ADVANTAGES OF FLANNEL. 69 



by a current of air or by rain, is well known to be 

 pernicious. 



The advantages of wearing flannel next the skin 

 are easily explicable on the above principles. Being 

 a bad conductor of heat, flannel prevents that of the 

 animal economy from being quickly dissipated, and 

 protects the body in a considerable degree from the 

 injurious influence of sudden external changes. 

 From its presenting a rough and uneven though soft 

 surface to the skin, every movement of the body in 

 labour or in exercise gives, by the consequent fric- 

 tion, a gentle stimulus to the cutaneous vessels and 

 nerves, which assists their action, and maintains 

 their functions in health; and being at the same 

 time of a loose and porous texture, flannel is capable 

 of absorbing the cutaneous exhalations to a larger 

 extent than any other material in common use. In 

 some very delicate constitutions, it proves even too 

 irritating to the skin ; but, in such cases, fine fleecy 

 hosiery will in general be easily borne, and will 

 greatly conduce to the preservation of health. Many 

 are in the custom of waiting till winter has fairly 

 set in before beginning to wear flannel. This is a 

 great error in a variable climate like ours, especially 

 when the constitution is not robust. It is during 

 the sudden changes from heat to cold, which are so 

 common in autumn, before the frame has got inured 

 to the reduction of temperature, that protection is 

 most wanted, and flannel is most useful. 



The advantages of flannel as a preservative from 

 disease in warm as well as in cold climates are 

 now so well understood, that in the army and navy 

 its use is cogently, and with great propriety, in- 

 sisted on. Captain Murray, late of H. M. S. Valo- 

 rous, told me that he was so strongly impressed 

 from former experience with a sense of the efficacy 

 of the protection afforded by the constant use of 

 flannel next the skin, that when, on his arrival in 

 England in December, 1823, after two years' ser- 



