The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-07


 such as sitting on the cold ground or Iving in q relaxed state in too much in- timacy with a heat extracting draught. In either of these instances fatigue may be placed first etiologically and cold sec ond, but neither of these places can be given over to bacteria. which, thus given the opportunity to do so, finally kick up the main part of. the trouble.
 Cold is and always has been the great est enemy to life. Life swarms in the tropics, but leads a sorry existence at the poles. And this reminds us of the chief argument of the all bacteria etiologisls for colds,
 They will say immediately that Arctic explorers do not sufer from colds until they return to civilization, when they all como down with colds.' It may be that the aiders and abettors of cold in it's production of disease arc absent or in aheyance in tho Arctic regions, but-men who go into that region become so ex- hausted during their prolonged exposure to cold that they arc rendered upon their return to warmer regions q more than easy prey 10 the bacteria.
 We have never read that explorers In the tropics succumbed to colds on their return to the temperate regions, even though the return is made in January.
 Even the Indians knew enough to keep themselves warm and especially to guard against refrigeration of the extremities. Ben Franklin tells us how they took this precauton even in time of war when it was too dangerous for them to have a smoking fire They dug a pit in which they set fire to charred remains of burned trees, and slept with their legs dangling in the hole. A hunter fin the Canadian woods who notwithstanding his. absence from civlization took severe cold, asked his sole coinpanion an Indian guide, how to keep from taking cold. He received the laconie reply Keep your feet dry
 Even an Indian whose skin has not been so softened 10 the effects of colds as have ours appreciates that cold Is the an- tecedent of colds and takes precaution ac- cordingy.
 Undoubtedly overeNposure to high teni- perature may also reduce our immunity to the germs lying about, but the colds we take after being in overheated rooms probably more often come from the re- sulting chill of going too abruptly into tho cold than from the warmth of the room itself, although experimenting renders an animal more susceptible to infection. It is, however only in cold weather that rooms are heated much above the sui- rounding atmosphere. Akan, cold is real- lv to blame for the results. Bad air" is usually the result of economy in fuel Poor ventilation is unknown in July.
 An ideal room temperature for the sed- entary is that between 66 and 70 degrees Below these temperatures the heat regu- lating apparatus of the body finds it nec- ossary to close up the peripheral vessels more or less, internal congestion slowly begins and the conditions for cold arc secured
 As most of US are slow to respond 10 the intelligence or temperature only q few degrees lower than that for comfort, though we arc less obtusc to stronger thermic impulses, the temperature be- tween 60 and d6 degrees has been well termed the danger zone and undoubtedly more colds are acquired at these than at lower temperatures We should be alive to our themomonitor, if we may coin the word, and respond accordingly, even at the eXpensS of a few hodfus of coal, for often a cold and its consequences will most more than a ton of fuel. For those of weakened circulation, and especially old people the temperature must often be higher than 70 degrees in order to be on the safe side.