Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1906-02-09

Professor Max Herr, an Austrian
scientist, has lately published an es-
say on "the difference between wind
and draught," in the course Of which
he defines a draught to be "a current
Of air in an inclosed space" He Illus
trates the idea by saying that If per
son who Is in a room sits before an
open window into which the wind is
blowing 1t is harmless, but that If he
sits near an open window past which
the wind is blowing the air inside Is
drawn out Of the window by suction
and Is certain to give him cold.
Strangely enough the professor makes
no mention of draughts except cur
rents of air moving from a room
through a window to the outside of the
house. Whatever an Austrian draught
may be, an American draught is any
current Of air which chills the body
unequally. In the nature of the case
this can not happen out of doors, nor
can 1t be produced indoors by an mir
force. For the most part 1t Is a gentle
movement Of cool air toward some lin
tied portion Of the body and the gentle
ness Of the movement constitutes Its
greatest danger, because 1t frequently
does severe damage before 1t Is no
ticed. The same effect may be pro-
duced without any air current at all.
A person who goes into a warm hall
and sits down with his shoulder near a
cold iron pillar or plaster column for
an hour Is almost sure to leave the
place with touch of rheumatism in
that shoulder. The same thing takes
place when a person sits in a warm
office with one side of his body turned
toward plate glass window in ex-
tremely cold weather The conduction
Of bodily heat in this way is so great
that If the palm of a warm hand Is
held close to the window pane the
sensation, will be that Of wind blowing
through the glass. What Is stranger
| still, some Of the effects Of draught
are occasionally experienced when a
person who Is quite cold all over has
one part Of his body brought in con-
tact with current Of warm air. This
shows that the essential feature in a
draught Is the unequal heating of diff
ferent parts Of the body. When a cold
Jet Of air plays on the body of a per-
son who Is otherwise warm what hap
pens Is that the blood Is driven inward
until congestion Is produced, and this
congestion, unless soon relieved, be-
comes Inflammation. The alarm signal
Of draught Is a sneeze, which Is a
spasmodic effort Of nature to start up
the circulation and relieve the conges
! ton. A person may be far gone to-
ward contracting a cold before he
sneezes, but the moment he gets this
warning he should change his position
look around for the draught and move
out of 1t or protect himself against It,
A draught Is something to be sneezed
at-and to be avoided. Draughts cause
more deaths than war, whisky, foot
ball, consumption and yellow fever
put together. Almost everybody who
dies from disease dates his sickness
from taking cold. This is especially
true of elderly people. Yet 1t is a mat
ter in regard to which there is great
ignorance and great inattention. This
is the season when colds, influenza and
rheumatisms are quite fashionable
among people who live indoors, and
they may save doctors bills and
lengthen their lives by refiecting on
these homely suggestions. Beware the
draught.