Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-21
SUNDAY MAGAZINE FOR APRIL Il. 1912

1ngs, oveTwarm clothing, and daily warm
bathing. People with normal circulation
can readily train the skin to perform its pro-
tective functions, by attention to proper
ventilation of the home and business Office,
and the avoidance of temperature of more
than sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit in the
living room or Office in the wintertime. In
cold weather medium weight undertaking
should be worn, preferably linen mesh next
to the skin, and the outer clothing adapted
to changes in the weather. 1t is especially
important to keep the feet dry and warm.
Many people neglect this precaution and
wear thin soled, light footgear, which in
vites chill.
Daily cold bathing is, of course, an excel
lent disciplinary measure. Even good rub
down with rough towel in cold room will
accomplish much if the bath is not available.
Delicate women and children, anemic in
dividuals, and sufferers from rheumatism,
lumbago, and heart or kidney troubles, must
use caution and co-nmonSense IN attempting
the discipline of the skin and circulatory APP
paratus. Some degree of skin training can
be attained even by such individuals; but
the reaction point of the patient must be
carefully. ascertained By standing in about
a foot of hot water, the body may be briskly
rubbed with washcloth wrung out OF water
at about eighty degrees, and reduced day by
day untilit is down to fifty. Fol owing this,
if the patient reacts well, the cold douche or
affusion (water quickly dashed from
pitcher, beginning at ninety degrees, and
daily reduced until fifty degrees IS reached,
or an agreeable reaction ceases to follow.
BY such measures the skin and vasomotor
system become accustomed to drafts and
sudden chilling and lose their chair trigger
susceptibility to such influences. Cold spray
ing of the neck and chest is a good measure;
but not SO effective as the preceding.
Those who sleep out of doors, or with wide
open windows in severe weather, should be
carefully protected from cold. 1t is usually
best to sleep between thin blankets instead
of sheets. If the mattress is thin, layer of
newspapers and a thick blanket should be
placed beneath it, and all bed coverings
tightly tucked in beneath the mattress. A
sweater and wooden nightcap are also adj
visable in extreme weather.
Take no @cold cures" except those pre-
scribed by your physician, who knows some
thing about your constitution. At the first
sign of cold, you can safely employ brisk
cathartic. A hot bath, hot pack or hot foot
bath should be taken as soon as possible.
This does not mean to get into few inches
of lukewarm water, and then stroll about
the house exposed to drafts. The hot bath
should last about ten minutes, and come up
to the chin. Raise the temperature of the
water to one hundred and ten degrees. En-
velop yourself in hot sheet or blanket on
leaving the bath, and 60 straight to bed
warmed with hot bottles or hot water bags.
Hot lemonade or hot linseed tea, and
thorough rubbing of neck and chest with
camphorated oil or liquid mustard plaster,
are also valuable measures. If the hot bath
or hot footbath is taken with these accesso-
ries, profuse perspiration will result, and
in many cases the cold will be checked.
After a thorough sweating, rundown with
alcohol is advisable. Alcohol is all right in
the right place, i. e., externally. 1t is far
better to take little trouble over these sim
pie but wonderfully effective domestic RENE
dies, than to soak yourself with whisky and
quinine, or dangerous coaltar nostrums,
whose dosage you cannot properly determine.