Fig. 6. Properly prepared for wet weather.
Why damp clothing is dangerous
Damp clothing chills the body very rapidly and kills many cells. Indeed, if a single one of the germs that cause pneumonia were to enter your lungs while you were wearing damp clothing, it would grow so rapidly that you might have pneumonia in a very little while. That is why it is important to change your shoes and stockings as soon as you get them wet, and to take off immediately any clothing that becomes damp. It is hard for boys and girls to keep their feet dry in the winter and spring months, and rubbers are a nuisance; but if you expect to grow into the strong man or woman you picture yourself becoming, you must take care to wear your rubbers. Otherwise you may become weak and sickly, and never be able to do the things you hope to do.
The feet are not the only part of the body that needs to be kept dry. A wet coat is just as harmful as wet shoes and stockings; hence, you should always carry an umbrella or wear a raincoat when you go out into the rain. Umbrellas are unhandy for boys and girls to carry, but if you will remember that thousands of little cells in your body are being injured when you get wet and chilled, you will be willing to take your umbrella.
When to wear an overcoat
In cold weather the same amount of clothing should not be worn in the house and outdoors; for this reason, we have overcoats. If you wear your overcoat in the house, you will become overwarm and your underclothing will then become damp with perspiration; when you go outdoors into the cold air, this dampness will have just the same effect as would dampness that comes from outside.
Figs. 7 and 8. If you keep your overcoat on in the house, your underclothes become damp from perspiration, and when you go outdoors your body becomes chilled.