Hygiene for the worker

Preface To The Series

The teaching of hygiene fails when it is founded upon the assumption that a knowledge of anatomy is necessary ; it succeeds when it uses the ever-recurring affairs of daily life as the subject matter, and endeavors to regulate those affairs correctly. It should deal with the establishing of good habits, not with the learning of abstruse facts, and should seek to insure the carrying into practice, instruc¬ tions given in the classroom. In following out these principles, the teacher will make a daily inspection of hands rather than require that a composition be written upon the structure of the skin and the anatomical effects of dirt.

To support this kind of teaching this series of books on Hygiene has been prepared. A book is provided for each elementary school year from the Fourth to the Eighth inclusive ; in addition there is, for older girls, a hygiene dealing particularly with the care of little children and the health factors of home life, and, for the older elementary children and for vocational and industrial high schools, a Hygiene for the Worker.

Each of these books is based upon daily hygienic routine and the hygienic inspection which should begin the day’s work in every school every day. In addition, the general topics, such as clothing, food, and exercise, assigned to the year’s work, are treated in relation to alcohol and tobacco, anti-tuberculosis measures, home hygiene, and the particu¬ lar necessities of cold and hot weather.

IV

PREFACE TO THE SERIES

The editor has spared no effort to obtain the services of those who really know the facts, and some of the writers have international reputation in the subjects with which they deal. Nevertheless, each manuscript has been sub¬ jected to repeated revision by prominent physicians and school men and women. For hygienic reasons, no half¬ tone illustrations have been used, and the specially pre¬ pared drawings aim to tell the story concisely. Emphasis is placed upon the positive constructive aspect of the illus¬ tration, and pictures of the distressing and disagreeable are not to be found. The books are short and emphatic in essentials, recurring frequently to important points, and no effort is made to exhaust the subject.

It has been the editor’s endeavor, one which the authors and publishers have strongly seconded, to provide a series of books adapted directly to the getting of results.

c. w. c.

Preface To Hygiene For The Worker

In preparing this volume the author has had access to the large collection of working models, special reports, and photographs of the American Museum of Safety, and to the collections and exhibits of the International Expo¬ sition of Hygiene at Dresden in 1911.

Acknowledgment is made to Directors Hartmann, Karsch, and Mamy, of the Museums of Safety in Berlin, Munich, and Paris respectively, for their many helpful suggestions. Special acknowledgment is due to Mr. John H. Patterson of Dayton, Ohio, for his kindness in placing his unique collection of several thousands of photographs at our disposal for the purpose of selecting the most strik¬ ing examples of what is being done for safety and in¬ dustrial hygiene in the best American shop practice.

The book is based upon actual shop conditions and en¬ deavors to set forth in a practical way matters of most importance to good health, happiness, and efficiency.

W. H. T.

EDITOR’S NOTE

This book, the second volume of a two-book elementary school series, is designed for boys and girls from thirteen to eighteen years of age, for special classes preparing to pass examinations for labor certificates, and for vocational, industrial, and manual training high schools. It will be particularly useful in continuation and night schools, for it is adapted to the needs of all workers, old and young.

vi PREFACE TO HYGIENE FOR THE WORKER

Prepared upon the plan formulated by the editor, this book is written by an expert of international reputation in industrial hygiene. Its facts have been verified by sound medical authority, and its method approved by teachers of experience.

To equip the worker to care for himself under actual working conditions hs they exist to-day and to add to his happiness and efficiency are the two purposes of the book.

C. W. C.

CHAPTER

CHAPTER I About to go to work. — The

boy or girl about to go to work has reached one of the most important turning points in life.

If he has finished the ele¬ mentary school course, he will be able to meet most of the demands of ordinary business life. If he is fortunate enough to have completed a high school training, he will find that he possesses an equipment that will overcome many an ob¬ stacle in the way of success.

Some of you have been look¬ ing forward to this event, eager to know and to enjoy the in¬ dependence that comes only through the honest earning of your “ bread and butter. Others, perhaps through necessity rather than choice, are about to enter the business world, with little realization of the trials and responsibilities to be met. But the overcoming of these new trials and the acceptance of these responsibilities will afford one of the most enduring satisfactions of life.

Now that you are about to leave your school days and the more or less irresponsible period of life, you must take stock of yourself — as it were — to see what you have to offer in fair exchange for your first position.

An opening is learned of, perhaps through a friend who knows of a vacancy, or through an advertisement. You decide to apply for that position. Now, how do you think you should go about it? When you present yourself for a position, bear in mind that you will be closely scrutinized by the man who may become your employer.

The employer’s inspection. — Remember that the man, or firm, employing one or two, a dozen, a hundred, per¬ haps thousands of employees, has had a great deal of ex¬ perience in judging the character and possibilities of those who apply for work. The employer, naturally, must have his own interests at heart in engaging a boy or girl to work for him. He does not know, of course, what you can do, but he is able, from his business experience, to “ size you up ” and to form a pretty true estimate of what you may do or may be trained to do.

Manner and appearance. — An employer is always ready to consider the application of a boy or girl who comes to him with self-confident bearing. This, however, must not be taken to mean boldness or forwardness.

He will pay more attention to the applicant whose person shows the unmistakable signs of cleanliness, than he will to him whose appearance is slovenly and untidy. He will choose the boy or girl who is neatly and plainly dressed, in preference to the one who comes to him in showy, elaborate garments, thinking he is making a good impression.

The employer reasons in this way : —

“ If the person I want for this job is clean and neat and self-reliant, I may be sure that his morals and methods of work are equally clean and straightforward. His personal appearance tells me he will have the same respect for his work that he has for him¬ self.”

Neatness of appear¬ ance is a more impor¬ tant business asset than most boys and girls realize.

For example, a pro¬ fessional man who has had a wide experience in meeting all classes and conditions of people, recently made the statement that, under no circum¬ stances, would he employ in his office a young person who came to him with unclean finger nails.

It will not be a difficult matter for you to have confidence in yourself, or to show it in your carriage and bearing, if you carry about with you a clean, healthy body , and such a condition of wholesomeness is within the reach of all. The confidence which comes from a knowledge of one’s own efficiency, backed up by good health, is easily dis¬ tinguished from the self-assurance of one who is too lazy to keep well.

The daily inspection. — The only way to be sure that you will make a good impression under the inspection of the employer, is for you to inspect yourself critically before you apply for the position. The only way for you to be sure that you overlook nothing is to get in the habit of making such an inspection from top to toe every day before you leave home.

Hair. — Most boys and girls, ordinarily, do not value or pay sufficient attention to the little things that go to make up a good appearance.

Take the hair, for instance. If you want to make a good impression, don’t apply for a position with your scalp and hair so unclean as to be offensive.

It has now become the rule, in certain large offices, to draw the line against the girls and young women whose hair is fantastically arranged in the extreme of style. Elab¬ orate head dressings suggest to the employer a certain vanity, self-consciousness, and frivolity that render a girl unable to put her mind seriously upon her work.

Clothing. — - Here also should be mentioned the impro¬ priety of wearing, during business, clothing that seems suitable only for evening or home use. The type of waist known as the lingerie is one that the business girl should not wear in the office. It is neither sensible nor dignified. Nor is it an economy, for on account of its sheerness it requires greater care and expense in laundering ; hence, it is seldom washed as frequently as it should be. There is nothing more distasteful to the average business man than unclean finery.

Boys and girls both are inclined to run to extremes of style in their dress, usually preferring garments that are of the most up-to-date cut and shape to those of more modest appear¬ ance, which are generally found to be made better and of more enduring materials. This is equally true of hats and shoes. An employer will probably notice whether you are wearing elaborately cut and high-heeled shoes, run down, unbrushed, and with broken laces, or whether your feet are shod in sensible, well-fitting shoes, kept clean and neat.

It is well for the boy and girl about to become wage earners to remember, in buying their clothing, the counsel of old Polonius to his son : —

“ Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,

But not expressed in fancy.”

Cleanliness. — Do not think there is any substitute for cleanliness of body. It is foolish to think that the neglect of the body can be long concealed. A famous physician once said that, as he walked along a busy city street, he could always pick out those persons who bathed daily. To his trained eye, the condition of the skin, the complexion, and a certain alertness in the carriage of the body, bore testimony to the habits of the individual.

Do not get the bad habit of loading the body with cheap perfumes, expecting them to take the place of a bath. As one man, who has met all varieties of human nature in his business experience, puts it, “ I instinctively distrust the person whose body reeks with the odor of cheap perfumes ; it seems to me like an endeavor to conceal uncleanliness.”

This may apply more to girls, but it is equally true that an employer is prejudiced against the boy or young man who comes to him smelling strongly of tobacco, particularly of cigarettes. The cigarettist is seldom a success in the business world, and, at the outset, he will learn that the best positions are open to the boys who do not use tobacco.

So small a thing as chewing gum may also stand in the way of your securing the position you want. It is just as well to stop such foolish habits and to avoid all these hin¬ drances now, so that they will not interfere with your success » later on or cause you to wonder why “ the good jobs are so scarce.”

But even more important than these requisites is that of good health.

Importance of good health. — Good health is a prime factor in success. Not only will it help you to secure a good position, but it will enable you to keep it and to do your work well, without undue fatigue and exhaustion. It will enable you also to do your work with a greater degree of interest and pleasure.

Good health is at once apparent in the carriage and posture of the body, in clear eyes and clean complexion, in a quick¬ ness of thought and general alertness, and in steadiness of nerves.

If you are not now enjoying the measure of good health you should have, it is within your power to attain and keep it.

Later, we shall offer suggestions for hygiene and right living that will, if faithfully followed, put your body in the best possible condition for meeting the demands of a work¬ ing day.

You cannot afford to be ill, when once you become a worker, for even if you do not actually lose your position through irregular attendance due to sickness, you will prob¬ ably suffer a loss in wages ; and, once you have been initi¬ ated into the joy of pay day, with the wages of faithful work in your pay envelope, you will not wish to lose any of the substantial benefits of good health.

Cheerfulness. — We might, with profit, dwell upon the cheerful disposition that usually goes with a healthy body. We all prefer those friends who are cheerful and amiable. Isn’t it just as probable that an employer will pick out the pleasant-faced, cheerful boy or girl to work for him, in preference to one whose expression is sour and gloomy and whose manner is short and surly ?

Good health is indeed the greatest asset of the boy or girl who is about to go to work ; for good health enables him to do better and more useful work, and this, in turn, leads to greater happiness and success.

THE MORNING INSPECTION

1. Hair. — Is it well brushed, well ordered, not greasy?

For girls — neatly and securely bound up, without any extreme in fashion?

2. Face, Neck, Ears, Nose. — Clean? For girls — the

skin should not be shiny or show any evidence of powder.

3. Eyes. — Are they red or inflamed? Is there dirt or

matter in the corner?

4. Hands. — Clean? Finger nails clean, trimmed, skin

pushed back ?

5. Collar, Cuffs, Shirt. — Clean?

6. Tie. — Well tied and neat?

7. Clothes. — Clean, no spots, not mussed, well brushed,

no buttons missing? Pockets clean and nothing su¬ perfluous in them ?

8. Clean handkerchief.

9. Shoes. — Brushed, laces not frayed or knotted?

10. Are you starting the day with good posture? Have you clean skin, clean underclothes? Have you cleaned the intestinal tract of accumulated waste ? Have you had enough sleep in good fresh air ?

Chapter II

Getting out of bed. — Have a regular hour for rising and stick to it. Start the day on schedule time without bor¬ rowing or losing a minute. It sounds easy, but all of us know how very difficult it is to leave our comfortable beds at an early hour, especially on cold, dark winter mornings.

It really requires a great deal of will power to force one s self out of bed — no matter how one feels — at the same hour every day, summer and winter, in fair or boisterous weather ; but the good results of this self-discipline are beyond calculation.

There is always much to be gained from systematic habits of living, because to do the same thing in the same way, over and over again, relieves the brain of a lot of unnecessary thinking about what must be done. In this way, much time as well as

nervous energy can be saved.

How long to sleep. — After experimenting a little, in the matter one realizes that it is easier to rise at the regular hour every morning, if the body has had sufficient sleep. In other words, we commence the day right ^ by going to bed right the night before and sleeping with the fresh

IO air from the open windows invigorating the body for the next day.

The time needed by the human machine for rest and repair varies according to the individual. Eight hours of sleep are required by the average person, but the nervous, highly strung people usually need more than this, and tenhours asleep are well spent.

If one has rested comfortably during the night, breathing in plenty of pure, fresh air, he will rise refreshed by his sleep and ready for the day’s work. That well-known condition referred to as “ getting out of the wrong side of the bed ” is

always responsible for the fatiguing? unsuccessful day that follows ; but it is a physical rather than a mental con¬ dition.

Let us be charitable enough to be¬ lieve that the “ grouch ” is the inevi¬ table result of wrong habits of living, which can and should be made over, if the individual is to enjoy success and happiness in his work.

Exercises. — Having jumped out of bed, close the windows and begin your exercises, for the room may be cold and your body should be in a glow before the bath.

i. Place the hands on the hips and bend to one side, then to the other, a little at first, for the muscles are still sleepy. Begin by doing this exercise twelve times, but increase gradually till you are doing thirty vigorous bendings every morning,

Exercise i

II

2. Raise the arms slowly forward and upward as high as you can,

rising on toes

Exercise 3 and inhaling ; pause a mo¬ ment with the chest full and exhale, bring¬ ing the arms slowly down to the side.

Ten good breaths is enough.

Next clasp the

hands behind you and bend the knees so that your fingers touch the heels. This will re¬ quire some practice before you can keep your balance, but it exercises muscles you will hardly use all day.

Twenty times is enough.

4. Take five full breaths

just as described in the second exercise.

5. Separate the feet well

Exercise 5 and swing the arms downward and under as far as you can, then rapidly swing them up and over the head, bending backward as far as you dare, then down again, counting up to twenty times. Go at this exercise gradually, for the trunk muscles are often the weakest of the whole body.

6. If troubled with constipation, stand as straight as you can, and raise the knees alternately to the chest twenty times.

Now your blood is in good circulation and you are ready for the bath.

Bathing. — Cleanliness is said to be next to godliness, « but it is also very close to success, if we accept the advice of Benjamin Franklin, one of whose rules of life was to “ tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation.”

Having done your exercises, the next thing to do is to give the human machine a good cleaning.

The skin of the body is filled with millions of little glands that are continually secreting waste matter, much the same as that cast off every day through the bowels and kidneys. It is evident, then, how very important it is to keep the pores of the skin from becoming clogged with the poisonous wastes of the body, as they are when we neglect to bathe regularly.

Every man’s tonic. — If you haven’t the time or the opportunity to get into the tub every day, then be sure to sponge off the body and give it a good rubbing with a coarse towel before putting on your clothing. If you can accus¬ tom yourself to it, a cold bath is far more beneficial than a warm one in the morning, for it stimulates and invigorates the body, puts the skin in a glow, improves the circulation, and acts as a safeguard against colds and other diseases which result from a lowered vitality. A cold splash on the face, neck, and chest should be the rule for even the most sensitive. At least twice a week, take a warm bath, using plenty of soap. The best time for it is just before going to bed at night.

Teeth. — The mouth and teeth should be thor¬ oughly cleansed every morning. Wash out the mouth and gargle the throat. The teeth should be well brushed with a moderately stiff brush and an antiseptic powder, paste, or liquid. Spend most of your effort on the places you cannot see, and brush up and down, as well as along the row of teeth.

Nose. — If you are obliged to work in dusty places, the nose should be washed, morning and night, with warm salt water, a half teaspoonful of salt to a cup of water. If you have any trouble in the nasal passages, a physician will tell you how to use a nasal douche. But it is a simple matter to pour into the nostrils a spoonful or so of clean water and blow it out again. «Be careful not to swallow while you are ' doing so, for the water many enter the passage which leads from the throat to the ear and cause serious trouble.

Dressing. — After you have drunk a glass of water, dress yourself quickly but carefully. Don’t dawdle and don’t rush. It is a good plan to brush and clean your clothes and lay them out at night so that you can put your hands on them at once in the morning and thus lose no time in hunting out a clean waist or shirt, the fresh neckpiece, or the missing collar button. To be obliged to stop and look for something, to sew on a button, or to replace a broken shoe lace, does not help in “ starting the day right.”

Brush and arrange your hair before you put on your coat or waist, as it certainly detracts from a tidy appearance to have hairs clinging to the clothing.

Be sure that your nails are trimmed and clean. It takes but a moment to do this, but the moment’s care will add greatly to your appearance, as well as to your self-respect. Before leaving the house, see that you have a clean hand¬ kerchief with you.

Wear clothing that is comfortable, appropriate for the work in hand, and suited to the weather. While your work clothes should be becoming and of as good materials as you can afford, they should be free from “ frills ” and eccen¬ tricities of style. The question of clothing suitable for cer¬ tain kinds of work and for the different seasons of the year will be taken up in greater detail in succeeding chapters. It is sufficient to point out here that the simpler and more businesslike your clothing is, the more quickly you can get into it in the morning.

Breakfast. — Breakfast need not be a hurried meal with the wage earner. It is better to eat a little less food and chew it thoroughly than to wash down quantities of halfchewed food with coffee and tea, which cannot be digested readily and will cause trouble later on. By eating slowly, even the coarsest food tastes good ; you will get more pleas¬ ure and benefit from it ; and you will find that you do not need so much. Stop eating as soon as you have had enough. No one can say how much another should eat, as it is not how much we eat but how much we assimilate from our food that makes it nourishing. This must be a matter of in¬ dividual judgment, although we know that most of us eat entirely too much and that intemperance in eating causes much illness.

In order to get the best results from it, it is important that food should be clean, fresh, and nourishing. This does not mean that it must be expensive. A breakfast of fruit, cereal and milk, with bread and butter, will give you more energy for the day, and do you more good than a meal of meat and fried potatoes and one or two cups of muddy coffee. Coffee and tea are only whips, and have no food value in themselves, except in the sugar and milk which are usually added to them.

Water and milk are the best beverages, although the latter should really be considered as a food.

Rise from the breakfast table clear-headed and feeling that your food has given you working power, rather than heavy and stupid, as a result of improper eating.

Going to work. — Try to get away after breakfast in time to avoid rushing. Too violent exercise, like running to catch a car, immediately after eating, should always be avoided. If it is at all possible, walk to your work.

The most beneficial forms of exercise are those that can be taken in the open air. For this reason, apart from out¬ door games and sports, walking is at once the best, most i6 convenient, and cheapest exercise for the wage earner. If distance or the weather makes walking to your work im¬ possible, you should certainly get out of doors for a brisk walk at the lunch hour, if only for a few minutes. If you feel chilly or cold when walking, take a few long, deep breaths, which will help to quicken the circulation of your blood and make you warm.

Walk with your head high and your chest up, with the feeling that you are looking the world in the face. Nothing will so quickly drive away “ the blues ” on a bad morning, or increase your stock of courage and self-confidence.

Make it the rule of your business life to be on time. Delays are very often unavoidable, especially in the city, where the traffic conditions at the rush hours are responsible for much loss of time and, sometimes, of temper. But it is much better to start a little in advance of the actual time required for the trip to your work, than to run the risk of being de¬ layed in reaching the shop or office. Always make up any time you have thus lost in the working day, by coming earlier the next morning, by “ docking ” yourself at your lunch hour, or by staying later in the evening — anything to make your account good, whether it is noticed by your employers or not. It is the “ keeping square ” with yourself that counts, adds to your self-respect, and enables you to do honest work, the land of work that invariably leads to real success. t

Habits which should become invariable. — Make a placard of the following routine and hang it up where you can see it every morning : —

REGULAR MORNING ROUTINE

1. Have a set time for rising and throw the bedclothes

over the foot of the bed not a second later.

2. Take the breathing and setting-up exercises.

3. Cold splash on the face and chest at least; then a

brisk rub with a rough towel.

4. Clean the mouth; brush the teeth, get into all the

corners.

5. Drink a glass of water.

6. Visit the toilet and wash the hands afterward.

7. Make your regular inspection of your appearance.

(See Chapter I.)

8. “Work well begun is already half done.”

-v

Chapter III

Forming good habits. — The importance of good health and a neat appearance as factors in success cannot be over¬ estimated. In a general way, the employer’s point of view in selecting his work people has been considered, but for those who realize that an improvement in health and per¬ sonal appearance is necessary before seeking positions, it will be well to put into practice at once those habits of care and cleanliness that will result in increased efficiency and self-respect. Incidentally, one of the most important habits a worker can form is the use of good English and the avoidance of slang.

Hair. — Starting with the hair, which is at once a pro¬ tection and an adornment, we notice that in very many

cases it is grossly neglected. The hair should be kept clean and well brushed.

The brushing is im¬ portant, because it brings the blood to the scalp and distributes over the hair the oil that is secreted at its roots. This makes the hair glossy and gives it a good appearance. The oil, however, should not be allowed to remain on the hair and scalp, an^ mix with the dust and impurities of the house and street, until the hair becomes heavy and greasy. It should be thoroughly washed with good soap, green or castile, at least once a month, and the scalp massaged in order to remove the dirt and scales that may be clinging to it.

Persons whose hair is naturally oily can afford to wash it more frequently than can those whose hair is light and dry, for the latter condition shows that the scalp is de¬ ficient in the natural oil. Brushing and massaging the. scalp will be of especial benefit in this case to increase the circula¬ tion; it is also well to rub in a very little pure vaseline occa¬ sionally at the roots, but not in such quantities as to make the hair greasy and sticky.

Dandruff may be cured by washing the scalp and rubbing in thoroughly a little thirty per cent sulphur ointment. *