To all families, but especially to those where there are
little children, sickness is sure to come in one form or
another, and no wife and mother should feel that she has
done her duty until she has trained herself to be a gentle
and careful nurse. Furthermore, it is undoubtedly true,
that a large proportion of the illness which we so much
dread may be averted or greatly modified by intelligent and
watchful care, and as " prevention is better than cure," the
first thing which we need to learn, is, how to prevent. On
that point, I have already said much to 3tou, but shall once
more repeat briefly some of the more important rules which
have been found to be essential to the prevention of disease
In the first place, then, you must be chan, in your house, in
your clothing, in your body and in your soul. Your house,
its cellar, outbuildings, drainage, etc., must be clean, or else
the poisonous gases, which emanate from decay of any and
all kinds, will produce fevers aud choleraic diseases. Your
clothing and your body must be clean, or you will be preyed
upon by skin diseases, and all the ailments which arise from
a stoppage of the pores of the skin; and, last of all, your
soul must be clean, because there is no more frequent or
prolific cause of disease and physical degradation than vice
or immorality.
ON HABITS AND MANNERS. I 53
Secondly, you must have good and well-cooked food,
which you must eat regularly and in reasonable quantities,
as excesses in eating and drinking sow the seed for the har-
vest of aches and pains, arid you must be careful that the
water which you drink and use in other ways, is pure ; that
is, free from filth of all kinds; from organic matter or min-
eral salts. Thirdly, you must be clothed with due regard to
the changing seasons, must have plenty of fresh air to
breathe, both by day and night ; and, finally, must keep
both mind and body in a state of wholesome activity ; for
work, wholesome, well-regulated work, is a most valuable
safeguard against many kinds of illness.
A dua attention to these rules will undoubtedly enable
both individuals and communities to avoid many of the dis-
eases (especially those that usually occur in epidemic forms)
which have hitherto been considered inevitable ; but, even
then, there will remain ample need for good nursing, an 1
anjr woman who really knows how to nurse will always find
plenty of work ready to her hand. 1 do not, of course,
mean to say that a woman who has the cares of a household
upon her, should be called upon to be, also, a trained nurse ;
but I do believe that almost any ordinarily intelligent
woman can, if she will rightly use her opportunities and
faculties, learn to understand so well the symptoms and
treatment of any common illness as to be able to prevent
154 ON HABITS AND MANNERS.
Page 69
Presented as published in 1888. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
To all families, but especially to those where there are little children, sickness is sure to come in one form or another, and no wife and mother should feel that she has done her duty until she has trained herself to be a gentle and careful nurse. Furthermore, it is undoubtedly true, that a large proportion of the illness which we so much dread may be averted or greatly modified by intelligent and watchful care, and as " prevention is better than cure," the first thing which we need to learn, is, how to prevent. On that point, I have already said much to 3tou, but shall once more repeat briefly some of the more important rules which have been found to be essential to the prevention of disease In the first place, then, you must be clean, in your house, in your clothing, in your body and in your soul. Your house, its cellar, outbuildings, drainage, etc., must be clean, or else the poisonous gases, which emanate from decay of any and all kinds, will produce fevers aud choleraic diseases. Your clothing and your body must be clean, or you will be preyed upon by skin diseases, and all the ailments which arise from a stoppage of the pores of the skin; and, last of all, your soul must be clean, because there is no more frequent or prolific cause of disease and physical degradation than vice or immorality.
Secondly, you must have good and well-cooked food, which you must eat regularly and in reasonable quantities, as excesses in eating and drinking sow the seed for the harvest of aches and pains, arid you must be careful that the water which you drink and use in other ways, is pure ; that is, free from filth of all kinds; from organic matter or mineral salts. Thirdly, you must be clothed with due regard to the changing seasons, must have plenty of fresh air to breathe, both by day and night ; and, finally, must keep both mind and body in a state of wholesome activity ; for work, wholesome, well-regulated work, is a most valuable safeguard against many kinds of illness.
A due attention to these rules will undoubtedly enable both individuals and communities to avoid many of the diseases (especially those that usually occur in epidemic forms) which have hitherto been considered inevitable ; but, even then, there will remain ample need for good nursing, and any woman who really knows how to nurse will always find plenty of work ready to her hand. 1 do not, of course, mean to say that a woman who has the cares of a household upon her, should be called upon to be, also, a trained nurse ; but I do believe that almost any ordinarily intelligent woman can, if she will rightly use her opportunities and faculties, learn to understand so well the symptoms and treatment of any common illness as to be able to prevent