Kimball enterprise. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1883, 1883-04-13
HYGIEN1C SENSE.
Good Sense and Poor Sense In Bath

than is sometimes talked by profession
ais upon this and kindred themes. A
specialist in these matters is apt to be a
hobby rider. If he have bathing on the
brain he will soak the life out Of such
matters as will follow his directions. Ii
diet be his hobby. he will either starve
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 'take a
brisk walk daily" or will break down
l men by u too oe0'''fa visl
orous course of sprouts" The profess
ional dogmatist-and the type
is by no means UNI
c~ommon-is blind to the fact that every
case of disease is i'll q 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
n tradition in the medical profession
likewise causes its less independent and
selt-reliant members to give smaller CON
slderation 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-
lions and conditions. the effort will of
course fail,
DR.. 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
enough. Our cities are full of thought
less persons who pride themselves upon
being superior creatures because they
indulge in the ssluxury" ola full bath
daily, with q 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 a 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 localities? DR.. Sargent ex-
planned that free perspiration, and the
functions OF the skin, so that only an
amount of bathing essential to c%leanli-
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 a
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,
or, fully up to it." The intelligent per-
son who learns to "know his frame,"an
to observe the effect of diet, bath and
exercise, can usually order his life Alright
better than eHybody can do it for him.
But, inasmuch as the majority of people
are not observant and i~ntelligentin 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-
ercise, and even for relaNation-a COS
pei that should be more preached by
physicians and practiced by our people
Hygienic 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 plysic 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 NOR
and trouble it less" The difficulty in
general is not that men do not know
what they find good of and 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 8
momentary qualification. Health is
alone one of the blessings whose bright.
ness should be appreciated before i
'takes its flight And, under ordinary
misunderstanding, accident, o.
cOntaglOn being lett out OF the cdlCula
t~ion-health may be preserved by OBJ
serving faithfully the dictates Of common
sense--enlightened, ifneed be by read
lng,or by professional advice. A %sutfere:
from the common forms of dyspepsia
nervous disorders of liver complain
would know, if. he exercised his com
mon sense and dealt honestly with him
self, that what he needs is to readjus
his life to the laws of nature, not to re
sort to pills, pads, pepsin, 'sgastrinc," o
any tonics or nostrums. The heart is
mighty pump, that was made to work
the substance and construction Of tn
lungs prove that they, too, were mad
for activity and for ~compensating rest
The tendency in this country is to b
active without rest, or to rest withou
having been active. Habituai overwork
pr chronic lazn.ss, is at the bottom c
half the ill-health which the averag
Amerlcan may be said to "enjoy."
Whether or not it be, as Mr.. Beeche
Las declared, t "a sin to be sick" it is
, great misfortune, al.'often a great weed
=: less folly. 1t should be every mans ant
r woman's first business to keep we'll, anC
to teach their children, If they have any
how TO take proper care of themselye;
A part Of the time devoted to the soul
OF children, III some families, would bt
more probably spent in looking afte
their stomachs, their bowels, their skins
and to imparting to them knowledge q