Nebraska advertiser., 1881-03-17
Take Care of the Skin.
DR.. Foote's Health MONTHLY.

Our boards of health are giving es-
pecial attention TO drainage, sewerage,
etc. In the cities in some instances
they are making from house to house
inspections to see if all the pipes are in
working order and carrying off proper
ly the refuse matter which is poured
into them. This move is a good one,
and it will no doubt conduce greatly to
the public health. But while looking
out for all the sewerage pipes of the
! household it is equally necessary. to
look out for the sewerage of the human
system in every individual case. In
summer there is little to be said on this
subject. The season of fruits and veg
etables keeps up active elimination nat
urally by giving activity to all the out
lets appertair ing to the removal of what
is called eXcrementitious matter. Out
of-dOOr exercise to which every one is
| irresistibly attracted, together with the
warmth of the air eXciteS perSpiratiOn.
| Hence, there is an active casting out of
all the eXcrementitiOuS and effete mat
terS In winter the conditions are re-
versed. The feminine portion of the
human family keep too much indoors,
and even the masculine members only
60 out so much as is necessary to attend
to their various avocat ons. Food at
this season is more constipating. The
skin, no longer deluged with perspira-
tiOn, be"Omes inactive, and wien it is
remembered that there are in every one
twenty miles of perSpiratory tubes and
more than two millions of pores for the
purpose of discharging from twenty to
forty ounces of effete matter every dav,
it will be seen how necessary it is to see
to it that the skin is performing its work
If the stOppage in the waste
pipes in hOr Sc tends to engender dis
ease, how much more the stOppage of a
few thousands of these pores will do so.
And yet bathing is not safe for every
one; especially cold bathing. A full
blOOded, robust person may perhaps
advantageously take a shower-bath
every morning. He may take plunge
and after a good rubbing down feel
greatly benefited. But there are those
who are so thin-blooded and anamic
that cold water will not do at all. With
some of these warm water or water at a
tepid temperature will act agreeably.
But there are those who can neither en-
dure a cold bath nor warm one, and
who cannot compromise the matter by
using tepid water. Such persons NAV
be benefited by bath of vaseline or
lard. To those who can afford it vase
line is preferable. Once or twice week
it may be applied to every part of the
skin with the palm of the hand followed
with brisk rubbing with dry napkin
or, where the skin is not very sensitive, |
with Turkish toweling. In our large |
cities where Turkish, Russian and other |
baths can be resorted to. each will be |
apt to select that which is best adapted |
to his constitution, and pursue one of |
these devices for keeping up an active |
of the skin. There are those
who take air-baths to advantage. On /
rising in a room of comfortable temper
ature the whole surface of the body is
exposed and frictionized with the palm |
of the hand.
Every person ought 10 determine
which of these various means of preserv-
ing the activity of the skin is best
adapted to his individual ease, and pur-
sue it persistently during the colder
months of the year.