The art of living in Australia

The structure of the true skin — -The perspiration tubes — The tubes of the oil-glands — Great value of the cold bath — Importance of the rubbing dowTi after the cold bath — The cold bath as a preventive of disease — The cold bath in the maintenance of health — The warm cleansing bath — The beneficial effect of adding salt at the end of a warm bath — Other interesting hints . 24-34 Loss of hair in Australia — Structure of the hair, and its blood supply — The hair is not a tube — Management of the hair — Singeing the hair — ^Washing the hair — De- scription of brushes and combs recommended — Hard rim of the hat a factor in thinning the hair — Excellent applications for promoting the growth of the hair . 34-38 Formation of the nail — Different parts of the nail — Growth of the nail — The care of the nails . . . 38,39 Disorders arising from loss of teeth — The preservation of the teeth — An admirable recipe for a tooth-powder — Manage- ment of the teeth — Use of floss silk . . . 89-41. CHAPTER IV. BEDROOM VENTILATION. The bedroom the most important room in the house — Neces- sity for proper ventilation — ^Extra allowance of sleep in hot climates — Crowding of articles in bedrooms con- demned— Eesults of breathing vitiated air — Injuriously affects the heart as well as the lungs — The proper dimensions of a bedroom — Regulation of the ventilation — Mosquito nettings for summer months — Fresh air equally required in the cooler months . . . 42- 49 CHAPTER V. CLOTHING, AND WHAT TO WEAK. Ko clothing actually creates warmth of itself — The varying powers of clothing to detain air in its meshes — Two or three layers of clothing always warmer than a single garment equal to their combined thickness — The trans- CONTENTS. XXV PAGES mission of the bodj'-lieat to the clothes— The different fabrics are either good or bad conductors of heat — Per- meability of clothing to air — The vegetable kingdom ; the properties of cotton and of linen — The animal pro- ducts ; the properties of silk and of wool — Wool one of the best materials to -wear next the skin— Recommenda- tions for wearing -woollen under-garments — The way to prevent them from shrinking — The modern pyjamas immensely superior to the old-fashioned bed-gown — The clothing should be modified according to the season of the year ...... 50-56 CHAPTER VI. DIET — IMPORTANCE OF BREAKFAST, FRUIT, TEA, COFFEE, ICED DRINKS, TOBACCO. Breakfast usually scampered through — Monotony of the ordinary breakfast — A plea for something better — Butter during Australian summer months— The ice- chest an absolute necessity — Breakfast should be a sub- stantial meal ...... 57-60 Fruit fortunately abundant in Australia — The agreeable qualities of fruits reside in three factors — Fruit must neither be over-ripe nor under-ripe — The anti-scorbutic properties of fruit — Changes in the blood in scurvy — Mild forms of sciirvy not uncommon — Symptoms of an excess of uric acid in the system — A word for olives . CO-67 Abuse of tea by the gentler sex — Protest against lunch of tea and bread and butter — An admirable opportunity for philanthropic efforts — Tea to be enjoyed, and not mis- used— The making of tea — The anti-tannic teapot . 67-70