The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1880-05-07
CLOTHING IN ITS RELATION TO
HEALTH

Approximately, the human body when
clothed resembles q steam jacketed pipe;
the clothing forms the outer covering, be-
tween which and the body there is a Law
or of steam and heat, which are constant
ly ascending. The place where this hot
AIR and steam passes out into the atmos-
phere is narrow ring between the neck
and shirt collar. This opening plays,
therefore, an important part in the main
tenance of the temperature of the human
body. II it is enlarged, the heat and
steam viii escape more quickly, and the
skin Is soon cooled; if, on the contrary,
it Is wholly or partly closed by being
buttoned or by a muller, then the loss
OF heat is stopped, and temperature of
the skin raised Thus there is nothing
more iniudicIous than the constant wear
ing of muller, or the thick neckcrcheif
of our forcfathers, because it impedes the
evaporation of the matter which ought
to pass out of the skin; though for the
same reason it is of great value in case
of cold
While the dampness ofthe atmosphere
affects the evaporation through the lungs
as well rs the skin, clothing by night as
by day regulates that of the latter All
covering which impedes this evaporation
acts injuriously. Though no material is
quite faultless in this respect, there is
still Il great difference in their structure:
The less they arc impcrvious, the more
they are to be avoided. India rubber
stands at the bottom of the list, for 1t
does not admit of the passages of any
water; leather comes next; less object
ionable, but still repellant, is linen, as an
instance of which we may mention the
blue linen blouse worn by the Belgians
and Dutch over their other clothes as Il
L ind of r.tfn
advantage over the foregoing, as it is to
a certain extent, pOrus; but the best of
all percolators is a wooden material. A
flannel shirt is more healthy than a cot
ton one; "a wooden blanket at night than
linen sheet.
The action of the skin depends also
upon the circulation of the blood under
its surface, and the latter is promoted by
outward friction. 4 material which in.
duces the latter is therefore also more
healthy, and rougher undertaking
such rs wooden or coarse cotton, is pre-
ferable 10 the enervating finer linen OF
silk.
Another point TO be observed is the
| keeping of the skin warm, because
warmth keeps the pores open, while cold
| contracts and closes them and here
wooden clothing stands first.
Thus it proved that ia point of pc
| rousness, friction and warmth, wooden
clothing is to be preferred to all others
But not only the material of the cloth
| ing is of importance, but also Its cut. In
warm climates, where clothing is more
| a luxury than necessity, the lOoses
/ garments are the best; but in those lati
| tudes where.a certain amount of warmth
has to be obtained by clothing, the gar
ments must be worn more closely fitting
| We have before likeued the human body
TO steam jacketed pipe, where thi'
stream is constantly III an ascendant mo
ton; the faster this circulation take.
| place, the more is the skin cooled II fol
lows, therefore, that the most regular
and constant evaporation is maintained
by close fitting garments.-C Canada Ont
| Globe