Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 152, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 June 1910 — The FAMILY DOCTOR [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The FAMILY DOCTOR

Tubbing; and Rabbins. A great many people seem to pride themselves on being well bathed individuals on the ground that every morning they jump for a short. moment into a tub of cold water. A 3 a matter of fact it is quite possible to perform this feat for three hundred and sixty-five days in the year, and yet to miss entirely the real purpose of the daily bath. The cold plunge or shower Is excellent in its way for those to whom it is suited, that is, for the young and the vigorous, who react perfectly. For these it is invigorating and stimulating. As a cleansing process it Is hardly enough, because getting clean does not mean merely leiting water pass over the surface of the body. To be really clean one must make sure that the millions of tiny pores, by means of which the skin does its work for the physical economy, are kept cleared of waste products and in good working condition. The skin is one of the most important of the scavengers of the system, but one cannot expect it to do its work properly if its myriads of tiny holes through which it gives off waste matter are blocked. This waste matter is largely given off in the perspiration, which Is coming through it all the time, whether sensibly or insensibly. If this perspiration is checked, the waste products are driven Into the system, with the result that the other organs of elimination, the kidneys or the bowels, are asked to do double duty, and double duty is not demanded of any organ long without a bill having to be paid somehow, some time. To keep the skin in perfect working condition an occasional bath that really washes it is called for. This bath should take the form of plenty of warm water, some good mild soap, a small brush, and above all a good rough towel, for the final rub is really more important than the soap and water wash. The skin is renewing itself all the time, with the result that it is always giving off minute scales, and it 13 these which largely serve to block the pores. Anyone can stand in a good light with a clean, dry nail brush and prove this. Us the brush vigorously anywhere on the skin and observe the minute dry particles that will fly off. It stands to reason that a swift plunge into cold water and a gingerly dab with a smooth towel* are not enough to properly remove these scales. In fact, if one were so placed that it was temporarily impossible to get a bath, the skin could be kept in condition by vigorous dry rubbing, so far as all the purposes of health demanded.—Youth’s Companion.