American Red Cross Text-Book on Home Hygiene and Care of the Sick

This practical handbook offers clear guidance on keeping a home healthy and tending to ill family members, especially when professional nurses are scarce. Written at a time when the nation faced a shortage of medical staff due to wartime service, it empowers anyone—women, men, teachers—to recognize early signs of disease and prevent its spread. The text blends basic science with everyday habits, making the principles of sanitation accessible to readers of all ages.

Readers will find step‑by‑step instructions for clean water handling, ventilation, and safe food preparation, along with simple nursing techniques such as measuring temperature, dressing wounds, and comforting a convalescent patient. Illustrations and concise explanations clarify how to isolate contagious illnesses without panic, and how to work cooperatively with physicians' orders. By the end of the first part, listeners gain a solid foundation for protecting their households and supporting community health efforts.