The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-11-06
A NEW DRESS REFORM.
of Germans Now Wearing
Woolen Clothing Only.
London Times.

London Times.
The doctrine starts with the funda.
mental principle that, being animals, we
should wear animal clothing: The ab-
sorption by vegetable life of poisonous
eminations from animal life is a process
not limited, it would appear, to living
plants. but continued by vegetable fibre,
such as cotton, linen, &C.. with the diff
ference that, while the living plant as.
similates these emanations, the dead fibre
cannot do so, but exhales them again
when wetted or warmed. Thus our clothes,
in consequence of their vegetable cbarac.
ter, attract and retain those noxious prin.
ciples which should, on the contrary, be
thrown off with the greatest possible
promptitude. On the other hand, ami.
NAL material, such as wool, is made by
nature to protect animal life, and will
not prevent, but assist the evaporation
of the emanations coming from the body.
This can readily be proved by the sense
of smell. 1t sufices to wear clothes of
pure wool throughout, and there, is at
once an end to the unpleasantness noticed
in the linen .underclothing, the cotton
Innings of the coat, &c. From these
facts DR.. Gustav Jaeger, professor of
zoology and physiology at Stuttgart, de-
duces his medical theory, which has won
innumerable disciples in an incredible
short time.
DR.. Jaeger points out that the human
body is most susceptible to disease when
it contains too large quantity of water
or of fat The presence in excess of
these substances can be tested by the spe-
cific weight. and the rapidity of the
nervous action. But the specific weight
must be given in proportion with the
cubic measurement of the person, and
this latter is not easy to ascertain. By
the immersion of the body in measured
tank we have q rough.and.rea method
of gauging its cubic capacity, which
must correspond with the displacement
of the water. DR.. Jaeger, however, has
constructed an air.tight chamber where
column of mercury records the amount of
compression brought to bear upon the
air by the introduction of foreign body
or person.
Out OF IS men, thus measured, DR..
Jaeger found that the litre weight varied
from 764 to 1,060 grammes, difference of
almost 40 per cent. To test the nervous
activity srop.watch is employed which
can record the wo.thousandth part of
second. The operator sets the index,
hand in motion, which has then to be
Immediately stopped by the person under
going the test. The difference between
the two readings records the time needed
for the excitation, produced by the sight
of the moving handle, to run its course
through the eye, the. optic nerves, the
brain, the nerves. of the arm, and finally
to reach the muscles which actuate the
finger that stops the watch. Expert
ments conducted in this manner showed
in one instance that the rapidity of action
after Turkish bath increased to the ex-
tent of 13 per cent.
What is now known as DR.. Jaeger's
sanitary woolen clothing is so contrived
as to obviate these evils. The clothing
consists, for men, oftight. fitting stock
ingette undergarments made of pure un-
dyed wool fastened over the shoulder,
and of double thickness over the breast.
The coat or jacket is double. breasted,
buttoned well up to the throat, contains
no lining nor padding unless of pure
wool, and is either undyed or treated only
with uninjurious fast dyes. The same
rule applies to the trousers, while the
waistcoat is either dispensed with alto.
gether, or it forms and inner flap affixed
to the side Of the coat. Inside thesleeyes
and the trousers legs there is q contriv.
ance, which fastening tight round the
limb, prevents up-draughts; for cold,
rheumatism, lumbago, &C., are caught by
the sudden rush ofcold air to one particu-
lar part of The body, and not by the
gradual cooling Of the entire system. The
feet are clad in pure wooden socks with
divisions for each toe, while the upper
part of the boot is made of felt, the lower
part also of felt or of porous leather, and
the inner soles consists of perforated
leather and layers Of felt. THUS the boot
is thoroughly porous, and the feet are
consequently kept as clean and as pure
as the hands.
By doubly protecting the front of the
body where the blood vessels converge,
these are stimulated; and, as an even
temperature throughout is maintained,
the necessity for greatcoats is obviated,
rain or damp having little or no effect,
for in every case gradual and even evap-
grafton is ensured. While they are the
best protection against cold, these clothes
are also the coolest in Summer. Little
or no change need be made between
Winter and Summer, at least in the tenn
perate region; and means have been
found by which this system can with
equal facility be adopted by women.
Nor can "woolenite' be easily dis.
tinguished from the "woodeniles," as the
wearers of vegetable fibre may be called.
The substitution of a collar made of
unstarched white cashmere for the Gus
tomary starched linen collar is the most
conspicuous feature in the dress; other
wise it would be difficult to detect the
disciples of this system. The cashmere
collar, however, is not only the most
comfortable, but is preventive of throat
disorders.
AL lueSc pISCdULIOIlS Ldktu uuEiuS Guo
day must be continued at night. The
bed must also he free from vegetable fibre.
The linen sheet must be replaced by
wooden blankets or camel-hair rugs, with
white cashmere sheets if preferred. The
mattress and the pillow should also be
stuffed and covered with wool; but when
thus protected the sleeper need not fear
neither cold nor change of temperature,
and is, therefore, urged to keep his win.
dow we'll open at night. Indeed, the pos
sibility of thus securing pure air in the
bedroom without risk is one of the most
important advantages of the system. In
reward for this great change in the mode
ofliving the action of the skin is so stim-
ulated that the noxious principles, the
"bad humors" our forefathers so often
spoke about, are soon given off and evap-
Grated. Corpulence is reduced, the flesh
becomes firm and thoroughly hardened"
while the acceleration of nervous action
and a general Improvement in the physi-
al ,,,J ,,,oo}o1 ,>ou,ore g dow,