The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1870-03-31
On Catching Colds.

DIR. SYMEs THOMPSON, Professor Of
Medicine at Gresham College, London,
has recently delivered "Gresham Lee
ture" on catching colds The following
extracts will be Of interest to our readers:
The prevention of colds is to be accom-
plished by keeping the skin in healthy
and vigorous state, so that 1t may at once
resume its proper and normal condition
when chills have been suddenly applied
to it then the internal congestions are
avoided or removed simultaneously with
the external contraction and stagna-
Iion. The habitual use Of cold bath
ing in the early morning is one very
powerful means to this end; it trains
the vessels of the skin to rise Wig
orously into renewed action after the APP
plication of chill The relaxing influ-
ence of over-heated apartments should be
avoided, because that saps the power of Wig
orous reaction; but, in cold weather, the
utmost care should be taken to have the
entire skin efficiently protected by warm
clothing. The powers of the system in
periods prene to the production of colds,
and most especially when the temperature
of the external air is between 30 and 40
degrees of Fahrenheit's heat scale (for
that is the condition in which the danger
is found to be most certainly incurred, }
should be most carefully maintained by
the judicious use of sustaining food, and
by the avoidance of every kind Of injuri-
Gus arrangement Or excess When once
internal congestion has been set up, and
the cold has been "caught," the thing to
be done is Immediately to bring back Wig
| orous circulation and exhaiation in the
skin. The Turkish bath is one of the
| most convenient and certain of all contriv-
| ances for insuring this object in its alb
sence the vapor bath or hOt-air bath
may be employed. The action of the
| bath is to be reinforced by the ad-
ministration of stimulants, first and fore
most amongst which stands conc
trated food There is one exped
both for preventing and curing "colos,
which was not alluded to upon this occa-
sion (says writer in nature), but which
is, nevertheless, as powerful as any Of the
measures which were described, and il
may sometimes be drawn upon in circum-
stances when those plans cannot be adopt
ed, in consequence of the sufferer being
compelled by the exigences of life to con
tinue to meet exposure to chilling lnHu
ences This is abstinence from drink, anC
liquid food of any kind, until the interna
congestion is removed. The remedia
action through the skin does its work by
drawing away the superabundance OF the
part. But this desirable result is ever
more certainly insured if the general bull
of the circulating fluid, or blood, is dimin
ished by Withholding supplies of the more
liquid, or watery, ingredient; which may
be done where the digestive power is I'm
impaired, without in any way diminishing
the richer or more Immediately nourish
ing portion. The instant the genera
bulk of the circulating blood is diminished
the excess contained in the congested and
overcharged membrains is withdrawn ant
the cold is relieved. Somewhat sever
thirst sets in; but, curiously enough
simultaneously with tie occurrence of thi
thirst, the congested internal membrane
grow moist and exhale gently and natural
" in consequence of the relief of the over
charged vessels All that is then neces
sary is to keep the supply of drink down
TO the point which enables some measure
of thirst to be maintained, and during it
maintenance there is not the slightes
chance of the recurrence of the cold
i THE London Builder says that the con
tents or the stomachs OF 110 sparrow
have been examined, tabulated and re
corded Three cuiprits alone, out Of thi:
hecatomb, were proved by the unsparing
search guilty of having lived for twenty
four hours upon grain. In fact, there
were three thieves out of the us; all thu
other victims had worked, more or less
for their living. Beetles and grubs, anC
larvae of ali obnoxious kinds, had beer
their diet. In seventyfive of the birds
infants of all ages, from the callow fledg
ling to the little Pecksy and Flapsy tina
just twitter along the ground, hardly AM
but insect spoglie were detected.
In a single instance Noah Webster
used his dictionary to set forth Senti
ment not connected with philology, using
definition after the style so frequentlA
exemplified by DR., Johnson. Under TIA
word "vicegerent" he says, Kings ar
sometimes called Gods vicegerents. /
is to be wished they would always de