,a ,,guide ,,to ,,health ,,by ,,mahatma ,,gandhi ,translated from the ,hindi ,,by ,a4 ,,rama ,,iyer1 ,m4,a4 ,illustration #aiba ,s4 ,,ganesan41 ,,publisher1 ,,triplicane 444 ,,madras1 ,s4,e4 ,,contents ,,page ,,translator',s ,,note vii ,,introduction #a ,,part ,i3 ,,general ,chap4 ,i4 ,the ,meaning of ,health #i ,chap4 ,,ii4 ,the ,human ,body #aa ,chap4 ,,iii4 ,air #ad ,chap4 ,,iv4 ,water #be ,chap4 ,v4 ,food #bi ,chap4 ,,vi4 ,how much and how many times should we eat8 #ee ,chap4 ,,vii4 ,exercise #ei ,chap4 ,,viii4 ,dress #fd ,chap4 ,,ix4 ,sexual ,relations #fi ,,part ,,ii3 ,,some ,,simple ,,treatments ,chap4 ,i4 ,air ,treatment #hc ,chap4 ,,ii4 ,water ,cure #hf ,chap4 ,,iii4 ,the ,use of ,earth #ie ,chap4 ,,iv4 ,fever and its ,cures #ih ,chap4 ,v4 ,constipation1 ,dysentery1 etc4 #aja ,chap4 ,,vi4 ,contagious ,diseases ,small-pox #ajd ,chap4 ,,vii4 ,other ,contagious ,diseases #aab ,chap4 ,,viii4 ,maternity and ,child-,birth #aag ,chap4 ,,ix4 ,care of ,child #aba ,chap4 ,x4 ,accidents--,drowning #abg ,chap4 ,,xi4 ,do --,burns and ,scalds #acj ,chap4 ,,xii4 ,do --,snake ,bite #acb ,chap4 ,,xiii4 ,do --,scorpion-sting1 etc4 #adj ,chap4 ,,xiv4 ,conclusion #adb ,,translator',s ,,note ,in these days when the name of ,mahatma ,gandhi is identified with the momentous question of ,non-,co-operation1 it may come with a shock of surprise to most readers to be told that he is something of an authority on matters of ,health and ,disease as well4 ,very few of us perhaps are aware that he is the author of quite an original little ,health-book in ,gujarati4 ,those who think of him as a dreamy idealist or an unpractical visionary1 with his head always in the clouds1 will certainly be undeceived when they read this book replete from cover to cover with practical observations on the most practical question of ,health4 ,his views are of course radically different from the ordinary views that find expression in the pages of such books2 in many cases1 indeed1 his doctrines must be pronounced revolutionary1 and will doubtless be regarded by a certain class of readers as wholly impracticable4 ,even the most revolutionary of his doctrines1 however1 are based1 not on the shifting quicksands of mere theory1 but on the solid foundation of deep study1 backed up by personal experience of nearly thirty years4 ,he himself recognises that many of his views will hardly be accepted by the ordinary reader1 but he has felt himself impelled by a stern sense of duty to give publicity to his convictions formed after so much of study and experience4 ,some at least however1 of those who read his book cannot help being profoundly influenced by it4 ,such1 at any rate1 has been the case with me2 and ,i have ventured to translate the book into ,english in the hope that others may also be benefitted likewise4 ,i should perhaps explain that ,i am not a student of ,gujarati1 the language of the original4 ,i have used instead one of the two ,hindi versions of the book4 ,i should also point out that ,i have not attempted a literal or close translation1 but only a very free rendering into ,english4 ,in some cases1 whole passages have been omitted2 and occasionally only the general sense of a passage has been given4 ,it is hoped1 however1 that1 in no single instance has there been a misinterpretation of the original words4 ,i am aware that many errors might have crept in1 as the translation had to be done in a hurry1 and there was hardly anytime for revision4 ,i hope to make a thorough revision of the book1 in case a second edition is called for4 ,,national ,,college1 ,,trichinopoly1 ,a4 ,,rama ,,iyer4 ,,july #aiba4 ,,introduction ,for more than twenty years past ,i have been paying special attention to the question of ,health4 ,while in ,england1 ,i had to make my own arrangements for food and drink1 and ,i can say1 therefore1 that my experience is quite reliable4 ,i have arrived at certain definite conclusions from that experience1 and ,i now set them down for the benefit of my readers4 ,as the familiar saying goes1 ',prevention is better than cure4' ,it is far easier and safer to prevent illness by the observance of the laws of health than to set about curing the illness which has been brought on by our own ignorance and carelessness4 ,hence it is the duty of all thoughtful men to understand aright the laws of health1 and the object of the following pages is to give an account of these laws4 ,we shall also consider the best methods of cure for some of the most common diseases4 ,as ,milton says1 the mind can make a hell of heaven or a heaven of hell4 ,so heaven is not somewhere above the clouds1 and hell somewhere underneath the earth6 ,we have this same idea expressed in the ,sanskrit saying1 ,mana va ,manushayanm ,kranam ,bandha ,mokshayoh--man's captivity or freedom is dependant on the state of his mind4 ,from this it follows that whether a man is healthy or unhealthy depends on himself4 ,illness is the result not only of our actions but also of our thoughts4 ,as has been said by a famous doctor1 more people die for fear of diseases like small-pox1 cholera and plague than out of those diseases themselves4 ,ignorance is one of the root-causes of disease4 ,very often we get bewildered at the most ordinary diseases out of sheer ignorance1 and in our anxiety to get better1 we simply make matters worse4 ,our ignorance of the most elementary laws of health leads us to adopt wrong remedies or drives us into the hands of the veriest quacks4 ,how strange 7and yet how true7 it is that we know much less about things near at hand than things at a distance4 ,we know hardly anything of our own village1 but we can give by rote the names of the rivers and mountains of ,england6 ,we take so much trouble to learn the names of the stars in the sky1 while we hardly think it worth while to know the things that are in our own homes6 ,we never care a jot for the splendid pageantry of ,nature before our very eyes1 while we are so anxious to witness the puerile mummeries of the theatre6 ,and in the same way1 we are not ashamed to be ignorant of the structure of our body1 of the way in which the bones and muscles1 grow1 how the blood circulates and is rendered impure1 how we are affected by evil thoughts and passions1 how our mind travels over illimitable spaces and times while the body is at rest1 and so on4 ,there is nothing so closely connected with us as our body1 but there is also nothing perhaps of which our ignorance is so profound1 or our indifference so complete4 ,it is the duty of every one of us to get over this indifference4 ,everyone should regard it as his bounden duty to know something of the fundamental facts concerning his body4 ,this kind of instruction should indeed be made compulsory in our schools4 ,at present1 we know not how to deal with the most ordinary scalds and wounds2 we are helpless if a thorn runs into our foot2 we are beside ourselves with fright and dismay if we are bitten by an ordinary snake6 ,indeed1 if we consider the depth of our ignorance in such matters1 we shall have to hang down our heads in shame4 ,to assert that the average man cannot be expected to know these things is simply absurd4 ,the following pages are intended for such as are willing to learn4 ,i do not pretend that the facts mentioned by me have not been said before4 ,but my readers will find here in a nutshell the substance of several books on the subject4 ,i have arrived at my conclusions after studying these books1 and after a series of careful experiments4 ,moreover1 those who are new to this subject will also be saved the risk of being confounded by the conflicting views held by writers of such books4 ,one writer says for instance1 that hot water is to be used under certain circumstances1 while another writer says that1 exactly under the same circumstances1 cold water is to be used4 ,conflicting views of this kind have been carefully considered by me1 so that my readers may rest assured of the reliability of my own views4 ,we have got into the habit of calling in a doctor for the most trivial diseases4 ,where there is no regular doctor available1 we take the advice of mere quacks4 ,we labour under the fatal delusion that no disease can be cured without medicine4 ,this has been responsible for more mischief to mankind than any other evil4 ,it is of course1 necessary that our diseases should be cured1 but they cannot be cured by medicines4 ,not only are medicines merely useless1 but at times even positively harmful4 ,for a diseased man to take drugs and medicines would be as foolish as to try to cover up the filth that has accumulated in the inside of the house4 ,the more we cover up the filth1 the more rapidly does putrefaction go on4 ,the same is the case with the human body4 ,illness or disease is only ,nature's warning that filth has accumulated in some portion or other of the body2 and it would surely be the part of wisdom to allow ,nature to remove the filth1 instead of covering it up by the help of medicines4 ,those who take medicines are really rendering the task of ,nature doubly difficult4 ,it is1 on the other hand1 quite easy for us to help ,nature in her task by remembering certain elementary principles1--by fasting1 for instance1 so that the filth may not accumulate all the more1 and by vigorous exercise in the open air1 so that some of the filth may escape in the form of perspiration4 ,and the one thing that is supremely necessary is to keep our minds strictly under control4 ,we find from experience that1 when once a bottle of medicine gets itself introduced into a home1 it never thinks of going out1 but only goes on drawing other bottles in its train4 ,we come across numberless human beings who are afflicted by some disease or other all through their lives in spite of their pathetic devotion to medicines4 ,they are to-day under the treatment of this doctor1 to-morrow of that4 ,they spend all their life in a futile search after a doctor who will cure them for good4 ,as the late ,justice ,stephen 7who was for some time in ,india7 said1 it is really astonishing that drugs of which so little is known should be applied by doctors to bodies of which they know still less6 ,some of the greatest doctors of the ,west themselves have now come to hold this view4 ,sir ,astley ,cooper1 for instance1 admits that the 'science' of medicine is mostly mere guess-work2 ,dr4 ,baker and ,dr4 ,frank hold that more people die of medicines than of diseases2 and ,dr4 ,masongood even goes to the extent of saying that more men have fallen victims to medicine than to war1 famine and pestilence combined6 ,it is also a matter of experience that diseases increase in proportion to the increase in the number of doctors in a place4 ,the demand for drugs has become so widespread that even the meanest papers are sure of getting advertisements of quack medicines1 if of nothing else4 ,in a recent book on the ,patent ,medicines we are told that the ,fruit-salts and syrups1 for which we pay from ,rs4 #b to ,rs4 #e1 cost to their manufacturers only from a quarter of an anna to one anna6 ,no wonder1 then1 that their compositions should be so scrupulously kept a secret4 ,we will1 therefore1 assure our readers that there is absolutely no necessity for them to seek the aid of doctors4 ,to those1 however1 who may not be willing to boycott doctors and medicines altogether1 we will say1 ,as far as possible1 possess your souls in patience1 and do not trouble the doctors4 ,in case you are forced at length to call in the aid of a doctor1 be sure to get a good man2 then1 follow his directions strictly1 and do not call in another doctor1 unless by his own advice4 ,but remember1 above all1 that the curing of your disease does not rest ultimately in the hands of any doctor4 ,m4 ,k4 ,,gandhi4 ,a ,,guide ,,to ,,health ,,chapter ,i ,,the ,,meaning ,,of ,,health ,ordinarily that man is considered healthy who eats well and moves about1 and does not resort to a doctor4 ,but a little thought will convince us that this idea is wrong4 ,there are many cases of men being diseased1 in spite of their eating well and freely moving about4 ,they are under the delusion that they are healthy1 simply because they are too indifferent to think about the matter4 ,in fact1 perfectly healthy men hardly exist anywhere over this wide world4 ,as has been well said1 only that man can be said to be really healthy1 who has a sound mind in a sound body4 ,the relation between the body and the mind is so intimate that1 if either of them got out of order1 the whole system would suffer4 ,let us take the analogy of the rose-flower4 ,its colour stands to its fragrance in the same way as the body to the mind or the soul4 ,no one regards an artificial paper-flower as a sufficient substitute for the natural flower1 for the obvious reason that the fragrance1 which forms the essence of the flower1 cannot be reproduced4 ,so too1 we instinctively honour the man of a pure mind and a noble character in preference to the man who is merely physically strong4 ,of course1 the body and the soul are both essential1 but the latter is far more important than the former4 ,no man whose character is not pure can be said to be really healthy4 ,the body which contains a diseased mind can never be anything but diseased4 ,hence it follows that a pure character is the foundation of health in the real sense of the term2 and we may say that all evil thoughts and evil passions are but different forms of disease4 ,thus considered1 we may conclude that that man alone is perfectly healthy whose body is well formed1 whose teeth as well as eyes and ears are in good condition1 whose nose is free from dirty matter1 whose skin exudes perspiration freely and without any bad smell1 whose mouth is also free from bad smells1 whose hands and legs perform their duty properly1 who is neither too fat nor too thin1 and whose mind and senses are constantly under his control4 ,as has already been said1 it is very hard to gain such health1 but it is harder still to retain it1 when once it has been acquired4 ,the chief reason why we are not truly healthy is that our parents were not4 ,an eminent writer has said that1 if the parents are in perfectly good condition their children would certainly be superior to them in all respects4 ,a perfectly healthy man has no reason to fear death2 our terrible fear of death shows that we are far from being so healthy4 ,it is1 however1 the clear duty of all of us to strive for perfect health4 ,we will1 therefore1 proceed to consider in the following pages how such health can be attained1 and how1 when once attained1 it can also be retained for ever4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,the ,,human ,,body ,the world is compounded of the five elements1--earth1 water1 air1 fire1 and ether4 ,so too is our body4 ,it is a sort of miniature world4 ,hence the body stands in need of all the elements in due proportion1--pure earth1 pure water1 pure fire or sunlight1 pure air1 and open space4 ,when any one of these falls short of its due proportion1 illness is caused in the body4 ,the body is made up of skin and bone1 as well as flesh and blood4 ,the bones constitute the frame-work of the body2 but for them we could not stand erect and move about4 ,they protect the softer parts of the body4 ,thus the skull gives protection to the brain1 while the ribs protect the heart and the lungs4 ,doctors have counted #bch bones in the human body4 ,the outside of the bones is hard1 but the inside is soft and hollow4 ,where there is a joint between two bones1 there is a coating of marrow1 which may be regarded as a soft bone4 ,the teeth1 too1 are to be counted among the bones4 ,when we feel the flesh at some points1 we find it to be tough and elastic4 ,this part of the flesh is known as the muscle4 ,it is the muscles that enable us to fold and unfold our arms1 to move our jaws1 and to close our eyes4 ,it is by means of the muscles1 again1 that our organs of perception do their work4 ,it is beyond the province of this book to give a detailed account of the structure of the body2 nor has the present writer enough knowledge to give such an account4 ,we will1 therefore1 content ourselves with just as much information as is essential for our present purpose4 ,the most important portion of the body is the stomach4 ,if the stomach ceases to work even for a single moment1 the whole body would collapse4 ,the work of the stomach is to digest the food1 and so to provide nourishment to the body4 ,its relation to the body is the same as that of the steam engine to the ,railway train4 ,the gastric juice which is produced in the stomach helps the assimilation of nutritious elements in the food1 the refuse being sent out by way of the intestines in the form of urine and fces4 ,on the left side of the abdominal cavity is the spleen1 while to the right of the stomach is the liver1 whose function is the purification of the blood and the secretion of the bile1 which is so useful for digestion4 ,in the hollow space enclosed by the ribs are situated the heart and the lungs4 ,the heart is between the two lungs1 but more to the left than the right4 ,there are on the whole #bd bones in the chest2 the action of the heart can be felt between the fifth and the sixth rib4 ,the lungs are connected with the windpipe4 ,the air which we inhale is taken into the lungs through the windpipe1 and the blood is purified by it4 ,it is of the utmost importance to breathe through the nose1 instead of through the mouth4 ,on the circulation of the blood depend all activities of the body4 ,it is the blood that provides nourishment to the body4 ,it extracts the nutritious elements out of the food1 and ejects the refuse through the intestines1 and so keeps the body warm4 ,the blood is incessantly circulating all over the body1 along the veins and the arteries4 ,the beatings of the pulse are due to the circulation of the blood4 ,the pulse of a normal adult man beats some #ge times a minute4 ,the pulses of children beat faster1 while those of old men are slower4 ,the chief agency for keeping the blood pure is the air4 ,when the blood returns to the lungs after one complete round over the body1 it is impure and contains poisonous elements4 ,the oxygen of the air which we inhale purifies this blood and is assimilated into it1 while the nitrogen absorbs the poisonous matter and is breathed out4 ,this process goes on incessantly4 ,as the air has a very important function to perform in the body1 we shall devote a separate chapter to a detailed consideration of the same4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,,air ,of the three things that are indispensable for the subsistence of man1--namely1 air1 water1 and food--the first is the most important4 ,hence it is that ,god has created it in such large quantities as to make it available to all of us for nothing4 ,modern civilisation1 however1 has rendered even fresh air somewhat costly1 for1 in order to breathe fresh air1 we have to go out of towns1 and this means expense4 ,the residents of ,bombay1 for instance1 distinctly improve in health in the air of ,matheran or1 still better1 of the ,malabar ,hills2 but they cannot go to these places without money4 ,hence1 in these days1 it would be hardly true to say that we get fresh air gratis1 as we used to in the old days4 ,but1 whether fresh air is available gratis or not1 it is undeniable that we cannot get on without it4 ,we have already seen that the blood circulates over the body1 returns to the lungs1 and after being purified1 starts on its round again4 ,we breathe out the impure air1 and take in oxygen from the outside1 which purifies the blood4 ,this process of inspiration and expiration goes on for ever1 and on it depends man's life4 ,when drowned in water we die1 because1 then we are unable to let out the impure air in the body and take in pure air from outside4 ,the divers go down into the water in what is known as a diving bell1 and they take in fresh air through a tube which leads to the top4 ,hence it is that they are able to remain under water for a long time4 ,it has been ascertained by experiments that no man can live without air for as long as five minutes4 ,we often hear of the death of little children1 when they are held so close to the bosom by ignorant mothers as to make it impossible for them to breathe4 ,we should all be as much against the breathing of impure air as we are against the drinking of dirty water and the eating of dirty food2 but the air we breathe is1 as a rule1 far more impure than the water we drink or the food we eat4 ,we are all worshippers of concrete objects2 those things that can be seen and felt are regarded by us as of far greater importance than those which are invisible and intangible4 ,since air belongs to this latter class of objects1 we fail to realise the evil wrought by the impure air that we breathe4 ,we would think twice before eating the leavings of another man's food1 or drinking out of a cup polluted by another man's lips4 ,even those who have not the least sense of shame or repugnance would never eat another man's vomit1 or drink the water which has been spat out by him2 even those who are dying of hunger and thirst would refuse to do it4 ,but1 alas1 how few of us realise that the air we inhale is so often the impure and poisonous air which has been exhaled by others1 and which is surely no less objectionable than a man's vomit6 ,how strange that men should sit and sleep together for hours in closed rooms1 and go on inhaling the deadly air exhaled by themselves and their companions6 ,how fortunate for man that air should be so light and diffusive1 and capable of penetrating the smallest holes6 ,even when the doors and windows are closed1 there is generally some little space between the walls and the roof1 through which some air from outside manages to get in1 so that the inmates of the room have not to breathe exclusively poisoned air4 ,the air that we exhale mixes with the air outside1 and is rendered pure again by an automatic process that is always going on in ,nature4 ,now we are able to understand why so many men and women should be weak and diseased4 ,there can be absolutely no doubt that impure air is the root-cause of disease in ninety-nine cases out of every hundred4 ,it follows that the best way of avoiding disease is to live and work in the open air4 ,no doctor can compete with fresh air in this matter4 ,consumption is caused by the decay of the lungs1 due to the inhaling of impure air1 just as a steam engine which is filled with bad coal gets out of order4 ,hence doctors say that the easiest and the most effective treatment for a consumptive patient is to keep him in fresh air for all the #bd hours of the day4 ,it is1 of course1 essential to know how we can keep the air pure4 ,in fact1 every child should be taught the value of fresh air1 as soon as it is able to understand anything4 ,if my readers would take the trouble to learn the simple facts about the air and would put their knowledge into practice1 while teaching their children also to do the same4 ,i shall feel immensely gratified4 ,our latrines are perhaps most responsible for rendering the air impure4 ,very few people realise the serious harm done by dirty latrines4 ,even dogs and cats make with their claws something like a pit wherein to deposit their fces1 and then cover it up with some earth4 ,where there are no lavatories of the modern approved types1 we should also do likewise4 ,there should be kept ashes or dry earth in a tin can or an earthen vessel inside the latrine1 and whoever goes into the latrine should1 on coming out1 cover the fces well with the ash or the earth1 as the case may be4 ,if this is done there would be no bad smell1 and the flies too will not settle on it and transmit the filth4 ,anybody whose sense of smell has not been wholly blunted1 or who has not grown thoroughly accustomed to foul smells will know how noxious is the smell that emanates from all filthy matter which is allowed to lie open to the weather4 ,our gorge rises at the very thought of fces being mixed with our food1 but we go on inhaling the air which has been polluted by such foul smell1 forgetting the fact that the one is just as bad as the other1 except that1 while the former is visible1 the latter is not4 ,we should see that our latrines are kept thoroughly neat and clean4 ,we abhor the idea of our cleaning the latrines ourselves1 but what we should really abhor is the idea of making use of dirty latrines4 ,what is the harm in ourselves removing the filth which has been expelled from inside our own body1 and which we are not ashamed to have removed by others8 ,there is absolutely no reason why we should not ourselves learn the work of scavenging and teach it to our children as well4 ,the filthy matter should be removed1 and thrown into a pit two feet deep1 and then covered up with a thick layer of earth4 ,if we go to some open place1 we should dig a small pit with our hands or feet1 and then cover it up1 after the bowels have been evacuated4 ,we also make the air impure by making water at all places indiscriminately4 ,this dirty habit should be given up altogether4 ,if there is no place specially set apart for the purpose1 we should go to some dry ground away from the house1 and should also cover up the urine with earth4 ,the filth should not be cast into very deep pits1 for1 in that case1 it would be beyond the reach of sun's heat1 and would also pollute the water flowing underneath the earth4 ,the habit of spitting indiscriminately on the verandahs1 court yards1 and such like places is also very bad4 ,the spittle1 especially of consumptives1 is very dangerous4 ,the poisonous germs in it rise into the air1 and1 being inhaled by others1 lead to a spread of the disease4 ,we should keep a spittoon inside the house1 and if we have to spit when out on the road we should spit where there is dry dust1 so that the spittle may be absorbed into the dust and cause no harm4 ,doctors hold that the consumptive should spit into a spittoon with some disinfectant in it3 for1 even if he spits on dry ground1 the germs in his spittle manage to rise and spread into the air along with the dust4 ,but1 in any case1 there can be no doubt that the habit of spitting wherever we please is dirty as well as dangerous4 ,some people throw where they like cooked food and other articles1 which decay and render the air impure4 ,if all such rubbish be put underground1 the air would not be made impure1 and good manure1 too could be obtained4 ,in fact1 no kind of decaying matter should be allowed to lie exposed to the air4 ,it is so easy for us to take this necessary precaution1 if only we are in earnest about it4 ,now we have seen how our own bad habits render the air impure1 and what we can do to keep it pure4 ,next we shall consider how to inhale the air4 ,as already mentioned in the last chapter1 the air is to be inhaled through the nose1 and not through the mouth4 ,there are1 however1 very few persons who know how to breathe correctly4 ,many people are in the pernicious habit of inhaling through the mouth4 ,if very cold air is inhaled through the mouth1 we catch cold and sore throat4 ,further1 if we inhale through the mouth1 the particles of dust in the air go into the lungs and cause great mischief4 ,in ,london1 for instance1 in ,november1 the smoke which issues from the chimneys of great factories mixes with the dense fog1 producing a kind of yellow mixture4 ,this contains tiny particles of soot1 which can be detected in the spittle of a man who inhales through the mouth4 ,to escape this1 many women 7who have not learnt to breathe through the nose alone7 put on a special kind of veil over their faces1 which act as sieves4 ,if these veils are closely examined1 particles of dust can be detected in them4 ,but ,god has given to all of us a sieve of this kind inside the nose4 ,the air which is inhaled through the nostrils is sifted before it reaches the lungs1 and is also warmed in the process4 ,so all men should learn to breathe through the nose alone4 ,and this is not at all difficult1 if we remember to keep our mouth firmly shut at all times1 except when we are talking4 ,those who have got into the habit of keeping their mouth open should sleep with a bandage round the mouth1 which would force them to breathe through the nose4 ,they should also take some twenty long respirations in the open air1 both in the morning and in the evening4 ,in fact1 all men can practise this simple exercise and see for themselves how rapidly their chest deepens4 ,if the chest be measured at the beginning of the practice1 and again after an interval of two months1 it will be seen how much it has expanded in this short period4 ,after learning how to inhale the air1 we should cultivate the habit of breathing fresh air1 day in and day out4 ,we are generally in the most pernicious habit of keeping confined to the house or the office throughout the day1 and sleeping in narrow rooms at night1 with all doors and windows shut4 ,as far as possible1 we should remain in the open air at all times4 ,we should at least sleep on the verandah or in the open air4 ,those who cannot do this should at least keep the doors and windows of the room fully open at all times4 ,the air is our food for all the twenty-four hours of the day4 ,why1 then1 should we be afraid of it8 ,it is a most foolish idea that we catch cold by inhaling the cool breeze of the morning4 ,of course1 those people who have spoiled their lungs by the evil habit of sleeping within closed doors are likely to catch cold1 if they change their habit all on a sudden4 ,but even they should not be afraid of cold1 for this cold can be speedily got rid of4 ,now-a-days1 in ,europe1 the houses for consumptives are being built in such a way that they may get fresh air at all times4 ,we know what terrible havoc is wrought in ,india by epidemics4 ,we should remember that these epidemics are due to our habit of defiling the air1 and of inhaling this poisonous air4 ,we should understand that even the most delicate people will be benefitted by systematically inhaling fresh air4 ,if we cultivate the habit of keeping the air pure and of breathing only fresh air1 we can save ourselves from many a terrible disease4 ,sleeping with the face uncovered is as essential as sleeping in fresh air4 ,many of our people are in the habit of sleeping with the face covered1 which means that they have to inhale the poisonous air which has been exhaled by themselves4 ,fortunately however1 some of the air from outside does find its way through the interstices of the cloth1 else they should die of suffocation4 ,but the small quantity of air that gains entrance in this way is altogether inadequate4 ,if we are suffering from cold1 we may cover the head with a piece of cloth1 or put on a night-cap1 but the nose should be kept exposed under all circumstances4 ,air and light are so intimately connected with each other that it is as well to speak a few words here on the value of light4 ,light is as indispensable to life as air itself4 ,hence it is that ,hell is represented as completely dark4 ,where light cannot penetrate1 the air can never be pure4 ,if we enter a dark cellar1 we can distinctly perceive the smell of the foul air4 ,the fact that we cannot see in the dark shows that ,god has intended us to live and move in the light4 ,and ,nature has given us just as much darkness as we require in the night4 ,yet1 many people are in the habit of sitting or sleeping in underground cellars1 devoid of air and light1 even in the hottest summer6 ,those who thus deprive themselves of air and light are always weak and haggard4 ,now-a-days1 there are many doctors in ,europe who cure their patients by means of air-bath and sun-bath alone4 ,thousands of diseased persons have been cured by mere exposure to the air and to the sunlight4 ,we should keep all doors and windows in our houses always open1 in order to allow the free entrance of air and light4 ,some readers may ask why1 if air and light are so indispensable1 those who live and work in cellars are not visibly affected4 ,those who have thought well over the matter would never put this question4 ,our aim should be to attain the maximum of health by all legitimate means2 we should not be content merely to live anyhow4 ,it has been indubitably established that insufficient air and light give rise to disease4 ,dwellers in towns are1 as a rule1 more delicate than those in the country1 for they get less air and light than the latter4 ,air and light1 then1 are absolutely indispensable to health1 and every one should remember all that we have said on the matter1 and act up to it to the best of his ability4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,water ,as has been already pointed out1 air is the most indispensable to our subsistence1 while water comes next in order4 ,man cannot live for more than a few minutes without air1 but he can live for a few days without water4 ,and in the absence of other food1 he can subsist on water alone for many days4 ,there is more than #gj of water in the composition of our food-stuffs1 as in that of the human body4 ,even though water is so indispensable1 we take hardly any pains to keep it pure4 ,epidemics are as much the outcome of our indifference to the quality of the water we drink1 as of the air we breathe4 ,the drinking of dirty water very often produces also the disease of the stone4 ,water may be impure in either of two ways1--by issuing from dirty places1 or by being defiled by us4 ,where the water issues from dirty places1 we should not drink it at all2 nor do we generally drink it4 ,but we do not shrink from drinking the water which has been defiled by ourselves4 ,river-water1 for instance1 is regarded as quite good for drinking1 although we throw into it all sorts of rubbish1 and also use it for washing purposes4 ,we should make it a rule never to drink the water in which people bathe4 ,the upper portion of a river should be set apart for drinking water1 the lower being reserved for bathing and washing purposes4 ,where there is no such arrangement1 it is a good practice to dig in the sand1 and take drinking water therefrom4 ,this water is very pure1 since it has been filtered by passage through the sand4 ,it is generally risky to drink well-water1 for unless it is well protected1 the dirty water at the top would trickle down into the well1 and render the water impure4 ,further1 birds and insects often fall into the water and die2 sometimes birds build their nests inside the wells2 and the dirt from the feet of those who draw water from the well is also washed down into the water4 ,for all these reasons1 we should be particularly careful in drinking well-water4 ,water kept in tubs is also very often impure4 ,if it should be pure1 the tubs should be washed clean at frequent intervals1 and should be kept covered2 we should also see that the tank or well from which the water is taken is kept in good condition4 ,very few people1 however1 take such precautions to keep the water pure4 ,hence the best way of removing the impurities of the water is to boil it well1 and1 after cooling it1 filter it carefully into another vessel through a thick and clean piece of cloth4 ,our duty1 however1 does not end with this4 ,we should realise that we owe a duty to our fellowmen in this matter4 ,we should see to it that we do absolutely nothing to defile the water which is used for drinking by the public4 ,we should scrupulously refrain from bathing or washing in the water which is reserved for drinking2 we should never answer the calls of nature near the banks of a river1 nor cremate the dead bodies there and throw the ashes after cremation into the water4 ,in spite of all the care that we may take1 we find it so difficult to keep water perfectly pure4 ,it may have1 for instance1 salt dissolved in it1 or bits of grass and other decaying matter4 ,rain water is1 of course1 the purest1 but1 before it reaches us1 it generally becomes impure by the absorption of the floating matter in the atmosphere4 ,perfectly pure water has a most beneficial effect on the system2 hence doctors administer distilled water to their patients4 ,those who are suffering from constipation are appreciably benefitted by the use of distilled water4 ,many people do not know that water is of two kinds1 soft and hard4 ,hard water is water in which some kind of salt has been dissolved4 ,hence1 soap does not readily lather in it1 and food cannot be easily boiled in it4 ,its taste is brackish1 while soft water tastes sweet4 ,it is much safer to drink soft water1 although some people hold that hard water is better by virtue of the presence of nutritious matter dissolved therein4 ,rain water is the best kind of soft water1 and is therefore1 the best for drinking purposes4 ,hard water1 if boiled and kept over the fire for some half an hour1 is rendered soft4 ,then it may be filtered and drunk4 ,the question is often asked1 ,when should one drink water1 and how much8 ,the only safe answer to this is this3 one should drink water only when one feels thirsty1 and even then only just enough to quench the thirst4 ,there is no harm in drinking water during the meals or immediately afterwards4 ,of course1 we should not wash the food down with water4 ,if the food refuses to go down of itself1 it means that either it has not been well prepared or the stomach is not in need of it4 ,ordinarily1 there is no need to drink water2 and indeed1 there should be none4 ,as already mentioned1 there is a large percentage of water in our ordinary articles of food1 and we also add water in cooking them4 ,why then should we feel thirsty8 ,those people whose diet is free from such articles as chillies and onions which create an artificial thirst1 have rarely any need to drink water4 ,those who feel unaccountably thirsty must be suffering from some disease or other4 ,we may be tempted to drink any kind of water that we come across1 simply because we see some people doing it with impunity4 ,the reply to this has already been given in connection with air4 ,our blood has in itself the power of destroying many of the poisonous elements that enter into it1 but it has to be renewed and purified1 just as the sharp edge of a sword has to be mended when it has been once employed in action4 ,hence1 if we go on drinking impure water1 we should not be surprised to find our blood thoroughly poisoned in the end4 ,,chapter ,v ,,food ,it is impossible to lay down hard and fast rules in the matter of food4 ,what sort of food should we eat1 how much of it should be eaten1 and at what times1--these are questions on which doctors differ a great deal4 ,the ways of men are so diverse1 that the very same food shows different effects on different individuals4 ,although1 however1 it is impossible to say conclusively what sort of food we should eat1 it is the clear duty of every individual to bestow serious thought on the matter4 ,needless to say1 the body cannot subsist without food4 ,we undergo all sorts of sufferings and privations for the sake of food4 ,but1 at the same time1 it is indisputable that #ii4i of men and women in the world eat merely to please the palate4 ,they never pause to think of the after-effects at the time of eating4 ,many people take purgatives and digestive pills or powders in order to be able to eat thoroughly well4 ,then there are some people who1 after eating to the utmost of their capacity1 vomit out all that they have eaten1 and proceed to eat the same stuffs once more6 ,some people1 indeed1 eat so sumptuously that1 for two or three days together1 they do not feel hungry at all4 ,in some cases1 men have even been known to have died of over-eating4 ,i say all this from my own experience4 ,when ,i think of my old days1 ,i am tempted to laugh at many things1 and cannot help being ashamed of some things4 ,in those days ,i used to have tea in the morning1 breakfast two or three hours afterwards1 dinner at one o'clock1 tea again at #c p4m41 and supper between #f and #g6 ,my condition at that time was most pitiable4 ,there was a great deal of superfluous fat on my body1 and bottles of medicine were always at hand4 ,in order to be able to eat well1 ,i used to take purgatives very often1 as well as some tonic or other4 ,in those days1 ,i had not a third of my present capacity for work1 in spite of the fact that ,i was then in the prime of youth4 ,such a life is surely pitiable1 and if we consider the matter seriously1 we must also admit it to be mean1 sinful and thoroughly contemptible4 ,man is not born to eat1 nor should he live to eat4 ,his true function is to know and serve his ,maker2 but1 since the body is essential to this service1 we have perforce to eat4 ,even atheists will admit that we should eat merely to preserve our health1 and not more than is needed for this purpose4 ,turn to the birds and beasts1 and what do you find8 ,they never eat merely to please the palate1 they never go on eating till their inside is full to overflowing4 ,on the other hand1 they eat only to appease their hunger1 and even then only just as much as will appease their hunger4 ,they take the food provided by ,nature1 and do not cook their food4 ,can it be that man alone is created to worship the palate8 ,can it be that he alone is destined to be eternally suffering from disease8 ,those animals that live a natural life of freedom never once die of hunger4 ,among them there are no distinctions of rich and poor1--of those who eat many times a day1 and those who do not get even one meal in the day4 ,these abnormalities are found only among us human beings1--and yet we regard ourselves as superior to the animal creation6 ,surely those who spend their days in the worship of their stomach are worse than the birds and beasts4 ,a calm reflection will show that all sins like lying1 cheating and stealing are ultimately due to our subjection to the palate4 ,he who is able to control the palate1 will easily be able to control the other senses4 ,if we tell lies1 or commit theft or adultery1 we are looked down upon by society1 but1 strangely enough1 no odium attaches to those who slavishly pander to the palate6 ,it would seem as though this were not a question of morality at all6 ,the fact is that even the best of us are slaves to the palate4 ,no one has yet adequately emphasised the numberless evils that arise from our habit of pandering to the palate4 ,all civilised people would boycott the company of liars1 thieves1 and adulterers2 but they go on eating beyond all limits1 and never regard it as a sin at all4 ,pandering to the palate is not regarded by us as a sin1 since all of us are guilty of it1 just as dacoity is not regarded as a crime in a village of dacoits2 but what is worse1 we pride ourselves on it6 ,on occasions of marriage and other festivities1 we regard it as a sacred duty to worship the palate2 even in times of funeral1 we are not ashamed of doing it4 ,has a guest come8 ,we must gorge him with sweetmeats4 ,if1 from time to time1 we do not give feasts to our friends and relations1 or do not partake of the feasts given by them1 we must become objects of contempt4 ,if1 having invited our friends to eat with us1 we fail to cram them with rich stuffs1 we must be regarded as miserly4 ,on holidays1 of course1 we must have specially rich food prepared6 ,indeed1 what is really a great sin has come to be looked upon as a sign of wisdom6 ,we have sedulously cultivated such false notions in the matter of eating that we never realise our slavishness and our beastliness4 ,how can we save ourselves from this terrible state8 ,let us view the question from another standpoint4 ,we find it invariably the case in the world that ,nature herself has provided for all creatures1 whether man or beast1 or bird or insect1 just enough food for their sustenance4 ,this is an eternal law of ,nature4 ,in the kingdom of ,nature1 none goes to sleep1 none forgets to do his duty1 and none shows a tendency to laziness4 ,all the work is done to perfection1 and punctually to the minute4 ,if we remember to order our lives strictly in accordance with the immutable and eternal laws of ,nature1 we shall find that there are no more deaths by starvation anywhere over the wide world4 ,since ,nature always provides just enough food to feed all created beings1 it follows that he who takes to himself more than his normal share of food1 is depriving another of his legitimate share4 ,is it not a fact1 that1 in the kitchens of emperors and kings1 of all rich men1 in general1 much more food is prepared than is required to feed them and all their dependents8 ,that is to say1 they snatch so much food from the share of the poor4 ,is it1 then1 any wonder that the poor should die of starvation8 ,if this is true 7and this fact has been admitted by the most thoughtful men7 it must necessarily follow that all the food that we eat beyond our immediate need is food filched from the stomachs of the poor4 ,and to the extent to which we eat merely with a view to pleasing the palate must our health necessarily suffer4 ,after this preliminary discussion1 we can proceed to consider what kind of food is best for us4 ,before1 however1 we decide the question of the ideal food for us1 we have to consider what kinds of food are injurious to health1 and to be avoided4 ,under the term food1 we include all the things that are taken into the body through the mouth1--including wine1 bhang and opium1 tobacco1 tea1 coffee and cocoa1 spices and condiments4 ,i am convinced that all these articles have to be completely eschewed1 having been led to this conviction partly from my own experience1 and partly from the experiences of others4 ,wine1 bhang and opium have been condemned by all the religions of the world1 although the number of total abstainers is so limited4 ,drink has brought about the ruin of whole families4 ,the drunkard forfeits his sanity2 he has even been known to forget the distinction between mother1 wife and daughter4 ,his life becomes a mere burden to him4 ,even men of sound sense become helpless automatons when they take to drink2 even when not actually under its influence1 their minds are too impotent to do any work4 ,some people say that wine is harmless when used as medicine1 but even ,european doctors have begun to give up this view in many cases4 ,some partisans of drink argue that1 if wine can be used as medicine with impunity1 it can also be used as drink4 ,but many poisons are employed as medicines2 do we ever dream of employing them as food8 ,it is quite possible that1 in some diseases1 wine may do some good1 but even then1 no sensible1 or thoughtful man should consent to use it even as medicine1 under any circumstances4 ,as for opium1 it is no less injurious than wine1 and is to be equally eschewed4 ,have we not seen a mighty nation like the ,chinese falling under the deadly spell of opium1 and rendering itself incapable of maintaining its independence8 ,have we not seen the jagirdars of our own land forfeiting their jagirs under the same fatal influence8 ,so powerful is the spell that has been woven over the minds of men by tobacco that it will take an age to break it4 ,young and old have equally come under this fatal spell4 ,even the best men do not shrink from the use of tobacco4 ,its use1 indeed1 has become a matter of course with us1 and is spreading wider and wider every day4 ,very few people are aware of the many tricks employed by the cigarette-manufacturers to bring us more and more under its influence4 ,they sprinkle opium or some perfumed acid on the tobacco1 so that we may find it all the more difficult to extricate ourselves from its clutches4 ,they spend thousands of pounds in advertisements4 ,many ,european firms dealing in cigars keep their own presses1 have their own cinemas1 institute lotteries1 and give away prizes1 and1 in short1 spend money like water to achieve their end4 ,even women have now begun to smoke4 ,and poems have been composed on tobacco1 extolling it as the great friend of the poor6 ,the evils of smoking are too numerous to mention4 ,the habitual smoker becomes such a bond slave to it that he knows no sense of shame or compunction2 he proceeds to emit the foul fumes even in the houses of strangers6 ,it is also a matter of common experience that smokers are often tempted to commit all sorts of crimes4 ,children steal money from their parents' purses2 and even the prisoners in gaols manage to steal cigarettes and keep them carefully concealed4 ,the smoker will get on without food1 but he cannot dispense with his smoke6 ,soldiers on the field of battle have been known to lose all capacity for fighting for failure of the indispensable cigarette at the critical moment4 ,the late ,count ,leo ,tolstoi of ,russia tells us the following story4 ,a certain man once took it into his head1 for some reason1 to murder his wife4 ,he actually drew the knife and was about to do the deed1 when he felt some compunction1 and gave it up4 ,then he sat down to smoke and his wits being turned under the influence of tobacco1 he rose once more and actually committed the murder4 ,tolstoi held the view that the poison of tobacco is more subtle and irresistible1 and hence far more dangerous1 than that of wine4 ,then the money that is spent on cigars and cigarettes by individuals is frightfully large4 ,i have myself come across instances of cigars consuming as much as ,rs4 #ge a month for one man6 ,smoking also leads to an appreciable reduction of digestive powers4 ,the smoker feels no appetite for food1 and in order to give it some flavour1 spices and condiments have to be freely used4 ,his breath stinks1 and1 in some cases1 blisters are formed on his face1 and the gums and teeth turn black in colour4 ,many also fall a prey to terrible diseases4 ,the fumes of tobacco befoul the air around1 and public health suffers in consequence4 ,i cannot understand how those who condemn drink can have the temerity to defend smoking4 ,the man who does not eschew tobacco in all its forms can never be perfectly healthy1 nor can he be a man of pure and blameless character4 ,i must say that tea1 coffee and cocoa are equally injurious to health1 although ,i know that very few are likely to agree with me4 ,there is a kind of poison in all of them2 and1 in the case of tea and coffee1 if milk and sugar were not added1 there would be absolutely no nutritious element in them4 ,by means of repeated and varied experiments it has been established that there is nothing at all in these articles which is capable of improving the blood4 ,until a few years ago1 we used to drink tea and coffee only on special occasions1 but to-day they have become universally indispensable4 ,things have come to such a pass that even sickly persons often use them as substitutes for nourishing food6 ,fortunately for us1 the costliness of cocoa has prevented its spread to the same extent as tea and coffee1 although1 in the homes of the rich1 it is quite liberally used4 ,that all these three articles are poisonous can be seen from the fact that those who once take to them can never afterwards get on without them4 ,in the old days1 ,i myself used to feel a distinct sense of weariness or langour if ,i did not get my tea punctually at the usual hour4 ,once some #djj women and children had gathered together at a certain celebration4 ,the executive committee had resolved against providing tea to the visitors4 ,the women1 however1 that had assembled there1 were in the habit of taking tea at #d o'clock every evening4 ,the authorities were informed that1 if these women were not given their usual tea1 they would be too ill to move about1 and1 needless to say1 they had to cancel their original resolution6 ,but some slight delay in the preparation of the tea led to a regular uproar1 and the commotion subsided only after the women had had their cup of tea6 ,i can vouch for the authenticity of this incident4 ,in another instance1 a certain woman had lost all her digestive powers under the influence of tea1 and had become a prey to chronic headaches2 but from the moment that she gave up tea her health began steadily to improve4 ,a doctor of the ,battersea ,municipality in ,england has declared1 after careful investigation1 that the brain-tissues of thousands of women in his district have been diseased from excessive use of tea4 ,i have myself come across many instances of health being ruined by tea4 ,coffee does some good against ,kapha 7phlegm7 and ,vatha 7'wind'71 but at the same time it weakens the body by destroying the vital fluid1 and by making the blood as thin as water4 ,to those people who advocate coffee on the ground that it is beneficial against phlegm and wind1 we would recommend the juice of ginger as even better for the purpose4 ,and1 on the other hand1 let us remember that the evil effects of coffee are too serious to be counter-balanced by its good4 ,when the blood and the vital fluid are poisoned by a stuff1 can there be any hesitation in giving it up altogether8 ,cocoa is fully as harmful as coffee1 and it contains a poison which deadens the perceptions of the skin4 ,those people who recognise the validity of moral considerations in these matters should remember that tea1 coffee and cocoa are prepared mostly by labourers under indenture1 which is only a fine name for slavery4 ,if we saw with our own eyes the oppressive treatment that is meted out to the labourers in cocoa plantations1 we should never again make use of the stuff4 ,indeed1 if we enquire minutely into the methods of preparation of all our articles of food1 we shall have to give up #ij of them6 ,a harmless and healthy substitute for coffee 7tea or cocoa7 can be prepared as follows4 ,even habitual coffee-drinkers will be unable to perceive any difference in taste between coffee and this substitute4 ,good and well-sifted wheat is put into a frying-pan over the fire and well fried1 until it has turned completely red1 and begun to grow dark in colour4 ,then it is powdered just like coffee4 ,a spoon of the powder is then put into a cup1 and boiling water poured on to it4 ,preferably keep the thing over the fire for a minute1 and add milk and sugar1 if necessary1 and you get a delicious drink1 which is much cheaper and healthier than coffee4 ,those who want to save themselves the trouble of preparing this powder may get their supply from the ,satyagraha ,ashram1 ,ahmedabad4 ,from the point of view of diet1 the whole mankind may be divided into three broad divisions4 7#a7 ,the first class1 which is the largest1 consists of those who1 whether by preference or out of necessity1 live on an exclusive vegetable diet4 ,under this division come the best part of ,india1 a large portion of ,europe1 and ,china and ,japan4 ,the staple diet of the ,italians is macaroni1 of the ,irish potato1 of the ,scotch oatmeal1 and of the ,chinese and ,japanese rice4 7#b7 ,the second class consists of those who live on a mixed diet4 ,under this class come most of the people of ,england1 the richer classes of ,china and ,japan1 the richer ,mussalmans of ,india1 as well as those rich ,hindus who have no religious scruples about taking meat4 7#c7 ,to the third class belong the uncivilised peoples of the frigid zones1 who live on an exclusive meat diet4 ,these are not very numerous1 and they also introduce a vegetable element into their diet1 wherever they come in contact with the civilised races of ,europe4 ,man1 then1 can live on three kinds of diet2 but it is our duty to consider which of these is the healthiest for us4 ,an examination of the structure of the human body leads to the conclusion that man is intended by ,nature to live on a vegetable diet4 ,there is the closest affinity between the organs of the human body and those of the fruit-eating animals4 ,the monkey1 for instance1 is so similar to man in shape and structure1 and it is a fruit-eating animal4 ,its teeth and stomach are just like the teeth and stomach of man4 ,from this we may infer that man is intended to live on roots and fruits1 and not on meat4 ,scientists have found out by experiments that fruits have in them all the elements that are required for man's sustenance4 ,the plantain1 the orange1 the date1 the grape1 the apple1 the almond1 the walnut1 the groundnut1 the cocoanut1--all these fruits contain a large percentage of nutritious elements4 ,these scientists even hold that there is no need for man to cook his food4 ,they argue that he should be able to subsist very well on food cooked by the ,sun's warmth1 even as all the lower animals are able to do2 and they say that the most nutritious elements in the food are destroyed in the process of cooking1 and that those things that cannot be eaten uncooked could not have been intended for our food by ,nature4 ,if this view be correct1 it follows that we are at present wasting a lot of our precious time in the cooking of our food4 ,if we could live on uncooked food alone1 we should be saving so much time and energy1 as well as money1 all of which may be utilised for more useful purposes4 ,some people will doubtless say that it is idle and foolish to speculate on the possibility of men taking to uncooked food1 since there is absolutely no hope of their ever doing it4 ,but we are not considering at present what people will or will not do1 but only what they ought to do4 ,it is only when we know what the ideal kind of diet is that we shall be able more and more to approximate our actual to the ideal4 ,when we say that a fruit-diet is the best1 we do not1 of course1 expect all men to take to it straightway4 ,we only mean that1 if they should take to this diet1 it would be the best thing for them4 ,there are many men in ,england who have tried a pure fruit-diet1 and who have recorded the results of their experience4 ,they were people who took to this diet1 not out of religious scruples1 but simply out of considerations of health4 ,a ,german doctor has written a bulky volume on the subject1 and established the value of a fruit-diet by many arguments and evidences4 ,he has cured many diseases by a fruit-diet combined with open-air life4 ,he goes so far as to say that the people of any country can find all the elements of nutrition in the fruits of their own land4 ,it may not be out of place to record my own experience in this connection4 ,for the last six months ,i have been living exclusively on fruits--rejecting even milk and curd4 ,my present dietary consists of plantain1 groundnut and olive oil1 with some sour fruit like the lime4 ,i cannot say that my experiment has been altogether a success1 but a period of six months is all too short to arrive at any definite conclusions on such a vital matter as a complete change of diet4 ,this1 however1 ,i can say1 that1 during this period1 ,i have been able to keep well where others have been attacked by disease1 and my physical as well as mental powers are now greater than before4 ,i may not be able to lift heavy loads1 but ,i can now do hard labour for a much longer time without fatigue4 ,i can also do more mental work1 and with better persistence and resoluteness4 ,i have tried a fruit-diet on many sickly people1 invariably with great advantage4 ,i shall describe these experiences in the section on diseases4 ,here ,i will only say that my own experience1 as well as my study of the subject1 has confirmed me in the conviction that a fruit-diet is the best for us4 ,as ,i have already confessed1 ,i do not think for a moment that people will take to a fruit-diet as soon as they read this4 ,it may even be that all that ,i have written has no effect at all on a single reader1 but ,i believe it to be my bounden duty to set down what ,i hold to be the right thing to the best of my light4 ,if however1 anybody does wish to try a fruit-diet1 he should proceed rather cautiously in order to obtain the best results4 ,he should carefully go through all the chapters of this book1 and fully grasp the fundamental principles1 before he proceeds to do anything in practice4 ,my request to my readers is that they should reserve their final judgments until they have read through all that ,i have got to say4 ,a vegetable diet is the best after a fruit-diet4 ,under this term we include all kinds of pot-herbs and cereals1 as well as milk4 ,vegetables are not as nutritious as fruits1 since they lose part of their efficacy in the process of cooking4 ,we cannot1 however1 eat uncooked vegetables4 ,we will now proceed to consider which vegetables are the best for us4 ,wheat is the best of all the cereals4 ,man can live on wheat alone1 for in it we have in due proportion all the elements of nutrition4 ,many kinds of edibles can be made of wheat1 and they can all be easily digested4 ,the ready-made foods for children that are sold by chemists are also made partly of wheat4 ,millet and maize belong to the same genus1 and cakes and loaves can also be made out of them1 but they are inferior to wheat in their food-value4 ,we will now consider the best form in which wheat may be taken4 ,the white mill flour that is sold in our bazars is quite useless2 it contains no nutriment at all4 ,an ,english doctor tells us that a dog which was fed solely on this flour died1 while other dogs which were fed on better flour remained quite healthy4 ,there is a great demand for loaves made of this flour1 since men eat merely to satisfy their palate1 and are rarely moved by considerations of health4 ,these loaves are devoid of taste and nutriment1 as well as of softness4 ,they become so hard that they cannot be broken by the hand4 ,the best form of flour is that which is made of well-sifted wheat in the grind-mill at home4 ,this flour should be used without further sifting4 ,loaves made of it are quite sweet to the taste1 as well as quite soft4 ,it also lasts for a longer time than the mill flour1 since it is far more nutritious1 and may be used in smaller quantities4 ,the loaf sold in the bazars is thoroughly useless4 ,it may be quite white and attractive in appearance1 but it is invariably adulterated4 ,the worst of it is that it is made by fermentation4 ,many persons have testified from experience that fermented dough is harmful to health4 ,further1 these loaves being made by besmearing the oven with fat1 they are objectionable to ,hindu as well as ,mussalman sentiment4 ,to fill the stomach with these bazar loaves instead of preparing good loaves at home is at best a sign of indolence4 ,another and an easier way of taking wheat is this4 ,wheat is ground into coarse grain1 which is then well cooked and mixed with milk and sugar4 ,this gives a very delicious and healthy kind of food4 ,rice is quite useless as a food4 ,indeed1 it is doubtful if men can subsist upon mere rice1 to the exclusion of such nutritious articles as dhall1 ghee and milk4 ,this is not the case with wheat1 for man can retain his strength by living on mere wheat boiled in water4 ,we eat the pot-herbs mainly for their taste4 ,as they have laxative powers1 they help to purify the blood up to a limit4 ,yet they are but varieties of grass1 and very hard to digest4 ,those who partake too much of them have flabby bodies2 they suffer very often from indigestion1 and go about in search of digestive pills and powders4 ,hence1 if we take them at all1 we should do so in moderation4 ,all the many varieties of pulse are very heavy1 and hard of digestion4 ,their merit is that those who eat them do not suffer from hunger for a long time2 but they also lead to indigestion in most cases4 ,those who do hard labour may be able to digest them1 and derive some good out of them4 ,but we who lead a sedentary life should be very chary of eating them4 ,dr4 ,haig1 a celebrated writer in ,england1 tells us1 on the basis of repeated experiments1 that the pulses are injurious to health1 since they generate a kind of acid in the system1 which leads to several diseases1 and a premature old age4 ,his arguments need not be given here1 but my own experience goes to confirm his view4 ,those1 however1 who are unable or unwilling to eschew the pulses altogether1 should use them with great caution4 ,almost everywhere in ,india1 the spices and condiments are freely used1 as nowhere else in the whole world4 ,even the ,african negroes dislike the taste of our masala1 and refuse to eat food mixed with it4 ,and if the ,whites eat masala1 their stomach gets out of order1 and pimples also appear on their faces1 as ,i have found from my own experience4 ,the fact is that masala is by no means savoury in itself1 but we have so long been accustomed to its use that its flavour appeals to us4 ,but1 as has been already explained1 it is wrong to eat anything for its mere taste4 ,how comes it1 then1 that masala is so freely eaten by us8 ,admittedly1 in order to help the digestion1 and to be able to eat more4 ,pepper1 mustard1 coriander and other condiments have the power of artificially helping the digestion1 and generating a sort of artificial hunger4 ,but it would be wrong to to infer from this that all the food has been thoroughly digested1 and assimilated into the system4 ,those who take too much of masala are often found to suffer from anaemia1 and even from diarrhea4 ,i know a man who even died in the prime of youth out of too much eating of pepper4 ,hence it is quite necessary to eschew all condiments altogether4 ,what has been said of masala applies also to salt4 ,most people would be scandalised at this suggestion1 but it is a fact established by experience4 ,there is a school in ,england who even hold the view that salt is more harmful than most condiments4 ,as there is enough of salt in the composition of the vegetables we use1 we need not put any extra salt into them4 ,nature herself has provided just as much salt as is required for the upkeep of our health4 ,all the extra salt that we use is quite superfluous2 all of it goes out of the body again in the form of perspiration1 or in other ways1 and no portion of it seems to have any useful function to perform in the body4 ,one writer even holds that salt poisons the blood4 ,he says that those who use no salt at all have their blood so pure that they are not affected even by snake-bite4 ,we do not know if this is a fact or not1 but this much we know from experience1 that1 in several diseases like piles and asthama1 the disuse of salt at once produces appreciably beneficial results4 ,and1 on the other hand1 ,i have not come across a single instance of a man being any the worse for not using salt4 ,i myself left off the use of salt two years ago1 and ,i have not only not suffered by it1 but have even been benefitted in some respects4 ,i have not now to drink as much water as before1 and am more brisk and energetic4 ,the reason for my disuse of salt was a very strange one3 for it was occasioned by the illness of somebody else6 ,the person whose illness led to it did not get worse after that1 but remained in the same condition2 and it is my faith that1 if only the diseased person himself had given up the use of salt1 he would have recovered completely4 ,those who give up salt will also have to give up vegetables and dhall4 ,this is a very hard thing to do1 as ,i have found from many tests4 ,i am convinced that vegetables and dhall cannot be properly digested without salt4 ,this does not1 of course1 mean that salt improves the digestion1 but it only appears to do so1 just as pepper does1 although ultimately it leads to evil consequences4 ,of course1 the man who entirely gives up the use of salt may feel out of sorts for a few days2 but1 if he keeps up his spirits1 he is bound to be immensely benefitted in the long run4 ,i make bold to regard even milk as one of the articles to be eschewed6 ,this ,i do on the strength of my own experience which1 however1 need not be described here in detail4 ,the popular idea of the value of milk is a pure superstition1 but it is so deep-rooted that it is futile to think of removing it4 ,as ,i have said more than once1 ,i do not cherish the hope that my readers will accept all my views2 ,i do not even believe that all those who accept them in theory will adopt them in practice4 ,nevertheless1 ,i think it my duty to speak out what ,i believe to be the truth1 leaving my readers to form their own judgments4 ,many doctors hold the view that milk gives rise to a kind of fever1 and many books have been written in support of this view4 ,the disease bearing germs that live in the air rapidly gain an entrance into the milk1 and render it poisonous1 so that it is very difficult to keep milk in a state of perfect purity4 ,in ,africa elaborate rules have been laid down for the conduct of the dairies1 saying how the milk should be boiled and preserved1 how the vessels should be kept clean1 and so on4 ,when so much pains have to be taken in this matter1 it is certainly to be considered how far it is worth while to employ milk as an article of food4 ,moreover1 the purity or otherwise of the milk depends upon the cow's food1 and the state of its health4 ,doctors have testified to the fact that those who drink the milk of consumptive cows fall a prey to consumption themselves4 ,it is very rare to come across a cow that is perfectly healthy4 ,that is to say1 perfectly pure milk is very hard to obtain1 since it is tainted at its very source4 ,everybody knows that a child that sucks the breast of its mother contracts any disease that she might be suffering from4 ,and often when a little child is ill1 medicine is administered to its mother1 so that its effect might reach the child through the milk of her breast4 ,just in the same way1 the health of the man who drinks the milk of a cow will be the same as that of the cow itself4 ,when the use of milk is fraught with so much danger1 would it not be the part of wisdom to eschew it altogether1 especially when there are excellent substitutes8 ,olive oil1 for instance serves this purpose to some extent2 and sweet almond is a most efficient substitute4 ,the almond is first soaked in hot water1 and its husk removed4 ,then it is well crushed1 and mixed thoroughly well with water4 ,this gives a drink which contains all the good properties of milk1 and is at the same time free from its evil effects4 ,now let us consider this question from the point of view of ,natural law4 ,the calf drinks its mother's milk only until its teeth have grown2 and it begins to eat as soon as it has its teeth4 ,clearly1 this is also what man is intended to do4 ,nature does not intend us to go on drinking milk after we have ceased to be infants4 ,we should learn to live on fruits like the apple and the almond1 or on wheat roti1 after we have our teeth4 ,although this is not the place to consider the saving in money that might be effected by giving up milk1 it is certainly a point to be kept in mind4 ,nor is there any need for any of the articles produced from milk4 ,the sourness of lime is quite a good substitute for that of buttermilk2 and as for ghee1 thousands of ,indians manage with oil even now4 ,a careful examination of the structure of the human body shows that meat is not the natural food of man4 ,dr4 ,haig and ,dr4 ,kingsford have very clearly demonstrated the evil effects of meat on the body of man4 ,they have shown that meat generates just the same kind of acid in the body as the pulses4 ,it leads to the decay of the teeth1 as well as to rheumatism2 it also gives rise to evil passions like anger1 which1 as we have already seen1 are but forms of disease4 ,to sum up1 then1 we find that those who live on fruits alone are very rare1 but it is quite easy to live on a combination of fruits1 wheat and olive oil1 and it is also eminently conducive to sound health4 ,the plantain comes easy first among the fruits2 but the date1 the grape1 the plum and the orange1 to name only a few1 are all quite nourishing1 and may be taken along with the roti4 ,the roti does not suffer in taste by being besmeared with olive oil4 ,this diet dispenses with salt1 pepper1 milk and sugar1 and is quite simple and cheap4 ,it is1 of course1 foolish to eat sugar for its own sake4 ,too much sweetmeat weakens the teeth1 and injures the health4 ,excellent edibles can be made of wheat and the fruits1 and a combination of health and taste secured4 ,the next question to consider is how much food should be taken1 and how many times a day4 ,but1 as this is a subject of vital importance1 we will devote a separate chapter to it4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,,how ,,much ,,and ,,how ,,many ,,times ,,should ,,we ,,eat8 ,there is a great divergence of opinion among doctors as to the quantity of food that we should take4 ,one doctor holds that we should eat to the utmost of our capacity1 and he has calculated the quantities of different kinds of food that we can take4 ,another holds the view that the food of labourers should differ in quantity as well as in quality from that of persons engaged in mental work1 while a third doctor contends that the prince and the peasant should eat exactly the same quantity of food4 ,this much1 however1 will be generally admitted1 that the weak cannot eat just as much as the strong4 ,in the same way1 a woman eats less than a man1 and children and old men eat less than young men4 ,one writer goes so far as to say that1 if only we would masticate our food thoroughly well1 so that every particle of it is mixed with the saliva1 then we should not have to eat more than five or ten tolas of food4 ,this he says on the basis of numberless experiments1 and his book has been sold in thousands4 ,all this shows that it is futile to think of prescribing the quantity of food for men4 ,most doctors admit that #ii of human beings eat more than is needed4 ,indeed1 this is a fact of everyday experience1 and does not require to be proclaimed by any doctor4 ,there is no fear at all of men ruining their health by eating too little2 and the great need is for a reduction in the quantity of food that we generally take4 ,as said above1 it is of the utmost importance to masticate the food thoroughly well4 ,by so doing1 we shall be able to extract the maximum of nutriment from the minimum of food4 ,experienced persons point out that the fces of a man whose food is wholesome1 and who does not eat too much1 will be small in quantity1 quite solid and smooth1 dark in colour1 and free from all foul smell4 ,the man who does not have such fces should understand that he has eaten too much of unwholesome food1 and has failed to masticate it well4 ,also1 if a man does not get sleep at night1 or if his sleep be troubled by dreams1 and if his tongue be dirty in the morning1 he should know that he has been guilty of excessive eating4 ,and if he has to get up several times at night to make water1 it means that he has taken too much liquid food at night4 ,by these and other tests1 every man can arrive at the exact quantity of food that is needed for him4 ,many men suffer from foul breath1 which shows that their food has not been well digested4 ,in many cases1 again1 too much eating gives rise to pimples on the face1 and in the nose2 and many people suffer from wind in the stomach4 ,the root of all these troubles is1 to put it plainly1 that we have converted our stomach into a latrine1 and we carry this latrine about with us4 ,when we consider the matter in a sober light1 we cannot help feeling an unmixed contempt for ourselves4 ,if we want to avoid the sin of over-eating1 we should take a vow never to have anything to do with feasts of all kinds4 ,of course1 we should feed those who come to us as guests1 but only so as not to violate the laws of health4 ,do we ever think of inviting our friends to clean their teeth with us1 or to take a glass of water8 ,is not eating as strictly a matter of health as these things8 ,why1 then1 should we make so much fuss about it8 ,we have become such gluttons by habit that our tongues are ever craving for abnormal sensations4 ,hence we think it a sacred duty to cram our guests with rich food1 and we cherish the hope that they will do likewise for us1 when their turn comes6 ,if1 an hour after eating1 we ask a clean-bodied friend to smell our mouth1 and if he should tell us his exact feelings1 we should have to hide our heads in utter shame6 ,but some people are so shameless that they take purgatives soon after eating1 that they might be able to eat still more or they even vomit out what they have eaten in order to sit down again to the feast at once6 ,since even the best of us are more or less guilty of over-eating1 our wise forefathers have prescribed frequent fasts as a religious duty4 ,indeed1 merely from the point of view of health1 it will be highly beneficial to fast at least once a fortnight4 ,many pious ,hindus take only one meal a day during the rainy season4 ,this is a practice based upon the soundest hygienic principles4 ,for1 when the air is damp and the sky cloudy1 the digestive organs are weaker than usual1 and hence there should be a reduction in the quantity of food4 ,and now we will consider how may meals we may take in the day4 ,numberless people in ,india are content with only two meals4 ,those who do hard labour take three meals1 but a system of four meals has arisen after the invention of ,english medicines6 ,of late1 several societies have been formed in ,england and in ,america in order to exhort the people to take only two meals a day4 ,they say that we should not take a breakfast early in the morning1 since our sleep itself serves the purpose of the breakfast4 ,as soon as we get up in the morning we should prepare to work rather than to eat4 ,we should take our meal only after working for three hours4 ,those who hold these views take only two meals a day1 and do not even take tea in the interval4 ,an experienced doctor by name ,deway has written an excellent book on ,fasting1 in which he has shown the benefits of dispensing with the breakfast4 ,i can also say from my experience that there is absolutely no need to eat more than twice1 for a man who has passed the period of youth1 and whose body has attained its fullest growth4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,,exercise ,exercise is as much of a vital necessity for man as air1 water and food1 in the sense that no man who does not take exercise regularly1 can be perfectly healthy4 ,by exercise we do not mean merely walking1 or games like hockey1 football1 and cricket2 we include under the term all physical and mental activity4 ,exercise1 even as food1 is as essential to the mind as to the body4 ,the mind is much weakened by want of exercise as the body1 and a feeble mind is1 indeed1 a form of disease4 ,an athlete1 for instance1 who is an expert in wrestling1 cannot be regarded as a really healthy man1 unless his mind is equally efficient4 ,as already explained1 a sound mind in a sound body alone constitutes true health4 ,which1 then1 are those exercises which keep the body and the mind equally efficient8 ,indeed1 ,nature has so arranged it that we can be engaged in physical as well as mental work at the same time4 ,the vast majority of men on earth live by field-labour4 ,the farmer has to do strenuous bodily exercise at any cost1 for he has to work for #h or #aj hours1 or sometimes even more1 in order to earn his bread and clothing4 ,and efficient labour is impossible unless the mind is also in good condition4 ,he has to attend to all the many details of cultivation2 he must have a good knowledge of soils and seasons1 and perhaps also of the movements of the sun1 the moon1 and the stars4 ,even the ablest men will be beaten by the farmer in these matters4 ,he knows the state of his immediate surroundings thoroughly well1 he can find the directions by looking at the stars in the night1 and tell a great many things from the ways of birds and beasts4 ,he knows1 for instance1 that rain is about to fall when a particular class of birds gather together1 and begin to make noise4 ,he knows as much of the earth and the sky as is necessary for his work4 ,as he has to bring up his children1 he must know something of ,dharma ,sastra4 ,since he lives under the broad open sky1 he easily realises the greatness of ,god4 ,of course1 all men cannot be farmers1 nor is this book written for them4 ,we have however1 described the life of the farmer1 as we are convinced that it is the natural life for man4 ,to the extent to which we deviate from these natural conditions must we suffer in health4 ,from the farmer's life we learn that we should work for at least #h hours a day1 and it should involve mental work as well4 ,merchants and others leading a sedentary life have indeed1 to do some mental work1 but their work is too one-sided and too inadequate to be called exercise4 ,for such people the wise men of the ,west have devised games like cricket and football1 and such minor games as are played at parties and festive gatherings4 ,as for mental work the reading of such books as involve no mental strain is prescribed4 ,no doubt these games do give exercise to the body1 but it is a question if they are equally beneficial to the mind4 ,how many of the best players of football and cricket are men of superior mental powers8 ,what have we seen of the mental equipment of those ,indian ,princes who have earned a distinction as players8 ,on the other hand1 how many of the ablest men care to play these games8 ,we can affirm from our experience that there are very few players among those who are gifted with great mental powers4 ,the people of ,england are extremely fond of games1 but their own poet1 ,kipling1 speaks very disparagingly of the mental capacity of the players4 ,here in ,india1 however1 we have chosen quite a different path6 ,our men do arduous mental work1 but give little or no exercise to the body4 ,their bodies are enfeebled by excessive mental strain1 and they fall a prey to serious diseases2 and just when the world expects to benefit by their work1 they bid it eternal farewell6 ,our work should be neither exclusively physical nor exclusively mental1 nor such as ministers merely to the pleasure of the moment4 ,the ideal kind of exercise is that which gives vigour to the body as well as to the mind2 only such exercise can keep a man truly healthy1 and such a man is the farmer4 ,but what shall he do who is no farmer8 ,the exercise which games like the cricket give is too inadequate1 and something else has to be devised4 ,the best thing for ordinary men would be to keep a small garden near the house1 and work in it for a few hours every day4 ,some may ask1 ,what can we do if the house we live in be not our own8 ,this is a foolish question to ask1 for1 whoever may be the owner of the house1 he cannot object to his ground being improved by digging and cultivation4 ,and we shall have the satisfaction of feeling that we have helped to keep somebody else's ground neat and clean4 ,those who do not find time for such exercise or who may not like it1 may resort to walking1 which is the next best exercise4 ,truly has this been described as the ,queen of all exercises4 ,the main reason why our ,sadhus and ,fakirs are strong as a class is that they go about from one end of the country to the other only on foot4 ,thoreau1 the great ,american writer1 has said many remarkable things on walking as an exercise4 ,he says that the writings of those who keep indoors and never go out into the open air1 will be as weak as their bodies4 ,referring to his own experience1 he says that all his best works were written when he was walking the most4 ,he was such an inveterate walker that four or five hours a day was quite an ordinary thing with him6 ,our passion for exercise should become so strong that we cannot bring ourselves to dispense with it on any account4 ,we hardly realise how weak and futile is our mental work when unaccompanied by hard physical exercise4 ,walking gives movement to every portion of the body1 and ensures vigorous circulation of the blood2 for1 when we walk fast1 fresh air is inhaled into the lungs4 ,then there is the inestimable joy that natural objects give us1 the joy that comes from a contemplation of the beauties of nature4 ,it is1 of course1 useless to walk along lanes and streets1 or to take the same path every day4 ,we should go out into the fields and forests where we can have a taste of ,nature4 ,walking a mile or two is no walking at all2 at least ten or twelve miles are necessary for exercise4 ,those who cannot walk so much every day can at least do so on ,sundays4 ,once a man who was suffering from indigestion went to the doctor to take medicine4 ,he was advised to walk a little every day1 but he pleaded that he was too weak to walk at all4 ,then the doctor took him into his carriage for a drive4 ,on the way he deliberately dropped his whip1 and the sick man1 out of courtesy1 got down to take it4 ,the doctor1 however1 drove on without waiting for him1 and the poor man had to trudge behind the carriage4 ,when the doctor was satisfied that he had walked long enough1 he took him into the carriage again1 and explained that it was a device adopted to make him walk4 ,as the man had begun to feel hungry by this time1 he realised the value of the doctor's advice1 and forgot the affair of the whip4 ,he then went home and had a hearty meal4 ,let those who are suffering from indigestion and kindred diseases try for themselves1 and they will at once realise the value of walking as an exercise4 ,,chapter ,,viii ,,dress ,dress is also a matter of health to a certain extent4 ,european ladies1 for instance1 have such queer notions of beauty that their dress is contrived with a view to straitening the waist and the feet1 which1 in its turn1 leads to several diseases4 ,the feet of ,chinese women are deliberately straitened to such an extent that they are smaller even than the feet of our little children1 and1 as a result1 their health is injured4 ,these two instances show how the health may be affected by the nature of the dress4 ,but the choice of our dress does not rest always in our hands1 for we have perforce to adopt the manners of our elders4 ,the chief object of dress has been forgotten1 and it has come to be regarded as indicative of a man's religion1 country1 race and profession4 ,in this state of things1 it is very difficult to discuss the question of dress strictly from the point of view of health1 but such a discussion must necessarily do us good4 ,under the term dress1 we include all such things as boots and shoes1 as well as jewellery and the like4 ,what is the chief object of dress8 ,man in his primitive state had no dress at all2 he went about naked1 and exposing almost the whole body4 ,his skin was firm and strong1 he was able to stand sun and shower1 and never once suffered from cold and kindred ailments4 ,as has already been explained1 we inhale the air not only through the nostrils1 but also through the numberless pores of the skin4 ,so when we cover the body with clothing1 we are preventing this natural function of the skin4 ,but when the people of the colder countries grew more and more indolent1 they began to feel the need to cover their bodies4 ,they were no longer able to stand the cold1 and the use of dress came into being1 until at length it came to be looked upon not merely as a necessity1 but as an ornament4 ,subsequently it has also come to be regarded as an indication of country1 race etc4 ,in fact1 ,nature herself has provided an excellent covering for us in our skin4 ,the idea that the body looks unseemly in undress is absurd1 for the very best pictures are those that display the naked body4 ,when we cover up the most ordinary parts of our body1 it is as though we felt ashamed of them in their natural condition1 and as though we found fault with ,nature's own arrangement4 ,we think it a duty to go on multiplying the trappings and ornaments for our body1 as we grow richer and richer4 ,we 'adorn' our body in all sorts of hideous ways1 and pride ourselves on our handsomeness6 ,if our eyes were not blinded by foolish habit1 we should see that the body looks most handsome only in its nakedness1 as it enjoys its best health only in that condition4 ,dress1 indeed1 detracts from the natural beauty of the body4 ,but1 not content with dress alone1 man began to wear jewels also4 ,this is mere madness1 for it is hard to understand how these jewels can add an iota to the body's natural beauty4 ,but women have gone beyond all bounds of sense or decency in this matter4 ,they are not ashamed to wear anklets which are so heavy that they can hardly lift their feet1 or to pierce their nose and ears hideously for putting on rings1 or to stud their wrists and fingers with rings and bracelets of several kinds4 ,these ornaments only serve to help the accumulation of dirt in the body2 there is indeed no limit to the dirt on the nose and ears4 ,we mistake this filthiness for beauty1 and throw money away to secure it2 and we do not even shrink from putting our lives at the mercy of thieves4 ,there is no limit to the pains we take to satisfy the silly notions of vanity that we have so sedulously cultivated4 ,women1 indeed1 have become so infatuated that they are not prepared to remove the ear-ring even if the ears are diseased2 even if the hand is swollen and suffering from frightful pain1 they would not remove the bracelets2 and they are unwilling to remove the ring from a swollen finger1 since they imagine that their beauty would suffer by so doing6 ,a thorough reform in dress is by no means an easy matter1 but it is surely possible for all of us to renounce our jewels and all superfluous clothing4 ,we may keep some few things for the sake of convention1 and throw off all the rest4 ,those who are free from the superstition that dress is an ornament can surely effect many changes in their dress1 and keep themselves in good health4 ,now-a-days the notion has gained ground that ,european dress is necessary for maintaining our decency and prestige6 ,this is not the place to discuss this question in detail4 ,here it will be enough to point out that1 although the dress of ,europeans might be good enough for the cold countries of ,europe1 it is hopelessly unsuited to ,india4 ,indian dress1 alone1 can be good for ,indians1 whether they be ,hindu or ,musalman4 ,our dress being loose and open1 air is not shut out2 and being white for the most part1 it does not absorb the heat4 ,black dress feels hot1 since all the sun's rays are absorbed into it1 and1 in its turn1 into the body4 ,the practice of covering the head with the turban has become quite common with us4 ,nevertheless we should try to keep the head bare as far as possible4 ,to grow the hair1 and to dress it by combing and brushing1 parting in the middle and so on1 is nothing short of barbarous4 ,dust and dirt1 as well as nits and lice1 accumulate in the hair1 and if a boil were to arise on the head1 it cannot be properly treated4 ,especially for those who use a turban1 it would be stupid to grow the hair4 ,the feet also are common agents of disease4 ,the feet of those who wear boots and shoes grow dirty1 and begin to exude a lot of stinking perspiration4 ,so great is the stink that those who are sensitive to smells will hardly be able to stand by the side of one who is removing his shoes and socks4 ,our common names for the shoe speak of it as the protector of the feet and the enemy of the thorn showing that shoes should be worn only when we have to walk along a thorny path1 or over very cold or hot ground1 and that only the soles should be covered1 and not the entire feet4 ,and this purpose is served excellently well by the sandal4 ,some people who are accustomed to the use of shoes often suffer from headaches1 of pain in the feet1 or weakness of the body4 ,let them try the experiment of walking with bare feet1 and then they will at once find out the benefit of keeping the feet bare1 and free from sweat by exposure to the air4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,,sexual ,,relations ,i would specially request those who have carefully read through the book so far to read through this chapter with even greater care1 and ponder well over its subject-matter4 ,there are still several more chapters to be written1 and they will1 of course1 be found useful in their own way4 ,but not one of them is nearly as important as this4 ,as ,i have already said1 there is not a single matter mentioned in this book which is not based on my personal experience1 or which ,i do not believe to be strictly true4 ,many are the keys to health1 and they are all quite essential2 but the one thing needful1 above all others1 is ,brahmacharya4 ,of course1 pure air1 pure water1 and wholesome food do contribute to health4 ,but how can we be healthy if we expend all the health that we acquire8 ,how can we help being paupers if we spend all the money that we earn8 ,there can be no doubt that men and women can never be virile or strong unless they observe true ,brahmacharya4 ,what do we mean by ,brahmacharya8 ,we mean by it that men and women should refrain from enjoying each other4 ,that is to say1 they should not touch each other with a carnal thought1 they should not think of it even in their dreams4 ,their mutual glances should be free from all suggestion of carnality4 ,the hidden strength that ,god has given us should be conserved by rigid self-discipline1 and transmitted into energy and power1--not merely of body1 but also of mind and soul4 ,but what is the spectacle that we actually see around us8 ,men and women1 old and young1 without exception1 are seen entangled in the coils of sensuality4 ,blinded by lust1 they lose all sense of right and wrong4 ,i have myself seen even boys and girls behaving like mad men under its fatal influence4 ,i too have behaved likewise under similar influences1 and it could not well be otherwise4 ,for the sake of a momentary pleasure1 we sacrifice in an instant all the stock of vitality that we have accumulated4 ,the infatuation over1 we find ourselves in a miserable condition4 ,the next morning1 we feel hopelessly weak and tired1 and the mind refuses to do its work4 ,then1 we try to remedy the mischief by taking all sorts of 'nervine tonics' and put ourselves under the doctor's mercy for repairing the waste1 and for recovering the capacity for enjoyment4 ,so the days pass and the years1 until at length old age comes upon us1 and finds us utterly emasculated in body and in mind4 ,but the law of ,nature is just the reverse of this4 ,the older we grow1 the keener should grow our intellect also2 the longer we live1 the greater should be our capacity to transmit the fruits of our accumulated experience to our fellowmen4 ,and such is indeed the case with those who have been true ,brahmacharies4 ,they know no fear of death1 and they do not forget good even in the hour of death2 nor do they indulge in vain complaints4 ,they die with a smile on their lips1 and boldly face the day of judgment4 ,they are the true men and women2 and of them alone can it be said that they have conserved their health4 ,we hardly realise the fact that incontinence is the root-cause of all the vanity1 anger1 fear and jealousy in the world4 ,if our mind is not under our control1 if we behave once or more every day more foolishly than even little children1 what sins may we not commit consciously or unconsciously8 ,how can we pause to think of the consequences of our actions1 however vile or sinful they may be8 ,but you may ask1 ,who has ever seen a true ,brahmachary in this sense8 ,if all men should turn ,brahmacharies1 would not humanity be extinct1 and the whole world go to rack and ruin8 ,we will leave aside the religious aspect of this question1 and discuss it simply from the secular point of view4 ,to my mind1 these questions only bespeak our weakness and our cowardliness4 ,we have not the strength of will to observe ,brahmacharya1 and1 therefore1 set about finding pretexts for evading our duty4 ,the race of true ,brahmacharies is by no means extinct2 but1 if they were to be had merely for the asking1 of what value would ,brahmacharya be8 ,thousands of hardy labourers have to go and dig deep into the bowels of the earth in search of diamonds1 and at length they get perhaps merely a handful of them out of heaps and heaps of rock4 ,how much greater1 then1 should be the labour involved in the discovery of the infinitely more precious diamond of a ,brahmachary8 ,if the observance of ,brahmacharya should mean the ruin of the world1 why should we regret it8 ,are we ,god that we should be so anxious about its future8 ,he who created it will surely see to its preservation4 ,it is none of our business to enquire if other people practise ,brahmacharya or not4 ,when we turn merchant or lawyer or doctor1 do we ever pause to consider what the fate of the world would be if all men were to do likewise8 ,the true ,brahmachary will1 in the long run1 discover for himself answers to such questions4 ,but how can men engrossed by the cares of the material world put these ideas into practice8 ,what shall the married people do8 ,what shall they do who have children8 ,and what shall be done by those people who cannot control their lust8 ,the best solution for all such difficulties has already been given4 ,we should keep this ideal constantly before us1 and try to approximate to it more and more to the utmost of our capacity4 ,when little children are taught to write the letters of the alphabet1 we show them the perfect shapes of the letters1 and they try to reproduce them as best they can4 ,just in the same way1 if we steadily work up to the ideal of ,brahmacharya1 we may ultimately succeed in realising it4 ,what if we have married already8 ,the law of ,nature is that ,brahmacharya may be broken only when the husband and wife feel a strong desire for a child4 ,those who1 remembering this law1 violate ,brahmacharya once in four or five years cannot be said to be slaves to lust1 nor can they appreciably lose their stock of vitality4 ,but1 alas1 how rare are those men and women who yield to the sexual craving merely for the sake of an offspring6 ,the vast majority1 who may be numbered in thousands1 turn to sexual enjoyment merely to satisfy their carnal passion1 with the result that children are born to them quite against their will4 ,in the madness of sexual passion1 we give no thought to the consequences of our acts4 ,in this respect1 men are even more to blame than women4 ,the man is blinded so much by his lust that he never cares to remember that his wife is weak and incapable of rearing a child4 ,in the ,west indeed1 people have trespassed even against the claims of common decency4 ,they indulge in sexual pleasures1 and devise measures in order to evade the responsibilities of parenthood4 ,many books have been written on this subject1 and a regular trade is being carried on in providing the means of preventing conception4 ,we are as yet free from this sin1 but we do not shrink from imposing the heavy burden of maternity on our women1 and we are not concerned even to find that our children are weak1 impotent and imbecile4 ,every time we get children1 we bless ,providence1 and so seek to hide from ourselves the wickedness of our acts4 ,should we not rather deem it a sign of ,god's anger to have children who are weak1 sensual1 crippled and impotent8 ,is it a matter for joy that mere boys and girls should have children8 ,is it not rather a curse of ,god8 ,we all know that the premature fruit of a too young plant weakens the parent1 and so we try all means of delaying the appearance of fruit4 ,but we sing hymns of praise and thanks-giving to ,god when a child is born of a boy-father and a girl-mother6 ,could anything be more dreadful8 ,do we think that the world is going to be saved by the countless swarms of such impotent children endlessly multiplying in ,india or elsewhere in the world8 ,verily we are1 in this respect1 far worse than even the lower animals2 for1 the bull and the cow are brought together solely with the object of having a calf4 ,man and woman should regard it as sacred duty to keep apart from the moment of conception up to the time when the child has ceased to suck its mother's breast4 ,but we go on in our merry fashion blissfully forgetful of this sacred obligation4 ,this incurable disease enfeebles our mind and leads us to an early grave1 after making us drag a miserable existence for a short while4 ,married people should understand the true function of marriage1 and should not violate the law of ,brahmacharya except with a view to having a child for the continuation of the race4 ,but this is so difficult under our present conditions of life4 ,our diet1 our ways of life1 our common talk1 and our environments are all equally calculated to rouse and keep alive our sensual appetite2 and sensuality is like a poison1 eating into our vitals4 ,some people may doubt the possibility of our being able to free ourselves from this bondage4 ,this book is written not for those who go about with such doubtings of heart1 but only for those who are really in earnest1 and who have the courage to take active steps for their improvement4 ,those who are quite content with their present abject condition may even be offended to read all this2 but ,i hope this will be of some service to those who are heartily disgusted with their own miserable existence4 ,from all that has been said1 it follows that those who are still unmarried should try to remain so2 but1 if they cannot help marrying1 they should do so as late as possible4 ,young men1 for instance1 should take a vow to remain unmarried till the age of #be or #cj4 ,we shall not explain here all the benefits other than physical that result from this2 but those who want to enjoy them can do so for themselves4 ,my request to those parents who may read these pages is that they should not tie a mill-stone round the necks of their sons by marrying them in their teens4 ,they should look also to the welfare of their sons1 and not only to their own interests4 ,they should throw aside all silly notions of caste-pride or 'respectability'1 and cease to indulge in such heartless practices4 ,let them1 rather1 if they are true well-wishers of their children1 look to their physical1 mental and moral improvements4 ,what greater disservice can they do to their sons than compelling them to enter upon a married life1 with all its tremendous responsibilities and cares1 even while they are mere boys8 ,then again1 the true laws of health demand that the man that loses his wife1 as well as the woman that loses her husband1 should remain single ever after4 ,there is a difference of opinion among doctors as to whether young men and women need ever let their vital fluid escape1 some answering the question in the affirmative1 others in the negative4 ,but this cannot justify our taking advantage of it for sensual enjoyment4 ,i can affirm1 without the slightest hesitation1 from my own experience as well as that of others1 that sexual enjoyment is not only not necessary for the preservation of health1 but is positively detrimental to it4 ,all the strength of body and mind that has taken long to acquire1 is lost altogether by the escape of the vital fluid1 and it takes a long time to regain this lost strength1 and even then there is no saying that it can be thoroughly recovered4 ,a broken vessel may be made to do its work after mending1 but it can never be anything but a broken vessel4 ,as has already been pointed out1 the preservation of our vitality is impossible without pure air1 pure water1 pure and wholesome food1 as well as pure thoughts4 ,so vital indeed is the relation between our health and the life that we lead that we can never be perfectly healthy unless we lead a clean life4 ,the earnest man who1 forgetting the errors of the past1 begins to live a life of purity will be able to reap the fruit of it straightway4 ,those who have practised true ,brahmacharya even for a short period will have seen how their body and mind improve steadily in strength and power1 and they will not1 at any cost1 be willing to part with this treasure4 ,i have myself been guilty of lapses even after having fully understood the value of ,brahmacharya1 and have1 of course1 paid dearly for it4 ,i am filled with shame and remorse when ,i think of the terrible contrast between my condition before and after these lapses4 ,but from the errors of the past ,i have now learnt to preserve this treasure in tact1 and ,i fully hope1 with ,god's grace1 to continue to preserve it in the future2 for ,i have in my own person1 witnessed the inestimable benefits of ,brahmacharya4 ,i was married early in life1 and had become the father of children as a mere youth4 ,when1 at length1 ,i awoke to the reality of my situation1 ,i found myself sunk in the lowest depths of degradation4 ,i shall consider myself amply rewarded for writing these pages if at least a single reader is able to take warning from my failings and experiences1 and to profit thereby4 ,many people have told me 7and ,i also believe it7 that ,i am full of energy and enthusiasm1 and that my mind is by so means weak2 some even accuse me of rashness4 ,there is disease in my body as well as in my mind2 nevertheless1 when compared with my friends1 ,i may call myself perfectly healthy and strong4 ,if even after twenty years of sensual enjoyment1 ,i have been able to reach this state1 how much better should ,i have been if only ,i had kept myself pure during those twenty years as well8 ,it is my full conviction that1 if only ,i had lived a life of ,brahmacharya all through1 my energy and enthusiasm would have been a thousandfold greater and ,i should have been able to devote them all to the furtherance of my country's cause as of my own4 ,if this can be affirmed of an ordinary man like myself1 how much more wonderful must be the gain in power1--physical1 mental1 as well as moral--that unbroken ,brahmacharya can bring to us6 ,when so strict is the law of ,brahmacharya1 what shall we say of those guilty of the unpardonable sin of illegitimate sexual enjoyment8 ,the evil that arises from adultery and prostitution is a vital question of religion and morality and cannot be fully dealt with in a treatise on health4 ,here we are only concerned to point out how thousands who are guilty of these sins are afflicted by syphilis and other unmentionable diseases4 ,the inflexible decree of ,providence happily condemns these wretches to a life of unmitigated suffering4 ,their short span of life is spent in abject bondage to quacks in a futile quest after a remedy that will rid them of their suffering4 ,if there were no adultery at all1 there would be no work for at least #ej of doctors4 ,so inextricably indeed has venereal disease caught mankind in its clutches that even the best doctors have been forced to admit that1 so long as adultery and prostitution continue1 there is no hope for the human race4 ,the medicines for these diseases are so poisonous that1 although they may appear to have done some good for the time being1 they give rise to other and still more terrible diseases which are handed down from generation to generation4 ,in concluding this chapter1 we will briefly point out how married people can preserve their ,brahmacharya intact4 ,it is not enough to observe the laws of health as regards air1 water and food4 ,the man should altogether cease to sleep in privacy with his wife4 ,little reflection is needed to show that the only possible motive for privacy between man and wife is the desire for sexual enjoyment4 ,they should sleep apart at night1 and be incessantly engaged in good works during the day4 ,they should read such books as fill them with noble thoughts and meditate over the lives of great men1 and live in the constant realisation of the fact that sensual enjoyment is the root of all disease4 ,whenever they feel a prompting for enjoyment1 they should bathe in cold water1 so that the heat of passion may be cooled down1 and be refined into the energy of virtuous activity4 ,this is a hard thing to do1 but we have been born into this world that we might wrestle with difficulties and temptations1 and conquer them2 and he who has not the will to do it can never enjoy the supreme blessing of true health4 ,,part ,,ii ,,some ,,simple ,,treatments ,,chapter ,i ,,air-,,treatment ,we have now done with the discussion of the foundations of health1 as well as the means of its preservation4 ,if all men and women were to obey all the laws of health1 and practice strict ,brahmacharya1 there would be no need at all for the chapters which follow1 for such men and women would then be free from all ailments1 whether of the body or of the mind4 ,but where can such men and women be found8 ,where are they who have not been afflicted by disease8 ,the more strictly1 however1 we observe the laws which have been explained in this book1 the more shall we be free from disease4 ,but when diseases do attack us1 it is our duty to deal with them properly1 and the following chapters are intended to show how to do it4 ,pure air1 which is so essential to the preservation of health1 is also essential to the cure of diseases4 ,if1 for instance1 a man who is suffering from gout is treated with air heated by steam1 he perspires profusely1 and his joints are eased4 ,this kind of vapour-treatment is known as ,turkish ,bath4 ,if a man who is suffering from high fever is stripped naked1 and made to sleep in the open air1 there is an immediate fall in the temperature1 and he feels a distinct relief4 ,and if1 when he feels cold1 he is wrapped in a blanket1 he perspires at once1 and the fever ceases4 ,but what we generally do is just the reverse of this4 ,even if the patient is willing to remain in the open air1 we close all the doors and windows of the room in which he lies1 and cover his whole body 7including the head and ears7 with blankets1 with the result that he is frightened1 and is rendered still weaker4 ,if the fever is the outcome of too much heat1 the sort of air-treatment described above is perfectly harmless1 and its effect can be instantly felt4 ,of course1 care should be taken that the patient does not begin to shiver in the open air4 ,if he cannot remain naked1 he may well be covered with blankets4 ,change of air is an effective remedy for latent fever and other diseases4 ,the common practice of taking a change of air is only an application of the principle of air-treatment4 ,we often change our residence in the belief that a house constantly infested by disease is the resort of evil spirits4 ,this is a mere delusion1 for the real evil spirits in such cases are the foul air inside the house4 ,a change of residence ensures a change of air1 and with it the cure of the diseases brought on by it4 ,indeed1 so vital is the relation between health and air that the good or evil effects of even a slight change are instantaneously felt4 ,for a change of air the rich can afford to go to distant places1 but even the poor can go from one village to another1 or at least from one house to another4 ,even a change of room in the same house often brings great relief to a sick man4 ,but1 of course1 care should be taken to see that the change of air is really for the better4 ,thus1 for instance1 a disease that has been brought on by damp air cannot be cured by a change to a damper locality4 ,it is because sufficient attention is not paid to simple precautions like this that a change of air is often so ineffectual4 ,this chapter has been devoted to some simple instances of the application of air to the treatment of disease1 while the chapter on ,air in ,part ,i of this book contains a general consideration of the value of pure air to health4 ,hence ,i would request my readers to read these two chapters side by side4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,water-,,cure ,since air is invisible1 we cannot perceive the wonderful way in which it does its work4 ,but the work of water and its curative effects can be easily seen and understood4 ,all people know something of the use of steam as a curative agent4 ,we often employ it in cases of fever1 and very often severe headaches can be cured only by its application4 ,in cases of rheumatic pain in the joints1 rapid relief is obtained by the use of steam followed by a cold bath4 ,boils and ulcers not cured by simple dressing with ointments can be completely healed by the application of steam4 ,in case of extreme fatigue1 a steam-bath or a hot-water bath immediately followed by a cold bath will be found very effective4 ,so too1 in cases of sleeplessness1 instant relief is often obtained by sleeping in the open air after a steam-bath followed by a cold bath4 ,hot water can always be used as a substitute for steam4 ,when there is severe pain in the stomach1 instant relief is obtained by warming with a bottle filled with boiling water placed over a thick cloth wrapped round the waist4 ,whenever there is a desire to vomit1 it can be done by drinking plenty of hot water4 ,those who are suffering from constipation often derive great benefit by drinking a glass of hot water either at bedtime or soon after rising and cleaning the teeth in the morning4 ,sir ,gordon ,spring attributed his excellent health to the practice of drinking a glass of hot water every day before going to bed and after getting up in the morning4 ,the bowels of many people move only after taking tea in the morning1 and they foolishly suppose that it is the tea which has produced this effect4 ,but1 as a matter of fact1 tea only does harm1 and it is really the hot water in the tea that moves the bowels4 ,a special kind of cot is often used for steam-baths1 but it is not quite essential4 ,a spirit or kerosine oil stove1 or a wood or coal fire1 should be kept burning under an ordinary cane chair4 ,over the fire should be placed a vessel of water with the mouth covered2 and over the chair a sheet or blanket is so spread that it may hang down in the front and protect the patient from the heat of the fire4 ,then the patient should be seated in the chair and wrapped round with sheets or blankets4 ,then the vessel should be uncovered1 so that the patient may be exposed to the steam issuing from it4 ,our common practice of covering the head also of the patient is a needless precaution4 ,the heat of the steam presses through the body right up to the head1 and gives rise to profuse perspiration on the face4 ,if the patient is too weak to sit up1 he may be made to lie down on a cot with interstices1 taking care to see that none of the steam escapes4 ,of course1 care should also be taken to see that the patient's clothes or the blankets used do not catch fire2 and due consideration should be paid to the state of the patient's health1 as an inconsiderate application of steam is fraught with danger4 ,the patient1 indeed1 feels weak after a steam bath1 but this weakness does not last long4 ,too frequent use of steam1 however1 enfeebles the constitution1 and it is of the highest importance to apply steam with due deliberation4 ,steam may also be applied to any single part of the body2 in cases of headache1 for instance1 there is no need to expose the whole body to the steam4 ,the head should be held just over a narrow-mouthed jar of boiling water1 and wrapped round with a cloth4 ,then the steam should be inhaled through the nose so that it may ascend into the head4 ,if the nasal passage is blocked1 it will also be opened by this process4 ,likewise1 if there be inflamation in any part of the body1 it alone need be exposed to the steam4 ,very few realise the curative value of cold water1 in spite of the fact that it is even more valuable in this respect than hot water1 and can be made use of by even the weakest persons4 ,in fever1 small-pox1 and skin-diseases1 the application of a sheet dipped in cold water is very beneficial1 and often produces startling results2 and anybody may try it without the least risk4 ,dizziness or delirium can be instantly relieved by tying round the head a cloth dipped in melted ice4 ,people suffering from constipation often derive great benefit by tying round the stomach for some time a piece of cloth dipped in melted ice4 ,involuntary seminal discharges can also be often prevented by the same means4 ,bleeding in any part of the body may be stopped by the application of a bandage dipped in ice-cold water4 ,bleeding from the nose is stopped by pouring cold water over the head4 ,nasal diseases1 cold and headache1 may be cured by drawing pure cold water up the nose4 ,the water may be drawn through one nostril and discharged through the other1 or drawn through both nostrils and discharged through the mouth4 ,there is no harm in the water going even into the stomach provided the nostrils are clean4 ,and indeed1 this is the best way to keep the nostrils clean4 ,those who are unable to draw the water up the nostrils may use a syringe1 but after a few attempts1 it can be done quite easily4 ,all should learn to do this1 since it is very simple1 and at the same time a most effective remedy against headaches1 bad smells in the nose1 as well as dirty accumulations in the nasal passage4 ,many people are afraid of taking an enema1 and some even think that the body is weakened by it2 but such fears are baseless4 ,there is no more effective means of producing an instant evacuation of the bowels4 ,it has proved effective in many diseases where all other remedies have been futile2 it thoroughly cleans the bowels1 and prevents the accumulation of poisonous matter4 ,if those who suffer from rheumatic complaints or indigestion or pains caused by an unhealthy condition of the bowels take an enema of #b lbs4 of water1 they would see how instantaneous is its effect4 ,one writer on this subject says that once he was suffering from chronic indigestion and1 all remedies proving futile2 he had grown emaciated1 but the application of the enema at once restored him his appetite1 and altogether cured him of his complaint in a few days4 ,even ailments like jaundice can be cured by the application of the enema4 ,if the enema has to be frequently employed1 cold water should be used1 for the repeated use of hot water is likely to enfeeble the constitution4 ,dr4 ,louis ,kuhne of ,germany has1 after repeated experiments1 arrived at the conclusion that water-cure is the best for all diseases4 ,his books on this subject are so popular that they are now available in almost all the languages of the world1 including those of ,india4 ,he contends that the abdomen is the seat of all diseases4 ,when there is too much heat in the abdomen1 it manifests itself in the form of fever1 rheumatism1 eruptions on the body1 and the like4 ,the efficacy of water-cure had1 indeed1 been recognised by several people long before ,kuhne1 but it was he who1 for the first time1 pointed out the common origin of all diseases4 ,his views need not be accepted by us in their entirety1 but it is an undoubted fact that his principles and methods have proved effective in many diseases4 ,to give only one instance out of many that have come within my experience1 in a bad case of rheumatism1 a thorough cure was effected by ,kuhne's system1 after all other remedies had been tried1 and had proved utterly ineffectual4 ,dr4 ,kuhne holds that the heat in the abdomen abates by the application of cold water1 and has1 therefore1 prescribed the bathing of the abdomen and the surrounding parts with thoroughly cold water4 ,and for the greater convenience of bathing1 he has devised a special kind of tin bath4 ,this1 however1 is not quite indispensable2 the tin tubs of an oval shape and of different sizes to suit people of different heights1 available in our bazaars1 will do equally well4 ,the tub should be filled three-fourths with cold water1 and the patient should seat himself in it in such a fashion that his feet and the upper part of the body remain outside the water1 and the rest of the body up to the hips inside it4 ,the feet may preferably be placed on a low foot-stool4 ,the patient should sit in the water quite naked1 but1 if he feels cold1 the feet and the upper part of the body should be covered with a blanket4 ,if a shirt is worn1 it should be kept entirely outside the water4 ,the bath should be taken in a room where there is plenty of fresh air and light4 ,the patient should then slowly rub 7or cause to be rubbed7 the abdomen with a small rough towel from #e to #cj minutes or more4 ,the effect is instantly felt in most cases4 ,in cases of rheumatism1 the wind in the stomach escapes in the form of eructations and the like1 and in cases of fever1 the thermometre falls by one or two degrees4 ,the bowels are readily cleaned by this process2 fatigue disappears2 sleeplessness is removed1 and extreme drowsiness gives place to vigour4 ,this contrariness of result is more apparent than real2 for want of sleep1 and the excess of it1 are both brought on by the same cause4 ,so too1 dysentery and constipation1 which are both the outcome of indigestion1 are cured by this method4 ,piles of long standing can also be got rid of by this bath1 with proper regulation of diet4 ,those who are troubled by the necessity for constant spitting should at once resort to this treatment for a cure4 ,by its means the weak can become strong2 and even chronic rheumatism has been cured by it4 ,it is also an effective remedy for haemorrhages1 headaches1 and blood-poisoning4 ,kuhne prescribes it as an invaluable remedy even for diseases like the cancer4 ,a pregnant woman who takes to it regularly will have an easy child-birth4 ,in short1 all persons1 without distinction of age or sex1 can take to it with advantage4 ,there is another kind of bath1 known as the ,wet-,sheet-,pack1 which is an unfailing remedy for various diseases4 ,this bath is taken in the following manner4 ,a table or chair is placed in the open air1 big enough to allow of the patient lying on it at full length4 ,on it are spread 7hanging on either side7 some four blankets1 less or more according to the state of the weather4 ,over them are spread two white thick sheets well dipped in cold water1 and a pillow is placed under the blankets at one end4 ,then the patient is stripped naked 7with the exception of a small waist-cloth1 if he so wishes71 and made to lie down on the sheets1 with his hands placed in the arm-pits4 ,then the sheets and blankets are1 one after another1 wrapped round his body1 taking care that the parts hanging under the feet are well tucked in so as to cover them4 ,if the patient is exposed to the sun1 a wet cloth is put over his head and face1 keeping the nose always open4 ,at first the patient will experience some shivering1 but this will soon give place to an agreeably warm sensation4 ,he can lie in this position from #e minutes to an hour or more4 ,after a time he begins to perspire1 or at times falls asleep4 ,soon after coming out of the sheets he should bathe in cold-water4 ,this is an excellent remedy for small-pox and fever1 and skin-diseases like the itch1 the ringworm1 and pimples and blotches4 ,even the worst forms of chicken-pox and small-pox are completely cured by this process4 ,people can easily learn to take the ,wet-,sheet-,pack themselves1 and to apply it to others1 and can thus see for themselves its wonderful effect4 ,as the whole dirt of the body sticks to the sheets in the process of taking this bath1 they ought not to be used again without being well washed in boiling water4 ,needless to say1 the full benefit of these baths cannot be derived unless the rules already mentioned as to diet1 exercise and the like are strictly observed4 ,if a rheumatic patient1 for instance1 were to take to ,kuhne's bath or to the ,wet-,sheet-,pack1 while eating unwholesome food1 living in impure air1 and neglecting his exercise1 how can he possibly derive any good out of it8 ,it is only when accompanied by strict observance of all the laws of health that water-cure can be of any effect2 and when so employed1 its effects are sure and immediate4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,,the ,,use ,,of ,,earth ,we will now proceed to describe the curative properties of earth1 which are1 in some cases1 even more remarkable than those of water4 ,that earth should have such properties need not cause us any surprise1 for our own body is compounded of the earthly element4 ,indeed1 we do make use of earth as a purifying agent4 ,we wash the ground with earth to remove bad smells1 we put it over decaying matter to prevent the pollution of the air1 we wash our hands with it1 and even employ it to clean the private parts4 ,yogis besmear their bodies with it2 some people use it as a cure for boils and ulcers2 and dead bodies are buried in the earth so that they may not vitiate the atmosphere4 ,all this shows that earth has many valuable properties as a purifying and curative agent4 ,just as ,dr4 ,kuhne has devoted special attention to the subject of water-cure1 another ,german doctor has made a special study of earth and its properties4 ,he goes so far as to say that it can be used with success in the treatment of even the most complicated diseases4 ,he says that once in a case of snake-bite1 where everybody else had given up the man for dead1 he restored him to life by causing him to be covered up with earth for some time4 ,there is no reason to doubt the veracity of this report4 ,it is well known that great heat is generated in the body by burying it in the earth2 and although we cannot explain how exactly the effect is produced1 it is undeniable that earth does possess the property of absorbing the poison4 ,indeed1 every case of snake-bite may not be cured in this way2 but it should certainly be tried in every case4 ,and ,i can say from my own experience that1 in cases of scorpion-sting and the like1 the use of mud is particularly beneficial4 ,i have myself tried with success the following forms of earth-cure4 ,constipation1 dysentery1 and chronic stomach-ache have been cured by the use of a mud-poultice over the abdomen for two or three days4 ,instant relief has been obtained in cases of headache by applying a mud-bandage round the head4 ,sore eye has also been cured by the same method2 hurts of all kinds1 whether accompanied by inflammation or not1 have been healed likewise4 ,in the old days ,i could not keep well without a regular use of ,eno's ,fruit-salt and the like4 ,but1 since #aijd1 when ,i learnt the value of earth-cure1 ,i have had not a single occasion to use them4 ,a mud-poultice over the abdomen and the head1 gives distinct relief in a state of high fever4 ,skin-diseases like the itch1 the ringworm1 and boils1 have been cured with the use of mud1 though no doubt ulcers from which pus issues are not so easily cured4 ,burns and scalds are likewise healed by mud1 which also prevents inflammation4 ,piles1 too1 are cured by the same treatment4 ,when the hands and feet become red and swollen owing to frost1 mud is an unfailing remedy1 and pain in the joints is also relieved by it4 ,from these and other experiments in mud-cure1 ,i have come to the conclusion that earth is an invaluable element in the domestic treatment of diseases4 ,all kinds of earth are not1 of course1 equally beneficial4 ,dry earth dug out from a clean spot has been found the most effective4 ,it should not be too sticky4 ,mud which is midway between sand and clay is the best4 ,it should1 of course1 be free from cow-dung and other rubbish4 ,it should be well sifted in a fine sieve1 and then soaked in cold water to the consistency of well-kneaded dough before use4 ,then it should be tied up in a piece of clean1 unstarched cloth1 and used in the form of a thick poultice4 ,the poultice should be removed before the mud begins to dry up2 ordinarily it will last from two to three hours4 ,mud once used should never be used again1 but a cloth once used can be used again1 after being well washed1 provided it is free from blood and other dirty matter4 ,if the poultice has to be applied to the abdomen1 it should first be covered over with a warm cloth4 ,everybody should keep a tinful of earth ready for use1 so as not to have to hunt for it whenever an occasion arises for its use4 ,otherwise1 much precious time may be wasted in cases 7as of scorpion-sting7 where delay would be dangerous4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,fever ,,and ,,its ,,cure ,we now pass on to consider some particular diseases and the means of curing them4 ,and first1 fever4 ,we generally apply the term fever to a condition of heat in the body1 but ,english doctors have distinguished many varieties of this disease1 each with its own system of treatment4 ,but1 following the common practice and the principles elaborated in these chapters1 we may say that all fevers can be cured in one and the same manner4 ,i have tried this single treatment for all varieties from simple fever up to ,bubonic ,plague1 with invariably satisfactory results4 ,in #aijd1 there was a severe outbreak of plague among the ,indians in ,south ,africa4 ,it was so severe that1 out of #bc persons that were affected1 as many as #ba died within the space of #bd hours2 and of the remaining two1 who were removed to the hospital1 only one survived1 and that one was the man to whom was applied the mud-poultice4 ,we cannot1 of course1 conclude from this that it was the mud-poultice that saved him1 but1 in any case1 it is undeniable that it did him no harm4 ,they were both suffering from high fever brought on by inflammation of the lungs1 and had been rendered unconscious4 ,the man on whom was tried the mud-poultice was so bad that he was spitting blood1 and ,i afterwards learnt from the doctor that he had been insufficiently fed on milk alone4 ,as most fevers are caused by disorders of the bowels1 the very first thing to do is to starve the patient4 ,it is a mere superstition that a weak man will get weaker by starving4 ,as we have already seen1 only that portion of our food is really useful which is assimilated into the blood1 and the remainder only clogs the bowels4 ,in fever the digestive organs are very weak1 the tongue gets coated1 and the lips are hard and dry4 ,if any food is given to the patient in this condition1 it will remain undigested and aid the fever4 ,starving the patient gives his digestive organs time to perform their work2 hence the need to starve him for a day or two4 ,at the same time1 he should take at least two baths every day according to the ,kuhne's system4 ,if he is too weak or ill to bathe1 a mud-poultice should be applied to his abdomen4 ,if the head aches or feels too hot1 a poultice should also be applied to the head4 ,the patient should1 as far as possible1 be placed in the open air1 and should be well covered4 ,at meal-time1 he should be given the juice of lime1 well filtered and mixed with cold or boiling water1 and if possible1 without any sugar4 ,this has a very beneficial effect1 and should alone be given if the patient's teeth can bear its sourness4 ,afterwards1 he may be given a half or the whole of a plantain1 well mixed with a spoon of olive oil1 mixed with a spoon of lime juice4 ,if he feels thirsty1 he should be given water boiled and cooled1 or the juice of lime1--never unboiled water4 ,his clothes should be as few as possible1 and should be frequently changed4 ,even persons suffering from typhoid and the like diseases have been completely cured by this simple treatment1 and are enjoying perfect health at present4 ,a seeming cure may also be effected by quinine1 but it really brings other diseases in its train4 ,even in malarial fever1 in which quinine is supposed to be most effective1 ,i have rarely seen it bring permanent relief2 on the other hand1 ,i have actually seen several cases of malarial patients being permanently cured by the treatment described above4 ,many people subsist on milk alone during fever1 but my experience is that it really does harm in the initial stages1 as it is hard to digest4 ,if milk has to be given1 it is best given in the form of wheat-coffee1#a or with a small quantity of rice-flour well boiled in water2 but in extreme forms of fever1 it ought not to be given at all4 ,in such a condition1 the juice of lime may always be given with great success4 ,as soon as the tongue gets clean1 plantain may be included in the diet1 and given in the form described above4 ,if there be constipation1 a hot-water enema with borax should be applied in preference to purgatives1 after which a diet of olive oil will serve to keep the bowels free4 #a ,part ,,ii1 chap4 ,,iv ,,chapter ,v ,,constipation1 ,,dysentery1 ,,gripes ,,and ,,piles ,it may at first sight appear strange to have four different ailments put together in this chapter1 but1 as a matter of fact1 they are all so closely connected1 and may be cured more or less in the same way4 ,when the stomach gets clogged by undigested matter1 it leads to one or other of these diseases1 according to the varying constitutions of individuals4 ,in some it produces constipation4 ,the bowels do not move1 or move only partly1 and there is great straining at stools1 until it results in bleeding1 or at times in the discharge of mucus1 or piles4 ,in others1 it leads to diarrhea1 which often ends in dysentery4 ,in others again1 it may give rise to gripes1 accompanied by pain in the stomach and the discharge of mucus4 ,in all these cases1 the patient loses his appetite1 his body gets pale and weak1 his tongue gets coated1 and his breath foul4 ,many also suffer from headache and other complaints4 ,constipation1 indeed1 is so common that hundreds of pills and powders have been invented to cure it4 ,the chief function of such patent medicines as ,mother ,siegel's ,syrup and ,eno's ,fruit-salt is to relieve constipation1 and hence thousands of people go in for them in the vain hope of being cured for good4 ,any ,vaid or ,hakim will tell you that constipation and the like are the result of indigestion1 and that the best way to cure them is to remove the causes of indigestion2 but the more candid among them will confess that they are forced to manufacture pills and powders1 since the patients are not really prepared to renounce their bad habits1 but at the same time want to get cured4 ,indeed the present-day advertisments of such medicines go to the extent of promising to those that would buy them that they need observe no directions as to diet and the like1 but may eat and drink whatever they like4 ,but my readers need not be told that this is a mere string of lies4 ,all purgatives are invariably injurious to health4 ,even the mildest of them1 even if they relieve the constipation1 give rise to other forms of disease4 ,if they should do any good at all1 the patient should thoroughly change his ways of life1 so as not to have to turn to purgatives again2 otherwise1 there can be no doubt that they must give rise to new diseases1 even supposing that they serve to get rid of the old4 ,the very first thing to do in cases of constipation and the like is to reduce the quantity of food1 especially such heavy things as ghee1 sugar and cream of milk4 ,of course1 he should eschew altogether wine1 tobacco1 bhang1 tea1 coffee1 cocoa1 and loaves made of mill flour4 ,the diet should consist for the most part of fresh fruits with olive oil4 ,the patient should be made to starve for #cf hours before treatment begins4 ,during this time and after1 mud-poultices should be applied to the abdomen during sleep2 and1 as has been already said1 one or two ,kuhne baths should also be taken4 ,the patient should be made to walk for at least two hours every day4 ,i have myself seen severe cases of constipation1 dysentery1 piles and gripes effectively cured by this simple treatment4 ,piles may not1 of course1 completely disappear1 but they will certainly cease to give trouble4 ,the sufferer from gripes should take special care not to take any food except lime-juice in hot water1 so long as there is discharge of blood or mucus4 ,if there is excessive griping pain in the stomach1 it can be cured by warming with a bottle of hot water or a piece of well-heated brick4 ,needless to say1 the patient should live constantly in the open air4 ,fruits like the ,french plum1 the raisin1 the orange and the grape1 are particularly useful in constipation4 ,this does not1 of course1 mean that these fruits may be eaten even where there is no hunger4 ,they ought not to be eaten at all in cases of gripes accompanied by a bad taste in the mouth4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,,contagious ,,diseases3 ,,small-,,pox ,now we will proceed to deal with the treatment of contagious diseases4 ,they have a common origin1 but1 since small-pox is by far the most important of them1 we will give a separate chapter to it1 dealing with the rest in another chapter4 ,we are all terribly afraid of the small-pox1 and have very crude notions about it4 ,we in ,india even worship it as a deity4 ,in fact it is caused1 just like other diseases1 by the blood getting impure owing to some disorder of the bowels2 and the poison that accumulates in the system is expelled in the form of small-pox4 ,if this view is correct1 then there is absolutely no need to be afraid of small-pox4 ,if it were really a contagious disease1 everyone should catch it by merely touching the patient2 but this is not always the case4 ,hence there is really no harm in touching the patient1 provided we take some essential precautions in doing so4 ,we cannot1 of course1 assert that small-pox is never transmitted by touch1 for those that are physically in a condition favourable to its transmission will catch it4 ,this is why1 in a locality where small-pox has appeared1 many people are found attacked by it at the same time4 ,this has given rise to the superstition that it is a contagious disease1 and hence to the attempt to mislead the people into the belief that vaccination is an effective means of preventing it4 ,the process of vaccination consists in injecting into the skin the liquid that is obtained by applying the discharge from the body of a small-pox patient to the udder of a cow4 ,the original theory was that a single vaccination would suffice to keep a man immune from this disease for life2 but1 when it was found that even vaccinated persons were attacked by the disease1 a new theory came into being that the vaccination should be renewed after a certain period1 and to-day it has become the rule for all persons--whether already vaccinated or not--to get themselves vaccinated whenever small-pox rages as an epidemic in any locality1 so that it is no uncommon thing to come across people who have been vaccinated five or six times1 or even more4 ,vaccination is a barbarous practice1 and it is one of the most fatal of all the delusions current in our time1 not to be found even among the so-called savage races of the world4 ,its supporters are not content with its adoption by those who have no objection to it1 but seek to impose it with the aid of penal laws and rigorous punishments on all people alike4 ,the practice of vaccination is not very old1 dating as it does only from #agih ,a4,d4 ,but1 during this comparatively short period that has elapsed1 millions have fallen a prey to the delusion that those who get themselves vaccinated are safe from the attack of small-pox4 ,no one can say that small-pox will necessarily attack those who have not been vaccinated2 for many cases have been observed of unvaccinated people being free from its attack4 ,from the fact that some people who are not vaccinated do get the disease1 we cannot1 of course1 conclude that they would have been immune if only they had got themselves vaccinated4 ,moreover1 vaccination is a very dirty process1 for the serum which is introduced into the human body includes not only that of the cow1 but also of the actual small-pox patient4 ,an average man would even vomit at the mere sight of this stuff4 ,if the hand happens to touch it1 it is always washed with soap4 ,the mere suggestion of tasting it fills us with indignation and disgust4 ,but how few of those who get themselves vaccinated realise that they are in effect eating this filthy stuff6 ,most people know that1 in several diseases1 medicines and liquid food are injected into the blood1 and that they are assimilated into the system more rapidly than if they were taken through the mouth4 ,the only difference1 in fact1 between injection and the ordinary process of eating through the mouth is that the assimilation in the former case is instantaneous1 while that in the latter is slow4 ,and yet we do not shrink from getting ourselves vaccinated6 ,as has been well said1 cowards die a living death1 and our craze for vaccination is solely due to the fear of death or disfigurement by small-pox4 ,i cannot also help feeling that vaccination is a violation of the dictates of religion and morality4 ,the drinking of the blood of even dead animals is looked upon with horror even by habitual meat-eaters4 ,yet1 what is vaccination but the taking in of the poisoned blood of an innocent living animal8 ,better far were it for ,god-fearing men that they should a thousand times become the victims of small-pox and even die a terrible death than that they should be guilty of such an act of sacrilege4 ,several of the most thoughtful men in ,england have laboriously investigated the manifold evils of vaccination1 and an ,anti-,vaccination ,society has also been formed there4 ,the members of this society have declared open war against vaccination1 and many have even gone to gaol for this cause4 ,their objections to vaccination are briefly as follows3 7#a7 ,the preparation of the vaccine from the udder of cows or calves entails untold suffering on thousands of innocent creatures1 and this cannot possibly be justified by any gains resulting from vaccination4 7#b7 ,vaccination1 instead of doing good1 works considerable mischief by giving rise to many new diseases4 ,even its advocates cannot deny that1 after its introduction1 many new diseases have come into being4 7#c7 ,the vaccine that is prepared from the blood of a small-pox patient is likely to contain and transmit the germs of all the several diseases that he may be suffering from4 7#d7 ,there is no guarantee that small-pox will not attack the vaccinated4 ,dr4 ,jenner1 the inventor of vaccination1 originally supposed that perfect immunity could be secured by a single injection on a single arm2 but when it was found to fail1 it was asserted that vaccination on both the arms would serve the purpose2 and when even this proved ineffectual1 it came to be held that both the arms should be vaccinated at more than one place1 and that it should also be renewed once in seven years4 ,finally1 the period of immunity has further been reduced to three years6 ,all this clearly shows that doctors themselves have no definite views on the matter4 ,the truth is1 as we have already said1 that there is no saying that small-pox will not attack the vaccinated1 or that all cases of immunity must needs be due to vaccination4 7#e7 ,the vaccine is a filthy substance1 and it is foolish to expect that one kind of filth can be removed by another4 ,by these and similar arguments1 this society has already produced a large volume of public opinion against vaccination4 ,in a certain town1 for instance1 a large proportion of the people refuse to be vaccinated1 and yet statistics prove that they are singularly free from disease4 ,the fact of the matter is that it is only the self-interest of doctors that stands in the way of the abolition of this inhuman practice1 for the fear of losing the large incomes that they at present derive from this source blinds them to the countless evils which it brings4 ,there are1 however1 a few doctors who recognise these evils1 and who are determined opponents of vaccination4 ,those who are conscientious objectors to vaccination should1 of course1 have the courage to face all penalties or persecutions to which they may be subjected by law1 and stand alone1 if need be1 against the whole world1 in defence of their conviction4 ,those who object to it merely on the grounds of health should acquire a complete mastery of the subject1 and should be able to convince others of the correctness of their views1 and convert them into adopting those views in practice4 ,but those who have neither definite views on the subject nor courage enough to stand up for their convictions should no doubt obey the laws of the state1 and shape their conduct in deference to the opinions and practices of the world around them4 ,those who object to vaccination should observe all the more strictly the laws of health already explained2 for the strict observance of these laws ensures in the system those vital forces which counteract all disease germs1 and is1 therefore1 the best protection against small-pox as well as other diseases4 ,if1 while objecting to the introduction of the poisonous vaccine into the system1 they surrendered themselves to the still more fatal poison of sensuality1 they would undoubtedly forfeit their right to ask the world to accept their views on the matter4 ,when small-pox has actually appeared1 the best treatment is the ,wet-,sheet-,pack1 which should be applied three times a day4 ,it relieves the fever1 and the sores heal rapidly4 ,there is no need at all to apply oils or ointments on the sores4 ,if possible1 a mud-poultice should be applied in one or two places4 ,the diet should consist of rice1 and light fresh fruits1 all rich fruits like date and almond being avoided4 ,normally the sores should begin to heal under the ,wet-,sheet-,pack in less than a week2 if they do not1 it means that the poison in the system has not been completely expelled4 ,instead of looking upon small-pox as a terrible disease1 we should regard it as one of ,nature's best expedients for getting rid of the accumulated poison in the body1 and the restoration of normal health4 ,after an attack of small-pox1 the patient remains weak for sometime1 and in some cases even suffers from other ailments4 ,but this is due not to the small-pox itself2 but to the wrong remedies employed to cure it4 ,thus1 the use of quinine in fever often results in deafness1 and even leads to the extreme form of it known as quininism4 ,so too1 the employment of mercury in venereal diseases leads to many new forms of disease4 ,then again1 too frequent use of purgatives in constipation brings on ailments like the piles4 ,the only sound system of treatment is that which attempts to remove the root-causes of disease by a strict observance of the fundamental laws of health4 ,even the costly ,bhasmas which are supposed to be unfailing remedies for such diseases are in effect highly injurious2 for1 although they may seem to do some good1 they excite the evil passions1 and ultimately ruin the health4 ,after the vesicles on the body have given place to scabs1 olive oil should be constantly applied1 and the patient bathed every day4 ,then the scabs rapidly fall off1 and even the pocks soon disappear1 the skin recovering its normal colour and freshness4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,,other ,,contagious ,,diseases ,we do not dread chicken-pox so much as its elder sister1 since it is not so fatal1 and does not cause disfigurement and the like4 ,it is1 however1 exactly the same as small-pox in other respects1 and should therefore be dealt with in the same way4 ,bubonic ,plague is a terrible disease1 and has accounted for the death of millions of our people since the year #ahif1 when it first made its real entry into our land4 ,the doctors1 in spite of all their investigations1 have not yet been able to invent a sure remedy for it4 ,now-a-days the practice of inoculation has come into vogue1 and the belief has gained ground that an attack of plague may be obviated by it4 ,but inoculation for plague is as bad and as sinful as vaccination for small-pox4 ,although no sure remedy has been devised for this disease1 we will venture to suggest the following treatment to those who have full faith in ,providence1 and who are not afraid of death4 7#a7 ,the ,wet-,sheet-,pack should be applied as soon as the first symptoms of fever appear4 7#b7 ,a thick mud-poultice should be applied to the bubo4 7#c7 ,the patient should be completely starved4 7#d7 ,if he feels thirsty1 he should be given lime-juice in cold water4 7#e7 ,he should be made to lie in the open air4 7#f7 ,there should not be more than one attendant by the side of the patient4 ,we can confidently assert that1 if plague can be cured by any treatment at all1 it can be cured by this4 ,though the exact origin and causes of plague are yet unknown1 it is undoubted that rats have something to do with its communication4 ,we should1 therefore1 take all precautions1 in a plague-infected area1 to prevent the approach of rats in our dwellings2 if we cannot get rid of them1 we should vacate the house4 ,the best remedy to prevent an attack of plague is1 of course1 to follow strictly the laws of health1--to live in the open air1 to eat plain wholesome food and in moderation1 to take good exercise1 to keep the house neat and clean1 to avoid all evil habits1 and1 in short1 lead a life of utter simplicity and purity4 ,even in normal times our lives should be such1 but1 in times of plague and other epidemics1 we should be doubly careful4 ,pneumonic ,plague is an even more dangerous form of this disease4 ,its attack is sudden and almost invariably fatal4 ,the patient has very high fever1 feels extreme difficulty in breathing1 and in most cases1 is rendered unconscious4 ,this form of plague broke out in ,johannesburg in #aijd1 and as has been already said1#b only one man escaped alive out of the #bc who were attacked4 ,the treatment for this disease is just the same as that for ,bubonic ,plague1 with this difference that the poultice should be applied in this case to both sides of the chest4 ,if there be no time to try the ,wet-,sheet-,pack1 a thin poultice of mud should be applied to the head4 ,needless to say1 here as in other cases1 prevention is better than cure4 #b ,part ,i1 chap4 ,v ,we are terribly afraid of cholera1 as of plague1 but in fact1 it is much less fatal4 ,here the ,wet-,sheet-,pack1 however1 is of no effect1 but the mud-poultice should be applied to the stomach1 and where there is a tingling sensation1 the affected part should be warmed with a bottle filled with warm water4 ,the feet should be rubbed with mustard-oil1 and the patient should be starved4 ,care should be taken to see that he does not get alarmed4 ,if the motions are too frequent1 the patient should not be repeatedly taken out of bed1 but a flat shallow vessel should be placed underneath to receive the stools4 ,if these precautions are taken in due time1 there is little fear of danger4 ,this disease generally breaks out in the hot season1 when we generally eat all sorts of unripe and over-ripe fruits in immoderate quantities and in addition to our ordinary food4 ,the water also that we drink during this season is often dirty1 as the quantity of it in wells and tanks is small1 and we take no trouble to boil or filter it4 ,then again1 the stools of the patients being allowed to lie exposed1 the germs of the disease are communicated through the air4 ,indeed1 when we consider how little heed we pay to these most elementary facts and principles1 we can only wonder that we are not more often attacked by these terrible diseases4 ,during the prevalence of cholera1 we should eat light food in moderation4 ,we should breathe plenty of fresh air2 and the water that we drink should always be thoroughly boiled1 and filtered with a thick clean piece of cloth4 ,the stools of the patient should be covered up with a thick layer of earth4 ,indeed1 even in normal times1 we should invariably cover up the stools with ashes or loose earth4 ,if we do so1 there would be much less danger of the spread of disease4 ,even the lower animals like the cat take this precaution1 but we are worse than they in this respect4 ,it should also be thoroughly impressed on the minds of persons suffering from contagious diseases1 as well as those around them1 that they should1 under no circumstances1 give way to panic1 for fear always paralyses the nerves and increases the danger of fatality4 ,,chapter ,,viii ,,maternity ,,and ,,child-,,birth ,our object in the foregoing chapters has been to point out the unity of origin and treatment of some of the more common diseases4 ,we are1 indeed1 fully aware that those who are the constant victims of disease1 and who are constantly oppressed by the fear of death1 will still continue to put themselves at the mercy of doctors1 in spite of all that we might say against it4 ,we venture to think1 however1 that there would be at least a few who are willing to cure themselves of their diseases by purely natural processes1 so as to save themselves from all further attacks2 and such persons would surely find it worth while to follow the simple directions we have given4 ,before concluding this book1 we will also give a few hints on maternity and the care of the child1 as well as some common accidents4 ,in the lower orders of the animal creation1 the pangs of child-birth are altogether unknown4 ,the same should really be the case with perfectly healthy women4 ,in fact1 most women in the country regard child-birth as quite an ordinary matter2 they continue to do their normal work till almost the last moment1 and experience hardly any pain at the time of delivery4 ,women employed in labour have also been known to be able very often to return to work almost immediately after child-birth4 ,how comes it1 then1 that women in towns and cities have to endure so much pain and suffering at the time of child-birth8 ,and why is it that they have to receive special treatment before and after the delivery8 ,the answer is simple and obvious4 ,the women in towns have to lead an unnatural life4 ,their food1 their costume1 their mode of life1 in general1 offend against the natural laws of healthy living4 ,further1 besides becoming pregnant at a premature age1 they are the sad victims of men's lust even after pregnancy1 as well as immediately after child-birth1 so that conception again takes place at too short an interval4 ,this is the state of utter misery and wretchedness in which lakhs of our young girls and women find themselves in our country to-day4 ,to my mind1 life under such conditions is little removed from the tortures of hell4 ,so long as men continue to behave so monstrously1 there can be no hope of happiness for our women4 ,many men put the blame on the women's shoulders2 but it is none of our business here to weigh the relative guilt of man and woman in this matter4 ,we are only concerned to recognise the existence of the evil1 and to point out its cure4 ,let all married people realise1 once for all1 that1 so long as sexual enjoyment at a premature age1 as well as during pregnancy and soon after child-birth1 does not cease to exist in our land1 an easy and painless child-birth must remain a wild dream4 ,women silently endure the pangs of child-birth1 as well as the subsequent period of confinement1 under the wrong notion that they are inevitable1 but they fail to see how their own ignorance and weakness of will make their children grow weaker and droop from day to day4 ,it is the clear duty of every man and woman to try to avert this calamity at any cost4 ,if even a single man and woman should do their duty in this matter1 to that extent it would mean the elevation of the world4 ,and this is clearly a matter in which no man need or should wait for another's example4 ,it follows1 then1 that the very first duty of the husband is wholly to abstain from all sexual intercourse with the wife from the moment of conception4 ,and great is the responsibility that rests on the wife during the nine months that follow4 ,she should be made to realise that the character of the child to be born will depend entirely on her life and conduct during this sacred period4 ,if she fills her mind with love for all things that are good and noble1 the child will also manifest the same disposition2 if1 on the other hand1 she gives way to anger and other evil passions1 her child will necessarily inherit the same4 ,hence in these nine months1 she should engage herself constantly in good works1 free her mind from all fear and worry1 give no room for any evil thoughts or feelings1 keep out all untruth from her life1 and waste not a moment in idle talk or deed4 ,the child that is born of such a mother1--how can it help being noble and strong8 ,the pregnant woman should1 of course1 keep her body as pure as her mind4 ,she should breathe plenty of fresh air1 and eat only so much of plain and wholesome food as she can easily digest4 ,if she attends to all the directions already given in the matter of diet etc41 she would have no need at all to seek the aid of doctors4 ,if she suffers from constipation1 the proportion of olive oil in the diet should be increased2 and in cases of nausea or vomitting1 she should take juice of lime in water without sugar4 ,all spices and condiments should be scrupulously avoided4 ,the yearning for various new things that attends a woman in pregnancy may be restrained by the use of ,kuhne ,baths4 ,this is also useful in increasing her strength and vitality1 and in easing the pangs of child-birth4 ,it is also necessary to steel her mind against such yearnings by nipping in the bud each desire as it comes4 ,the parents should be constantly mindful of the welfare of the child in the womb4 ,it is also the husband's duty during this period to refrain from all wranglings with his wife1 and to conduct himself in such a way as to make her cheerful and happy4 ,she should be relieved of the heavier duties of household management1 and made to walk for some time every day in fresh air4 ,and on no account should she be given any drugs or medicines during the period4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,,care ,,of ,,the ,,child ,we do not propose in this chapter to describe the duties of a midwife or wet nurse1 but only to point out how the child should be cared for after birth4 ,those who have read the foregoing chapters need not be told how injurious it is to keep the mother during the period of confinement in a dark and ill-ventilated closet and to make her lie on a dirty bed with a fire underneath4 ,these practices1 however time-honoured they may be1 are nevertheless fraught with dangerous consequences4 ,no doubt1 during the cold season1 the mother should be kept warm1 but this is best done by using good blankets4 ,if the apartment is too cold and a fire has to be kept1 it must be lighted outside and only brought in when all the smoke has disappeared1 and even then it should not be kept under the cot on which she lies4 ,warmth may also be given by keeping bottles of hot water on the bed4 ,all the clothes and sheets should be thoroughly cleansed after child-birth1 and before being used again4 ,as the health of the child will depend entirely on that of the mother1 special attention must be paid to her diet and mode of living4 ,if she is fed on wheat1 with plenty of good fruits like the plantain1 and olive oil she would feel warm and strong1 and have plenty of milk4 ,olive oil gives aperient properties to the mother's milk1 and thus serves to keep the child free from constipation4 ,if the child is unwell1 attention must be turned to the state of the mother's health4 ,administering drugs to the child is as good as murdering it1 for the child with its delicate constitution1 easily succumbs to their poisonous effects4 ,hence the medicine should be administered to the mother1 so that its beneficial properties may be transmitted to the child through her milk4 ,if the child suffers1 as it often does1 from cough or loose bowels1 there is no cause for alarm2 we should wait for a day or so1 and try to get at the root of the trouble1 and then remove it4 ,making fuss over it and falling into a panic only makes matters worse4 ,the child should invariably be bathed in tepid water4 ,its clothing should be as little as possible2 for a few months it is best to have none at all4 ,the child should be laid on a thin soft white sheet and covered with a warm cloth4 ,this will obviate the need for the use of shirts1 prevent the clothes from getting dirty1 and make the child hardy and strong4 ,a fine piece of cloth folded into four should be placed over the navel-string1 and kept in position by a band over it4 ,the practice of tying a thread to the navel-string and hanging it round the neck is highly injurious4 ,the navel-band should be kept loose4 ,if the part round the navel be moist1 fine well-sifted flour may be gently applied over it4 ,as long as the supply of the mother's milk is sufficient1 the child should be fed exclusively on it2 but1 when it gets insufficient1 fried wheat well powdered1 and mixed with hot water and a little of jaggery1 may be used as a substitute with quite good results4 ,half a plantain well mashed and mixed with half a spoonful of olive oil is also particularly beneficial4 ,if cow's milk has to be given1 it should at first be mixed with water in the proportion of three to one1 and then heated until it just begins to boil1 when a little of pure jaggery should also be added4 ,the use of sugar instead of jaggery is harmful4 ,the child should gradually be accustomed to a fruit-diet1 so that its blood may be kept pure from the very beginning1 and it may grow manly and bright4 ,those mothers who begin to feed their children on things like rice1 vegetables and dhall1 as soon as or even before its teeth have appeared1 are doing them infinite harm4 ,needless to say1 coffee and tea should be strictly eschewed4 ,when the child has grown big enough to walk1 it may be clothed with kurta and the like1 but its feet should still be kept bare1 so that it may be free to roam about at will4 ,the use of shoes prevents the free circulation of blood and the development of hardy feet and legs4 ,dressing the child in silk or lace cloths1 with cap and coat1 and ornaments1 is a barbarous practice4 ,our attempt to enhance by such ridiculous means the beauty that ,nature has given1 only bespeaks our vanity and ignorance4 ,we should always remember that the education of the child really begins from its very birth1 and is best given by the parents themselves4 ,the use of threats and punishments1 and the practice of gorging the children with food1 are an outrage on the principles of true education4 ,as the old saying has it1 like parent1 like child2 hence the example and practice of the parents necessarily shape the conduct and character of the children4 ,if they are weaklings1 their children also grow up weak and delicate2 if they talk clearly and distinctly1 so too will the children2 but if they talk with a lisp1 the children will also learn to do so4 ,if they use foul language1 or are addicted to bad habits1 the children necessarily imitate them1 and develop into bad characters4 ,in fact1 there is no field of human activity in which the child does not imitate the example of its parents4 ,we see1 then1 how heavy is the responsibility that rests on the shoulders of parents4 ,the very first duty of a man is to give such education to his children as will make them honest and truthful1 and an ornament to the society in which they live4 ,in the animal and vegetable kingdoms1 the offspring invariably takes after the parent4 ,man alone has violated this law of ,nature4 ,it is only among men that we see such incongruities as vicious children being born to virtuous parents1 or sickly ones to the healthy4 ,this is due to the fact that we thoughtlessly become parents when we are not mature enough to assume the responsibilities of that position4 ,it is the solemn duty of all virtuous parents to train their children in noble ways4 ,this requires that both the father and the mother should themselves have received a sound education4 ,where the parents lack such education and are aware of their imperfections1 it is their duty to entrust their children to the care of proper guardians4 ,it is foolish to expect that a high character can be developed in the children by merely sending them to school4 ,where the training given at school is inconsistent with that given at home1 there can be no hope of improvement for the child4 ,as already pointed out1 the true education of the child begins from the very moment of its birth4 ,the rudiments of knowledge are imbibed almost in the course of play4 ,this1 indeed1 was the ancient tradition2 the practice of sending children to school is a growth of yesterday4 ,if only the parents would do their duty by their children1 there would be no limit to the possibilities of their advancement4 ,but1 in fact1 we make playthings of our children4 ,we deck their persons with fine clothes and jewels1 we gorge them with sweetmeats1 and spoil them from their very infancy by fondlings and caresses4 ,we let them go unchecked on their way in our false affection for them4 ,being ourselves miserly1 sensuous1 dishonest1 slothful and uncleanly1 is it to be wondered at that our children should follow in our foot steps1 and turn out weak and vicious1 selfish and slothful1 sensuous and immoral8 ,let all thoughtful parents ponder well over these matters2 for on them depends the future of our land4 ,,chapter ,x ,,some ,,accidents3 ,,drowning ,we will now turn our attention to some of the more common accidents1 and the methods of dealing with them4 ,a knowledge of these things is essential to everybody1 so that timely help may be rendered1 and the loss of many precious lives averted4 ,even children should be taught to deal with these cases1 as in that way they are the more likely to grow up kind and thoughtful citizens4 ,and first we will deal with drowning4 ,as man cannot live without air for more than #e minutes at the most1 little life generally remains in a drowning man taken out of water4 ,immediate steps should1 therefore1 be taken to bring him back to life4 ,two things have specially to be done for these1--artificial respiration1 and the application of warmth4 ,we should not forget that very often such ',first aid' has to be rendered by the side of tanks and rivers1 where all the needed materials are not easily available1 and such aid can be most effectual only when there are at least two or three men on the spot4 ,the first-aider should also possess the qualities of resourcefulness1 patience1 and briskness2 if he himself loses his presence of mind1 he can do nothing4 ,so too1 if the attendants begin to discuss methods1 or quarrel over details1 there is no hope for the man4 ,the best one in the party should lead1 and the others should implicitly follow his directions4 ,as soon as the man is taken out of water1 his wet clothes should be removed1 and his body wiped dry4 ,then he should be made to lie on his face1 with his hands under the head4 ,then1 with our hand on his chest1 we should remove from his mouth the water and dirt that might have got in4 ,at this time his tongue would come out of his mouth1 when it should be caught hold of with a kerchief1 and held till consciousness returns4 ,then he should at once be turned over1 with the head and the chest a little raised above the feet4 ,then one of the attendants should kneel by his head1 and slowly spread out and straighten his arms on either side4 ,by this means his ribs will be raised1 and the air outside can enter into his body2 then his hands should be quickly brought back and folded on his chest1 so that the chest may contract and the air be expelled4 ,in addition to this1 hot and cold water should be taken in the hands and poured on his chest4 ,if a fire can be lighted or procured1 the man should be warmed with it4 ,then all the available clothes should be wrapped round his body1 which should be thoroughly rubbed for warmth4 ,all this should be tried for a long time without losing hope4 ,in some cases1 such methods have to be applied for several hours on end before breathing is restored4 ,as soon as signs of consciousness appear1 some hot drink should be administered4 ,the juice of lime in hot water1 or decoction of cloves1 pepper1 and the bark of the bay-tree1 will be found specially effective4 ,the smell of tobacco may also prove useful4 ,people should not be allowed to crowd round the patient1 and obstruct the free passage of air4 ,the signs of death in such cases are the following4 ,the complete cessation of breathing and the beating of heart and lungs1 as indicated by a piece of peacock-feather held near the nose remaining quite steady1 or a mirror held near the mouth being undimmed by the moisture in the breath2 the eyes remaining fixed and half-open1 with heavy eye-lids2 the jaws getting fixed2 the fingers getting crooked2 the tongue protruding between the teeth2 the mouth getting frothy2 nose getting red2 the whole body turning pale4 ,if all these signs simultaneously appear1 we may conclude that the man is dead4 ,in some rare cases1 life may still remain even when all these signs are present4 ,the only conclusive test of death is the setting in of decomposition4 ,hence the patient should never be given up for lost1 until after a long and patient application of remedial measures4 ,,chapter ,,xi ,,some ,,accidents--7,contd47 ,,burns ,,and ,,scalds ,very often when a man's clothes catch fire1 we get into a panic1 and1 instead of helping the injured1 make matters worse by our ignorance4 ,it is our duty1 therefore1 to know exactly what to do in such cases4 ,the person whose clothes have caught fire should not lose his presence of mind4 ,if the fire is only at one edge of the cloth1 it should at once be squeezed out with the hands2 but if it has spread over the whole cloth or a large portion of it1 the man should at once lie down and roll on the floor4 ,if a thick cloth like a carpet be available1 it should at once be wrapped round his body2 and if water is at hand1 it should also be poured over it4 ,as soon as the fire has been put out1 we should find out if there are burns in any part of the body4 ,the cloth would generally stick to the body where there are burns1 in which case it should not be forcibly torn off1 but gently snipped off with a pair of scissors1 leaving the affected parts undisturbed1 and taking care to see that the skin does not come off4 ,immediately after this1 poultices of pure mud should be applied to all these places1 and kept in position by bandages4 ,this will instantly relieve the burning1 and ease the patient's suffering4 ,the poultices may as well be applied over the portions of the cloth which stick on to the body4 ,they should be renewed as soon as they begin to get dry2 there is no reason to fear the touch of cold water4 ,where this sort of first aid has not been rendered1 the following directions will be found very useful4 ,fresh plantain leaves well smeared with olive or sweet oil should be applied over the burns4 ,if plantain leaves are not available1 pieces of cloth may be used4 ,a mixture of linseed oil and lime-water in equal proportions may also be applied with great advantage4 ,the portions of cloth which adhere to the burns may be easily removed by moistening them with a mixture of tepid milk and water4 ,the first bandage of oil should be removed after two days1 and afterwards fresh bandages applied every day4 ,if blisters have formed on the burnt surface1 they should be pricked1 but the skin need not necessarily be removed4 ,if the skin has simply got red by the burn1 there is no more effective remedy than the application of a mud poultice4 ,if the fingers have been burnt1 care should be taken1 when the poultice is applied1 that they do not touch against one another4 ,this same treatment may be applied in cases of acid-burns1 and scalds of every description4 ,,chapter ,,xii ,,some ,,accidents--7,contd47 ,,snake-,,bite ,there is no limit to the superstitions current among us in regard to snakes4 ,from time immemorial we have cultivated a terrible fear of the snake2 we even dread the very mention of its name4 ,the ,hindus worship the serpent1 and have set apart a day in the year 7,nagapanchami7 for that purpose4 ,they suppose that the earth is supported by the great serpent ,sesha4 ,god ,vishnu is called ,seshasayee1 as he is supposed to sleep on the ,serpent-,god2 and ,god ,siva is supposed to have a garland of serpents round his neck6 ,we say that such and such a thing cannot be described even by the thousand-tongued ,adisesha1 implying our belief in the snake's knowledge and discretion4 ,the serpent ,karkotaka is said to have bitten ,king ,nala and deformed him1 so that he might not suffer any harm in the course of his wanderings4 ,such conceptions are also to be met with among the ,christian nations of the ,west4 ,in ,english a man is very often described to be as wise and cunning as a serpent4 ,and in the ,bible1 ,satan is said to have assumed the shape of a serpent in order to tempt ,eve4 ,the real reason for the popular dread of snakes is obvious4 ,if the snake's poison should spread over the whole body1 death must necessarily ensue2 and since the idea of death is so dreadful to us1 we dread the very name of a snake4 ,hence1 our worship of the snake is really based on our fear4 ,if the snake were a little creature1 it would hardly be worshipped by us2 but since it is a big creature1 and a strangely fascinating one1 it has come to be deified and worshipped4 ,the ,western scientists of to-day hold that the snake is merely a creature of instinct1 and it should be destroyed forthwith wherever found4 ,from the official statistics1 we gather that not less than #bj1jjj persons die every year in ,india of snake-bite alone4 ,the destruction of every venomous snake is rewarded by the state1 but it is really a question if the country has benefitted by it in any way4 ,we find from experience that a snake never bites wantonly1 but only as a retaliatory measure when it is molested in any way4 ,does this not bespeak its discretion1 or at the least its innocence8 ,the attempt to rid ,hindustan1 or any portion thereof1 of snakes is as ridiculous and futile as trying to wrestle with the air4 ,it may be possible to prevent snakes coming to a particular place by a systematic process of extermination1 but this can never be done on a large scale4 ,in a vast country like ,india1 it would be an altogether foolish enterprise to try to avoid snake-bites by wholesale destruction of the snakes4 ,let us never forget that the serpents have been created by the same ,god who created us and all other creatures4 ,god's ways are inscrutable1 but we may rest assured that ,he did not create animals like the lion and the tiger1 the serpent and the scorpion1 in order to bring about the destruction of the human race4 ,if the serpents were to meet in council and conclude that man has been created by ,god for their destruction1 seeing that he generally destroys a snake wherever found1 should we approve of their conclusion8 ,surely not4 ,in the same way1 we are wrong in regarding the serpent as a natural enemy of man4 ,the great ,st4 ,francis of ,asissi1 who used to roam about the forests1 was not hurt by the serpents or the wild beasts1 but they even lived on terms of intimacy with him4 ,so too1 thousands of ,yogis and ,fakirs live in the forests of ,hindustan1 amidst lions and tigers and serpents1 but we never hear of their meeting death at the hands of these animals4 ,it might1 however1 be contended that they must certainly be meeting their death in the forests1 but that we do not hear of it1 as we live so far away4 ,granted2 but we cannot deny that the number of ,yogis that live in the forests is nothing in comparison with that of the serpents and wild beasts1 so that1 if these animals were really the natural enemies of man1 the whole race of ,yogis and other dwellers in the forests should become very rapidly extinct1 especially since they have no weapons with which to defend themselves against their attacks4 ,but they have by no means become extinct1 and we may conclude1 therefore1 that they have been allowed to live unmolested in the forests by the serpents and wild beasts4 ,in fact1 ,i have implicit faith in the doctrine that1 so long as man is not inimical to the other creatures1 they will not be inimical to him4 ,love is the greatest of the attributes of man4 ,without it the worship of ,god would be an empty nothing4 ,it is1 in short1 the root of all religion whatsoever4 ,besides1 why should we not regard the cruelty of the serpents and the wild beasts as merely the product and reflection of man's own nature8 ,are we any the less murderous than they8 ,are not our tongues as venomous as the serpent's fangs8 ,do we not prey upon our innocent brethren much in the same way as lions and leopards8 ,all scriptures proclaim that1 when man becomes absolutely harmless1 all the other animals will begin to live on terms of intimacy with him4 ,when feuds and conflicts as fierce as that between the lion and the lamb are going on within our own breasts1 is it any wonder that such things should go on in the external world8 ,for1 we are but the reflection of the world around us2 all the features of the external world are found reflected in the inner world of our mind4 ,when we change our nature1 the world around should also inevitably change4 ,do we not find that the world assumes a totally different aspect to those individual men and women who change their own nature by strenuous self-discipline8 ,this is the great mystery of ,god's creation as well as the great secret of true happiness4 ,our happiness or otherwise rests entirely upon what we are2 we have no need to depend on other people at all in this matter4 ,our excuse for writing at such length on snake-bite is this4 ,rather than merely prescribe cure for snake-bite1 we thought it as well to go a little more deeply into the matter1 and point out the best way of getting rid of our foolish fears4 ,if even a single reader were to adopt in practice the principles we have been discussing1 we shall consider our effort amply rewarded4 ,moreover1 our object in writing these pages is not merely to give the generally accepted hygienic principles1 but to go to the root of the matter1 and deal with the most fundamental principles of health4 ,modern investigations have also shown that the man who is perfectly healthy1 whose blood has not been tainted by excess of heat1 and whose food is wholesome and ,satvic1 is not immediately affected by the poison of the snake1 but that1 on the other hand1 its effect is instantaneous as well as fatal on the man whose blood has been tainted by drink or unwholesome food4 ,one doctor goes so far as to say that the blood of the man who eschews salt and the like1 and lives exclusively on a fruit-diet1 remains so pure that no kind of poison can have any effect on him4 ,i have not had enough experience myself to say how far this is true4 ,the man whose diet has been free from salt and the like for only one or two years cannot be said to have attained this stage of perfect immunity1 for the blood which has been tainted and poisoned by bad practices continued for years cannot be brought back to its normal state of purity in the short period of a year or two4 ,it has further been scientifically demonstrated that a man under the influence of fear or anger is much more and much sooner1 affected by poison than when in the normal condition4 ,everybody knows how fear and anger make the pulse and the heart beat faster than the normal rate1 and the quicker the flow of blood in the veins1 the greater the heat generated4 ,but the heat generated by evil passions is not healthy1 but extremely harmful4 ,anger is1 indeed1 nothing but a variety of fever4 ,hence the best antidote against snake-bite is to use pure and ,satvic food in moderation1 to rid our minds of all evil passions like anger and fear1 to refrain from giving way to panic1 to retain perfect confidence in the saving power of a pure and godly life1 and to remain self-possessed in the full faith that we are ever in ,god's hands1 and that the span of life which ,he has allotted to us can on no account be curtailed or exceeded4 ,dr4 ,fitz-,seaman1 the ,director of the ,port ,elizabeth ,museum1 who has devoted a large portion of his life to the study of snakes1 their varieties and their habits1 and who is a great authority on snake-bite and its cure1 has told us1 as a result of his numerous experiments1 that the majority of the so-called deaths by snake-bite are really caused by fear and the wrong remedies applied by quacks4 ,we should remember that all snakes are not venomous1 and that even the bite of all venomous snakes is not immediately fatal either4 ,moreover1 the snakes do not always get an opportunity of injecting their venom into the body of their victim4 ,we should not1 therefore1 give way to panic even when we are bitten by a venomous serpent1 especially since very simple remedies are available1 which can be applied by ourselves without any aid from others4 ,the part of the body immediately above the point at which the snake has bitten should be tied round with tight bandage1 which should be further strengthened by means of strong pencils or pieces of wood1 so that the poison may not ascend through the veins4 ,then the wound should be cut half an inch deep with the fine point of a knife1 so that the poisoned blood may freely flow1 and the hollow should be filled with the dark-red powder sold in the bazaars and known as ,potassium ,permanganate4 ,if this is not available1 the blood issuing from the wound should be well sucked and spat out1 by the patient himself or by somebody else1 until all the poison has been removed4 ,of course1 no man who has a wound on the lips or the tongue should be allowed to suck this poisoned blood4 ,this treatment should be applied within #g minutes of the accident1--that is to say1 before the poison has had time to ascend and diffuse through the body4 ,as already mentioned1 the ,german doctor who has specialised in mud-cure1 claims to have cured snake-bite by burying the patient under fresh earth4 ,although ,i have not tried the use of mud in snake-bites1 ,i have unbounded faith in its efficacy from my experience in other cases4 ,after the application of ,potassium ,permanganate 7or the sucking out of the blood1 in the alternative17 a poultice of mud half an inch in thickness1 and big enough to cover the whole region around and above the affected part1 should be applied4 ,there should be kept in every home a quantity of well-sifted and powdered mud in a tin ready for use4 ,it should be so kept as to be exposed to light and air1 and free from dampness4 ,suitable bandages of cloth should also be kept so as to be within reach when needed4 ,these will be found useful not only in snake-bite1 but in numberless other cases as well4 ,if the patient has lost consciousness1 or if respiration seems to have ceased1 the process of artificial respiration already described in connection with drowning should be resorted to4 ,hot water1 or preferably a decoction of cloves and the bark of the bay-tree1 is very useful for recovering consciousness4 ,the patient should be kept in the open air1 but if his body seems to have taken cold1 bottles of hot water should be employed1 or a piece of flannel dipped in hot water and wrung out should be rubbed over the body1 to produce warmth4 ,,chapter ,,xiii ,,some ,,accidents--7,contd47 ,,scorpion-,,sting ,our familiar expression1 ,may ,god never give any man the pain of scorpion-sting1 shows how keen that pain is4 ,in fact1 this pain is even sharper than that of snake-bite1 but we do not dread it so much1 since it is much less fatal4 ,indeed1 as ,dr4 ,moor has said1 the man whose blood is perfectly pure has little to fear from the sting of a scorpion4 ,the treatment for scorpion-sting is very simple4 ,the affected part should be cut into with a sharp-pointed knife1 and the blood that issues from it slightly sucked out4 ,a small bandage tied tightly above this portion would prevent the spread of the poison1 while a poultice of mud would give immediate relief to the pain4 ,some writers advise us to tie a thick bandage of cloth over the affected part1 wetted with a mixture of vinegar and water in equal proportions1 or to keep the region around it immersed in salt water4 ,but the poultice of mud is certainly the most effective remedy of all1 as may be personally tested by those who may have the misfortune to be stung by scorpions4 ,the poultice should be as thick as possible2 even two seers of mud would not be too much for the purpose4 ,if the finger be stung1 for instance1 the poultice should extend up to the elbow4 ,if the hand be kept immersed for sometime in wet mud in a pretty large vessel1 it would give instant relief to the pain4 ,the stings of the centipede and other animals should be dealt with exactly as that of the scorpion4 ,,chapter ,,xiv ,,conclusion ,i have now said all that ,i had intended to say on the subject of health4 ,and now1 before finally taking leave of my readers1 ,i will say a word or two on my object in writing these pages4 ,one question which ,i have asked myself again and again1 in the course of writing this book1 is why ,i of all persons should write it4 ,is there any justification at all for one like me1 who am no doctor1 and whose knowledge of the matters dealt with in these pages must be necessarily imperfect1 attempting to write a book of this kind8 ,my defence is this4 ,the science of medicine is itself based upon imperfect knowledge1 most of it being mere quackery4 ,but this book1 at any rate1 has been prompted by the purest of motives4 ,the attempt is here made not so much to show how to cure diseases as to point out the means of preventing them4 ,and a little reflection will show that the prevention of disease is a comparatively simple matter1 not requiring much specialist knowledge1 although it is by no means an easy thing to put these principles into practice4 ,our object has been to show the unity of origin and treatment of all diseases1 so that all people may learn to treat their diseases themselves when they do arise1 as they often do1 in spite of great care in the observance of the laws of health4 ,but1 after all1 why is good health so essential1 so anxiously to be sought for8 ,our ordinary conduct would seem to indicate that we attach little value to health4 ,if health is to be sought for in order that we might indulge in luxury and pleasure1 or pride ourselves over our body and regard it as an end in itself1 then indeed it would be far better that we should have bodies tainted with bad blood1 by fat1 and the like4 ,all religions agree in regarding the human body as an abode of ,god4 ,our body has been given to us on the understanding that we should render devoted service to ,god with its aid4 ,it is our duty to keep it pure and unstained from within as well as from without1 so as to render it back to the ,giver1 when the time comes for it1 in the state of purity in which we got it4 ,if we fulfil the terms of the contract to ,god's satisfaction1 ,he will surely reward us1 and make us heirs to immortality4 ,the bodies of all created beings have been gifted with the same senses1 and the same capacity for seeing1 hearing1 smelling and the like2 but the human body is supreme among them all1 and hence we call it a ,chintamani1 or a giver of all good4 ,man alone can worship ,god with knowledge and understanding4 ,where devotion to ,god is void of understanding1 there can be no true salvation1 and without salvation there can be no true happiness4 ,the body can be of real service only when we realise it to be a temple of ,god and make use of it for ,god's worship2 otherwise it is no better than a filthy vessel of bones1 flesh and blood1 and the air and water issuing from it are worse than poison4 ,the things that come out of the body through the pores and other passages are so filthy that we cannot touch them or even think of them without disgust2 and it requires very great effort to keep them tolerably clean4 ,is it not most disgraceful that1 for the sake of this body1 we should stoop to falsehood and deceit1 licentious practices and even worse8 ,is it not equally shameful that1 for the sake of these vices1 we should be so anxious to preserve this fragile frame of ours at any cost8 ,this is the truth of the matter in regard to our body2 for the very things which are the best or the most useful have inherent in them capabilities of a corresponding mischief4 ,otherwise1 we should hardly be able to appreciate them at their true worth4 ,the light of the sun1 which is the source of our life1 and without which we cannot live for an hour1 is also capable of burning all things to ashes4 ,so too1 a king may do infinite good to his subjects1 or be the source of untold mischief4 ,indeed1 the body may be a good servant1 but1 when it becomes a master1 its powers of evil are unlimited4 ,there is an incessant struggle going on within us between our ,soul and ,satan for the control of our body4 ,if the soul gains the ascendancy1 the body becomes a most potent instrument of good2 but1 if the devil is victorious in the struggle1 it becomes a hot-bed of vice4 ,hell itself would be preferable to the body which is the slave of vice1 which is constantly filled with decaying matter and which emits filthy odours1 whose hands and feet are employed in unworthy deeds1 whose tongue is employed in eating things that ought not to be eaten or in uttering language that ought not to be uttered1 whose eyes are employed in seeing things that ought not to be seen1 whose ears are employed in the hearing of things that ought not to be heard1 and whose nose is employed in the smelling of things that ought not to be smelt4 ,but1 while hell is never mistaken for heaven by anybody1 our body which is rendered worse than hell by ourselves is1 strangely enough1 regarded by us as almost heavenly6 ,so monstrous is our vanity1 and so pitiful our pride1 in this matter6 ,those who make use of a palace as a latrine1 or vice versa1 must certainly reap the fruit of their folly4 ,so too1 if1 while our body is really in the ,devil's hands1 we should fancy that we are enjoying true health1 we shall have only ourselves to thank for the terrible consequences that are sure to follow4 ,to conclude1 then our attempt in these pages has been to teach the great truth that perfect health can be attained only by living in obedience to the laws of ,god1 and defying the power of ,satan4 ,true happiness is impossible without true health1 and true health is impossible without a rigid control of the palate4 ,all the other senses will automatically come under our control when the palate has been brought under control4 ,and he who has conquered his senses has really conquered the whole world1 and he becomes a part of ,god4 ,we cannot realise ,rama by reading the ,ramayana1 or ,krishna by reading the ,gita1 or ,god by reading the ,koran1 or ,christ by reading the ,bible2 the only means of realising them is by developing a pure and noble character4 ,character is based on virtuous action1 and virtuous action is grounded on ,truth4 ,truth1 then1 is the source and foundation of all things that are good and great4 ,hence1 a fearless and unflinching pursuit of the ideal of ,truth and ,righteousness is the key-note of true health as of all else4 ,and if we have succeeded 7in however feeble a measure7 in bringing this grand fact home to our reader1 our object in writing these pages would have been amply fulfilled4 --,,finis-- ,,errata ,page ,line ,for ,read #b #b vam va #aa #h beings being #dj #c ,kapah ,kapha #da #f had begun begun #ea #af detial detail #ff #ba admire pride #fg #bf surley surely #hg #ad would should #ig #d fus pus #ajj #b according according to #ajb #af ,sriget ,siegel #ajd #aa wick brick #ajh #ae vaccinations vaccination #aaj #bb difference deference #aaa #be patients patient #abj #a passion passions #abh #bh and end #acj #bb piece pair #acb #d superstitious superstitions #acd #c1 #i god ,god #acg #be vareity a variety #ach #c ,godly godly #add #aj is are #cc #ah brid bird #gi #c that omit #hh #b some none ,,the ,,huxley ,,press1 ,g4 ,t4 ,,madras4 ,ganesan's ,new ,publications ,,the ,,failure ,,of ,,european ,,civilisation ,by ,s4 ,e4 ,stokes with ,foreword by ,c4 ,f4 ,andrews4 ,re4 #a-j4 ,in this book ,mr4 ,stokes shows how ,european civilisation by its prejudices of colour and race has miserably failed to satisfy the laws of true progress and needs of the modern world1 and warns ,india of destroying her unique culture by falling a prey to white imperialism4 ,,national ,,self-,,realisation ,by ,s4 ,e4 ,stokes ,re4 #a-h4 ,students of current ,indian politics and workers for ,swaraj will find in this publication a very useful discussion of ,india's ultimate goal and the methods of attaining it4 ,the author though an ,american is well known as a sincere friend of the oppressed and to use the words of ,mahatma ,gandhi ,mr4 ,stokes is a convinced non-co-operator and a congressman4 ,i think ,i am right in saying that he has come to it by slow degrees4 ,no ,indian is giving such battle to the ,government as ,mr4 ,stokes4 ,he has veritably become the guide1 philosopher and friend of the ,hillmen4 ,,essays3 ,,political ,,and ,,national ,by ,s4 ,e4 ,stokes ,rs4 #b4 ,this collection of essays is intended to stimulate thought on some of the important problems that ,india has to solve in the field of ,education1 religion and other aspects of national life4 ,,the ,,truth ,,about ,,india ,by ,h4 ,m4 ,hyndman ,as4 #ab4 ,this small book gives the main facts about ,india's plight under alien domination in a boldly frank and appealing manner4 ,the pages breathe throughout the true ,englishman's inextinguishable fire of freedom and righteous indignation at oppression and exploitation of weak nations4 ,the author exposes the methods by which ,british domination was established in ,india and discusses the political and economic effects of such rule1 uttering grave words of warning against the final nemesis4 ,the book deserves to be widely read and translated in the various vernaculars as a very necessary corrective to the distorted version of ,british ,indian history taught in our schools4 ,post ,box ,no4 #dbg1 ,triplicane1 ,madras ,s4,e4 ,transcriber's ,notes3 ,obvious errors in spelling and punctuation have been silently corrected4 ,similarly errors listed in the ,errata at the end have also been corrected4