Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1878-12-28
HEAT Is LIFE-OOLD Is DEATH
lsclrntitlc American.

lsclrntdc American
There is no greater fallacy than the
opinion OF many. particularly the young
strong and vigorous. that winter-espe-
cally sharp, frosty one. with plenty of
suuw-is the most healthy season OF the
year. Very few persons seem to realize
the fact that cold is the condition of
death. and that in both warm and cold
climates it is our unconscious effort to
maintain our bodily heat at a tempera-
ture of ninety-eight degrees that wears
US out. To this temperature. called
blood-heat. every cubic inch OF oxygen
that serves to vitalize our blood must be
raised by our own bodily heat. or lite
ceases. Since in cold weather the main
tsnance OF a sutficlency OF heat elevated
by bodily temperature becomes very Of
ten too great for our strength, the advent
OF severe winter is really more to he
dreaded than the visitation of q pestilence.
The saying, heat is lile-cold is death
has Il striking illus ration and contirma-
ton III the reports now regularly sub
mtted by DR.. Russell to the Glasgow
sanitary committee. The death rate rises
and tails with the regularity of the ther-
mometer. SO many degrees less heat,
SO many more deaths, and vice versa
In one of his tortnightiy reports Dr.Rus-
sell says: The death rate in the first
week of the fortnight was twenty-one,
and in the second week twenty-five. The
mean temperature was 4OS degrees
Fahrenheit in the latter 39.5 degrees" {"
He attributed the low rate OF the first
week to the high mean temperature of
the preceding fortnight, which was AZ .O3
4 \ =, .
lu>tratiou OF law which we frequently
observe in these reports Of temperature
and death rates-that week OF low tenn
perature produces a rise in mortality
the week following" In our climate il
would probably be difficult To tind more
frequent cause of serious ailments than
taking cold. Whatever weak place we
have. whatever constitutional disorder
we be subject to, cold will surely dis
cover. We take cold because our vital
lty Is too low to ward off the effects o.
the reduced temperature around Us. Al
a matter OF first Importance, then, to re
sist cold and the various arrangement!
OF the system consequent, it is necessary
> by proper nutrition to maintain our nat
> ural animal heat; second, to retain thi
heat by i sufficient quantity of clothing
third to regulate with care the tempera
ture of the air we breathe. Contrary T.
> the opinion current among lovers Q
cold weather, fire i'll 4 bed room in tn
!, winter is cheaper and better than doc
- tors bill tor, owing to our inactive con
i dltion during sleep, the circulation
o e vitalizing blood is both slow and In
n perfect. aud hence the danger Of tax n
cold BY breathing cold air is greatly Il,
D.. creased A cold is the beglunlng OF e'
j. erythiug that is bad. If any one COZ
n scious OF having caught one feels col
chills creeping up the back. let him al
ply mustard plaster to the bottom I
l. the spine and the lower part OF the bae
N at once and by so doing he may avert
,s dangerous illness before it is too la
!, and medical aiG can be procured.
should never be forgotten that "heat
= liie-cold is DEATH