hEEPING COOL
IN HUT WEATHER
By Waldemar Schweisheimer, M. IJ.
udp 8 CONTEST was held in America
to solve the question of what to do to keep
cool in hot weather. The prize was given
for the following suggestion: Take a hot
bath during the hottest part of the day,
followed by a hot drink.
This sounds like a strange idea at first,
but it is a good one. The hot bath opens all
the pores, enlarging all the skin cells so that
heat can be given off rapidly by the body.
After a cold bath the pores contract and
warmth is insufficiently exuded, so one may
feel warmer after a cold bath than before.
Of course if the cold bath 1s long drawn out,
more heat escapes, and it is therefore suit-
able for the hottest days, but if one’s voca-
tion does not permit the lengthy process, a
hot shower 1s better than a cold one.
The hot drink causes a gentle perspira-
tion and has a cooling effect. The perspira-
tion evaporates on the skin, drawing off
heat from it, and is thus an important
cooling factor. Perspiring in dry heat is
most effective, for the perspiration 1s
greedily absorbed by the dry air around.
On warm, damp days, when the air is
saturated with moisture, it has little effect.
The hot drink, however, must not be of
alcoholic nature, but water or lemonade.
Alcoholic drinks are stimulating. For the
same reason foodstuffs rich in calories are
to be avoided in hot weather. Fruit, fruit
juices, vegetables, and uncooked salads are
preferable. Eat little fat or sugar. Ice-
cooled fruit juices and ice cream, if they
contain little sugar, are most suitable.
The right choice of clothes is also of great
importance. Light, porous materials allow
the breathing process of the skin to go on
undisturbed. Clothes open at the neck
should be worn, to allow vapors to escape
in this way. Men's high collars, soft as well
as stiff ones, are more than likely to cause
sunstroke on hot days. Bare arms are
beneficial.
Light colors are preferable for clothing.
The darker the material, the more the sun's
rays penetrate, and the less the body 1s
protected. White material keeps out the
warm rays of the sun best. which makes 1t
eminently suitable for hot weather. Pale
yellow is next best. Putting the capacity of
heat absorption for white material at 100,
we get 102 for pale yellow, 150 for light
grey, 168 for red, 198 for light brown, and
208 for black. Tight or uncomfortable
clothes make the wearer feel warm and are
therefore to be avoided. For this reason
suspenders are better than a tight belt.
Page FOURTEEN
The development of women's clothes has
advanced farther than men’s. A student of
hygiene checked the weight of his own
clothing in summer and the weight of his
wife’s. The man’s weighed four times as
much as his wife’s. Both included a hat.
The man had to carry about five per cent of
his own weight in clothes, the woman only
1.2 per cent. The weight of a dog’s winter
coat is 1.4 per cent of his own weight.
Holding the wrists under running water
is extremely refreshing. At the wrist the
artery is just under the surface of the skin,
so that running water cools the blood
almost immediately. In time it draws the
heat from the blood. Bathing the area just
above the ears is also very refreshing.
Keeping the surroundings cool is a great
factor in refreshing the body. Thus it is
well in hot weather to air the rooms at
night, and keep the windows shut during
the day, whether your house is air-condi-
tioned or not. Lower the blinds and draw
the curtains to keep the sun out. If cloths
NWN
or curtains are hung up wet, the evapora-
tion cools the air.
A draught of wind replaces hot air with
cooler air. It can be obtained by opening
opposite doors and windows, or by elec-
trically driven ventilators. The kitchen,
where heat is produced, requires especially
good ventilation. It should be shut off
from the rest of the house.
To avoid unnecessary discomfort from
heat, keen placid. If one must quarrel or
get upset, winter is the time for it. Excite-
ment accelerates the circulation of the
blood and produces warmth. It is no vain
saving when we speak of someone being
‘““hot-headed,” and contrast him with the
“cold-blooded” man. Those who are
easily aroused give way to superfluous
gesticulations which are not the thing for a
hot day. Serenity is a splendid adjunct in
conquering the unpleasantness of a sultry
day. Where it is wanting in one’s make-up,
it should be applied, at least temporarily,
as a ‘cooling mixture.” In the case of im-
pressionable people, the feeling of coolness
can be produced by thinking of winter
walks through snow and ice. It is not
everyone, however, who is subject to this
sort of autosuggestion, but for those who
are, it is a good thing to hang pictures of
the North Pole expeditions and snowy
landscapes on the walls.
Extreme heat tempts people to move as
little as possible, and do no work. That isa
mistake. To a great degree, work helps to
overcome the disagreeable feeling of heat.
Always thinking of heat makes it worse.
Interesting activity distracts the thoughts,
srry
¥ “Fruits, fruit juices, vegetables, and uncooked salads are preferable on hot days,
also indicated for children.
KK
while milk 1s
be
The WATCHMAN MAGAZINE