Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-01-01
UNDERC LOTHING.
It's Hygienic Uses and Hints on the Mat,
658t k3z& Tl01 In n 10

Z. u
i Journal.
There are few matters concerning
health that are more completely mis-
understood by the average man and
woman than the subject Of under
clothing. AS now is the time at which
it is important to begin to exercise
special care to avoid taking cold it
Will not be out of place for me to say
q few words on this important }ques-
ton to the readers who want to know
what is right in regard to the care of
their health, and yet perhaps do not
know exactly what to do.
! In the first place, l may say that in
our climate some kind of I'M
| derclothing should be worn by man,
woman and child all the year round,
summer as we'll as winter-though, Of
course, it should vary in character
| with the season. There are. doubt
less, many who wear nothing of the
sort, winter or summer. and who have
thus far escaped all ill consequences, or
at least think they have. In all probar
bility, however, they are deceiving
themselves. They may not yet have
suffered any serious inconvenience
from their neglect to properly clothe
themselves, but they are quite Ger
certainly, even though the process
goes on slowly, weakening their resist
ing powers, and are hence rendering
themselves less capable of bearing up
against the attacks which morbid in
t1uences are constantly making.
Every year finds them more apt to
suffer from slight ailments; each one
of which debilitates the system; ad.
vancing age makes them more sus-
eeptible, and at last pneumonia, pleli-
risy, dysentery or some other serious
disease strikes them down. The
changes in our climate are so sudden
and severe as to require all the vital
strength Of the organism to combat
them. and if the body be not properly
protected the danger is greatly in
creased. Even with all the care that
can be exercised the barriers are often
broekn down.
=" There are many men and women
within my personal knowledge who
cannot even for a single day omit
their customary wooden shirts or
drawers without contracting a cough
or becoming subject to rheumatic or
neuralgia palms. One of these is a
gentleman holding high Office under
the government of the United States.
He dislikes the sensation ofwool next
to his skin, and has repeatedly tried
to harden himself to the point of be-
ing able to dispense with the thick
Eannel shirt that his wife insists on
his wearing. AS often, however, as he
has made the attempt he has been
Obliged after few hours abstinence
to- return to the agreeablegarment,
for q gentle reminder comes to him in
the form of a slight stitch in his side
whi0e' he is shifting the fresh morning
air or his way to his Office BY the
time be has gone a few blocks, whether
on foot or in his carriage, it Is painful
for hiin to breathe, and the. suffering
goes ON Increasing till he is forced to
60 hs@le and put on the protecting
Shirt. very much to his wife's delight
at the h1lfllnlent of her predictions.
There is u widely prevalent idea
that silk is the best substance from
which, to make underclothinE, and
have:R known many poor girls to stint
themselves in the necessaries Of life in
order to- save enough money to pur-
chase silk undergarments. Bat silk is
not the best material with which to
make umderclothes so far as concerns
their henltE- preserving qualities what
ever May be it's advantages SO far as
beauty and immediate comfort are
concerned. The chief object OF under
clothing is the retention of thenatural
heat Of the body in such a way that
low temperatures and sudden changes
will mo- affect the surfaces. Several
years @go I performed some expert
ments which went to show beyond q
doubt that silk Is below wool IN it's
power to prevent the loss ofkeat from
the body and very little superior to
cotton Indeed, nothing is, i'm this re-
spect preferable to wool, and OF this
material all underclothing meant for
winter use should be made. In sum-
mer' a mixture of wool and cotton,
called naefino, may be woum, but even
in very hot weather silk is not
desirable for it is not such a ready
absorber of the perspiration as is
WOOL and hence allows the body to
be- kept in state not very remotefrom
THAT known as parboifed- Wool, how-
ever, taking up as it does the moisture
from the body, exposes it to the &C.
ton Of the atmosphere, it is evapor-
ated, and the process being a cooling
one, keeps the skin from becoming
overheated.
Rabbit skins, cushions OF various
kinds and the so-callefl protectors, -
worn over the chest are horrible af.
fairs, as they prevent the escape of the
excretions from the skin and hence
facilitate the collection of dirt as we'll
as impeding the proper exercise of one
of the most important functions Of the
body. 1have frequently seen persons
-men and women-divest themselves
| OF a half a dozen layers of skins and
pads before I could get at the naked
chest to examine it with the stethe-
scope. The odor was disgusting and
the effect upon the organs they were
supposed to protect certainly delete.
rious. No underclothing should ever
! be SO thick as to prevent the free pas
sage of the cutaneOus excretions and
1 the atmospheric air. The skin re-
| quires ventilation as we'll as do the
lungs. Channels skin undergarments
''perforated'' or unperforated, are
! abominations. 3. #s =
A notion exists that red is partic
ularly advantageous color to give tc
the undershirts and drawers worn ir
very cold weather. There is no foun
lation in faction such an idea. II
hast,een said that thed dye stuff used fol
the purpose OF producing the color il
question is more irritating to the Skin
than the other substances employed
but, even If this were true-and / an
strongly inclined to question the cor
rectness Of the statement-it woult