198 



Life and Health 





methods, as lively exercise, brisk friction, hot drinks, and 



the application of heat. 



301. Salt-Water Bathing. Salt water acts more as a 



stimulant to the skin, than fresh water. Salt-water bathing 



is refreshing and invigorating for 

 those who are healthy, but the 

 bather should come out of the 

 water the moment there is 

 the slightest feeling of chilliness. 

 The practice of bathing in salt 

 water more than once a day is 

 unhealthf til, and even dangerous. 

 Only the strongest can sustain 

 so severe a tax on their power of 

 endurance. Sea bathing is bene- 

 ficial in many ways for children, 

 if their skin reacts well after it. 

 In all cases, brisk rubbing with 

 a rough towel should follow. 



A, membrane of the hair follicle, n ___ 



cells with nuclei and pigmentary V 302. Care of the Hair and Nails. 



granules; B, external lining of The hairbrush should not be too 



stiff, as this increases the tend- 

 ency toward scurfiness of the head. 

 Moreover, if the hair is brushed 

 too long or too hard, the scalp is 

 greatly stimulated and an increased 

 production of scurf may result. If 

 the head be washed too often with soap, its natural secretion is 

 checked, and the scalp becomes dry and scaly. The various 

 hair pomades are as a rule undesirable and unnecessary. 



The nails should be kept in proper condition, else they are 

 not only unsightly, but may serve as carriers of germs of 

 disease. The nails are often injured by too much trimming. 

 The upper surfaces should on no account be scraped. The 

 nailbrush is sufficient to cleanse them without impairing their 

 smooth and polished surfaces. 



FIG. 107. Magnified Section of 

 the Lower Portion of a Hair 

 and Hair Follicle. 



the root sheath ; C, internal lining 

 of the root sheath ; Z>, cortical or 

 fibrous portion of the hair shaft; 

 E, medullary portion (pith) of 

 shaft ; F, hair bulb, showing its 

 development from cells from A. 



