The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1898-02-11
JUST HOW WE. TAKE COLD.
Read This, Think il Over and Pass
il Along.

"Oue of my patients could mot under
| stand Why he took such u severe cold"
said II doctor, who is especially familiar
with ihroats and lungs, in u talk with II
Washington Post writer.
ale said he had ample warm clothing,
M ckntosh, umbrella and rubbers, aud
That his exposure didn't compare with
many he had undergone, aud from which
he suffered no i'll.
"When ] questioned him, he remem-
bered that he was very much fatigued the
last time. That was the secret of it 1t
requires very little exposure for one to
take cold when he is weary or anxious or
depressed. The condition of the nervous
system has more TO do with it tEan the
! condition Of the atmosphere.
"The explanation is very simple The
power to resist diseases of this kind de-
ponds on the temperature OF the body.
You can stmetime; stop bad cold short
by hot drinks. and getting your lack
warm. The temperature Of the body is
maintained by the nervous system and
the least trouble with the nerve centres
lowers the temperature and invites
cold. 1t is au interesting fact that the
bodily temperature is wholly dependent
of outside conditions 1t is little more
than % degrees at the equator and At the
north pole, if Professor Andree happens
to be The e. This is because the nervous
system regulates it. But for its watchful
care, the temperature OF the body would
rise with every muscular movement, aud
would rise or fall with the outside TEN
peraturc. When anything is wrong with
the nervous system it does not perform
its work as it SHOULD, just us clock can
not Keep good time when auy,h hing is
wrong with its insdes No amount OF
WARM clothing will compensate for the
disturbance of the nerve centres by work
carried so far as TO bring WEAKNESS, or
by anxiety. fright. and SO on. When IL
man is depressed in spirit or fatigusd, he
should hr most careful about exposing
himself 20 bad weather.
at is this nervous origin of colds that
accounts for the shocking suddenness
with which robust men, in apparent good
health, are attacked and carried off by
pneumonia. In nearly every case. if we
could know the truth, we should find an
unfavoIable state of mind The nervous,
pushing Americans are more often the
victims of pneumonia than any other
people, not because nur climate is SO
much worse, but because we are less Sc.
rene and less moderate in oui work.
At this season exposure to wind and
dampness causes an acute catarrh in
mo cases. or "A bronchitis; but it may
ven;i"e is n chpt rful mind, aud that can
be cultivated. It's largely within mans
own power 10 be cheerful or gluu. \
determination 10 shed anxiety, 10 look on
the pleasant side Of everything, will
sometimes save mans life. aud very Of
ten enn BILE him TO escape n had cold. We
may pay Il big price for the doubtful
pleasure of being irritable and anxious.
at is Il remarkable thing that so few
set to work deliberately TO he happy
Men have an idea they are pursuing hap
piness when :hey toll for riches and re-
fuse to he genial for fear they may relax
their efforts to obtain the means 10 bnS
happiness. They might have many happy
hours in spite of predisposltion to
crnssness, it they would only make up
their minds 10 he cheerful Determine
ton has much to do with it Delsarte
maintained that il one puts himself in
the attitude hat is Characteristic of any
emotion ne will really experience that
emotion. at least it is true that if one
puts him self in the mental attitude of
cheerfulnesS, simply resolves to he cheer.
full, he will overcome almost any degree
of depression. 1t is the best prophylactic
in the world 10 be cheerful. Even the
most rirulept bacteria cannot work as ia
tally in merry as in melancholy per.
son.
"rfe French doctOrs have discovered
that many diseases may b. successfully
treated by music. The idea is IA old as
Plato. How right Emerson was when he
said that amazing philosopher had clap
ped copyright on everything in the world
of ideas. Ia the Charmides of Plato there
is remarkable account of the theory OF
such treatment. attributed by Socrates
to TamolXi>, the Thracian god king
IL -. L.
Arnold found fault with the medical pro-
fessicn, and Justly. for it's ignorance of
The relations of moral fault and disease
We are only Mt the beginning of moral
theIapeutics.'