HEAT AND CLOTHING 239 



clothing is wet, heat is taken from the whole body equally, and there is 

 equal contraction of the arteries with no congestion or inflammation. 

 But if a single part is wet, it feels cold, while the rest of the body is 

 warm; so wet feet often produce inflammation of different parts of 

 the body. 



Cold feet. When the feet perspire a great deal, the stockings 

 and soles of the shoes become saturated with moisture and make the 

 feet feel as cold as if they were wet. Thicker stockings make the 

 feet perspire still more, and so do not add to their warmth. Tight 

 shoes allow of no ventilation, and so the moisture is retained, and the 

 feet are wet and cold. 



Drying the shoes and stockings every night before the fire will pre- 

 vent their becoming saturated with moisture. A new inside sole cut 

 out of thick paper put in the shoe each morning will absorb moisture 

 and help keep the feet warm. Rubber boots and shoes do not permit 

 the moisture of insensible perspiration to pass off, and so they seem- 

 ingly cause the feet to perspire. 



Bathing the feet each morning in cold water and drying them by 

 brisk rubbing improves the circulation, so that they will be more likely 

 to stay warm all day. 



421. Paper as a protection against cold. Paper is a poor 

 conductor of heat. A newspaper wrapped around the body under the 

 coat is as good as an overcoat for warmth. A few newspapers spread 

 between the quilts of a bed will make up for a lack of bed clothing upon 

 a cold night. One need not suffer from insufficient clothing, day or 

 night, if a few newspapers are at hand. 



422. Sufficient clothing. The amount of clothing which 

 one needs depends largely upon a person's occupation and 

 previous habits. A day laborer seldom needs an overcoat, 

 but works in his shirt sleeves, while a clerk would be 

 'chilled were he to step outdoors without extra wraps. It 

 is a mistake to think that by exposure to the cold one 

 can always become hardened to it. It is true only when a 

 person takes active exercise and lives out of doors continu- 

 ously. The body cannot adapt itself to the sudden changes 

 from hours spent in a warm room to an hour or two in the 

 cold air. Enough clothing should be worn so that the body 



