American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1879-12-27
CARE OF THE HEALTH.


l of Boston has given to the public a little
: book containing much valuable advice
e DIR. Osgood protests, with earnestness
e that Il bath before breakfast, like long
walk or ride, for that matter, costs alto
gether too much, and is a grievous blum
, der regarded as a preparation for en-
countering a cold day. He declares that
; diminished power of resistance, lassi-
tude, and lack of physical tone, are the
natural results of winter morning bath
only avoided in the case of exceptionally
hardy and vigorous constitutions. He
denies what other authorities maintain,
viz, tat the capacity of prompt reac-
ton and active circulation can be
secured by the habitual application OF
cold water, followed, of course, by the
requisite amount of friction. In his
crusade against the morning bath he
will not admit that the so-called hard
ening process can be indicated by a
prfOri argument or by experience. Gu
riously enough, however, he takes quite
opposite ground in his suggestion for
the right treatment of cold feet. Re-
minding us that many persons are con-
slant sufferers from chilliness of the ex-
tremities, he says the most Z" simple and
sensible" means of overcoming the
trouble is to dip the feet into
cold water, after which, of course,
they should be briskly rubbed with
a crash towel or hair mitten until
they are in glow. ''Pursue the prac-
| tice," he continues, "twice daily, and
in short time the feet will remain
warm for hours 1t is little difficult
to see why rule that works so well for
one member should not answer in nor
NAL cases for the whole body. Of
course nobody would claim that the cold
morning bath is suited to all persons.
or to the same person at all epochs of
life, or in all grades of physical condi-
ton. There are times when women,
obviously, ought not to indulge in it,
and, in like manner, young children
should gradually be accustomed to the
shock of immersion, if, indeed, their
use of the cold bath should not always
be regulated by medical advice. So,
too, a male adult who finds upon expert
ment the glow of reaction impossible or
hard to compass may reasonably gain
say the beneficial influence of cold wa
ter on his own system. He should be
sure, however, that the experiment has
been fairly tried-that he has proceed
ed by degrees from a bath slightly tepid,
or just deprived of chillness, to water
sniff IN, int no hot o,,I
thus acquire its temperature before |
plunging into the untempered element
freshly drawn from pipe or well.
In chapter pertinently headed |
Pulmonary Food" the author has col
lected good many facts and sugges-
tons bearing on the subject of ventila-
ton. He points out that while writer's
on hygiene differ somewhat as to the
quantity of fresh air required by sin
gle adult in a given room, yet $500
cubic feet per hour is generally deemed
the smallest amount compatible with
comfort. OF course, in sick rooms the
supply should be greater, according to
the malady; bad case of smallpox,
for instance, needing some 1850 feet
every hour. DIR. Osgood applies these
data to our household economy with in
teresting results. He takes what may
be considered a room of average size in
a somewhat affiuent mansion; the apart
ment is Is feet square and II feet high,
therefore, 2,70O cubic feet
of air, or little more than enough to
serve one person 60 minutes; the ques-
ton is, will it be renewed after the eX-
piration of the hOurp To some extent,
no doubt, through cracks in the floors
and walls, and through joints in door
frames and window frames, but these
avenues are very likely to be narrowed in
to the wealth of the occupant.
The luxurious, very probably, will have
heir double windows, their weather.
strips, heavy curtains, and portieres.
They will actually spend money to keep
)ut fresh oxygen, whereas the poor man
N his house of imperfect carpentry can
not hinder the inroad of fresh air from
Ill directions. Happily, in these days
If improved architecture and household
equipment, the beauty and utility of
open fires are fast gaining recognition,
md we need not say that where these
Exist, simple and effective means of
ventilation is provided. DR.. Osgood's
is pertinent, however, that Z
while the fireplace may be ornamented
n summer with flowers and grasses, it
must never be closed. {
Concerning night air, of which SO :
many people live in such needless fear
hat DR.. Ingelhaus calls their affection
DR.. Osgood says: cit is a
yery common belief that night air is I'M 7
lealthful, but, as Florence Nightingale !
ensibly remarks, I'VE must breathe air at )
hight and she might have added if pure }
light air be shut out, then we breathe q
oul night air. The popular idea that +
light air is impure and unhealthful is an :
,rror which costs life.''
"In winter the seeds of many fatal +
ung disease are sOwn in unventilated 7
rooms, and this not in a meta t
,horical, but in literal and physical +
ense If the lungs be not directly irri- t
ated, the general tone of the system is
% lowered by this foul air that it can t
lot and does not successfully meet the |
igorous trials of our winter weather. r
n unventilated rooms at night the strong
row weak and the weak become more
eeble Statistics show that where war !