The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1899-12-29

WINTER COLD THE BEST
TONIC.

Many persons regard the winter
season as an unfortunate visitation.
They consider it uncomfortable to the
body and harmful to health. This is
an error. Cold is valuable potent
agent for the restoration and preserva-
ton of normal activity of the organs of
the human body. 1t is wise plan of
Providence which gives us change of
seasons. The winter cold comes as
tonic to repair the injuries done by
the encrvating heat of summer. Sum-
mer, it is true, has many good uses in
the matter of health. 1t induces out
door life, rids the system of poisons and
through the scorching rays OF the sun
it destroys germ life.
Winter is the great bracer Of the
system. 1t stimulates activity in
every organ. When cold attacks the
surface of the body the blood is set in
to free circulation as means of bod-
ly warmth. / is throug the circula-
tion Of the blood that the human anat-
omy is kept in state of repair When
food has been digestcd and converted
into liquid form it is taken up by the
blood and carried the rounds of the
system for the purpose ofrepairing the
waste places. When cold causes in
creased circulation it also brings about
improved nutrition.
Mans face and hands illustrate how
weatherproof the body becomes when
exposed to the air Continued activi-
ty in circulation on the surface, caus-
ed by the air coming in contact with
the skin, nourishes and thickens the
skin. Thus mans skin grows thicker
in winter as animals are supplied with
a double coat of fur to resist cold.
When sprlngtime returns mans skin
becomes thin and then the animal sheds
its top coat of fur. Savages who
dwell bareheaded in the open air are
seldom, if ever, known to be afflicted
with bald heads, while, with the civil
ian who shields his scalp from the air,
badness is prevalent.
The Indians who, if not now, in
former days roamed our western bor-
ders, practically without clothing to
shelter their bodies, became, through
long exposure, so Injured to the cold
that it gave them but little discom-
fort.
A correspondent in the London
"Spectator" says that there are places
where it is impossible to catch cold,
simply because there are no colds to
catch: and that these places, singular
ly enough, are in the Arctic regions.
The explorer Nansen and his men du-
ring the three years spent in the Arc
tic never caught cold, though they
were constantly exp osed to fatigue and
wet, and slept in wet garments and
went about all day with wet feet. The
moment they returned to civilization
they caught cold. The members Of
the Jackson Harmworth Arctic Expc-
dition stayed three years in Franz Jo-
sef Land and never had cold, though
wet feet were their "chronic expert
ence," and on one occasion six of them
were exposed to gale in a boat for
three days and nights, all drenched to
the skin, and, when they arrived on
land they had to remain in their wet
clothes and let them dry on their
bodies With but two exceptions
they caught severe colds as soon as
they returned to civilization. Sir
Martin Conway, while exploring Spitz-
bergen, with bis four companions, was
often wet through and they frequently
slept in wet clothes, but they never
caught cod until they returned to the
Andree settlement on the coast.