Weekly Trinity journal., 1875-05-22
NUMBER q.
TAKING COLD.

If any consderate medical man wants
to bring his name before the public, let
him publish series of sound rules to pre-
vent those who will follow them from TAX
ing cold. No danger is more serious
there is none that physicians can do so
very little TO cure except of course by reg
linen, of which the sufferers are impatient
and there is none against which the popu-
lation of, all classes is more reluctant to
take precautions. They upon colds as
misfortunes which must come and which
do not signify and ifurged to take pre-
cautions, regard the adviser, even if a
professional man, as slightly etleminate,
or as they express it, very much given to
"coddling himself" 1t does not strike
them that cold wave kills as many as a
burst of cholera.
Because strong children survivea daily
bath in cold water, they think cold water
"hardens" in Winter as we'll rs in Sum
mer and because air and exercise are ex-
cellent things, they assume that fog is mir,
and long walk in the drizzle is benoh-
cial. The very use of n thermometer to
regulate the temperature of II room seems
to be unknown in most houses, and you
will SEQ sedentary men sitting in rooms
| for hours with fire, which brings up the
temperature to seventy degrees, and then
for hours more, with the fire nearly out,
and the temperature ut fifty degrees,
or lower. They know, we suppose, that
Il sudden fall of eighteen degrees will kill
of men of low vitality in hundreds will
give third of mankind touch of tho
liver," and will inliot an "innuenza" on
one-half tho remainder, nearly MS annoy
ing, and almost rs dangerous ms fever
but once indoors, they fail to realize this
knowledge.
The contempt for tho thormomoter--t tho
only trustworthy guide in fire making is
positively perverse and so is much Of tho
popular notion about hardening" For
tho average man or woman, exposure to
tho weather may have bracing or other
wise beneficial effect, but tho loss is as
great as the gain and for tho old, for tho
children, aud for those of low vitality, Is
probably greater. People viii 81, no. in
tho air, but in drafts of the bad kind, for
example those which como under badly
fitting doors in railway carriages, with tho
utmost indifference, aud put themselves
straight in front of Ilro which would not
draw if it were not constantly rcplenishod
by stream Of cold er air.
Tho same ignorance governs the usual
practice as to clothing. The anxious moth
or will protect her child's Ghost with n
care which, If he is not eonsumptive and
lot him run to school in shoes, which, il
they keep out the wet, do not keep out tho
chill arising from the thoroughly wotted
sole. 1t is not the water on the sole of tho
foot or anywhere which harms people, but
tho chill which the water induces, and
which is as injurious through the sole OF
the foot as through the chest or loins.
We are not OF course arguing that II man
in ordinary health should be always talk
ing note of tho thermometer, or should
attempt to live by rule, or should sacrifice
to mere living tho things without which
life is worthless. But he might make his
life more worthy as well as more comfort
able by attending to few broad rules to
avoid taking cold, which ut present he
habitually negccts, and which may DO
pies The secret Of temperature Is even
warmth, to be secured by clothing and
regulated fires and it is chill, not cold,
general chill, or local chill which encour-
ages disease. .-Heratd Of HeatM.