A manual of practical hygiene for students, physicians, and health officers / By Charles Harrington.

  • Harrington, Charles, 1856-1908.
Date:
1914
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A manual of practical hygiene for students, physicians, and health officers / By Charles Harrington. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University Libraries/Information Services, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University.

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    heat from the furnaces, the stokers perform their exhausting office. The air of the stoke holds is commonly not only excessively hot, but exceedingly foul, and these conditions can be abated only by proper ventilation, which may be secured either by means of mechanical appli- ances or windsails. Water-closets and latrines should be of as simple a type as possible and capable of effective flushing. The soil-pipes may dis- charge above or below the water line. Where closets must be located below the water line, special pumping arrangements are provided for their emptying and flushing. Their placing differs according to the size and character of the ships. Latrines for the crew are placed for- ward and completely disconnected from the forecastle. They are supplied at the rate of not less than three for every hundred men. Urinals are commonly a source of great nuisance, and hence require extra care. On passenger ships, three closets should be provided for every hun- dred persons carried, and they should be so located with reference to sleeping quarters that they may not give rise to nuisance. Whenever weather and other circumstances permit, all bedding should be thoroughly aired, each article being brought up from below and exposed separately, fastened to the rigging or upon the girt lines. Hammocks should be thoroughly cleaned and dried about once in every fortnight. Blankets should be washed with soap at least every six months; hammocks and all articles of bedding should be, when prac- ticable, exposed for part of each day to the direct action of the sunlight. For methods of disinfection and general cleansing, the reader is referred to the chapter on Quarantine. Personal cleanliness of the men is of even greater importance than cleanliness of their surroundings, and, indeed, the two go hand in hand, for men of cleanly habits will not permit their surroundings to be other- wise than wholesome, and those who are not naturally so inclined should be required to keep themselves clean. Each man should be allowed a sufficient supply of fresh water daily, and the necessary a|)])liances for washing should be provided. In navies, the washing of the person is commonly made a part of the routine. Special provi- sion for the care of the person is required for those who have the dirt- iest work to perform, namely, the firemen and stokers, since their occupation precludes the use of much wearing apparel, and the air of the place where the work is laden with coal dust and so hot that their bodies are constantly bathed in perspiration. Short bath-tubs of gal- vanized iron, a sufficient number of wash-basins, and a reasonable allow- ance of water and soap, should be provided. Given the conveniences and encouragement to make use of them, the chances are that they will be appreciated and freely used. As in the case with .soldiers, it is of very great importance that sailors should be kept busy and, at the same time, siiould have sufficient time for relaxation, which they siiould be encouraged to si)end in such ])ur- Kiiits a.s will conduce best to tiie promotion of cheerfulness and the pre- vention of ennui.