The vapor bath can be made in a very home-spun and simple manner, but equally efficacious with those attached to baths of large name, etc. A washing or any other flat tub, a third filled with very hot water, in which is placed a stool, will do for the ground-work of the vapor. Take your seat on the stool, the feet of course outside the tub, and be well covered with blankets round the neck, and round the tub, leaving an opening which can be closed at leisure. Having heated two or three large bricks to a red heat, put one into the water, and when cooled another, until the bath has been prolonged a sufficient time. This is a primitive but a very useful bath to put into use to relieve a bad cold, or for any other service required at a short notice.
THIRST, MEDICINE, ETC.
The chief punishment when a man is in the course of training requisite to reduce his bulk is thirst, which is in most cases of rather a severe character. The same amount of pluck which enables the man to go through his work and adhere to other rules must be here called into requisition. The best plan is to gargle the mouth, but not swallow any; but the application of cold water will be found to afford the greatest relief—washing the hands, wrists, and face freely will give relief; a little pebble kept in the mouth is a very good thing, but faithfully avoid all nostrums such as cream of tartar, tartaric acid, etc., when suffering from thirst, as they only gratify the palate without relieving the craving for liquid immediately the acid taste has passed, when the before troublesome feeling becomes much augmented. Should relief, however, become imperative, a small portion of powdered nitre will be followed by an immediate flow of saliva, which will give instant but unfortunately only partial ease. There, however, is no increase of the symptoms from the application of the remedy, which will assist the action of the kidneys, and allay the accompanying fever of the system. The chief cure is to wait until the next meal-time, when the previous abstinence from stolen enjoyment will be rewarded by an approving conscience in having resisted a severe temptation. The thirst will leave a man when he leaves off sweating.
WEIGHT AS PROPORTIONAL TO HEIGHT.
| HEIGHT. | WEIGHT. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 5ft. 1in. | should be | 120 | pounds. |
| 5ft. 2in. | “ | 126 | “ |
| 5ft. 3in. | “ | 133 | “ |
| 5ft. 4in. | “ | 136 | “ |
| 5ft. 5in. | “ | 142 | “ |
| 5ft. 6in. | “ | 145 | “ |
| 5ft. 7in. | “ | 148 | “ |
| 5ft. 8in. | “ | 155 | “ |
| 5ft. 9in. | “ | 162 | “ |
| 5ft. 10in. | “ | 169 | “ |
| 5ft. 11in. | “ | 174 | “ |
| 6ft. —— | “ | 178 | “ |
The above table was formed by Dr. Hutchingson, and was taken from a mean average of 2,648 healthy men. By this scale life insurances are regulated in England. The Doctor’s calculations were made upon the volume of air passing in and out of the lungs, and this was his guide as to how far the various organs of the body were in health, and the lungs in particular.