Clothing

The clothing of the human body is analagous in a way to the warming of a house: a question of how to keep the proper degree of heat within. Hence the kind of clothing we wear has a very important relation to health. Woolen goods hold moisture for a long time. Linen also absorbs moisture to an equal degree, but it dries doubly as rapidly as wool, and in doing this it exposes an individual wearing it to a too rapid cooling off. For this reason the proper combination to be worn is linen, or cotton, next to the body, with an outer woolen garment next it. Two or three thin garments are frequently warmer than one thick one.

Loosely woven garments are preferable to close and heavy fabrics, allowing ventilation of the body by the air-currents enclosed between the garments. Air, acting as a non-conductor of heat, makes several thin garments warmer than one thick one. Careful attention to the proper arrangement of the underclothing results in a great degree of comfort and warmth, without the unusual and often inconvenient accompaniment of heavy outer clothing in the way of great-coats, furs, etc. Linen may be worn by individuals possessing the most sensitive of skins, an d at all seasons of the year.

Underclothing which has been worn during the day should never be worn at night.

At night the day underclothing should be turned and aerated.

Two suits of underclothing, wearing each suit every other day, should be worn by those who perspire freely.

The color of the clothing is also a matter of importance. White and other light colors are preferable to dark, contact of light with the skin is essential for its health.

Dark colored goods absorb the heat rays, yet on the other hand they protect from the chemical or actinic rays of the sun. Hence, in the tropics, the most complete and perfect protection from the sun's rays is afforded by wearing white garments lined with some dark colored fabric.

Light, especially concentrated light, has a wonderfully stimulating and energizing effect upon the skin. It is for this reason that "light" baths have gained such a pronounced reputation for their curative effects.

Woolen goods give one a feeling of warmth, and under circumstances where there might be but little, if any perspiration of the body, flannel may be worn next to the skin, with linen next and outside the flannel, the reverse of the usual manner of wearing linen and flannel. Comfort is the factor which determines the amount of underclothing to be worn. The amount and kind of underclothing to be worn has frequently to be adapted to the weather conditions, irrespective of the particular season of the year. A hot day less, a cold day more underclothing. Heavy linen, or a double suit of linen, may entirely replace woolen underclothing.

A Rational View Of Eating

"They are as sick that surfeit with too much, As they that starve with nothing,"

A GREAT many people have the idea that to eat a good deal of food is certain to be rewarded by good health and enhanced physical vigor. Under certain conditions this may be so, but on the other hand it must be remembered that any food taken in excess of the actual requirements of the body is a source of weakness instead of a source of strength. There must obviously be a limit to the needs of the body, and when the supply exceeds this limit it must be removed or disposed of in some way; nervous force, which might be better employed to more advantageous purposes, being consumed in the removal of this excess of material from the system. This is especially true of nitrogenous material, hydrocarbons being burnt off in respiration with far greater facility.

Unquestionably the quantity of food, and not the kind of food consumed is the most important factor in the question of eating. This presupposes that food is consumed in the right manner. To repeat this : first it is the quantity of food consumed, secondly the manner of its consumption, and lastly the kind of food.

Physiologists say that the Japanese present the most perfect physique of any race in the world. Most of the diseases common to the Western World are unknown among the subjects of the Mikado, and this happy condition they themselves attribute to the fact that they eat sparingly, and only of plain, nourishing food.

There is no doubt but that the human body can be maintained in full vigor and activity upon a much smaller amount of food than is usually consumed, and the question which concerns each individual is the amount of food which suits his special requirements.

The occupation to a very great extent influences the character, and to a certain extent the quantity of the various food elements. Evidently one who works hard at manual labor all day will require far more of the muscle and energy-making foods than will a brain worker. It is well known that laborers eat and can digest far more than the brain worker, and in consideration of the fact that a manual worker keeps in active use the three-fourths of his body represented by his muscular system, while the brain worker uses only that small portion represented by his brains.

It has been estimated that an average man at moderately active labor, requires enough food-material to make up about 2,000 to 2,400 calories or heat units. The demands naturally change in different occupations, climates, or individuals. Most people believe that increased muscular and mental activity requires a correspondingly enlarged amount of tissue building food; this is true in so far as physical activity is concerned. A person engaged in hard muscular labor requires from 25 to 30 per cent. more food than one whose occupation is chiefly mental.