Democratic Sentinel, Volume 12, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 April 1888 — A New Edition of “Don’t.” [ARTICLE]

A New Edition of “Don’t.”

Don’t keep the sun out of the rooms in which you live and sleep. Sunlight is absolutely necessary to a right condition of the atmosphere that we breathe, and for our bodily well-being. Don’t sleep in the same flannels that you wear during the day. Don’t wear thin socks or light-soled shoes in cold or wet weather. Don’t catch cold. Catching cold is much more preventfable than is generally supposed. A person in good physical condition is not liable to colds, and will not fall victim to them unless he is grossly careless. Keep the feet warm and dry, the head cool, the bowels and chest well protected; avoid exposure with an empty stomach; take care not to cool off too rapidly when heated; keep out of draughts; wear flannels; and with the exercise of a little common sense in various emergencies, colds will be rare. If colds were a penal offense, we would soon find a way to prevent them. Don’t forget personal cleanliness, but use the bath with moderation, and in accordance with your general health. The daily cold bath is right enough with the rugged, but it is a great tax on the vitality of persons not in the best of health, and should be abandoned if the results are not found to be favorable, and tepid water used instead. In these things each man should judge for himself; that which is excellent for one is often hurtful for another.

Don’t have too much confidence in the curative nature of drugs. Remember that Dr. Good Habits, Dr. Diet, and Dr. Exercise are the best doctors in the world. Youth’s Companion.