The art of living in Australia

But although there may be a certain proportion of jxiople whom the cold bath does not benefit, yet I am fully con- vinced that the number is comparatively speaking small. A' good many make the excuse that they cannot take it, while all the time laziness is the real trouble. Once the advan- tages derived from the cold bath are experienced, all the ob- jections raised vanish into thin air. Not only is there that feeling of exhilaration which abides with those who habitu- ally employ it, but it is to be remembered that its greatest value consists in the immunity which it confers against diseases of the catarrhal type. The effect of the cold bath is to give tone to the whole system, and to brace up the body. But it does more than this ; by maintaining the functional activity of the skin, the liability to catch cold is greatly lessened. There are many explanations given of the phenonema which occur in " taking cold." They are be- lie\cd, howe\er, to arise from a disturbance of the heat- 82 THE ART OF LIVING IN AUSTRALIA. producing forces of the body. As it lias been already pointed out, the skin is the great temperature-regulator of the body. Accordingly this latter all-important duty is best promoted by keeping the functional activity of the skin in full swing. The prevention of catarrh means, therefore, a healthy action of the skin, and for this nothing is so good as the daily cold bath. The praises of the latter are well sung in the following extract : " Those who desire to pass the " short time of life in good health ought often to use cold " bathing, for I can scarce express in words how much " benefit may be had by cold baths ; for they who use them, " although almost spent with old age, have a strong and " compact pulse and a florid colour in their face, they are " very active and strong, their appetite and digestion are " vigorous, their senses are perfect and exact, and, in one " word, they ha\^e all their natural actions well performed." The beneficial eff'ects which follow the daily cold bath have been thus dwelt upon because I believe that in Australia the greatest good to the greatest number would follow its use. At the same time, however, it is necessary to remember that thei'e are some persons, and some even apparently robust persons, who can ne^'cr take them. Such baths, also, are injurious to those who are pale and blood- less, or those who suffer from a tendency to congestion of the internal organs — excepting under medical advice. And, in addition, it must also be remembered that warm baths have claims for consideration from a cleansing point of view, and a few words upon them in this respect will not be thrown away. Now, the daily use of the cold bath, together with the assiduous application of soap, may be sufficient to keep the skin cleansed from imj)urities. Yet as a matter of fact this will the more certainly be ensured by a weekly — or, better still, bi-weekly — warm cleansing bath. The best time to take it is before bedtime, so that there is no risk of ABLUTION— THE SKIN AND THE BATH. 33