Part 6 (1/2)
It is hardly necessary to add in this connection that care should be taken that during the sweating or immediately following it, the _body should not be exposed to catch more cold_. In this method of treating a cold, one should _take a strong cathartic_ such as two or three teaspoonfuls of castor oil, and should remain in bed twenty-four hours. During this twenty-four hours _no other food than a little light broth should be taken_. This treatment usually completely breaks up a cold and one is able, in two or three days, to make good the loss of the twenty-four hours, during which time he was confined to his room.
This dietetic method of caring for an acute catarrhal cold is incomparably wiser and more economical than to drag around, hoping to ”wear out the cold,” only to be worn out by it.
2. BATHS.
a. =The Bath for Cleanliness.=--Little need be said regarding the bath for cleanliness except that it should be taken at least once in a week during the colder portion of the year and perhaps as frequently as once a day during that portion of the year when there is free perspiration.
Where one is bathing for cleanliness he may well use soap and warm water over the whole surface of the body. If he takes this bath just before retiring, it is not necessary to take a cold shower or sponge at the end of the bath. If, however, one takes a warm soap bath in the morning the relaxing effect of the bath upon the skin makes it necessary to take a cold shower or a cold sponge after the warm bath in order to secure the tonic effect upon the skin and fortify one against catching cold.
During the hot weather when one may bathe daily for cleanliness he should guard against an excessive use of soap, as a daily soap bath may have a tendency to remove the oils from the skin so completely as to make the skin rough. With the daily bath for cleanliness it is possible that warm water and soap need not be used more frequently than once or twice a week and that a laving of the whole surface with cold water followed by a vigorous rub down with a coa.r.s.e towel may serve the double purpose of insuring absolute cleanliness, and at the same time serving as a skin tonic.
In this connection the author would emphasize the importance of insuring absolute cleanliness of the s.e.xual apparatus. In primeval conditions less attention was necessary as these organs were more or less exposed, but the present method of dress is such as to permit the acc.u.mulation of the skin secretions. While these may in part be removed by the friction against the clothing, it is advisable to wash the external genitals and all neighboring surfaces as a regular part of the daily toilet.
b. =The Tonic Bath.=--In warm weather when one takes a daily bath to insure cleanliness, at least five of these baths each week may be in cold water, sufficiently cold to secure the tonic effect as described above. In cold weather, when one takes not more than one or two warm soap baths a week, the cold tonic bath can be made to serve a most important purpose in the hygiene.
Some have followed the custom of immersing the body completely in a tub of cold water. This method of taking the cold bath is not to be recommended except for those who are in the most robust health, and in these cases, so vigorous a treatment is not necessary nor particularly beneficial. The author has seen many people who were injured by this method of taking the tonic bath.
There are two methods to be recommended: Those who have access to a cold shower may stand for a moment, and for a moment only, under the cold shower, then step at once upon a warm rug and rub the whole surface of the body vigorously with a dry crash towel until the whole surface of the body glows with the warmth of the reaction. If one does not have access to the cold shower, he may take a most effective tonic bath in his room, using cold water, the coldest obtainable, and a bath sponge, or even a wash cloth, dipping the sponge into the cold water, then pressing out enough of the water so that there will be no excess of water to run over the surface of the body from the sponge.
Begin by sponging face, neck, shoulders, arms and chest, then wipe these parts dry, subject them to vigorous friction with the crash towel until the arms, shoulders and chest particularly glow with the warmth of the reaction. While the upper half of the body is receiving its bath the lower half may be kept covered, and conversely.
This tonic bath should be taken immediately upon arising in the morning, and as a part of the morning toilet.
If one takes such a tonic bath on arising, then dresses hurriedly and takes a brisk walk of fifteen or thirty minutes, the regime quickly brings his body into the most vigorous and robust state of health; unless there is something wrong with his digestion or his excretion, and even moderate derangements of these will be very likely to be corrected by the regime just suggested.
3. EXERCISE.
Incident to the above topic mention has been made of the brisk morning walk before breakfast. This has a most salutary tonic effect besides the influence that it exerts upon the bowel movements. Not the least important result of this morning exercise depends on the fact that the lungs are repeatedly and completely inflated with the pure out-of-door air. This naturally exerts a most valuable influence upon the development of the lungs in the youth or the maintenance of their vigor in middle age.
The increased heart action is also advantageous as it leads to hastened circulation through the muscles, glands and brain. This hurrying blood current not only carries nutriment to these organs, but carries away their acc.u.mulations of effete material to the excretory glands.
The student must be cautioned not to overdo this early morning exercise. The mile run, the mile row or any other strenuous exercise is strongly to be discouraged at this time of the day. If one overdoes morning exercise, he is likely to feel somewhat depleted and fatigued, throughout the remainder of the forenoon, and his ability to do a high grade of mental work is decreased rather than increased.
Besides the morning exercise, every person who wishes to live a vigorous physical life should have from one to two hours of heavier exercise during the latter part of the day or evening. This exercise may take any one of many forms. It may be golf, tennis, foot-ball, base-ball, cricket, rowing, lacrosse, basket-ball, cross country running, track or gymnasium work, etc., etc. The immediate results of this exercise should be largely to increase lung and heart action and to cause a sufficient fatigue of the muscular system so that rest is sought and may be followed by dreamless, recuperative sleep.
It might at first seem paradoxical that to build up strong muscles we must first fatigue them, but that seems to be Nature's plan. The only way to build up a strong physique is to use that physique and use it to its maximum capacity.
If one exercises thus freely and eats abstemiously he ought not to lay on fat. If he does lay on fat, he may know that he is eating more than he needs and he should make his diet more temperate. The youth of eighteen or nineteen who is tall and rather spare, and whose muscular system has not reached its full development would, of course, increase his weight incident to the growth of his muscular system. This increase in weight must not be confused with increase of weight through fat deposit. The latter should be avoided--the former should be encouraged.
Not by any means the least important thing accomplished by physical exercise is the a.s.sociation with his fellows incident to his exercise.
The courage, nerve control, quick judgment, agility and strength required on the foot-ball field make no small part of the young man's equipment to fight the battles of life. The conditions of these games give frequent opportunities for the young man to cultivate the spirit of honesty and fair play--the spirit, without which, no man can reach his highest success in the real contests of life.
4. THE HYGIENIC REQUIREMENTS OF SLEEP.
The personal hygiene of sleep is by no means an unimportant topic, though it may be briefly treated.
The amount of sleep that each individual requires and should take can only be determined by the individual. Some seem to require ten hours, others eight, others six, while rarely individuals are found who seem to thrive on even so little as five hours of sleep out of twenty-four.