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Show HOW TO KEEP COOL We must, as far as we can, keep our system in a calm, quiet condition; Excitement quickens the circulation and provokes increased temperature. The "heat of passion" has passed into a byword. Clothing should be thin, yet not too thin, and of a light color. Light colored hats are better than dark ones, since the dark absorbes [absorbs] while the light reflects, the sun's rays. The brim of the hat should be wide enough to protect the back of the white man's neck and the clothing is a protection for the shoulders. When out of doors, it is well to seek the shade, and with an umbrella one can always be under cover. Sleep, if possible, in well-ventilated rooms, and if tired, rest the nerves by a nap in the day time. Avoid any excess of stimulants. Sir Charles Napier, who served in Sindh, says of an attack of sunstroke from which he suffered there: "Forty-three others were struck, all Europeans and all died within three hours, except myself. I did not drink. That is the secret. The sun has no ally in liquor among my brains." A certain amount of water is beneficial, since it cools the system and favors perspiration, but an excess of any fluid is injurious and will produce dilation of the stomach, with much discomfort. One of the common causes of cholera morbus is the drinking of too much ice water. By bathing, warm water is often more refreshing than cold, and any one who dips his hands in hot water when coming in tired from outdoors will experience an actual sense of refreshment in the act. By a cold bath, the temperature is at first lowered, then elevated, and gradually returns to its normal heat. A hot bath, on the other hand first communicates heat, then the skin with its vessels becomes relaxed. The blood is drawn from deeper organs and congestion is relieved, the skin becomes more active, evaporation is greater, and the body cools down to a natural temperature. Wonderlich says that "a high temperature of the body generally follows a cold bath, and after a warm bath, on the other hand, increased coolness is noticed, and in tropical countries and very hot seasons, no means of cooling is so lasting as a bath or douche of very warm water." Sometimes a draught of warm water is very refreshing.-The Hour. |