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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



whole body. This should not be made of thick, heavy flannel, for 

 thickness and weight contribute little to warmth, but of soft, light, 

 fleecy material, or of that thin flannel which somewhat resembles silk 

 in structure. The feet coverings should be of the same character, and 

 long socks should be preferred to stockings. The upper clothing, like 

 the under, should be of light and, at the same time, warm character, 

 and the final overcoat or cloak should carefully vary with the sea- 

 son. In coldest weather fur is, I think, without doubt, the best exter- 

 nal clothing. The overcoat or cloak should, in all cases, fit loosely to 

 the body. 



III. Connected with this part of my discourse, there comes in 

 naturally the ventilation of clothes on the body to which I referred in 

 the opening paragraphs. I can not too seriously express the necessity 

 of maintaining a free ventilation. Whatever impedes the evaporation 

 of water from the body leads, of necessity, to some derangement of 

 the body, if not to disease ; for the retained moisture, saturating the 

 garments, produces chilliness of surface, and checks the action of the 

 skin. Then follow cold, dyspepsia, and, in those who are disposed to 

 it, rheumatism. For these reasons I always hold that the so-called 

 waterproofs are sources of great danger, unless they are used with 

 great discrimination. It is true they keep the body dry in wet weath- 

 er, but they wet it through from its own rain ; and when the body is 

 freely exercised and perspires copiously during rain, shut up with its 

 own secretion on one side of the waterproof covering, and chilled by 

 the water that falls on the other, it is in a poor plight indeed. It had 

 better be wet to the skin in a porous clothing. Hence, I would advise 

 that the waterproof should only be used when the body is at rest, as 

 when standing or sitting in the rain. During active exercise a good, 

 large, strong umbrella none of your finikin parasol-like pretenses is 

 worth any number of waterproofs. 



IV. The color of the dress is another practical point of consider- 

 able moment. The " Lancet," a few weeks ago, was very much criti- 

 cised for suggesting that in the cold, dark weather dresses of light 

 color should be worn. The " Lancet," nevertheless, was right. The 

 light-colored dress is at once the warmest and the healthiest. In the 

 Arctic regions white is the prevailing color of the animal that most 

 retains its warmth. The same color is also best adapted for summer 

 wear, for that which is negative to cold does not absorb heat. The 

 objection made to white clothing is, that it so soon becomes dirty, or, 

 correctly speaking, that it more quickly than darker fabrics shows the 

 presence of dirt. This might be an advantage in many cases, but 

 I think it is fair to admit that white out and out, for all times and 

 seasons, is not practical. The best compromise is a gray, and I won- 

 der that in our climate that practical fact, which was once known and 

 acted upon, has ever been allowed to die out. Those wise and dis- 

 cerning forefathers of ours, who utilized the serviceable gray suits, 



