July 24, 1885.] 



♦ KNOAA/LEDGE ♦ 



turc is much less within the cave than in the open air, 

 we are deceived into the idea that the temperature really 

 I'anges the reverse way from that in which it actiially 



A Tiion' «ii1>t1(- illusion relating to hon+ ;« +'•:'* orl-i.v 

 from ililTiivih-i' ill ilie conducting po\\''- ' 



warmth. On tlie coutrnry, the .sclf-simc sul.stance- 

 water — not only feels hot but is unhearahly hot when at 

 a temperature far below that of the surrounding air in a 

 Turkish bath. 



It is to be noticed that in this case the sense of heat 

 while in one respect leading to an erroneous idea, in 

 another and a much more important point gives correct 

 information. If one were to trust flic toacliinp-s nf tlio 

 thermometer, and infer that ciiic in iulii :is vm 11 r,iii:iiii in 

 water as in air seeing that tht> WMt.r ;,n.l iln- ^m- ;,rr . f 

 the same temperature, one would innkn n snrinus inistnlsr, 

 and suffer a good deal of harm through the rapid abstrac- 

 tion of warmth from the body. The heat sense, by tell- 

 ing us wrongly that the water is colder than the air, 

 conveys at least the much more important Hiformation 

 that we are losing heat while in the water, — and therefore 

 saves us from the danger of getting unduly chilled, as we 

 might if we trusted to the thermometer alone. In the 

 reverse case, the sense of heat acts even more directly 

 and emphatically for our benefit. I remember a case in 

 point which occurred at the Hummums. Some one who 

 had heard that the temperature of water in the hot 

 rooms is always much lower than the temperature of the 

 air, but had not considered the matter with actual refer- 

 ence to the requirements of the human body, supposed 

 that he would gain decidedly in comfort if instead of 

 sitting on the non-conducting felt or flannel of the seats, 

 he were to substitute a roll of towels well soaked in 

 water. He found as a matter of fact that the arrange- 

 ment thus suggested by the thermometer was very far 

 from being welcomed by the nerves of touch, — whose 

 repugnance to the arrangement was indeed most 

 emphatic. 



It is hardly necessary to say, perhaps, that the whole 

 question of clothing, especially for young people, depends 

 on the relation between the conducting powers of various 

 substances used for clothing. In this matter the sense of 

 heat gives moi-e trustworthy information than the tlini- 

 mometer, clothes which seem to be of the same tninprri- 

 ture if tested by the thermometer affording very diiTircnl 

 degrees of protection against the loss or the too rapid 

 accession of heat. 



In passing, I may note here an important consideration 

 as to the clothing proper for children. In their case as 

 in the case of grown folk the sense of heat gives the best 

 information as to what is really desirable in the way of 

 clothing. But grown jieople are apt to forget the expe- 

 riences of their childlmod, and to decide what is best for 

 children from their own ideas as to what ou-lit t.. he 

 best. A child complains of cold or of heat sdoimr tlnni a 

 grown person; but much less attcntidii is |-aiil tn tlic 

 complaints of children on such mattnis tliaii to cmr 

 own .slightest suggestions of personal iliscmnfori . And 

 children are much less carefully Lruarilnil aL^ainst 

 lu'at and cold than grown persons giiaid tluinsclvis. 

 The idea seems to be that children can stand 

 any changes of temperature ; though, oildly enough. 



children's own idea (which is really not ■.t.-ry far from 



the truth) that they can stand anythiiu : f 



rich and indigestible eating, is not mu 



older persons. Now when a child sho\'. ^ 



a.-ti<ms that it saff,T> s,M,iitr from chai.^; ,;■._. 



A child cools and warms 

 I lecisely the same reason 

 quickly than a large one, 

 mre quickly than a large 

 a child three feet high 

 ■ Iiiii'h. Xes'lccting slight 



'„s thn ,.],;■.!. ,:■,•• . ::nM -,:■ ■ ■, !:.:,tter.;But 



tlif >ari > ' i :'■ ' ■■■,'':■:'.■ ■ :-_-o aS the 



surfanr . i I I,- . I::! : . V \- • lllv f-nl' i ::,n - aS large. 



Thus Ml]. I . Mn- 11 .11 anl the child tr. cnmc out of a 



warm r. "in int'i ih'.old outer air, being both at the 

 same tnm i ii.it iim. tlm man has eight times as much heat 

 fn y.')-' ..■'ill! :i- iii-nhild has; but he only parts with 

 I, nil- In; n 'nnn', Inat, momeut by moment, if he and 

 tl:,n! : clothed. Thus the child's loss of 



In:,!, ini I III l-\ i im mint, though Only oue-fourth of the 

 mans Inss of lieat, bears twice as great a ratio to 

 the child's total supply of heat. The child will 

 cool as much in one minute as the man cools in two 

 minutes, or in half-an-hour as the man cools in an hour. 

 If the weather outside is BO cold that the man would 

 suffer serious injury to his health after an hour's expo- 

 sure to it, the child will suffer at least an equal injury in 

 half-an-hour. In reality of course the child will suffer a 

 greater injury; because apart from his more rapid loss 

 of heat, the child's flesh is more tender and necessarily 

 suffers more from a given loss of temperature. Similar 

 remarks apply to increase of heat, which may be just as. 

 mischievous as access of cold. Yet we are too apt to 

 clothe children with total disregard to the circumstance 

 that they require to be protected much more carefully 

 than their elders against rapid changes of temperature. 

 Apart from all questions of propriety a man would not care 

 even on a fairly warm spring day to go about with his arms 

 and legs bare for any length of time ; for he would feel 

 uncomfortably cool : children suffer twice as much on 

 such a day from undue exposure to the air ; yet many 

 foolish folk think nothing of exposing the delicate 

 limbs of children to the cold of winter withmit yv..rec- 

 tion. Tlmy innnj-iiii' tliat the numbness :i"' in.,....;i,,i;ty 

 which IV,, ll\ iinlieate the mischievous el'- -' I. 



and nuu , I'mniiimiilv affect the child's n -i ■ 



{To he continued.) 





The " Visitation of Dorsetshire," and the " Visitation of Glon- 

 cestershire " of 1623, have just been issned by Messrs. Mitchell and 

 Hughes to the Members of the Ilarleian Society. The two volamea 

 are included in the subscription for 1885 ; and the secocd volume 

 of the Kegisters of St. James, Clerkenwell, will be ready for the 

 Members fuAuK-'iat. 



IUkmiivi inini -Tn a special "Holiday Kdition " of Mr. 

 I'niii, - I ! I " Hurnham Beeches," to be published im- 



,„P,i,nnI, ' . i;.!.!- & Son, of Bartholomew-close, will bo 



iiuhal- m1 I 1 1 1 nui if the author, upon whose suggcstinn this 

 chaniiiiar tract oi loreBt was secured for public use by the Cor- 

 poratiou ui Loudon. 



