Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-10-28
WINTER PLAQUES
BY H. Addington Bruce
\ this part of the world colds influenza
pneumonia, and tuberculosis may talr-

pneumonia, and tuberculosis may fair
l. ly be termed the great winter plaques
To be sure they are of all-the-year-round oc-
currence But winter is their time Of great
est frequency, and for special reason.
One and all they are germ-caused diseases,
transmitted chiefly by air-borne Infection
from man to man, and virulent in proportion
to the vitality of the persons to whom they
are transmitted. When the vitality is low the
germ virulence is high, when the vituallty
is high the germ virulence is low.
And, unfortunately winter conditions
tend to provide a particularly favorable
field for air-borne germ action.
In winter people herd more, together than
in summer, thereby increasing liability to in
lection by personal contact. Still worse,
when winter comes many people lead lives
necessarily lowering their vitality, and as
consequence making infection more danger
Gus to them.
If they did not do this-if they were more
awake to the Importance of keeping their VI
tality high-these diseases now so dreaded
would become almost negligible. For intec-
ton would then produce mild reactions, IN
contrast to the severe reactions shown by ad-
diets to vtality-lowering habits
Among such habits none is of graver i'm
port than the combination OF OVeredIlng Win
undereXerclSing.
In winter the body unqeustonably needs
more heat-producing foods than in summer
But not few people begin to gorge the mo-
ment fall sets in. They Overeat all winter.
And they cease almost altogether-if not al
together-the outdoor activities of the sum-
mer months
That is to say, they not merely overload
their stomachs continually, but they fail to
oil aS how nv
inevitable result is a congestion and clogging
of the whole system.
COngestion-which means a poisoning in
compatible with any high degree of bodily
vitality-is further promoted by the common
custom of overheating the air of winter
homes and working places; of, indeed, living
and working in rooms where the air, besides
being too hot, is far too dry and too stale.
Fresh air can never be justly incriminated
as a cause of winter plaques. Its opposite
however, is again and again a contributory
cause, because of the lowering effects OF stale
air on the vitality.
Likewise lowering to the vitality is the
prevalent practice of overdressing during the
winter
Common sense dictates that warmer cloth
ing should be worn when cold weather comes.
But it is one thing to dress warmly and quite
another to dress in clothing that is unduly
heavy and unduly tight This is an error
into which multitudes fall
Many, for that matter, wear clothing so
heavy and cumbersome that they cannot
walk in it comfortably. Which affords them
an excuse-and one they are perhaps only
too willing to accept-for not exercising.
Or if they exercise as they should, yet per-
sist in wearing clothes that are too heavy,
they necessarily become overheated, and as
a sequel are likely to suffer from frequent
colds, perhaps from something worse.
1 have known more than one man who
l CHI i
Of an overcoat so heavy that he perspired
over-freely whenever he took a walk.
These are only a few of the faulty winter
! habits that predispose to winter plaques.
| They are, however among the most signif-
cant, and their correction will go far toward
securing the immunity so much to be desired.
Copyright, 1919, by the Associated News
papers)