THE SKIN. 165 



CARE OF THE SKIN. 



SECTION II. 1, If the skin of an animal is covered 

 with varnish, it will soon die. If more than half of the 

 surface of the skin is burned, even though the burn be 

 not very deep, death will probably be the result. This 

 shows how important the action of the skin is. It should 

 be well taken care of. 



2, To keep the skin healthy, three things are needed : 



1, To keep the glands (sweat-glands and sebaceous 

 glands) open and active. 



2, To keep the blood circulating freely in it. 

 s. To let the air get to it. 



3, The solid matter in the perspiration, the oily matter 

 from the sebaceous glands, and dead scales from the sur- 

 face, together with dirt, will form a thin coating, which 

 clogs the pores, and is itself unwholesome. 



The skin of a savage is freely exposed to air. The 

 civilized man, stepping from a warm bed into warm 

 clothing, and staying, perhaps, much of his time in close 

 rooms, gets a soft, over-sensitive skin. Neither its glands 

 nor its blood-vessels are vigorous, and it can not do its 

 work well. 



4, Besides, such a man is liable to colds. A cold gen- 

 erally comes from chilling some portion of the skin. 

 Those who are out of doors in all weather do not often 

 catch cold. Their skin, as well as the rest of the body, 

 can better resist a chill. Those who are seldom exposed 

 to cold air, and whose skin has become delicate, catch 

 cold most readily. 



5, Too thick clothing keeps air from the skin, and 

 weakens it by keeping it too warm. Air-baths are useful. 



