The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1875-04-15
Farm, Garden and Household,
On Catching Cold.

One of the lectures to the public at
Gresham College, London, was delivered
by DR., f. Symes Thompson, T. r. q. f.,
ON the sensible topic OF catching cold;
After a description OF the symptoms and
pathological conditions induced by cold,
Dr. Thompson passed on to the more in
teresting 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 hot
house plant condition so favorable to in
ducing the evil one wished to avoid. En-
posure to cold air, he insisted, does no
harm except under the condition of it's
moving rapidly in small space. Thus
exposure to strong wind'in the open air
does no harm, while a Portuguese proverb
sand with great deal OF truth, ii YOU catch
cold from draught through a keyhole
YOU had better make your will 1t was
traughts coming with great rapidlty
through small openings which were SO es-
jecally INJURIOUS Living constantly IN
very impure air made people very sensitive
tu cold and Ill ventilated bedrooms had
much tl answer tor in this respect. 1t
WIS 4 mistake to suppose that night air,
except in aguish places, was obnoxious.
lu London. uight air was purer than air
n lhe day, and he advised every one,
while avoiding direct draught, 10 keep
the bedroom window slightly opened. The
effect ot want of ventilation was strikingly
illustrated in the case OF horses When
lrtt tsrUu in the fields they were hardy,
aud did uot suffer At all from cold; but
c0upcd up IN warm stables they become
4 To
aud iata. affections of the chest
That was lesson to us to keep our bed
rooms cool and well ventilated In cloth
ug the great thing was to vary the char
.lcier and amount according to the season
and weather, avoiding the extremes of al
ways being swathed in flannel no matter
what the temperature or of never wear
nag flannel at ALL As rule We might
initiate with advantage in cold weather
thr example Of Russians and Canadians.
who We're careful 10 put on very warm
outer clothing when leaving the house and
~ remove It the moment they came in OF
HE curative treatment what was called the
dry method" had once been in great
vogue ] his consisted Ot abstaining from
All fluids top , +, &c. or 4s hours, and where
vigorously followed at the outset the cold
was generally stopped He would not re-
commend this treatment to any but those
u thoroughly good health, for in the deli
cate or the sickly the arrangement of the
vial organs, especially the liver and the
digestive organs, 10y this abstention from
tuids brought about evils more serious
than the cold Another method was the
maintenance of an equable warm temper
ature, and where tins could be done the
skin was soon restored to more natural
condition. and the evil was relieved The
mucous lining, however, could be more
rapidly relieved by inducing the skin to
pcrspre Vigorously, and if this was done
at the outset the cold would be checked.
This could be done by hot bath or, very
much better, by a Turkish bath, for while
in a hot water bath ii was not possible TO
endure greater heat than 100 10 103 de-
grees, in a Turkish bath a temperature Of
1870 to 200 degrees could be sustained
without discomfort. Vigorous perspiration
was in this way induced. the blood was
drawn from the internal organs to the
surface, much of its impunity eliminated
and il the cold douche was avoided and
the skin was got thoroughly to work the
patient walked away in an hour, and lett
his cold hphinI