In the second place the clothes prevent a too rapid
escape of heat from the body, and by keeping a layer of
warm air in contact with the skin, they preserve the body
heat. Again, the various materials used to clothe the
body vary much as to the readiness with which they
conduct heat ; accordingly we speak of good and bad
conductors of heat. A bad conductor, such as wool, will
keep the heat of the body from escaping to the air, and
thus forms warm clothing, while a good conductor Uke
cotton will lead away the heat quickly and prove cooler.
As said before, the texture of the material — that is, the
size of its meshes — which allows air to pass more or less
freely through it, also exercises a greater effect upon
clothing. No healthy clothing is absolutely air-proof, the
access of the air through it being necessary to our health
and comfort. Thus oil-skin and mackintosh, which are
air-tight as well as water-tight, make most people feel
very uncomfortable.
D2
52 THE ART OF LIVING IN AUSTRALIA.
In addition to their texture or permeability to air, and
to their conducting or non-conducting powers, fabrics also
vary according to their hygroscopic quaUties. By hygro-
scopic is meant the power of absorbing moisture ; thus
a thin flannel is one of the coolest materials we can
have, for it absorbs perspiration ; while linen, which is
non-hygroscopic, when moist allows the fluid to evaporate
rapidly, and thus cools the body too quickly, and there-
fore dangerously. Hence flannel is a most suitable fabric
in which to take exercise, as there is less danger of
taking a chill.
There are four chief materials to be considered in con-
nection with clothing, namely — cotton and linen, which
belong to the vegetable kingdom, and silk and wool,
which are obtained from the animal world. These four,
either in their own form or else in combmation with
each other, such as merino, constitute most of our wearing
apparel. Cotton is the fine, soft, downy material of a
hairy nature which is found on the seeds of a certain
plant, the cotton plant, which belongs to the mallow
family. Its fibres are flattened in shajjc, and are twisted
at intervals. The form of the fibres has an important
effect in the action of cotton material on the skin. Being
of a flattened shape, they have sharp edges, which in
delicate skins are apt to cause irritation. Cotton wears
well, it is not absorbent of moisture nearly to the stime
extent as linen, nor does it conduct away the heat of the
body so quickly as the latter, hence it is a warmer material
than linen. On the other hand, it does not retain the heat
against the body like wool, and is an appropriate material
for dress in hot climates. In merino there is a mixture
of about one-fifth to one-half part of wool with cotton.
Linen, the other product of the vegetable kingdom, is
obtained from the fibres of the common flax. Its fibi'es.
CLOTHTKG, AND WHAT TO WEAB. 53-
Page 44
Presented as published in 1893. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
In the second place the clothes prevent a too rapid escape of heat from the body, and by keeping a layer of warm air in contact with the skin, they preserve the body heat. Again, the various materials used to clothe the body vary much as to the readiness with which they conduct heat ; accordingly we speak of good and bad conductors of heat. A bad conductor, such as wool, will keep the heat of the body from escaping to the air, and thus forms warm clothing, while a good conductor Uke cotton will lead away the heat quickly and prove cooler.
As said before, the texture of the material — that is, the size of its meshes — which allows air to pass more or less freely through it, also exercises a greater effect upon clothing. No healthy clothing is absolutely air-proof, the access of the air through it being necessary to our health and comfort. Thus oil-skin and mackintosh, which are air-tight as well as water-tight, make most people feel very uncomfortable.
D2
In addition to their texture or permeability to air, and to their conducting or non-conducting powers, fabrics also vary according to their hygroscopic qualities. By hygroscopic is meant the power of absorbing moisture ; thus a thin flannel is one of the coolest materials we can have, for it absorbs perspiration ; while linen, which is non-hygroscopic, when moist allows the fluid to evaporate rapidly, and thus cools the body too quickly, and therefore dangerously. Hence flannel is a most suitable fabric in which to take exercise, as there is less danger of taking a chill.
There are four chief materials to be considered in connection with clothing, namely — cotton and linen, which belong to the vegetable kingdom, and silk and wool, which are obtained from the animal world. These four, either in their own form or else in combmation with each other, such as merino, constitute most of our wearing apparel. Cotton is the fine, soft, downy material of a hairy nature which is found on the seeds of a certain plant, the cotton plant, which belongs to the mallow family. Its fibres are flattened in shajjc, and are twisted at intervals. The form of the fibers has an important effect in the action of cotton material on the skin. Being of a flattened shape, they have sharp edges, which in delicate skins are apt to cause irritation. Cotton wears well, it is not absorbent of moisture nearly to the same extent as linen, nor does it conduct away the heat of the body so quickly as the latter, hence it is a warmer material than linen. On the other hand, it does not retain the heat against the body like wool, and is an appropriate material for dress in hot climates. In merino there is a mixture of about one-fifth to one-half part of wool with cotton.
Linen, the other product of the vegetable kingdom, is obtained from the fibers of the common flax. Its fibers.
CLOTHING, AND WHAT TO WEAR. 53