Health Notes for the Farm

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 60, Issue 1, 15 January 1940, Page 74

Health Notes for the Farm

Contributed by . the Department of Health

Hints for the Holidays Give me the life I love, Let the lave go by me; Give the jolly heaven above And the byway nigh me, Give the face of the earth around, And the road before me, There’s the life for a man like me, There’s the life for ever. Robert Louis Stevenson. THE best antidote for mental and physical dullness, provided this does not arise out of definite illness, is to be found in a vacation that will offer a change of environment and make it possible to get away for a time from the accustomed work. Rest, recuperation, and the storingup of energy is the purpose of a holiday. To many, the out-of-doors naturally proves a great attraction. It is well for those planning such a holiday to remember that there are various precautions which are well to keep in mind, and that some forethought is necessary to secure the maximum of health and happiness from the long-looked-for vacation. Sunshine, for instance, is beneficial and is a -producer. However, the coat of tan so coveted by some holiday-makers cannot safely be acquired in a few days. Prolonged exposure to sunlight may only result in painful burns or blisters ■of , the skin, which may cause serious ill health. However, this will be dealt with more fully in our next article in the “Journal.” First-aid Then there is no more healthful exercise than rowing or swimming, but the

holiday period has its annual toll of those who “rock the boat” and those who misjudge currents or depth of the water. Numerous drowning accidents occur because of chances taken in unknown waters. It should be a general rule never to swim alone or to overtax one’s ability as a swimmer. The closest supervision should be exercised over children at the seashore or in boats. It is not difficult today to obtain information concerning first-aid, and everyone should learn how to apply artificial respiration in case there is need to restore breathing to a companion or someone else who is apparently drowned. Artificial respiration has served to revive many persons who would otherwise have drowned. The Schafer method is based on sound physiological principles, and is explained and illustrated in the accompanying instructions on restoring animation to the apparently drowned. Frequently there occur during camping trips various minor injuries which, if properly taken care of by first-aid methods, will not result in serious infections. . One should therefore learn the fundamentals of first-aid. Firstaid kits are easily obtained and are so convenient for emergencies that they should be part of one’s holiday equipment. Drinking Water One of the prime necessities of healthy holiday camping is a safe supply of drinking water. As a general rule, it is safer to boil water unless it is from an assured source, as is fortunately done in the popular pastime of tea-making. Milk, like water, if not pasteurised and protected from possible contamination, offers an ideal method of transmitting disease. Pasteurisation destroys

disease-producing germs. If pasteurised milk cannot be obtained it is safer to boil the raw milk before use. The

milk should always be carried separately and kept cool. Foods There are certain foods for the hot weather often experienced during a holiday which have a filling and satisfactory effect. These include the coarse vegetables, such as lettuce, celery, cabbage, brussels sprouts, and the like. Tomatoes, oranges, apples, and lemons are excellent hot-weather foods. Other foods may, of course, be included in the diet. Simple and easily digested foods with liberal proportions of fresh green vegetables and fruits should form the basis of summer holiday diet. Milk, either as a drink or included in foods, is of value the year round. During hot weather much more fluid is needed because of' the water necessary for evaporation from the skin. Consequently, water . consumption should be adequate. If cooking is done by out-door holiday-makers, fires should be extinguished . before leaving. By failing to do so lives may be endangered and valuable . .timber and scenic attractions destroyed. Clothing The first essentials of comfortable hot-weather clothing are that it is small in amount and that .it hangs loosely about the body, being mainly supported from the shoulders. Constricting clothing which impedes the circulation should be avoided. In warm weather we see the obvious advantages of openings at the neck and wrist that are so characteristic of women’s attire, and the obvious disadvantages to the man of his usual cumbersome and almost hermetically sealed clothing. That many men can endure, apparently with equanimity, . clothing that is far too thick for hot weather is a tribute to their patience and endurance and not to their common sense. Though our imagination on hot holidays may revert to the joys of a life untramelled .. only by scanty clothing, comparative comfort can be obtained by loosely-falling, lightweight, looselywoven clothes, with a light hat which allows a free circulation of air. When packing, remember that though we hope for summer at Christmas, we sometimes meet winter, and . warm clothing cannot be left out of the bag.

In conclusion, remember that a vacation for health is successful only when it has made it possible for one to come back better fitted physically and mentally to face life. : . ;