Colds do not "run into" consumption or pneumonia, but they bear much the same relation to them that good intentions are said to do to the infernal regions. They release the lid of a perfect Pandora's box of distempers—tuberculosis, pneumonia, rheumatism, bronchitis, Bright's disease, neuritis, endocarditis. A cold is no longer a joke. A generation ago a prominent physician was asked by an anxious mother, "Doctor, how would you treat a cold?"
"With contempt, madam," replied the great man.
That day is past, and has lasted too long. Intelligently regarded and handled, they are the least harmful of diseases; neglected, one of the most dangerous, because there are such legions of them. To sum up, if you wish to revel in colds, all that is necessary is to observe the following few and simple rules:—
Avoid drafts as if they were a pestilence.
Take no exercise between meals.
Bathe seldom, and in warm water.
Wear heavy flannels, chest-protectors, abdominal bandages, and electric insoles.
Have no heat in your bedroom.
Never let anything keep you away from church, the theatre, or parties, in winter.