Jackson County, Missouri - Chapter 3: Geology, .botany and Climate, 1881 (part 2 of 2)

Dwelling houses should be so constructed as to have free ventilation in every part from cellar to garret, and especial care should be taken that houses without cellars should be somewhat elevated from the ground with openings sufBcient to admit the free circulation of air under them and these should be open in summer. In damp, rainy weather fires should be made occasionally to dispel the dampness and dry the rooms. They also serve to purify the air by producing a draught or current of air which carries off the impure atmosphere which is generated, especially in sleeping rooms, and for these reasons small fires night and morning will be found beneficial. It is improper to close sleeping apartments at night so as entirely to exclude the air, especially when the atmosphere is dry. Yet we should avoid sleeping with a current of air blowing over us. It is better to open the upper sash of windows which will generally admit sufficient external air and carry off that which has become heated and impure. Exposure to cold and damp air especially in the latter part of the night and early morning should be avoided, and if this kind of exposure is necessary it is better to fortify the body by taking a quantity of food, say a cup of coffee with a little bread before going out, and this is more especially necessary during the prevalence of epidemic. Indeed it is better, especially with farmers and others engaged in outdoor labor, to have breakfast before commencing the labors of the day. In the latter part of summer there are very heavy dews and care should be taken to avoid having the feet and legs wet with them, as is frequently the case, and as a rule it is better not to go out before sunrise in the morning. Long contiued exposure to midday sun and heat should also be avoided. Meals should be regular and all unripe fruits and substances difficult of digestion should be avoided. Cleanliness is also an important item, both in person and in habitation. The accumulation of water in cellars and low places as well as all kinds of garbage, decaying animals and vegetable substances should be carefully guarded against. A free use of lime, both by whitewashing houses and cellars and spreading in damp places, will also tend to purify the air and promote health. Cesspools and drains can be purified and deodorized by lime and a strong solution of sulphate of iron thrown into them. Shades about dwellings are very pleasant and promotive of health, but the trees should not be so close together that the sun cannot have access to the ground at some time during the day.