Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-10-18
HOW Men FLIRT WITH DEATH
THEY GO ABOUT INSUFFICIENT
LY CLAD IN COLD WEATHER.
Vigorous Comments Of a Physician.
He Crtticises Women Who Risk
Health by Needless Exposure.

With the coming of the chill winds of
fall and the wintry blasts of the succeed
ing months. a word of caution to the In
dividual who would tougher himself by
exposure will be of service" remarked
northwest physician
we meet this class of blooming ex-
otto in all cities Usually he is of the
younger generation, as In most instances
he is killed Off by the resulting conse
Quences OF his rashness before he reaches
the bald-headed stage in life. unless an
attack or two Of pneumonia instills in him
caution and a due regard for obserytng
natures fundamental laws. the princinai
or which is that warmth is life, and when
man courts hard cold he firts with
death. ~
Wearing a Sickly Smile.
Inc particular class of idiot thus
specialized is recognized on our thorough
iares on cold, bleak. windy days in short
coat and gloves. minus a topcoat and
generally wearing a sickly smile around
MS blue lips, which is intended to con-
Vey the impression that SO far as he is
concerned. tropical heat prevails and the
other pedestrians in Overcoats and furs
nave simply miscalculated the divisions
or the seasons. Sometimes he goes so
far as to flaunt his defiance of the wealth
er by namely tramping along with his
coat unDuttoned, exposing his chest to
the full force of the wind, and of all the
lalots who essay the 'toughening proc
ess the unbuttoned coat imbecile is the
prize package. Strange to say, most of
these chaps are thin. 1t is bad enough
Tor a stout man, whose circulation is
usually good. to attempt the stunt but it
Is little short of ultimate suicide for our
skinny brother to fall to 1t without a
concealed padded leather vest to keep
the cold from penetrating the atrophied
walls of his slender chest
Another distinguishable specimen of
the genus idiot under dissection is the
ielioW who rides on the open cars in
bad and cold weather with the mistaken
thought In his mind that the chills his
insuf1ciently clad body experiences will
tend to make him strong just because he
sees other men warmly clad, or who are
used to outdoor life, follow this danger
Gus practice. In the olden days these
fellows used to crowd the front platforms
Of our historic horse cars
of course this does not apply to all
men who ride on the open car. and you
Will see them there on the coolest days
IN winter. but only to such as should
know better. Fresh air is an excellent
adjunct to good health and robust appe
tte-in its place-but although statistics
unfortunately cannot be furnished it has
buried as many persons who are not used
to 1t as 1t has kept above ground. The
observing critic in this connection should
note that physicians when driving or
walking are well and usually heavily
clothed in cold and bad weather, and
that they take few chances with the ele-
ments when on their rounds among their
patients.
The Women Criticised.
II regret to say that many members
Of the fair sex indulge in the unhealthy
and dangerous practice adverted to, but
from an entirely different reason from
that given by our own. 1t is style with
women, who likewise, strange to say.
are the antithesis of their brothers, and
have no desire to become strong in most
cases. If the process interferes with the
set or the cut of their wearing apparel.
The open-work waist now obtains in win
ter as in summer. and the iow-quarter
shoe and the open-work hose may be
seen on F street on snowy days. From
physicians standpoint it is pitiable the
way some of the ladies expose themselves
to cold and possible pneumonia, and not
impossible quick consumption In the man
ner in which they leave their outer gar
ments unfastened and their chests I'M
protected from the severity of the
weather"