he room should be kept as fresh as possible without
subjecting one's self to a draft and should also be kept humidified,
especially in winter when it is apt to be exceedingly dry. Either
excessive dryness or excessive moisture is a strain on the mucous
membrane, which is the directly diseased organ in the case of a cold. If
the day is still and sunny, being out of doors, if well protected from
any chill, may help to get rid of one's cold, but on a damp windy day
the chances are one will add to the cold.

As to eating, it is sometimes wise to absolutely fast by skipping a meal
or two, using nothing but water or water with agar-agar, or food which
has bulk but little food value, such as green vegetables or fruit. The
common idea that one should "stuff a cold and starve a fever" is most
erroneous and comes apparently from a misunderstanding of the meaning of
this adage which, originally, it would appear, was not meant in the
imperative sense at all, but as follows: "If you stuff a cold, you will
have to starve a fever."

It should be added that whisky and heavy doses of quinine are distinctly
deleterious and should be avoided, as should all quack remedies and
catarrh cures; there are more effective remedies which carry no
possibilities of harm.

When one is getting over a cold it is a good time to resolve to avoid
catching colds altogether, which for the average person can be
substantially accomplished by following the above suggestions. The tax
on one's time thus required is far less than the tax required by the
colds themselves. The authors of this book know of persons who have
scarcely lost a day's work from colds or other ailments for decades at a
time simply by using a little self-control and common sense at critical
times.

SECTION VII

SIGNS OF INCREASE OF THE DEGENERATIVE DISEASES

The fact that in the United States the general death rate has steadily
fallen for the past several decades, a phenomenon common to all
civilized countries, is accepted by many as evidence of a steady gain in
National Vitality. That there has been a gain in vitality in the younger
age groups is unquestionably true, but this gain has served to mask a
loss in vitality at the older age periods.

This latter phenomenon, a rising mortality in elderly life, is something
almost peculiar to the United States. It is not exhibited in the
mortality statistics of the leading European countries. In those
countries the fall in the deat