Page:Handbook for Boys.djvu/248

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Health and Endurance
227

Have a regular time for going to stool. A good plan is to go just before retiring and immediately upon arising. Go even though you feel no desire to do so. A regular habit may be established by this method. Always respond quickly to any call of nature. Toasted bread and graham bread and the coarser foods and fruit will be found helpful.

The Teeth

Closely related to the matter of eating is the proper care of the teeth.

Perhaps—without care—the mouth is the filthlest cavity of the body. We spend a great deal of energy trying to keep food dean and water pure, but what is the use if we place them in a dirty cavity as they enter the body. Full 90 cent. of the children examined in our school have decayed and dirty teeth. These decayed teeth provide cavities in which food particles decay and germs grow, and through which poisons are absorbed. These conditions need not exist. Now just a few suggestions about the care of the teeth. Every boy should own his own tooth brush. The teeth should be scrubbed at least twice a day. At night they should receive most careful cleansing, using a good tooth paste or powder. Then again in the morning they should be rinsed at which time simply clean water is sufficient. Time should be taken in the cleansing of the teeth. The gums should be included in the scrubbing, as this acts as a good stimulant to the circulation of the blood to the teeth. Not only should the teeth be brushed with a backward and forward stroke, as we ordinarily do, but also upward and downward the length of the teeth. In addition to the scrubbing, particles of food which are lodged between the teeth should be removed after meals, or at least after the last meal of the day.

This is most safely done by the use of a thread of a fair degree of thickness. Dentists and druggists furnish this thread in spools.

Hard toothpicks often cause bleeding and detach fillings. A dentist should be visited once every six months so as to detect decay immediately. Never have a tooth pulled unless absolutely necessary.

Care of the Eyes

Most troubles with the eyes come from eye strain. Styes and red lids are usually due to this cause. See how foolish, therefore, it is to treat these conditions as causes, when really