
So also when the time comes that boys want to go 
in swimming, if they swim too far the first day and 
so use many muscles that have not had much use all 
winter, they will feel stiff and sore the next day. 
After they have been in the water every day. for a 
week, they can swim very well and not feel any in- 
convenience from it. 
APPENDIX 22. 
Rest. 
When children rest in the day time, ten or fifteen 
minutes may seem to be about long enough, but 
when we are undressed and go to bed, we rest for 
many hours and sometimes are not ready even when 
morning copies to get up and begin our work again. 
This is because we sleep all the night and do not 
realize how long we are in one place or one position. 
The best thing about this sleep at night, is that it 
is then the children grow, and the longer they sleep 
the better and stronger they grow. There are dif- 144 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
ferent kinds of growing; sometimes the child grows 
very slowly and he is not very good in his school 
work; then we know that he does not have sleep 
enough, or that he sleeps in a room where the win- 
dows are shut,, or that he eats or drinks things that 
keep him from sleeping as he ought, so he is not 
rested enough to grow properly. There are several 
things a child must have to make him grow just 
right. He must eat the right things, and he must 
sleep the right length of time; he should go to bed at 
the same time every night, and he should be washed 
clean before being put into his bed. He should have 
a quiet place in which to sleep and the room should 
be dark, or nearly so. When children follow these 
rules, as to sleep, then they are rested in mind and 
body, they are bright and quick in their studies and 
good tempered because their minds and nerves are 
rested. When boys and girls do not get enough sleep 
they are pale, stupid, nervous and irritable; they do 
themselves great harm by not going to bed early,- 
9 o'clock at the latest. 
APPENDIX 23. 
Germs, Mosquitoes, Havana. 
Havana is the capital of Cuba, which is as you 
know a large island lying south of the United States, 
at the entrance of the Gulf of Mexico. Havana is 
a very old city. It was built by the Spaniards many, 
many years before any of the cities we know were 
built. It is very warm down there and the hot sun LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
145 
makes it very uncomfortable out of doors, and so 
the people who live there stay in their houses all day, 
as the houses have very thick walls and are cool. 
In the very early morning before the sun gets so 
hot, and in the evening, after it has gone down, 
they come out and attend to their business. The peo- 
did not know about paving the streets or sidewalks 
or having running water in their houses, so when wa- 
ter was wanted someone had to go to a well, of which 
there were many in the city. When the house-wife 
came to the well she generally found several other 
women there, who had come, like her, to get some 
water. Of course when several women (or men 
either) get together they have to stop and talk and 
tell what news they have heard. In this way much 
time was lost, and when the woman got home there 
was no time to use the water to scrub the floor or 
wash the children, and there was only a bucket full 
any way, so she used it to cook the dinner or for 
drinking, and the floor and the children stayed dirty. 
All the kitchen refuse was thrown into the street, 
as was everything else that was not needed in the 
house, so one can imagine the condition of the streets. 
There was generally a sort of paved gutter in the 
middle of the street and all dirty water ran down 
this open gutter. 
Every year, after the hot summer, many people 
in Havana died of a very terrible disease called 
Yellow fever, and often there would come another 
still worse disease called Cholera. These two diseases 
were almost always in Havana and always some peo- 
ple died; but about once every year they got so very 
bad and people died in such numbers that the citi- 146 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
zens were very much frightened, so many men, wo- 
men and children died every day. As can be seen by 
a glance at the map of our southern states, some of our 
cities are not far from Havana, and there are always 
many steamboats going between the American cities 
and Havana, so there was great danger of someone 
bringing these dreadful diseases to us in our country 
and indeed that was just what always happened, so 
the people who lived in the south would leave their 
homes, and come up north where they could be safe. 
This happened so many, many times that the peo- 
ple in the south learned to dread the time when 
yellow fever or cholera would be in Havana, be- 
cause it would surely come to our cities, though we 
tried hard to keep it out. 
In 1898 when the American army went to Cuba 
to help the Cubans against the Spanish, they found 
the Cuban cities very unsanitary. There was no 
good water supply, and no sewers, and no pavements. 
The people threw the dirty water they had used for 
washing out of the window, as no one had ever 
taught them any better way to live. The flies were 
there by the million and also the mosquitoes, so it 
was no wonder the people got such dreadful diseases. 
Our government did not want our good soldiers to 
get these diseases, nor did it want the Cubans to be 
sick any more-they had suffered so much already 
from the war. So two doctors were sent down there, 
and they put men to work to clean the cities, to put 
down good pavements; to bring in good water instead 
of the old unsanitary wells; to put in sewers to carry 
off the dirty water, to drain the swamps so 1he mos- 
quitoes would not be able to breed and carry dis- LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
147 
■eases to the people, and the Cubans were taught how 
to keep clean. All of this work took some time, but 
it was worth while because it showed not only the 
Cubans, but everyone else, that to have a healthy 
city one must have a clean city. These two doctors 
were Dr. Walter Reed and Dr. Gorgas. 
These dreadful diseases have never been in Cuba 
since the Americans cleaned it up. They have not 
been in our southern states either. 
Panama is on the isthmus of Panama, on the 
Pacific ocean side of the isthmus, which is, as you 
know, very narrow at this place. This is also a 
very old city, and like Havana, was built by the 
Spaniards who came to America soon after Columbus 
discovered it. It was never a very large city but 
what there was of it was just as unsanitary as was 
Havana, and for the same reason. It is hot down 
there and the people do not care to work, and there 
are so many delicious fruits that grow without care 
it seems as if it was not necessary to do any work. 
In the year 1890, some Frenchmen came to the 
isthmus of Panama to try to dig a canal across it 
from the Atlantic ocean on one side to the Pacific 
ocean on the other side. The man at the head of 
the work was named Ferdinand De Lesseps. He had 
dug a canal across the isthmus of Suez, in Africa, 
uniting the Mediterranean and the Red Sea and had 
been very successful in this great work, and he 
hoped to do the same work over here. 
The French people did not understand the dangers 
of our hot countries, with the countless millions of 
mosquitoes and flies, and the unsanitary habits of 
the people. They did not think of cleaning the 148 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
towns before they set to work on the canal-and as 
the work was hard they drank a great deal of brandy 
to make them strong. But here is where they made 
one great mistake, as brandy is like whiskey in its 
effect, and instead of making them strong, it weak- 
ened them, and that, and the bad drinking water, 
and the dirt of the town made them sick, and they 
died,-hundreds and hundreds of the French and 
also the negroes they got from Jamaica to dig the 
canal. They blamed the climate for this and never 
knew that the trouble was a combination of dirt, 
brandy, flies and mosquitoes. 
So many died that for this and other reasons they 
gave up trying to dig the canal, and those that were 
left sailed away home to France. 
A mosquito lays its eggs on the water; many eggs 
stick together and float on the water like a tiny boat. 
After a few days they sink to the bottom of the wa- 
ter. Mosquitoes prefer a shallow pond, or a marshy 
place or even an old tin can with a little water in it. 
The eggs soon rise to the surface of the water and 
the sun hatches them out. In places where the mos- 
quitoes are very bad, kerosene oil is poured on the 
ponds, when they cannot be drained, and as the oil 
makes a coating on the surface of the pond the mos- 
quito cannot get through it, and so is killed. In this 
way many places are made fit to live in, when be- 
fore, the mosquitoes were so bad that it was hard to 
see how the people could stay there. 
We all know that mosquito bites are very annoy- 
ing; they swell up and itch and last for some days; 
but that is not the worst; a mosquito which stings a 
sick person, and then a well person, will make the LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
149 
well one sick, and in some places they get very bad 
sicknesses, and many die from the sickness. For this 
reason our Government is doing much to kill all the 
mosquitoes in places where they are so very trouble- 
some. The diseases they carry are malaria and yel- 
low fever. 
We all know how annoying a mosquito is and how 
pleased we are when we can kill one that has been 
trying to sting us; but it hardly seems possible that 
such a tiny insect could have anything to do with 
such a mighty work as building the great Panama 
Canal, yet this is exactly what was the case. The 
French people, who tried first to build the canal, had 
to give it up, as so many of them got sick and died. 
The dirt and the flies were part of the trouble, but 
there was another cause for all the deaths and that 
was the millions of mosquitoes that were everywhere. 
When these mosquitoes went from a sick person to a 
well person the well one would surely get sick. All 
around the places where the canal was to be built 
were great marshes, and here was where the mos- 
quitoes, in countless thousands, were produced. The 
place had always had a bad name as it was so un- 
healthy it was thought no white man could ever live 
there. 
Our Government was determined to have that canal 
made, and as Dr. Gorgas and Dr. Reed had cleaned 
up Havana and made it a healthy place, they were 
sent down to the Isthmus of Panama to see if some- 
thing could not be done there so that our people 
could go there and work and stay well. As soon as 
these two men began to look around the isthmus 
they saw that here was the same trouble as they 150 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
found in Havana, and they began the same kind of 
work. Digging a big ditch to drain the marshy 
lands where the mosquitoes came from, and pouring 
great quantities of kerosene oil on the ponds killed 
the mosquitoes. Cleaning the towns of Ancon, on the 
Atlantic side, and Panama on the Pacific side, paving 
the streets, putting in sewers to carry away all the 
filthy water, and bringing in good water from the 
mountains, for the people to drink, has made these 
places quite free from the much dreaded yellow fever, 
cholera, and other fevers. 
When the isthmus was made a clean, healthy place, 
our Government sent the men down there to build 
the canal, and it was made, as every one knows, and 
is a very wonderful piece of work. It never would 
'have been made if these two men had not gone there 
and made the canal zone a healthy place to live in. 
Dr. Reed is now dead, and to commemorate his 
memory and the great work he did, a large, fine hos- 
pital, near Washington, is named "The Walter Reed 
Hospital." Dr. Gorgas is also dead, and in his 
memory the countries of Central America have built 
a large research laboratory, where the diseases of 
tropical countries will be studied by men sent from 
the United States. 
APPENDIX 24. 
It is impossible to say which part of our body is 
the most important, but if we were to try to decide 
I am sure the blood would come very near winning 
The Blood. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
151 
the first place. We can live without legs or arms, 
we can live without eyes or ears, though we could not 
be very happy without these parts; but without the 
proper amount and kind of blood we would just 
have to give up living altogether. 
I think people have always known how very im- 
portant the blood was. Many times we see ad- 
vertisements in the papers of "blood medicine", 
which is supposed to "clear the blood"; whatever is 
really meant by that I do not know. In some parts 
of the country, the country women come to town in 
the spring with a basket full of little bundles of 
sarsaparilla bark, which they sell. Those who buy 
them pour boiling water over them and make a kind 
of drink which they call sarsaparilla tea. This is 
supposed to be "good for the blood." In one of 
Dickens' novels he tells of a boys' school where every 
spring the boys had to stand in a line in the morn- 
ing, and the head teacher made each one swallow a 
mixture of sulphur and molasses, which was given 
by the teaspoonful to "clear the blood." 
We can thus see that people have always appreci- 
ated the importance of the blood, and have tried the 
best ways they knew to keep it good and fit to do its 
very useful and necessary work. 
We are still just as anxious to keep it in the 
proper condition, though we do not dose the chil- 
dren on sulphur and molasses, or sarsaparilla tea. 
We are all familiar with the blood. We never see 
our hearts, though we can feel them beating in our 
breasts, but there is hardly a child old enough to go 
to school who is not able to tell what the blood looks 
like. It is red, bright red, and we do not like to see 152 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
it come out of our bodies where it belongs. We al- 
ways try to stop any flow of blood, but when we 
have a little cut it is not wrong to let the blood flow 
for a little while as it may wash away some poison 
that got in with the cut. We have quite a good deal 
of blood. A full grown person has about six quarts 
so we need not be alarmed if we lose as much as a 
teaspoonful when we have a cut. There is one very 
curious thing about the blood (in fact there are very 
many wonderful things about it). While it is in 
the body it is thin like water, and when it has been 
out of the body for a little while it becomes thick like 
jelly. When it is in the body it is red, and after it 
has been out of the body for some time it has turned 
brown and the longer it is out the darker it becomes. 
This property of becoming like jelly is called 
"clotting" and it is a wonderful help to us. When 
one has received an injury and the blood pours forth, 
in a little while a clot forms on the injured part and 
the blood stops of itself. This is true if the blood 
flows, but if it comes in jets or spurts then the case 
is more serious and we must stop the blood, as it is 
coming directly from the heart, which will keep on 
pumping it out. There are many more interesting 
things to learn about the blood, which looks just like 
red water but is made of many different ingredients, 
and is the means by which we grow, and also the 
means by which we fight many of the diseases to 
which we are subject. When we are vaccinated, 
something is put in the blood that will fight any 
small-pox germ and kill it. When we are given any 
anti-toxin, that substance stays in the blood and LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
153 
fights and kills the germs that would give us the 
disease. 
The blood as it goes all over the body gives to 
every part what it needs to make it grow, and renew 
the parts that are worn out, for we must remember 
that our bodies wear out just as our clothing does; 
but unlike the clothing the body renews itself. 
The blood has been likened to the grocer's delivery 
wagon that comes to our houses in the city several 
times a day, with whatever we ask for. Some gro- 
cers send out their wagons four or five times a day, 
so the people will have what they need to eat. 
The heart treats us much better than any grocer, 
no matter how accommodating he may be, for it 
sends the good blood around our bodies with every 
heart beat, and the heart beats in a child more than 
eighty times every minute, and this supply of good 
blood is sent not only all the day, but all the night 
also. All the time from the minute we begin to 
live until we die, this wonderful blood is going, going 
all over our bodies giving out what each part needs to 
make it strong to do its work in the world. Some 
bones need to be made bigger; the blood is right 
there with the bone making material, and it gives it 
to the bones that call for it. Some muscles need to 
be made stronger; perhaps the children are going to 
run a race, and as they practice running the heart 
beats quicker and more blood is sent to the muscle 
and it grows better and bigger. Perhaps a big din- 
ner has been eaten, and that food needs to be di- 
gested; then the heart sends an extra amount of 
blood to the stomach to help to digest that food so 
it can be made into more blood. 154 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
All this is only a part of what the blood does for 
us. Besides giving every part what it needs to make 
it grow, and stay good and strong, the blood as it 
goes through the body picks up all the worn out 
parts of the body and carries them along by another 
way to where they can be sent out away from us al- 
together. So besides acting like the grocery wagon, 
it does the work of the garbage collector, and while 
it renews the body it also keeps it strong, and (so to 
speak) sweeps the house where we live and keeps it 
sweet and clean all the time. 
We have not yet found out all that the blood does 
for us. Besides renewing our various parts and car- 
rying away that which is worn out the blood is on 
hand to help us if we get hurt in any way. 
Sometimes if we are a little awkward in the kitchen, 
we burn ourselves. It may be only a small burn 
but it certainly does hurt, and we do the best we 
know to make it stop hurting, which is all very 
well; but anything we can do will not cure the in- 
jured place. The blood has to do that, so it sends 
a part of it that is clear like water to the burn and 
that makes a nice little soft cushion to cover the 
nerves that have been so badly treated, and we say 
the burn has made a blister. After awhile when 
the nerves can bear it we can make a little hole in 
the blister and let out the water, and if we can be 
very careful and keep the skin on the place it will 
be well very soon. But if the skin is rubbed off and 
some dirt settles on the place it will be sore for a 
longer time. Suppose a child falls out of a tree he 
has been climbing, and breaks a leg or arm. 
We get the doctor as soon as we can, and he puts the LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
155 
two broken ends of the bone together and binds them 
firmly so they will not slip, and that is all he can do. 
So then Dr. Blood comes and just the same watery 
part is poured out over the broken place, and after 
awhile that which seems like water gets thick like 
jelly, and then Dr. Blood brings the hard, bony 
particles to the place, and very gradually the broken 
parts are fastened tight together, and we say that 
the bone has knitted, and it is as strong as ever. 
Sometimes we get a cut, and out comes the blood, 
and it is just as well to let it flow for a little while, 
as it will wash out any dirt that may have gotten in. 
Pretty soon (unless the cut is very deep) the blood 
will stop, and some seems to harden on the surface 
of the cut. This harder part of the blood is called 
a clot, and it always forms when the blood is exposed 
to the air. This clot or scab should be allowed to 
remain. It will fall off when the place is well. 
APPENDIX 25. 
Glands. 
A gland is a factory inside of our bodies that 
makes something we need to keep us healthy and 
comfortable. We have so many that I do not think 
any one has ever been able to count them. Some are 
very large and some are very tiny. 
As you know, the blood goes all over the body, and 
as it goes through the capillaries the various places 
it passes help themselves to what they need. This 
is what the glands do also, but when they get what 
they need they do not use it on themselves as do the 156 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
bones, muscles and other tissues, but they make it 
over into something quite different that will be used 
in another place. Most of them make substances 
that are very useful, and one kind which you will 
learn about takes from the blood the things that 
would make us sick. 
The largest gland in the body is the liver. It is 
on the right side, just under the diaphragm. In a 
grown person it weighs about four pounds. It is a 
dark red color and looks like the liver we may see 
in the butcher's shop. It makes a fluid that helps 
to digest our food, and as the food that has been 
partly digested in the stomach comes to the small 
intestine that is near the liver its juice is poured 
forth on it and the food is thus made more nearly 
ready to be absorbed by the body. It also helps to 
take some poisons and waste matter from the blood. 
The next gland we will learn about is the pancreas. 
This gland also assists in the digestion of the food. 
It is light pink and extends from the small end of 
the stomach to the back of the body. 
The spleen, another gland, is near the pancreas, it 
is smaller than the pancreas and it is thought to 
make something that helps to keep our blood in good 
order. 
These three glands, the liver, the pancreas, and the 
spleen, are all in the middle of our bodies, about 
where the waist line is. There is one more very im- 
portant gland in this same neighborhood that we 
must not overlook. I should say a pair of glands, 
for there are two of them. These important glands 
are the kidneys. They are each side of the back- 
bone. I cannot tell why we have two unless it is that LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
157 
their work is so very important that if one becomes 
diseased and useless we can have the other to serve 
us. They are about four inches long and two broad 
in a grown person. Their duty is to take from the 
blood certain poisons that would make us very sick 
if they were left in. The blood is not allowed to go 
into the general circulation until the kidneys have 
purified it of this poison which is named urea. It is 
taken from the blood by the kidneys and sent down 
to the bladder, from here it is sent out of the body. 
So here we have four very important glands all in 
the region of the waist line,-Liver, Pancreas, Spleen 
and Kidneys. 
We have learned about the big glands, now we 
must learn about some that are very little but none 
the less important. 
We have three sets of glands in or near the mouth, 
and the fluid they make is to help in the digestion 
of our food. It is so important that the food we eat 
shall be changed into the substance that makes good 
strong blood to nourish our bodies, that very many 
different kinds of glands make different kinds of 
fluids; and all of them act on the food we eat, so 
that it may be just right to make the children grow, 
and to maintain the bodies of those that are already 
grown up. 
The first glands to act on the food are these in the 
mouth. There are two near the front of the mouth 
just under the tongue. Look in a mirror, open the 
mouth and lift the tongue and two tiny holes are 
plainly visible. From these holes come the spit as 
it is usually called. The doctors call it saliva. Un- 
der the back part of the tongue are two more holes 158 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
where more saliva comes from; and in front of the 
ears are two more of these saliva glands. All of 
these are to help us to have our food partly digested 
before it reaches the stomach. These glands that 
are near the ears are the ones that become sore and 
swollen when we have the mumps. Everyone knows 
that no matter how dry the food is when it is first 
put into the mouth, in a little while after it has 
been chewed, it is moist; for as soon as some food is 
in the mouth the glands of the mouth begin to pour 
forth the necessary juice-the saliva-and so it is 
made fit to be swallowed. This shows us how fool- 
ish it is to chew gum or tobacco. The saliva is 
poured forth just the same as if some food was being 
chewed, and there being nothing to swallow the 
mouth fills with useless saliva and it must be thrown 
out, and the disgusting habit of spitting is formed. 
It has been said that the American nation is the only 
one where spitting is universally indulged in. 
APPENDIX 25. 
Glands-Part II. 
All the "intestinal tract" (which is the name 
given to the tnbe along which the food must travel) 
is lined with glands that work on the food as it comes 
along. In one place the juice the liver makes is 
poured out to help on the good work, in another the 
juice from the pancreas does the same, each helping 
to digest certain kinds of our food. 
We have some important little glands that make 
the tears, which have a much more important work LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
159 
than to flow forth when we cry. Every time we 
wink the eyelid a tiny drop of this tear fluid is 
pressed out of the gland and this keeps our eyes 
moist and comfortable. 
When we feel like crying, and do not let the tears 
come from our eyes, they flow down a little drain 
pipe that goes from the eye to the nose, and we feel 
the water come down the nose, and have to use our 
handkerchiefs. The opening of this little drain pipe 
is very plainly to be seen on the lower eyelid in 
the corner near the nose. 
The skin is full of little glands, and these are of 
two kinds; one kind makes the oil that keeps our 
skin soft and comfortable. After one uses a harsh 
kind of soap, like the yellow laundry soap, the hands 
feel very dry and unpleasant, and that is because the 
soap, has taken all of the oil away from the skin; 
after awhile they feel better as the oil glands have 
been working and have sent out enough oil to soften 
the skin again. In the winter when the boys are 
careless about drying their hands, and when there is 
perhaps some soapsuds left on them, the hands get 
sore and we say "his hands are chapped", and the 
first thing to do is to put on some kind of grease. 
The soap took the natural oil out of the skin, and the 
moisture left on by careless drying, together with 
the cold, prevented the natural oil from flowing 
forth, and the skin suffered from lack of its proper 
supply of oil. 
Besides the oil glands we have innumerable sweat 
glands all over our bodies. These sweat glands help 
to regulate the body heat, as the moisture when evap- 
orating (as it does in hot weather) cools the surface 160 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
of the body. Besides this, the perspiration or sweat 
helps the kidneys carry off some of the poisons that 
accumulate in the blood. 
From all of this one can see why the skin should 
be kept clean, as the little glands cannot pour forth 
their oil or sweat if their tiny mouths are full of 
dirt. 
The nose is lined with glands that secrete the sticky 
mucus that catches many of the disease germs that 
would make us sick. The dust that would irritate 
our lungs is also caught by this sticky mucus. When 
we have a bad cold this mucus becomes very trouble- 
some as the inflamed membrane of the nose secretes 
it too plentifully. 
There are more glands in our bodies, that are now 
not very well understood, but the doctors and others 
are studying them all the time, and perhaps we will 
be able to know them also some day. 
As we have learned, the glands are organs that 
make something; they are little factories and the 
substances they make are of the greatest importance 
to the body. All of-these substances are liquid, and 
are each one different from the others, and are ex- 
actly right for the particular work they must do. 
We must remember that we should drink a great deal 
of water to help these little factories to turn out the 
best work. They get the material for their work 
from the blood, and the blood is better when we 
drink the right amount of good water. Three pints 
a day is not too much for a boy or girl, and care 
must be taken that it is not too cold as has been ex- 
plained. 
If there has been an accident and a good deal of LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
161 
blood has been lost the patient should have all the 
water he wants, as his blood needs it so all the little 
factories can go on working. 
Perhaps some of the children have read about the 
suffering on a field of battle, when the wounded call 
for water and will undergo almost any pain to drag 
themselves to a pool where they can drink. The doc- 
tors and nurses who attend to these poor men always 
see to it that they have as much water as they need. 
Water is especially needed by the kidneys, whose 
business it is to take the poisons out of the blood. 
When water is freely taken the kidneys act better 
and purify the blood better. There are some medi- 
cinal springs where people go to be cured of their 
diseases, and they are directed to drink as much as a 
gallon of the water every day, so that the kidneys 
can get all of the poison out of their blood. 
APPENDIX 26. 
The Nose. 
The nose does not receive the care or notice that it 
deserves. Inside of the nose are fine hairs which Help 
to sift the air that is breathed. Much dirt is re- 
tained by these hairs which would otherwise have 
gone down into the lungs. Besides the hairs the 
healthy nose is at all times lined with mucus, a very 
sticky substance whose use is to catch any dirt or 
germs that have escaped the sifting of the hairs. 
There are also inside of the nose some thin deli- 
cate bones, and over these are spread the nerves of 
smell, which give us so much pleasure when we smell 162 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
something good, and which warn us of danger when 
we smell something unpleasant. A bad smell al- 
ways means that something is wrong. 
When we smell gas in our homes, we know that it 
is escaping from a leak in the pipe, or that it has 
not been turned off. We know we must find that 
place where the gas smell comes from, so we follow 
the smell as our noses tell us. We know we must 
not make a light with a match or we will have an ex- 
plosion, so we depend entirely on our noses to show 
us where the trouble is. 
Suppose we waken at night and think we smell 
something burning. We get up without loss of time 
and find out where that smell conies from, and if we 
find the house is burning we quickly give the alarm 
and feel thankful that we smelled the burning wood 
before it was too late. It is the faithful nose that 
has saved our house and perhaps the lives of our- 
selves and family. (To the teacher)-Tell of the 
keen sense of smell possessed by wiki animals. 
APPENDIX 27. 
Rats have always been the greatest trial to the 
housekeeper; their cleverness in stealing their food, 
their uncanny avoidance of traps and poison, their 
spoiling of the house by making rat holes in wall or 
floor, their dirty foot tracks, the disgusting odor they 
leave, the spoiling of food by their leaving tooth 
marks and foot marks on it, spoiling clothing by 
making nests in it,-all these traits and more make 
the "rat" a thing to be feared and detested. 
Rats. LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
163 
All these things we have known for hundreds of 
years, and yet no one has shown us how to get rid 
of the rats. Here and there there have been cam- 
paigns against the rats, and they have been extermi- 
nated for a little while, but they come back, and we 
suffer again from their depredations. It is only of 
late years that we have been taught by bitter experi- 
ence how really dangerous the rat is. Not only does 
he steal our food, he brings some of the deadliest dis- 
eases into our homes; the worst one is bubonic plague. 
Not many years ago this dreadful disease made its ap- 
pearance in New Orleans and the people who got 
sick lived only a few hours. The Board of Health 
of that city knew where to look for the source of the 
trouble, and they began to kill the rats and the dis- 
ease was stopped. They killed thousands and thou- 
sands of rats, and they pulled down many old houses 
where the rats lived. They made the people who 
owned them build rat proof houses with thick con- 
crete cellars so the rats could not gnaw through. 
They made all the ships that come to that harbor 
put big round pieces of steel, like big round plates, 
on the ropes that hold the ship to the shore, so the 
rats that are on every ship could not run down the 
rope from the ship to the shore, and so New Orleans 
was made free from rats for the first time. I only 
hope it is free yet. 
The rats do many thousands of dollars worth of 
damage, besides all the food they eat, and we are all 
hoping that some bright boy or girl will find a way 
to rid the whole country of these pests. 
There are different kinds of rats; some are grey, 
some are brown, and some are black; these last are 164 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
the worst and are called Norway rats. Sometimes a 
child has some white rats as pets and they look very 
pretty until the ugly "ratty" tail is seen, and then 
they are seen to be-just rats. 
Mice, Fleas, Lice, etc. 
Mice are not little rats any more than a pony is 
a little horse. The mouse will never grow to be a 
rat any sooner than the pony will grow to be a horse. 
They are just as great a nuisance, perhaps greater, 
as they are little enough to creep through smaller 
holes and so can get to more places. 
There are mice out of doors, too, and here also 
they do much damage. The field mice- come to the 
corn when it is cut and stacked to dry out, and here 
they have a fine feast, with no one to hunt them 
away. They rob the farmer of thousands of dollars 
that he has worked so hard to earn. 
Fleas, Lice.-Every one has read of the suffering 
caused to our soldiers in the great war by the 
"cooties" which is just a polite name for "fleas" 
or "lice". The soldiers were provided with some 
kind of flea-powder, which was supposed to kill the 
fleas, but really serious attention was not given to 
the nuisance until it was found that the bites of these 
fleas were making the soldiers sick, and very sick, 
too. Then the doctors began using more scientific 
measures; they had delousing machines made, into 
which the soldier went. His lousy clothes were all 
taken off and put into a big oven and baked until 
all the lice and their eggs were killed, meanwhile the 
man himself had his hair cut, he was shaved and 
thoroughly bathed. So then he and his clothes were 
both clean, and I am sure he felt happy to be rid of LOWER GRADES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS 
165 
those miserable little disease bearing "cooties". 
We have these same delousing machines now at all 
the places where the people come in from Europe, 
and the immigrant who shows the slightest sign of a 
"cootie" has to be deloused before he is allowed to 
come into our country, because he would bring dis- 
eases in with him if he was not made clean. The 
people over there in Europe are so used to these lice 
and fleas they do not make them sick, but they would 
make us sick as we are not used to them and never 
expect to be. 
(This seems a very revolting series of subjects, but 
I hope to impress the children with the fact that the 
exterminating of these pests is a serious matter and 
that they can be of much help if they know that 
vermin are not only dirty and disgusting, but they 
constitute a very real menace to our health.) 
The cockroach has not had as many sins laid at 
his door as has the fly. Probably because he has not 
been so closely studied. He is so very wary he does 
not come out in day time where people can see him. 
He waits until night comes and then he emerges 
with all of his very numerous family and creeps over 
the kitchen tables, the sink, and anywhere that he 
can find a crumb or some grease to eat. 
I hope before we find out that he can produce some 
disease in us we may have him exterminated. The 
children could help to get rid of him by helping to 
keep the kitchen and sink so clean that he will not 
find anything to eat, then he will have to go some- 
where else or die for lack of food, and that would be 
much the best. 
Bed-bugs. Like the cockroach, the bed-bug has not 166 
A SYLLABUS OF HYGIENE FOR THE 
had very much brought against him in our current 
literature, but there have been cases of illness that 
can be accounted for in no other way. The bed-bug 
multiplies so rapidly that not even one should be al- 
lowed in a house. The moment one is discovered it 
should be killed, and here the children can be of 
much use, as their sharp young eyes can see much 
that the older members of the family overlook. 
There are plenty of insect powders on the market 
for the destruction of these small kinds of vermin; 
but I believe a generous dose of gasoline is most ef- 
ficacious, and will prevent any disease bearing bed- 
bug from doing harm, by causing his death. 
(I am tempted to write here of the head lice so 
often found on school children, but I do not know 
that anything worse can be brought against them 
than dirt and neglect. They may cause disease, but 
I have never heard of it.) 
Fleas, lice, bed-bugs and mosquitoes are all para- 
sites. They live on other living beings, and most of 
them bring disease and sometimes death to the one 
whose blood nourishes them. The mosquito is not 
classed as vermin, so it does not belong in this sec- 
tion, though it is a true parasite. It is found de- 
scribed in another place. 
All of these insects should be destroyed as soon as 
possible. The reason they still live and prey on hu- 
man beings is probably that they are so small they 
are not always easy to find, and though very many 
are destroyed they multiply so rapidly that it seems 
they are always in the same great numbers. 
The Pied Piper of Hamlin. Browning. Ode to a 
Louse. Robert Burns. (To be read to the Grade.)