The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-01-26
Medical Notes.

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Food is fuel but few realize this fact.
We take food just as we shovel coal into
q furnace, to keep up the heat of the
house we live in. True, this is not the
whole purpose of food, but it is the great
ec part Some of it, however. goes to re-
build or replace wasted tissues. Hence
food is divided into two classes; that
which makes heat and that which makes
muscle or other tissue. Heat forming
food is carbonaceOus comprising starch
es, sugar fat and TIE like; muscle-form-
ing food is nitrogenouS, as meat, fiber and
the like.
Life is therefore a process Of combus-
ton, but this must be regulated and kept
at a constant degree of heat, for any ir-
regularity in the amount of heat shows
the presence of disease: in fact, it is
diseased condition We can regulate this
amount of heat in various ways, the ra-
tional use OF which depends upon a
knowledge that heat is made and lost.
After eating a fun meal the use Of a
clinical thermometer will show possible
rise in the bodily temperature of 1 de-
gree above the normal, this being more
noticeable in those who are sick or de-
bilitated, and in children; and this fact
serves to show whether an infants food
is nourshing the child. If after nursing
the temperature does not rise a slight
oiiiOUll II SItONS Illdl Clo Iu61 Is not COM
-buSuble, that is, the food is not of such
quality or quantity as to sustain the vital
flame
Proper food is therefore one method Of
making bodily heat. Exercise is another.
After violent exercise, especially in the
sun, the clinical thermometer shows
rise of 1 degree, mere or less, showing
that exercise depends for its force upon
combustion, just as much the steam
engine depends upon the fire under the
boiler for its steam The whole process
of life may indeed be compared to a
steam engine constantly running, but it
differs from the steam engine in that it
may continue its motion some time after
the fuel has ceased to be supplied, which
Is rendered possible by a process of self
consumption. a sort of egOphagism, or
eating up ones self. We might compare
1t to a steamship in which the fuel mas
been exhausted and the crew break UP
ana burn the furniture and fittings.
starvation Is one way in which a man
may eat himself up; the carbonaceous
Clements OF the body are consumed until
further combustion is impossible and the
temperature falls below par until the
relative zero of death is reached We saw
ielatlVe zero because the normal tenn
perature Of the body is 9S.6 degrees F.
and a fall of several degrees below f6ic
degree means collapse and death: q fall
ing temperature, in fact, is more porten-
tiouS III most cases than a rising tenn
tciatuEe, ana 1t is the stage of collapse
or algldlty that is mostly feared in some
levers as IN yellow fever and cholera.
RaoiatICn is the process by which haaf
IS given out from a body and ra7;ator
INTO TIE air or to other bodies. Whom
exposed 10 cold the body radiates more
neat than IN warm atmosphere and
therefore the body becomes chilled and
Iequlres more fatty and starchy food to
Keep up the bodily heat. Even in a room
ms radiation is noticeable esneciaIIv if
person sits near a wall exposed In the
external atmosphere, the cold being con-
~ucLeu through the wall and chilling The
-ooH ana persons in it's vicinity by the
radiation of cold while If at fha same
ume absOrbs heat from within For tbi-
reason anyone sitting near a window win
ma II advantageous, as far as comfort
IS concerned and health, too. for that
1i1'tLer, TO nave low screen or a piece
S. CT Durlap draped from the sill - A.
moor 10 act as a shield against the cold
MS Is especially needful if the nerson
- Just recovering from sickness. Merely
looking out of the window has caIeod y
Lelapse IN many cases and sealed tba
death warrant. 'ii0
10 prevent radiation is the chief and
ana purpose of clothing. It's mower A. a.
80 uepcndS upon its structure and coIor
looSelg worn fabric will keen the bod,,
81 Aier IMAM dense, closely woven fo
~ Ic' rake pair Of kid gloves. for in
oNO9 JIG KNOWS that fbpx-
troC SO warm by far as a pair of rni+tero
rms depends in part upon tho air, s rr,--o
AZ me Iabflc. Air is a poor conductor
u neaH or cold, and an air-flIed fahr;a |
retains neat within the body that If COW.
Just aS uouDle windows keep A house
warm the effect in both cases heinz fIIo
70 the air space. AS for Tho co., -
olIliilS pIack IS warmer than white ho
cause the black has greater nov,are, -
'l@oi oIlls neat. In the rays of the win.
sun man clothed in black feels
aud IL ""lilLer IMAM one clothed in white.
@l-u III summer the converse is trln
~ aporatIon is another method nv 1,h;o,,
ooay IS cooled. When water vanori7oa
abstracts certain fixed amount ~
s9t rom the body which it moistans
'sIeIore cools it. Precipitation is ma
'UIe method Of cooling the hod1v H.,
evaporation. and when nersnirotio9,, ~
Ctecheu serious. if not fatal. CONSEQUENCE
IoIo". In the process of ners11i1,a H.,
- also certain amount of vifai
s. useu up IN the action of the body
I,a,s,ir,t 49, - .loupy cooling. If, however
alloh IS prevented from evanora,
In py lmperYiouS clothing for axoT,nS
- surface IS chilled and congestion, re
SUITS This warns us against .seat+i,1[,
!i'o d sweat in the winter. esnaoiaiI9
II exposed to wind for moving air ooI 10y
chilling more quickly Than sti1, - 01 ,,
~ why windy winter dav is CO 80
more biting, though the absoIIfa 49,.
peIature may be higher than thar of
sun DAY On the other hand. da,,n
Gay IS worst Of all, for the air is a1ra nip
noTe or less saturated with moistnre oC 10y
c1hLot eVaporate perspiration 50 o,Iio III
VI effectively, and for that reason yJtoI1
peISon gets into a sweat, ON . 49, .
coId day he is apt to catch cold T n1'lIiP
more quickly than on a still day ~
me air IS cold but dry In the ona we" naSa
we say the air chilled us to the hon. o onS
"a me ether we say it is bracino a., ' +iSS
ooHlIaNy' when the air is very brn,i7 ' 1n'7
q summers Gay We suffer from tba In On
because pefspiration is not SO affad 80
~ cooling off the body by eyaporatio Nv
When by exposure to the cold or H.
oYereXertlon, or too warm clotbino, ~ y
any other way, a person becomes cbi11ad
IN any part the circulation is dietllrhea
Al that part; nature, in a sense. SHIFTS
Tue Sto2cocks to prevent the action ne
the cold IN chilling the blood cir,uIai;ng
through that part and as a conse0uLnre
some other part is overalled with blood
"hIch becomes overheated since the een~
eral cooling apparatus has been put orr
OF gear. This heaping up of blood in
any organ depends upon the weakness