^M ram UBRAHY
GANDHI MEMORIAL
LIBRARY
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THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS DEFEAT IN
NONVIOLENCE. THE END OF VIOLENCE IS
SUREST DEFEAT.
THE LIBRARY OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
R. Cambray <k Co. Ltd.
A GUIDE TO HEALTH
A GUIDE TO HEALTH
BY
MAHATMA GANDHI
Translated from the Hindi
BY
A. RAMA IYER, M.A.
1921
S. GANESAN., PUBLISHER,
TRIPLICANE . , , , MADRAS, S.E.
^C^ll^ rC^A*
Q n3
PUBLIC
HEALTH
LIBRARY
\ '
CONTENTS
Page
Translator's Note ...
vii
Introduction ...
I
Part I : General
Chap. I.
The Meaning of Health
9
Chap. II.
The Human Body
II
Chap. III.
Air
14
Chap. IV.
Water
25
Chap. V.
Food
29
Chap. VI.
How much and how many times
should we eat ?
55
Chap. VII.
Exercise
59
Chap. VIII.
Dress
64
Chap. IX.
Sexual Relations
69
Part
fi : Some Simple Treatments
Chap. I.
Air Treatment
83
Chap. II.
Water Cure...
86
Chap. III.
The Use of Earth
95
Chap. IV.
Fever and it&Cures ...
98
Chap. V.
Constipation, Dysentery, etc. ...
101
M661854 -
vi CONTENTS
4
Part II: Some Simple Treatments— (Contd.)
Chap.
VI.
Contagious Diseases Small-pox
104
Chap.
VII.
Other Contagious Diseases ...
112
Chap.
VIII.
Maternity and Child-Birth
if/
Chap.
IX.
Care of Child
I2J
Chap.
X.
Accidents Drowning
**
Chap.
XI.
Do Burns and Scalds .
130
Chap.
XII.
Do Snake Bite
•32
Chap.
XIII.
Do Scorpion-sting, etc.
140
Chap.
XIV.
Conclusion ...
142
TRANSLATOR'S NOTE
In these days when the name of Mahatma Gandhi
is identified with the momentous question of Non-
Co-operation, 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
well. Very few of us perhaps are aware that he is
the author of quite an original little Healttwtaook in
Gujarati. Those who think of him as a dreamy
idealist or an unpractical visionary, with his head
always in the clouds, will certainly be undeceived
when they read this book replete from cover to
cover with practical observations on the most practi-
cal question of Health. His views are of course
radically different from the ordinary views that find
expression in the pages of such books ; in many
cases, indeed, his doctrines must be pronounced
revolutionary, and will doubtless be regarded by a
certain class of readers as wholly impracticable.
Even the most revolutionary of his doctrines, how-
ever, are based, not on the shifting quicksands of
mere theory, but on the solid foundation of deep
study, backed up by personal, experience of nearly
thirty years. He himself recognises that many of
his views will hardly be accepted by the ordinary
viii TRANSLATOR'S NOTE
reader, 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 experience.
Some at least however, of those who read his
book cannot help being profoundly influenced by
it. Such, at any -Tate, has been the case with
me ; and I have ventured to translate the book
into English in the hope that others may also be
benefitted likewise.
I should perhaps explain that I am not a student
of Gujarati, the language of the original. I have
used instead one of the two Hindi versions of the
book. I should also point out that I have not
attempted a literal or close translation, but only o
rerij fret 'render ing into English. In some cases,
whole passages have been omitted ; and occasion-
ally only the general sense of a passage has been
given. It is hoped, however, that, in no single
instance has there been a midnterpretaUon of the
original words.
I am aware that many errors might have crept
in, as the translation had to be done in a hurry,
and there was hardly anytime for revision. I hope
to make a thorough revision of the book, in case a
second edition is called for.
National College^, j
TRICHINOPOLY, A. RAMA IYER.
July 1921. J
INTRODUCTION
For more than twenty years past I have been
paying special attention to the question of Health.
While in England, 1 had to make my own arrange-
ments for food and drink, and I can say, therefore,
that my experience is quite reliable. I have arrived
at certain definite conclusions from that experience,
and I now set them down for the benefit of my
readers.
As the familiar saying goes, ' Prevention is better
than cure.' 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 carelessness.
Hence it is the duty of all thoughtful men to under-
stand aright the laws of health, and the object of
the following pages is to give an account of these
laws. We shall also consider the best methods of
cure for some of the most common diseases.
As Milton says, the mind can make a hell of
heaven or a heaven of helf. So heaven is not
somewhere above the clouds, and hell somewhere
H— I
2 INTRODUCTION
underneath the earth ! We have this same idea
expressed in the Sanskrit saying, Mana evam
Manushayanam Kdranam Bandha Mokshayoh —
man's captivity or freedom is dependant on the
state of his mind. From this it follows that whe-
ther a man is healthy or unhealthy depends on
himself. Illness is the result not only of our
actions but also of our thoughts. As has been said
by a famous doctor, more people die for fear of
diseases like small-pox, cholera and plague than
out of those diseases themselves.
Ignorance is one of the root-causes of disease.
Very often we get bewildered at the most ordinary
diseases out of sheer ignorance, and in our anxiety
to get better, we simply make matters worse. Our
ignorance of the most elementary laws of health
leads us to adopt wrong remedies or drives us into
the hands of the veriest quacks. How strange
(and yet how true) it is that we know much less
about things near at hand than things at a distance.
We know hardly anything of our own village, but
we can give by rote the names of the rivers an4
mountains of England ! We take so much trouble
to learn the names of the stars in the sky, while we
hardly think it worth while to know the things
that are in our own homes ! We never care a
jot for the splendid pageantry of Nature before our
very eyes, while we are so anxious to witness the
INTRODUCTION 3
puerile mummeries of the theatre ! And in the
same way, we are not ashamed to be ignorant of
the structure of our body, of the way in which the
bones and muscles, grow, how the blood circulates
and is rendered impure, how we are affected by
evil thoughts and passions, how our mind travels
over illimitable spaces and times while the body is
at rest, and so on. There is nothing so closely
connected with us as our body, but there is also
nothing perhaps of which our ignorance is so
profound, or our indifference so complete.
It is the duty of every one of us to get over this
indifference. Everyone should regard it as his
bounclen duty to know something of the funda-
mental facts concerning his body. This kind of
instruction should indeed be made compulsory in
our schools. At present, we know not how to deal
with the most ordinary scalds and wounds ; we are
helpless if a thorn runs into our foot ; we are beside
ourselves with fright and dismay if we are bitten
by an ordinary snake ! Indeed, if we consider the
depth of our ignorance in such matters, we shall
have to hang down our heads in shame. To assert
that the average man cannot be expected to know
these things is simply absurd. The following
pages are intended for such as are willing to learn.
I do not pretend that the facts mentioned by me
have not been said before. But my readers will
4 INTRODUCTION
find here in a nutshell the substance of several
books on the subject. I have arrived at my con-
clusions after studying these books, and after a
series of careful experiments. Moreover, 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 books. One writer says>
for instance, that hot water is to be used under
certain circumstances, while another writer
says that, exactly under the same circumstances,
cold water is to be used. Conflicting views of this
kind have been carefully considered by me, so that
my readers may rest assured of the reliability of
my own views.
We have got into the habit of calling in a doctor
for the most trivial diseases. Where there is no
regular doctor available, we take the advice of
mere quacks. We labour under the fatal delusion
that no disease can be cured without medicine-
This has been responsible for more mischief to
mankind than any other evil. It is, of course,
necessary that our diseases should be cured, but
they cannot be cured by medicines. Not only are
medicines merely useless, but at times even posi-
tively harmful. 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 house. The more we cover up the filth, the
INTRODUCTION 5
more rapidly does putrefaction go on. The same
is the case with the human body. Illness or dis-
ease is only Nature's warning that filth has
accumulated in some portion or other of the body ;
and it would surely be the part of wisdom to allow
Nature to remove the filth, instead of covering it
up by the help of medicines. Those who take
medicines are really rendering the task of Nature
doubly difficult. It is, on the other hand, quite
easy for us to help Nature in her task by remem-
bering certain elementary principles, — by fasting,
for instance, so that the filth may not accumulate
all the more, and by vigorous exercise in the open
air, so that some of the filth may escape in the
form of perspiration. And the one thing that is
supremely necessary is to keep our minds strictly
under control.
We find from experience that, when once a bottle
of medicine gets itself introduced into a home, it
never thinks of going out, but only goes on drawing
other bottles in its train. We come across number-
less human beings who are afflicted by some
disease or other all through their lives in spite of
their pathetic devotion to medicines. They are
to-day under the treatment of this doctor, to-morrow
of that. They spend all their^life in a futile search
after a doctor who will cure them for good. As
the late Justice Stephen (who was for some time in
6 INTRODUCTION
India) said, it is really astonishing that drugs of
which so little is known should be applied by
doctors to bodies of which they know still less 1
Some of the greatest doctors of the West them-
selves have now come to hold this view. Sir. Astley
Cooper, for instance, admits that the 'science' of
medicine is mostly mere guess-work ; Dr. Baker
and Dr. Frank hold that more people die of medi-
cines than of diseases ; and Dr. Masongoocl even
goes to the extent of saying that more men have
fallen victims to medicine than to war, famine and
pestilence combined !
It is also a matter of experience that diseases
increase in proportion to the increase in the number
of doctors in a place. The demand for drugs has
become so widespread that even the meanest papers
are sure of getting advertisements of quack medi-
cines, if of nothing else. In a recent book on the
Patent Medicines we are told that the Fruit-salts and
syrups, for which we pay from Rs. 2 to Rs. 5, cost to
their manufacturers only from a quarter of an anna
to one anna ! No wonder, then, that their composi-
tions should be so scrupulously kept a secret.
We will, therefore, assure our readers that there
is absolutely no necessity for them to seek the aid
of doctors. To those, however, who may not be
willing to boycott doctors and medicines altogether,
we will say, "As far as possible, possess your
INTRODUCTION 7
souls in patience, and do not trouble the doctors.
In case you are forced at length to call in the aid
of a doctor, be sure to get a good man ; then, follow
his directions strictly, and do not call in another
doctor, unless by his own advice. But remember,
above all, that the curing of your disease does not
rest ultimately in the hands of any doctor."
M. K. Gandhi.
A GUIDE TO HEALTH
Chapter I
THE MEANING OF HEALTH
Ordinarily that man is considered healthy who
eats well and moves about, and does not resort to
a doctor. But a little thought will convince us that
this idea is wrong. There are many cases of men
being diseased, in spite of their eating well and
freely moving about. They are under the delusion
that they are healthy, simply because they axe too
indifferent to think about the matter.
In fact, perfectly healthy men hardly exist any-
where over this wide world.
As has been well said, only that man can be said
to be really healthy, who has a sound mind in a sound
body. The relation between the body and the mind
is so intimate that, if either of them got out
of order, the whole system would suffer. Let us
talce the analogy of the rose-flower. Its colour
stands to its fragrance in the same way as the body
10 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
to the mind or the soul. No one regards an arti-
ficial paper-flower as a sufficient substitute for the
natural flower, for the obvious reason that the
fragrance, which forms the essence of the flower,
cannot be reproduced. So too, we instinctively
honour the man of a pure mind and a noble character
in preference to the man who is merely physically
strong. Of course, the body and the soul are both
essential, but the latter is far more important than
the former. No man whose character is not pure
can be said to be really healthy. The body which
contains a diseased mind can never be anything
but diseased! Hence it follows that a pure char-
acter is the foundation of health in the real sense
of the term ; and we may say that all evil
thoughts and evil passions are but different forms
of disease.
Thus considered, we may conclude that that man
alone is perfectly healthy whose body is well
formed, whose teeth as well as eyes and ears are in
good condition, whose nose is free from dirty
matter, whose skin exudes perspiration freely and
without any bad smell, whose mouth is also free
from bad smells, whose hands and legs perform
their duty properly, who is neither too fat nor too
thin, and whose mind and senses are constantly
under his control. As has already been said, it is
very hard to gain such health, but it is harder
THE HUMAN BODY II
still to retain it, when once it has been acquired.
The chief reason why we are not truly healthy is
that our parents were not. An eminent writer has
said that, if the parents are in perfectly good condi-
tion their children would certainly be superior to
them in all respects. A perfectly healthy man
has no reason to fear death ; our terrible fear
of death shows that we are far from beings so
healthy. It is, however, the clear duty of all of us
to strive for perfect health. We will, therefore,
proceed to consider in the following pages how
such health can be attained, and how, when once
attained, it can also be retained for ever.
Chapter II
THE HUMAN BODY
The world is compounded of the five elements, —
earth, water, air, fire, and ether. So too is our body.
It is a sort of miniature world. Hence the body
stands in need of all the elements in due propor-
tion,— pure earth, pure water, pure fire or sunlight,
pure air, and open space. When any one of these
falls short of its due proportion, illness is caused
in the body.
The body is made up of skin and bone, as well
as flesh and blood. The bones constitute the
frame-work of the body ; but for them we could
12 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
not stand erect and move about. They protect
the softer parts of the body. Thus the skull
gives protection to the brain, while the ribs
protect the heart and the lungs. Doctors have
counted 238 bones in the human body. The out-
side of the bones is hard, but the inside is soft and
hollow. Where there is a joint between two bones,
there is a coating of marrow, which may be regard-
ed as a soft bone. The teeth, too, are to be coun-
ted among the bones.
When we feel the flesh at some points, we find
it to be tough and elastic. This part of the flesh
is known as the muscle. It is the muscles that
enable us to fold and unfold our arms, to move our
jaws, and to close our eyes. It is by means of the
muscles, again, that our organs of perception do
their work.
It is beyond the province of this book to give a de-
tailed account of the structure of the body ; nor has
the present writer enough knowledge to give such
an account. We will, therefore, content our-selves
with just as much information as is essential for
our present purpose.
The most important portion of the body is the
stomach. If the stomach ceases to work even for a
single moment, the whole body would collapse.
The work of the stomach is to digest the food, and
so to provide nourishment to the body. Its relation
THE HUMAN BODY 13
to the body is the same as that of the steam engine
to the Railway train. The gastric juice which is pro-
duced in the stomach helps the assimilation of nutri-
tious elements in the food, the refuse being sent out
b£ way of the intestines in the form of urine and
fseces. On the left side of the abdominal cavity
is the spleen, while to the right of the stomach is
the liver, whose function is the purification of the
blood and the secretion of the bile, which is so
useful for c^gestion. <
In the hollow space enclosed by the ribs are
situated the heart and the lungs. The heart is bet-
ween the two lungs, but more to the left than the
right. There are, on the whole 24, bones in the
chest ; the action of the heart can be felt between
the fifth and the sixth rib. The lungs are con-
nected with the windpipe. The air which we
inhale is taken into the lungs through the wind-
pipe, and the blood is purified by it. It is of the
utmost importance to breathe through the nose,
instead of through the mouth.
On the circulation of the blood depend all acti-
vities of the body. It is the blood that provides
nourishment to the body. It extracts the nutritious
elements out of the food, and ejects the refuse
through the intestines, and so keeps the body
warm. The blood is incessantly circulating all
over the body, along the veins and the arteries.
14 A 'GUIDE TO HEALTH
The beatings of the pulse are clue to the circulation
of the blood. The pulse of a normal adult man
beats some 75 times a minute. The pulses of
children beat faster, while those of old men are
slower.
The chief agency for keeping the blood pure is
the air. When the blood returns to the lungs after
one complete round over the body, it is impure and
contains poisonous elements. The oxygen of the
air which we inhale purifies this blood and is
assimilated into it, while the nitrogen absorbs the
poisonous matter and is breathed out. This pro-
cess goes on incessantly. As the air has a very
important function to perform in the body, we shall
devote a separate chapter to a detailed considera-
tion of the same.
Chapter III
AIR
Of the three things that are indispensable for
the subsistence of man, — namely, air. water, and
food — the first is the most important. Hence it is
that God has created it in such large quantities as
to make it available to all of us for nothing. Mod-
ern civilisation, however, has rendered even fresh
air somewhat costly/ for, in order to breathe fresh
air, we have to go out of towns, and this means
AIR 15
expense. The residents of Bombay, for instance,
distinctly improve in health in the air of Matheran
or, still better, of the Malabar Hills ; but they can-
not go to these places without money. Hence, in
these days, it would be hardly true to say that we
get fresh air gratis, as we used to in the old days.
But, whether fresh air is available gratis or not, it
is undeniable that we cannot get on without it. We
have already seen that the blood circulates over
the body, returns to the lungs, and after being
purified, starts on its round again. We breathe
out the impure air, and take in oxygen from the
outside, which purifies the blood. This process
of inspiration and expiration goes on for ever, and
on it depends man's life. When drowned in water
we die, because, then we are unable to let out the
impure air in the body and take in pure air from
outside. The divers go down into the water in
what is known as a diving bell, and they take in
fresh air through a tube which leads to the top.
Hence it is that they are able to remain under
water for a long time.
It has been ascertained by experiments that no
man can live without air for as long as five minutes.
We often hear of the death of little children,
when they are held so close to the bosom by igno-
rant mothers as to make it impossible for them to
breathe.
16 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
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 food ; but the
air we breathe is, as a rule, far more impure than
the water we drink or the food we eat. We are all
worshippers of concrete objects ; those things that
can be seen and felt are regarded by us as of far
greater importance than those which are invisible
and intangible. Since air belongs to this latter
class of objects, we fail to realise the evil wrought
by the impure air that we breathe. We would
think twice before eating the leavings of another
man's food, or drinking out of a cup polluted by
another man's lips. Even those who have not the
least sense of shame or repugnance would never
eat another man's vomit, or drink the water which
has been spat out by him ; even those who are
dying of hunger and thirst would refuse to do it.
But, alas, how few of us realise that the air we
inhale is so often the impure and poisonous air
which has been exhaled by others, and which is
surely no less objectionable than a man's vomit!
How strange that men should sit and sleep to-
gether for hours in closed rooms, and go on
inhaling the deadly air exhaled by themselves and
their companions ! How fortunate for man that air
should be so light Hind diffusive, and capable of
penetrating the smallest holes ! Even when the
AIR 1/
doors and windows are closed, there is generally-
some little space between the walls and the roof,
through which some air from outside manages to
get in, so that the inmates of the room have not to
breathe exclusively poisoned air. The air that we
exhale mixes with the air outside, and is rendered
pure again by an automatic process that is always
going on in Nature.
Now we are able to understand why so many
men and women should be weak and diseased.
There can be absolutely no doubt that impure air is
the root -cause of disease in ninety -nine cases out of
every hundred. It follows that the best way of
avoiding disease is to live and work in the open
air. No doctor can compete with fresh air in this
matter. Consumption is caused by the decay of
the lungs, due to the inhaling of impure air, just as
a steam engine which is filled with bad coal gets
out of order. 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 24
hours of the day.
It is, of course, essential to know how we can
keep the air pure. In fact, every child should be
taught the value of fresh air, as soon as it is able
to understand anything. If my readers would
take the trouble to learn the simple facts about the
air and would put their knowledge into practice,
H— 2
J 8 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
while teaching their children also to do the same.
I shall feel immensely gratified.
Our latrines are perhaps most responsible for ren-
dering the air impure. Very few people realise the
serious harm done by dirty latrines. Even dogs
and cats make with their claws something like a
pit wherein to deposit their fasces, and then cover
it up with some earth. Where there are no lavato-
ries of the modern approved types, we should also
do likewise. There should be kept ashes or dry
earth in a tin can or an earthen vessel inside the
latrine, and whoever goes into the latrine should,
on coming out, cover the faeces well with the ash
or the earth, as the case many be. If this is done
there would be no bad smell, and the flies too will
not settle on it and transmit the filth. Anybody
whose sense of smell has not been wholly blunted,
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 weather. Our gorge
rises at the very thought of faeces being mixed
with our food, but we go on inhaling the air
which has been polluted by such foul smell,
forgetting the fact that the one is just as
bad as the other, except that, while the former
is visible, the latter is not. We should see that
our latrines are kept thoroughly neajt and clean.
AIR ; 19
We abhor the idea of our cleaning the latrines
ourselves, but what we should really abhor is the
idea of making use of difty latrines. What is
the harm in ourselves removing the filth which
has been expelled from inside our own body, and
which we are not ashamed to have removed by
others ? There is absolutely no reason why we
should not ourselves learn the work of scavenging
and teach it to our children as well. The filthy
matter should be removed, and thrown into a pit
two feet deep, and then covered up with a thick
layer of earth. If we go to some open place, we
should dig a small pit with our hands or feet, and
then cover it up, after the bowels have been
evacuated.
We also make the air impure by making water
at all places indiscriminately. This dirty habit
should be given up altogether. If there is no place
specially set apart for the purpose, we should go to
some dry ground away from the house, and should
also cover up the urine with earth.
The filth should not be cast into very deep pits,
for, in that case, it would be beyond the reach of
sun's heat, and would also pollute the water
flowing underneath the earth.
The habit of spitting indiscriminately on the
verandahs, court yards, and such like places is also
very bad. The spittle, especially of consumptives,
20 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
is very dangerous. The poisonous germs in it
rise into the air, and, being inhaled by others,
lead to a spread of the disease. We should keep
a spittoon inside the house, and if we have
to spit when out on the road we should spit
where there is dry dust, so that the spittle may
be absorbed into the dust and cause no harm.
Doctors hold that the consumptive should spit into
a spittoon with some disinfectant in it : for, even if
he* spits on dry ground, the germs in his spittle
manage to rise and spread into the air along with
the dust. But, in any case, there can be no doubt
that the habit of spitting wherever we please is
dirty as well as dangerous.
Some people throw where they like cooked food
and other articles, which decay and render the air
impure. If all such rubbish be put underground,
the air would not be made impure, and good
manure, too could be obtained. In fact, no kind of
decaying matter should be allowed to lie exposed
to the air. It is so easy for us to take this necessary
precaution, if only we are in earnest about it.
Now we have seen how our own bad habits
render the air impure, and what we can do to keep
it pure. Next we shall consider how to inhale the
air. •
As already mentioned in the last chapter, the
air is to be inhaled through the nose, and not
AIR 21
through the mouth. There are, however, very
few persons who know how to breathe correctly.
Many people are in the pernicious habit of
inhaling through the mouth. If very cold air
is inhaled through the mouth, we catch cold
and sore throat. Further, if we inhale through
the mouth, the particles of dust in the air go into
the lungs and cause great mischief. In London, for
instance, in November, the smolte which issues
from the chimnies of great factories mixes with
the dense fog, producing a kind of yellew mix-
ture. This contains tiny particles of soot, which
can be detected in the spittle of a man who inhales
through the mouth. To escape this, many women
(who have not learnt to breathe through the nose
alone) put on a special kind of veil over their faces,
which act as sieves. If these veils are closely
examined, particles of dust can be ' detected in
them. But God has given to all of us a sieve of this
kind inside the nose. The air which is inhaled
through the nostrils is sifted before it reaches the
lungs, and is also warmed in the process. So all
men should learn to breathe through the nose
alone. And this is not at all difficult, if we
remember to keep our mouth firmly shut at all
times, except when we are talking. Those who
have got into the habit of keeping their mouth open
should sleep with a bandage round the mouth,
22 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
which would force them to breathe through the
nose. They should also take some twenty long
respirations in the open air, both in the morning
and in the evening. In fact, all men can practise
this simple exercise and see for themselves how
rapidly their chest deepens. If the chest be
measured at the beginning of the practice, and
again after an interval of two months, it will be
seen how much it has expanded in this short
period.
After learning how to inhale the air, we should
cultivate the habit of breathing fresh air, day in and
day out. We are generally in the most pernicious
habit of keeping confined to the house or the office
throughout the day, and sleeping in narrow rooms
at night, with all doors and windows shut. As far
as possible, we should remain in the open air at all
times. We should at least sleep on the verandah or
in the open air. Those who cannot do this should
at least keep the doors and windows of the room
fully open at all times. The air is our food
for all the .twenty-four hours of the day. Why,
then, should we be afraid of it ? It is a most
foolish idea that we catch cpld by inhaling the
cool breeze of the morning. Of course, those
people who have spoiled their lungs by the evil
habit of sleeping within closed doors are likely to
catch cold, if they change their habit all on a
AIR 23
sudden. But even they should not be afraid of
cold, for this cold can be speedily got rid of. Now-
a-days, in Europe, the houses for consumptives are
being built in such a way that they may get fresh
air at all times. We know what terrible havoc is
wrought in India by epidemics. We should re-
member that these epidemics are due to our habit of
defiling the air, and of inhaling this poisonous air.
We should understand that even the most delicate
people will be benefitted by systematically inhaling
fresh air. . If we cultivate the habit of keeping
the air pure and of breathing only fresh air, we
can save ourselves from many a terrible disease.
Sleeping with the face uncovered is as essential
as sleeping in fresh air. Many of our people are
in the habit of sleeping with the face covered,
which means that they have to inhale the poison-
ous air which has been exhaled by themselves.
Fortunately however, some of the air from outside
does find its way through the interstices of the
cloth, else they should die of suffocation. But the
small quantity of air that gains entrance in this
way is altogether inadequate. If we are suffering
from cold, we may cover the head with a piece
of cloth, or put on a night-cap, but the nose should
be kept exposed under all circumstances.
Air and light are so intimately connected with
each other that it is as well to speak a few words
24 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
here on the value of light. Light is as indis-
pensable to life as air itself. Hence it is that Hell
is represented as completely dark. Where light
cannot penetrate, the air can never be pure. If we
enter a dark cellar, we can distinctly perceive the
smell of the foul air. The fact that we cannot see
in the dark shows that God has intended us to live
and move in the light. And Nature has given us
just as much darkness as we require in the night.
Yet, many people are in the habit of sitting or
sleeping in underground cellars, devoid of air and
light, even in the hottest summer ! Those who thus
deprive themselves of air and light are always
weak and haggard.
Now-a-days, there are many doctors in Europe
who cure their patients by means of air-bath and
sun-bath alone. Thousands of diseased persons
have been cured by mere exposure to the air and
to the sun-light. We should keep all doors and
windows in our houses always open, in order to
allow the free entrance of air and light.
Some readers may ask why, if air and light
are so indispensable, those who live and work in
cellars are not visibly affected. Those who have
thought well over the matter would never put this
question. Our aim should be to attain the maxi-
mum of health by all! legitimate means ; we should
not be content merely to live anyhow. It has been
WATER 25
indubitably established that insufficient air and
light give rise to disease. Dwellers in towns are, as
a rule, more delicate than those in the country, for
they get less air and light than the latter. Air
and light, then, are absolutely indispensable to
health, and every one should remember all that we
have said on the matter, and act up to it to the best
of his ability.
Chapter IV
WATER
As has been already pointed out, air is the most
indispensable to our subsistence, while water comes
next in order. Man cannot live for more than a
few minutes without air, but he can live for a few
days without water. And in the absence of other
food, he can subsist on water alone for many days.
There is more than 70% of water in the composition
of our food-slufTs, as in that of the human body.
Even though water is so indispensable, we take
hardly any pains to keep it pure. Epidemics are
as much the outcome of our indifference to the
quality of the water we drink, as of the air we
breathe. The drinking of dirty water very often
produces also the disease of the stone.
Water may be impure in either of two ways, — by
issuing from dirty places, or by being defiled by us.
26 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
Where the water issues from dirty places, we
should not drink it at all ; nor do we generally
drink it. But we do not shrink from drinking the
water which has been defiled by ourselves. River-
water, for instance, is regarded as quite good for
drinking, although we throw into it all sorts of
rubbish, and also use it for washing purposes. We
should make it a rule never to drink the water in
which people bathe. The upper portion of a river
should be set apart for drinking water, the lower
being reserved for bathing and washing purposes.
Where there is no such arrangement, it is a good
practice to dig in the sand, and take drinking
water therefrom. This water is very pure, since
it has been filtered by passage through the sand.
It is generally risky to drink well-water, for un-
less it is well protected, the dirty water at the 4:op
would trickle down into the well, and render the
water impure. Further, birds and insects often
fall into the water and die ; sometimes birds build
their nests inside the wells ;and the dirt from the
feet of those who draw water from the well is also
washed down into the water. For all these rea-
sons, we should be particularly careful in drinking
well-water. Water kept in tubs is also very often
impure. If it should be pure, the tubs should be
washed clean at frequent intervals, and should be
kept covered ; we should also see that the tank or
WATER 2/
well from which the water is taken is kept in good
condition. Very few people, however, take such
precautions to keep the water pure. Hence the
best way of removing the impurities of the water
is to boil it well, and, after cooling it, filter it care-
fully into another vessel through a thick and clean
^piece of cloth. Our duty, however, does not end
with this. We should realise that we owe a duty
to our fellowmen in this matter. We should see to
it that we do absolutely nothing to defile the water
which is used for drinking by the public. We
should scrupulously refrain from bathing or wash-
ing in the water which is reserved for drinking ;
we should never answer the calls of nature near the
banks of a river, nor cremate the dead bodies there
and throw the ashes after cremation into the water.
In spite of all the care that we may take, we
find it so difficult to keep water perfectly pure. It
may have, for instance, salt dissolved in it, or bits
of grass and other decaying matter. Rain water
is, of course, the purest, but, before it reaches usr
it generally becomes impure by the absorption of
the floating matter in the atmosphere. Perfectly
pure water has a most beneficial effect on the sys-
tem ; hence doctors administer distilled water to
their patients. Those who are suffering from con-
stipation are appreciably benefitted by the use of
distilled water.
28 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
Many people do not know that water is of two
kinds, soft and hard. Hard water is water in
which some kind of salt has been dissolved. Hence,
soap does not readily lather in it, and food
cannot be easily boiled in it. Its taste is
brackish, while soft water tastes sweet. It is
much safer to drink soft water, although some
people hold that hard water is better by virtue
of the presence of nutritious matter dissolved
therein. Rain water is the best kind of soft water,
and is therefore, the best for drinking purposes.
Hard water, if boiled and kept over the fire for
some half an hour, is rendered soft. Then it may
be filtered and drunk.
The question is often asked, " When should one
drink water, and how much ? " The only safe
answer to this is this : one should drink water only
when one feels thirsty, and even then only just
enough to quench the thirst. There is no harm in
drinking water during the meals or immediately
afterwards. Of course, we should not wash the
food down with water. If the food refuses to go
down of itself, it means that either it has not been
well prepared or the stomach is not in need of it.
Ordinarily, there is no need to drink water ; and
indeed, there should be none. As already men-
tioned, there is a large percentage of water in our
ordinary articles of food, and we also add water in
FOOD 29
cooking them. Why then should we feel thirsty ?
Those people whose diet is free from suoh articles
as chillies and onions which create an artificial
thirst, have rarely any need to drink water. Those
who feel unaccountably thirsty must be suffering
from some disease or ot|*er.
We may be tempted to drink any kind of water
that we Gome across, simply because we see some
people doing it with impunity, The reply to this
has already been given in connection with air.
Our blood has in itself the power of destroying
many of the poisonous elements that enter into it,
but it has to be renewed and purified, just as the
sharp edge of a sword has to be mended when it has
been once employed in action. Hence, if we go on
drinking impure water, we should not be surprised
to find our blood thoroughly poisoned in the end.
Chapter V
FOOD
It is impossible to lay down Ward and fast rules
in the matter of food. What sort of food should
we eat, how much of it should be eaten, and at
what times, — these are questions on which doctors
differ a great deal. The ways of men are so
diverse, that the very same food shows different
effects on different individuals.
30 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
Although, however, it is impossible to say con-
clusively what sort of food we should eat, it is the
clear duty of every individual to bestow serious
thought on the matter. Needless to say, the body
cannot subsist without food. We undergo all sorts
of sufferings and privations^ for the sake of food.
But, at the same time, it is indisputable that 99.9%
of men and women in the world eat merely to please
the palate. They never pause to think of the
after-effects at the time of eating. Many people
take purgatives and digestive pills or powders in
order to be able to eat thoroughly well. Then
there are some people who, after eating to the
utmost of their capacity, vomit out all that they
have eaten, and proceed to eat the same stuffs once
more ! Some people, indeed, eat so sumptuously
that, for two or three days together, they do not
feel hungry at all. In some cases, men have even
been known to have died of over-eating. I say all
this from my own experience. When I think of
my old days, I am tempted to laugh at many
things, and cannof help being ashamed of some
things. In those days I used to have tea in the
morning, breakfast two or three hours afterwards,
dinner at one o*clock, tea again at 3 p.m., and
supper between 6 and 7 ! My condition at that
time was most pitiable. There was a great deal
of superfluous fat on my body, and bottles of
FOOD 31
medicine were always at hand. In order to be
able to eat well, I used to take purgatives very
often, as well as some tonic or other. In those
days, I had not a third of my present capacity for
work, in spite of the fact that I was then in the prime
of youth. Such a life is surely pitiable, and if we
consider the matter seriously, we must also admit
it to be mean, sinful and thoroughly contemptible.
Man is not born to eat, nor should he live to eat.
His true function is to know and serve his Maker ;
but, since the body is essential to this service, we
have perforce to eat. Even atheists will admit
that we should eat merely to preserve our health,
and not more than is needed for this purpose.
Turn to the birds and beasts, and what do you
find ? They never eat merely to please the palate,
they never go on eating till their inside is full to
overflowing. On the other hand, they eat only to
appease their hunger, and even then only just as
much as will appease their hunger. They take
the food provided by Nature, and do not cook their
food. Can it be that man alone is created to wor-
ship the palate ? Can it be that he alone Is destined
to be eternally suffering from disease ? Those ani-
mals that live a natural life of freedom never once
die of hunger. Among them there are no distinc-
tions of rich and poor, — of those who eat many
times a day, and those who do not get even one
32 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
meal in the day. These abnormalities are found
only among us human beings, — and yet we regard
ourselves as superior to the animal creation ! Surely
those who spend their days in the worship of their
stomach are worse than the birds and beasts.
A calm reflection will show that all sins like
lying, cheating and stealing are ultimately due to
our subjection to the palate. He who is able to
control the palate, will easily be able to control the
other senses. If we tell lies, or commit theft or
adultery, we are looked down upon by society, but,
strangely enough, no odium attaches to those who
slavishly pander to the palate ! It would seem as
though this were not a question of morality at all !
The fact is that even the best of us are slaves to
the palate. No one has yet adequately emphasised
the numberless evils that arise from our habit of
pandering to the palate. All civilised people
would boycott the company of liars, thieves, and
adulterers; but they go on eating beyond all
limits, and never regard it as a siri at all. Pander-
ing to the palate is not regarded by us as a sin,
since all of us are guilty of it, just as dacoity is not
regarded as a crime in a village of dacoits ; but
what is worse, we pride ourselves on it ! On oc-
casions of marriage and other festivities, we regard
it as a sacred duty to worship the palate; even in
times of funeral, we are not ashamed of doing it.
FOOD 33
Has a guest come ? We must gorge him with sweet-
meats. If, from time to time, we do not give feasts
to our friends and relations, or do not partake of
the feasts given by them, we must become objects
of contempt. If, having invited our friends to eat
with us, we fail to cram them with rich stuffs, we
must be regarded as miserly. On holidays, of
course, we must have specially rich food prepared !
Indeed, what is really a great sin has come to be
looked upon as a sign of wisdom ! We have
sedulously cultivated such false notions in the
matter of eating that we never realise our slavish-
ness and our -beastliness. How can we save our-
selves from this terrible state ?
Let us view the question from another standpoint.
We find it invariably the case in the world that Na-
ture herself has provided for all creatures, whether
man or beast, or brid or insect, just enough food for
their sustenance. This is an eternal law of Nature.
In the kingdom of Nature, none goes to sleep, none
forgets to do his duty, and none shows a tendency
to laziness. All the work is done to perfection, and
punctually to the minute. If we remember to order
our lives strictly in accordance with the immutable
and eternal laws of Nature, we shall find that there
are no more deaths by starvation anywhere over the
wide world. Since Nature always provides just
enough food to feed all created beings, it follows
H— 3
34 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
that he who takes to himself more than his normal
share of food, is depriving another of his legitimate
share. Is it not a fact, that, in the kitchens of em-
perors and kings, of all rich men, in general, much
more food is prepared than is required to feed them
and all their dependents ? That is to say, they
snatch so much food from the share of the poor. Is
it, then, any wonder that the poor should die of
starvation ? If this is true (and this fact has be.en
admitted by the most thoughtful men) it must
necessarily follow that all the food that we eat be-
yond our immediate need is food filched from the
stomachs of the poor. And to the extent to which
we eat merely with a view to pleasing the palate
must our health necessarily suffer. After this pre-
liminary discussion, we can proceed to consider
what kind of food is best for us.
Before, however, we decide the question of. the
ideal food for us, we have to consider what kinds
of food are injurious to health, and to be avoided.
Under the term "food", we include all the things
that are taken into the body through the mouth, —
including wine, bhang and opium, tobacco, tea,
coffee and cocoa, spices and condiments. I am con-
vinced that all these articles have to be completely
eschewed, having been led to this conviction partly
from my own experience, and partly from the
experiences of others.
FOOD 35
Wine, bhang and opium have been condemned
by all the religions of the world, although the
number of total abstainers is so limited. Drink
has brought about the ruin of whole families. The
drunkard forfeits his sanity ; he has even been
known to forget the distinction between mother,
wife and daughter. His life becomes a mere
burden to him. Even men of sound sense become
helpless automatons when they take to drink ; even
when not actually under its influence, their minds
are too impotent to do any work. Some people say
that wine is harmless when used as medicine, but
even European doctors have begun to giye up this
view in many cases. Some partisans of drink argue
that, if wine can be used as medicine with impunity,
it can also be used as drink. But many poisons are
employed as medicines ; do we ever dream of em-
ploying them as food ? It is quite possible that, in
some diseases, wine may do some good, but even
then, no sensible, or thoughtful man should consent
to use it even as medicine, under any circumstances.
As for opium, it is no less injurious than wine, and
is to be equally eschewed. Have we not seen a
mighty nation like the Chinese falling under the
deadly spell of opium, and rendering itself incap-
able of maintaining its independence ? Have we
not seen the jagirdars of our own land forfeiting
their jagirs under the same fatal influence?
*
36 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
So powerful is the spell that has been woven over
the minds of men by tobacco that it will take an
age to break it. Young and old have equally come
under this fatal spell. Even the best men do not
shrink from the use of tobacco. Its use, indeed,
has become a matter of course with us, and is
spreading wider and wider every day. Very few
people are aware of the many tricks employed by
the cigarette-manufacturers to bring us more and
more under its influence. They sprinkle opium or
some perfumed acid on the tobacco, so that we
may find it all the more difficult to extricate our-
selves from its clutches. They spend thousands of
pounds in advertisements. Many European firms
dealing in cigars keep their own presses, have
their own cinemas, institute lotteries,, and give
away prizes, and, in short, spend money like water
to achieve their end. Even women have now
begun to smoke. And poems have been composed
on tobacco, extolling it as the great friend of the
poor ! '
The evils of smoking are too numerous to men-
tion. The habitual smoker becomes such a bond
slave to it that he knows no sense of shame or
compunction ; he proceeds to emit the foul fumes
even in the houses of strangers ! It is also a matter
of common experience that smokers are often
tempted to commit all sorts of crimes. Children
FOOD 37
steal money from their parents' purses ; and even
the prisoners in gaols manage to steal cigarettes
and keep them carefully concealed. The smoker
will get on without food, but he cannot dispense
with his smoke ! Soldiers on the field of battle
have been known to lose all capacity for fighting
for failure of the indispensable cigarette at the
critical moment.
The late Count Leo Tolstoi of Russia tells us the
following story. A certain man once took it into
his head, for some reason, to murder his wife. He
actually drew the knife and was about to do the
deed, when he feft some compunction, and gave it
up. Then he sat down to smoke, and his wits being
turned under the influence of tobacco, he rose once
more and actually committed the murder. Tolstoi
held the view that the poison of tobacco is more
^subtle and irresistible, and hence far more danger-
ous, than that of wine.
Then the money that is spent on cigars and
cigarettes by individuals is frightfully large. I
have myself come across instances of cigars consum-
ing as much as Rs. 75 a month for one man !
Smoking also leads to an appreciable reduction
of digestive powers. The smoker feels no appetite
for food, and in order to give it some flavour, spices
and condiments have to be freely used. His breath
stinks, and, in some cases, blisters are formed on
*
38 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
his face, and the gums and teeth turn black in
colour. Many also fall a prey to terrible diseases.
The fumes of tobacco befoul the air around, and
public health suffers in consequence. I cannot
understand how those who condemn drink can
have the temerity to defend smoking. The man
who does not eschew tobacco in all its forms can
never be perfectly healthy, nor can he be a man
of pure and blameless character.
I must say that tea, coffee and cocoa are equally
injurious to health, although I know that very few
are likely to agree with me. There is a kind of
poison in all of them ; and, in the case of tea and
coffee, if milk and sugar were not added, there
would be absolutely no nutritious element in them.
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
blood. Until a few years ago, we used to drink
tea and coffee only on special occasions, but to-
day they have become universally indispensable-
Things have come to such a pass that even sickly
persons often use them as substitutes for nourishing
food!
Fortunately for us, the costliness of cocoa has
prevented its spread to the same extent as tea
and coffee, although, in the homes of the rich, it is.
quite liberally used.
FOOD 39
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 them.
In the old days, I myself used to feel a distinct
sense of weariness or langour if I did not get my
tea punctually at the usual hour. Once some 400
women and children had gathered together at a
certain celebration. The executive committee had
resolved against providing . tea to the visitors.
The women, however, that had assembled there,
were in the habit of taking tea at 4 o'clock every
evening. The authorities were informed that, if
these women were not given their usual tea, they
would be too ill to move about, and, needless
to say, they had to cancel their original resolution !
But some- slight delay in the preparation of the tea
led to a regular uproar, and the commotion subsided
only after the women had had their cup of tea ! I
can vouch for the authenticity of this incident.
In another intance, a certain woman had lost
all her digestive powers under the influence of tea,
and had become a prey to chronic headaches ;
but from the moment that she gave up tea her
health began steadily to improve. A doctor of
the Battersea Municipality in England has declared,
after careful investigation, that the brain-tissues
of thousands of women in Ais district have been
diseased from excessive use of tea. I have myself
40 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
come across many instances of health being ruined
by tea.
Coffee does some good against Kapah (phlegm)
and Vatha (' wind ')» but at the same time it weakens
the body by destroying the vital fluid, and by
making the blood as thin as water. To those people
who advocate coffee on the ground thatit is beneficial
against " phlegm " and " wind ", we would
recommend the juice of ginger' as even better for
the purpose. And, on the other hand, let us remem-
ber that the evil effects of coffee are too serious to
be counter-balanced by its good. When the blood
and the vital fluid are poisoned by a stuff, can there
be any hesitation in giving it up altogether?
Cocoa is fully as harmful as coffee, and it contains
a poison which deadens the perceptions of .the skin.
Those people who recognise the validity of moral
considerations in these matters should remember
that tea, coffee and cocoa are prepared mostly by
labourers under indenture, which is only a fine
name for slavery. If we saw with our own eyos
the oppressive treatment that is meted out to the
labourers in cocoa plantations, we should never
again make use of the stuff. Indeed, if we enquire
minutely into the methods of preparation of all our
articles of food, we shall have to give up 90% of
them !
A harmless and healthy substitute for coffee (tea
FOOD 41
or cocoa) can be prepared as follows. Even
habitual coffee-drinkers will be unable to perceive
any difference in taste between coffee and this
substitute. Good and well-sifted wheat is put
into a frying-pan over the fire and well fried, until
it has turned completely red, and had begun to
grow dark in colour. Then it is powdered
just like coffee. A spoon of the powder is then
put into a cup, and boiling water poured on to it.
Preferably keep the thing over the fire for a
minute, and add milk and sugar, if necessary, and
you get a delicious drink, which is much cheaper
and healthier than coffee. Those who want to
save themselves the trouble of preparing this
powder may get their supply from the Satyagraha
Ashram, Ahmedabad.
From the point of view of diet, the whole man-
kind may be divided into three broad divisions,
(i) The first class, which is the largest, consists
of those who, whether by preference or out of
necessity, live on an exclusive vegetable diet.
Under this division come the best part of India, a
large portion of Europe, and China and Japan.
The staple diet of the Italians is macaroni, of the
Irish potato, of the Scotch oatmeal, and of the
Chinese and Japanese rice. (2) The second class
consists of those who live on#a mixed diet. Under
this class come most of the people of England, the
42 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
richer classes of China and Japan, the richer
Mussalmans of India, as well as those rich Hindus
who have no religious scruples about taking meat.
(3) To the third class belong the uncivilised
peoples of the frigid zones, who live on an exclu-
sive meat diet. These are not very numerous, and
they also introduce a vegetable element into their
diet, wherever they come in contact with the
civilised races of Europe. Man, then, can live on
three kinds of diet ; but it is our duty to consider
which of these is the healthiest for us.
An examination of the structure of the human
body leads to the conclusion that man is intended
by Nature to live on a vegetable diet. There is the
closest affinity between the organs of the human
body and those of the fruit-eating animals. The
monkey, for instance, is so similar to man in shape
and structure, and it is a fruit-eating animal. Its
teeth and stomach are just like the teeth and
stomach of man. From this we may infer that
man is intended to live on roots and fruits, and not
on meat.
Scientists have found out by experiments that
fruits have in them all the elements that are
required for man's sustenance. The plantain, the
orange, the date, the grape, the apple, the almond,
the walunt, the groundnut, the cocoanut, — all these
fruits contain a large percentage of nutritious
% FOOD 43
elements. These scientists even hold that there
is no need for man to cook his food. They argue
that he should be able to subsist very well on
food cooked by the Sun's warmth, even as all
the lower animals are able to do ; and they say
that the most nutritious elements in the food are
destroyed in the process of cooking, and that those
things that cannot be eaten uncooked could not
have been intended for our food by Nature.
If this view be correct, it follows that we are at
present wasting a lot of our precious time in the
cooking of our food. If we could live on uncooked
food alone, we should be saving so much time and
energy, as well as money, all of which may be
utilised for more useful purposes.
Some people will doubtless say that it is idle
and foolish to speculate on the possibility of men
taking to uncooked food, since there is absolutely
no hope of their ever doing it. But we are not
considering at present what people will or will not
do, but only what they ought to do. 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 ideal. When we say that a fruit-
diet is the best, we do not, of course, expect all
men to take to it straight-way. We only mean that,
if they should take to this diA, it would be the best
thing for them.
44 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
There are many men in England who have tried
a pure fruit-diet, and who have recorded the results
of their experience. They were people who took
to this diet, not out of religious scruples, but simply
•out of considerations of health. A German doctor
has written a bulky volume on the subject, and
established the value of a fruit-diet by many argu-
ments and evidences. He has cured many diseases
by a fruit-diet combined with open-air life. 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 land.
It may not be out of place to record my own
experience in this connection. For the last six
months I have been living exclusively on fruits —
rejecting even milk and curd. My present dietary
consists of plantain, groundnut and olive oil, witti
some sour fruit like the lime. I cannot say that" my
experiment has been altogether a success, 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 diet. This, however, I can
say, that, during this period, I have been able to
keep well where others have been attacked by
disease, and my physical as well as mental powers
are now greater than before. I may not be able to
lift heavy loads, but I^-an now do hard labour for a
much longer time without fatigue. I can also do
FOOD 4S
more mental work, and with better persistence and
resoluteness. I have tried a fruit-diet on many
sickly people, invariably with great advantage. I
shall describe these experiences in the section on
diseases. Here I will only say that my own experi-
ence, as well as my study of the subject, has
confirmed me in the conviction that a fruit-diet is
the best for us. *
As I have already confessed, I do not think for a
moment that people will take to a fruit-diet as soon
as they read this. It may even be that all that I
have written has no effect at all on a single reader,
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
light.
If however, anybody does wish to try a fruit-diet,
he should proceed rather cautiously in order to
obtain the best results. He should carefully go
through all the chapters of this book, and fully
grasp the fundamental principles, before he pro-
ceeds to do anything in practice. My request to
my readers is that they should reserve their final
judgments until they have read through all that I
have got to say.
A vegetable diet- is the best after a fruit-diet.
Under this term we include all kinds of pot-herbs
and cereals, as well as milk. Vegetables are not
as nutritious as fruits, since they lose part of their
46 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
efficacy in the process of cooking. We cannot,
however, eat uncooked vegetables. We will now
proceed to consider which vegetables are the best
for 'us.
Wheat is the best of all the cereals. Man can
live on wheat alone, for in it we have in due
proportion all the elements of nutrition. Many
kinds of edibles can be made of wheat, and they
can all be easily digested. The ready-made foods
for children that are* sold by chemists are also
made partly of wheat. Millet and maize belong
to the same genus, and cakes and loaves can also
be made out of them, but they are inferior to wheat
in their food-value. We will now consider the
best fdrm in which wheat may be taken. The
white " mill flour " that is sold in our bazars is
quite useless ; it contains no nutriment at all. An
English doctor tells us that a dog which was fed
solely on this flour died, while other dogs which
were fed on better flour remained quite healthy.
There is a great demand for loaves made of this
flour, since men eat merely to satisfy their palate,
and are rarely moved by considerations of health.
These loaves are devoid of taste and nutriment, as
well as of softness. They become so hard that
they cannot be broken by the hand. The best form
of flour is that whidi'is made, of well-sifted wheat in
the grind-mill at home. This flour should be used
FOOD 47
without further sifting. Loaves made of it are
quite sweet to the taste, as well as quite soft. It
also lasts for a longer time than the " mill flour ",
since it is far more nutritious, and may be used in
smaller quantities.
The loaf sold in the bazars is thoroughly-
useless. It may be quite white and attractive in
appearance, but it is invariably adulterated. The
worst of it is that it is made by fermentation.
Many persons have testified from experience that
fermented dough is harmful to health. Further,
these loaves being made by besmearing the oven
with fat, they are objectionable to Hindu as well
as Mussalman sentiment. To fill the stomach with
these bazar loaves instead of preparing good
loaves at home is at best a sign of indolence.
Another and an easier way of taking wheat is
this. Wheat is ground into coarse grain, which
is then well cooked and mixed with milk and sugar.
This gives a very delicious and healthy kind of
food.
Rice is quite useless as a food. Indeed, it is
doubtful if men can subsist upon mere rice, to the
exclusion of such nutritious articles as dhall, ghee
and milk. This is not the case with wheat, for
man can retain his strength by living on mere
wheat boiled in water. #
We eat the pot-herbs mainly for their taste. As
48 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
they have laxative powers, they help to purify the
blood up to a limit. Yet they are but varieties of
grass, and very hard to digest. Those who par-
take too much of them have flabby bodies ; they
suffer very often from indigestion, and go about
in search of digestive pills and powders. Hence, if
we take them at all, we should do so in moderation.
All the many varieties of pulse are very heavy,
and hard of digestion. Their merit is that those
who eat them do not suffer from hunger for a long
time ; but they also lead to indigestion in most
cases. Those who do hard labour may be able
to digest them, and derive some good out of them.
But we who lead a sedentary life should be very
chary of eating them.
Dr. Haig, a celebrated writer in England, tells
us, on the basis of repeated experiments, that the
pulses are injurious to health, since they generate
a kind of acid in the system, which leads to several
diseases, and a premature old age. His arguments
need not be given here, but my own experience
goes to confirm his view. Those, however, who
are unable or unwilling to eschew the pulses
altogether, should use them with great caution.
Almost everywhere in India, the spices and
condiments are freely used, as nowhere else in the
whole world. Even" the African negroes dislike
the taste of our masala. and refuse to eat food
FOOD 49
mixed with it. And if the Whites eat masala,
their stomach gets out of order, and pimples also
appear on their faces, as I haye found frorn my
own experience. The fact is that masala is by no
means savoury in itself, but we have so long been
accustomed to its use that its flavour appeals to us.
But, as has been already explained, it is wrong to
eat anything for its mere taste.
How comes it, then, that masala is so freely eaten
by us ? Admittedly, in order to help the digestion,
and to be able to eat more. Pepper, mustard,
coriander and other condiments have the power of
artificially helping the digestion, and generating a
sort of artificial hunger. But it would be wrong to
to infer from this that all the food has been tho-
roughly digested, and assimilated into the system.
Those who take too much of masala are often found
to suffer from anaemia, and even from diarrhea. I
know a man who even died in the prime of youth
out of too much eating of pepper. Hence it is quite
necessary to eschew all condiments altogether.
What has been said of masala applies also to
salt. Most people would be scandalised at this
suggestion, but it is a fact established by ex-
perience. There is a school in England who even
hold the view that salt is more harmful than most
condiments. As there is enough of salt in the
composition of the vegetables we use, we need not
H— 4
50 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
put any extra salt into them. Nature herself
has provided just as much ^ salt as is required for
the upkeep of our health. All the extra salt that
we use is quite superfluous ; all of it goes out of
the body again in the form of perspiration, or in
other ways, and no portion of it seems to have any
useful function to perform in the body. One
writer even holds that salt poisons the blood. He
says that those who use no salt at all have their
blood so pure that they are not affected even by
snake-bite. We do not know if this is a fact or
not, but this much we know from experience, that,
in several diseases like piles and asthama, the
disuse of salt at once produces appreciably bene-
ficial results. And, on the other hand, I have not
come across a single instance of a man being any
the worse for not using salt. I myself left off the
use of salt two years ago, and I have not only
not suffered by it, but have even been benefitted in
some respects. I have not now to drink as much
water as before, and am more brisk and energetic.
The reason for my disuse of salt was a very
strange one : for it was occasioned by the illness
of somebody else ! The person whose illness led to
it did not get worse after that, but remained in the
same condition ; and it is my faith that, if only
the diseased persori himself had given up the use
of salt, he would have recovered completely.
FOOD 51
Those who give up salt will also have to give up
vegetables and dhall. This is a very hard thing
to do, as I have found from many tests. I -am
convinced that vegetables and dhall cannot be pro-
perly digested without salt. This does not, of
course, mean tnat salt improves the digestion, but
it only appears to do so, just as pepper does,
although ultimately it leads to evil consequences.
Of course, the man who entirely gives up the use
of salt may feel out of sorts for a few days ; but, if
he keeps up his spirits, he is bound to be immensely
benefitted in the long run.
I make bold to regard even milk as one of the
articles to be eschewed ! This I do on the strength
of my own experience which, however, need not be
described here in detial. The popular idea of the
value of milk is a pure superstition, but it is so
deep-rooted that it is futile to think of removing it.
As I have said more than once, I do not cherish the
hope that my readers will accept all my views ; I do
not even believe that all those who accept them in
theory will adopt them in practice. Nevertheless,
I think it my duty to speak out what I belive to be
the truth, leaving my readers to form their own
judgments. Many doctors hold the view that milk
gives rise to a kind of fever, and many books have
been written in support of this view. The disease
bearing germs that live in the air rapidly gain an
52 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
entrance into the milk, and render it poisonous, so
that it is very difficult to keep milk in a state of
perfect purity. In Africa elaborate rules have
been laid down for the conduct of the dairies,
saying how the milk should be boiled and preserv-
ed, how the vessels should be kept clean, and so
on. When so much pains have to be taken in this
matter, it is certainly to be considered how far it
is worth while to employ milk as an article of
food.
Moreover, the purity or otherwise of the milk
depends upon the cow's food, and the state of its
health. Doctors have testified to the fact that
those who drink the milk of consumptive cows
fall a prey to consumption themselves. It is
very rare to come across a cow that is perfectly
healthy. That is to say, perfectly pure milk is
very hard to obtain, since it is tainted at its
very source. Everybody knows that a child
that sucks the breast of its mother contracts any
disease that she might be suffering from. And
often when a little child is ill, medicine is adminis-
tered to its mother, so that its effect might reach
the child through the milk of her breast. Just in
the same way, the health of the man who drinks
the milk of a cow will be the same as that of the
cow itself. When thfe use of milk is fraught with
so much danger, would it not be the part of wisdom
•
FOOD 53
to eschew it altogether, especially when there are
excellent substitutes ? Olive oil, for instance*
serves this purpose to some extent ; and sweet
almond is a most efficient substitute. The almond
is first soaked in hot water, and its husk removed.
Then it is well crushed, and mixed thoroughly well
with water. This gives a drink which contains all
the good properties of milk, and is at the same
time free from its evil effects.
Now let us consider this question from the point
of view of Natural law. The calf drinks its
mother's milk only until its teeth have grown ; and
it begins to eat as soon as it has its teeth. Clearly,
this is also what man is intended to do. Nature does
not intend us to go on drinking milk after we have
ceased to be infants. We should learn to live on
fruits like the apple and the almond, or on wheat
roti, after we have our teeth. Although this is
not the place to consider the saving in money that
might be effected by giving up milk, it is certain-
ly a point to be kept in mind. Nor is there any
need for any of the articles produced from milk.
The sourness of lime is quite a good substitute for
that of buttermilk ; and as for ghee, thousands of
Indians manage with oil even now.
A careful examination of the structure of the
human body shows that meat is not the natural
food of jnan. Dr. Haig and Dr. Kingsford have
54 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
very clearly demonstrated the evil effects of meat
on the body of man. They have shown that meat
generates just the same kind of acid in the body as
the pulses. It leads to the decay of the teeth, as
well as to rheumatism ; it also gives rise to evil
passions like anger, which, as we have already
seen, are but forms of disease.
To sum up, then, we find that those who live on
fruits alone are very rare, but it is quite easy to
live on a combination of fruits, wheat and olive
oil, and it is also eminently conducive to sound
health. The plantain comes easy first among the
fruits ; but the date, the grape, the plum and the
orange, to name only a few, are all quite nourishing*
and may be taken along with the rati. The roti
does not suffer in taste by being besmeared with
olive oil. This diet dispenses with salt, pepper,
milk and sugar, and is quite simple and
cheap. It is, of course, foolish to eat sugar for
its own sake. Too much sweetmeat weakens the
teeth, and injures the health. Excellent edibles
can be made of wheat and the fruits, and a- combi-
nation of health and taste secured.
The next question to consider is how much food
should be taken, and how many times a- day. But,,
as this is a subject of vital importance, we will
devote a separate chapter to it.
FOOD 55
Chapter VI
HOW MUCH AND HOW MANY TIMES
SHOULD WE EAT ?
There is a great divergence of opinion among
doctors as to the quantity of food that we should
take. One doctor holds that we should eat to the
utmost of our capacity, and he has calculated the
quantities of different kinds of food that we can
take. 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
work, while a third doctor contends that the prince
and the peasant should eat exactly the same
quantity of food. This much, however, will be
generally admitted, that the weak cannot eat just
as much as the strong. In the same way, a woman
eats less than a man, and children and old men eat
less than young men. One writer goes so far as to
say that, if only we would masticate our food
thoroughly well, so that every particle of it is
mixed with the saliva, then we should not have to
eat more than five or ten tolas of food. This he
says on the basis of numberless experiments, and
his book has been sold in thousands. All this
shows that it is futile to think of prescribing the
quantity of food for men.
Most doctors admit that 99 % of human beings
eat more than is needed. Indeed, this is a fact of
56 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
everyday experience, and does not require to be
proclaimed by any doctor. There is no fear at all
of men ruining their health by eating too little ;
and the great need is for a reduction in the
quantity of food that we generally take.
As said above, it is of the utmost importance to
masticate the food thoroughly well. By so doing,
we shall be able to extract the maximum of nutri-
ment from the minimum of food. Experinced
persons point out that the fasces of a man whose
food is wholesome, and who does not eat too
much, will be small in quantity, quite solid and
smooth, dark in colour, and free from all foul
smell. The man who does not have such fasces
should understand that he has eaten too much of
unwholesome food, and has failed to masticate it
well. Also, if a man does not get sleep at night, or
if his sleep be^troubled by dreams, and if his tongue
be dirty in the morning, he should know that he
has been guilty of excessive eating. And if he
has to get up several times at night to make water,
it means that he has taken too much liquid food
at night. By these and other tests, every man can
arrive at the exact quantity of food that is needed
for him. Many men suffer from foul breath, which
shows that their foocj has not been well digested.
In many cases, again, too much eating gives rise to
pimples on the face, and in the nose ; and many
HOW MUCH AND HOW MANY TIMES TO EAT S7
people suffer from wind in the stomach. The root
of all these troubles is, to put it plainly, that we
have converted our stomach into a latrine, and
we carry this latrine about with us. When we
consider the mater in a sober light, we cannot help
feeling an unmixed contempt for ourselves. If we
want to avoid the sin of over-eating, we should
take a vow never to have anything to do with
feasts of all kinds. Of course, we should feed
those who come to us as guests, but only so as
not to violate the laws of health. Do we ever
think of inviting our friends to clean their teeth
with us, or to take a glass of water ? Is not eating
as strictly a matter of health as these things?
Why, then, should we make so much fuss about
it ? We have become such gluttons by habit that
our tongues are ever craving for abnormal sensa-
tions. Hence we think it a sacred duty to cram
our guests with rich food, and we cherish the hope
that they will do likewise for us, when their turn
comes ! If, an hour after eating, we ask a clean-
bodied friend to smell our mouth, and if he should
tell us his exact feelings we should have to hide
our heads in utter shame ! But some people are
so shameless that they take purgatives soon after
eating, that they might be ahie to eat still more or
they even vomit out what they have eaten in order
to sit down again to the feast at once !
58 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
Since even the best of us are more or less guilty
of over-eating, our wise forefathers have prescribed
frequent fasts as a religious duty. Indeed, merely
from the point of view of health, it will be highly
beneficial to fast at least once a fortnight. Many
poius Hindus take only one meal a day during
the rainy . season. This is a practice based
upon the soundest hygienic principles. For, when
the air is damp and the sky cloudy, . the dig-
estive organs are weaker than usual, and hence
there should be a reduction in the quantity of food.
And now we will consider how may meals we
may take in the day. Numberless people in India
are content with only two meals. Those who do
hard labour take three meals, but a system of four
meals has arisen after the invention of English
medicines ! Of late, several societies have been
formed in England and in America in order to
exhort the people to take only two meals a day.
They say that we should not take a breakfast early
in the morning, since our sleep itself serves the
purpose of the breakfast. As soon as we get up in
the morning we should prepare to work rather than
to eat. We should take our meal only after work-
ing for three hours. Those who hold these views
take only two meals p. day, and do not even take
tea in the interval. An experienced doctor by
name Deway has written an excellent book on
EXERCISE 59
Fasting, in which he has shown the benefits of dis-
pensing with the breakfast. I can also say from
my experience that there is absolutely no need to
eat more than twice, for a man who has passed
the period of youth, and whose body has attained
its fullest growth.
Chapter VII
EXERCISE
Exercise is as much of a vital necessity for man
as air, water and food, in the sense that no man
who does not take exercise regularly, can be per-
fectly healthy. By " exercise " we do not mean
merely walking, or games like hockey, football,
and cricket ; we include under the term all physical
and mental activity. Exercise, even as food, is as
essential to the mind as to the body. The mind is
much weakened by want of exercise as the body,
and a feeble mind is, indeed, a form of disease.
An athlete, for instance, who is an expert in
wrestling, cannot be regarded as a really healthy
man, unless his mind is equally efficient. As
already explained, " a sound mind in a sound
body " alone constitutes true healthy
Which, then, are those exercises which keep the
body and the mind equally efficient ? Indeed,
Nature has so arranged it that we can be engaged
60 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
in physical as well as mental work at the same
time. The vast majority of men on earth live by
field-labour. The farmer has to do strenuous bodily
exercise at any cost, for. he has to work for 8 or 10
hours, or sometimes even more, in order to earn his
bread and clothing. And efficient labour is impossi-
ble unless the mind is also in good condition. He
has to attend to all the many details of cultivation ;
he must have a good knowledge of soils and
seasons, and perhaps also of the movements of the
sun, the moon, and the stars. Even the ablest
men will be beaten by the farmer in these matters.
He knows the state of his immediate surroundings
thoroughly well, he can find the directions by
looking at the stars in the night, and tell a great
many things from the ways of birds and beasts.
He knows, for instance, that rain is about to fall*
when a particular class of birds gather together,
and begin to make noise. -He knows as much of
the earth and the sky as is necessary for his
work. As he has to bring up his children, he must
know something of Dharma Sastra. Since he lives
under the broad open sky, he easily realises the
greatness of God.
Of course, all men cannot be farmers, nor is this
book writtin for them, We have however, describ-
ed the life of the farmer, as we are convinced
that it is the natural life for man. To the extent
EXERCISE 6 1
to which we deviate from these natural conditions,
must we suffer in health. From the farmer's life
we learn that we should work for at least 8 hours
a day, and it should involve mental work as well-
Merchants and others leading a sedentary life
have indeed, to do some mental work, but their
work is too one-sided and too inadequate to be
called exercise.
For such people the wise men of the West have
devised games like cricket and football, and such
minor games as are played at parties and festive
gatherings. As for mental work the reading of
such books as involve no mental strain is pre-
scribed. No doubt these games do give exercise to
the body, but it is a question if they are equally
beneficial to the mind. How many of the best
players of football and cricket are men of superior
mental powers ? What have we seen of the mental
equipment of those Indian Princes who have earned
a distinction as players ? On the other hand, how
many of the ablest men care to play these games ?
We can affirm from our experience that there are
very few players among those who are gifted
with great mental powers. The people of England
are extremely fond of games,' but their own poet,
Kipling, speaks very disparagingly of the mental
capacity of the players. •
Here in India, however, we have chosen quite a
62 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
different path ! Our men do arduous mental work,
but give little or no exercise to the body. Their
bodies are enfeebled by excessive mental strain,
and they fall a prey to serious diseases ; and just
when the world expects to benefit by their work,
they bid it eternal farewell ! Our work should be
neither exclusively physical nor exclusively mental,
nor such as ministers merely to the pleasure of the
moment. The ideal kind of exercise is that which
gives vigour to the body as well as to the mind ;
only such exercise can keep a man truly healthy,
and such a man is the farmer.
But what shall he do who is no farmer ? The
exercise which games like the cricket give is too
inadequate, and something else has to be devised.
The best thing. for ordinary men would be to keep
a small garden near the house, and work in it for
a few hours every day. Some may ask, " What
can we do if the house we live in be not our own ?"
This is a foolish question to ask, for, whoever may
be the owner of the house, he cannot object to his
ground being improved by digging and cultivation.
And we shall have the satisfaction of feeling that
we have helped to keep somebody else's ground
neat and clean. Those who do not find time for
such exercise or who may not like it, may resort to
walking, which is .tne next best exercise. Truly
has this been described as the Queen of all exercises.
EXERCISE 63
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 foot. Thoreau,
the great American writer, has said many remark-
able things on walking as an exercise. He says
that the writings of those who keep indoors and
never go out into the open air, will be as weak as
their bodies. Referring to his own experience, he
says that all his best works were written when
he was walking the most. He was such an
inveterate walker that four or five hours a day
was quite an ordinary thing with him ! Our
passion for exercise should become so strong that
we cannot bring ourselves to dispense with it on
any account. We hardly realise how weak and
futile is our mental work when unaccompanied by
hard physical exercise. Walking gives movement
to every portion of the body, and ensures vigorous
circulation of the blood ; for, when we walk fast,
fresh air is inhaled into the lungs. Then there is
the inestimable joy that natural objects give us,
the joy that comes from a contemplation of the
beauties of nature. It is, of course, useless to walk
along lanes and streets, or to take the same path
every day. We should go out into the fields and
forests where we can have a taste of Nature.
Walking a mile or. two is n% walking at all ■; at
least ten or twelve miles are necessary for exercise.
64 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
Those who cannot walk so much every day can at
least do so on 3undays. Once a man w$o was
suffering from indigestion went to the doctor to
take medicine. He was advised to walk a little
every day, but he pleaded that he was too
weak to walk at all. Then the doctor took him
into his carriage for a drive. On the way he
deliberately dropped his whip, and the sick man,
out of courtesy, got down to take it. The doctor,
however, drove on without waiting for him, and
the poor man had to trudge behind the carriage.
When the doctor was satisfied that he had walked
long enough, he took him into the carriage again,
and explained that it was a device adopted to make
him walk. As the man had begun to feel hungry
by this time, he realised the value of the doctor's
advice, and forgot the affair of the whip. He then
went home and had a hearty meal. Let those who
are suffering from indigestion and kindred diseases
try for themselves, and they will at once realise the
value of walking as an exercise.
Chapter VIII
DRESS
Dress is also a matter of health to a certain
extent. European lbdies, for instance, have such
queer notions of beauty that their dress is contrived
DRESS 65
with a view to straitening the waist and the
feet, which, in its turn, leads to several diseases.
The feet of Chinese women are deliberately
straitened to such an extent that they are smaller
even than the feet of our little children, and, as
a result, their health is injured. These two in-
stances show how the health may be affected by
the nature of the dress. But the choice of our
dress does not rest always in our hands, for we
have perforce to adopt the manners of our elders.
The chief object of dress has been forgotten, and
it has come to be regarded as indicative of a man's
religion, country, race and profession. In this
state of things, it is very difficult to discuss the
question of dress strictly from the point of view
of health, but such a discussion must necessarily
do us good. Under the term dress, we include all
such things as boots and shoes, as well as jewellery
and the like.
What is the chief object of dress ? Man in his
primitive state had no dress at all ; he went about
naked, and exposing almost the whole body. His
skin was firm and strong, he was* able to stand sun
and shower, and never once suffered from cold and
kindred ailments. As has already been explained,
we inhale the air not only through the nostrils, but
also through the numberles^pores of the skin. So
when we cover the body with clothing, we are
H-5
66 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
preventing this natural function of the skin. But
when the people of the colder countries grew more
and more indolent, they began to feel the need to
cover their bodies. They were no longer able to
stand the cold, and the use of dress came into be-
ing, until at lengh it came to be looked upon not
merely as a necessity, but as an ornament. Sub-
sequently it has also come to be regarded as an
indication of country, race etc.
In fact, Nature herself has provided an excellent
covering for us in our skin. The idea that the
body looks unseemly in undress is absurd, for the
very best pictures are those that display the
naked body. When we cover up the most ordinary
parts of our body, it is as though we felt ashamed
of them in their natural condition, and as though
we found fault with Nature's own arrangement.
We think it a duty to go on multiplying the
trappings and ornaments for our body, as we grow
richer and richer. We ' adorn ' our body in all
sorts of hideous ways, and admire ourselves on our
handsomeness ! If our eyes were not blinded by
foolish habit, we should see that the body looks
most handsome only in its nakedness, as it enjoys
its best health only in that condition. Dress,
indeed, detracts from the natural beauty of the
body. But, not content with dress alone, man
began to wear jewels also. This is mere madness,
DRESS 67
for it is hard to understand how these jewels
can add an iota to the body's natural beauty.
But women have gone beyond all bounds of sense
or decency in this matter. They are not ashamed
to wear anklets which are so heavy that they
can hardly lift their feet, or to pierce their nose
and ears hideously for putting on rings, or to stud
their wrists and fingers with rings and bracelets
of several kinds. These ornaments only serve to
help the accumulation of dirt in the body ; there is
indeed no limit to the dirt on .the nose and ears.
We mistake this filthiness for beauty, and throw
money away to secure it ; and we do not even
shrink from putting our lives at the mercy of
thieves. There is no limit to the pains we take to
satisfy the silly notions of vanity that we have
so sedulously cultivated. Women, indeed, have
become so infatuated that they are not prepared
to remove the ear-ring even if the ears are
diseased ; even if the hand is swollen and suffer-
ing from frightful pain, they would not remove
the bracelets ; and they are unwilling to remove
the ring from a swollen finger, since they imagine
that their beauty would suffer by so doing !
A thorough reform in dress is by no means an
easy matter, but it is surley possible for all of us to
renounce our jewels and alii superfluous clothing.
We may keep? some few things for the sake of
68 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
convention, and throw off all the rest, Those who
are free from the superstition that dress is an
ornament can surely effect many changes in their
dress, and keep themselves in good health.
Now-a-days the notion has gained ground that
European dress is necessary for maintaining our
decency and prestige ! This is not the place to
discuss this question in detail. Here it will be
enough to point out that, although the dress of
Europeans might be good enough for the cold
countries of Europe, it is hopelessly unsuited to
India. Indian dress, alone, can be,good for Indians,
whether they be Hindu or Musalman. Our dress
being, loose an<5 open, air is not shut out ; and
being white for the most part, it does not absorb
the heat. Black dress feels hot, since all the sun's
rays are absorbed into it, and, in its turn, into
the body.
The practice of covering the head with the
turban has become quite common with us. Never-
theless we should try to keep the head bare as far
as possible. To grow the hair, and to dress it by
combing and brushing, parting in the middle and
so on, is nothing short of barbarous. Dust and
dirt, as well as nits and lice, accumulate in the
hair, and if a boil were to arise on the head, it can-
not be properly treated. Especially for those who
use a turban, it would be stupid^ to £*row the hair.
SEXUAL RELATIONS 69
The feet also are common agents of disease.
The feet of those who wear boots and shoes grow
dirty, and begin to exude a lot of stinking perspira-
tion. 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
socks. 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 path, or
over very cold or hot ground, and that only the
soles should be 'covered, and not the entire feet.
And this purpose is served excellently well by the
sandal. Some people who are accustomed to the
use of shoes often suffer from headaches, or pain in
the feet, or weakness of the body. Let them try
the experiment of walking with bare feet, and then
they will at once find out the benefit of keeping the
feet bare, and free from sweat by exposure to
the air.
Chapter IX
SEXUAL RELATIONS
I would specially request those who have care-
fully read through the book-so far to read through
this chapter with even greater care, and ponder
well over its subject-matter. There are still several
70 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
more chapters to be written, and they will, of
course, be found useful in their own way. But not
one of them is nearly as important as this. As
I have already said, there is not a single matter
mentioned in this book which is not based on my
personal experience, or which I do not believe to be
strictly true.
Many are the keys to health, and they are all
quite essential ; but the one thing needful, above all
others, is Brahmacharya. Of course, pure air, pure
water, and wholesome food do contribute to health.
But how can we be healthy if we expend all the
health that we acquire ? How can we help being
paupers if we spend all the money that we earn ?
There can be no doubt that men and women can
never be virile or strong unless they observe true
Brahmacharya.
What do we mean by Brahmacharya ? We mean
by it that men and women should refrain from
enjoying each other. That is to say, they should
not touch each other with a carnal thought, they
should not think of it even in their dreams. Their
mutual glances should be free from all suggestion
of carnality. The hidden strength that God has
given us should be conserved by rigid self-discip-
line, and transmitted ( into energy and power, — not
merely of body, but also of mind and soul.
But what is the spectacle that we actually see
SEXUAL RELATIONS n
around us ? Men and women, old and young,
Without exception, are seen entangled in the coils
of sensuality. Blinded by lust, they lose all sense
of right and wrong. I have myself seen even boys
and girls behaving like mad men under its fatal in-
fluence. I too have behaved likewise under similar
influences, and it could not well be otherwise. For
the sake of a momentary pleasure, we sacrifice in
an instant all the stock of vitality that we have
accumulated. The infatuation over, we find our-
selves in a miserable condition. The next morning
we feel hopelessly weak and tired, and the mind
refuses to do its work. Then, we try to remedy the
mischief by taking all sorts of ' nervine tonics '
and put ourselves under the doctor's mercy for
repairing the waste, and for recovering the
capacity for enjoyment. So the days pass and
the years, until at length old age comes upon us,
and finds us utterly emasculated in body and
in mind.
But the law of Nature is just the reverse of this-
The older we grow, the keener should grow our
intellect also ; the longer we live, the greater
should be our capacity to transmit the fruits of
our accumulated experience to our fellow-men.
And such is indeed the casefwith those who have
been true Brahmacharies. They know no fear of
death, and they do not forget good even in the
72 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
hour of death ; nor do they indulge in vain com-
plaints. They die with a smile on their lips, and
boldly face the day of judgment. They are the
true men and women ; and of them alone can it be
said that they have conserved their health.
We hardly realise the fact that incontinence is
the root-cause of all the vanity, anger, fear and
jealousy in the world. If our mind is not under
our control, if we behave once or more every day
more foolishly than even little children, what sins
.may we not commit consciously or unconsciously ?
How can we pause to think of the consequences
of our actions, however vile or sinful they may be ?
But you may ask, " Who has ever seen a true
Brahmachary in this sense ? If all men should turn
Brahmacharies, would not humanity be extinct, and
the whole world go to rack and ruin ? " We will
leave aside the religious aspect of this question,
and discuss it simply from the secular point of
view. To my mind, these questions only be-speak
our weakness and our cowardliness. We have not
the strength of will to observe Brahmacharya, and,
therefore, set about finding pretexts for evading our
duty. The race of true Brahmacharies is by no neans
extinct ; but, if they were to be had merely for
the asking, of what v^lue would Brahmacharya be?
Thousands of hardy labourers have to dig
deep into the bowels of th£ eart of
SEXUAL RELATIONS 73
diamonds, and at length they get perhaps merely
a handful of them out of heaps and heaps of rock.
How much greater, then, should be the labour
involved in the discovery of the infinitely more
precious diamond of a Brahmachary ? If the obser-
vance of Brahmachary a should mean the ruin of the
world, why should we regret it ? Are we God
that we should be so anxious about its future ? He
who created it will surely see to its preservation.
It is none of our business to enquire if other people
practise Brahmacharya or not. When we turn
merchant or lawyer or doctor,do we ever pause to
consider what the fate of the world would be if all
men were to do likewise ? The true Brahmachary
will, in the long run, discover for himself answers
to such questions.
But how can men engrossed by the cares of the
material world put these ideas into practice ?
What shall the married people do? What shall
they do who have children ? And what shall be
done by those people who cannot control their
lust ? The best solution for all such difficulties
has already been given. We should keep this ideal
constantly before us, and try to approximate to it
more and more to the utmost of our capacity.
When little children are taught to write the letters
of the alphabet, we show them the perfect shapes
of the letters, and they try to reproduce them as
74 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
best they can. Just in the same way, if we steadily
work up to the ideal of Brahmacharya, we may
ultimately succeed in realising it. What if we have
married already'? The law of Nature is that
Brahmacharya may be broken only when the hus-
band and wife feel a strong desire for a child.
Those who, remembering this law, violate Brahma-
charya once in four or^five years cannot be said to
be slaves to lifst, nor; can they appreciably lose
their stock of vitality. But, alas, how rare are
those men and women who yield to the sexual
craving merely for the sake of an offspring ! The
vast majority, who may be numbered in thousands,
turn to sexual enjoyment merely to satisfy their
carnal passion, with the result that children are born
to them quite against their will. In the madness of
sexual passion, we give no thought to the consequ-
ences of our acts. In this respect, men are even
more to blame than women. 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 child. In the West indeed, people
have trespassed even against the claims of common
decency. They indulge in sexual pleasures, and
devise measures in order to evade. the responsi-
bilities of parenthqod. Many books have been
written on this subject, and a regular trade is
being carried on in providing » fehe means of
SEXUAL RELATIONS , 75
preventing conception. We are as yet free from
this sin, but we do not shrink from imposing the
heavy burden of maternity on our women, and we
are not concerned even to find that our children
are weak, impotent and imbecile. Every time we
get children, we bless Providence, and so seek to
hide from ourselves the wickedness of our acts.
Should we not rather deem it a sign of God's anger
to have children who are weak, sensual, crippled
and impotent ? Is it a matter for joy that mere
boys and girls should have children ? Is it not
rather a curse of God ? We all know that the
premature fruit of a too young plant weakens the
parent, and so we try all means of delaying the
appearance of fruit. But we sing hymns of praise
and thanks-giving to God when a child is born of
a boy-father and a girl-mother ! Could anything
be more dreadful ? 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 world ? Verily we are, in this
respect, for worse than even the lower animals ; for,
the bull and the cow are brought together solely with
the object of having a calf. Man and woman should
regard it as sacred duty to keep apart from the
moment of conception up teethe time when the
child hac 1 ised to suck its mother's breast. But
w n r merry fashion blissfully forgetful
76 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
of this sacred obligation. This incurable disease
enfeebles our mind and leads us to an early grave,
after making us drag a miserable existence for a
short while. Married people should understand
the true function of marriage, and should not
voilate the law of Brahmacharya except with a
view to having a child for the continuation of
the race.
But this is so difficult under our present conditions
of life. Our diet, our ways of life, our com-
mon talk, and our environments are all' equally
calculated to rouse and keep alive our sensual
appetite ; and sensuality is like a poison, eating
into our vitals. Some people may doubt the possi-
bility of our being able to free ourselves from
this bondage. This book is written not for those
who go about with such doubtings of heart, but
only for those who are really in earnest, and who
have the courage to take active steps for their
improvement. Those who are quite content with
their present abject condition may even be offended
to read all this ; but I' hope this will be of some
service to those who are heartily disgusted with
their own miserable existence.
From all that has been said, it follows that those
who are still unmarried should try to remain so ;
but, if they cannot help marrying, they should do
so as late as possible. Young men, for instance,
SEXUAL RELATIONS 7/
should take a vow to remain unmarried till the age
of 25 or 30. We shall not explain here all the
benefits other than physical that result from this ;
but those who want to enjoy them can do so for
themselves.
My request to those parents who may read these
pages is that they should not tie a mill-stone round
trfe necks of their sons by marrying them in their
teens. They should look also to the welfare of
their sons, and not only to their own interests.
They should throw aside all silly notions of caste-
pride or ' respectability \ and cease to indulge in
such heartless practices. Let them, rather, if they
are true well-wishers of their children, look to
their physical, mental and moral improvements.
What greater disservice can they do to their sons
than compelling them to enter upon a married life,
with all its tremendous responsibilities and cares,
even while they are mere boys ?
Then again, the true laws of health demand that
the man that loses his wife, as well as the woman
that loses her husband, should remain single ever
after. There is a difference of opinion among
doctors as to whether young men and women need
%ver let their vital fluid escape, some answering
the question in the affirmative, others in the nega-
tive. But this cannot justify our taking advantage
of it for sensual enjoyment. I can affirm, without
78 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
the slightest hesitation, from my own experience
as well as that of others, that sexual enjoyment is
not only not necessary for the preservation of
health, but is positively detrimental to it. All the
strength of body and mind that has taken long
to acquire, is lost altogether by the escape of the
vital fluid, and it takes a long time to regain this
lost strength, and even then there is no saying
that it can be thoroughly recovered. A broken
vessel may be made to do its work after mending,
but it can never be anything but a broken vessel.
As has already been pointed out, the preserva-
tion of our vitality is impossible without pure air
pure water, pure and wholesome food, as well as
pure thoughts. 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 life. The earnest man who, forgetting the
the errors of the past, begins to live a life of purity
will be able to reap the fruit of it straightway.
Those who have practised true Brahmacharya
even for a short period will have seen how their
body and mind improve steadily in strength and
power, and they will not, at any cost, be willing to
part with this treasure. I have myself been guilty*
of lapses even after having fully understood the
value of Brahmachtrya, and have, of course, paid
dearly for it. I am filled with shame a aorse
SEXUAL RELATIONS 79
when I think of the terrible contrast between my
condition before and after these lapses. But from
the errors of the past that I have now learnt to
preserve this treasure in tact, and I fully hope, with
god's grace, to continue to preserve it in the future ;
for I have in my own person, witnessed the inesti-
mable benefits of Brahmacharya. I was married
early in life, and had become the father of children
as a mere youth. When, at length, I awoke to the
reality of my situation, I found myself sunk in the
lowest depths of degradation. 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 experiences, and to profit
thereby. Many people have told me (and I also
believe it) that I am full of energy and enthusiasm,
and that my mind is by so means weak ; Some even
accuse me of rashness. There is disease in my
body as well as in my mind ; nevertheless, when
compared with my friends, I may call myself per-
fectly healthy and strong. If even after twenty
years of sensual enjoyment, I have been able to
reach triis state, how much better should I have
been if only I had kept myself pure during those
twenty years as well ? It is my full conviction that,
if only I had lived a life of "Brahmacharya all
through, my energy and enthusiasm would have
been a thousandfold greater and I should have been
80 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
able to devote them all to the furtherance of rr^r
country's cause as of my own. If this can be
affirmed of an ordinary man like myself, how
much more wonderful must be the gain in power, —
physicial, mental, as well as moral — that unbroken
Brahmacharya can bring to us !
When so strict is the law of Brahmacharya,
what shall we say of those guilty of the unpar-
donable sin of illegitimate sexual enjoyment ?
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 health.
Here we are only concerned to point out how
thousands who are guilty of these sins are afflicted
by syphilis and other unmentionable diseases.
The inflexible decree of Providence happily con-
demns these wretches to a life of unmitigated
suffering. 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 suffering. If
there were no adultery at all, there would be" no
work for at least 50 % of doctors. So inextricably
indeed has venereal disease caught mankind in its
clutches that even the best doctors have been forced
to admint that, so long as adultery and prostitution
continue, there is no hope for the human race. The
medicines for these diseases are so poisonous that,
although they may appear to ru some good
SEXUAL RELATIONS 8 1
for the time being, they give rise to other and still
more terrible diseases which are handed down from
generation to generation.
In concluding this chapter, we will briefly point
out how married people can preserve their Brahma-
charya in tact. It is not enough to observe the laws
of health as regards air, water and food. The man
should altogether cease to sleep in privacy with
his wife. Little reflection is needed to show that
the only possible motive for privacy between man
and wife is the desire for sexual enjoyment. They
should sleep apart at night, and be incessantly
engaged in good works during the day. They
should read such books as fill them with noble
thoughts and meditate over the lives of great
men, and live in the constant realisation of the
fact that sensual enjoyment is the root of all
disease. Whenever they feel a prompting for
enjoyment, they should bathe in cold water, so
that the heat of passion may be cooled down,
and be refined into the energy of virtuous activity.
This is a hard thing to do, but we have been born
into this world that we might wrestle with diffi-
culties and temptations, and conquer them ; and he
who has not the will" to do it can never enjoy
the supreme blessing of true health.
.H--6
PART II
SOME SIMPLE TREATMENTS
Chapter I
AIR-TREATMENT
We have now done with the discussion of the
foundations of health, as well as the means of its
preservation. If all men and women were to obey
all the laws of health, and practice str;ct^Brahma-
charya, there would be no need at all for the
chapters which follow, for such men and women
would then be free from all ailments, whether of
the body or of the mind. But where can such men
and women be found ? Where are they who have
not been afflicted by disease ? The more strictly,
however, we observe the laws which have been
explained in this book, the more shall we be free
from disease. But when diseases do attack us, it
is our duty to deal with them properly, and the fol-
lowing chapters are intended to show how to do it.
Pure air, which is so essential to the preservation
of health, is also essential to the cure of diseases.
84 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
If, for instance, a man who is suffering from gout
is treated with air heated by steam, he perspires
profusely, and his joints are eased. This kind of
vapour-treatment is known as " Turkish Bath."
If a man who is suffering from high fever is
stripped naked, and made to sleep in the open air,
there is an immediate fall in the temperature, and
he feels a distinct relief. And if, when he feels
cold, he is wrapped in a blanket, he perspires at
once, and the fever ceases. But what we generally
do is just the reverse of this. Even if the patient
is willing to remain in the open air, we close all
the doors and windows of the room in which he
lies, and cover his whole body (including the head
and ears) with blankets, with the result that he is
frightened, and is rendered still weaker. If the
fever is the outcome of too much heat, the sort of
air-treatment described above is perfectly harm-
less, and its effect can be instantly felt. Of course,
care should be taken that the patient does not
begin to shiver in the open air. If he cannot
remain naked, he may well be 'covered with
blankets.
Change of air is an effective remedy for latent
fever and other diseases. The common practice of
taking a change of air is only an application of the
principle of air-treatment. We often change our
residence in the belief that a house .constantly
AIR-TREATMENT 85
infested by disease is the resort of evil spirits.
This is a mere delusion, for the real " evil spirits "
in such cases are the foul air inside the house. A
change of residence ensures a change of air, and
with it the cure of the diseases brought on by it.
Indeed, so vital is the relation between health and
air that the good or evil effects of even a slight
change are instantaneously felt. For a change of
air the rich can afford to go to distant places,
but even the poor can go from one village to
another, or at least from one house to another.
Even a change of room in the same house often
brings great relief to a sick man. But, of course,
care should be taken to see that the change of air
is really for the better. Thus, for instance, a
disease that has been brought on by damp air
cannot be cured by a change to a damper locality.
It is because sufficient attention is not paid to
simple precautions like this that a change of air is
often so ineffectual.
This- chapter has been devoted to some simple
instances of the application of air to the treatment
of disease, while the chapter on Air in Part I of
this book contains a general consideration of the
value of pure air to health. Hence I would request
my readers to read these two chapters side by
side. P
86 * A GUIDE TO HEALTH
Chapter II
WATER-CURE
Since air is invisible, we cannot perceive the
wonderful way in which it does its work. But the
work of water and its curative effects can be easily
seen and understood.
All people know something of the use of steam
as a curative agent. We often employ it in cases
of fever, and very often severe head-aches can be
cured only by its application. In cases of rheumatic
pain in the joints, rapid relief is obtained by the use
of steam followed by a cold bath. Boils and ulcers
not cured by simple dressing with ointments can be
completely healed by the application of steam.
In case of extreme fatigue, a steam-bath or a hot-
water bath immediately followed by a cold bath
will be found very effective. So too, in cases of
sleeplessness, instant relief is often obtained by
sleeping in the open air after a steam-bath followed
by a cold bath.
Hot water can always be used as a substitute for
steam. When there is severe pain in the stomach,
instant relief is obtained by warming with a
bottle filled with boiling water placed over a thick
cloth wrapped round the waist. Whenever there is
a desire to vomit, it can be done by drinking
plenty of hot water. Those who are sulfefing from
constipation often derive great beru linking
WATER-CURE 87
a glass of hot water either at bedtime or soon after
rising and cleaning the teeth in the morning. 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
morning. The bowels of many people move only
after taking tea in the morning, and they foolishly
suppose that it is the tea which has produced this
effect. But, as a matter of fact, tea only does harm,
and it is really the hot water in the tea that moves
the bowels.
A special kind of cot is often used for steam-
baths, but it is not quite essential. A spirit or
kerosine oil stove, or a wood or coal fire, would be
kept burning under an ordinary cane chair. Over
the fire should be placed a vessel of water with the
mouth covered ; 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 fire.
Then the patient should be seated in the chair and
wrapped round with sheets or blankets. Then
the vessel should be uncovered, so that the patient
may be exposed to the steam issuing from it.
Our common practice of covering the head also of
the patient is a needless precaution. The heat
of the steam presses through the body right up
to the Head, and gives rise to profuse perspiration
on the face. If thepatient is too weak to sit up,
88 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
he may be made to lie down on a cot with intersti-
ces, taking care to see that some of the steam
escapes. Of course, care should also be taken to
see that the patient's clothes or the blankets used
do not catch fire ; and due consideration should
be paid to the state of the patient's health, as an
inconsiderate application of steam is fraught with
danger. The patient, indeed, feels weak after a
steam bath, but this weakness does not last long.
Too frequent use of steam, however, enfeebles the
constitution, and it is of the highest importance to
apply steam with due deliberation. Steam may
also be applied to any single part of the body ; in
cases of headache, for instance, there is no need to
expose the whole body to the steam. The head
should be held just over a narrow-mouthed jar of
boiling water, and wrapped round with a cloth.
Then the steam should be inhaled through the nose
so that it may ascend into the. head. If the nasal
passage is blocked, it will also be opened by this
process. Likewise, if there be inflamation in any
part of the body, it alone need be exposed to the
steam.
Very few realise the curative value of cold water,
in spite of the fact that it is eve- more valuable in
this respect than hot water, and can be made use of
by even the weakest ^persons. In fever, small-pox,
and skin-diseases, the application o^ a sheet dipped
WATER-CURE 89
in cold water is very beneficial, and often pro-
duces startling results ; and anybody may try it
without the least risk. Dizziness or delirium can
be instantly relieved by tying round the head a
cloth dipped in melted ice. People suffering from
constipation often derive great benefit by tying
round the stomach for some time a piece of cloth
dipped in melted ice. Involuntary seminal
discharges can also be often prevented by the
same means. Bleeding in any part of the body
may be stopped by the application of a ban-
dage dipped in ice-cold water. Bleeding from
the nose is stopped by pouring cold water over the
head. Nasal diseases, cold and headache, may be
cured by drawing pure, cold water up the nose.
The water may be drawn through one nostril and
discharged through the other, or drawn through
both nostrils and discharged through the mouth.
There is no harm in the water going even into the
stomach provided the nostrils are clean. And in-
deed, this is the best way to keep the nostrils clean.
Those who are unable to draw the water up the
nostrils may use a syringe, but after a few at-
tempts, it can be done quite easily. All should
learn to do this, since it is very simple, and at the
same time a most effective remedy against head-
aches, bad smells in the noie, as well as dirty
accumulations r. the nasal passage.
90 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
Many people are afraid of taking an enema, and
some even think that the body is weakened by it ;
but such fears are baseless. There is no more
effective means of producing an instant evacuation
of the bowels. It has proved effective in many
diseases where all other remedies have been futile ;
it thoroughly cleans the bowels, and prevents the
accumulation of poisonous matter. If those who
suffer from rheumatic complaints or indigestion or
pains caused by an unhealthy condition of the
bowels take an enema of 2 lbs. of water, they would
see how instantaneous is its effect. One writer on
this subject says that once he was suffering from
chronic indigestion and, all remedies proving futile,
he had grown emaciated, but the application of the
enema at once restored him his appetite, and
altogether cured him of his complaint in a few
days. Even ailments like jaundice can be cured
by the application of the enema. If the enema
has to be frequently employed, cold water should
be used, for the repeated use of hot water is likely
to enfeeble the constitution.
Dr. Louis Kuhne of Germany has, after repeated
experiments, arrived at the conclusion that water-
cure is the best for all diseases. His books on this
subject are so popular that they are no#r available
in almost all the languages of the world, including
those of India. He contenc lomen is
WATER-CURE 9 1
the seat of all diseases. When there is too
much heat in the abdomen, it manifests itself
in the form of fever, rheumatism, eruptions on
the body, and the like. The efficacy of water-
cure had, indeed, been recognised by several people
long before Kuhne, but it was he who, for the
first time, pointed out the common origin of all
diseases. His views need not be accepted by us
in their entirety, but it is an undoubted fact that
his principles and methods have proved effective
in many diseases. To give only one instance out
of many that have come within my experience,
in a bad case of rheumatism, a thorough cure was
effected by Kuhne' s system, after all other remedies
had been tried, and had proved utterly ineffectual.
Dr. Kuhne holds that the heat in the abdomen
abates by the application of cold water, and has,
therefore, prescribed the bathing of the abdomen
and the surrounding parts with thoroughly cold
water. And for the greater convenience of bathing,
he has devised a special kind of tin bath. This, how-
ever, is not quite indispensable ; the tin tubs of an
oval shape and of different sizes to suit people of
different heights, available in our bazaars, will do
equally well. The tub should be filled three-
fourths with ' water, and the patient should
seat him uch a fashion that his feet
and the upp. .he body remain outside the
92 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
water, and the rest of the body up to the hips inside
it. The feet may preferably be placed on a low
foot-stool. The patient should sit in the water
quite naked, but, if he feels cold, the feet and the
upper part of the body should be covered with a
blanket. If a shirt is worn, it should be kept entire-
ly outside the water. The bath should be taken
in a room where there is plenty of fresh air and
light. The patient should then slowly rub (or
cause to be rubbed) the abdomen with a small
rough towel from 5 to 30 minutes or more. The
effect is instantly felt in most cases. In cases of
rheumatism, the wind in the stomach escapes in
the form of eructations and the like, and in cases
of fever, the thermometre falls by one or two
degrees. The bowels are readily cleaned by this
process ; fatigue disappears ; sleeplessness is
removed, and extreme drowsiness gives place to
vigour. This contrariness of result is more ap-
parent than real ; for want of sleep, and the excess
of it, are both brought on by the same cause. So
too, dysentery and constipation, which are both the*
outcome of indigestion, are cured by this method.
Piles of long standing can also be gc rid of by
this bath, with proper regula ' . it. Those
who are troubled by the necessity for constant
spitting should at tince resort to this treatment
for a cure. By its means the we k can become
WATER-CURE 93
strong ; and even chronic rheumatism has been
cured by it. It is also an effective remedy for
haemorrhages, headaches, and blood-poisoning.
Kuhne prescribes it as an invaluable remedy even for
diseases like the cancer. A pregnant woman who
takes to it regularly will have an easy child-birth.
In short, all persons, without distinction of age or
sex, can take to it with advantage.
There is another kind of bath, known as the
" Wet-Sheet-Pack ", which is an unfailing remedy
for various diseases. This bath is taken in the
following manner. A table or chair is placed in
the open air, big enough to allow of the patient
lying on it at full length. On it are spread
(hanging on either side) some four blankets, less or
more according to the state of the weather. Over
them are spread two white thick sheets well dipped
in cold water, and a pillow is placed under the
blankets at one end. Then the patient is strip-
ped naked (with the exception of a small waist-
cloth, if he so wishes), and made to lie down
on the sheets, with his hands placed in the
arm-pits. Then the sheets and blankets are, one
after another, wrapped round his body, taking care
that the parts hanging under the feet are well
tucked in so as to cover them. If the patient is
exposed to the sun, a wet cloAi is put over his head
and face, keepVig the nose always open. At first
94 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
the patient will experience some shivering, but
this will soon give place to an agreeably warm
sensation. He can lie in this position from
5 minutes to an hour or more. After a time he
begins to perspire, or at times falls asleep. Soon
after coming out of the sheets he should bathe in
cold-water. This is an excellent remedy for small-
pox and fever, and skin-diseases like the itch, the
ringworm, and pimples and blotches. Even the
worst forms of chicken-pox and small-pox are
completely cured by this process. People can
easily learn to take the " Wet-Sheet-Pack " them-
selves, and to apply it to others, and can thus
see for themselves its wonderful effect. As the
whole dirt of the body sticks to the sheets in the
process of taking this bath, they ought not to be
used again without being well washed in boiling
water.
Needless to say, the full benefit of tfrese baths
cannot be derived unless the rules already mention-
ed as to diet, exercise and the like are strictly
observed. If a rheumatic patient, for instance,
were to take to Kuhne's bath or to the " Wet-Sheet-
Pack," while eating unwholesome food, living in
impure air, and neglecting his exercise, how can
he possibly derive any good out of it ? It is only
when accompanied th^ strict observance of all the
laws of health that water-cure c any effect ;
THE USE OF EARTH . 95
and when so employed, its effects are sure and
immediate.
Chapter III
THE USE OF EARTH
We will now proceed to describe the curative
properties of earth, which are, in some cases, even
more remarkable than those of water. That earth
should have such properties need not cause us any
surprise, for our own body is compounded of the
earthly element. Indeed, we do make use of earth
as a purifying agent. We wash the ground with
earth to remove bad smells, we put it over decaying
matter to prevent the pollution of the air, we wash
our hands with it, and even employ it to clean the
private parts. Yogis besmear their bodies with it ;
some people use it as a cure for boils and ulcers ;
and dead bodies are buried in the earth so that they
may not vitiate the atmosphere. All this shows
that earth has many valuable properties as a
purifying and curative agent.
Just as Dr. Kuhne has devoted special attention
to the subject of water-cure, another German doctor
has made a special study of earth and its properties.
He goes so far as to say that it can be used with
success in the treatment of pven the most com-
plicated disease". He says that once in a case of
96 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
snake-bite, where everybody else , had given up
the man for dead, he restored him to life by
causing him to be covered up with earth for
some time. There is no reason to doubt the
veracity of this report. It is well known that great
heat is generated in the body by burying it in the
earth ; and although we cannot explain how exactly
the effect is produced, it is undeniable that earth
does possess the property of absorbing the poison.
Indeed, every case of snake-bite may not be cured
in this way ; but it should certainly be tried in
every case. And I can say from my own experience
that, in cases of scorpion-sting and the like, the
use of mud is particularly beneficial.
I have myself tried with success the following
forms of earth-cure. Constipation, dysentery, and
chronic stomach-ache have been cured by the use
of a mud-poultice over the abdomen for two or
three days. Instant relief has been obtained in
cases of headache by applying a mud-bandage
round the head. Sore eye has also been cured by
the same method ; hurts of all kinds, whether
accompanied by inflammation or not, have been
healed likewise. In the old days I could not keep
well without a regular use of Eno's Fruit-salt and
the like. But, since 1904, when I leafnt the value
of earth-cure, I hav^ had not a single occa ion to
use them. A mud-poultice over t. e abdomen and
THE USE OF EARTH 97
the head, gives distinct relief in a state of high
fever. Skin-diseases like the itch, the ring-worm,
and boils, have been cured with the use of mud,
though no doubt ulcers from which fus issues
are not so easily cured. Burns and scalds are
likewise healed by mud, which also prevents in-
flammation. Piles, too, are cured by the same
treatment. When the hands and feet become red
and swollen owing to frost, mud is an unfailing
remedy, and pain in the joints is also relieved by
it. From these and other experiments in mud-cure,
I have come to the conclusion that earth is an
invaluable element in the domestic treatment of
diseases.
All kinds of earth are not, of course, equally
beneficial. Dry earth dug out from a clean spot
has been found the most effective. It should not
be too sticky. Mud which 'is midway between sand
and clay is the best. It should, of course, be free
from cow-dung and other rubbish. It should be
well sifted in a fine sieve, and then soaked in cold
water to the consistency of well-kneaded dough
before use. Then it should be tied up in a piece
of clean, unstarched cloth, and used in the form of
a thick poultice. The poultice should be removed
before the mud begins to dry up ; ordinarily it
will last fro1. fv o to ^ee h )urs. Mud once used
should n ,ain, but a cloth once
98 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
used can be used again, after being well washed,
provided it is free from blood and other dirty
matter. If the poultice has to be applied to the
abdomen, it should first be covered over with a
warm cloth. Everybody should keep a tinful of
earth ready for use, so as not to have to hunt for
it whenever an occasion arises for its use. Other-
wise, much precious time may be wasted in cases
(as of scorpion-sting) where delay would be
dangerous.
Chapter IV
FEVER AND ITS CURE
We now pass on to consider some particular
diseases and the means of curing them. And first,
fever.
We generally apply the term " fever " to a
condition of heat in the body, but English doctors
have distinguished many varieties of this disease,
each with its own system of treatment. But,
following the common practice and the principles
elaborated in these chapters, we may say that all
fevers can be cured in one and the same manner.
I have tried this single treatment t ill varieties
from simple fever up to Bubonic Plague, with
invariably satisfactory results. Id 1904, here Was
a severe outbreak of plague a~ the Indians in
\
FEVER AND ITS CURE 99
South Africa. It was so severe that, out of 23
persons that were affected, as many as 21 died
within the space of 24 hours ; and of the remaining
two, who were removed to the hospital, only one
survived, and that one was the man to whom was
applied the mud-poultice. We cannot, of course,
conclude from this that it was the mud-poultice
that saved him, but, in any case, it is undeniable
that it did him no harm. They were both suffering
from high fever brought on by inflammation of the
lungs, and had been rendered unconscious. The
man on whom was tried the mud-poultice was so
bad that he was spitting blood, and I afterwards
learnt from the doctor that he had been insuffici-
ently fed on milk alone.
As most fevers are caused by disorders of the
bowels, the very first thing to do is to starve the
patient. It is a mere superstition that a .weak man
will get weaker by starving. As we have already
seen, only that portion of our food is really useful
which is assimilated into the blood, and the
remainder only clogs the bowels. In fever the
digestive organs are very weak, the tongue gets
coated, and the lips are hard and dry. If any food
is given to the patient in this condition, it will
remain ur jested i aid the fever. Starving the
patient gi es his digestive organs time to perform
their work ; henr .• the need to starve him for a day
100 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
or two. At the same time, he should take at least
two baths every day according the Kuhne's system.
If he is too weak or ill to bathe, a mud-poultice
should be applied to his abdomen. If the head
aches or feels too hot, a poultice should also
be applied to the head. The patient should,
as far as possible, be placed in the open air,
and should be well covered. At meal-time, he
should be given the juice of lime, well ^filtered
and mixed with cold or boiling water, and if
possible, without any sugar. This has a' very
beneficial effect, and should alone be given if the
patient's teeth can bear its sourness. Afterwards,
he may be given a half or the whole of a plantain,
well mixed with a spoon of olive oil, mixed with a
spoon of lime juice. If he feels thirsty, he should be
given water boiled and cooled, or the juice of lime,
-never, unboiled water. His clothes should be as
few as possible, and should be frequently changed.
Even persons suffering from typhoid and the like
diseases have been completely cured by this simple
treatment, and are enjoying perfect health at
present. A seeming cure may also be effected by
quinine, but it really brings other diseases in its
train. Even in malarial fever, in which quinine is
supposed to be most effect?' e r. rely seen it
bring permanent relief ; on hand, I have
actually seen several cases of J alarial patients
CONSTIPATION, DYSENTERY, ETC. 101
being permanently cured by the treatment des-
cribed above.
Many people subsist on milk alone during fever,
but my experience is that it really does harm in the
initial stages, as it is hard to digest. If milk has
to be given, it is best given in the form of " wheat-
coffee ",* or with a small quantity of rice-flour
well boiled, in water; but in extreme forms of fever,
it ought not to be given at all. In such a condition,
the juice of lime may always be given with great
success. As soon as the tongue gets clean, plan-
tain may be included in the diet, and given in the
form described above. If there be constipation,
a hot-water enema with borax should be applied in
preference to purgatives, after which a diet of olive
oil will serve to keep the bowels free.
Chapter V
CONSTIPATION, DYSENTERY, GRIPES
AND PILES
It may at first sight appear strange to have four
different ailments put together in this chapter, but,
as a matter of fact, they are all so closely connect-
ed, and may be cured more or less in the same
way. When the stomach gets clogged by un-
digested matter, it leads to one or other of these
'art I, chap. V
102 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
diseases, according to the varying constitutions of
individuals. In some it produces constipation.
The bowels do not move, or move only partly, and
there is great straining at stools, until it results in
bleeding, or at times in the discharge of mucus,
or piles. In others, it leads to diarrhea, which
often ends in dysentery. In others again, it may
give rise to gripes, accompanied by pain in the
stomach and the discharge of mucus.
In all these cases, the patient loses his appetite,
his body gets pale and weak, his tongue gets
coated, and his breath foul. Many also suffer from
headache and other complaints. Constipation, in-
deed, is so common that hundreds of pills and
powders have been invented to cure it. The chief
function of such patent medicines as Mother Sri-
get's Syrup and Eno's Fruit-salt is to relieve
constipation, and hence thousands of people go
in for them in the vain hope of being cured for
good. Any Vaid or Hakim will tell you that cons-
tipation and the like are the result of indigestion,
and that the best way to cure them is to remove
the causes of indigestion ; but the more candid
among them will confess that they are forced to
manufacture pills and powders, since the patients
are not really prepared to reno- ^heir bad
habits, but at the same time 5t cured.
Indeed the present-day adve, of such
CONSTIPATION, DYSENTERY, ETC. 103
medicines go to the extent of promising to those
that would buy them that they need observe no
directions as to diet and the like, but may eat
and drink whatever they like. But my readers
need not be told that this is a mere string of lies.
All purgatives are invariably injurious to health.
Even the mildest of them, even if they relieve the
constipation, give rise to other forms of disease.
If they should do any good at all, the patient should
thoroughly change his ways of life, so as not to
have to turn to purgatives again ; otherwise, there
can be no doubt that they must give rise to new
diseases, even supposing that they serve to get rid
of the old.
The very first thing to do in cases of constipation
and the like is to reduce the quantity of food,
especially such heavy things as ghee, sugar and
cream of milk. Of course, he should eschew
altogether wine, tobacco, bhang, tea, coffee, cocoa,
and loaves made of " mill flour." The diet should
consist for the most part of fresh fruits with olive
oil.
The patient should be made to starve for 36 hours
before treatment begins. During this time and
after, mud-poultices should be applied to the
abdomen during p ; and, as has been already
said, one 01 two M Kuhne baths" should also be
taken. The pr ieut should be made to walk for at
104 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
least two hours every day. I have myself seen
severe cases of constipation, dysentery, piles and
gripes effectively cured by this simple treatment.
Piles may not, of course, completely disappear, but
they will certainly cease to give trouble. The
sufferer from gripes should take special care not
to take any food except lime-juice in hot water, so
long as there is discharge of blood or mucus. If
there is excessive griping pain in the stomach, it
can be cured by warming with a bottle of hot
water or a piece of well-heated wick. Needless to
say, the patient should live constantly in the open
air.
Fruits like the French plum, the raisin, the orange
and the grape, are particularly useful in consti-
pation. This does not, of course, mean that these
fruits may be eaten even where there is no hunger.
They ought not to be eaten at all in cases of gripes
accompanied by a bad taste in the mouth.
Chapter VI
CONTAGIOUS DISEASES : SMALL-POX
Now we will proceed to deal with the treatment
of contagious diseases. They Dmmon
origin, but, since small-pox is by far the ^st im-
portant of them, we will give a sep. .apter to
it, dealing with the rest in anothe
CONTAGIOUS DISEASES : SMALL-POX 105
We are all terribly afraid of the small-pox, and
have very crude notions about it. We in India
even worship it a,s a deity. In fact it is caused,
just like other diseases, by the blood getting impure
owing to some disorder of the bowels ; and the
poison that accumulates in the system is expelled
in the form of small-pox. If this view is correct,
then there is absolutely no need to be afraid of
small-pox. If it were really a contagious disease,
everyone should catch it by merely touching the
patient ; but this is not always the case. Hence
there is really no harm in touching the patient,
provided we take some essential precautions in
doing so. We cannot, of course, assert that small-
pox is never transmitted by touch, for those that
are physically in a condition favourable to its
transmission will catch it. This is why, in a loca-
lity where small-pox has appeared, many people
are found attacked by it at the same time.
This has given rise to the superstition that
it is a contagious disease, and hence to the attempt
to mislead the people into the belief that vaccina-
tion is an effective means of preventing it. 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 cow. The original theory was that
a single vacci/ation would suffice to keep a man
106 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
immune from this disease for life ; but, whei\it was
found that even vaccinated persons were attacked
by the disease, a new theory came into being that
the vaccination should be renewed after a certain
period, 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 locality, so that it is no
uncommon thing to come across people who have
been vaccinated five or six times, or even more.
Vaccination is a barbarous practice, and it is
one of the most fatal of all the delusions current
in our time, not to be found even among the so-
called savage races of the world. Its supporters
are not content with its adoption by those who
have no objection to it, but seek to impose it with
the aid of penal laws and rigorous punishments
on all people alike. The practice of vaccination
is not very old, dating as it does only from 1798
A.D. But, during this comparatively short period
that has elapsed, millions have fallen a prey to
the delusion that those who get themselves vacci-
nated are safe from the attack of small-pox. No
one can say that small-pox will necessarily attack
those who have not been vaccinate^ : ror many
cases have been observed of unvaccinaici people
being free from its attack. From the fact that
some people who are not vacci do ;et the
CONTAGIOUS DISEASES : SMALL-POX 107
disease, we cannot, of course, conclude that they
would have been immune if only they had got
themselves vaccinated.
Moreover, vaccination is a very dirty process,
for the serum which is introduced into the human
body includes not only that of the cow, but also
of the actual small-pox patient. An average man
would even vomit at the mere sight of this stuff.
If the hand happens to touch it, it is always washed
with soap. The mere suggestion of tasting it fills
us with indignation and disgust. But how few of
those who get themselves vaccinated realise that
they are in effect eating this filthy stuff ! Most
people know that, in several diseases, medicines
and liquid food are injected into the blood, and that
they are assimilated into the system more rapidly
than if they were taken through the mouth. The
only difference, in fact, between injection and
the ordinary process of eating through the mouth
is that the assimilation in the former case is
instantaneous, while that in the latter is slow.
And yet we do not shrink from getting ourselves
vaccinated ! As has been well said, cowards die
a living death, and our craze for vaccination is
solely due to the fear of death or disfigurement by
small-pox.
I cannot also hep feeling that vaccination is a
violation of tr t Jictates of religion and morality.
108 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
The drinking of the blood of even dead animals is
looked upon with horror even by habitual meat-
eaters. Yet, what is vaccination but the taking in
of the poisoned blood of an innocent living animal ?
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 sacrilege.
Several of the most thoughtful men in England
have laboriously investigated the manifold evils
of vaccination, and an Anti-Vaccination Society
has also been formed there. The members of this
society have declared open war against vaccination,
and many have even gone to gaol for this cause.
Their objections to vaccinations are briefly as
follows :
(i) The preparation of the vaccine from the
udder of cows or calves entails untold suffering on
thousands of innocent creatures, and this cannot
possibly be justified by any gains resulting from
vaccination.
(2) Vaccination, instead of doing good, works
considerable mischief by giving rise to many new
diseases. Even its advocates cannot deny that,
after its introduction, many new diseases have
come into being.
(3) The vaccine that is prepare tQP blood
of a small-pox patient is likely and
CONTAGIOUS DISEASES : SMALL-POX 109
transmit the germs of all the several diseases that
he may be suffering from.
(4) There is no guarantee that small-pox will not
attack the vaccinated. Dr. Jenner, the inventor of
vaccination, originally supposed that perfect im-
munity could be secured by a single injection on a
single arm ; but when it was found to fail, it was
asserted that vaccination on both the arms would
serve the purpose ; and when even this proved
ineffectual, it came to be held that both the arms
should be vaccinated at more than one place, and
that it should also be renewed once in seven years.
Finally, the period of immunity has further been
reduced to three years ! All this clearly shows
that doctors themselves have no definite views on
the matter. The truth is, as we have already said,
that there is no saying that small-pox will not
attack the vaccinated, or that all cases of immunity
must needs be due to vaccination.
(5) The vaccine is a filthy substance, and it is
foolish to expect that one kind of filth can be
removed by another.
By these and similar arguments, this society has
already produced a large volume of public opinion
against vaccination. In a certain town, for
instance, a largo proportion of the people refuse to
be vacci; ind yet statistics prove that they
are sing from disease. The fact of the
110 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
matter is that it is only the self-interest of doctors
that stands in the way of the abolition of this in-
human practice, for the fear of losing the large
incomes that they at present derive from this source
blinds them to the countless evils which it brings.
There are, however, a few doctors who recognise
these evils, and who are determined opponents of
vaccination.
Those who are conscientious objectors to vaccina-
tion should, of course, have the courage to face all
penalties or persecutions to which they may be
subjected by law, and stand alone, if need be,
against the whole world, in defence of their convic-
tion. Those who object to it merely on the grounds
of health should acquire a complete mastery of the
subject, and should be able to convince others of
the correctness of their views, and convert them
into adopting those views in practice. 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 state, and shape
their conduct in difference to the opinions and
practices of the world around them.
Those who object to vaccination should observe
all the more strictly the laws of health already ex-
plained ; for the strict observance of these laws
ensures in the systeVn those vital forces which
counteract all disease germs, and is, therefore, the
CONTAGIOUS DISEASES: SMALL-POX III
best protection against small-box as well as other
diseases. If, while objecting to the introduction
of the poisonous vaccine into the system, they
surrendered themselves to the still more fatal
poison of sensuality, they would undoubtedly for-
feit their right to ask the world to accept their
views on the matter.
When small-pox has actually appeared, the best
treatment is the " Wet-Sheet-Pack ", which should
be applied three times a day. It relieves the fever,
and the sores heal rapidly. There is no need
at all to apply oils or ointments on the sores. If
possible, a mud-poultice should be applied in one
or two places. The diet should consist of rice,
and light fresh fruits, all rich fruits like date and
almond being avoided. Normally the sores should
begin to heal under the " Wet-Sheet-Pack " in less
than a week ; if they do not, it means that the
poison in the system has not been completely
expelled. Instead of looking upon small-pox as
a terrible disease, we should regard it as one of
Nature's best expedients for getting rid of the
accumulated poison in the body, and the restora-
tion of normal health.
After a.i attack of small-pox, the patients remains
weak for someti <ne. and in some cases even suffers
from other ail . But this ;s due not to the small-
pox itself 3 but to the wrong remedies employed
112 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
to cure it. Thus, the use of quinine in fever often
results in deafness, and even leads to the extreme
from of it known as " quininism". So too, the
employment of mercury in venereal diseases leads
to many new forms of disease. Then again, too
frequent use of purgatives in constipation brings
on ailments like the piles. 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 health. Even the costly
Bhasmas which are supposed to be unfailing reme-
dies for such diseases are in effect highly injurious ;
for, although they may seem to do some good,
they excite the evil passions, and ultimately ruin
the health.
After the vesicles on the body have given place
to scabs, olive oil should be constantly applied,
and the patient bathed every day. Then the
scabs rapidly fall off, and even the pocks soon
disappear, the skin recovering its normal colour
and freshness.
Chapter VII
OTHER CONTAGIOT \SES
We do not dread chicken-i n as its elder
sister, since it is nctl so fata not cause
disfigurement and the like. I r, exactly
t
CONTAGIOUS DISEASES: SMALL-POX 113
>,
the same as small-pox in other respects, and should
therefore be dealt with in the same way.
Bubonic Plague is a terrible disease, and has
accounted for the death of millions of our people
since the year 1896, when it first made its real
entry into our land. The doctors, in spite of all
their investigations, have not yet been able to
invent a sure remedy for it. Now-a-days the
practice of inoculation has come into vogue, and
the belief has gained ground that an attack of
plague may be obviated by it. But inoculation
for plague is as bad and as sinful as vaccination
for small-pox. Although no sure remedy has been
devised for this disease, we will venture to suggest
the following treatment to those who have full
faith in Providence, and who are not afraid of
death.
(1) The " Wet-Sheet-Pack " should be applied
as soon as the first symptoms of fever appear.
(2) A thick mud-poultice should be applied to
the bubo.
(3) The patient should be completely starved.
(4) If he feels thirsty, he should be given lime-
juice in cold water.
(5) He should be made to lie in the open air.
(6) There should not be more than one attendant
by the side of the patient. "
We can confidently assert that, if plague can be
H— 8 '
114 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
cured by any treatment at all, it can be cured
by this.
Though the exact origin and causes of plague
are yet unknown, it is undoubted that rats have
something to do with its communication. We
should, therefore, take all precautions, in a plague-
infected area, to prevent the approach of rats in
our dwellings ; if we cannot gel? rid of them, we
should vacate the house.
The best remedy to prevent an attack of plague
is, of course, to follow strictly the laws of health, —
to live in the open air, to eat plain wholesome food
and in moderation, to take good exercise, to keep
the house neat and clean, to avoid all evil habits,
and, in short, lead a life of utter simplicity and
purity. Even in normal times our lives should be
such, but, in times of plague and other epidemics,
we should be doubly careful.
Pneumonic - Plague is an even more dangerous
form of this disease. Its attack is sudden and
almost invariably fatal. The patient has very high
fever, feels extreme difficutly in breathing, and in
most cases, is rendered unconscious. This form of
plague broke out in Johannesburg in 1904, and as
has been already said, * only one man escaped
alive out of the 23 who were attacked. The treat-
ment for this diseas^ is just the same as that for
* Part II, chap. IV
CONTAGIOUS DISEASES: SMALL-POX 115
Bubonic Plague, with this difference that the
poultice should be applied in this case to both
sides of the chest. If there be no time to try the
" Wet-Sheet-Pack ", a thin poultice of mud should
be applied to the head. Needless to say, here as
in other cases, prevention is better than cure.
We are terribly afraid of cholera, as of plague,
but in fact, it is much less fatal. Here the " Wet-
Sheet-Pack", however, is of no effect, but the
mud-poultice should be applied to the stomach, and
where there is a tingling sensation, the affected
part should be warmed with a bottle filled with
warm water. The feet should be rubbed with
mustard-oil, and the patient should be starved.
Care should be taken to see that he does not
get alarmed. If the motions are too frequent, the
patient should not be repeatedly taken out of bed,
but a flat shallow vessel should be placed under-
neath to receive the stools. If these precautions
are taken in due time, there is little fear of danger.
This disease generally breaks out in the hot
season, when we generally eat all sorts of unripe
and over-ripe fruits in immoderate quantities and
in addition to our ordinary food. The water also
that we drink during this season is often dirty,
as the quantity of it in wells and tanks is small,
and we take no trouble to boif or filter it. Then
again, the stools of the patients being allowed
116 , A GUIDE TO HEALTH
to lie exposed, the germs of the disease are com-
municated through the air. Indeed, when we
consider how little heed we pay to these most
elementary facts and principles, we can only
wonder that we are not more often attacked by
these terrible diseases.
During the prevalence of cholera, we should eat
light food in moderation. We should breathe
plenty of fresh air ; and the water that we drink
should always be thoroughly boiled, and filtered
with a thick clean piece of cloth. The stools of
the patient should be covered up with a thick
layer of earth. Indeed, even in normal times, we
should invariably cover up the stools with ashes or
loose earth. If we do so, there would be much less.
danger of the spread of disease. Even the lower
animals like the cat take this precaution, but we
are worse than they in this respect.
It should also be thoroughly impressed on the
minds of persons suffering from contagious
diseases, as well as those around them, that they
should, under no circumstances, give way to panic,
for fear always paralyses the nerves and increases
the danger of fatality.
MATERNITY AND CHILD-BIRTH 11/
Chapter VIII
MATERNITY AND CHILD-BIRTH
Our object in the fore-going chapters has been
to point out the unity of origin and treatment of
some of the more common diseases. , We are,
indeed, fully aware that those who are the constant
victims of disease, and who are constantly oppress-
ed by the fear of death, will still continue to put
themselves at the mercy of doctors, in spite of all
that we might say against it. We venture to think,
however, that there would be at least a few who
are willing to cure themselves of their diseases by
purely natural processes, so as to save themselves
from all further attacks ; and such persons would
surely find it worth while to follow the simple
directions we have given. Before concluding this
book, we will also give a few hints on maternity
and the care of the child, as well as some common
accidents.
In the lower orders of the animal creation, the
pangs of child-birth are altogether unknown. The
same should really be the case with perfectly
healthy women. In fact, most women in the
country regard child-birth as quite an ordinary
matter ; they continue to do their normal work
till almost the last moment, and experience hardly
any pain at the time of delivery. Women em-
ployed in labour have also been known to be able
IT 8 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
very often to return to work almost immediately
after child-birth.
How comes it, then, that women in towns and
cities have to endure so much pain and suffering at
the time of child-birth ? And why is it that they
have to receive special treatment before and after
the delivery ?
The answer is simple and obvious. The women
in towns have to lead an unnatural life. Their food,,
their costume, their mode of life, in general, offend
against the natural laws of healthy living. Further,
besides becoming pregnant at a pemature age, they
are the sad victims of men's lust even after preg-
nancy, as well as immediately after child-birth, so
that conception again takes place at too short an
interval. This is the state of utter misery and
wretchedness in which lakhs of our young girls
and women find themselves in our country to-day.
To my mind, life under such conditions is little
removed from the tortures of hell. So long as men
continue to behave so monstrously, there can be no
hope of happiness for our women. Many men put
the blame on the women's shoulders ; but it is none
of our business here to weigh the relati\^ guilt of
man and woman in this matter. We are only
concerned to recognise the existence of the evil,
and to point out its' cure. Let all married people
realise, once for all, that, so long as sexual
MATERNITY AND CHILD-BIRTH 119
enjoyment at a premature age, as well as during
pregnancy and soon after child-birth, does not
cease to exist in our land, an easy and painless
child-birth must remain a wild dream. Women
silently endure the pangs of child-birth, as well as
the subsequent period of confinement, under the
wrong notion that they are inevitable, but they fail
to see how their own ignorance and weakness of
will make their children grow weaker and droop
from day to day. It is the clear duty of every man
and woman to try to avert this calamity at any
cost. If even a single man and woman should do
their duty in this matter, to that extent it would
mean the elevation of the world. And this is
clearly a matter in which no man need or should
wait for another's example.-
It follows, then, that the very first duty of
the husband is wholly to abstain from all sexual
intercourse with the wife from the moment of
conception. And great is the responsibility that
rests on the wife during the nine months that
follow. 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 period. If she fills her mind with love
for all things that are good and noble, the child
will also manifest the same* disposition ; if, on
the other hand, she gives way to anger and other
120 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
evil passion, her child will necessarily inherit
the same. Hence in these nine months, she
should engage herself constantly in good works,
free her mind from all fear and worry, give no
room for any evil thoughts or feelings, keep out
all untruth from her life, and waste not a moment
in idle talk or deed. The child that is born of
such, a mother, — how can it help being noble
and strong ?
The pregnant woman should, of course, keep her
body as pure ~as her mind. She should breathe
plenty of fresh air, and eat only so much of plain
and wholesome food as she can easily digest. If
she attends to all the directions already given in the
matter of diet etc., she would have no need at all
to seek the aid of doctors. If she suffers from
constipation, the proportion of olive oil in the diet
should be increased ; and in cases of nausea or
vomitting, she should take juice of lime in water
without sugar. All spices and condiments should
be scrupulously avoided.
The yearning for various new things that attends
a woman in pregnancy may be restrained by the
use of " Kuhne Baths". This is also useful in in-
creasing her strength and vitality, and in easing
the pangs of child-birth. It is also necessary to
steal her mind against such yearnings by nipping
in the bud each desire as it comes. The parents
CAR£ OF THE CHILD 121
should be constantly mindful of the welfare of the
child in the womb.
It is also the husband's duty during this period to
refrain from all wranglings with his wife, and to
conduct himself in such a way as to make her
cheerful and happy. She should be relieved of the
heavier duties of household management, and made
to walk for some time every day in fresh air. *And
on no account should she be given any drugs or
medicines during the period.
Chapter IX
CARE OF THE CHILD
We do not propose in this chapter to describe
the duties of a midwife or wet nurse, but only to
point out how the child should be cared for after
birth. 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 underneath. These practices,
however time-honoured they may be, are neverthe-
less fraught with dangerous consequences. No
doubt, during the cold season, the mother should be
kept warm, but this is best done by using good
blankets. If the apartment is' too cold and a fire
has to be kept, it must be lighted outside and only
122 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
brought in when all the smoke has disappeared,
and even then it should not be kept under the cot
on which she lies. Warmth may also be given by-
keeping bottles of hot water on the bed. All the
clothes and sheets should be thoroughly cleansed
after child-birth, and before being used again.
As the health of the child will depend entirely
on that of the mother, special attention must be paid
to her diet and mode of living. If she is fed on
wheat, with plenty of good fruits like the plantain,
and olive oil she would feel warm and strong,
and have plenty of milk. Olive oil gives aperient
properties to the mother's milk, and thus serves
to keep the child free from constipation. If the
child is unwell, attention must be turned to the
state of the mother's health. Administering drugs
to the child is as good as murdering it, for the
child with its delicate constitution, easily succumbs
to their poisonous effects. Hence the medicine
should be administered to the mother, so that
its beneficial properties may be transmitted to
the child through her milk. If the child suffers,
as it often does, from cough or loose bowels, there
is no cause for alarm ; we should wait for a day
or so, and try to get at the root of the trouble,
and then remove -it. Making fuss over it and
falling into a panic only makes matters worse.
The child should invariably be bathed in tepid
CARE OF THE CHILD 123
water. Its clothing should be as little as possible ;
for a few months it is best to have none at all.
The child should be laid on a thin soft white
sheet and covered with a warm cloth. This will
obviate the need for the use of shirts, prevent
the clothes from getting dirty, and make the child
hardy and strong. A fine piece of cloth folded
into four should be placed over the navel-string,,
and kept in position by a band over it. The
practice of tying a thread to the navel-string and
hanging it round the neck is highly injurious.
The navel-band should be kept loose. If the part
round the navel be moist, fine well-sifted flour
may be gently applied over it.
As long as the supply of the mother's milk
is sufficient, the child should be fed exclusively
on it ; but, when it gets insufficient, fried wheat
well powclered, and mixed with hot water and
a little of jaggery, may be used as a substitute
with quite good results. Half a plantain well
mashed and mixed with half a spoonful of olive
oil is also particularly beneficial. If cow's milk
has to be given, it should at first be mixed with
water in the proportion of three to one, and then
heated until it just begins to boil, when a little
of pure jaggery should also be added. The use
of sugar instead of jaggery is" harmful. The child
should gradually be accustomed to a fruit-diet,
124 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
so that its blood may be kept pure from the
very beginning, and it may grow manly and
bright. Those mothers who begin to feed their
children on things like rice, vegetables and dhall,
as soon as or even before its teeth have appeared,
are doing them infinite harm. Needless to say,
coffee and tea should be strictly eschewed.
When the child has grown big enough to walk,
it may be clothed with kurta and the like, but
its feet should still be kept bare, so that it may
be free to roam about at will. The use of shoes
prevents the free circulation of blood and the
development of hardy feet and legs. Dressing
the child in silk or lace cloths, with cap and
coat, and ornaments, is a barbarous practice. Our
attempt to enhance by such ridiculous means the
beauty that Nature has given, only bespeaks
our vanity and ignorance. We should always
remember that the education of the child really
begins from its very birth, and is best given by
the parents themselves. The use of threats and
punishments, and the practice of gorging the
children with food, are an outrage on the principles
of true education. As the old saying has it, " like
parent, like child " ; hence the example and prac-
tice of the parents necessarily shape .the conduct
;and character of the children. If they are weak-
lings, their children also grow up weak and
CARE OF THE CHILD 12$
delicate ; if they talk clearly and distinctly, so too-
will the children; but if they talk with a lisp, the
children will also learn to do so. If they use foul
language, or are addicted to bad habits, the
children necessarily imitate them, and develop into
bad characters. In fact, there is no field of human
activity in which the child does not imitate the
example of its parents.
We see, then, how heavy is the responsibility
that rests on the shoulders of parents. The very
"first duty of a man is to give such education to his
children as will make them honest and truthful,
and an ornament to the society in which they live.
In the animal and vegetable kirigdoms, the off-
spring invariably takes after the parent. Man
alone has violated this law of Nature. It is only
among men that we see such incongruities as
vicious children being born to virtuous parents, or
sickly ones to the healthy. This is due to the fact
that we thoughtlessly become parents when we
are not mature enough to assume the responsibilities
of that position. It is the solemn duty of all virtu-
ous parents to train their children in noble ways.
This requires that both the father and the mother
should themselves have received a sound education.
Where the parents lack such education and are
aware of their imperfections, it is their duty to
entrust their children to the care of proper
126 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
guardians. It is foolish to expect that a high
character can be developed in the children by
merely sending them to school. Where the train-
ing given at school is inconsistent with that given
at home, there can be no hope of improvement for
the child.
As already pointed out, the true education of the
child begins from the very moment of its birth.
The rudiments of knowledge are imbibed almost in
the course of play. This, indeed, was the ancient
tradition ; the practice of sending children to
school is a growth of yesterday. If only the
parents would do their duty by their children, there
would be no limit to the possibilities of their
advancement. But, in fact, we make playthings of
our children. We deck their persons with fine
clothes and jewels, we gorge them with sweetmeats,
and spoil them from their very infancy by fond-
lings and caresses. We let them go unchecked on
their way in our false affection for them. Being
ourselves miserly, sensuous, dishonest, slothful and
uncleanly, is it to be wondered at that our children
should follow in our foot steps, and turn out weak
and vicious, selfish and slothful, sensuous and
immoral ? Let all thoughtful parents ponder well
over these matters ; for on them depends the future
of our land.
SOME ACCIDENTS : DRAWING 1 27
Chapter X
SOME ACCIDENTS : DROWNING
We will now turn our attention to some of the
more common accidents, and the methods of
dealing with them. A knowledge of these things
is essential to everybody, so that timely help may
be rendered, • and the loss of many precious lives
averted. Even children should be taught to deal
with these cases, as in that way they are the more
likely to grow up kind and thoughtful citizens.
And first we will deal with drowning. As man
cannot live without air for more than 5 minutes at
the most, little life generally remains in a drowning
man taken out of water. Immediate steps should,
therefore, be taken to bring him back to life. Two
things have specially to be done for these, — arti-
ficial respiration, and the application of warmth.
We should not forget that very often such 'First
aid ' has to be rendered by the side of tanks and
rivers, where all the needed materials are not easily
available, and such aid can be most effectual only
when there are at least two or three men on the
spot. The first-aider should also possess the qua-
lities of resourcefulness, patience, and briskness ;
if he himself loses his presence of mind, he can do
nothing. So too, if the attendants begin to discuss
methods, or quarrel over details, there is no hope
for the man. The best one in the party should
128 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
lead, and the others should implicitly follow his
directions.
As soon as the man is taken out of water, his wet
clothes should be removed, and his body wiped
dry. Then he should be made to lie on his face,
with his hands under the head. Then, with our
hand on his chest, we should remove from his
mouth the water and dirt that might have got in.
At this time his tongue would come out of his
mouth, when it should be caught hold of with a
kerchief, and held till consciousness returns. Then
he should at once be turned over, with the head and
the chest a little raised above the feet. Then one
of the attendants should kneel by his head, and
slowly spread out and straighten his arms on eith-
er side. By this means his ribs will be raised, and
the air outside can enter into his body ; then his
hands should be quickly brought back and folded
on his chest, so that the chest may contract and
the air be expelled. In addition to this, hot and
cold water should be taken in the hands and poured
on his chest. If a fire can be lighted or procured,
the man should be warmed with it. Then all the
available clothes should be wrapped round his
body, which should be thoroughly rubbed for
warmth. All this should be tried for a long time
without losing hope. In some cases, such methods
have to be applied for several hours on and
SOME ACCIDENTS: DROWNING 1 29
before breathing is restored. As soon as signs of
consciousness appear, some hot drink should be
administered. The juice of lime in hot water, or
decoction of cloves, pepper, and the bark of the
bay-tree, will be found specially effective. The
smell of tabacco may also prove useful. People
should not be allowed to crowd round the patient,,
and obstruct the free passage of air.
The signs of death in such cases are the following.
The complete cessation of breathing and the beat-
ing of heart and lungs, as indicated by a piece of
of peacock-feather held near the nose remaining
quite steady, or a miror held near the mouth being
undimmed by the moisture in the breath ; the eyes
remaining fixed and half-open, with heavy eye-lids ;.
the jaws getting fixed ; the fingers getting crook-
ed ; the tongue protruding between the teeth ; the
mouth getting frothy ; nose getting red ; the whole
body turning pale. If all these signs simultane-
ously appear, we may conclude that the man is
dead. In some rare cases, life may still remain
even when all these signs are present. The only
conclusive test of death is the setting in of
decomposition. Hence the patient should never
be given up for lost, until after a long and patient
application of remedial measures.
H-9
130 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
Chapter XI
SOME ACCIDENTS— (Contd.)
Burns and Scalds
Very often when a man's clothes catch fire, we
get into a panic, and, instead of helping the injured,
make matters worse by our ignorance. It is our
duty, therefore, to know exactly what to do in
such cases.
The person whose clothes have caught fire should
not lose his presence of mind. If the fire is only
at one edge of the cloth, it should at once be
squeezed out with the hands ; but if it has spread
over the whole cloth or a large portion of it, the
man should at once lie down and roll on the floor.
If a thick cloth like a carpet be available, it should
at once be wrapped round his body ; and if water
is at hand, it should also be poured over it. As
soon as the fire has been put out, we should find
out if there are burns in any part of the body.
The cloth would generally stick to the body where
there are burns, in which case it should not be forci-
bly torn off, but gently snipped off with a piece of
scissors, leaving the affected parts undisturbed, and
taking care to see that the skin does not come off.
Immediately after this, poultices of pure muol
should be applied to all these places, and kept in
position by bandages. This will instantly relieve
the burning, and ease the patient's suffering. The
SOME ACCIDENTS 13 1
poultices may as well be applied over the portions
of the cloth which stick on to the body. They
should be renewed as soon as they begin to get
dry ; there is no reason to fear the touch of cold
water.
Where this sort of first aid has not been
rendered, the following directions will be found
very useful. Fresh plantainleaves well smeared
with olive or sweet oil should be applied over the
burns. If plantainleaves are not available, pieces
of cloth may be used. A mixture of linseed oil
and lime-water in equal proportions may also be
applied with great advantage. The portions
of cloth which adhere to the burns may be easily
removed by moistening them with a mixture of
tepid milk and water. The [first bandage of oil
should be removed after two days, and afterwards
fresh bandages applied every day. If blisters
have formed on the burnt surface, they should be
pricked,- but the skin need not necessarily be
removed.
If the skin has simply got red by the burn,
there is no more effective remedy than the appli-
cation of a mud poultice. If the fingers have been
burnt, care should be taken, when the poultice is
applied, that they do not touch against one another.
This same treatment may be applied in cases of
acid-burns, and scalds of every description.
132 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
Chapter XII
SOME ACCIDENTS— (ContdJ
Snake-bite
There is no limit to the superstitious current
among us in regard to snakes. From time im-
memorial we have cultivated a terrible fear of the
snake ; we even dread the very mention of its
name. The Hindus worship the serpent, and have
set apart a day in the year (Nagapanchami) for
that purpose. Tfyey suppose that the earth is
supported by the great serpent Sesha. God Vishnu
is called Seshasayee, as he is supposed to sleep on
the Serpent-God ; and God Siva is supposed to have
a garland of serpents round his neck ! We say
that such and such a thing cannot be described
even by the thousand-tongued Adisesha, implying
our belief in the snake's knowledge and discretion.
The serpent Karkotaka is said to have bitten King
Nala and deformed him, so that he might not suffer
any harm in the course of his wanderings. Such
conceptions are also to be met with among the
Christian nations of the West. In English a man
is very often described to be as wise and cunning
as a serpent. And in the Bible, Satan is, said to
have assumed the shape of a serpent in order to
tempt Eve.
The real reason for the popular dread of snakes
is obvious. If the snake's poison should spread
SOME ACCIDENTS 133
over the whole body, death must necessarily ensue ;
and since the idea of death is so dreadful to us, we
dread the very name of a snake. Hence, our
worship of the snake is really based on our fear.
If the snake were a little creature, it woulcl hardly
be worshipped by us ; but since it is a big creature,
and a strangely fascinating one, it has come to be
deified and worshipped.
The Western scientists of to-day hold that the
snake is merely a creature of instinct, and it should
be destroyed forthwith wherever found. From the
official statistics, we gather that not less than 20,000
persons die every year in India of snake-bite alone.
The destruction of every venomous snake is reward-
ed by the state, but it is really a question if the
•country has benefitted by it in any way. We find
from experience that a snake never bites wantonly,
but only as a retaliatory measure when it is molest-
ed in any way. Does this not bespeak its discretion,
or at the least its innocence ? The attempt to rid
Hindustan, or any portion thereof, of snakes is as
ridiculous and futile as trying to wrestle with the
air. It may be possible to prevent snakes coming
to a particular place by a systematic process of
extermination, but this can never be done on a
large scale. In a vast country like India, it would
be an altogether foolish enterprise to try to avoid
snake-bites by wholesale destruction of the snakes.
134 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
Let us never forget that the serpents have been
created by the same god who created us and all
other creatures. God's ways are inscrutable, but
we may rest assured that He did not create ani-
mals like the lion and the tiger, the serpent and the
scorpion, in order to bring about the destruction of
the human race. If the serpents were to meet in
council and conclude that man has been created by
god for their destruction, seeing that he generally
destroys a snake wherever found, should we
approve of their conclusion ? Surely not. In the
same way, we are wrong in regarding the serpent
as a natural enemy of man.
The great St. Francis of Asissi, who used to
roam about the forests, was not hurt by the serpents
or the wild beasts, but they even lived on terms of
intimacy with him. So too, thousands of Yogi*
and Fakirs live in the forests of Hindustan, amidst
lions and tigers and serpents, but we never hear of
their meeting death at the' hands of these animals.
It might, however, be contended that they must
certainly be meeting their death in the forests, but
that we do not hear of it, as we live so far away.
Granted ; but we cannot deny that the number of
Yogis that live in the forests is nothing in com-
parison with that of the serpents and wild beasts,,
so that, if these animals were really the natural
enemies of man, the whole race of Yogis and other
SOME ACCIDENTS 135
dwellers in the forests should become very rapidly
extinct, especially since they have no weapons with
which to defend themselves against their attacks.
But they have by no means become extinct, and
we may conclude, therefore, that they have been
allowed to live unmolested in the forests by the
serpents and wild beasts. In fact, I have implicit
faith in the doctrine that, so long as man is not
inimical to the other creatures, they will not be '
inimical to him. Love is the greatest of the attri-
butes of man. Without it the worship of God
would be an empty nothing. It is, in short, the
root of all religion whatsoever.
Besides, why should we not regard the cruelty of
the serpents and the wild beasts as merely the
product and reflection of man's own nature ? Are
we any the less murderous than they ? Are not our
tongues as venomous as the serpent's fangs ? Do
we not prey upon our innocent brethren much in
the same way as lions and leopards ? All scriptures
proclaim that, when man becomes absolutely harm-
less, all the other animals will begin to live on
terms of intimacy with him. When feuds and
conflicts as fierce as that between the lion and the
lamb are going on within our own breasts, is it any
wonder that much things should go on in the
external world? For, we are but the reflection of
the world around us ; all the features of the
136 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
external world are found reflected in the inner
world of our mind. When we change our nature,
the world around should also inevitably change.
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-
discipline ? This is the great mystery of God's
creation as well as the great secret of true happi-
ness. Our happiness or otherwise rests entirely
upon what we are ; we have no need to depend
on other people at all in this matter.
Our excuse for writing at such length on snake-
bite is this. Rather than merely prescribe cure for
snake-bite, we thought it as well to go a little more
deeply into the matter, and point out the best way
of getting rid of our foolish fears. If even a single
reader were to adopt in practice the principles we
have been discussing, we shall consider our effort
amply rewarded. Moreover, our object in writing
these pages is not merely to give the generally
accepted hygienic principles, but to go to the root
of the matter, and deal with the most fundamental
principles of health.
Modern investigations have also shown that the
man who is perfectly healthy, whose blood has not
been tainted by excess of heat, and whose food is
wholesome and Satvic, is not immediately affected
by the poison of the snake, but that, on the other
SOME ACCIDENTS 137
hand, its effect is instantaneous as well as fatal on
the man whose blood has been tainted by drink or
unwholesome food. One doctor goes so far as to
say that the blood of the man who eschews salt
and the like, and lives exclusively on -a fruit-diet,
remains so pure that no kind of poison can have
any effect on him. I have not had enough experi-
ence myself to say how far this is true. The man
whose diet has been free from salt and the like for
only one or two years cannot be said to have
attanied this stage of perfect immunity, 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 two, g
It has further been scientifically demonstrated
that a man under the influence of fear or anger is
much more and much sooner, affected by poison
than when in the normal condition. Everybody
knows how fear and anger make the pulse and the
heart beat faster than the normal rate, and the
quicker the flow of blood in the veins? the greater
the heat generated. But the heat generated by evil
passions is not healthy, but extremely harmful.
Anger is, indeed, nothing but vareity of fever.
Hence the best antidote against snake-bite is to
use pure and Satiric food in moderation, to rid our
minds of all evil passions like anger and fear,
138 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
to refrain from giving way to panic, to retain
perfect confidence in the saving power of a pure
and Godly life, and to remain self-possessed in the
full faith that we are ever in God's hands, and that
the span of life which He has allotted to us can
on no account be curtailed or exceeded.
Dr. Fitz-Seaman, the Director of the Port Eliza-
beth Museum, who has devoted a large portion of
his life to the study of snakes, their varieties and
their habits, and who is a great authority on snake-
bite and its cure, has told us, as a result of his
numerous experiments, that the majority of the so-
called deaths by snake-bite are really caused by
fear and the wrong remedies applied by quacks.
We should remember that all snakes are not
venomous, and that even the bite of all venomous
snakes is not immediately fatal either. Moreover,
the snakes do not always get an opportunity of
injecting their venom into the body of their victim.
We should not, therefore, give way to panic even
when we are bitten by a venomous serpent^ especi-
ally since ^ery simple remedies are available,
which can be applied by ourselves without any aid
from others.
The part of the body immediately above the
point at which the snake has bitten should be tied
round with tight bandage, which should be further
strengthened by means of strong pencils or pieces
SOME ACCIDENTS 139
of wood, so that the poison may not ascend through
the veins. Then the wound should be cut half an
inch deep with the fine point of a knife, so that the
poisoned blood may freely flow, and the hollow
should be filled with the dark-red powder sold in
the bazaars and known as Potassium Permangan-
ate. If this is not available, the blood issuing from
the wound should be well sucked and spat out, by
the patient himself or by somebody else, until all
the poison has been removed. Of course, no man
who has a wound on the lips or the tongue should
be allowed to suck this poisoned blood. This
treatement should be applied within, 7 minutes
of the accident, — that is to say, before the
poison has had time to ascend and disuse
through the body. As already mentioned, the
German doctor who has specialised in mud-cure,,
claims to have cured snake-bite by burying
the patient under fresh earth. Although I have
not tried the use of mud in snake-bites, I
have unbounded faith in its efficacy from my
experience in other cases. After the application
of Potassium Permanganate (or the sucking out of
the blood, in the alternative,) a poultice of mud half
an inch in thickness, and big enough to cover the
whole region around and above the affected part,
should be applied. There should be kept in every
home a quantity of well-sifted and powdered mud
140 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
in a tin ready for use. It should be so kept as to be
exposed to light and air, and free from dampness.
Suitable bandages of cloth should also be kept so
as to be within reach when needed. These will be
found useful not only in snake-bite, but in number-
less other cases as well.
If the patient has lost consciousness, or if respi-
ration seems to have ceased, the process of artificial
respiration already described in connection with
drowning should be resorted to. Hot water, or
preferably a decoction of cloves and the bark of
the bay-tree, is very useful for recovering
consciousness. The patient should be kept in the
open air, but if his body seems to have taken cold,
bottles of hot water should be employed, or a piece
of flannel dipped in hot water and wrung out
should be rubbed over the body, to produce
warmth.
Chapter XIII -
SOME ACCIDENTS— (Contd.)
Scorpion-Sting
Our familiar expression, " May God never give
any man the pain of scorpion-sting ", shows how
keen that pain is. In fact, this pain is even
sharper than that of snake-bite, but we do not
dread it so much, since it is much less fatal.
SOME ACCIDENTS 141
Indeed, as Dr. Moor has said, the man whose blood
is perfectly pure has little to fear from the sting of
a scorpion.
The treatment for scorpion-sting is very simple..
The affected part should be cut into with a sharp-
pointed knife, and the blood that issues from it
slightly sucked out. A small bandage tied tightly
above this portion would prevent the spread of the
poison, while a poultice of mud would give imme-
diate relief to the pain.
Some writers advise us to tie a;thick bandage of
cloth over the affected part, wetted with a mixture
of vinegar and water in equal proportions, or to
keep the region around it immersed in salt water.
But the poultice of mud is certainly the most
effective remedy of all, as may be personally
tested by those who may have the misfortune
to be stung by scorpions. The poultice should
be as thick as possible ; even two seers of mud
would not be too much for the purpose. If
the finger be stung, for instance, the poultice
should extend up to the elbow. If the hand be kept
immersed for sometime in wet mud in a pretty large
vessel, it would give instant relief to the pain.
The stings of the centipede and other animals
should be dealt with exactly as that of the
scorpion.
142 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
Chapter XIV
CONCLUSION
I have now said all that I had intended to
•say on the subject of health. And now, before
finally taking leave of my readers, I will say.
a word or two on my object in writing these
pages.
One question which I have asked myself again
and again, in the course of writing this book,
is why I of all persons should write it. Is there
any justification at all for one like me, who am
no doctor, and whose knowledge of the matters
dealt with in these pages must be necessarily
imperfect, attempting to write a book of this
kind ?
My defence is this. The " science ". of medicine
is itself based upon imperfect knowledge, most
of it being mere quackery. But this book, at any
rate, has been prompted by the purest of motives.
The attempt is here made not so much to show
how to cure diseases as to point out the means
of preventing them. And a little reflection will
show that the prevention of disease is a compara-
tively simple matter, not requiring much specialist
knowledge, although it is by no means an easy
thing to put these principles into practice. Our
object has been to show the unity of origin and
treatment of all diseases, so that all people may
CONCLUSION 143
learn to treat tKeir diseases themselves when they
do arise, as they often do, in spite of great care
in the observance of the laws of health.
But, after all, why is good health so essential,
so anxiously to be sought for ? Our ordinary con-
duct would seem to indicate that we attach little
value to health. If health is to be sought for
in order that we might indulge in luxury and
pleasure, or pride ourselves over our body and
regard it as an end in itself, then indeed it would
be far better that we should have bodies tainted
with bad blood, by fat, and the like.
All religions agree in regarding the human body
as an abode of God. Our body has been given
to us on the understanding that we should render
devoted service to God with its aid. It is our duty
to keep it pure and unstained from within as
well as from without, so as to render it back to
the Giver, when the time comes for it, in the state
of purity in which we got it. If we fulfil the
terms of the contract to God's satisfaction, He
will surely reward us, and make us heirs to
immortality.
The bodies of all created beings have been
gifted with the same senses, and the same
capacity for seeing, hearing, smelling and the
like ; but the human body is supreme among
them all, and hence we call it a " Chintamani," or
144 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
a giver of all good. Man alone can worship
God with knowledge and understanding. Where
devotion to Gqd is void of understanding, there can
be no true salvation, and without salvation there
can be no true happiness. 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 worship ;
otherwise it is no better than a filthy vessel of
bones, flesh and blood, and the air and water
issuing from it is worse than poison. 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 disgust ; and it
requires very great effort to keep them tolerably
clean. Is it not most disgraceful that, for the sake
of this body, we should stoop to falsehood and
deceit, licentious practices and even worse ? Is it
not equally shameful that, for the sake of these
vices, we should be so anxious to preserve this
fragile frame of ours at any cost ?
This is the truth of the matter in regard to
our body ; for the very things which are the
best or the most useful have inherent in them
capabilities of a corresponding mischief. Other-
wise, we should hardly be able to appreciate
them at their true worth. The light of the sun,
which is the source of our life, and without
which we cannot live for an hour, is also capable
CONCLUSION 145
of burning all things to ashes. So too, a king
may do infinite good to his subjects, or be the
source of untold mischief. Indeed, the body may
be a good servant, but, when it becomes a master,
its powers of evil are unlimited.
There is an incessant struggle going on within
us between our Soul and Satan for the control of
our body. If the soul gains the ascendancy, the
body becomes a most potent instrument of good ;
but, if the devil is victorious in the struggle, it
becomes a hot-bed of vice. Hell itself would be
preferable to the body which is the slave of vice,
which is constantly filled with decaying matter
and which emits filthy odours, whose hands and
feet are employed in unworthy deeds, whose
tongue is employed in eating things that ought
not to be eaten or in uttering language that
ought not to be uttered, whose eyes are employed
in seeing things that ought not to be seen,
whose ears are employed in the hearing of
things that ought not to be heard, and whose nose
is employed in the smelling of things that ought
not to be smelt. But, while hell is never mistaken
fof heaven by anybody, our body which is rendered
worse than hell by ourselves is, strangely, enough,
regarded. by us as almost heavenly ! So monstrous
is our vanity, and so pitiful our pride, in this
matter ! Those who make use of a palace as a
H— 10
146 A GUIDE TO HEALTH
latrine, or vice versa, must certainly reap the fruit
of their folly. So too, if, while our body is really
in the Devil's hands, we should fancy that we are
enjoying true health, we shall have only ourselves
to thank for the terrible consequences that are sure
to follow.
To conclude, 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 God, and defying the power of Satan.
True happiness is impossible without true health,
and true health is impossible without a rigid
control of the palate. All the other senses will
automatically come under our control when the
palate has been brought under control. And he who
has conquered his senses has really conquered the
whole world, and he becomes a part of God. We
cannot realise Rama by reading the Ramayana,
or Krishna by reading the Gita, or god by reading
the Koran, or Christ by reading the Bible ; the only
means of realising them is by developing a pure
and noble character. Character is based on virtuous
action, and virtuous action is grounded on Truth"
Truth, then* is the source and foundation of \U
things that are good and great. Hence, a fearless
and unflinching pursuit of the ideal of Truth and
Righteousness is the key-note of true health as of
all else. And if we have succeeded (in however
CONCLUSION 147
feeble a measure) in bringing this grand fact home
to our readers? our object in writing these pages
would have been amply fulfilled.
FINIS
THE HUXLEY PRESS, G. T. MADRAS.
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ERRATA
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