Evening Republican, Volume 59, Number 65, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 April 1917 — Persons Have “Cold Feet” In a Literal Sense When Afraid, Scientists Find. [ARTICLE]

Persons Have “Cold Feet” In a Literal Sense When Afraid, Scientists Find.

When we accuse a man- of being afraid to do something, we frequently say he has “cold feet,” pat Yew realize the actual physiological" connection which exists between fear and the temperature of the feet. There is, however, a very definite and good reason why the expression “cold feet” came to be connected with the emotion of fear. Worry and fear are very closely allied in their general meaning and their effect on human beings. Fear is an exaggerated form of worrying. . —Of all the physical Ills which we needlessly and unconsciously bring upon ourselves the most are doubtless caused by worry. Hurrying through our dally tasks and at breathless speed is bad enough, but to worry about future ills is-far worse. It is well enough to look ipto the future and provide to our best ability against misfortunes, but when this foresight amounts to seeing only the phantoms in our path, it is nothing short of slow suicide. Worry and fear have a very detrimental action upon certain glands of internal secretion which control our health and poise. Physicians are fast accumulating important data to measure and Inpuce the healthy action of these glands, among which the thyroid is one of the most important. But it seems impossible to hope for any remedy that will repair all the burin worry can do these glands. —— The heart action-becomes irregular '"arid intermittent when you worry; all the symptoms of heart disease appear; the respiration is repressed; the entire digestive tract becomes paralyzed for a time, and the circulation of blood to the extremities diminishes. The hands and feet become actually cold to the touch. To tell a man that he has “cold feet” amounts to telling him that he lacks courage to take a certain step which he thinks he would like or ought to take. In consideration of the subject he undergoes a nervous strain known as worry and this actually causes a physical coldness of the extremities.