The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1874-02-19
Catching Cold.

''.' so '..' Catching Cold. .' go.
Catching cold is "as easy as lying. but to
explain the pathology thereof is by no means
SO readily done. In fact, until the recent re-
searches of DR.. Rosenthal, whose work ON the
almost nothing was known about it except the
mere fact that the ailments popularity ascribed
to "cold" are liaBleto occur after the body or
some part of it, has been suddenly chilled
that is, cooled below the normal temperature,
There are two factors concerned in this chilling
process; the nature of the external medium
such as air or water-in contact with the body;
and the condition of the bloody vessels.
Dry. air has very little power to abstract
heat, if it be still; but a slight wind from the
constant contact Of fresh particles of cold air
on the surface of the body, soon carries off its
heat. If there is much moisture in the airit
greatly increases its power of abstracting heat,
and when wind and moisture are combined, the
chilling effect reaches its maximum. Expert
ence has shown that it is not so much the abso-
lutte lowness of the. temperature which gives
rise to colds as sudden changes from a higher
to a lower. The reason of this was not under
stood until DR.. Rosenthal explained it. When
the surface Of a healthy animal is exposed to
cold the cutaneous vessels contract and by thus
confning the blood to the interior of theybody,
prevent its cooling, and preserve the tempera-
ture Of the vital organs unless the application
of cold be continued for a considerable time.
This is not the case, however, when the animal
has been previously exposed to warmth. The
cutaneous vessels become paralyzed by the
heat. and remain dilated even after the cold
has been applied. Tie blood is thus exposed
over a large surface, and becomes rapidly
cooled, even though the temperature of the
surrounding medium is not very low. In Ro7
senthaPs experiments, animals were kept at
temperature from about 81 deg. F. The tenn
perature of the animals themselves quickly
rose during their confinement to- Ill deg. or
lib deg. After their removal it not only sank
to the normal temperature, but even below, so
that an animal which was from ITO deg. to III
deg. in the warming apparatus, fell to 96.8 deg,
and remained at that for several days, although
the room in which it was kept was moderately
warm. Confinement in close office, hot the
atre. or crowded ballroom will have similar
effect on man.. From such places people pass
ont into the cool, open air, or sometimes even
purposely station themselves in draught.
The blood, which is coursing through the dila-
ted vessels of every part of the surface, is rap
idly cooled and on its return to the internal
organs, cools them much more quickly than 1t
could have done had the person simply been
exposed to cold without dilation of the vessels
byA previous warmth Rosenthal lays much
stress on the great effect of7sudden coolingip
bringing on cold, the sudden change inthe
atmosphere of the blood producing an irritat-
ing effect inducing inflammation in any weak
organ in way that a gradual alteration that
would not do. 1t would seem, however, that
the alteration must be from a temperature
above to one below the normal temperature OF
the blood, and not mere reduction from one
considerably above the normal to one at or
near it, When much heated we may stand for
a short time in a cool atmosphere with impu-
nifty; but if we stand long enough to produce
O shiver, we run great risk OF catching cold.
The fact that it is more dangerous to sit for a
long than short time in wet clothes, appears
to indicate that considerable and more gradual
cooling, such as may then occur, will produce
similar effects to slight cooling suddenly
effected by exposure to a cold draught, after
being in warm room. The effect of 8 chill
in causing inAammations may be partly due
to the effect of cold on the tissues themselves,
and partly 70 the congestion which will occur
in some parts when the blood is driven out of
others by the contraction Of their vessels.
Rosentha is inclined to aseribe the chief power
to the former cause. Everybody knows the
beneficial effect of cold baths cold sponglng,
etc., in hardening persons, as it is termed,
so that they are able to face almost any wealth
er, and to endure sudden changes of tempera-
ture without injury. Rosenthal considers that
the frequent application of cold water or cool
air increases the tone Of the cutaneous vessels,
so that they do not become SO much relaxed
:by heat as to be unable to contract with suf6-
cient force when necessary. :, The power, of
regulating the temperature is thus preserved,
and the person prevented from catching cold.
Boston Journal Of Chemistry. eF'i f's'