CHAPTER XXXIII.
HYGIENE OF THE SKIN.
657. The sensibility of the skin, and the activity of the oil and perspiratory glands, are modified by the condition of the cuticle, the temperature of the skin and body, the purity and warmth of the air, and the character of the light to which the body is exposed. Thus, to maintain a healthy action of every part of this membrane, attention should be given to Clothing, Bathing, Light, and Air.
658. Clothing, in itself, does not bestow heat, but is chiefly useful in preventing the escape of heat from the body, and in defending it from the temperature of the atmosphere. In selecting and applying clothing to our persons, the following suggestions should be observed.
659. The material for clothing should be a bad conductor of heat; that is, it should have little tendency to conduct or remove heat from the body. This depends mainly on the property possessed by the material in retaining atmospheric air in its meshes.
660. The material for clothing should not possess the property of absorbing and retaining moisture. Dampness, or moisture, renders apparel a good conductor of heat; beside, if the perspired fluid, and the saline material it holds in solution, are readily absorbed by the clothing, they become 302 sources of irritation to the skin with which the apparel comes in contact.
657–716. Give the hygiene of the skin. 657. What influences modify the action of the oil and perspiratory glands? To what must attention be given to maintain a healthy action of the skin? 658. What is said in regard to the clothing? 659. Mention a property that the material for clothing should possess. 660. What property in the selection of clothing should we avoid? Why?
661. Furs contain a greater amount of air in their meshes, than any other article, and they absorb no moisture; consequently, as an article of dress, they are best adapted to those who are exposed to great vicissitudes of heat and cold.
662. Woollen cloth retains more air in its meshes than any other article except furs and eider down, and it absorbs but very little moisture. These properties, together with its comparative cheapness, render it a good article of apparel for all classes of persons. The only objection to its general use is, the disturbance of the electricity of the system, and the irritation to delicate skins from the roughness of its fibres.
Observation. Flannels are not only beneficial, during the cold season, in preventing colds and rheumatism, but they are of great utility in the warm season, in shielding the system from the chills at evening, that induce disease of the alimentary canal. Their general use among children and delicate females, would be a preventive of the “season complaints” prevalent in the months of August and September.
663. Cotton contains less air in its meshes than woollen, but much more than linen. In texture, it is smoother than wool, and less liable to irritate the skin. This fabric absorbs moisture in a small degree. In all respects, it is well adapted for garments worn next the skin. When woollen flannels irritate the skin, they may be lined with cotton.
664. Silk is not as good a conductor of heat as cotton, nor does it absorb moisture to any considerable degree; its texture is smooth, and does not irritate the skin; consequently, when the garment of this fabric has sufficient body or thickness, it 303 is a good article for clothing. The greatest objection to its use is the disturbance of the electricity of the system, and its high price.
661. Give the properties of fur. As an article of dress, to whom are they best adapted? 662. Give the properties of woollen cloth. Is this a good article for clothing? What objection? What are the advantages of wearing flannels? 663. What are the qualities of cotton as an article of dress? 664. Of silk?
665. Linen is not only a good conductor of heat, and consequently a poor article of apparel, but it likewise absorbs the fluids carried from the system by the agency of the oil and perspiratory glands. When garments are made of this material, the body is not surrounded by a layer of air, but by one of moisture. This still further increases its power to conduct heat from the system, rendering it a very objectionable article of apparel, even in warm weather and in hot climates, where the dress is usually thin.
666. Clothing differs in its power of radiating heat. This is influenced by the color; those articles that radiate heat freely also absorb it readily. A black surface is a good radiator, while a white surface is not, because it reflects the calorific rays. It is obvious that those colors which render the transmission of external heat difficult, must impede the transmission of caloric from the body. Thus it is manifest, that light-colored apparel is best adapted for every season and every climate.
Observation. Coach-drivers are practically aware, that in cold weather, light-colored over-coats are warmest, except when they are exposed to the direct rays of the sun, or when seated before a warm fire. On the other hand, when the temperature is elevated, light-colored apparel is coolest, because the sun’s rays are then reflected.
667. The clothing should be of a porous character. The skin is not only an important agent in separating from the blood those impurities that otherwise would oppress the system and occasion death, but it exercises great influence upon the system, by receiving oxygen through its tissues, and giving 304 back carbonic acid in return. Consequently, the apparel should be made of a material that will permit free transpiration from the skin, and likewise convey the excreted fluids from the surface.
665. What is said of linen as an article of apparel? 666. Why is light-colored apparel best adapted for every season? What is said of the apparel of coach-drivers? 667. Why should we wear porous clothing?
668. The necessity for this is illustrated in wearing India rubber over-shoes. If they are worn over boots ten or twelve hours, not only the hose, but the boots will be moist from retained perspiration, and the residual matter left in contact with the skin may be reconveyed into the system by absorption, causing headache and other diseases. Cotton and woollen fabrics are not only bad conductors of heat, but are also porous; for these reasons, they are well adapted to transmit the excretions of the skin.
669. The clothing should be not only porous, but fitted loosely. The garments should retain a layer of air between them and the body. Every one is practically aware that a loose dress is much warmer than one which fits closely; that a loose glove is warmer than a tight one; and that a loose boot or shoe affords greater warmth than one of smaller dimensions. The explanation is obvious; the loose dress encloses a thin layer of air, which the tight dress is incapable of doing; and what is required, is, that the dress should be closed at the upper part, to prevent the dispersion of the warm air, by the ventilating current which would be established from below.
Observation. As the purpose of additional garments is to maintain a series of strata of warm air within our clothing, we should, in going from a warm room into the cold air, put on our defensive coverings some little time previous, in order that the layers of air which we carry with us may be sufficiently warmed by the heat of the room, and not borrowed from the body on exposure to the cold.
668. How is the necessity of porous clothing illustrated? 669. Why should we wear loose garments? What is the use of additional garments when going from a warm to a cold air? When should they be put on?
670. The clothing should be suited to the temperature of the atmosphere and the condition of the individual. The invariable rule should be, to wear enough to maintain an equal and healthy action of the skin. Care should be taken, however, that the action of the cutaneous vessels is not inordinately increased, as this would debilitate, not only the skin, but the internal organs of the system, as the stomach and lungs.
671. No rule as to the quantity of clothing can be given, as the demand will vary with different individuals. The following are among the most prominent causes of this variation: Those persons who have large, active brains, full chests, well developed lungs, breathe an adequate amount of pure air, and take sufficient food to supply the wants of the system, require less clothing than those of an opposite character, because more heat is generated in the system.
672. The child and the aged person require more clothing than the vigorous adult. “Should we judge from observation, the inference would be, that children require less clothing than adults. This is an error, for the temperature in infancy is not only lower than in manhood, but the power of creating heat is feebler. The same remarks are applicable to those persons who have outlived the energies of adult life.”
Observation. The system of “hardening” children, by an inadequate supply of clothing, and keeping them uncomfortably cold throughout the whole day, is inhuman, as well as unprofitable. It operates upon the child somewhat like the long-continued chill upon a certain portion of the farmer’s herd, that are kept shivering under the thatched shed, retarding the growth of their systems, which require more food to satisfy the keen cravings of hunger than when they are comfortably 306 sheltered. To make the boy robust and active, he must have nutritious food at stated hours, and free exercise in the open air, and his system must be guarded from chills by a due amount of apparel.
670. What should be the invariable rule in reference to the amount of clothing that should be worn? What precaution should be observed? 671. What are some of the causes of the variation of the demand for clothing? 672. Why do the child and aged person require more clothing than the vigorous adult? What is said of the system of hardening children?
673. More clothing is needed when a vital organ is diseased. It may be observed that in consumption, dyspepsia, and even in headache, the skin is pale and the extremities cold, because less heat is generated. Thus persons affected with these complaints, when exposed to cold air, need more clothing than those individuals whose organs are not diseased, and the functions of which are properly performed.
674. More clothing is required in the evening, than during the day. In the evening we have less vital energy, and therefore less heat is generated in the system, than in the early part of the day; beside, the atmosphere is damp, the skin has become moist from free perspiration, and heat, in consequence, is rapidly removed from the system. For this reason, when returning from crowded assemblies, we should be provided with an extra garment.
Observations. 1st. If there is a chill upon the system after having arrived home, warmth should be restored as speedily as possible. This can be done by friction with warm flannels, and by using the warm or vapor bath. By this procedure, the pernicious effects of the chill will be prevented before any disease is fixed upon the system. Is it not the duty of the parent and the guardian to learn these facts, and to see that they are not only learned, but reduced to practice?
2d. The farmer and industrious mechanic would be freed from many a rheumatic pain, if, while resting from their labors at evening, or taking the ordinary meal after hard toil, they would put on an extra garment. The coat might not 307 feel so agreeable for the first few minutes, but it would ultimately conduce to health and longevity.
673. Why do dyspeptic and consumptive persons require more clothing than those who have healthy vital organs? 674. Why do we need more clothing in the evening than during the day? How can the pernicious effects of a chill be prevented? Give the 2d observation.
675. The person of active habits requires less clothing than one of sedentary employments. Exercise increases the circulation of the blood, which is always attended by the disengagement of a greater quantity of heat; consequently, an increase of warmth is felt throughout the system. We likewise need more clothing while riding, than when we are walking; because the exercise of the former is less than that of the latter. The same is true when resting in the field or shop, after laborious exercise.
Observation. We need a greater amount of clothing while asleep, than during the day; as not only the action of the body, but that of the brain, during sleep, is suspended.
676. Less clothing is required when the cutaneous surface is clean. A film of impurities obstructs the perspiratory ducts, and diminishes the action of their glands; consequently, less heat is generated. For this reason, the hands or feet when clean are less liable to become chilled or frozen.
677. The sensitiveness of the skin to the influence of cold, is much modified by habit. A person who has been habituated to the temperature of a warm room, or warm climate, suffers more when exposed to cold, than an individual who has been accustomed to colder air. Thus a person who labors or studies in a warm room, should wear more clothing when exposed to the air, while walking or riding, than an individual who labors in a cooler atmosphere. Not only is the sensibility of the skin increased by a warm atmosphere, but the activity of the digestive, respiratory, and nervous systems, in generating heat, is much diminished. This is an additional reason why an increased amount of clothing is demanded 308 during exposure to cold air. In all cases where practicable the heat of the system should be maintained by exercise, in preference to the use of fur or flannel.
675. Why does the person of active habits require less clothing than one of sedentary employments? 676. Why do we need less clothing when the skin is clean? 677. Show the effect of habit on the sensitiveness of the skin.
678. Those parts of the skin usually covered, uniformly need that protection. The power of generating heat is diminished, and the impressibility to cold is increased, on those portions of the skin usually clothed. If a person wears the dress high and close about the neck, he suffers from exposure to a cold atmosphere if a dress is worn that is not as high or more open. As a general rule, it is preferable that those parts of the system, as the larynx, be exposed that are not uniformly protected by clothing.
679. The clothing should be kept clean. No article of apparel is entirely free from absorption; even wool and cotton possess it in a small degree. They take up a portion of the transpired fluids which contain saline and animal matter, and thus the fibres of the garments become covered with the cutaneous excretions. We are practically aware of the retention of these secretions from the soiled appearance of those garments worn next the skin, which are so covered as to preclude the particles of dust from lodging upon them.
680. The porosity of the clothing is lessened when soiled, and its power of conducting heat from the system in consequence, is increased. The residual matter with which the clothing is coated is brought in contact with the skin, which causes irritation, and not unfrequently re-absorption of the elements, thrown off from the system through this avenue. Hence warmth, cleanliness, and health require that the clothing, particularly the garments worn next to the skin, should be frequently and thoroughly washed. This should not be forgotten in regard to children, for their blood circulates 309 with greater rapidity than that of adults, and a proportionably greater amount of waste matter is thrown off from their systems.
681. The under-garments worn during the day should not be worn at night, or the reverse. When under-garments are worn several successive days or nights, they should not be put in drawers, or hung up in a close closet, as soon as taken from the body, but should be exposed to a current of air.
682. Occupied beds should be thoroughly aired in the morning. The excretions from the skin are most abundant during the hours of sleep; and if the sheets and blankets, together with the bed, are not aired every morning, by being so arranged that both surfaces may be exposed to the air, the materials eliminated from the skin will be retained in the meshes of the bed-clothing, and may be conveyed into the system of the next occupant, by absorption. Oftentimes diseases of a disagreeable nature are contracted in this way. This fact should be instilled into every mother’s and daughter’s mind.
Observation. Bed-linen should not be put on a bed when it is not sufficiently dried, or contains moisture from the excretions of the skin, nor should beds or bedding be slept in, that have remained in a damp room that has not been occupied for many weeks, unless the dampness is removed from the bed-linen by a warming-pan, or in some other way.
683. Changes of dress, from thick to thin, should always be made in the morning. At this time the vital powers are usually in full play. Many a young lady has laid the foundation of a fatal disease, by disregarding this rule, in exchanging the thick dress, with woollen stockings, for the flimsy dress and hose of silk or cotton, which are considered suitable 310 for the ball-room or party. Sudden changes in wearing-apparel, as well as in food and general habits, are attended with hazard; and this is proportionate to the weakness or exhaustion of the system when the change is made.
681. Should the garments worn during the day be worn at night? 682. What is said respecting the cleanliness of beds and bedding? Why should not bed-linen that is damp be slept in? 683. When should change of dress from thick to thin be made? Why?
684. When the clothing has become wet, it is best to change it immediately. The skin should then be rubbed with a dry crash towel, until reaction, indicated by redness, is produced. If the garments are not changed, the person should exercise moderately, so that sufficient heat may continue to be generated in the system to dry the clothing and skin without a chill. Sitting in a cool shade, or current of air, should, by all means, be avoided; as colds are not contracted by free and excessive exercise, but by injudicious management after such exercise.
Observation. When an individual has been thrown into a profuse perspiration by violent exercise, though the skin and clothing may become wet, he feels no inconvenience from the dampness, as long as he continues that amount of exercise for the reason that the circulation of the blood being increased heat is generated in sufficient quantity to replace the amount abstracted from the system in evaporating the free perspiration; but as soon as the exercise is discontinued, the increased circulation subsides, and with it the extra amount of generated heat. This accounts for the chill we experience, when the damp clothing is permitted to dry on the body, after the cessation of exercise.
684. What suggestion when the clothing has become wet? What should be done if the garments are not changed? What causes the chill that is experienced when damp clothing is permitted to dry on the body?