American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-03-13
On Catching Cold.

One of the lectures to the public at
Gresham College, London, was delivered
by DR.. E. Symes Thompson, F. r. c. p,
on the seasonable topic of catching cold
After description of the symptoms and
the pathological conditions induced by
cold, Dr. Thompson passed on to the
more Interesting points of its prevention
and cure. In regard to prevention he
deprecated 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 dollhouse plant condi-
ton SO favorable to inducing the evil
one wished to avoid. Exposure to cold
air he insisted does no harm except I'M
der the condition of its moving rapidly
in a small space. Thus exposure to strong
wind in the open air did no harm, while
Portuguese prOverb said, with great
deal OF truth, if you catch cold from a
draught through a keyhole you had bet
ter make your will. 1t was draughts
coming with great rapidity through
small openings which were so especially
injurious. Living constantly in very inn
pure air made people very sensitive to
cold AMI ill-ventilated bedrooms had
much to answer for in this respect. 1t
was mistake to suppose that night air,
In London night air was purer than air
in the day; and he advised every one,
while avoiding 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 field
they were hardy and did not suffer at all
from cold; but cooped mp in warm
stables they become very sensitive to
cold and prone to serious and fatal affec-
tions of the chest. That was a lesson
to us to keep our bedrooms cool and
well ventilated. In clothing the grea,
thing was to vary the character
and amount according to the season
and weather, avoiding the extremes of
always being swathed in flannel, no mat
ter what the temperature; we might imi
tate with advantage in cold weather the
example Of Russians and Canadians, who
were careful to put on very warm cloth
ing when leaving the house and to re
move it the moment they came in. OF
the curative treatment, what was called
the dry method" had once been in great
vogue This consisted of abstaining
from all fluids for twenty-four, thirty six
or torty-eight hours, and where rigorous
ly followed at the outset the cold was
generally stopped. He would not recon-
mend this treatment to any but those IN
thoroughly good health. for in the deli
cate or sickly the arrangement of the
sis"A Vi SohS, OopCCidily tuC llNCI anu blt
digestive organs, by this abs'ention from
fluids brought about evils more serious
than the cold. Another method was the
maintenance of an equable warm temper.
AZURE, and where this could be done the
skin was soon restored to a more natural
condition and the evil was relieved
The mucous lining, however, could be
more rapidly relieved by inducing the
skin to perspire vigorously, and if this
was done at the outset the cold would be
checked. This could he done by hot
bath or, very much better, by Turkish
bath, for while in a hst-water bath it was
not possible to endure a greater heat til an
100 to 1O3 deg, in Turkish bath a TEN
Perature of $50 to 200 deg. could be sus-
tanned without discomfort Vigorous
perspiration was in this way induced, the
blood was drawn from the internal or
gans to the surface, much of its impurity
eliminated, and if the cold douche was
avoided and the skin was got thoroughly
to work the patient walked away in an
hour and left his cold behind