The century cook book

The most important constituents of the skin to our present inquiry, however, are: ist, the sweat glands; 2d, the oil glands; 3d, the hair and nails, usually spoken of as appendages to the skin. The sweat glands are twisted and coiled-up tubes, occupying the true skin and the layer of tissue beneath. They open upon the outside of the epidermis by an immense number of minute openings called pores, almost invisible to the naked eye. When we are at rest, the flow of the perspiration though constant, is seldom so free that it does not evaporate almost as rapidly as it exudes, so that the skin is only kept pleasantly moist; but during exercise, especially in warm weather, the cutaneous surface becomes covered with drops of fluid. When the pores of the skin are partly choked up, so that they cannot do their work properly, some of this duty of purifying and regulating the volume of the blood is thrown upon certain internal organs, such as the kidneys or intestines; and should these happen to be weak, diseased, or already overtasked, serious disturbance may be quickly brought on throughout the whole system. Warm Baths. For purposes of cleanliness, the baths par excellence are those of warm water, this term being applied to those in which water of a temperature from 70'' to So'' is employed. Liquids of this degree of heat usually give a sensation of warmth when placed in contact with the human skin, and therefore avoid the disadvantage of the shock to our systems produced by a cold bath (that is, below 60*^), and the excessive stimulation resulting from a hot bath, /. e., one of 85** and upward. Soap, or alkali in some form, is necessary to remove the fatty matter poured out by the oil glands already described, and for most people there is nothing better than the old-fashioned white castile. Many persons are apt to The Care of the Person 237 remain too long in a warm bath, and care should be taken to avoid this mistake, which has a very debilitating effect if often indulged in. The frequency with which a bath should be repeated varies somewhat with different individuals. A safe rule, to which of course there are sundry exceptions, would be to bathe the body twice a week in winter and every other day in summer, gradually increasing the frequency to a triweekly washing in winter and a daily one in summer, if experience proves that better health is secured by such a habit. It is very important to avoid being exposed to cool air after immersion in a warm bath. A Good Bath for Persons Suffering from Debility. Take a quart of cheap whiskey and put into it a teacupful of rock salt; dip a crash towel in this and let it dry; then wet the body all o'^er with the salt and whiskey, and rub dry with the towel. The rubbing should be done with short, light strokes, and toward the heart; that is, the limbs should be rubbed up and the face, neck and upper part of the chest down. This bath relieves congestion and facilitates circulation by bringing the blood to the surface of the body. Add to the mixture i tablespoonful camphor and ^ tablespoonful ammonia.