National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-01-22
HYGIENE.
Extremes OfHeat and Cold-Their Effects Upon
the Health.

Extremes ofHeat and Cold-Their Effects Upon
the Health.
Some writer in the London Times says: 1.-THE
physician who teaches a means Of avoiding the
taking of coldsis as much q benefactor as he who
discovers s remedy for cholera " but deplores the
fact that physicians are not usually teachers in
this respect. This is true. Physicians are too
much accustomed to consider their work the cur
ing Of diseases rather than teaching the people
how to avoid contracting them. 1t probably pays
better to heal than to prevent in the profession,
and nobody can reasonably complain when all
the world is striving for gain: In teaching the
plicate the principles which govern these laws.
A few simple rules will do more to instruct the
unlettered masses than q whole volume of ab-
strHse scientific dissertations.
The great majority Of diseases originate in
some sort OF excuses. Among the most common
extremes Of heat and cold; and In these respects
the masses Of people, whether learned or un-
learned, exercise no common sense. They too
commonly follow some crude traditional notions
without giving moments thought as to the phi
losophy Of what they do. For instance, person
spa tbe ms 1ssd
nose or forehead. What does he do? In nine
cases in ten he remembers Of hav-
water for bTus eG immediately RR be gets S0a
dish Of cold water-iced water II he can-and
vigorously applies it to the bruised part. Itprob
ably relieves the pain alter while, but he is sur
prised to find in q few hours that he has 'black
and blue" spot So he carries about for DAYS or
weeks black eye, thinking he did not apply
enough cold water. Even many physicians direct
the application Of cold for bruises Let US see
what Is the philosophy Of such treatment. If
application Of cold is useful; it reduces the flow
Of blood, keeps down the heat, (fever,) which al
ways follows the confusion, and restores the loss
Of balance caused by the wound
The same process does not follow where the
skin is unbroken and there is no loss Of blood. In
this case the effect Of the cold application is to
fha 1Iofip to a1afa fhah
under the skin. This clot Of blood becomes dark
in few hours, as eoagulated blood always does;
then grows green andyellOw, and this is the natu
raj effect OF the application of cold.
What should be done? As soon as the bruise is
made, apply hot water at once. The heat aud
moisture lquifes the blood and sends it along its
proper channel. The blood finds no time to cOag-
ulate; hence no dlscolOratIOn, and the bruise
heals.
The same philosophy governs the, habit Of
bathing. The popular notion is that bathing in
cold water invigOrates but it is incorrect. Cold,
applied in any manner is a sedative. Cold baths,
I0STSa R Py y ACTIVITY fb 81 the cir
not by the cold. On the contrary, the cold checks
activity, and the loss thereby sustained must
FIRST be made up, and then the friction continued
until reaction takes place; whereas, If warm or
tepid water were used, less friction would be re-
quired, and consequently there would be less e1-
cess.
The disease denominated a cold is only the re-
suit OF this application Of cold in degree Of ex-
cess. When the system is in heated condition
functions, especially eff the skin and mucus men,
branes, and We have a "cold." These colds
while they prevail most in cold weather, occur
also in extremely hot weather by the same nat
ural laws. When the system IS overheated q
slight fall Of temperature checks the functions as
above described and "eold" ensues, 1t is by
understanding few simple physiological laws
like these, and acting from philosophical deduc-
tions therefrom that persons can at all times
snd bs 70 e1d eSS S free agaRit SSlf
themselves upon the system the result OF colds.