A STUDY OF THE SKIN AND THE KIDNEYS 243 



reason we are accustomed to wear dark-colored clothing in 

 winter and light colors in hot weather. 



Another important consideration that should be borne in 

 mind in deciding upon the proper clothing for the different ' 

 seasons is the capacity 0!* various fabrics for absorbing 

 moisture. Wool and silk take up a great quantity of moisture 

 and give it off slowly by evaporation. Hence in temperate 

 and especially in changeable climates, underwear is prefer- 

 ably made of these materials. Cotton and linen, on the other 

 hand, can hold but a small amount of moisture ; they allow 

 rapid evaporation, and thus expose the wearer to the danger 

 of a chill. Frequent attacks of cold and of summer diarrhoea 

 are said to be prevented to a considerable extent by wearing 

 a flannel band about the abdomen. 



Effect of Alcohol on Body Temperature. ." The action of 

 alcohol in lowering the temperature, even in moderate 

 doses, is most important. By dilating the cutaneous 

 vessels, it thus permits of the radiating of much heat 

 from the blood. When the action is pushed too far, and 

 especially when this is combined with the action of great 

 cold, its use is to be condemned." LANDOIS and STIRLING, 

 " Text-book of Human Physiology." 



" A party of engineers were surveying in the Sierra 

 Nevadas. They camped at a great height above the sea 

 level where the air was very cold, and they were chilled and 

 uncomfortable. Some of them drank a little whisky, and 

 felt less uncomfortable ; some of them drank a lot of whisky, 

 and went to bed feeling very jolly and comfortable indeed. 

 But in the morning the men who had not taken any whisky 

 got up in a good condition ; those who had taken a little 

 whisky got up feeling very miserable; the men who had 

 taken a lot of whisky did not get up at all: they were 

 simply frozen to death. They had warmed the surface of 

 their bodies at the expense of their internal organs." T. 

 LATJDER BRUNTON, London, "Lectures on the Action of 

 Medicine." 



