The philosophy of eating. By Albert J. Bellows, M.D.

BATHING AND FRICTION.'

325

matory diseases connected with them, is exposure of
a part of the skin to cold or moisture in a manner
to which it is not accustomed.
This exposure, by causing contraction of the pores,
prevents the natural circulation of blood and perspiration, and throws them back on some other parts of the
system. This increases the heat of the other organs,
and, if weakened by previous disease, or otherwise predisposed to inflammation, proves to be the spark to
"touch off" the heated sheathing of the lungs, or nose,
or throat, or any other organ which proves to be most
ignitible. To prevent these evils, then, we must avoid
currents of air, or standing still on the cold ground,
especially with thirt shoes, or making great and sudden
changes of dress, especially when tired, or weak, or
exhausted from any cause, and, in our variable New
England climate, take a lesson from the animals, and
make no material change but twice a year, wearing the
same thickness of dress all days from spring to fall, and
from fall to spring, - only thicker in winter, and more
porous, but never trying to conform our dress to cold
or hot days.
Bathing and Friction.
Some animals bathe, others do not. Those that
bathe seem to do so for purposes of cleanliness; but
all animals, whose skin is made for the same functions
as those of man, whether they bathe or not, have the
means of applying friction to every part of the skin.
Fowls and birds sometimes bathe, but more generally