THE INTEGUMENT, OR SKIN. 51 



nean lakes, where no light enters, are undersized, and have 

 no eyes; tadpoles kept in the dark do not develop into 

 frogs; men growing up in mines are sallow, pale, and 

 deformed. Besides the well-known effect of solar light in 

 tanning the skin, it also makes it thicker and better able 

 to resist exposure; though the complexion may be thereby 

 injured, the health gains more than compensates for the 

 loss of beauty. "To make good the loss of the lily, where 

 the sun has cast his ray, he seldom fails to plant the rose." 



32. Clothing. In reference to clothing, we are far 

 more apt, in our changeful climate, to use too little than 

 too much. An aphorism of Boerhaave, worth remember- 

 ing, if not of adopting, is, "We should put off our winter 

 clothing on midsummer's day, and put it on again the day 

 after." He also says, "Only fools and beggars suffer from 

 the cold ; the latter not being able to get sufficient clothes, 

 the others not having the sense to wear them." The prac- 

 tice of exposing the limbs and necks of young children, 

 for the alleged purpose of "hardening" them, is quite 

 hazardous. It is not to be denied that some seem to be 

 made tough by the process ; but it is so only with the rugged 

 children, the delicate ones will invariably suffer under this 

 fanciful treatment. As has been stated before, the skin is 

 constantly acting, by night as well as by day. It is there- 

 fore conducive both to cleanliness and comfort to change 

 entirely the clothing on retiring for the night. The day- 

 clothing should be aired during the night, and the bedding 

 should be aired in the morning, for the same reason. 



33. Poisonous Cosmetics. The extensive use of 

 cosmetics for the complexion is a fertile source of disease. 

 The majority of these preparations contain certain poison- 

 ous mineral substances, chiefly lead. Now, the skin 

 rapidly absorbs the fine particles of lead, and the system 



32. Direction about clothing? Exposing limbs of children ? Clothing, night 

 and day ? 



33. Cosmetics ? Painters' colic ? 



