River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-04-05
HYGIENIC SENSE.
Good Sense and Poor Sense In Bath
ing.


ing.
From the Boston Herald.
The lecture of DR.. Sargent, medical
director of the Christian Union gymna-
SUM, upon the use and abuse of bath
ing, contained, so far as We can Judge
by the reports, good deal more sense
than is sometimes talked by profession
ais upon this and kindred themes A
specialist in these matters is apt to be
hobby rider. If he have bathing on the
brain he viii soak the life out of such
matters as viii follow his directions. II
diet be his hobby. he viii either starye
or stuff his credulous callers, according
to the bent of his mind. If exercise be
his panacea, he will unwittingly advise
a complaining letter carrier to lake
brisk walk daily" or will break down
feeble women or debilitated
men by too Wig
orous "course of sprouts" The profess
ional dogInatist-and the type
is by no means un-
common-is blind to the fact that every
case of disease is in way unique; i. e..
that it is modified by the constitution,
habits and condition of the patient, so
that no formula can cover all cases.
There is quite too much of The iron-bed
stead style of treatment In all the
schools. Undue respect for authority
and tradition in the medical profession
likewise causes its less independent and
se,freliant members to give smaller con-
sideration than they ought to the fact
that every human being should be, in
some things, a law unto himself and her.
self. They recognize, in a general way,
the truth embodied in the homely say
ing that ''What is one mans meat is an
other mans poison; but empiricism is
forever trying TO find remedies and
methods and prescribed courses that are
universal And so long as differences
and variations exist in human constitu
tons and conditions. the effort will of
course fail.
DIR. Sargent undoubtedly astonished
some of his hearers by the mere impli-
cation that there can be an abuse" in
bathing. To many minds the only
abuse would consist in not bathing
enough. Our cities are fun of thought
less persons who pride themselves upon
being superior creatures because they
indulge in the ''luxury" ofa full bath
daily, with a frequent Turkish" or
Russian" ablutlon as an extra-a kind
of bath which the professor said should
only be taken, under advice, for dis
ease. What must these persons think
of their grandfathers, and perhaps near
err ancestors, who never saw bath tub
in their lives. and yet lived, in health,
strength and usefulness, the allotted
time of man, with the frequent wash
ing" that formerly sufficed for our farm
ing population, and, we suspect, still
does in some localities2 DR.. Sargent ex-
planned that free perspiration, and the
wearing of heavy fiannels, promote the
functions OF the skin, so that only an
amount of bathing essential to cleanli-
ness is needed to maintain health.
Warm baths are the substitutes
which luxury has devised to do the
work of exercise, and make up for the
deficiencies of an artificial life. Twice
week is often enough to take them, ac-
cording to the lecturer, as their too fire.
quent use is facilitating. The tonic eff
feet of a cool sponge bath in the morn
ing would not willingly be given up by
those who know the delightful after
glow, and the protection which the hab-
it affords against colds; but here, again,
a discriminating science, backing up
common sense, steps In and says: No
cold baths unless they are agreeable,
and you are, in point of health and Wig
or, fully up to it." The intelligent per-
son who learns to 'know his frame" and
to observe the effect of diet, bath and
exercise, can usually order his life Alright
better than ANYBODY can do it for him.
But, inasmuch as the majority of people
are not observant and intelligent in these
directions, the advice of an open-eyed
and open-minded physician is of the
highest value.
The rule holds good for diet and ex-
eTcise, and even for relaxation-a Cos
pei that should be more preached by
physicians and practiced by our people.
HYGIENE science has not advanced be-
yond the wisdom of Lord Bacon's max
inns: "A mans own observation of what
he finds good of and what he finds hurt
of is the best physic to preserve health"
''To be free-minded and cheerfully dis
posed at hours of meat, and of sleep,
and of exercise, is one of the best pre-
cepts for long fasting"
II commend, rather, come diet for GER
tain seasons than frequent use ofphysics
for those diets alter the body more
and trouble it less" The difficulty in
general is not that men do not know
what they find good of nd hurt of, )"
but that they are not resolute in acting
upon their knowledge until their health
is too much impaired to be easily
mended. OF all follies, that is weakest
which permits indulgence in any article
of food or drink, or any course of life
wherein there is option, simply for
momentary qualification. Health is
alone one of the blessings whose bright
ness should be appreciated before it
"takes its flight" And, under ordinary
Enthusiastically accident, or
contagion being left out of the calcula-
tion-health may be preserved by OBJ
CRYING faithfully the dictates of common
sense--enlightened, if need be by read
ingior by professional advice. a sufferer
rom the common forms of dyspepsia,
nervous disorders of liver complaint
would know, if he exercised his COM
mon sense and dealt honestly with him
self, that what he needs is to readjust
his life to the laws of nature, not to re-
sort to pills, pads, pepsin, "gastrinc," or
any tonics or nOstrums. The heart is
mighty pump, that was made to work;
the substance and construction of the
Lungs prove that they, too, were made
for activity and for compensating rest.
The tendency in this country is to be
active without rest, or to rest without
having been active. Habitual overwork,
or chronic lazlness, Is at the bottom of
half the ill-health which the average
American may be said to "enioy."
Whether or not it be, as Mr.. Beecher
has declared, it ga sin to be sick, " it is a
great misfortune, and often great need
less folly. 1t should be every mans and
woman's first business to keep well, and
to teach their children, if they have any,
how to take proper care of themselves.
A part of the time devoted to the souls
of children, In some families, would be
more profitably spent in looking after
their stomachs, their bowels, their skins,
and to imparting TO them knowledge or
the body, its organs aud functions. There
has been notable advice in the matter
of sensible and healthful dress within
the past few years, but there is yet much
TO be done to spread abroad knowl-
edge of the laws of hygiene, and to in
duce rational beings to live in rational
manner.
Henry James New Heroine.