Health for every day

Preface

This book, Health for Every Day, is a book on personal health. The second book of this series, Health in Home and Neighborhood, summarizes in review form many of the chief principles of personal health presented in the first book; but it is mainly concerned with the healthful or sanitary arrangement and management of homes, schools and the neighborhood. The internal machinery of the human body will be introduced in the second book as far as is helpful to an understanding of personal healthful conditions in the home, in the school and in the neighborhood.

In the books of this series, Health is made to mean more than the merely physical to which it is usually limited. Health Education should no longer have such narrow boundaries, but should be extended to include many problems which concern the mental and social as well as the physical welfare or well-being of humans. From this modern point of view such topics as good manners and good character are matters of health or well-being not less important than digestion and respiration and germ diseases, with which textbooks in this subject commonly deal. In short, the field of the New Health Education is much broader than that covered by the old type of textbooks in physiology and hygiene.

The teacher, school administrator, or school officer who is familiar with the older textbooks in physiology and hygiene will at once notice the absence of descriptions and pictures relating to the anatomy and physiology of internal organs (“‘insides,” the children call theri).. Thesonly references in Health for Every Day to such parts of the body as heart, lungs, liver, ll iv PREFACE intestines, nervous system, etc., are in the general terms familiar to everybody and, therefore, requiring no scientific description for the application to health covered by this book. Extensive study of health teaching in elementary schools has convinced the authors that, before the upper grades, the scientific study, as such, of the internal organs is a waste of time and in fact dulls the interest even before pupils are old enough to begin the study of real anatomy and physiology of the body. Children of the age for which this book is intended should acquire clear ideas concerning good health and should form correct health habits under the guidance of their teachers and parents. At this age pupils do not need to understand, in fact they cannot be made to understand, the physiological reasons for good health habits.

A second feature of Health for Every Day is that at the very beginning of the book emphasis is placed on accidents and other avoidable dangers. No other line of personal hygiene is so easily applied by children or more needed during the entire school year. Therefore the authors believe that Health Education should properly begin with a study of the prevention of accidents and the avoiding of other dangers. The teacher should lose no opportunity to emphasize the safety rules taught in the first lessons.

A third characteristic of this first book is the nature-study basis of many of the health topics. This method of approach to health lessons for children was outlined and discussed by one of the authors of this book in the Nature Study Review, Volume II, 1906. The general idea has been worked out successfully by many teachers who have made their own outlines, but there has long been need of a textbook which uses nature-study for teaching health.

A fourth feature of this book is that the authors have tried to make it a real guide for the study and practice of health. It offers to the pupils numerous problems to be solved, things to

PREFACE Vv be done, and questions which may be answered only by careful thinking.

A fifth feature is the application of the principles of silent reading to the study of this book. For this important contribution the authors are indebted to Miss Laura Zirbes, Investigator of Reading in the Lincoln School, and Lecturer in Teachers College, Columbia University. At the close of each chapter will be found silent reading exercises under the heading, “Things to Ask, Answer, Tell, or Do.” These were prepared by Miss Zirbes, assisted by Miss Della Weed.

Before beginning class work with this book, the teacher should turn to the Suggestions to Teachers and study the discussion of changes in educational method, and the application of the principles of silent reading to Health for Every Day. Especially should the teacher pay attention to the directions which Miss Zirbes has given for setting up real purposes for silent reading and to the interesting possibilities for further activity upon the part of the pupil aside from the use of the silent reading exercises at the end of each chapter.

The silent reading exercises have been carefully prepared with a view to covering all the important points in the text in such a way as to test the child’s ability to read effectively, that is, to understand and apply what he is reading. At the same time these exercises will tend to stimulate the interest of pupils in the subject matter. The teacher who suppiements the required work at the end of each chapter by a thoughful application of the ideas contained in the last pages of the “suggestions” will develop the greatest possible interest of her pupils.

A sixth feature, which the authors regard as of fundamental importance, is the extensive use of pictures for teaching health lessons. That pictures furnish one of the very best means for teaching health lessons to children is no longer questioned. The illustrations in this book are in most cases new to textbooks, and have been planned in harmony with the purposes of vi PREFACE the book. The legends which accompany the illustrations are descriptive, and supplement the text with useful information which should be regarded as an integral part of it. It is important, therefore, that the particular attention of the pupils should be directed to the illustrations.

The authors acknowledge their indebtedness to many persons who have helped in the preparation of the manuscript, especially to Professor Gilbert H. Trafton of the State Normal School at Mankato, Minnesota, and to Dr. Ellen Eddy Shaw of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, who read the manuscript critically; and to Mrs. Maurice Ricker and Mrs. Dorothy E. Doubble for numerous photographs and drawings.

Since the teacher of Health needs much supplemental information which only a special teacher has time to glean from the numerous reference books, few of which are available for the average busy teacher, a teacher’s manual is provided to help those who use Health for Every Day.

Maurice A. BIGELOW

JEAN BROADHURST Teachers College, Columbia University

CHAPTER

Contents

ACCIDENTS AND DANGERS TO HEALTH PLAY AND WoRK

Foop AND WATER

Arr AND HEALTH

Chapter I Accidents And Dangers To Health

This whole book has been written to show you how to keep well and strong. Leaf over the pages and see how many different things affect health. Watch the older members of your family to find out how much of their time is spent in doing things that relate to health: bathing the baby, washing the dishes, cleaning the house, preparing food, and many other things.

Since health is so important, why should any of us risk losing it by our own carelessness? Even the strongest body can be injured or made helpless for life by a single careless act. Yet many people act as if health were the last thing to be considered, and take any and every risk that comes along. They forget how much work a broken leg may mean for the other people at home. They do not realize how much money one illness or accident may take — money which ought to be spent on good food, comfortable clothes, and restful pleasures for the rest of the family.

Many kinds of work that must be done are dangerous. Here are some examples of such work: mining coal, quarrying rocks, making powder and other explosives, working with high power electrical machinery, repairing wires on high poles, digging tunnels under rivers, I and working on tall buildings. The insurance companies call such work ‘extra hazardous,” and charge for insuring the workers more than they charge for those engaged in ordinary work. Is there any work done in your neighborhood which your father says is dangerous?

Fic. 2. In 1921 a kind man in Pennsylvania made a wooden leg for this injured robin. Is an artificial leg ever as good as a real one for birds or children? (Wide World Photos)

We all admire people who are willing to lose their lives or health to save others from harm or death. It is not brave to take.needless risks, yet many people do so constantly.

What useless risks have you noticed people take recently? Have you seen one accident that might have been prevented? What are the dangers that you might meet between your home and the schoolhouse?

Warnings to protect people. Many kinds of warnings are now used to prevent accidents. In the railroad cars there are signs which caution us not to put our heads out of the windows; along the road, signs warn us of dangerous railroad crossings; and workmen put up danger signals when they leave holes or places which are not safe in the street or road. Many special

Fic. 3. You cannot keep your eye on the ball and look out for automobiles at the same time. (Photograph by Edith Ricker)

devices for preventing accidents have been invented. Railroads often have lights that warn the engineer when another train is on the single track between him and the switch ahead; street railways have similar signals to warn their motormen; trap doors opening into the street often ring bells as they open, so that people walking by will not be injured; and many motor cars now have a special light or sign which warns the driver behind it when a car is going to slow down or turn a corner.

Our magazines and newspapers are constantly printing articles warning people to Avorp ACCIDENTS, or recommending SAFETY First. Some people think that Don’t Ger Hurt would be a better warning. Which would make you more careful? Which would make most of the boys and girls you know stop and think before doing dangerous and risky things?

FILL OUT THESE DANGER SIGNS AND WRITE OTHERS YOU HAVE SEEN:

Look out for the ——

Dae ==

School 400 feet ahead: drive ——

Stop, look and ——

Watch your s Don’t get h Dangerous curve, Keep to r Cross crossings ¢ Nos allowed in this factory

Beware of the d——

Dangerous places for play. Big sand piles and wheat bins and even coal piles are dangerous places for little children, because the material may slide with them and carry them down and cover them up. Sand and wheat are especially dangerous because they are made of fine grains which pack so closely together that they may shut out the air. Why is it dangerous for children to dig caves and tunnels in high piles of sand and loose soil? Watch out for the smaller children who might be injured playing around sand piles, even those which are only a few feet high.

Coasting on streets or roads where there are trolley cars or automobiles is dangerous, especially if there are cross streets or turns. Is there a dangerous coasting place near your home or school?

Fic. 4. When you walk behind a trolley car, look out for cars or automobiles coming in the opposite direction. (Photograph by Edith Ricker)

Accidents in games. Some years ago the football rules were changed to give each boy on the team a better chance to play and to make it a safer game.

Are there any games played in your schoolyard or in your town that are too dangerous? If so, can you think of new rules to make them safer?

Street and road dangers. On streets and roads the greatest dangers to life are the motor cars and trucks. Trolleys and trains travel on their own rails, so you can always see when a crossing is safe, if you take the time to look. It is harder to know about motor cars. They come so fast, and can whisk around a corner so rapidly, that they often surprise even careful people.

Fic. 5. What may happen if this boy falls when another truck is close behind? (Photograph by Edith Ricker)

Many drivers are very selfish and careless, and all children should be sure to look in both directions before crossing a street or road. Why should we not cross the street in the middle of the block?

Sometimes, when several children are crossing the street together, they get frightened by a car and run in different directions. Even a careful driver doesn’t know in which direction to turn his car then; so in crossing a street with other children, look carefully before you cross, and keep close together.

ACCIDENTS AND DANGERS TO HEALTH y:

Tying sleds, coasters, and small wagons behind automobiles or trucks is dangerous. Even more so is holding to a car while you are on roller skates or a bicycle. Even if the driver can see you, it is not fair to expect him to keep on the lookout for children who are where they have no right to be.

One of the most dangerous things that children do is to hang on behind wagons, street cars, or motor cars. Most of the accidents come from falling. You never can tell when a sudden turn or jolt may make it impossible for you to hold on. Even if the wagon or car is going slowly, it may be dangerous to drop off because automobiles may be following.

Another way in which children in our northern states often cause accidents to themselves and to older people is by making ice slides on the pavements. These places sometimes become covered up by the snow, and older people slip and injure themselves when walking over them. Slides of that kind should be covered with sand or ashes before the snow hides them or before you leave them for the night.

Can you think of anything better for boy or girl scouts to do than to prevent such accidents by sprinkling ashes over all slippery places on the pavements? How could you help horses on the slippery spots of the streets or roads?

Cars and machinery. What is the right way to get out of a street car? to get on? to step on and off a moving stairway or escalator? to get out of an elevator? Why is it best not to get into an elevator unless the

Fic. 6. Which boy is getting off this bus in the right way? Why would the other boy find it hard to keep his balance as he steps off? (Photograph by Edith Ricker)

elevator man is there? What might happen in stepping off or on a moving elevator?

Which boy in Figure 6 is stepping off in the direction in which the bus is going? Is he more likely to fall than the other boy?

On June 30, 1922, four boys in New York City sneaked up to a motor car parked beside the curb and released the brake. The car rolled down the hill, ran into a place where a man was digging a cellar, and crushed him. Who was responsible for that man’s death? Four foolish boys, who were too cowardly to own up to what they had done and who had to be hunted up by the police.

Many accidents are caused by people who handle machinery and other things they have no right to touch. It is foolish to go where heavy or dangerous machinery is at work. We should always obey DANGER and KEEP OUT signs.

Hundreds of boys are killed every year while playingon railroad tracks

Hundreds of people are killed every year while walk-’ ing along railroad tracks, in spite of the signs that tell them to keep away. Whose fault is this?

Many people think it is “‘smart’’ to see how near they can go to the edge of a cliff or roof. Even brave people often grow dizzy when on high places, such as trestles and cliffs, especially if water is moving below them. The sensible thing is to stay away from such places — even if foolish people try to dare you or tease you to go.

Dangerous fun. Every year we read of a boy or girl who pushed or tripped another child just for the fun of hearing him cry out or of seeing him fall. Last

Io HEALTH FOR EVERY DAY year one little girl in Brooklyn was made lame for life by a boy who tripped her as she walked down the schoolroom aisle. In the same month a little boy in New Jersey was tripped on a stone stair by a bigger boy, and his skull was fractured. In neither case did the boy mean to hurt the other child; he did it “for fun.”’ Pulling chairs out from under people, ducking or pushing them overboard, or putting strings across the path are all mean kinds of play. What do you

Fic. 7. A small electric torch may be bought for about sixty cents. Is it worth “taking a chance” with matches?

think would be the right thing to do with a person who shows so little sense in his fun? How can we make boys and girls feel that such things are not at all funny?

Danger from fires. In Chicago about fifty years ago, five hundred people were killed and one hundred thousand other people lost their homes, just because one careless person put a lantern down in the hay or straw while milking a cow. It is said that the cow kicked the lantern over and that started a fire that burned down a great part of the city.

ACCIDENTS AND DANGERS TO HEALTH II

We ought to use electric flash lights instead of lanterns or matches in places where there is material such as paper, excelsior, hay, gasoline, and natural or artificial gas, that catches fire easily. There are not so many fires from Christmas trees since people began using small electric lights instead of candles. Should

Fic. 8. This girl is rolling over and over to put out the fire. Why would it have helped if someone had wrapped a coat or rug around her also?

“artificial snow,” made of cotton, be used for Christmas decorations? Why are Fourth of July fires so frequent?

Do not leave matches where mice or rats can chew them and so start a fire. Keep matches in a closed box made of some material like tin that will not burn, or else use safety matches. :

Putting out fires. Fires cannot burn without air. Light a little candle and put it inside a lamp chimney. Does it burn as well, with the chimney around it, as it did before? Cover the top of the chimney with a piece of tin or a jelly glass cover. What happens to the flame then?

Why do we open the stove door below the coal or wood, or open the damper in the stovepipe, when we want the fire to burn faster or brighter? Why do we fan a fire when we want it to burn better? Why are there openings at the bottom of gas and kerosene burners?

If you wanted to put out a little fire, how would you do it? Sometimes little children play too near a bon-

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Fic. 9. These strips of cotton (c) and woolen (w) cloth were each eight inches long and they had burned two minutes before this picture was made. Which dress material is less dangerous near an open fire?

fire and their clothing catches on fire. Why does the fire burn faster if they get frightened and run away? How could you help put out such a fire?

If a fire starts in the house, what could you use to smother the flames? Would cotton dresses or woolen coats be better to cover the burning clothes? Which burns faster? Your teacher will help you answer these questions by performing an experiment in which she burns strips of cotton and woolen cloth. Which kind of clothing is more likely to catch fire when near a fireplace or a bonfire?

_ Have you a fire extinguisher in your schoolroom? What is in the fire extinguisher? How does it work? Read the directions carefully to see how to use it in case the teacher is not in the room when a fire starts. In some cities firemen go to every school once a year and tell the children how to put out fires and how fire

Fic. ro. To use this kind of fire extinguisher you must turn it upside down so that the acid and soda become mixed and make a gas which when poured upon a fire will smother it.

extinguishers work. Who will do that for your school? Perhaps the boys and girls in the high school chemistry and physics classes could do it. Twenty-six of our states have laws requiring the schools to teach fire prevention. Is your state one of them?

Avoiding fire dangers. In time of fire most people become very frightened and ‘“‘lose their heads.” Do you think you would be one of those who “keep their heads’’?

In almost every case of fire there is a safe way to get out. Often all the people rush for the same door or window, and so they get jammed together in the hallway or on the stairs. Sometimes one person falls down and others fall over him, blocking the passageway; and then many people may be hurt.

If other people rush, stand back out of the way. You will have a better chance after the crowd has passed.

Fic. 11. Does the fire extinguisher in your school work in the same way that this one does?

Besides, you may find a way then that you were too frightened to see before.

When you go into a moving picture house, a lecture hall, a theater, a hotel, or even a strange apartment house, notice where the exits are, and decide what would be the sensible thing for you to do if some one called “‘Fire!”’

How many fire exits are there in your school building? From how many places could children in your schoolroom reach the ground safely? Could your class get out in five minutes? in three minutes? At the next

school fire drill pretend there is a real fire, to see if the

class can. keep from becoming excited, and can get to the ground in less time than ever before.

How many ways are there of getting out of your

* house and down to the ground? How long would it ss S in a fe nite v ise ki Bs

‘ow

Fic. 12. This boy knew that in running through smoke the baby should be wrapped in a blanket, and a wet cloth should be tied around his own mouth and nose.

take you to get out if you were up and dressed? How long would it take you to get out of bed, dress, and get to a safe place? Why not play that getting up and dressing in the morning is part of a fire drill? Time yourself to see exactly how many minutes it takes, and then try every day to beat your own record,

Another thing every one should do is to decide what is the thing most worth saving in case of a fire. People often carry out useless things. Once at a fire a man was seen carrying something out of a house, holding it carefully in both hands; he took it across the road and put it down in a big armchair. What do you think he had carried out of that burning house? It was an old gingham apron!

Every member of the family should have some idea of what he could do to help most. Who sleeps nearest the baby’s bedroom? Who is strong enough to help grandma out? Who can be trusted to pick out the best clothes and tie them into a sheet with good strong knots? If there is much smoke, who'll know where to find some big handkerchiefs which can be wet to tie around the mouth and nose? A wet handkerchief needn’t be kept over the mouth all the time; you can pull it down, and let it lie around your neck until you are in a smoky place.

Why we should learn to swim. Do you know of any one who was drowned because he did not know how to swim?

Is there any place near by where you can learn to swim? If not, learn the swimming motions by balancing yourself on a stool, practicing them until you can make your legs and arms move in the proper way with good strong strokes. Practice floating when lying on your back in the bathtub, or in water not over two feet deep.

Even though you learn to do these things, you may not be able to swim if you accidentally fall into the water, because falling into the water frightens most people very much. Still, practice may help a little. If you know the strokes, it will not take you long to learn when you do have a chance to go into the water.

Fic. 13. Spools, big corks, or even pieces of corn-cobs can be used as guards for the sharp points of tools like knives or scissors.

If a person who cannot swim falls into the water, what can he do to help himself?

It is much harder to swim with one’s clothes on, and that is one reason why people should be very careful

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Fic. 14. Why are these dangerous? How can accidents with them be prevented?

about moving around when they are in small boats, and about skating or walking on thin ice. Even people who can swim well in their bathing suits may be unable to swim when their heavy clothes become filled with water.

Dangerous tools. Once a paper printed an advertisement like this:

Send 30 cents and an addressed envelope to........ to find out how to use a knife without cutting yourself.

Many people sent money, and all they received in return was a little printed card like this, which told them something they had known all their lives.

| CUT FROM YOU |

This is one of many rules you should know about the use of sharp or dangerous tools. How should you carry scissors? a sharp knife that doesn’t close up? a

Fic. 15. Why is this the proper way to open a knife?

sickle or grass hook? an ax or a hatchet? How should you open a penknife that has a stiff spring?

Keeping smaller children from getting hurt. The Little Mothers League in New York City teaches little girls how to care for the babies in their families. Last year in New York State there were ten thousand little girls who were members of Little Mother’s clubs. How many girls in your school belong to such clubs?

What are some of the ways Little Mothers or Big Brothers could keep smaller children out of danger?

Make a Little Mother’s card or a Big Brother’s card which gives all the things older girls or boys should keep in mind to guard and protect little children on the city streets or in the country.

Children have been seriously injured by older boys

Fic. 16. What dangerous thing is this two-year-old holding? What might happen if she were startled or fell out of her chair? (Photograph by Edith Ricker)

and girls who enjoy scaring or frightening younger

children. In 1923 several children pretended to bury

one little girl alive in sand, and after months of illness she finally died from the effects of that terrible experience. The same year two boys pretended that they were going to burn two younger boys whom they tied to a stake; the fire which they started got beyond their control and killed both of the smaller boys.

No one has any right to scare or frighten little children. It may make them very nervous, even if it

Fic. 17. This sad-eyed girl is too small to be a member of a Little Mother’s League, but she must watch the baby’s carriage while the mother works to earn money to buy food. (Courtesy of Henry Street Settlement)

does no other harm to them. Only very thoughtless or stupid or mean boys and girls act in such ways. It is almost as mean to scare animals, such as dogs and cats. What do you think of a boy who would tie a tin can or a fire cracker to a dog’s tail? How should such a mean boy be punished?

ACCIDENTS AND DANGERS TO HEALTH eT

Mouth and throat accidents. Little babies sometimes swallow things that choke them, or poke things into their ears or noses. There are other accidents that may happen to older children’s mouths or noses or ears. Sometimes they choke on something that they have been holding in the mouth, such as a pin. Or

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STATE HEALTH OFFICER.

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Fic. 18. A certificate like this is given to Little Mothers in many states.

they choke on a fishbone that they did not notice in the food they were eating.

If a bone or a penny gets caught in the throat, it often can be loosened by coughing or by vomiting. The patient may be made to vomit by tickling the throat back of the tongue with a feather or a bit of cotton on the end of a stick or pencil. A doctor can usually take out the troublesome object with a pair of pincers, but sometimes he may find it necessary to