A Civic Biology, Presented in ProblemsHunter, George W. (George William)
Science
A Civic Biology, Presented in Problems
Hunter, George W. (George William)
Biology; Sanitation
Insects and Foods.--In the summer our houses should be provided with
screens. All food should be carefully protected from flies. Dirty dishes,
scraps of food, and such garbage should be quickly cleaned up and disposed
of after a meal. Insect powder (pyrethrum) will help keep out "croton bugs"
and other undesirable household pests, but cleanliness will do far more.
Most kitchen pests, as the roach, simply stay with us because they find
dirt and food abundant.
Use of Ice.--Food should be properly cared for at all times, but especially
during the summer. Iceboxes are a necessity, especially where children
live, in order to keep milk fresh. A dirty icebox is almost as bad as none
at all, because food will decay or take on unpleasant odors from other
foods.
[Illustration: The wrong and the right kind of garbage cans.]
Disposal of Wastes.--In city houses the disposal of human wastes is
provided for by a city system of sewers. The wastes from the kitchen, the
garbage, should be disposed of each day. The garbage pail should be
frequently sterilized by rinsing it with boiling water. Plenty of lye or
soap should be used. Remember that flies frequent the uncovered garbage
pail, and that they may next walk on your food. Collection and disposal of
garbage is the work of the municipality.
[Illustration: The culture (_A_) was exposed to the air of a dirty street
in the crowded part of Manhattan. (_B_) was exposed to the air of a
well-cleaned and watered street in the uptown residence portion. Which
culture has the more colonies of bacteria? How do you account for this?]
School Surroundings.--How to Improve Them.--From five to six hours a day
for forty weeks is spent by the average boy or girl in the schoolroom. It
is part of our environment and should therefore be considered as worthy of
our care. Not only should a schoolroom be attractive, but it should be
clean and sanitary. City schools, because of their locations, of the
sometimes poor janitorial service, and especially because of the
selfishness and carelessness of children who use them, may be very dirty
and unsanitary. Dirt and dust breed and carry bacteria. Plate cultures show
greatly increased numbers of bacteria to be in the air when pupils are
moving about, for then dust, bearing bacteria, is stirred up and circulated
through the air. Sweeping and dusting with dry brooms or feather dusters
only stirs up the dust, leaving it to settle in some other place with its
load of bacteria. Professor Hodge tells of an experience in a school in
Worcester, Mass. A health brigade was formed among the children, whose duty
was to clean the rooms every morning by wiping all exposed surface with a
damp cloth. In a school of 425 pupils not a single case of contagious
diseases appeared during the entire year. Why not try this in your own
school?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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