The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-09-15

There were thrcc of them. They all I,c-
longod to II l;"alth culture club, and they
thought what thcy didn't know about the
human frame hadn't been discovered.
II don't understand it ut all" re-
marked tho tall, slender woman with .bo
pale checks and lips "Aftcr exercise i'm
tho gym or return from bicycle ride and
take my warm bath almost collapse NV
hands and fee; are like ice the rest of tho
uay' ana ieei MS languid as II constitu-
tionnily lazy person does in spring"
The same hcyc," responded the stout
woman. Now always take my exercise
III moderation. If I'm in tho gym never
work more than IN hour If l 90 bicy-
cling, | never ride moro than ten miles.
and when walk five miles Is nv limit.
don't believe in carryinganything to cx-
cess. For my part believe many IL wom-
an Is in shcol If there is is such n place,
from belonging to too many church soci-
cites and attending service too frequently.
My doctor told me that if would only cx-
orcisc in moderation and take u warm
bnth afterward ! would feel oXhilarntcd
the balance of the day and that would
havo no moro ailments, but somehow il
hasn't worked"
And rs for me-" said tho third wom-
an, Il brunette who would lave been pretty
had it not been for her dcathliko pnlor, ~
iccl Ike tho last rose of summer about the
time l finish my bath after exercising"
:" No wonder you feel like II limp lunatic
after exercising if you take a hot bath
aftorward said an elderly man joining
tho group DO you mean To say all Of
you women, that you havo 10 better sense
than TO take II hot or II warm bath after
violent oxcrcisc?"
We'll, you surely would not advise n
cold shower, " said my Indy pale lips, with
u shuddcr ut the mere thought
Tint would be as much Of an extreme
rs hot bath" answered the man. 'Ive
studied this question of baths for athletes
for many years, both hero and in other
countries, and IL is astonishing how many
physicians give incorrect and harmful adj
vico on this subject"
81 couldn't give up my hot bnths for
anybody" interrupted tho tall woman.
"Thcn you'll always have those pale
checks and lips that nro the banc of your
life,' insisted tho man. land, another
thing, you'll never know the real joy of
living physically. BY that l mean you'll
never have "a full, free How Of rich blood
distributed equally throughout every part
of your body. Why Well, to begin Mt
tho beginning, if heat in any form is np-
piled to the spine. it tends to arrest circu-
lntion, and prOstration in various part, of
the body is sure to follow Did any of you
women ever apply hot water bag be-
tween the shoulders"
ooh, yes" cmphatically from tho trio
II thought so, said tho man, with n
smile. II know that nearly all Of your
sex arc slaves to the hot water bag Very
well, if you've put hot water bag no
tween your shoulders and kept it there for
half an hour you know how cold and
clam.ny your hands and feet grow"
That's so, admitted the stout woman
candidly. 1t may relieve the sharp pain
in tho shoulders or Lack, but the corpse
like feeling Of tho feet and hands that fol-
lows is almost as tiisagreeablo us tho real
pain.
"Thc direct injury" continued the
man, "is TO tho spinal nervous system
Whom we talk about the backbone of n
country, we mean thnt thing which holds
it up-Which keeps il together. so it is
with the human body. Tho backbone, tho
spine, with all its wonderful machinery,
is what keeps these bodies of ours up
Heat applied to tho bnck stimulates the
great sympathetic nervo and this cnuscs
the vase mOtors-tlic little terminal nerves
surrounding the blood vcsscls--to construct
the blood vessels and impede circulation
You can readily sec how much frcer circu-
lation is after exercising, and so the check
ing of it by "a hot bath causes tremendous
relaxation. This is u simple statement of
the case. The subject is too profound to
go into dctail.'
"What effect has cold on tho spinc?"
asked the brunette
Gold on the spine, answered tho man.
"causcS an active circulation and invigor-
atGs one. If you come in from IL bicycle
ride and after cooling off will tako large
n rnl, ~
vigorously up and down tho spine instead
of retarding circulation it will increase it,
The blood will go flying through those
blood vessels connected with the spine and
reach every part of your body One cnn
take q warm bath without injury, ard
oven with benefit at times, provided the
spine is not immersed.
''The tub should contain plenty of warm
water and tho bathcr should get into it on
his hands and knees with his back out of
the water. In other words, keep Your
back up whom you indulge in hot bath
and 1t can't injure you. Then you will
get tho good without the depressing effect
All around us we SEQ women suffering
with colds in very moderate weather The
trouble generally arises from the warm
bath habit Various ailments from which
women suffer arc also results of continu-
GUS use of hot water, and pallid lips, which
are pretty suro sign of u lack of vitality
arc still another.
while tho main good of cold bath
can BIO obtained with only two or three
inches of water in the tub, just enough to
immerse tho spno. complete immersion
is more valuable, especially for bicycle
riders and other athletes. Cold water not
only inviGoratcs the skin and fortillcs 1t