The Osceola times., 1885-09-12
NEW IDEAS ABOUT DRESS.
White Best for Winter and Black for
summer.


In recent article published in The
New O,l,dns lhdic1t and Surgical Jour
nal, DR.. Thomas Herbert points out what
he believes to be a serious popular fal-
lacy concerning summer wearing APP
parel "We have been taught, y he says.
'that white bodies reflect heat and dark
ones absorb it. We saw for ourselves
that snow melted much faster under
dark cloth than il did under white
fabric. The inference was that we should
wear white cloth In summer, because it
absorbs less and reflects more, and dark
cloth in winter for the opposite reason.
This j. an error which has grown into a
pernicious habit The temperature of
the body, as taken by the thermometer
is about 9Sl degrees. THIS would make
the blood temperature 100 degrees.
Probably more. Now, the general blood
temperature is much on a parallel with
the outside atmosphere temperature
during the greater portion of the sum
mer, with a tendency to be higher, even
in the repose of the body, and this ten
dency is much increased by exercise.
In the sun, however, the thermometer
may register 100 degrees to ll5 degrees.
and at the hottest period of the day may
give l02 degrees or l03 degrees in the
shade. Then the outside heat may be
greater than that of the human body in
repose. But at other periods of the day
the temperature is notably less, while
our own heat tends 10 remain perman-
emily at the same degree. In short dur
ing the greater portion of the day, ever
in the hottest summer, the body temper
ature, in some of our organs at least,
is above the surrounding temperature.
These remarks do not apply to the few
people who work in tho sun. but to the
great proportion who labor in the shade.
Exercise may bring The blood 10 fever
heat.
Leaving aside any consideration OF
our exterior apparel. we will say that
most of us, during this exercise, wear
white stuff next to the skin. Yet such
garments will reflect heat from our
bodies more when the temperature out
side is greater than it is inside of them,
and TO our bodies more when the excess
Of temperature is in the blood. In the
vast majority of cases, therefore, we
put on such garments preferable in sum"
mer when they generally serve as re-
tainers of heat. In outer clothing we
make another error in wearing fabrics
which do not absorb moisture readily
and tend TO keep a stratum OF air satut-
ated with il over the skin, thus prevent
ing evaporation. and consequently re-
frigeration. Besides, what retains moist
IRE retains heat, and what retains botn
is, so far, doubly injurious. This is Just
the way white linen clothes operate.
There are men who can not be made 10
wear, in the heat of the sun, anything
lighter in weight or color than dark
hued flannel shirt. Negroes black ~
Erebus split wood standing naked be-
meath the copper sky. They do not
complain. In winter nature wears
mantle of spotless white. White retains
heat. Who ever saw black polar pear
But the human creature has on gar
ment that is dark colored. and absorOs
heat. The atmosphere around MN,
which may be below zero, will wrench
the heat from his blood and organs
which may be above 100 degrees IN tenn
perature His vital furnace Is set roar,
ing to supply the loss. Exhaustion o'
fuel occurs. and he is chilled to the core;
Then fever sets in, by the same law "
equilibrium, the overtaxcd organs maAe
u tremendous effort 10 remedy 'he
trouble by reaction.