The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1867-01-16
Dress as a Cause of Disease.

Dress as a Cause of Disease.
In tins age, when dress occupies so
much OF the attention Of society, tic in
iiucnce Of costume on the bodily coluli-
ton becomes an important matter Of
inquiry.
Improper modes Of dress, whether
excessive or inadequate, are fertile sour
ccs OF disease, and also aggravaLe IN
abnormal state Of the system by what
ever canac produced. lr'in our desire
to keep the body warm we overload it
with layers thick, closely woven fabric
and thns produce an undue heat at, ,he
surface the effect is to suppress The action
0! the excrctory glands and prevent n
persplration. TAc viliatcd matter which
is thus retained is rc.absorbcd by the
SKIN and carried back into the system,
rcndcaing the blood impure and dcrang
ing the delicate machinery Of the glandu
! stru t'rs, \ r an Ii ,ht arc ab: olu,elj :
necessary for tho healthy activity OF tho
vehicles Of The skG, and those articles Of
clothing which prevent lhc admission Of
those Two great vital agents arc entirely
unfit ior use
Asa Irco circulation oi blood to all
parts OF the Euh!an body is requisite to
the enjoyment Of perfect lonItl,, 50 no
part OF the body should be dressed IN
such manner as in The lcas. to obs,ruct
Or rctard is flow. Tight boots, shoes or
gloves arc therefore detrimental. Coll
extrcml'ics, painful humors, swcliings
and colostics are generally 'hc result Of
such ligalurrs.
insufficient clothing is mnch worse
than too much. The effect OF exposure
to cold is the Immediate contraction Of
the skin, which snspcnds the operation of
pecrctory and cxcrctory organs, and the
matter Which should be discharged from
tho system is thrown back into tic throat
lungs Or bowels, occasioning those forms
Of disease commonly called "cold,"
Headache" "catarrh," "diarrhma,"
&c.
a change Of dress from thick to thin
is not beneficial unless accompanied by
corresponding change in climate or tenn
peratnrc. a fashionable lady afcr wear,
ing thick, high neck dress all day, will
sometimes array herself in low.ncckcd
attire for an evening party. Such an
imprudent change has frequently been
followed by sudden death. Head Gov.
crings at the present day arc evidently
worn by ladies' for display and not for
comfort and we are not surprised when
wc hear this or that one complain Of
''such distress in the head" or "neural-
| Sla" \ hat, to afford real protection
to the head, should be large enough to
cover the greater part oft, and at the
same time b. comfortably warm, but not
so heavy as to fatigue the wcarcr after
half an hours use.
But the most serious feature in tho
dress Of American ladies is tight lacing,
aprac'icc most unnatural, and therefore
most dangerous to health. Does any
ono doubt the prevalence Of this custom
let him consult the (ashion.platcs in any
ponnlar ladies' magazine. How women,
srrvilcly obcdicnt to the suggestion Of
their drcss-makcr, or else grossly igno-
rant OF the first principles OF health have
squeezed themselves to death, the great
day oraccount will disclose. The record
must be appalling, and yet the suicidal
work goes on. The compression of the
waist hindcrs, if 1t docs not altogether
suspend, the action of the diaphragm,
aud wcakcns the muscles Of the resplra.
ton and the power Of digestion. The
heart, liver, lungs, spleen and stomach
being forced into space much TOO small
Tor the proper performance OF their re-
spcctlvc functions, arc weakened and,
II the compression is continued become
diseased; con umplion cnsues, and the
mistaken dcvotcc Of Il barh:rous fashion
sinH' swiftly into an early grave.
On, sc who sigh for the dclormity OF
q wasplsh shape, consider The fault s.
contour of that chcfT @urc Of sculpture
the Venns do Mrdicis, and strive to lie.
vclop your attcnuacd bodies nth ,l.e
bcan:'lnl proportions Of the wcl-grown
woman.
OF course the entire dress shonll be
adapted 10 The climate and season of The
year In climates like that Of New
York city, whore there arc sometimes
sudden transitions from heat to col l. and
from veto dry, it is hardly safe to
dress in slight manner, except it. be in
mid summer, when atmospheric changes
are least frequent.
FIRE IN tHARLEsroN.---Wc learn by
a private despatch that a Grc broke ont
IN Charleston in Aneon @, ,r,t