THE PHYSICIAN IN THE HOME. l8l
very lowering, and would in time reduce the vitality ana muscular
and nervous energy, even of the strongest. Extremes meet in the
temperature of water. Water as cold as you can bear it will strengthen
you, and water as hot as you can bear it will do the same; but luke-
warm water relaxes and debilitates the system. If the water is too
cold, only take the chill off it.
Be sure to dry yourself with a rough, not a soft, towel, so that your
skin may glow and be quickened into active work. If you have
aches and stiffness in your joints, get yourself rubbed, or rub yourself
as well as you can with oil, which is very pleasant, especially if
pleasantly perfumed, and will give suppleness and ease to the joints.
Do not stay too long in the water — ten minutes should be the limit
— or you will feel a reaction of lassitude. Dry yourself thoroughly
after bathing, and never put on underclothing that is damp from per-
spiration after drying your skin.
It seems unnecessary to remind any sensible person of the folly
of sitting in wet clothes, yet men frequently do so to escape the trouble
of changing, and many victims to rheumatism and consumption are
made by it.
Many persons suffer with cold feet, the result of imperfect circula-
tion and poverty of blood. Keep them well covered by the blankets
at night; rub them to promote circulation, and if these remedies fail
sponge them with cold water and put a thick pair of socks on. Take
the socks off when they get warm. Put mustard in the water if the
sponging and rubbing do not suffice.
Sponging the whole body both night and morning where the full
bath is not at hand, followed by a thorough rubbing with a rough
towel or gentle scrubbing with a flesh-brush, arc excellent both for
cleanliness and circulation.
Next to the thorough purifying of the skin and invigorating the
system by cold water, moderate exercise and wholesome food arc the
best preservatives of health. Never bolt your food, or allow your
children to do so. Let everything you eat be thoroughly chewed.
Give yourself a rest after dinner, if only for a quarter of an hour, for
1 82 THE hearthstone; or, life at home.
the rushing to heavy work just after a full meal is a fruitful cause
of indigestion and dyspepsia.
Always keep bicarbonate of soda in the house in case of sour
stomach, heartburn, and flatulency. It will afford greater and speedier
relief than anything else, but it should never be used except in these
cases, and then only a tablespoonful or wine-glass should be taken
of the solution you make, which should be in the proportion of half
a teaspoonful of the bicarbonate to a tumbler of water. Take a
sip as you need it. Used constantly it injures the coats of the
^mach.
In exercise, take sufficient every day, either in walking, riding,
running or athletic sports, to make you feel strong and vigorous,
but be careful not to overdo it or you will weaken the action of the
heart and make it irregular. Many deaths from heart disease are
caused by excessive muscular exercise in rowing, weight-lifting and
the like.
Page 114
Presented as published in 1883. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
very lowering, and would in time reduce the vitality and muscular and nervous energy, even of the strongest. Extremes meet in the temperature of water. Water as cold as you can bear it will strengthen you, and water as hot as you can bear it will do the same; but lukewarm water relaxes and debilitates the system. If the water is too cold, only take the chill off it.
Be sure to dry yourself with a rough, not a soft, towel, so that your skin may glow and be quickened into active work. If you have aches and stiffness in your joints, get yourself rubbed, or rub yourself as well as you can with oil, which is very pleasant, especially if pleasantly perfumed, and will give suppleness and ease to the joints. Do not stay too long in the water — ten minutes should be the limit — or you will feel a reaction of lassitude. Dry yourself thoroughly after bathing, and never put on underclothing that is damp from perspiration after drying your skin.
It seems unnecessary to remind any sensible person of the folly of sitting in wet clothes, yet men frequently do so to escape the trouble of changing, and many victims to rheumatism and consumption are made by it.
Many persons suffer with cold feet, the result of imperfect circulation and poverty of blood. Keep them well covered by the blankets at night; rub them to promote circulation, and if these remedies fail sponge them with cold water and put a thick pair of socks on. Take the socks off when they get warm. Put mustard in the water if the sponging and rubbing do not suffice.
Sponging the whole body both night and morning where the full bath is not at hand, followed by a thorough rubbing with a rough towel or gentle scrubbing with a flesh-brush, arc excellent both for cleanliness and circulation.
Next to the thorough purifying of the skin and invigorating the system by cold water, moderate exercise and wholesome food arc the best preservatives of health. Never bolt your food, or allow your children to do so. Let everything you eat be thoroughly chewed. Give yourself a rest after dinner, if only for a quarter of an hour, for
1 82 THE hearthstone; or, life at home.
the rushing to heavy work just after a full meal is a fruitful cause of indigestion and dyspepsia.
Always keep bicarbonate of soda in the house in case of sour stomach, heartburn, and flatulency. It will afford greater and speedier relief than anything else, but it should never be used except in these cases, and then only a tablespoonful or wine-glass should be taken of the solution you make, which should be in the proportion of half a teaspoonful of the bicarbonate to a tumbler of water. Take a sip as you need it. Used constantly it injures the coats of the stomach.
In exercise, take sufficient every day, either in walking, riding, running or athletic sports, to make you feel strong and vigorous, but be careful not to overdo it or you will weaken the action of the heart and make it irregular. Many deaths from heart disease are caused by excessive muscular exercise in rowing, weight-lifting and the like.