EVERY day we are getting rid of the superficial layers of the skin, which process can become so intense in some people that the skin looks as though it were covered with flour dust; and in some persons with dry skin such apparel as stockings sometimes gets full of this. These minute scales, which get necrotised in the upper parts of the skin, are apt to clog the pores, which can also become closed by particles of dust, or by products of the sebaceous glands and by perspiratory residues. As the free entrance of air to the pores is an essential condition for skin respiration, and as the elimination of harmful products is only possible when the pores remain open, we must get rid of the foreign matters which clog them, for which purpose we take a bath. But water alone, even if it be hot, is not able to effect a thorough cleansing of the skin on account of the oily substance which is secreted by the sebaceous glands; so, to obtain the fullest cleansing effects, we add the use of soap and a brush, as already mentioned before. We must rub the soap well in, and then rub it off energetically, if we desire to benefit by a fully hygienic bath. As we are daily getting rid of the above-mentioned skin scales, so it behooves us to take a daily bath. It is not necessary to stay in the bath more than ten to twelve minutes, or at the most fifteen. For the reasons above mentioned the effect of bathing is a rational hygiene of the skin. By the action of the water, soap, and brush friction the skin receives more blood, which is, at the same time, a great advantage to the internal organs, as the blood drawn away from them facilitates the circulation through them should they be congested. When more blood reaches the skin the muscles that contract the pores are also better nourished, and they then react better to certain agencies—cold, for instance. They quickly contract the pores, so that the blood will be kept back in the interior of the body and a cooling off of the periphery of the body, with its dangerous consequences from catching cold, may thus be avoided. A daily bath can also be advantageous for those who perspire too freely. After a bath, and this is one of its greatest advantages, the insensible perspiration is much increased, and more water leaves the body through the pores than before, and when a bath has been too hot, a very free perspiration may ensue. But usually with people with a too free perspiration, this tendency would be diminished, as it can often be noted that those who daily take a lukewarm bath perspire less than others on warm summer days. Besides exciting the functions of the skin baths are also an excellent means for diminishing a possible overwork of the kidneys, and thus keeping them in good condition. It is possible to eliminate, through bathing, such products by the skin which otherwise would have to be eliminated through the kidneys.