Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1884-12-11
A New Dress Reform.
THOUSANDS OF GERMANS NOW WEARING
wooLEN CLOTHING ONLY.


From the London Times
The doctrine starts with the fundamental
principal that, being animals. we should
wear animal clothing. The absorption by
vegetable life of poisonous emanations from
animal life is process not limited, it would
appear, to living plants, but continued by
vegetable fiber, such as cotton, linen, etc,
with the difference that, while the living
plant asslmilates these emanations. the dead
fiber cannot do so, but exhales them again
when wetted or warmed. Thus our clothes,
in consequence Of their vegetable character,
attract and retain those noxious principles
which should, on the contrary, be thrown
of with the greatest possible promptitude.
On the other hand, animal material such as
wool, is made by nature to protect animal
life, and will not prevent, but assist the
evaporation of the emanatons coming from
the body. This can readily be proved by
the sense OF smell. 1t suffces to wear
clothes Of pure wool throughout, and there
is at once an end TO the unpleasantness
noticed in the linen underclothing, the cot
ton Innings of the coat, etc. From these
facts Dir. Gustav Jaeger, Professor Of /ool-
ogy and PHI siology at Stuttgart, deduces
his medical theory. which has won innum-
cradle disciples in an incredibly short time.
DIR. Jaeger points out that the human
body is most susceptible to diseases when it
contains too large quantity of water or of
fat. The presence in excess of these sub
stances can be tested BY the specific weight
and III, rapidity of the nervous action. But
the specific weight must be given in proper,
ton with the cubic measurement Of the per
son, and this latter is not easy to ascertain.
BY the immersion Of the body in a measur-
ed tank We have a rough and-ready method
Of gauging It's cubic capacity, which must
correspond with the displacement of the
water DIR. Jaeger. however, has construct
ed an air tight chamber where a column of
mercury records the amount of compression
brought to bear upon the air BY the intro
duction Of foreign body or person.
Out of 6j men, thus measured, DIR. Jaeger
found that the litre weight varied from 164
to 900 grammes, difference of almost 40
per cent. 70 test the nervous activity a
stop-watch Is employed which can record
the two-thousandth part OF a second. The
operator sets the index hand in motion,
which has then to be Immediately stopped
by the person undergoing the test Inc
difference between the two readings records
the time needed for the excitatIon, produced
by tie sight Of the moving handle. to run
It's course through the eve, the optic nerves,
the brain, the nerves of the arm. and finally
to reach the muscles which actuate the
finger that stops the watch. Experiments
conducted IN this manner showed IN one in
stance that the rapldtv of action after a
Turkish bath increased TO the extent of 10
per cent.
What j. now known as Dr.. Jaegers sani-
tary woulen clothing is so contrvei as to
obylatc these evils. The clothing consists,
for men, Of tight fitting >tockinsette under
garments made Of pure undyed wool, fasten-
ed over the shoulder, and Of double thick
ness over the breast. The coat or Jacket
!, double breasted, buttoneI we'll up to the
throat, contain, no lining nor padding unIe-,
Of pure wool, and is either undyed or treat
ed only with uninjurious fast dyes. The
same rule applies to the trousers, while the
waistcoat is either dispensed with altogether,
or II forms an inner flap affixed to the side
Of the coat. Inside the sleeves and the
trousers legs there is contrlyance, which,
fastening tight round the limb, prevents up
lraughtS for cold, rheumatism, lumbago,
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