The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-03-04
On Catching Cold.


One of the lectures to the public at
Gresham College, London, was delivered
by DIR. 4. Symes Thompson, +. X. =. T.,
on the seasonable topic of catching cold:
After description of the symptoms and
the pathological condition induced by cold,
DIR. Thompson passed on to the more In
teresting points Gifts prevention and cure.
In regard to prevention, hedepreeated TOO
much fear of catching cold and the dread
of the least exposure to cold air, as being
very likely to bring about that tender hot
house-plant condition so favorable to in
ducing the evil one wished to avoid. Ex-
pOsure to cold air. he insisted. does no
harm, except under the condition of its
moving rapidly in a small space. Thus
exposure to stron wind in the open air
does no harm. while Portuguese proverb
said with great deal of truth. ifyou catch
cold from draught through keyhole
you had better make your will. 1t was
draughts coming with great rapidity
through small openings which were so
especially injurious. Living constantly in
very impure air, made people very sensi-
tive to cold, and ill-ventilated bedrooms
had much TO answer for in this respect.
1t was mistake to suppose that night air,
except in aguish places, was obnoxious.
In London night air was purer than air in
the day, and he advised every one, while
avoiding a direct draught, to keep the
bedroom window slightly opened. The
effect of want of ventilation was strikingly
illustrated in the case of horses. When
left to run in the selds they were hardy,
and did not suffer at all from cold ;
but cooped up in warm stables they
became very sensitive to cold and
prone to serious and fatal affections
of the chest. That was a lesson to us
to keep our bedrooms cool and well ven'
tilated. In clothing, the great thing was
to vary the character and amount accord,
ing to the season and weather, avoiding
the extremes of always being swathed in
flannel mo matter what the temperature, OF
of never wearing flannel at all. As rule
we might initiate with advantage in cold
weather the example of Russians and
Canadians, who were careful to put or
very warm outer clothing when leaving
the house and to remove it the moment
they came in. Of the curative treatment
what was called the "dry method haC
once been in great vogue. This consisted
of abstaining from all fluids for "a, sc, OF
4S hours, and where vigorously followed
at the outset the cold was generally stop
Dtu. DG NOult biiC NANdO
ment to any but those in thoroughly gooC
health, for in the delicate or the sicllly thu
arrangement of the vital organs, especially
the liver and the digestive organs, by thi
abstention from fluids, brought abou
evils mere serious than the cold. AnOthe
method was the maintenance of an equally
warm temperature, and where this coulC
be dCne the skin was soon restored to
more natural condition, and the evil wa
relieved. The mucous lining, however
could be more rapidly relieved by inducin,
the skin to perspire vigorously, and if thi
was done at the outset the cold would b
checked. This could be done by no
bath or, very much better, by a Turkisl
bath, for while in hot water bath it wa
not possible to endure greater heat thai
| 100 to l03 degrees, in Turkish bath TEN
perature of $50 to 200 degrees could b
sustained without discomfort. Vigorou
Precipitation was in this way induced, tn
blood was drawn from the internal organ
! to the surface. much of its impurity elim
mated, and if the cold douche was avoide
and the skin was got thoroughly to wor
the patient walked away in an hour, an
! left his cold behind.