The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. VIII, No. 354, October 9, 1886 — John Shaqi
The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. VIII, No. 354, October 9, 1886Various
General
The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. VIII, No. 354, October 9, 1886
Various
Children's literature -- Periodicals
Well, there is one way and only one, to avoid it, and that is to dress
in proportion to the cold. No need for the clothing to be thick or
heavy. It should rather be the reverse, only soft and warm. Heavy
clothing is sure to cause fatigue in walking, and also perspiration, and
both states of body lay open the pores for trouble to enter.
No need, either, for even the delicate to confine themselves to the
house during the cold spring weeks or days. Confinement to the house
means want of exercise, want of an abundance of fresh air, and very
often want of appetite. Well, the strong may exist intact for a long
time without much exercise or ozone, but, mind you, the delicate cannot.
On wet days a mackintosh may be worn, though a good large umbrella is
far better. But if you will have a waterproof, let it be a cloth one,
one that will admit of ventilation, and not an india-rubber article.
This last is only fit for a Scottish cabman, with muscles of iron and
sinews of steel.
Here is an extreme case by way of example. A lady goes out to take a
walk on a damp day thus accoutred: An extraordinary bulk and weight of
clothes, and over all an india-rubber mackintosh; on her feet are those
abominations called goloshes; over her mouth she has stuck a respirator,
and over her head and shoulders she carries an enormous umbrella. The
windows and doors of this lady's house are always kept shut, and
rendered hermetically sealed by woollen sand-bags and other
oxygen-banishing contrivances. Is it any wonder that she is pale and
flabby in face, that her very hands are sickly, soft, and puffy, and
that she is continually at war with the cook?
Be warned, dear reader; take all reasonable precautions against catching
cold, but do not render your body unwholesome from over-clothing, nor
your lungs sickly for want of the pure air of heaven that you can no
more live well without than a fish can survive in a muddy stream. Sore
throat and tic doloreux, or face-ache, are very common complaints in
cold weather with high winds. But I really think they are more easily
prevented than cured. Both may be produced in the same way--namely, from
exposure to cold. It is a draught blowing directly on the face and into
the eyes or upon the neck that brings on these distressing complaints.
Beware of such a draught, and beware of damp or wet feet. Beware, also,
when walking out, of having too thick a muffle around the neck, for this
is apt to sweat it.
Whenever you feel the slightest touch of sore throat, examine it at the
glass, and if there be any redness, do it over with your camel's-hair
pencil dipped in a mixture of glycerine two parts and tincture of iron
one part.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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