UC-NRLF 
 
 5bD 
 

 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND 
 MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID 
 
SELECTIONS FROM ESSAYS ON 
 
 HEALTH-CULTURE 
 
 And the Sanitary Woolen System. 
 
 BY 
 
 GUSTAV JAEGER, M.D., STUTTGART, 
 
 PROFESSOR OF ZOOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 
 
 (TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN.) 
 
 DR. JAEGER'S SANITARY WOOLEN 
 SYSTEM CO., 
 
 Nos. 827 AND 829 BROADWAY, 
 
 NEW YORK. 
 1886. 
 
"The first Wealth is Health." 
 
 EMERSON. 
 
 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1886, by 
 
 LEWIS C. HOPKINS, 
 
 in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, 
 at Washington, D. C. 
 
 Press of F. S, & C, B, BARTRAM, 120 William Street, New York, 
 
PREFACE. i 
 
 BY THE AMERICAN EDITOR. 
 
 ^PHE proprietors of Dr. Gustav Jaeger's Sanitary 
 Woolen System have met with such unex- 
 ampled success in introducing it in England and 
 on the Continent, during the four years in which 
 it has been on trial there, that they feel confident 
 of having an improved system of Sanatory Clothing 
 to offer to the American people which will not only 
 meet the necessities incident to the conditions of 
 the North American climate, but will also supply a 
 want long felt and intelligently realized by a large 
 portion of this great community. 
 
 A people fertile in the invention of devices and 
 the contrivance of means for meeting the exigencies 
 of a varied climate, and the demands of an advanced 
 stage of civilization, will not be slow to appreciate 
 the merits and avail themselves of the advantages 
 of the inventions and discoveries of their transat- 
 lantic neighbors. This Sanitary System of Cloth- 
 ing appeals at once to the American practical com- 
 mon sense, and will undoubtedly find a hearty 
 welcome and a speedy adoption. 
 
 It is in this conviction that arrangements have 
 been made for opening a spacious wholesale and 
 retail mercantile establishment in New York, and 
 it is with a view to enlightening the public as to 
 
 STi347957 
 
iv Preface. 
 
 the scientific claims of the New System that the 
 substance of Dr. Jaeger's European publications 
 have been compiled, with but the fewest and slight- 
 est modifications, in his own popular language, and 
 offered to the American readers in this compact, 
 but comprehensive and intelligible form. 
 
 Dr. Jaeger's own preface is presented with this. 
 The cordial indorsement of Dr. Jaeger's Sanitary 
 System, by some of the most eminent physicians of 
 England and the Continent, will surely commend 
 it to a fair hearing and the candid consideration of 
 the Public. 
 
 NEW YORK, 1886. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 '"THE scientific and technical discussion of my 
 researches in the direction of Health-culture 
 will be found in works previously published by me 
 on allied topics, such as Die menschliche Arbeitskraft 
 (Munich: R. Oldenburg, 1878), Seuchenfestigkeitund 
 Konstitutionskraft (Leipzig: Ernst Giinther, 1878), 
 and Die Entdeckung der Seele (Leipzig: Ernst Giin- 
 ther, 1880). In writing the essays contained in 
 this volume, I have aimed at the practical appli- 
 cation and diffusion of my views, and have con- 
 sequently striven to adopt the plainest mode of 
 popular exposition. Next to the soundness of my 
 sanitary proposals which, indeed, will speak for 
 themselves upon a first trial I am chiefly indebted 
 to the popular form of my compositions for the ex- 
 traordinary rapidity, assuredly unsurpassed in its 
 way, with which the Sanitary Woolen system has 
 borne down every obstruction in its path. 
 
 I am anxious here to caution my readers before- 
 hand against erroneous impressions with respect to 
 the Sanitary Woolen System. Dress has hitherto 
 been generally regarded merely as a means of pro- 
 tection to the body. This restriction is correct 
 when clothing is manufactured partly from vege- 
 table and partly from animal fibers; but it falls 
 altogether short of the whole truth, when enter- 
 tained in relation to the Sanatory Woolen Clothing. 
 The latter supplies a decidedly nearer perfect and 
 more effectual protection than is afforded by ordi- 
 nary " mixed" clothing; it has, however, besides, the 
 
vi Preface. 
 
 most important effect of rendering the body hardy. 
 This operation is gradual but certain. The wearer 
 is not at once made proof against influences of 
 weather, infection, etc.; various disturbances of 
 health may occur, but their short duration will be 
 proof that the right course has been taken to secure 
 "a sound mind in a sound body." 
 
 Perceiving the difficulty of inducing any im- 
 portant section of the public to adopt a reformed 
 System of clothing, unless practically assisted by 
 a provision of garments made in accordance with 
 my System, I arranged for this to be done under 
 my control. 
 
 With the experience obtained of the vitiation 
 of woolen fabrics by the admixture of cotton, 
 and in view of the unreadiness with which manu- 
 facturers and tradesmen at first took up the matter, 
 I feel satisfied that by adopting this practical 
 course I greatly assisted the extension of the re- 
 form. In the Sanitary Woolen System, woolen 
 fabrics adulterated by the addition of vegetable 
 fiber bear to the genuine article an analogous rela- 
 tion to that which wine tainted with fusel oil bears 
 to pure wine, because the cotton threads fix and 
 retain the " noxious" emanations corresponding 
 to the vapors of fusel oil. If, therefore, for the 
 sake of a possible saving in price or on the score 
 of convenience, people are induced to deal in 
 doubtful quarters and to forego the advantage of 
 thorough investigation, I beg that any untoward 
 experience may not be laid to the charge of the 
 System. 
 
 G. JAEGER, 
 STUTTGART. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 EFFECTS OF EXCESS OF FAT AND WATER IN THE TISSUES i 
 
 UNDERVESTS 12 
 
 THE CAUSES OF DISEASE, AND DISEASE GERMS. . . 14 
 
 THE SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF THE BODY .... 28 
 
 THE SANATORY COAT 35 
 
 THE SOURCE OF THE EMOTIONS 38 
 
 SANATORY WOOLEN CLOTHING 47 
 
 THE OPEN BEDROOM WINDOW 52 
 
 THE DEODORIZATION OF THE BODY 54 
 
 THE GERMAN GYMNASTIC SUIT 61 
 
 THE ATMOSPHERE OF SCHOOLROOMS 63 
 
 SUMMER AND WINTER CLOTHING 65 
 
 INHALING OF DUST 69 
 
 CATARRH 71 
 
 THE SHIRT, THE TROUSERS, AND THE HAT ... 73 
 
 NORMAL DURATION OF HUMAN LIFE 75 
 
 DIPHTHERIA 77 
 
 THE CLEANLINESS OF THE SANITARY WOOLEN CLOTHING 
 
 SYSTEM 80 
 
 THE COLLAR 81 
 
 SILK 84 
 
 Is WOOLEN CLOTHING WEAKENING? ..... 84 
 
 THE CURATIVE POWER OF WOOL 86 
 
 PROGRESS OF THE SANITARY WOOLEN CLOTHING REFORM . 89 
 
 VARIATIONS OF TEMPERATURE, AND SUNSTROKE . . 92 
 
 THE WOOLEN GLOVE, AND STINGS 94 
 
 PATENTS AND ROYALTIES 96 
 
 TAILORS 100 
 
 THE CRISIS OP DISEASE 101 
 
viii Contents. 
 
 l>AGfi 
 
 WOOLEN CLOTHING FIRE-PROOF 106 
 
 THE SANATORY WOOLEN HANDKERCHIEF, AND CATARRHAL 
 
 INFECTION 107 
 
 THE ADULTERATION OF WOOL WITH COTTON . . .no 
 
 THE AIR IN ROOMS in 
 
 COLD BATHS 122 
 
 THE SOCK OR STOCKING 124 
 
 THE NATURE OF DISEASE 126 
 
 THE SANATORY WOOLEN BED 134 
 
 THE PLATINUM LAMP DEODORIZER 137 
 
 WRITERS' CRAMP 145 
 
 THE SANITARY EFFECTS OF COLORS OR DYES. I. . . 146 
 
 THE SANITARY EFFECTS OF COLORS OR DYES. II. . . 151 
 
 THE SANITARY EFFECTS OF COLORS OR DYES. III. . . 156 
 
 GIRDED LOINS 159 
 
 THE CORSET 166 
 
 THE SANATORY BOOT 167 
 
 THE CLEANSING OF THE OUTER CLOTHING AND BEDDING 171 
 
 THE TREATMENT OF INFANTS 173 
 
 VEGETARIANISM 177 
 
 THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF THE SANITARY 
 
 WOOLEN SYSTEM . . 185 
 
 VEGETABLE FIBER, WHY AND WHEN UNSANATORY . . 189 
 
 INDEX 193 
 
SELECTIONS FROM ESSAYS ON 
 
 HEALTH -CULTURE, 
 
 AND THE SANITARY WOOLEN SYSTEM. 
 
 EFFECTS OF EXCESS OF FAT AND 
 WATER IN THE TISSUES. 
 
 (1878.) 
 
 HE English word "condition" is the only ade- 
 1 quate term wherewith to express that state of 
 mind and body in which the health and working 
 power leave nothing to be desired. Let us first 
 see what constitutes "condition." Briefly stated, 
 it depends upon the correct proportion of the most 
 important bodily constituents, and upon certain 
 physical properties and processes of the living 
 tissues. 
 
 As regards a correct proportion of the bodily 
 constituents, we may limit our inquiry to an ex- 
 amination of three of these albumen, fat, and 
 water. The first is the chief constituent of muscle, 
 nerve, blood, etc., and, in fact, maintains the exist- 
 ence of the body. Relatively to this substance, 
 water and fat may be viewed simply as auxiliaries, 
 although indispensable in themselves. A proper 
 condition of the body requires that these three con- 
 
2 Effects of Excess of 
 
 stituents shall be present in certain proportions, 
 and the more strictly these proportions are preserved 
 in it the sounder it will be and the fitter for work; 
 on the other hand, any excess of water or of fat 
 will lessen its energies and its power of repelling 
 the action of influences likely to generate disease. 
 
 Touching the physical properties, we have first 
 to consider the degree of excitability of the life 
 conductors of the body, chief among which are the 
 nerves and the muscles; for upon this quality de- 
 pend energy, speed, and capacity for action in bod- 
 ily and mental work, as well as in those processes 
 of adjustment which protect the body against ex- 
 ternal disturbing influences. The second point re- 
 lates to the conditions of elasticity in the sinews, 
 ligaments, vessels, lung tissues, etc. Any diminu- 
 tion in their flexibility and firmness lessens the 
 energy and the power of resistance of the body. 
 
 Imperfect action of the skin will induce, with 
 varying rapidity, certain changes in the propor- 
 tions of the constituents and in the physical prop- 
 erties of the substance of the body. 
 
 These changes must be considered separately. 
 
 Foremost I place the increase of the store of fat, 
 which almost invariably supervenes in cases of 
 sedentary habits of life, when there is no want of 
 food. The injurious effects of an accumulation of 
 fat, as established by careful experiments, are as 
 follows: 
 
 Fat people possess considerably less blood than 
 the lean, and it is consequently a mistake to sup- 
 pose that obese people are necessarily full-blooded. 
 On the contrary, they are poor-blooded, which in 
 itself is a malady made manifest by a never-ending 
 
Fat and Water in the Tissues. 3 
 
 series of minor disorders of the general economy; 
 and there is a variety of diseases to which fat peo- 
 ple fall a prey and succumb much sooner than the 
 lean, notably all those which are determined by the 
 quantity of blood in the system. With reference 
 to vital energy, it is notorious that persons suffer- 
 ing from poorness of blood are incapable of doing 
 the same amount of work as those who possess a 
 full measure of blood, because the working power 
 of an organ depends upon the store of blood in it. 
 Another drawback of obesity is that the fat dimin- 
 ishes the space necessary for the circulation of the 
 blood and the play of the respiratory organs. The 
 first of these evils brings about an abnormal distribu- 
 tion of the blood in the system, which is less appar- 
 ent if the body be resting, but shows itself as soon 
 as the circulation quickens, when the rapid flush- 
 ing of the face indicates an excessive rush of blood 
 to the head, which may produce dizziness or apo- 
 plexy. Another irregularity in the distribution of 
 blood is, that its return from the lower parts of the 
 body towards the heart is hindered by the reduc- 
 tion of the space in the abdominal cavity. This 
 causes heaviness and lassitude in the legs, and a 
 tendency to the formation of varicose veins; while, 
 if the elimination of water from the system be im- 
 peded, there will ensue dropsical swelling of the 
 legs. The obstruction of the return of blood from 
 the abdominal organs causes the extremely troub- 
 lesome, and, in their latter stages of development, 
 even dangerous, hernorrhoidal complaints which al- 
 most invariably afflict the obese. A hampered cir- 
 culation is also one of the reasons why fat people 
 are less capable of work than the lean. If an organ 
 
4 Effects of Excess of 
 
 be required to do work, it needs 80 per cent more 
 blood than when at rest. Every labor therefore 
 necessitates an alteration in the distribution of the 
 blood, to which fat operates as a hindrance, block- 
 ing the way so that the blood cannot flow in suffi- 
 cient quantity to the part that requires it. 
 
 The diminution of space due to increase of fat is 
 also mischievous from its interference with the free 
 play of the lungs. On this point I myself took 
 measurements, which went to show that, among 
 men forty years of age, the obese could only empty 
 a breathing measure to the extent of 18 cubic cen- 
 timetres of air to every kilogramme of weight of 
 body, after taking in the longest possible breath, 
 while the lean would inhale 40 to 50 cubic centi- 
 metres, or about three times as much. It follows 
 that the obese are disabled from exceptional exer- 
 tion necessitating fuller breathing than usual, and a 
 more copious flow of blood through the lungs, 
 which latter have not sufficient space either for the 
 air or the blood. The obstruction caused by fat is 
 shown in the rapidity with which an obese person 
 becomes heated by exertion; but even in repose 
 this interference with the free play of the respira- 
 tory apparatus is injurious, and renders the body 
 sluggish, because it checks the excretion and com- 
 bustion of the substances (carbonic acid, water, 
 and lactic acid) which hinder the proper functional 
 processes of the body. 
 
 With regard to the greater liability, in cases of 
 obesity, to attacks of disease, I may particularly 
 refer to the danger of pulmonary affections. If 
 any such malady render one portion of the lungs 
 unserviceable, life will be further shortened by the 
 
Fat and Water in the Tissues. 5 
 
 reduced working capacity of the remnant which 
 may be still available for use. Fat people are also 
 far more susceptible to such maladies as gout, 
 dropsy, emphysematous lesions, etc. 
 
 The effect of fatty deposits upon the physical 
 properties of the living tissues, and especially upon 
 the measure of their activity, may be easily verified 
 by experiments. If a nerve be severed in a living 
 animal, so that the brain can no longer transmit its 
 action, and is thus reduced to a condition of rest, 
 globules of fatty matter will be gradually deposited, 
 and in proportion as this proceeds, the active faculty 
 of the brain will decrease. A similar change affects 
 the muscles when their nerves have been cut. Their 
 power of contraction and the energy of the contrac- 
 tions diminish in the same ratio as the granules of 
 fat increase in number and size. Since, therefore, 
 the measure of excitability in nerve and muscle 
 governs the power and energy, not only of bodily, 
 but also of mental work, it will be easily understood 
 why corpulent persons become inert and limp both 
 in body and mind. As regards the mind, I may 
 add that fatty degeneration of the brain is one of 
 the most frequent causes of imbecility and mental 
 aberration. 
 
 From the foregoing it will be seen that any one 
 wishing to preserve health and working capacity, 
 should keep strict watch, as to whether any deposit 
 of fat is going on in the body. Such symptoms 
 must be taken as a memento mori, evidencing a wrong 
 system of living, and in order to stay the further 
 accumulation of fat, and to get rid of what is super- 
 fluous, recourse must be had to increased action of 
 the skin, There is no better remedy. Against the 
 
6 Effects of Excess of 
 
 well-known BANTING cure, consisting in abstinence 
 as much as possible from fatty or farinaceous food, 
 I would caution all persons with whom the deposit 
 of fat has attained any considerable proportions, 
 because under such circumstances it may become 
 dangerous; and even though it bring no peril with 
 it in particular cases, the efficacy of the BANTING 
 cure is infinitely inferior to the agency of an active 
 skin in the restoration of a healthy condition to 
 mind and body. 
 
 An inordinate increase of the percentage of water 
 is not so apparent as the deposit of fatty matter 
 if the two morbid conditions do not manifest them- 
 selves concurrently, which is generally the case yet 
 it makes itself distinctly felt; the flesh is flabby, and 
 doughy, whereas under normal conditions it should 
 be perfectly elastic and firm. Accumulation of 
 water in the system directly tends to increase the 
 percentage of water in the blood, which means 
 poorness of blood, and a consequent lowering of 
 the powers in all parts of the body; for their nutri- 
 tion is lessened, and the water in them increases, 
 lowering the vital forces, or, in other words, dimin- 
 ishing the normal activity of nerve and muscle, 
 and eventually suspending it altogether. 
 
 This is shown on the one hand by the phenomena 
 attendant on dropsy proper, and on the other, I had 
 evidence of it in an experiment tried upon myself 
 and a few thoroughly healthy subjects, among 
 whom were two of our local medical men. In this 
 experiment I endeavored to determine by figures 
 how far the loss of water in the tissues, caused by 
 the action of a Turkish bath, would affect the speed 
 of nerve transmission, not only in the sensory and 
 
Fat and Water in the Tissues. 7 
 
 motor nerves, but also in the cranial nerves. For 
 investigations of this kind, the experiment was con- 
 ducted in the following manner: 
 
 A stop-watch is used, the index-hand of which, 
 by simple pressure exerted upon two separate knobs, 
 can either be brought to a standstill or again re- 
 connected with the clock-work, which continues to 
 run; and the stop-watch is so constructed as to re- 
 cord the two-thousandth part of a second. The 
 operator holds the knob that sets the index-hand 
 in motion, while upon the stoppage-knob rests the 
 finger of the person undergoing the test. At the 
 commencement of the trial the index-hand stands 
 still, and its position is noted. As soon as the oper- 
 ator starts the index-hand, by pressing the knob 
 under his control, the other person must arrest it 
 by pressing the second knob. The difference be- 
 tween the two readings or positions of the index 
 will then accurately indicate, on a scale of one two- 
 thousandth part of a second, the time needed by 
 the above excitation to run its course through the 
 eye, the optic nerves, the brain, the nerves of the 
 arm, and finally reach the muscles actuating the 
 finger that presses against the knob. I made an- 
 other experiment. The stop-watch was connected 
 with an electric bell, which intimated to the subject 
 of the test the starting of the index-hand. This 
 gave the time of transmission of the nervous im- 
 pulse from the ear to the finger. Thirdly, to test 
 the activity of the brain, two bells were connected 
 with the clock-work, one on the right hand and the 
 other on the left of the subject of the test, in each 
 of whose hands was placed a knob with which to stop 
 the index. The operator held in his grasp two other 
 
8 Effects of Excess of 
 
 knobs, enabling him to ring the bell on either side 
 at will, when the index-hand was set agoing. The 
 subject of the test was required to press the knobs 
 right or left, accordingly as the bell rang right or 
 left. The intervals of time, as ascertained in this 
 last trial, were constantly longer than those re- 
 corded in the second experiment, when only one 
 bell had been used; and the deduction of the inter- 
 val of time involved in the second experiment from 
 that required in the third experiment will give the 
 duration of the psychical operation upon which 
 depends the act of discrimination between right 
 and left. Of course such tests need repetition at 
 least half a dozen times, and the average will give 
 the result. In the series of experiments above 
 described, the tests were applied in the afternoon 
 of the day previous to the persons taking a Turkish 
 bath, and repeated the following day at the same 
 hour, but after a Turkish bath taken in the morning. 
 In each case there was increased rapidity of action; 
 the average amounting to 13 per cent. This is the 
 numerical expression of an important enhancement 
 in the capacity of the nervous and mental energy. 
 
 It is interesting to note that muscular power does 
 not undergo change as a consequence of administer- 
 ing a Turkish bath. This I ascertained by noting 
 the length of time during which a forty-five pound 
 weight could be held up with the arm bent at right 
 angles. 
 
 Before I had instituted these stop-watch experi- 
 ments, I had become aware, in the following man- 
 ner, of the great influence exercised by the propor- 
 tion of water in the body upon the working powers 
 of the mind. Towards the end of last winter, and, 
 
Fat and Water in the Tissues. 9 
 
 without signs of any particular sickening, I experi- 
 enced so notable a diminution of my working capa- 
 city, while engaged in the preparation of a book on 
 The Working Power of Man, that I could at most 
 accomplish eight manuscript pages a day, while I 
 found I required a very unusual amount of sleep. 
 Contemporaneously with this, I had increased in 
 girth very considerably. At the time it occurred to 
 me that the cause of this diminished capacity for 
 work might be attributable to increase, not only of 
 fatty matter, but of water as well, and I resolved to 
 seek a remedy, commencing with a few Turkish 
 baths, and continuing with a regular course of ex- 
 ercise. Ere I reached the latter stage of my train- 
 ing, my capacity for mental work had so far im- 
 proved, after five Turkish baths, that I could finish 
 nearly double the amount of manuscript in the 
 course of the day. 
 
 In considering how far an increased percentage 
 of water in the sys'tem intensifies the liability to 
 sickness, the fact may be instanced that decay sets 
 in much sooner after death in dropsical cases than 
 in others, showing that an excess of water acceler- 
 ates the decomposition of the bodily substance. To 
 this may be added that when the blood is watery, 
 and therefore in a more fluid state, injurious irregu- 
 larities in its distribution are facilitated ; and I 
 would, at least partly, ascribe sensitiveness to so- 
 called colds and chills to an excess of water in the 
 system, upon the following grounds: From the 
 teachers' attendance books at the two Stuttgart 
 High Schools,, I made a note of all cases of non- 
 attendance in the first class, taking the totals for 
 the winter months from the year 1857 down to 1874, 
 
io Effects of Excess of 
 
 and the figures are: For October, 159; November, 
 532; December, 391 (but considering the Christmas 
 holidays, a corrected estimate should bring it up 
 to at least 500); January, 682; February, 896; and 
 March, 730. As non-attendances at school are 
 mainly referable to chest affections, colds, and simi- 
 lar complaints, these figures show that liability to 
 colds in the course of the winter is gradually aug- 
 mented, and reaches its highest point toward the 
 end of the season. In winter time there is a variety 
 of circumstances likely to operate in increasing the 
 percentage of water in the system; there is less 
 bodily exercise; the thicker clothing is less pervious 
 to the water given off from the skin; the indoor life 
 in the stagnant atmosphere of rooms arrests evap- 
 oration; and there is little or no perspiration. This 
 and other inquiries have led me to the conclusion 
 that predisposition to colds and chills is due to ex- 
 cess of water in the system, and that the term to 
 " harden" the body is very expressive. The bodily 
 substance must be made hard by draining from it 
 the superfluous water, if it is to effectually resist 
 the exciting causes of colds and chills. I have had 
 an instrument constructed, which will enable me to 
 verify statistically, and by actual experiment with 
 living persons, whether my surmise on this head be 
 correct.* In addition to the change in the due 
 proportions of the bodily constituents just des- 
 cribed, there supervenes a change in their physical 
 constitution. The most vital of physical properties 
 is the excitability of nerve and muscle. Upon this 
 depend the rapidity of bodily and mental labor, 
 
 *See " The Specific Gravity of the Body," page 28. 
 
Fat and Water in the Tissues. 1 1 
 
 the efficiency of the organs of sense, and the activity 
 of all the bodily functions in relation to change of 
 substance, and the phenomena of motion. We 
 have already seen that the energy of the bodily tis- 
 sues is lessened by the lodgment of water and fat, 
 which is the direct consequence of a sedentary life, 
 because the greater part of the body remains inert. 
 That disuse decreases the measure of excitability, 
 or the faculty of responding to a stimulus, is 
 shown in cases of severed nerves and paralyzed 
 muscles. 
 
 Another physical property impaired and changed 
 for the worse by insufficient action of the skin, is 
 the elasticity of those parts of the body which are 
 moved by the nerves and the muscles. The effect 
 on the working capacity shows itself in the shape 
 of stiffness, which is very noticeable in animals kept 
 too long in the stable. But a greater evil is the 
 loss of elasticity in the blood-vessels and the lungs, 
 diminishing the capacity forwork and the power 
 to withstand the causes of disease. Just as from 
 long disuse a gutta-percha hose will lose its elas- 
 ticity, turn hard, and become brittle, so also will 
 fare the blood-vessels if their activity be not main- 
 tained by the free exhalation of the skin. They 
 can no longer adequately respond to the varying 
 necessities of the blood-distribution, required to 
 protect against the causes of disease, or called for 
 by changes in the employment of the body; and if 
 in the end the vessels become so as easily to break, 
 predisposition to apoplexy is established. Dimin- 
 ished functional activity of the vascular system, 
 and of the lungs, moreover, is mischievous in its 
 effects upon the proportions of the constituents of 
 
12 Undervests. 
 
 the body. There is lessened activity in the inter- 
 change and restoration of matter, leading to the 
 accumulation of water and fat, in the elimination 
 of which the above-named organs of the body play 
 a very important part. 
 
 UNDERVESTS. 
 
 (1878.) 
 
 T AM asked to express my opinion of the well- 
 known network undervests, because it appears 
 that in many quarters these undervests are highly 
 spoken of, and are recommended in preference to 
 the Sanatory Woolen shirt. 
 
 The two articles of clothing can hardly be com- 
 pared. The network undervests are intended to 
 be used only as undervests, and their action will 
 greatly depend upon the material of the shirt which 
 Is worn over them; whereas the Sanatory Woolen 
 shirts should be used. alone, and this important d-if- 
 ference must be taken into account in pronouncing 
 judgment. 
 
 The case stands thus: 
 
 If a linen or cotton shirt be worn with an under- 
 vest, the network is preferable to a flannel under- 
 vest. But if it be asked whether linen or cotton 
 shirts, with the network underneath, should be 
 worn, or the Sanatory Woolen shirt by itself , with- 
 out other outer covering than the coat, unquestion- 
 ably the decision must be given in favor of the 
 latter arrangement. 
 
 This opinion is founded upon a careful considera- 
 tion of the services which the clothing should render 
 to the body. Firstly, it is required to keep the skin 
 
Undervests. 1 3 
 
 uniformly warm; secondly, to offer a free outlet for 
 cutaneous evaporation, which mainly consists of 
 watery vapor; thirdly, gently to titillate and rub 
 the skin, in order to maintain a constant and ample 
 blood supply; fourthly, to assist, instead of hinder- 
 ing, the self-cleansing process of the skin, which 
 consists in the shedding of the outer cuticle. 
 
 We will now inquire how far the methods of 
 clothing in question satisfy these requirements. 
 
 1. Should a network or flannel undervest be 
 worn underneath a linen or cotton shirt ? As re- 
 gards the first requirement, the maintenance of 
 uniform warmth, there is hardly any difference; but 
 as to the second, the escape of the cutaneous evap- 
 oration, the network offers decidedly less hindrance. 
 The air under the clothing can circulate outwards 
 and upwards more freely than when a flannel under- 
 vest is worn, as not only are the open spaces of the 
 network much greater than the interstices of the 
 flannel, but they are also too large to become 
 blocked by the excretions from the skin. In relation 
 to the third point, there is no material difference, 
 since the knots of the network and the minute hairs 
 of the flannel supply the necessary stimulus for the 
 skin. With regard to the fourth requirement, I 
 should say that the network is preferable to flannel 
 undervests, because the latter soon become sticky 
 and greasy from the above-mentioned condensation 
 of the cutaneous evaporation into water, causing the 
 epidermal scales, which, when the skin is dry, drop, 
 or are easily rubbed off, to adhere to the body. 
 
 2. Which is better, the Sanatory Woolen shirt 
 alone, or a linen or cotton shirt with a network 
 undervest? In relation to the first of the above 
 
14 The Causes of Disease, and Disease Germs. 
 
 named requirements, the maintenance of warmth of 
 the skin, linen and cotton are much better heat- 
 conductors. As touching the second point, and this 
 is the most important, the single woolen shirt de- 
 serves the preference. It is not the network under- 
 vest, but the white outer shirt which prevents the 
 escape of cutaneous evaporation, on account of its 
 close web and of the vegetable nature of the fiber 
 (and both these objections apply to linen with even 
 greater force than to cotton); again, the starching of 
 the white shirt front renders it practically imper- 
 meable to watery vapor, at the very spot where the 
 evaporation could most easily proceed that is, at 
 the chest and neck. 
 
 Hence, the superiority of the Sanatory Woolen 
 shirt, in respect of the last of the four above-named 
 requirements, is clear. By dispensing with the 
 practically impermeable white shirt, the cutaneous 
 vapor is no longer condensed, and the skin keeps 
 dry, so that the scales readily come away; while the 
 countless fine hairy points of the wool will conduce 
 to the cleansing of the skin far more comprehen- 
 sively than the much fewer and too coarse knots or 
 links of the network. 
 
 THE CAUSES OF DISEASE, AND 
 DISEASE GERMS. 
 
 (1878.) 
 
 T HAVE for some time studied the subjects indi- 
 cated in the heading of the present paper, par- 
 ticularly with a view to ascertain the cause of the 
 liability of the human body to disease, and the 
 means by which it may be steeled to effectually 
 
The Causes of Disease, and Disease Germs. 1 5 
 
 withstand external, unhealthy influences. In pro- 
 fessional parlance, the result of this power of resist- 
 ance goes by the name of " immunity," and in the 
 following remarks I shall make occasional use of 
 this word in the above sense. 
 
 My inducement to revert to these studies is a re- 
 markable coincidence between the latest outcome 
 of my researches and the investigations prosecuted 
 by Professor NAEGELI, the Munich botanist, on the 
 subject of the most important group of the external 
 causes of disease namely, the poisons of infection 
 on which he has published a book entitled Die 
 niederen Pilze jn ihrer Beziehung zu den Infektions- 
 krankheiten* 
 
 I will begin with an account of my own discover- 
 ies, to be followed by an exposition of those of 
 Professor NAEGELI. My attention has for years 
 been especially directed to that particular change 
 in the condition of the body which is popularly 
 called training, or hardening. The problems for 
 solution were as follows: Wherein does this change 
 consist ? what are its causes, and what its uses ? 
 Professional works supply but scanty information 
 on these points. 
 
 The first result of my studies was, that in the 
 process of hardening the body I recognized such a 
 change in the relative proportions of the three most 
 important, constituent parts of the tissues albu- 
 men, fat, and water as clearly pointed to the conclu- 
 sion that the hardening is mainly brought about by 
 the elimination of fat and water. I also contrived 
 to obtain, by taking the specific weight of the body, 
 
 * "The Subordinate Fungi or Germs in their relation to In- 
 fectious Diseases." 
 
1 6 The Causes of Disease, and Disease Germs. 
 
 numerical values expressing in figures the hitherto 
 undefined notion embodied in the term " hardened," 
 or " in good condition." As water and fat are lighter 
 substances than albumen, it follows that a man in 
 good condition must be specifically heavier than one 
 in a weaker condition, and this has been determined 
 beyond doubt by measurement and weight.* 
 
 Another outcome of my studies was a clearer per- 
 ception of the circumstances favoring the process 
 of hardening the body. The misconception that 
 this consists in simply inuring the body to cold has 
 wrought much evil among the general public. I have 
 succeeded in determining that a system of cloth- 
 ing which admits of the free escape of the watery 
 vapor given off by the skin tends to harden the 
 body, while clothing likely to check the elimination 
 of water from the tissues is enervating. 
 
 The process of hardening the body consists in the 
 gain of firmer and more compact flesh, richer in 
 albumen, and freer from fat and water. I believe it 
 to admit of no further doubt that this is synonymous 
 with an increase of the power of the body to with- 
 stand the action of morbific influences, and that, 
 consequently, the current conception of florid, ex- 
 uberant health is altogether erroneous. The health- 
 iest people are endowed with tough, wiry, firm- 
 fleshed, and well-knit frames, and such subjects 
 withstand much better not only climatic changes, 
 but also those inflammatory affections which are 
 engendered by the intrusion of living disease germs 
 into the human body. 
 
 Shortly before I had thoroughly possessed myself 
 
 * See " The Specific Gravity of the Body," page 28. 
 
The Causes of Disease, and Disease Germs. 1 7 
 
 of these facts, there appeared the above-named work 
 by Professor NAEGELI, containing disclosures so 
 noteworthy on the subject of the so-called infectious 
 diseases, that I at once formed the design of com- 
 municating some of its leading features to my read- 
 ers, without, however, then suspecting into what 
 intimate relation NAEGELI'S researches might come 
 with my own. 
 
 To Professor PETTENKOFER, of Munich, pertains 
 the merit of the discovery that the germs of infec- 
 tion in cholera and typhus (nervous fever) find a 
 dwelling-place in the underground water-passages 
 into which wells are sunk ; that in such localities 
 they will not only exist, but multiply; and that from 
 this base of operations they carry out the work of 
 infection by finding ways to reach the human body. 
 He was the first to promulgate the fact, since ex- 
 tensively confirmed by others, that the risk of in- 
 fection increases when the level of underground 
 water is lowered, and conversely that the danger 
 diminishes as the water rises. This harmonizes 
 with the fact that intermittent fever, which is gener- 
 ated in marshy surfaces, makes its appearance with 
 augmented frequency when the sinking of the water- 
 level lays bare more extended tracts of marshy 
 surface, thus allowing the unquestionably animate 
 germs to rise in the air. 
 
 On this so-called underground-water theory of 
 PETTENKOFER'S, NAEGELI grafts his observations. 
 From a series of experiments carried on for a period 
 of nine years with the subordinate fungi, or germs, 
 he is led not only to adopt, but to enforce with 
 fresh and convincing arguments, the opinion long 
 ago expressed by other observers, that the germs of 
 
1 8 The Causes of Disease, and Disease Germs. 
 
 infection in the above-named maladies belong to 
 the same group of living organisms as the familiar 
 ferment of putrescence that is, to the group of 
 bacteria which are so exceedingly minute that, ac- 
 cording to NAEGELI, 30,000 milliards of them make 
 up the weight of one gramme. 
 
 That certain soils, such as that of Munich, are 
 especially productive of typhus, is explained by 
 NAEGELI, taking PETTENKOFER'S views into account, 
 in this wise: 
 
 " The first condition of a malarious soil, breeding 
 endemic and epidemic maladies, is underground 
 water, lying not too far from the surface, with alter- 
 nate rise and subsidence of level, resulting in alter- 
 nations of wet and dry strata. When these strata 
 become dry, the germs cling to the earth, and where 
 the soil is light and the air follows the subsiding 
 level of underground water, the germs pervade this 
 underground atmosphere, and if there be an issue 
 towards the surface they will rise through it into 
 the open air." 
 
 He shows very clearly that this underground air 
 is attracted into houses by the suction of the fires 
 in the kitchen and other rooms; and he adds that 
 the best-warmed rooms are the most dangerous. 
 Professor NAEGELI therefore sets his face against 
 heated bedrooms at night, and even suggests that 
 by heating some other unoccupied room at night 
 the course of the germs may be diverted from the 
 sleeping-rooms. 
 
 But it appears that the germs cannot rise with 
 the underground air whenever the stratum of earth 
 containing them has again become wet, either by a 
 fall of rain from above or by the elevation of the 
 
The Causes of Disease, and Disease Germs. 19 
 
 underground water-level. The germs will then 
 cling to the ground so firmly that not even a power- 
 ful current of air avails to detach them. 
 
 Two remedies are suggested for this chief cause 
 of an epidemic soil: the complete removal of the 
 underground water, or at any rate its relegation in- 
 to lower depths ; or, if this be impracticable, the 
 maintenance of a constantly uniform surface-level 
 of the underground water. 
 
 To guard against the penetration of air ascending 
 from epidemic soil, Professor NAEGELI recommends 
 cementing the cellar floors and walls, and the ground 
 floor; and, as the underground air not only rises 
 into the interior of houses, but makes its way 
 through the walls as well, he further suggests an 
 air-tight outer casing for the foundation walls. 
 Finally, with regard to the constitution of the soil, 
 the danger will increase with the degree of its 
 porosity or capacity for holding underground air, 
 and of its readiness to dry. Hence firm clay soils 
 are exempt from infection, while the most unhealthy 
 soils are those consisting of gravel and coarse sand 
 intermingled, like the Munich soil. 
 
 Professor NAEGELI'S experiments, which extended 
 over a period of years, on the conditions of the 
 generation and growth of the subordinate fungi or 
 germs, have led him to the conclusion that these 
 fungi require as nutrient elements of existence 
 certain substances which are soluble in water. But 
 they can live only on condition that the pabulum so 
 formed shall consist of certain proportions of water 
 and food materials in other words, provided that 
 the solution has the required degree of concentra- 
 tion. Here we need only consider the effect of an 
 
2o The Causes of Disease, and Disease Germs. 
 
 augmentation of this degree, and I shall adduce a 
 few familiar examples by way of illustration. 
 
 The fermentation of wine must, fruit-juices, 
 brewers' mash, etc., is effected by means of the fun- 
 gus familiarly known as " barm," or " yeast." This 
 process of fermentation may be checked by simply 
 withdrawing some of the water from these juices, 
 that is, by thickening the liquor, when fermenta- 
 tion will cease, because the germs cannot subsist in 
 this excessive proportion of the nutrient material 
 i.e., in this case, of the sugar. A similar effect is pro- 
 duced ( if, instead of drawing off water, the quantity 
 of sugar be increased. 
 
 The same applies to the germs of putrescence. 
 To prevent the tainting or putrefaction of meat, 
 some of the water is withdrawn from the juices, 
 which are thereby thickened. The degree of con- 
 centration under which the germs lose their poten- 
 tiality for decomposition and dissemination is not 
 equally high with all the species. Professor N AEGELI 
 divides them into three classes in this respect : the 
 bacteria, to which belong the ferment of putrescence 
 and the germs of disease; the yeast fungi, the most 
 familiar among which are the brewers' yeast and 
 the vinous ferment; and the fungi which produce 
 what is called mildew. 
 
 Now, between these three cases it should be noticed 
 that, while the yeast fungi need and bear a higher 
 degree of concentration than the bacteria, they are 
 in this particular far surpassed by the mildew fungi. 
 For instance, a moderate drying will stay putre- 
 faction of meat ; but to prevent mildew, a mucli 
 higher degree of desiccation is necessary. A com- 
 parison between the germs which cause mildew and 
 
The Causes of Disease, and Disease Germs. 2 1 
 
 fermentation may be instituted by reference to fruit- 
 juices and preserved fruits. Moderate thickening 
 will suffice to check fermentation, but to guard 
 absolutely against mildew the thickening process 
 must be carried much further. 
 
 Any substance which germs are unable to use as 
 aliment becomes injurious to their existence when 
 it has attained a certain degree of concentration. 
 This point is of great importance in its application 
 to what is called disinfection, and NAEGELI points 
 out that insufficient disinfection, as of cesspools, for 
 instance, involves much more risk than the total 
 neglect of it. 
 
 He says: " If germs derived from cholera, dysen- 
 tery, and typhus cases find their way into cesspools, 
 they will only retain their specific nature for a short 
 time; thereafter they either die or lose their infec- 
 tious properties. On the other hand, the conse- 
 quence of insufficient disinfection />., of disinfec- 
 tion short of the degree of concentration that kills 
 is, that morbific fungi will continue to germinate 
 and ferment, while at the same time, and for that 
 very reason, they will preserve their specific nature 
 of infection. Such inadequate disinfection, there- 
 fore, is tantamount to preserving the germs, whose 
 infectious quality is revived when they, through in- 
 sufficient disinfection, emerge into the upper air, 
 and make their way into the human body." 
 
 The most interesting of Professor NAEGELI'S ob- 
 servations is that there occurs a struggle for existence 
 between the different species of the germs when they 
 come into contact in a nutrient solution. Not only 
 does this explain the connection between the proc- 
 ess of bodily hardening and the power of resisting 
 
22 The Causes of Disease, and Disease Germs. 
 
 epidemic attacks, but also many phenomena attend- 
 ing the fermentation of liquors; and on that account 
 I am induced to dwell at somewhat greater length 
 upon the subject, quoting NAEGELI'S own words: 
 
 "It was formerly assumed that any plant will be 
 found wherever climate and soil favor growth, 
 provided that seed had previously reached such 
 spots. Now, however, we know that this depends 
 quite as much upon its surrounding fellow-plants, 
 and that in particular the most closely allied species 
 will exert a decisive influence. Many species can 
 grow in certain localities only if others ranking in 
 the same genus be wanting. For instance, the rusty- 
 looking Alpenrose thrives well in calcareous soil, but 
 only when the hairy Alpenrose is absent. If the 
 latter be present, it will utterly exterminate the 
 former. The like holds good of the two primrose 
 species found upon more or less damp grounds." 
 
 (I may add that the most familiar amongst these 
 plant struggles are those occurring between useful 
 growths and weeds.) 
 
 "The same law governs the lower fungi. One 
 genus, which under given circumstances will thrive 
 well, is exterminated by another genus which here 
 appears the more favored plant; whereas the former, 
 under differing conditions, is strong enough toexpel 
 the latter. Inattention to this fact has given rise to 
 many erroneous assertions respecting antiseptics." 
 
 To render these phenomena more intelligible, I 
 will adduce an example. If germs of putrefaction, 
 or fermentation, and of mildew be placed in certain 
 saccharine solutions having a neutral reaction (that 
 is, neither acid nor alkaline), only the first-named 
 will multiply, setting up lacteous fermentation. But 
 
The Causes of Disease, and Disease Germs. 2 3 
 
 if to the same solution be added a half per cent of 
 acetic acid, the germs of fermentation alone will 
 multiply and cause vinous fermentation, whence it 
 comes that must, containing too little acid, will turn 
 sour; and if, finally, 4 or 5 per cent of tartaric acid 
 be put into the same solution, only mildew fungi 
 will be produced. 
 
 It would be wrong to conclude from these facts, 
 which infallibly recur on every occasion, that a half 
 per cent of acid prevents putrefaction, and 4 to 5 
 per cent prevents fermentation ; for the germs of 
 putrefaction will actively multiply in the same 
 nutrient solution with an additional i^ per cent 
 of tartaric acid, provided they be not exterminated by 
 the germs of fermentation. 
 
 I may explain that must, or unfermented new 
 wine, without acid would unquestionably turn sour, 
 and a rather large proportion of acid would be 
 needed to prevent the souring of the wine; but if, 
 on the other hand, vinous ferment be added, the 
 latter will gain the advantage, even with a low per- 
 centage of acid. 
 
 Professor NAEGELI then goes on to show that the 
 strength of individual numbers also exercises a 
 decisive influence in the struggle. It would appear 
 that when one kind of germs takes possession of a 
 solution in great numerical strength, it will van- 
 quish its adversary, if the latter be in a minority, 
 under conditions that would insure its own defeat 
 were it deficient in numbers itself. This we see in 
 unfermented wine and brewers' mash; to prevent 
 them from souring, yeast is needed in such quan- 
 tity that it may retain the mastery over the ever- 
 intruding germs of the acetous ferment. With a 
 
24 The Causes of Disease, and Disease Germs. 
 
 knowledge of these facts we can explain the rela- 
 tion of the body to the germs of disease. 
 
 The following is the fourth instructive discovery 
 of Professor NAEGELI respecting the subordinate 
 fermenting fungi. Each species excretes certain 
 elements, which, as a rule, are entirely characteris- 
 tic of itself. Thus, vinous ferment and brewers' 
 yeast throw off, as a special excretion, tartaric acid; 
 the " mother of vinegar," vinegar; the rennet or 
 lactous ferments, lactic acid; other ferments bu- 
 tyric acid, and the ferment of putrescence the well- 
 known offensive effluvia. 
 
 It may be observed of these excretions, that they 
 imperil the existence of the germs themselves 
 whenever they accumulate beyond a certain per- 
 centage in the solution which the latter inhabit. 
 
 Thus, for instance, fermentation will cease in 
 must-liquor very highly charged with sugar, when 
 the percentage of alcohol has attained certain given 
 limits, even though there should still be a suffi- 
 ciency of fermenting material that is to say, of 
 sugar unless by exposing the solution to the air 
 the notoriously volatile tartaric acid is allowed to 
 escape. 
 
 The same applies to decomposition. In open 
 cesspools putrefaction proceeds until all the mate- 
 rial matter is resolved, because the offensive excre- 
 tions of the fungi escape; but when a cesspool, 
 fosse, or ditch is kept closely shut down, of this I 
 myself have had manifold experience with putres- 
 cent sea-water and decaying carcasses, the proc- 
 ess of decomposition is completely arrested, as fer- 
 mentation would be in a well-corked bottle. 
 
 NAEGELI especially addresses himself in his book 
 
The Causes of Disease, and Disease Germs. 25 
 
 to the task of determining from his experiments 
 what preventive measures should be adopted with 
 reference to the morbific germs existing elsewhere 
 than in the body; but of this question I shall not 
 speak now. He only explains part of the phe- 
 nomena of the relations of these germs to the liv- 
 ing body, although he might certainly have eluci- 
 dated the whole problem from his experience of 
 them in inert solutions. 
 
 What NAEGELI correctly apprehended is shown 
 when he gives, as an illustration of the relation of 
 these germs to the living body, the case where, in 
 his experiments, two different kinds of germs came 
 into conflict in one nutrient solution. 
 
 This bears directly upon the contest between the 
 germs and the living tissues of the human body, 
 which begins in a nutrient solution suited to both 
 the combatants alike; and very important is NAE- 
 GELI'S assertion that the contest turns upon num- 
 bers. Therefore since the number of the bodily 
 tissues concerned is a fixed quantity, it will depend 
 upon the numerical strength of the germs whether 
 they will set up disease. 
 
 The assault may be so overwhelming that the 
 body will infallibly succumb; but even the most 
 dangerous germs of infection are powerless for evil 
 if the attack be commenced by an insufficient num- 
 ber. NAEGELI rightly says that until he made this 
 discovery he had altogether doubted that the infect- 
 ing matter could consist of live organisms, for he 
 reasoned as follows: 
 
 " One such germ in a sufficiently nutrient solu- 
 tion, which the human bfedy usually affords, can 
 propagate 100,000 individuals within seven or eight 
 3 
 
26 The Causes of Disease, and Disease Germs. 
 
 hours, and would thus infallibly induce disease. 
 Yet this cannot be the case, or we should be driven 
 to the impossible conclusion that during an epi- 
 demic of cholera or typhus fever those that sick- 
 ened had alone inhaled or swallowed these tiny 
 microscopic germs, while all other members of the 
 community had not." 
 
 The fact that, during the prevalence of an epi- 
 demic, one section of the inhabitants enjoys good 
 health, another feels but slightly affected, a third 
 sickens more seriously, while a fourth section dies, 
 some speedily, others after protracted illness, is 
 ascribed by Professor NAEGELI to the varying 
 strength of the infection; but he does not take into 
 account that it must also depend upon the con- 
 dition of the body and its juices, as to which of the 
 two combatants in the struggle shall gain the vic- 
 tory. In this direction he touches upon the famil- 
 iar experience that a person once attacked by 
 small-pox, scarlet fever, typhus, etc., will for a 
 greater or less subsequent interval of time enjoy 
 immunity from those disorders. In this, as we 
 shall see, he is correct, without, however, hitting 
 the mark as accurately as he might have done from 
 the knowledge gained in his experiments with 
 germs elsewhere than in the body. 
 
 Researches prosecuted for many years having 
 long ago convinced me that an inordinate percent- 
 age of water in the body will intensify liability to 
 sickness, I at once recognized in NAEGELI'S dis, 
 coveries the true explanation of the fact ascer, 
 tained by me, that seasoned soldiers enjoy greater 
 immunity from infection than men less far ad- 
 vanced in the term of army service. Strong and 
 
The Causes of Disease, and Disease Germs. 27 
 
 sustained bodily exercise stimulates the activity 
 of the skin, draining the water out of the body 
 that is, it reduces or thickens the mass of the 
 bodily juices. 
 
 In times of infection this of itself is an advan- 
 tage for the living tissues of the body, because the 
 firmer these are set, the greater will be the energy 
 of the vital forces for the struggle with the germs 
 of infection, which are weakened in proportion as 
 the degree of concentration of the bodily juices is 
 raised. Hence a comparatively small difference in 
 the percentage of water in the body may decide 
 the issue in the struggle of the latter against the 
 germs of infection. 
 
 What may therefore be learnt from these dis- 
 coveries as applicable to infectious diseases ? 
 
 That the latter take root in that effete bodily 
 condition which is the consequence of an irrational 
 manner of living. I have examined from this point 
 of view whatever is known respecting all kinds of 
 epidemics, and everything confirms this. Were it 
 customary to live according to the dictates of rea- 
 son, to steel, harden, and temper the body, we 
 should be as exempt from epidemic disease as are 
 animals living in the open air. 
 
 Destructive infantile disorders, like scarlatina, 
 measles, and quinsy, are emphatically maladies of 
 enervation and enfeeblement. The prevalent irra- 
 tional treatment of children, not only in their in- 
 fancy, but also during the school years, is re- 
 sponsible for these disorders. 
 
28 The Specific Gravity of the Body. 
 
 THE SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF THE BODY. 
 
 (1878.) 
 
 '"THE discovery that a superfluity of tissue water 
 in the body materially increases its liability to 
 sicken from infectious disease became a keystone 
 for my studies on " Strength of Constitution," a 
 term which includes the question of greater or 
 lesser liability to sickness, as well as that of the 
 working capacity. Not only did it now clearly ap- 
 pear upon what strength of constitution is based, 
 and by what means it may be enhanced, but also 
 that it can with a large degree of certainty be esti- 
 mated by measurement. 
 
 In compiling a tabulated statement of measure- 
 ments of soldiers, for the purpose of calculating 
 the averages of health for each of the three years 
 of army service, I had at first no suspicion of the 
 astounding result obtained by the computation of 
 the weight per liter (quart) volume of the indi- 
 vidual soldier ; indeed I feel satisfied that no pro- 
 fessional man would have expected to find so great 
 variation. 
 
 The smallest liter-weight among the sixty-five 
 men measured amounted to 764, the highest to 
 1,060 grams,* a difference of almost 40 per cent. 
 If in these two extreme cases the men were equally 
 tall and stout that is, of quite the same bulk, say 
 70 liters the light man would weigh 118 Ibs., the 
 heavy man 159^ Ibs., so that the latter would be 
 heavier by 41-^ Ibs. The difference is the more sur- 
 
 * 1,000 grams = i kilo = about 2^ Ibs. 
 
The Specific Gravity of the Body. 29 
 
 prising, if we take into account that these two men 
 were almost of the same age, varying only by one 
 year ; that the light man was by no means a sickly, 
 feeble subject, but apparently so healthy and strong 
 that no objection had been raised to his admission 
 into the army. Still greater differences will be 
 found if the specific gravity of people of the lowest 
 constitutional vigor could be measured. 
 
 If the differences in the weight of the liter vol- 
 ume of the strong and the weak amounted merely 
 to a fractional percentage, they might be regarded 
 as a curious scientific discovery of no practical im- 
 portance. But the case stands otherwise. 
 
 An instrument is required which will determine, 
 at least with approximate accuracy, the bodily bulk. 
 A method of testing the bodily condition would 
 then be supplied, which in point of accuracy, and 
 diversity of application, would far surpass any that 
 has hitherto been devised. Now such an instru- 
 ment can certainly be constructed, but not by a 
 scientific man without the necessary means, except 
 at the public cost. The simplest way of ascertain- 
 ing the bulk of the body is by its immersion in 
 water, but this method is cumbersome and incon- 
 venient, and is impracticable with invalids, females, 
 etc. As against the above method, the following 
 apparatus is worthy of consideration. It consists 
 of an inclosed air-tight chamber, connected on the 
 one hand with an air-gauge, and on the other with 
 a second chamber, the air in which can be forced 
 into the first-named chamber. If the first chamber 
 contains nothing but air, the air forced into it from 
 the second chamber will raise the column of mer- 
 cury in the gauge up to a certain point. By intro- 
 
30 The Specific (Gravity of the Body. 
 
 ducing a compact body into the first chamber, and 
 thus displacing the air, the column of mercury will 
 be made to rise above the level previously attained, 
 in proportion to the greater bulk of the body in- 
 truded. Consequently the bulk can be correctly 
 estimated from the height of the column of mercury. 
 And if the body be subsequently weighed, the divis- 
 ion of the weight by the number of volumes (liters) 
 will give the weight of each liter. 
 
 Small instruments of this kind already exist, but 
 the problem is to build an apparatus large enough 
 in dimensions to admit an adult. The cost would 
 not be great, and the money would be well expended, 
 as I shall show. 
 
 The question now arises respecting which prop- 
 erties of the body will the determination of its 
 weight per unit of capacity (liter) afford informa- 
 tion. The answer must be sought in a consideration 
 of the parts which the various bodily constituents 
 that are weighed play in the production of vital 
 phenomena. 
 
 The lightest bodily substance, if we put aside air, 
 is the fat, with a liter-weight of 937 grams. Im- 
 portant as an element of nutrition, it becomes in- 
 jurious when present in excess, causing a diminution 
 in the quantity of blood, and impeding the circula- 
 tion, while its decomposition evolves an abnormal 
 amount of heat. Corpulent people are incapacitated 
 for strenuous work, because they so rapidly become 
 heated; and if overtaken with illness they readily 
 develop strong feverish symptoms. 
 
 Next to fat, water presents the lowest liter-weight, 
 namely, 1,000 grams. Some of the injurious ef- 
 fects of an excess of water in the body have already 
 
The Specific Gravity of the Body. 3 1 
 
 been explained, but I will recapitulate the most im- 
 portant points: 
 
 1. Superfluous water renders all the tissues flabby, 
 and diminishes their power of resisting mechanical 
 strain. They become more brittle, as regards the 
 bones, are more easily lacerated and distended, and 
 the natural coalition of the organs suffers. Thus 
 bone fractures, dislocations, bruises, lacerations, 
 twisting of the intestines, etc., and the intrusion 
 into the system of alien matters, including the germs 
 of infection, will more readily take place. These 
 diminish the capacity for strenuous labor, and con- 
 stitute so many extra risks of sickness. 
 
 2. Excess of water in the muscles has a disabling 
 effect, imparting a feeling of lassitude ; a watery 
 muscle is feeble, and tires quickly. 
 
 3. Excess of water in the tissues is particularly 
 injurious in its action upon the nervous system. It 
 heightens the sensibility of the nerves, so that tri- 
 fling influences produce painful and morbid excite- 
 ment. Persons thus affected easily catch cold, suffer 
 from nervous irritability, and in short are exposed 
 to all disturbances of the nervous system. More- 
 over, excess of water in the nerves becomes a hin- 
 drance to the transmission of their excitation, which 
 is bad in every way; for it increases the liability to 
 sickness, while lessening the capacity for work, 
 particularly mental work. The flow of thought in 
 the brain is obstructed, reflection becomes difficult, 
 sluggish, less comprehensive, and the memory fails. 
 There is a form of idiocy, in which the brain cavi- 
 ties hold abnormal quantites of free water; but an 
 excess of water permeating the brain substance 
 will of itself induce dullness. 
 
32 - The Specific Gravity of the Body. 
 
 4. The injurious effect of an excess of water in 
 the blood and other bodily juices can be inferred 
 from what has been stated in a preceding essay on 
 the subject of liability to infection from disease 
 germs. A watery condition of the stomach and 
 bowels favors the propagation of the seeds of infec- 
 tion in the primcz via, or alimentary canal, so that 
 the germs of cholera, or dysentery, or probably of 
 mucous fever, are enabled to make a general attack 
 against the body, and will more readily ferment if 
 the bodily juices be watery. 
 
 While certain quantities of water and fat are 
 necessary to the existence of the human body, any 
 excess above the indispensable proportion is detri- 
 mental. But since every other constituent of the 
 human body is specifically heavier than the water 
 and the fat, a body which possesses these in an ex- 
 cessive quantity must be specifically lighter than 
 one normally constituted; so that a man of inferior 
 specific gravity will be less fit for work, both physi- 
 cal and mental, and less capable of withstanding 
 morbific influences of every kind. 
 
 The conclusion, based upon the nature and influ- 
 ence of the lighter bodily constituents (water and 
 fat) that the low liter-volume of the living body is 
 an unfavorable sign of its condition, is confirmed 
 when the heavier elements are considered. 
 
 I have ascertained by experiments that thorough- 
 ly dried muscular flesh has a liter-volume of 1,357 
 grams (water 1,000, and fat 937). Now we know, 
 beyond a doubt, that the actual working substances 
 in every living tissue are those which remain after 
 drying />., the so-called albuminous substances, 
 and the salts alwavs found in combination there- 
 
The Specific Gravity of the Body. 33 
 
 with. The more plentiful the supply of such sub- 
 stances in the living tissue, the more energetic are 
 its vital manifestations. A muscle, for instance, 
 will be firmer and more powerful in proportion to 
 its solid constituent parts, and the same applies to 
 the energy and rapidity of its contractions. The 
 larger the amount of solid constituents in the brain 
 and general nervous system the more energetic will 
 be their manifestations. The same may be said of 
 the intestines, etc. Chemical experiments show 
 that the mass of solid residue in the tissues may 
 present very considerable divergence (as much as 32 
 per cent), and thus it is quite intelligible that a 
 strong person, thoroughly fit for work, should ex- 
 hibit a much higher specific gravity than a weak, 
 sickly person. 
 
 Lastly, a cardinal point is the quantity of bone- 
 earth or phosphate of lime. Of all the elements 
 largely entering into the constitution of the body, 
 this is the heaviest, namely, 3,180 grams per liter- 
 volume. It is well known that the robust possess 
 strong, compact bones, while the weak have delicate 
 and light ones. The more energetically a man 
 works, the more powerful become his bones that 
 is, firstly, they increase in length and thickness ; 
 secondly, the protuberances to which the muscles 
 grow become enlarged; lastly, not only does the 
 bone substance accumulate material, but it hardens 
 and acquires a higher specific gravity. We see this 
 in animals; the bones of the domesticated hog or 
 cow, which takes little exercise, are spongy and 
 brittle, while the bones of the same animals in a 
 wild state are extraordinarily hard, compact, and 
 heavy. The following illustration will make this 
 
34 The Specific Gravity of the Body. 
 
 easier to be understood. If coal or wood be con- 
 sumed in a stove, the products of the fuel will be 
 of two kinds the gases that escape through the 
 chimney, and the ashes which drop into the ash-box. 
 The quantity of ashes collected will show what 
 amount of work the stove has done. The process 
 in the body is analogous: the more the bodyworks, 
 the more nourishment will it use up, giving rise to 
 substances (such as carbonic acid, water, and urea) 
 that quit the body, and yielding ashes, which the 
 body retains, in the form of bone-earth. The bones 
 collect the ashes, and the larger their store the 
 greater has been the amount of work performed by 
 the body. Hence old people have a larger store of 
 bone-earth than young persons; but if of two indi- 
 viduals of equal age one possesses more bone-earth 
 than the other, it will be an unmistakable sign that 
 the former has done more work than the latter, 
 either from superior diligence or the force of cir- 
 cumstances. Thus the specific gravity of a man 
 shows whether he is active and accustomed to labor 
 or not. 
 
 These considerations are of importance in their 
 application, both to the practice of medicine and to 
 health-culture. On the latter point they lend ad- 
 ditional weight to the arguments with which I have 
 repeatedly sought to enforce my sense of the value 
 of hardening the body by the promotion of the ac- 
 tivity of the skin, the thorough ventilation of rooms, 
 etc.; because it is now obvious that these measures 
 not merely afford protection against colds and chest 
 complaints, but also operate as preventives against 
 epidemic contagion. 
 
 In this discovery there is much that is reassuring; 
 
The Sanatory Coat. 35 
 
 for, having regard to the enormous difficulty of 
 warding off the attacks of these invisible germs of 
 infection, and of evicting them when in possession; 
 considering, moreover, that the range of infectious 
 diseases continually widens with the extension of 
 facilities of communication, an anxious tempera- 
 ment might give way to despondency. My re- 
 searches remove the main ground for discourage- 
 ment. If the body be adequately hardened, infection 
 need be no more apprehended than colds and chest 
 complaints, and the method which I have explained 
 of ascertaining, by determining the specific gravity, 
 whether the requisite degree of hardening has been 
 attained, should give additional force to this sense 
 of security. 
 
 Lastly, the whole rule of health may be summed 
 up in the simple maxim: Procure, and maintain, 
 the highest possible specific gravity that is, firstly, 
 prevent the deposit of fat; and secondly, promote 
 the elimination of water from the tissues, avoiding 
 anything calculated to check it. 
 
 THE SANATORY COAT. 
 
 (1878.) 
 
 T WISH to lay great stress upon a particular 
 feature which should characterize the Sanatory 
 Woolen Clothing, since my own personal experience 
 in the matter has been truly astonishing. It was 
 first suggested to me by the excellent results which 
 I have found in medical practice from the applica- 
 tion of the " Reglin" poultice to the front middle 
 line of the body, from the pit of the neck to below 
 the navel. The remarkable relief thus afforded to 
 
36 The Sanatory Coat. 
 
 the blood-pressure is due to the terminal con- 
 vergence in this region of all the blood-vessels in 
 the trunk of the body, and to the considerable 
 enlargement of their areas, consequent upon the 
 stimulating action of the poultice. This is tanta- 
 mount to expansion of the minute blood-vessels of 
 the entire surface of the trunk; and as upon their 
 size depends the measure of evaporation, it follows 
 that their expansion will cause the skin to give off 
 watery vapor with greater freedom and rapidity. 
 This shows that particular attention should be 
 paid to the middle line of chest and stomach that 
 is to say, the clothes should keep this part warmer 
 than the other surfaces of the body, which is easily 
 effected by means of a double-breasted coat, similar 
 to that worn in the Wiirtemberg regiments. The 
 two sides of the coat are made to overlap, whereby 
 the middle line is covered twice as thickly as any 
 other part of the body. This plan for maintaining 
 extra warmth operates similarly to the Reglin 
 poultice. The double covering secures a more 
 abundant blood-supply for the entire skin, and 
 the vapory, cutaneous exhalation thereby produced 
 can easily escape where the coat is only of one 
 thickness. Two conditions are indispensable. 
 
 1. The coat, t>e the weather ever so warm, should 
 at all times be kept buttoned up all the way, as pre- 
 scribed in the Army. Those to whom this may 
 seem irksome will find it so only at the very first. 
 Every soldier will bear witness to the comfort of 
 the buttoned-up coat. 
 
 2. Beneath the coat, neither waistcoat nor white 
 shirt should be worn, but simply the Sanatory 
 Woolen shirt, 
 
The Sanatory Coat. 37 
 
 In short, I may say that the double-breasted 
 Sanitary coat is the most conducive to health, be- 
 cause it hardens the body in a remarkable degree, 
 while it at the same time affords the best protec- 
 tion. Coats so constructed are certainly the most 
 elegant and most healthy wear for men. 
 
 Now I pass on to my personal experience. I have 
 been wearing the coat as above prescribed for the 
 last eight weeks. On several previous occasions I 
 had striven, with no little perseverance, to cure my- 
 self of a debilitated bodily condition, taking Turk- 
 ish baths, active exercise, carefully ventilating my 
 rooms, dieting myself, etc., but with only limited 
 success. For instance, the measurement round the 
 stomach, where the size chiefly indicates the deposit 
 of fat, fell only from 37! to 35f inches, whereas the 
 normal measurement should not exceed 2pf inches. 
 During the holidays, indeed, I had at times suc- 
 ceeded in reducing it to 34!, but in spite of all it 
 rose again to 35f. During the first few weeks the 
 Sanatory coat itself had little effect, but when the 
 weather grew warm, the superfluous fat began 
 to disappear, without any other special device of 
 mine, at so rapid a rate that the measurement 
 round the stomach by this time only amounts to 
 32^- inches, while my fitness for work and my gen- 
 eral health have improved in a corresponding 
 ratio. My pre-conceived theory was therefore jus- 
 tified beyond my most sanguine anticipation, for 
 having regard to the ill-success of former endeav- 
 ors, I did not look for such rapid effect. 
 
38 The Source of the Emotions. 
 
 THE SOURCE OF THE EMOTIONS. 
 
 (1879.) 
 
 T DEFINE the physical source of the emotions to 
 be subtile essences bound up with, and emanat- 
 ing from, the albumen in the bodily tissues. These 
 essences may be divided into two main classes or 
 principles, which are opposed to one another in the 
 effect which they produce, and which may be dis- 
 tinguished by the terms " salutary" and " noxious." 
 In a condition of mental equanimity or composure 
 these principles are inactive, and only when a 
 decomposition of albumen in the tissues occurs are 
 they set free; they then become perceptible to the 
 senses, especially to that of smell, and create in the 
 body in which they take rise that which is called 
 emotion, or mood. 
 
 When essence in the form of the " salutary" 
 principle is liberated, the emotions or mood are 
 cheerful, enterprising, and courageous, and the 
 body enjoys food; but if the form be that of the 
 " noxious" principle, there are gloom, depression, 
 want of courage, and a distaste for food. 
 
 Mental equanimity or composure is restored when 
 the essences cease to be liberated, and when the 
 portion set free has been removed from the body 
 by means of the respiration, cutaneous exhalation, 
 or the other excretions. 
 
 As I have said, these essences can be smelled, and 
 are otherwise appreciable to the senses. My read- 
 ers may obtain evidence of this for themselves. 
 As a rule the "salutary" principle is fragrant; the 
 
The Source of the Emotions. 39 
 
 " noxious" principle tainted and offensive. The 
 odor may be most readily perceived in the hair of 
 the head, and is more defined in the adult than in 
 the child. Of course pomade or hair oil would 
 interfere with the natural scent. 
 
 If the subject of the test be of a cheerful, pleasant 
 mood, in good humor, the scent will be agreeable 
 and sweet; but if sorrowful, depressed, in pain, or 
 unwell, the scent will be disagreeable. This is 
 particularly noticeable when persons are in the 
 anguish of fever, so much so that the odor is per- 
 ceptible immediately on entering the patient's room. 
 Terror or, with children, the fear of punishment 
 will elicit a very disagreeable odor, which has led 
 many a teacher or father when chastising a child to 
 form an erroneous conclusion, although terror and 
 dread do also affect the bowels. The offensive 
 odor, however, exhales from skin, mouth, and nose, 
 and as I have proved by experiments, directly from 
 the brain as well. If a portion of brain substance 
 be pulverized in a mortar, and a few drops of nitric 
 acid be added, exactly the same odor is obtained. 
 
 I emphatically remark that I am here speaking 
 of things which the experience of many of my 
 readers will confirm, and all can very easily con- 
 vince themselves of the correctness of these asser- 
 tions, which have a great practical importance, 
 especially in connection with my recommendations 
 on health-culture. At present I will only add that 
 whether the " salutary" or the " noxious" principle 
 shall be released will depend upon the force of the 
 excitatory influence which has caused the decom- 
 position of albumen in the tissues. This may be 
 very clearly demonstrated with the white of a hen's 
 
4O The Source of the Emotions. 
 
 egg. If boiled with one of the weaker acids (or 
 even nitric acid), it will emit a flavor of chicken 
 broth; but if, for the purpose of decomposition, 
 some strong agent like phosphoric acid be em- 
 ployed, the offensive odor of the excrement of 
 poultry will be given off. Similarly, if the sensa- 
 tions are agreeable in their nature, they must be 
 of overpowering intensity to liberate essence in the 
 form of the " noxious" principle; while if the sen- 
 sation be of an unpleasant kind, althoagh much 
 less intense, the essence will no longer emanate in 
 the form of the " salutary," but in that of the 
 " noxious" principle. 
 
 Before I proceed to deal with practical deduc- 
 tions, it will be necessary to explain the important 
 bearing of these principles upon the health of the 
 body. We know from every-day experience that 
 sickness and depression, and, conversely, health 
 and cheerfulness, usually go hand in hand. Upon 
 closer observation, there is found to be a very in- 
 timate connection with, and it is especially worth 
 while to study the relation of the " noxious" prin- 
 ciple to disease. 
 
 Physicians have long been aware that great 
 terror, great dread, will, without the concurrence 
 of any other cause, avail to bring about the most 
 serious derangements of health, even sudden death. 
 Also, that illness is attended with much greater 
 risk when associated with worry, grief, or depres- 
 sion; while it will augur well for the issue if the 
 patient be relieved from apprehension, and a state 
 of cheerful confidence, or, at any rate, of composure 
 be established. Further, that terror, dread, grief, 
 and care materially lessen the power of resisting 
 
The Source of the Emotions. 41 
 
 certain disorders, foremost among which are the 
 epidemic diseases, such as the plague, cholera, 
 dysentery, and small-pox. Of cholera, for instance, 
 it is known that a man thrown into a state of in- 
 tense dread at sight of the dead body of a cholera 
 patient will almost certainly sicken, and often with 
 such speed that within a few hours he may be 
 in sound health and die. Similarly, in time of war, 
 armies beaten and pursued present a far more fa- 
 vorable field for the ravages of epidemic disease 
 than their pursuers, flushed with victory, even 
 though the defeated and the conquerors have oc- 
 cupied the same camping grounds in succession. 
 
 For all such phenomena there has hitherto been 
 no satisfactory explanation; they have been ascribed 
 to nervous agencies, entirely overlooking the real 
 cause a peculiar volatile essence, the " noxious" 
 principle, which permeates all the bodily juices and 
 affects them in the manner of a poison. That some 
 such influence must be in operation might have 
 been inferred from the fact of hair turning white 
 as a consequence of dread, grief, or care; this has 
 been known to take place in a single night, when 
 persons have been exposed to great dread or sor- 
 row. Here the nervous system cannot be the agent, 
 for the nerves do not reach into the hairs. 
 
 My researches make these phenomena clearly in- 
 telligible. The volatile " noxious" principle, when 
 released from the brain, enters the blood, whereby 
 it is circulated to every part of the body, working 
 upon each particle of living substance as a paralyz- 
 ing poison. Any reader who has once experienced 
 it knows how terror and dread affect the organs 
 which are moved and controlled by the will. The 
 4 
 
42 The Source of the Emotions. 
 
 limbs refuse to act, the voice is choked in the 
 throat, everything is loosened and relaxed. How- 
 ever, the trouble does not end there, for the other 
 organs present similar phenomena. The sensory, 
 nervous system is disabled. In the alimentary 
 canal the paralyzing action occasions an exudation 
 of water, as attested by watery evacuations. Other 
 signs are, outbreaks of perspiration upon the epi- 
 dermis, and augmented renal excretions. 
 
 As regards epidemics, if an infectious disease 
 prevail in any place, and the germs of it be dissem- 
 inated in the air and drinking-water, there must be 
 numbers of people into whose system they will gain 
 admittance through the vehicles of food and drink, 
 without necessarily inducing sickness. Sickness 
 will only be developed when the condition of the 
 body is favorable to the germs ; such a condition 
 requires, firstly, that the bodily juices shall contain 
 a certain percentage of water, for if it be insuffi- 
 cient the infection cannot take effect. This is the 
 reason why, as shown in the essay on " The Causes 
 of Disease," the process of hardening (water elim- 
 ination) protects the body from infection. Second- 
 ly, the degree of vital energy in the tissues, espe- 
 cially in those of the walls of the intestines, which 
 are first attacked by the disease germs, is an im- 
 portant factor. It will readily be understood that 
 if the emotion of dread will set free within the body 
 a noxious element, having power, as shown above, 
 to paralyze all the living tissues, including the walls 
 of the intestines, the same cause would suddenly 
 annihilate the body's faculty of withstanding the 
 influence of infection. 
 
 In describing the third condition hitherto partly 
 
The Source of the Emotions. 43 
 
 unrecognized under which infection may be 
 spread by epidemics, I am compelled to refer to 
 things somewhat unsavory. This is unavoidable, 
 however, when writing on the question of health- 
 culture ; for the source of many diseases will be 
 found to lie in dirt and things unsavory, as to which 
 an accurate knowledge is necessary if the diseases 
 are to be guarded against. 
 
 Physicians have long been aware, and so in part 
 has the general public, that the effluvia emanating 
 from water-closets and privies are dangerous to 
 health, and that people who inhale such effluvia 
 are very liable to catch infectious diseases. Hence 
 at the outbreak of an epidemic it has latterly been 
 customary to make a thorough examination of these 
 places, and to get them disinfected. But a want of 
 correct apprehension of the question has caused 
 people to go astray in their measures of precaution. 
 
 For instance, it is generally supposed, since in- 
 fection has been known to proceed from living 
 organisms, that the offensive effluvia of water- 
 closets and privies are not in themselves dangerous, 
 and become so only when they contain these germs. 
 That is an error. The mere inhaling of such efflu- 
 via will not produce cholera, typhus, or dysentery, 
 but if with the breath the effluvia enter the bodily 
 juices, and thus pervade the entire system, their 
 action will be identical with that of the mal-odor- 
 ous, " noxious" principle. Liability to infection is 
 thereby increased, and all that is needed for infec- 
 tion to ensue is that the living organisms, however 
 originating, should make their way into the body 
 with the air, food or drink, which, during the prev- 
 alence of epidemics, may very easily occur, These 
 
44 The Source of the Emotions. 
 
 germs might not have worked harm had not the 
 way for them been prepared by inhaling the efflu- 
 via. The reason I will give presently, but I must 
 explain one other circumstance which has hitherto 
 remained unnoticed. 
 
 The alimentary canal of the body is the original 
 source of the effluvia in question. Being extreme- 
 ly volatile, these emanations, while yet in the body, 
 penetrate from the intestine into the bodily juices 
 a fact shown in every post-mortem examination 
 and thence they issue by means of the cutaneous 
 evaporation. Their effect on the bodily juices in 
 reference to epidemics is the same as if they had 
 been inhaled, and as that of the mal-odorous '* nox- 
 ious" principle. 
 
 The essence of the foregoing statements is, that 
 between the effluvia engendered within the body 
 and the seeds of infection there is a relation, which 
 I will now endeavor to explain. 
 
 Notwithstanding that each animal and plant car- 
 ries within itself every element that appertains to 
 the nutrition of any living being, yet each individ- 
 ual will feed upon a special kind of nutriment, and 
 in some cases only upon a particular plant or ani- 
 mal. This peculiarly applies to parasites ; for in- 
 stance, a dog-flea might find in the human blood 
 whatever is required for its nutriment, but has no 
 relish for it ; in fact, all vermin and parasites have 
 their peculiar tastes, and where these cannot be in- 
 dulged they will not settle or thrive. 
 
 The same thing applies to the germs of infection. 
 They are parasites which in two respects have their 
 special tastes. They settle only upon one or a few 
 kinds of animals, The cholera germs thrive upon 
 
The Source of the Emotions. 45 
 
 man; but they are attracted only by the malodor- 
 ous " noxious" elements of the body, while the con- 
 trary fragrant, "salutary" elements are not to their 
 taste. 
 
 The reader will readily understand the deduction 
 to be drawn. Within the body are continually 
 generated two odorous essences, of opposite char- 
 acter the fragrant " salutary" principle, and the 
 offensive " noxious" principle, to which latter also 
 belong the excretory effluvia. Accordingly, as the 
 latter or the former principle prevails, the liability 
 to infection is greater or less. This throws con- 
 siderable light upon the method which should be 
 adopted of coping with epidemics. 
 
 From the foregoing the reader will have realized 
 to some extent the great practical importance of 
 being able to control the volatile essences above 
 mentioned. I will endeavor to make this plainer. 
 The sanitary aspect of the question may be stated 
 thus : The smaller the amount of the malodorous 
 essences contained in the bodily juices in other 
 words, the lower the proportion of the " noxious" 
 principle within the body the greater will be the 
 capacity of resisting infection. I have previously 
 shown how this capacity is affected by the quantity 
 of water in the tissues, and the matter may there- 
 fore be summed up as follows : the lower the pro- 
 portion of water in the tissues and of the " nox- 
 ious" principle, the greater will be the security 
 against disease. The question whether we have it 
 in our power to procure this desirable condition of 
 the body, I answer unhesitatingly in the affirmative, 
 and I am able to state by what means. But I must 
 first advert to the moral, as distinguished from the 
 
46 The Source of the Emotions. 
 
 physical, aspect of the matter, for my experience 
 shows it to be of high importance. 
 
 Before proceeding further, however, let me point 
 out that I am not ventilating mere speculations, 
 evolved from my inner consciousness while sitting 
 before my desk. I am discussing facts, proved and 
 tested upon myself personally and the members of 
 my family, as well as upon some friends who were 
 willing to listen to my explanations and to carry 
 out my suggestions. 
 
 Of the three moods engendered by the causes 
 already described equanimity ; cheerfulness, or 
 joy ; and dread, grief, depression the last named 
 is induced by the presence of the same '* noxious" 
 principle which has been previously shown to im- 
 peril the health of the body. 
 
 Every increase of the " noxious" principle in the 
 body no matter how and whence arising creates 
 a sense of dread, apprehension, discomfort, and 
 oppression, or induces that condition in which the 
 i mpressions of things and events, which would other- 
 wise be indifferent, become a source of annoyance. 
 Whereas, conversely, the lower the proportion of 
 the " noxious" principle within the body, the more 
 cheerful and light-hearted is the mood and the more 
 perfect the equanimity. If anything arises to dis- 
 turb the composure, the promptitude with which 
 equanimity is restored will be according to the ra- 
 pidity with which the emanation of the "noxious" 
 principle passes from the tissues, as I will explain 
 further on. 
 
Sanatory Woolen Clothing. 47 
 
 SANATORY WOOLEN CLOTHING. 
 
 (1879.) 
 
 body has the peculiarity of defending its 
 property of fat, tissue-water, and of the liber- 
 ated volatile essences. It takes advantage of every 
 careless movement, every opportunity, however ap- 
 parently insignificant, to repossess itself of that 
 which has been wrested from it. This is a familiar 
 experience as regards fat. Corpulent persons, wont 
 to repair to Carlsbad, or to resort to some other 
 kind of anti-fat regimen, no doubt lose a few pounds 
 on every occasion, but as soon as the special treat- 
 ment is over the fat will reappear. I experienced 
 this in my own person when I began my researches 
 on the subject of health-culture. Every forcible 
 remedy adopted produced a slight diminution in 
 the measurement round the body, but as soon as I 
 ceased the special cure I returned to my former 
 size. At present, however, I am really master of 
 the situation. In a few months my measurement 
 round the body permanently receded to the extent 
 of about 5^ inches, while the weight per liter-vol- 
 ume of body bulk rose by 15 grams (or i per 
 cent), and my flesh, in point of firmness and hard- 
 ness, resembles that of the most seasoned soldier. 
 Nor did this entail any particular trouble in the ac- 
 complishment, for the entire change, including the 
 elimination of superfluous water and of liberated 
 emanations from the tissues, has been brought 
 about by the adoption of a suitable change in the sys- 
 tem of clothing, combined with thorough ventilation 
 
48 Sanatory Woolen Clothing. 
 
 of the living and sleeping rooms, and with in my 
 own special case, where the elimination of fat pre- 
 sented the chief difficulty four pedestrian tours, 
 each lasting over some days. 
 
 As regards the clothing, several points need con- 
 sideration. First comes the material of which it is 
 made. I have already shown that animal wool 
 meets the requirements . of health-culture to a 
 much larger extent than materials made of vegeta- 
 ble fiber, such as linen, hemp and cotton, in conse- 
 quence of the much greater impermeability of the 
 latter to watery vapor. The German proverb, 
 describing a healthy, comfortable man as one " sit- 
 ting in the wool/' goes to show that popular usage 
 is in this particular in advance of science ; and it 
 is indeed hard to understand how linen and cotton 
 should have so long and so extensively held their 
 ground as clothing materials. 
 
 The rate at which this question has been matur- 
 ing within the last decade is instructive, and im- 
 portant to the right apprehension of the practical 
 deductions and suggestions which I have to make. 
 
 My own earliest practical application of wool 
 was to advise persons subject to colds to wear a 
 strip of flannel next to the skin, from the chest 
 down to the stomach, and some benefit was cer- 
 tainly derived therefrom. Next followed the use 
 of undervests, and finally of woolen shirts, worn 
 under white shirts. This was an error. The body 
 was indeed protected, but at the same time ener- 
 vated, and the woolen shirt, placed between the 
 outer white shirt and the body, soon became moist 
 with perspiration and disagreeable. For this rea- 
 son many doctors pronounced against the use of 
 
Sanatory Woolen Clothing. 49 
 
 woolen shirts, but this was again an error. Not 
 the woolen shirt, but the overlying white shirt pro- 
 duced the evil, and should have been discarded. 
 I recognized this in the year 1868, and at once 
 made my opinion known. Then came the Franco- 
 German War, 1870-71, and the experience gained 
 in it opened up a wide career for the woolen shirt, 
 although the mistake was still made of wearing a 
 white shirt over it. I now find, however, that it 
 does not depend upon the shirt alone that is to 
 say, it is not sufficient to wear a woolen shirt with- 
 out a white one over it, but that all linen and cot- 
 ton material in the clothing, not excepting that 
 used for lining and stiffening coats, etc., and for 
 pockets of coats and trousers, is pernicious to 
 health. The clothing should be made throughout 
 of pure animal wool. How astonishingly sensitive 
 the body is to the benefits of this I have had many 
 opportunities of observing in my own circle. 
 
 When I came to rightly understand the matter I 
 began by substituting woolen for the linen or 
 cotton linings. This could not be effected all at 
 once, and some coats which were held not to be 
 worth the extra expense were to be worn out to the 
 end with the old lining. However, if one of us 
 had been wearing an altered garment for any 
 length of time, and then put on one not altered, 
 there immediately supervened, with more or less 
 distinctness, that feeling of uneasiness which arises 
 from incomplete evaporation of the " noxious" 
 emanations. This would wear off, but the harmo- 
 nious condition of the body changed for the worse. 
 The mood was less equable, and the tendency to 
 take cold was greater. These symptoms disap- 
 
50 Sanatory Woolen Clothing. 
 
 peared when the coat made entirely of wool was 
 resumed. 
 
 Similar experiments were instituted so frequent- 
 ly, and were so constantly followed by the like re- 
 sult, as to remove all doubt as to the accuracy of 
 my researches. My readers can test the matter 
 for themselves. 
 
 The material, however, is not the sole considera- 
 tion; the cut of the clothing must also be taken 
 into account. I may state generally, first, that the 
 clothing will be the better for fitting quite tightly, 
 so as to allow the least possible movement of air 
 between the clothes and the body; and second, that 
 it should be twice as thick along the middle line of 
 the trunk from neck to abdomen, as at the sides or 
 back. 
 
 Another point for consideration is the number of 
 garments that should be worn one over the other. 
 For men and boys the clothing should consist sim- 
 ply of woolen shirt, woolen socks (elderly people 
 may wear stockings), cloth trousers fitting as 
 closely as is practicable, and cloth coat. The coat 
 sleeves should be lined with woolen material, and 
 these, as well as the trousers, when the latter do 
 not fit tightly (as, to be perfect, they should do), 
 must be closed against upward draughts by web- 
 bings sewed in them and fitting round the arms 
 and ankles ; therefore no drawers are required, no 
 waistcoat, and no overcoat, not even in winter 
 time, except when driving, and the cold is so 
 severe as to make the very wheels ring. This win- 
 ter, although the thermometer stood as low as 12 
 (Reaumur) of frost at Stuttgart, I never wore an 
 
Sanatory Woolen Clothing. 51 
 
 overcoat, and, indeed, felt that it would have been 
 altogether superfluous. 
 
 Among the various men's coats now generally 
 worn, all such as cannot be made to close right up 
 to the neck and to fit compactly to the figure 
 should be laid aside as wholly unsanatory. An ex- 
 amination of the interior of an old coat will reveal 
 an astounding quantity of rubbish secreted under 
 the lining for purposes of padding, stiffening, etc. 
 This becomes saturated with the malodorous 
 " noxious" emanations of the body, and freely evap- 
 orates them under influences of heat or moisture. 
 
 I should now like to say a word on women's 
 dress, but I approach the subject with a certain 
 amount of diffidence, for here, habit and prejudice 
 are even more potent than with men, and I have to 
 declare war against such cherished finery as silk 
 dresses, white petticoats (often starched so as to 
 make them thoroughly impermeable), linen stays, 
 cotton or silk stockings, and white starched dresses, 
 which inclose the whole body as though under a 
 glass cover. Then, again, women are so fond of 
 their store of linen, take such a delight in the di- 
 version afforded by interminable washings and 
 ironings and starchings, that I fear they will con- 
 demn me as a disturberof the peace of households, 
 who is bent on creating a cheerless waste in the 
 laundry and press-room. Yet, seeing that my own 
 wife has not only become reconciled to the new 
 order of things, but declares that she would not 
 willingly revert to the status quo ante, I will venture 
 to proceed. Chemise, stockings, drawers, petti- 
 coats, and stays should all be made of pure animal 
 wool. These, with a dress of pure woolen stuff, 
 
52 The Open Bedroom Window. 
 
 closing well round the throat, and having a double 
 woolen lining at the chest and downwards, should 
 be the winter and summer wear of women, who 
 would then participate in all the advantages which 
 I have described, and of which they stand even in 
 greater need than do men. 
 
 THE OPEN BEDROOM WINDOW. 
 
 (1879.) 
 
 A BOOK might easily be written on the immense 
 advantages attending the practice of always 
 sleeping with the bedroom window open, and on 
 the great disadvantages which arise if this rule be 
 neglected; also on the progress which has been 
 made in the treatment of disease since it has been 
 recognized as a prime necessity of life and health 
 that the atmosphere immediately surrounding the 
 body should freely mingle with the open air. 
 
 It cannot be too often insisted upon that the 
 body will not be hardened or empowered to resist 
 the attacks of disease unless there be thorough 
 ventilation of the bedroom. To insure this, in mild 
 and quiet weather two windows should be open 
 at top, when more than one person is sleeping in 
 a room. But, however cold or severe the weather 
 one window should always be open at the top, 
 although the air can be prevented from blowing 
 on the sleeper by the interposition of a blind or a 
 curtain. To endeavor to ventilate a bedroom by 
 an open window in an adjoining room is useless, as 
 will quickly be recognized by the nose, which is 
 the best test as to whether a room is properly ven- 
 tilated. 
 
The Open Bedroom Window. 53 
 
 If on returning to a bedroom in the morning 
 from the fresh air it is found to be in the least 
 fusty, the ventilation is insufficient. Nor is this 
 fustiness merely a sign that the air is impure; the 
 odorous matters whose presence it indicates are 
 the " noxious" elements of the body's exhalations 
 and have a distinctly deleterious effect when 
 they are inhaled with the atmosphere which they 
 pervade. Various unfounded objections have been 
 raised, tending to establish the injurious qualities 
 of the external atmosphere when breathed at night 
 by sleepers. For instance, it is stated that the 
 night air is laden with carbonic acid, which is 
 dangerous to the breathing passages when inhaled. 
 In making this assertion the fact is overlooked that 
 the breathing passages invariably contain air 
 charged with 4 per cent of carbonic acid, while 
 the proportion in the night air is at most 4 
 per thousand. I myself have made the experi- 
 ment of charging the atmosphere with carbonic 
 acid up to i per cent, without in the least affect- 
 ing my breathing. On the other hand, if the 
 water that streams down inside the window of a 
 closed sleeping-room be collected, one drop of this 
 liquid, impregnated as it is with the " noxious" 
 exhalations given off by the sleepers, will suffice to 
 poison a rabbit, as has been shown by actual ex- 
 periment. Those who have adopted the Sanitary 
 Woolen System are free from night sweats and are 
 not subject to the chills of which persons clad in 
 linen and sleeping in sheets are so greatly in dread. 
 The woolen clothing and bedding afford ample 
 protection; and if the head, from baldness, or the 
 thinness of the hair, be especially sensitive, some 
 
54 The Deodorization of the Body. 
 
 extra light woolen covering may be provided for 
 it. The difference in the effect on the spirits, and 
 in the refreshed, instead of jaded, feeling on rising 
 from bed, when, by means of the Sanatory Woolen 
 Clothing and Bedding, and the open window, the 
 "noxious" exhalations of the body are allowed to 
 pass freely away, instead of being inhaled over and 
 over again, can only be appreciated by those who 
 have tried it. Children no longer toss about in 
 their beds and throw off the clothes, leaving the 
 lower limbs exposed, while the face and hair are 
 clammy with perspiration. In the hottest nights 
 they lie comfortable, just as they went off to sleep. 
 
 
 
 THE DEODORIZATION OF THE BODY. 
 
 (1879.) 
 NE effect of the adoption of the Sanatory Wool- 
 
 en Clothing and Bedding, both in my own 
 case and in that of all persons experimented upon, 
 is very confirmatory of my teaching, and is not de- 
 void of interest from a practical point of view. 
 This effect I may call the deodorization (or sweeten- 
 ing) of the body. Where surrounding conditions 
 tend to check evaporation, the watery vapor given 
 off by the body is apt to acquire a taint. Frequent 
 ablutions and change of linen will reduce its offen- 
 siveness, but it can never be thoroughly cured ex- 
 cept by means of the Sanatory Woolen Clothing 
 and Bedding, and of open bedroom windows at 
 night. 
 
 The disadvantages imputed to woolen under- 
 clothing by several professional men among whom 
 I may mention the famous HUFELANP such as 
 
The Deodorization of the Body. 55 
 
 weakening and irritating the skin, are not imagi- 
 nary, but very real, when cotton or linen shirts are 
 worn over woolen materials, or when cotton or linen 
 linings to the waistcoats, coats, etc., are retained; 
 whereas, if nothing but woolen upper and under- 
 clothing be worn, all such objections disappear. 
 
 It will serve as a hint to other novices in the 
 Sanitary Woolen System, if I state that several 
 have written to me that during the first few days 
 after putting on the Sanatory Woolen Clothing the 
 skin gave off a copious secretion, by some described 
 as noisome, by others as sticky, necessitating a fre- 
 quent change of shirt; but that very shortly this 
 ceased, and the shirt acquired and continued to 
 retain the pleasant " salutary" odor. 
 
 I have referred to these communications, as 
 otherwise alarm might be caused by similar expe- 
 rience, whereas if benefit is to be derived from the 
 System, any such secretions retained in the body 
 must be expelled from it. 
 
 Now I come to another practical point. I men- 
 tioned before that water-closets and privies had 
 long been under suspicion of causing and facili- 
 tating the spread of infection, and that on this 
 account certain regulations had been suggested 
 under the name of Disinfection. It was thought 
 that disinfecting fluids poured down would kill the 
 living organisms of infection. Soon, however, it 
 was discovered and the botanist NAEGELI confirms 
 it in his book noticed in a previous essay that in 
 most cases these germs are not killed; but that the 
 fosse, pipe, or drain is simply freed from offensive 
 smells, />., "deodorized" instead of being disin- 
 fected. This was therefore accounted a useless 
 
56 The Deodorization of the Body. 
 
 proceeding, as merely doing away with the unpleas- 
 ant impression produced upon the nostrils, and 
 Professor NAEGELI holds the same view, which, 
 however, according to my researches, is wrong. 
 No doubt, the complete extermination of the disease 
 germs by a process of disinfection would be prefer- 
 able, but deodorizing presents the very great ad- 
 vantage of putting an end to those offensive effluvia, 
 the inhalation and collection of which in the body 
 adapt it to take infection. The nose is truly the 
 sanitary sentinel. We should follow its warnings, 
 and avoid every kind of stench, attacking the cause 
 with the utmost energy by deodorizing, at any 
 rate, if complete eradication be impossible. Stench 
 alone will not cause illness, but protracted inhala- 
 tion of tainted air adapts the body for contracting 
 disease, particularly infectious disease. 
 
 Here, perhaps, I should say a few words with 
 reference to a fact, based on incontestable statisti- 
 cal accounts, in apparent contradiction with my 
 teaching. Laborers and others engaged in sewer 
 work, whose occupation compels them to pass 
 their lives in an atmosphere heavily charged with 
 sewer gases, enjoy almost perfect immunity from 
 such epidemic affections as small-pox, cholera, 
 typhus, etc.; but in discussing this point I fear I 
 should need to assume too much insight into scien- 
 tific details on the part of my readers. I will there- 
 fore be content to say that the above fact is not 
 only in accord with my assertions, but supplies 
 another proof that the presence or absence of cer- 
 'tain odorous elements in the bodily juices will de- 
 cide the issue of susceptibility to contagion. I will 
 only point out that the effluvia arising from newly^ 
 
The Deodorizalion of the Body. 57 
 
 voided ejecta emit a very different odor from that 
 of sulphureted hydrogen, etc., emanating from 
 foul drains. The first-named odors are more dan- 
 gerous, because inducing liability to infection; the 
 latter, on the contrary, as secretions of the ferment 
 of putrescence, are analogous to the germs of in- 
 fection themselves, and act, when in a higher state 
 of concentration, as preservatives against the seeds 
 of infection, upon the same principle that inocula- 
 tion with cow-pox matter protects against infection 
 from the congeneric germs of human small-pox. 
 
 The power of resistance to the influences of tem- 
 perature I formerly attributed entirely to the 
 elimination of the superfluous tissue-water, but my 
 further investigations have satisfied me that the 
 deodorization of the body has also a share in it. 
 My conclusion rests, among other grounds, upon 
 the phenomena observed in the pursuit of my 
 researches on the other section of the causes of 
 disease that is to say, on matter by which infec- 
 tion is conveyed. I have not made exhaustive 
 experiments specially directed to the elucidation of 
 this question, yet what has come under my notice 
 incidentally is instructive, and must, as I judge, 
 prove interesting to others. 
 
 The reader is aware that the so-called catarrh of 
 the respiratory organs, particularly in the form of 
 colds and coughs, is one of the complaints most 
 frequently and easily communicated. Formerly 
 the members of my family and myself constantly 
 contracted catarrh. A child would bring it home 
 and pass it on to the rest; or visitors, suffering 
 from colds and coughs, would convey the contagion 
 by means of the customary embrace. This winter, 
 5 
 
58 The Deodorization of the Body. 
 
 however, although opportunities were not wanting, 
 no one in the house was infected, but I observed 
 more than once that, after being together with a 
 person suffering from cold, all the symptoms of an 
 on-coming cold and cough would become manifest. 
 There ensued sneezings and fits of coughing, but 
 instead of the usual preliminary feverish stage and 
 dry throat, succeeded by much watery mucus, sub- 
 sequently changing to thick phlegm, expectoration 
 set in at once, and the matter was ended. 
 
 One of my children came home from school com- 
 plaining of indisposition and faintness, which he 
 had first felt when in school. While a warm drink 
 was preparing for him, the boy vomited, and an 
 hour later he was out of doors again. The matter 
 brought up did not show that the child had eaten 
 anything calculated to disagree with him. 
 
 It has happened more than once that in the 
 evening a member of the family would exhibit such 
 symptoms of serious illness as feverishness, head- 
 ache, dry, hot skin, and languor. But nothing was 
 done beyond administering a glass of strongly- 
 sugared water, and no real illness broke out, the 
 patient invariably recovering by the next day. 
 
 That a capacity for resisting infection has been 
 attained is confirmed by the following observations 
 which I have made. In former years my children, 
 especially during the first year of school attend- 
 ance, brought home every kind of infectious disease 
 which made its appearance in the school My 
 youngest girl went to school for the first time this 
 winter. Opportunities of catching various com- 
 plaints have been plentiful, for more than a third 
 of the children in her class were away at one time 
 
The Deodorization of the Body. 59 
 
 on account of illness. My little one, however, 
 brought home no sickness, and went through the 
 winter, like all the rest of us, exempt from any ail- 
 ment. Further, the two children of a neighboring 
 acquaintance, who are constant companions of my 
 two little ones, have had the whooping-cough since 
 the commencement of the winter, and that is well 
 known to be catching; As might be supposed, 
 intercourse between them was consequently re- 
 stricted; but, to my certain knowledge, they met 
 quite frequently enough to communicate the com- 
 plaint; yet, although my children had never had 
 the whooping-cough, they did not catch it from 
 their playmates. Of themselves these observations 
 would of course not suffice; but taken in connection 
 with all my other experiences, and considering the 
 general conditions of infection, they possess, to my 
 mind, sufficiently conclusive evidence to enable me 
 to give the following succinct explanation of the 
 change which is effected in the body by the agency 
 of deodorization. 
 
 The malodorous emanations within the body act 
 upon the nervous apparatus similarly to dust on 
 the clockwork of a timepiece, retarding its move- 
 ment, and rendering it irregular. The defense of 
 the body against extraneous influences, whether of 
 heat, cold, or infection, will depend upon the 
 prompt intervention of that which the doctors 
 term " reaction," and which takes its rise in the 
 nerves. This is the force, provided it operate be- 
 times, that should avert illness in the shape of 
 cold, inflammatory action, or infection; while, if 
 the reaction be too long delayed, the mischief is 
 done. 
 
60 The Deodorization of the Body. 
 
 As regards infection, the absence, as previously 
 explained, of the particular odorous elements 
 favoring the propagation of the germs will con- 
 stitute an obstacle to their effecting a speedy set- 
 tlement. Thus, the reaction of the hardened body 
 casts out the agent of cough and catarrh infection, 
 be means of a prompt secretion of mucus ere it can 
 effect a footing. Anything injurious which may 
 enter the stomach is removed by immediate vomit- 
 ing. Exposure to cold at once causes a more ac- 
 tive transmission of blood to the integumentary 
 vessels, with the result of kindling warmth in the 
 skin; while in an overheated room, or in front of a 
 blazing fire, the blood-supply in the skin is forth- 
 with diminished, thus preventing the disagreeable 
 sensation of undue warmth. 
 
 This view is confirmed by other observations on 
 the members of my own family. Stomach, heart, 
 lungs, and brain all display greater vitality. My 
 wife and myself until lately had very difficult di- 
 gestions, and needed much caution in the matter 
 of indigestible dishes, whereas now we can venture 
 upon all sorts of food without the slightest incon- 
 venience. The heart-beats in my own case have 
 long been too quick, numbering eighty-four per 
 minute, when I was perfectly still; but for the last 
 few months I reckon seventy-five per minute the 
 normal number of beats for a man of my age- 
 while under the strain of exertion no such increase 
 takes place as before. . 
 
 Last year my repeated attempts at gardening 
 miscarried, owing to rapid heating and perspiring, 
 and fatigue in the arms; but now, although I had 
 no practice through the past winter, I can do several 
 
The German Gymnastic Suit. 6 1 
 
 hours' digging and hoeing without strain. In short, 
 each bodily function is freed from influences which 
 previously restricted its action. 
 
 THE GERMAN GYMNASTIC SUIT. 
 
 (1879.) 
 
 YX7HEN I commenced my studies on the subject 
 of health - culture, some ten years ago, I 
 stumbled against a paradox which long puzzled 
 me, and of which I have only now found the solu- 
 tion. I refer to the question of the value which 
 should be attached to gymnastic drill in regard to 
 health-culture. 
 
 The more I investigated the conditions of the 
 maintenance of health and of the power to with- 
 stand morbific influences, the more fully did I feel 
 satisfied that gymnastic drill must be conducive to 
 health. On the other hand, I could not shut my 
 eyes to the fact that members of German gymnas- 
 tic clubs or schools, when compared with other 
 people, are in no way so much more healthy as 
 might be expected from the deductions of scientific 
 investigation. 
 
 People with whom I have discussed the subject 
 would call to mind the case of this or that en- 
 thusiastic gymnast of their acquaintance who had 
 died prematurely. Especially suggestive were the 
 cases of two well-known Stuttgart gymnasts, one 
 of whom died of pneumonia, the other of dropsy. 
 I am well aware that no health-culture can per- 
 petuate existence, but that both these men should 
 have died in the prime of life appeared not to lie 
 within the natural order of things. 
 
62 The German Gymnastic Suit. 
 
 I now know, or, to speak more modestly, I be- 
 lieve that I know, the reason of the notorious 
 sanitary ill-success of the German system of gym- 
 nastics. The unfortunate selection of the material 
 of the regulation gymnastic suit not only mars the 
 usefulness of the tempering and hardening of the 
 body, which should result from gymnastic drill in 
 that it renders the effect merely transient but is 
 actually a source of danger. That gymnasts do 
 not possess well-hardened bodies may be seen at 
 any visit to a gymnastic festival. 
 
 Very exceptional exertion should be necessary 
 to wring copious perspiration from a man who is 
 properly "trained." The strain on gymnasts at 
 festivals, where they rest after each of their brief 
 exhibitions,- is not of a kind to cause perspiration 
 in men in thorough training, and yet how much 
 perspiration is shed at gymnastic matches, not- 
 withstanding the light costume! Not only are the 
 shirts soaked, but the outer clothing too is stained 
 with perspiration. 
 
 A chill will readily strike inwards when the skin 
 is covered with perspiration, and there is no more 
 inadequate protection against chills than that af- 
 forded by a white shirt and a duck jacket saturated 
 with wet. Further, if we consider the energy with 
 which the proper training "form" is counteracted 
 by liberal potations of beer, we shall no longer 
 wonder at the sanitary ill-success of gymnastic 
 drill, nor at the passive resistance offered to it by 
 the majority of the public. For these reasons I 
 am anxious to impress upon all gymnastic clubs 
 and associations that it behooves them, both in the 
 interests of individual members and in that of their 
 
The Atmosphere of Schoolrooms. 63 
 
 otherwise most excellent cause, to remedy the evil 
 pointed out. 
 
 The bad effects of faulty clothing in school gym- 
 nastics will also be apparent from the foregoing. 
 
 THE ATMOSPHERE OF SCHOOLROOMS. 
 
 (1879.) 
 
 ALTHOUGH the badness of the atmosphere in 
 overcrowded schoolrooms is a somewhat hack- 
 neyed subject, I purpose to treat of it here, because 
 the researches which I have detailed in the previous 
 essays not only clear up much that has hitherto 
 been unexplained, but also furnish several practical 
 hints. 
 
 The reader will recall my explanation of the re- 
 lation of the odorous elements of the body's exha- 
 lations to the emotions or mood, and the distinction 
 which I draw between the " salutary" and the 
 "noxious" principle. Accordingly as the former 
 or the latter predominates, the mood will be cheer- 
 ful and equable, or depressed and irritable. 
 
 The effect of checking the free passage of these 
 emanations from the body by a false system of 
 clothing, etc., has, so far, been chiefly kept in view; 
 but there are other aspects of the question which 
 have not yet been touched upon. 
 
 First, the quantity of these emanations present 
 in the blood is increased when they are inhaled 
 from an atmosphere which is laden with them. 
 
 Second, the exhalation given out by the body is 
 entirely different, accordingly as the mood is cheer- 
 ful or depressed. 
 
 When the mind and body are at rest, the exhala- 
 
64 The Atmosphere of Schoolrooms. 
 
 tions principally consist of the emanations which 
 arise from the food during and after digestion. 
 These belong to the " noxious" class, and their ac- 
 cumulation, for instance, in badly-ventilated bed- 
 rooms, accounts for the depressed, irritable mood 
 which is frequently experienced on waking from 
 sleep. These emanations are practically uninter- 
 mittent, but so soon as the emotions are called into 
 play, are either combined with the " salutary" or 
 with further "noxious" emanations, accordingly as 
 the mood is cheerful or the reverse. 
 
 When a teacher terrifies and tyrannizes over his 
 pupils, the " noxious" emanations evolved by the 
 digested food are combined with those induced by 
 the emotion of dread; and the atmosphere of the 
 schoolroom will be much more rapidly and forcibly 
 filled with " noxious" exhalations than when the 
 teacher handles the pupils so that they are not in 
 constant fear and dread, but preserve their equa- 
 nimity. 
 
 The " noxious" emanations exhaled by the terri- 
 fied children are inhaled by all occupants of the 
 room, not excepting the teacher himself. This 
 tends to increase the latter's irritability, while the 
 effect on the children is to paralyze and confuse 
 their mental powers and to destroy their control 
 over that which they know they cannot think of 
 it, become excited, and " lose their heads." Thus, 
 no one escapes the evil influence of the increas- 
 ingly deteriorating atmosphere, and the school- 
 room becomes a purgatory both for teacher and 
 pupils. That, in spite of all severity and punish- 
 ment, less will be learned than if the atmosphere 
 had been pure, is self-evident. 
 
Summer and Winter Clothing. 65 
 
 From this may be deduced three rules: 
 
 1. The greatest care should be expended on the 
 ventilation of the schoolrooms. Let the teacher 
 remember that otherwise he will be punished by 
 the bad effect upon his own temper. 
 
 2. Teachers should not treat their pupils roughly, 
 and so as to terrify them, but in a friendly, encour- 
 aging, even cheering manner. If, for instance, 
 they can arouse the children's laughter by a joke 
 or witticism, the distraction will do no harm; on 
 the contrary, the " salutary" essence thus released 
 will lighten the labor of learning, and its exhala- 
 tion will have a beneficial effect upon pupils and 
 teachers alike. 
 
 3. There should be no school held after dinner, 
 while digestion is going on, because then the 
 "noxious" emanations are freely evolved, and 
 quickly corrupt the atmosphere of the schoolroom. 
 As much will be done in one hour before, as in two 
 hours after dinner. 
 
 SUMMER AND WINTER CLOTHING. 
 
 (1879.) 
 
 1 II7'E have had to wait for the summer, but within 
 V the last few days it has set in with intensity. 
 The newspapers have chronicled many cases of 
 sunstroke, both among civilians and in the army, 
 while the number of those who sigh and perspire 
 under the infliction of the sun's rays is legion. 
 How does the heat affect people clad in wool and 
 wearing the Sanatory coat ? 
 
 According to my own experience, and to the com- 
 munications received from others, I can answer that 
 
66 Summer and Winter Clothing. 
 
 the Sanatory Woolen Clothing has acquitted itself 
 splendidly. Not but that we, too, have perspired, 
 nor that we perspired much less assuredly not 
 more than others, but because the perspiring is 
 effected much more easily and opportunely ; that 
 is to say, before the perilous thickening of the blood 
 sets in, which in extreme cases causes apoplectic 
 fits. Here I may mention that it is a mistake to 
 suppose that if is part of the Sanitary Woolen 
 System to keep on the coat uninterruptedly, even 
 in the greatest heat. On the contrary, a follower of 
 the System may do that which people with the ordi- 
 nary style of clothing hardly dare to do. 
 
 After freely perspiring, the coat may be removed 
 without fear of the consequences, and with consid- 
 erable refreshment. This is a privilege which 
 others cannot enjoy for fear of taking colds. 
 
 I advise wearers of the Sanatory Woolen Clothing 
 not to seek relief in unbuttoning or opening their 
 coats when the heat is intense. The relief is only 
 felt at first, and soon changes into a feeling of an 
 opposite character, for the partial cooling along the 
 middle line of the chest quickly interferes with the 
 body's power of evaporation. The only correct 
 plan is either to take the coat off, or to retain it 
 closely buttoned up. In walking, when the heat is 
 great, it is distinctly better to keep the coat closely 
 buttoned up. At first the perspiration will pour 
 out freely, although it will soon cease, unless, 
 indeed, the weather be excessively sultry. But 
 when the destination is reached the coat may at 
 once be removed, thus reversing the practice of 
 wearers of "vegetable fiber" clothing, who may 
 march in their shirt-sleeves, but must put on their 
 
Summer and Winter Clothing. 67 
 
 coats when they rest, if they would guard against 
 catching cold. 
 
 I have considered the question of summer and 
 winter clothing at some length, and have found that 
 it requires something more than an off-hand answer. 
 If we turn to the feathered and hairy animals, we 
 shall find that by no means all of them alternate 
 light summer with thick winter clothing. 
 
 Among hairy animals, otters, beavers, and others 
 that are amphibious make no such change; neither 
 do the genuine inhabitants of the desert; for I 
 never observed anything of the sort among the 
 antelopes and wild asses at the Vienna Zoological 
 Gardens. Lastly, no such change, as a rule, takes 
 place with birds. Thus, among animals provided 
 with a special vesture, those most liable to exposure 
 and climatic influences do not vary their clothing 
 with the seasons. The only hairy animals with 
 whom the change is really marked are those which 
 live in the woods and fields; and that is quite in- 
 telligible. 
 
 When the woods are thick with foliage, and the . 
 fields stand under growing crops, these animals find 
 themselves no longer in the open air, but buried in 
 the covert, and surrounded by a damp atmosphere, 
 which greatly impedes the evaporation from their 
 bodies. Nature has then placed these animals 
 under a covering of leaf and grass, and the body 
 naturally endeavors to lighten its clothing. When 
 autumn scatters the leafy and grassy covering the 
 case is reversed, for then heavier coats must coun- 
 teract the exposure. With animals not liable to 
 such alternations, and with the majority of birds, 
 especially those always on the wing, this change 
 does not take place. 
 
68 Summer and Winter Clothing. 
 
 In our climes, civilized man must be compared 
 with the birds rather than with the animals of the 
 field or forest. For, like the birds, both in summer 
 and winter he is in the open air, and even when 
 indoors he is surrounded by dry walls, and not by 
 plants constantly throwing off watery vapor. 
 Therefore, observation of the animal world does 
 not teach us to change our clothing according to 
 the season. 
 
 The answer will be to the same effect if we con- 
 sult men leading a comparatively natural existence. 
 The shepherd opines " that which is good for cold 
 protects against heat," and puts on his cloak when 
 he feels too hot. In Hungarian pasture-lands the 
 shepherds wear the sheepskin bunda both in sum- 
 mer and winter, with the difference that in summer 
 they turn the woolly side outwards, and in winter 
 inwards. 
 
 As regards my own experience, last summer I 
 wore somewhat thick coats, and came through the 
 heat most comfortably. This summer I passed in 
 a lighter dress, but I perspired much more. I will 
 not positively say that this was due to the thinner 
 coat, for, owing to the excessive moisture, it was a 
 very " perspiring" summer, but the above expe- 
 rience certainly did not encourage a change of 
 coats in summer and winter. 
 
 To obtain a correct view of the matter, I ques- 
 tioned other wearers of the Sanatory Woolen Cloth- 
 ing, and their experience coincided exactly with my 
 own. At times they perspired considerably, but 
 decidedly less than in former years, and with 
 greatly diminished annoyance. 
 
T 
 
 Inhaling of Dust. 69 
 
 INHALING OF DUST. 
 
 (1879-) 
 
 HE introduction of so-called dust to the respira- 
 tory passages is, under certain circumstance, a 
 frequent and not insignificant cause of disease, es- 
 pecially when the body's power of resistance is im- 
 paired. I may instance a case in point, which is 
 instructive, as showing how illness may originate, 
 and hence what precautionary measures should be 
 taken. 
 
 Last autumn a change in the direction of my 
 eldest son's studies required of him that he should 
 overtake class-mates who had been studying Greek 
 for the last four years, whereas he had done no 
 Greek before. Notwithstanding my endeavor to 
 meet the effects of this strain by prescribing spe- 
 cially invigorating diet; notwithstanding, too, that 
 my son wore the Sanatory Woolen Clothing, all the 
 symptoms of over-exertion became apparent : di- 
 minished mental energy, defective memory, loss of 
 equanimity, bodily exhaustion. Another instruct- 
 ive symptom, as bearing upon my former elucida- 
 tions of- this subject, was the remarkable diminution 
 in his specific weight. At the end of the autumn 
 holidays his specific gravity had amounted to 1,111 
 grams, and when I weighed him again at Christ- 
 mas it had fallen to 1,060. This low bodily condi- 
 tion continued through the winter school term, and 
 in the spring the following occurred: 
 
 My little garden in the course of the winter had 
 been twice dressed with liquid manure, and when 
 
7<3 Inhaling of Dust. 
 
 in the spring we set about digging up the ground 
 the dry weather had set in. The clods had become 
 as hard as stones, so that we had to pulverize them, 
 which, with a strong east wind blowing, raised a 
 great quantity of dust. Besides myself, my eldest 
 son and one of my daughters engaged in the work, 
 and we were all exposed to the inhalation of this 
 dust highly charged with manure. The conse- 
 quence to my daughter and myself was a some- 
 what violent and obstinate catarrh, but quite unat- 
 tended with fever, and we were able to continue 
 our usual avocations. My son, however, fell ill 
 with a species of severe influenza, and was com- 
 pletely prostrated for ten days. I then allowed him 
 ample time for recovery, and his convalescence 
 proceeded so favorably that by midsummer his 
 specific gravity had risen to 1,127 grams. 
 
 This case, besides bearing out my dofctrine of 
 epidemic immunity, goes to show that the same 
 description of dust which will produce general con- 
 stitutional derangement when the powers of resist- 
 ance are impaired, will only excite local irritation 
 in the air-passages of the lungs when the body is 
 properly hardened. Thus the condition of body 
 procured by the Sanitary Woolen System, although 
 it may not afford absolute protection against the 
 injurious consequencs of dust inhalation, will cer- 
 tainly render them less dangerous; in testimony 
 whereof, if time and space permitted, I might 
 adduce a whole series of further observations. 
 
 It does not follow/, however, that we should neg- 
 lect the removal of dust from contact with the 
 atmosphere which we breathe, for even a harmless 
 catarrh can hardly be reckoned among the pleasures 
 
Catarrh. 71 
 
 of existence ; while continuous inhalation of dust, 
 such as people in certain trades are exposed to, may 
 effectually sap the foundations of health. Still, 
 followers of the Sanitary Woolen System need feel 
 no more apprehension respecting the inhalation of 
 injurious dust than they feel of colds and epidem- 
 ics. But those who, in despite of timely warnings, 
 obdurately persist in clothing their bodies in vege- 
 table fiber, must be content to bear the ills of which 
 they deliberately incur the risk. 
 
 CATARRH. 
 
 (1879.) 
 
 TI7HEN a new, practical sanitary measure is dis- 
 covered, inquiry must be made not only as to 
 what it can accomplish, but also as to what it can- 
 not accomplish. I mention the incident which I 
 shall presently relate, because I have had repeated 
 proofs that a very general preconception stands 
 in the way of a clear understanding of the sub- 
 ject of catarrh. 
 
 The preconception referred to consists in the 
 belief that every cough and cold in the head is 
 directly referable to what is called catching cold. 
 If that were so, people who adopt the Sanitary 
 Woolen System should never suffer from cough or 
 catarrh, otherwise my contention that the clothing 
 renders its wearers impervious to the influence of 
 the weather would be incorrect. 
 
 Repeated experiments have clearly shown that 
 the Sanitary Woolen Clothing System, when 
 properly and completely carried out, does protect 
 against chill. As, however, the experience of my- 
 
72 Catarrh. 
 
 self and others shows that cases of catarrh will oc- 
 cur generally of short duration, but occasionally 
 violent I have investigated each instance of the 
 kind with special reference to its cause. 
 
 The process of investigation consists in examin- 
 ing the mucus issuing from the nose or mouth. 
 In such examinations I have generally found the 
 cause of the supposed catarrh in the shape of some 
 intruded foreign body. Either corpuscles were di- 
 rectly visible to the naked eye, or the gray color 
 of the mucus pointed to soot or smoke inhalation, 
 or the microscope would reveal the presence of 
 what is generally termed "dust." 
 
 I will, however, recount a particular instance, 
 because it illustrates another not uncommon pre- 
 conception. 
 
 During my holiday tour I was awakened sud- 
 denly one night by a violent fit of coughing, that 
 lasted for fully ten minutes. Eventually I coughed 
 up clear mucus, which I deposited on a plate that 
 I had previously wiped. After repeated expectora- 
 tion the irritation in the throat moderated, when I 
 again lay down. On looking up at the ceiling, the 
 air in that direction seemed to me close and con- 
 fined, and the inclination to cough came back 
 again. 
 
 This was a sufficient hint, and I turned my head 
 towards where the fresh air was streaming in 
 through the open window, when I was soon sound 
 asleep again. Next morning I discovered that the 
 wall-paper near the ceiling was mouldy, and in 
 the collected mucus I could distinctly perceive 
 gray particles of dust. Unfortunately I had not a 
 magnifying glass by me, to ascertain decisively 
 
The Shirt, the Trousers, and the Hat. 73 
 
 whether these were of the nature of white fungoid 
 moulds. 
 
 The reader may possibly ask what there is re- 
 markable in this occurrence. Everyone knows 
 that people will cough when something gets into 
 the throat. And yet the case is worthy of remark, 
 for it shows how, if the body is thoroughly hard- 
 ened, the respiratory organs at once, and power- 
 fully, react when dust is inhaled, and continue to 
 do so until the disturbance is removed. But a de- 
 bilitated constitution has not the capacity of such 
 reaction ; the body cannot assist by means of the 
 needful secretion of mucus; there is a dry cough 
 for two or three days, but no dislodgment of the 
 disturbance, and when the flow of mucus at length 
 sets in, the organ is already affected. Those 
 whose bodies are hardened by the Sanitary Wool- 
 en System sneeze and cough on occasion with 
 great force, but very quickly the necessary loosen- 
 ing of mucus takes place. 
 
 Had what happened to me in that hotel befallen 
 a man clothed in vegetable fiber, he would prob- 
 ably have contracted a thorough catarrh, and 
 would have accounted for it by saying that he 
 must have caught a cold from the open window. 
 
 THE SHIRT, THE TROUSERS, AND THE 
 HAT. 
 
 (1879.) 
 
 r PHE ordinary form of shirt not of double 
 thickness in front, and opening down the mid- 
 dle is altogether unsanatory, especially when worn 
 at night, or not under the closely buttoned-up 
 
74 The Shirt, the Trousers, and the Hat. 
 
 coat. The blood recedes from the skin, and if this 
 continue, or circumstances be otherwise unfavor- 
 able, the constitution, even when the body is not 
 actually chilled, will suffer a loss of vigor in conse- 
 quence of diminished cutaneous action. 
 
 I have therefore caused a shirt to be designed, 
 which is of double material over the chest and 
 downwards, and fastens on the shoulder. This 
 pattern supplies a sanatorily perfect shirt, in which 
 people, even when divested of their coats, and un- 
 der unfavorable conditions, may go about in safety, 
 as I can testify from numerous experiments. In 
 devising this plan and shape, I also considered the 
 female sex, who attach so much importance to 
 fashion in dress, that the fundamental principle of 
 the double covering of the chest can only be cer- 
 tainly secured by properly constructed chemises 
 and nightdresses. As regards the choice of fab- 
 rics, after very careful consideration, I gave the 
 preference to stockinet webs. They are more 
 porous and supple, and on that account more dur- 
 able, while they feel more comfortable on the skin 
 and are less liable to shrink than flannel. 
 
 As to the trousers: Until very lately I had lim- 
 ited my instructions to the recommendation that 
 they should be made of woolen material only, but 
 various observations which I have made on the 
 subject have convinced me that the trousers should 
 fasten so as to continue the middle line of extra 
 warmth. Nor let it be imagined that in this I am 
 merely riding a hobby. I advise every one to 
 make the change, especially those who need to 
 melt away superfluous fat, or persons subject to 
 disorders of the stomach or digestive organs. 
 
Normal Duration of Human Life. 75 
 
 As regards the hat, two points call for considera- 
 tion. It should be made of animal fibers, without 
 lining of cotton, or linen, or leather ; but instead 
 of the latter, a strip of felt should be inserted, or 
 else the hat should be quite devoid of lining, like 
 a Turkish fez. (No one who has tried the woolen 
 felt lining in the hat will care to revert to a lining 
 of leather,) Not only are the fashionable hard 
 hats bad on account of their imperviousness, which 
 checks the natural evaporation from the head, but 
 the shellac used in stiffening them has an injurious 
 effect, which is not the case with the cherry gum 
 employed in the make of soft beaver hats ; old 
 beaver or felt hats can be altered to conform to 
 the principle of the Sanatory hat. To those who 
 are bald or are threatened with baldness, or pro- 
 fusely perspire at the head, or suffer from head- 
 ache, I especially recommend the Sanatory Woolen 
 hat. 
 
 NORMAL DURATION OF HUMAN LIFE. 
 
 (1879.) 
 
 A FRENCH naturalist first pointed out that do- 
 mesticated animals live five to six times as 
 long as the time required to grow to full size. A 
 horse, for example, is fully grown in four years, 
 and remains fit for work up to the twentieth year, 
 as a rule ; dogs of the larger breeds grow for one- 
 and-a-half to two years, and live to the tenth year ; 
 and the same law obtains among other hairy ani- 
 mals with whom we can estimate the limit of age. 
 
 That the rule also holds good in reference to 
 man may be learned from tribes living in a wild 
 
76 Normal Duration of Human Life. 
 
 state. The native Australians, for instance, per- 
 haps the most perfect specimens of men in a natu- 
 ral condition still extant, reach their full stature 
 between the tenth and twelfth years, becoming 
 old at from fifty to sixty. Properly speaking, they 
 never ail, and in particular are free from epidemic 
 disease, their life being such as to have an espe- 
 cially hardening effect on the body, as they go quite 
 naked, and build themselves no habitations. 
 
 Considering, therefore, that in our climes full 
 growth is attained on an average about the eight- 
 eenth or twentieth year, the normal termination of 
 life should take place at the ninetieth or hun- 
 dredth year. That potentially we are endowed 
 with such longevity, is shown by the isolated ex- 
 amples of centenarians of both sexes met with in 
 every calling and every country. Consequently, 
 putting accidents on one side, we must conclude 
 that deaths, when occurring at a less advanced 
 age, are the direct result of the unnatural mode of 
 life adopted by civilized man, partly, indeed, on 
 compulsion and without any fault of his, but to a 
 great extent from ignorance or carelessness. In 
 some cases the foundations of disease are laid in 
 childhood by improper methods of rearing, while 
 in others a debilitated constitution is hereditary. 
 
 It is, therefore, evident that much remains to be 
 done in the interest of a national system of health- 
 culture, both publicly and individually ; and it is 
 certainly a cheering sign of the times that, within 
 the last decades of the present century, this im- 
 portant task has been taken up in the most various 
 quarters in a manner heretofore unknown. 
 
 Many will be alarmed at the idea that all, or 
 
Diphtheria. 77 
 
 even a large percentage of mankind, should live to 
 so great an age ; for, as it is, the progressive in- 
 crease of population in Germany is proportionally 
 greater than that of the supply of food. 
 
 This is, so far, correct, and the extraordinary 
 prolongation of life of all weakly persons might 
 be unfair on the bread-winners, who must support 
 them. But if health-culture be devoted to raising 
 the standard of working capacity, such fears will 
 speedily vanish. To the man who is capable of 
 work and whose body is hardened, the whole 
 world lies open nowadays, and there is room for 
 the further dissemination of the human race for 
 centuries yet to come. 
 
 DIPHTHERIA. 
 (1880.) 
 
 H^HE principle which obtains among students of 
 nature, that an isolated case does not warrant 
 general conclusions, is perfectly sound; yet when 
 such an isolated case tallies with a theory supported 
 by a whole series of facts, such as that which I have 
 put forward respecting immunity from epidemics, it 
 is not without weight. 
 
 I have stated my conviction that, judging from 
 all appearances, the Sanitary Woolen System should 
 afford protection against diphtheria. And a case 
 of this complaint, lately occurring under my own 
 roof, confirms the accuracy of my surmise. 
 
 The reader may remember the case of my eldest 
 son, who, owing to several months' severe applica- 
 tion to study, lost specific weight in a very remark- 
 able degree, and then contracted influenza. This 
 
78 Diphtheria. 
 
 time my report refers to my youngest boy, six years 
 old, whose attendance at school commenced only 
 last October. 
 
 As with most young birds on first quitting the 
 nest, the new life proved a heavy cross to him, and 
 for weeks there was weeping and wailing; he cried 
 and was troubled whenever he had to start for 
 school. In addition I must mention that whereas 
 his classmates had had a year's teaching in the 
 infant-school, and could therefore read and write a 
 little, my boy knew absolutely nothing, and conse- 
 quently was obliged to work exceedingly hard to get 
 abreast of his companions. After a few weeks the 
 same symptoms supervened as in the case previously 
 mentioned of my eldest son: the flesh turned flabby, 
 he complained of fatigue after a quarter of an hour's 
 walk whereas, in the previous summer, he had 
 quite manfully walked for seven hours with me one 
 day was peevish, cried often and long; and the 
 exhalations coming from him were almost always 
 offensive (" noxious" principle). 
 
 Last week he began to cough, and when, a few 
 days after, I came to examine him, he presented a 
 complete case of diphtheria. The continuous de- 
 velopment of the "noxious" principle had over- 
 come the influence of the Sanitary Woolen System 
 against disease, exactly as had happened in the case 
 of my eldest son. Still the little fellow kept up, 
 and an attempt of my wife's to make him stay in 
 bed utterly miscarried; there was never any trace 
 of fever, and after my touching up the throat two 
 or three times the child was quite himself again. 
 
 Convinced that the other members of the family 
 would enjoy full immunity as a consequence of the 
 
Diphtheria. 79 
 
 Sanitary Woolen System, I did not isolate the lad, 
 but merely forbade him to kiss any one. Three 
 days after I had discovered diphtheria in the boy, 
 my youngest daughter, nine years old, complained 
 of a tickling sensation in the throat. An examina- 
 tion revealed no signs, and therefore I did not in- 
 terfere. In the afternoon she said she felt unwell, 
 and on finding her slightly feverish I sent her to bed. 
 A few hours later she vomited three times at very 
 brief intervals. Next day she was still somewhat 
 out of sorts, and I now ascertained that the bowels 
 had not been moved on that nor on the previous 
 day. This was soon remedied, and she has since 
 been perfectly well. No one else in the family 
 showed any signs of sickening pn this occasion. 
 
 From the above case I believe that I am justified 
 in contending that diphtheria is subject to the same 
 law as cholera, typhus, the plague, dysentery, and 
 small-pox ; and those who adopt the Sanitary 
 Woolen System, and guard against excessive men- 
 tal exertion, need not fear infection, or, should they 
 take it, the disease will be mild and unattended 
 with danger. 
 
 I have collected similar observations with refer- 
 ence to measles and chicken-pox. In these cases 
 the disease caused no derangement of the general 
 health, and passed off after the second day. 
 
80 Cleanliness of the Sanatory Woolen Clothing. 
 
 THE CLEANLINESS OF THE SANITARY 
 WOOLEN CLOTHING SYSTEM. 
 
 (1880.) 
 
 ^PHE worst description of dirt is that which is 
 offensive to the senses. Linen and cotton, 
 whether worn as underclothing or used for coat 
 linings, etc., acquire an unpleasant odor, as may 
 easily be ascertained; so that even persons who put 
 on clean shirts every day must continue unclean in 
 one respect, for the coat-lining cannot be washed, 
 and constantly gives off its offensive smell. The 
 Sanatory Woolen Clothing need inspire no fear on 
 the score of cleanliness in this respect, as it acquires 
 and retains a pleasant smell. When the clothing 
 has been worn some time it maybe laid in the sun, 
 or shut up with camphor, when it will be found to 
 have parted with any excess of emanations which it 
 may have absorbed from the body through lengthy 
 wear. 
 
 Then there is the dirt that takes the form of dust, 
 which settles in woolen garments more readily than 
 in others; but this is compensated by the advantage 
 that it can also be more easily removed. A linen 
 dress covered with dust must go to the wash, where- 
 as brushing and beating will take out all the dust in 
 woolen clothing. 
 
 Dirt in the form of grease from the animal fat 
 secreted by the skin only presents itself if the Sana- 
 tory Woolen shirt be worn for an unduly long 
 period, because it does not take up and fix cutaneous 
 secretions with the same tenacity as linen or cotton 
 
The Collar. 81 
 
 shirts. This brings me to consider the dirt that 
 accumulates on the skin. In this respect woolen 
 shirts are truly incomparable. Whereas shirts made 
 of vegetable-fiber material attract all the dirt of the 
 skin, converting it into a species of grease to be 
 again deposited in a crust, the Sanatory Woolen 
 shirts brush off the dirt in the form of dry dust 
 so thoroughly that, in a fairly pure atmosphere, the 
 body looks and is as clean as though fresh from the 
 bath. 
 
 To sum up, everyone is unclean who neglects to 
 wash when dirty, but everyone is clean who avoids 
 dirt ; and, as the body collects much less dirt in the 
 Sanatory Woolen Clothing than in cotton or linen, 
 the inference is clear that, other conditions being 
 equal, wearers of the former are much cleaner than 
 those who adhere to material made from vegetable 
 fiber. 
 
 THE COLLAR. 
 
 (1880.) 
 
 TN this matter my experience has been somewhat 
 singular. It is an old maxim, especially of anx- 
 ious mothers, that the neck should be well protected, 
 and many people would sooner go barefoot than 
 without some protection to the neck. 
 
 I had never paid much attention to the subject, 
 although I have had considerable trouble with the 
 throat at one time or another in my life, but when I 
 discovered the principle of the Sanitary Woolen Sys- 
 tem I assumed that the throat required no special 
 care, and I therefore discontinued wearing a necker- 
 chief. Nor did I make any difference on account 
 
82 The Collar. 
 
 of sundry ailments of the throat from which I have 
 suffered within the last year and a half; because 
 such affections recurred at much greater intervals, 
 and were milder in character than formerly, except 
 one particularly obstinate cold caught last spring. 
 Over this I pondered a good deal, for it permanently 
 injured my voice and thereby greatly interfered with 
 my chief pleasure sitting down at home to the 
 piano and singing a song. Since last spring the 
 voice had retained a persistent hoarseness, the 
 higher notes became impossible at times, and it 
 frequently broke down altogether. 
 
 My attention was first directed to the subject of 
 the clothing of the neck when I discovered that, in 
 contradistinction to the Sanatory Woolen shirt, my 
 linen collar very soon became malodorous. From 
 that moment I regarded the linen collar as an un- 
 clean thing, and considered how it could be replaced 
 by a woolen substitute. 
 
 Frequent inquiries which I received encouraged 
 me in the prosecution of my purpose, but I regarded 
 the whole thing as rather insignificant, and when I 
 first put on my woolen neck-covering, consisting of 
 a cloth cravat and a white cashmere collar, I felt 
 disposed to laugh at myself for riding a hobby, but 
 was pleased to find that the contrivance did not 
 look unsightly. Of course I at once felt the comfort 
 of the wool, but I did not foresee anything more. 
 
 On the very next day, however, I felt that the 
 condition of my throat had much improved, and 
 from time to time I expectorated loose phlegm with- 
 out cough or effort of any kind. When, some days 
 after, I first attempted to sing again, my daughter 
 remarked that my voice sounded plainer and clearer 
 
The Collar. 83 
 
 than ever. I had noticed it myself, without attach- 
 ing any particular importance to the change, because 
 it formerly occasionally varied from better to worse. 
 A few days later I again tried, and my voice was, at 
 the first song, as clear as it had ever been after a 
 quarter of an hour's preliminary practice. This 
 was quite a new experience; but it did not stop 
 there, for I found that my voice had attained an in- 
 creased compass. 
 
 At my best, G had been the highest chest note, 
 and in falsetto C; whereas now B came easily from 
 the chest, and in falsetto E, which I had never been 
 able to accomplish formerly. The cleansing or 
 clearing of the throat by the secretion of mucus 
 continued, and there was no further disturbance, 
 the voice remaining uniformly good, whereas in 
 former days, even prior to that excessively bad cold, 
 it was constantly uneven. 
 
 Perspiration is freely exuded at the point where 
 the collar touches the neck, and the linen collar, 
 which readily takes up moisture, whether of per- 
 spiration or of the atmosphere, becomes in conse- 
 quence damp and chilly, and a common source of 
 throat disorders. It is therefore of the highest im- 
 portance to clothe the neck with material, such as 
 animal wool, which will not set up a chill; and this 
 is recognized by the frequent use of woolen wrap- 
 pers and comforters. The latter, however, may be 
 dispensed with by adopting the Sanatory Woolen 
 collar and cravat; and I strongly recommend every 
 one, in the interest of his throat, to make the 
 change. 
 
84 Silk Is Woolen Clothing Weakening? 
 
 SILK. 
 
 (1880.) 
 
 T HAVE been often asked to express an opinion 
 on silk dresses, etc. After a careful investiga- 
 tion of the properties of silk I have been forced to 
 the conclusion that, as touching the main point - 
 its relation to the odorous principles it occupies 
 the same position as vegetable fiber fabrics. 
 
 IS WOOLEN CLOTHING WEAKENING? 
 
 (1880.) 
 
 f HAVE been asked by one who desires to adopt 
 the Sanitary Woolen System, whether he can, 
 without danger, continue to take a cold bath every 
 morning.* 
 
 As this inquiry shows how deep-rooted is the 
 prejudice which ascribes weakening effects to the 
 wearing of wool, I will take the opportunity of dis- 
 cussing the misapprehension indicated in the above 
 heading. 
 
 This prejudice is founded upon the fact that a 
 person who has worn a woolen shirt beneath the 
 customary clothing of mixed materials, and who 
 substitutes for it a linen or cotton shirt at the com- 
 mencement of the warm season, very easily catches 
 cold. The simple explanation is, that the action of 
 the wool accustoms the body to a certain distribution 
 of the blood that is to say, more blood circulates 
 on the surface and less internally. Linen or cotton 
 * See "Cold Baths," p. 122. 
 
Is Woolen Clothing Weakening? 85 
 
 clothing has a contrary effect, as it drives the blood 
 from the skin inwards, thereby creating a very 
 important disturbance in the condition of the pre- 
 viously subsisting equilibrium. The delinquent, 
 however, is obviously not the woolen, but the white 
 shirt, whence it plainly follows that the woolen 
 shirt should be permanently retained. I shall be 
 asked why such simple reasoning has hitherto been 
 generally overlooked. The answer is, that whe-n at 
 the commencement of summer woolen shirts were 
 felt to be hot, no other remedy was thought of than 
 to lay them aside until the following winter. Here, 
 again, this feeling of oppressiveness was not caused 
 by the woolen shirts, but by the cotton or linen 
 linings to the coat and waistcoat. I discovered 
 that these must be banished from the coat. When 
 I first determined to wear my winter coat and 
 woolen shirt through the summer, I found them in- 
 conveniently hot, and I hit upon the idea to cut out 
 the linings of the coat, instead of laying aside the 
 woolen shirt; with that Columbus' egg was made 
 to stand. 
 
 The effect of wool is the exact reverse of weaken- 
 ing; wool hardens the body, but only on condition 
 that it is in sole possession. By overlaying a woolen 
 shirt with vegetable fibre in the shape of coat lin- 
 ings, we produce a similar deadlock as by harness- 
 ing horses at both ends of a cart. The vehicle will 
 not budge. Half-and-half woolen clothing does 
 not harden the body, and if its wearer, in his 
 "untrained" condition, exchange the Sanatory 
 Woolen shirt for a white one, he will be fortunate 
 in escaping without an illness during the stage of 
 transition, 
 
86 The Curative Power of Wool. 
 
 The body of a man clothed all in wool is strong 
 and hardened. If he undress in cold weather, the 
 blood, driven for a moment from the surface to- 
 wards the interior, promptly returns to the skin, 
 affording the necessary resistance to the cold. 
 
 THE CURATIVE POWER OF WOOL. 
 
 (1880.) 
 
 TTITHERTO, discussion of the Sanitary Woolen 
 System has been confined to its preventive 
 virtues, and to its relation to the sense of health 
 and capacity for work, mental and physical. Recent 
 experience, however, has distinctly shown it to pos- 
 sess curative power in a quite unexpected degree. 
 
 My reason for refraining so far from publishing 
 such experiences, in spite of many requests that I 
 would do so, has been a reluctance to expose myself 
 to the risk of being reviled as a quack doctor, pre- 
 tending to work miraculous cures with a universal 
 panacea. For the same reason I now refrain from 
 instancing particular cases and maladies by name, 
 and treat of the subject merely in general terms. 
 Intelligent readers will not fail to extract from my 
 remarks that which may be useful to them. 
 
 It is well known that in sickness the exhalations 
 are offensive as compared with those given off in 
 health. A second fact, noticed in my researches, 
 and now fully substantiated, is that the feeling of 
 indisposition, or generally deranged condition, is 
 caused by the presence of " noxious" exhalations, 
 and if these can be dispelled the indisposition is 
 removed. 
 
 A third fact is that the most effectual and safe 
 
The Curative Poiver of Wool. 87 
 
 means for the dissipation of such exhalations is an 
 abundant cutaneous evaporation, aided by clothing 
 that will not hold offensive emanations. The Sana- 
 tory Woolen Clothing supplies both these desiderata; 
 hence it is a remedial agent in every general consti- 
 tutional derangement, and permanently renders the 
 service which is sought from cold water cures, 
 Turkish baths, gymnastics, etc., where the object 
 aimed at is, in reality, the promotion of cutaneous 
 evaporation, which, however, when thus procured, 
 can only be temporary. 
 
 A familiar mode of treatment in the removal of 
 solid or fluid morbific deposits from the body, is 
 that which doctors term counter-irritation, wherein 
 it is endeavored, by the most various means, to bring 
 out the disease through the skin. The Sanatory 
 Woolen Clothing does this most effectually, be- 
 cause it permanently establishes a more abundant 
 blood-supply over the entire integumentary surface; 
 and in this diversion of the blood in an outward 
 direction, relieving the internal pressure, wearers 
 of the Sanatory Woolen Clothing may find an ex- 
 planation of the reduction of accumulated fat which 
 they soon experience. Now that which applies to 
 excess of fat holds good of other useless deposits in 
 the body* 
 
 There is, further, a series of internal disorders 
 especially of the abdominal organs which, if not 
 directly caused by, are yet associated with, an ab- 
 normal distribution of the blood, that is to say, an 
 inordinate determination of blood to these organs. 
 The Sanitary Woolen System is also highly benefi- 
 cial in these cases, by attracting the blood to the 
 skin, thus relieving the internal parts of the body. 
 
88 The Curative Power of Wool. 
 
 On the other hand, Sanatory Woolen Clothing 
 retains those " salutary" emanations of the body 
 which induce a sense of vigor and sound health. 
 These constitute the most energetic and certainly 
 the most wholesome of remedial agents; and may be 
 not inaptly termed the body's " inherent medicine." 
 The best drugs which chemists supply do not agree 
 with every patient, because constitutions differ. A 
 doctor who is unmindful of this law, and neglects 
 to study the constitutions of his patients, runs the 
 risk of working much mischief. No such risk at- 
 taches to the " body's inherent medicine ;" it is that 
 element which in medical schools formerly went by 
 the name of vis medicatrix natures, or nature's healing 
 power, anS to which the physician appeals when art 
 no longer avails to save a patient. I have explained 
 that the Sanatory Woolen Clothing collects and 
 stores up this healing power of nature, an instance 
 of the popular faith in which, is the practice among 
 the poorer classes of taking off a woolen stocking 
 to wrap it round the neck in cases of sore throat. 
 
 In most instances the change from ordinary to 
 Sanatory Woolen Clothing proceeds quite smoothly, 
 but in several cases which have come to my knowl- 
 edge, it has been attended with the appearance of 
 what may be termed a " crisis," * which is the effort 
 of nature to expel from the body any disease located 
 in it. Under the stimulus of the Sanatory Woolen 
 Clothing the skin exudes copiously " noxious" per- 
 spiration, which again subsides, leaving behind a 
 most pleasant sense of health and comfort. The 
 practice of sleeping with the window open in all 
 weathers, which should never be relaxed, is espe- 
 *See "The Crisis of Disease/' page 101, 
 
The Sanatory Woolen Clothing Reform. 89 
 
 cially valuable during a "crisis," as it assists the 
 free dispersion of the " noxious" emanations which 
 the body exhales. 
 
 In short, the Sanitary Woolen Clothing is a cura- 
 tive agency as powerful and effectual as any of the 
 so-called constitutional methods of treatment. In 
 cases of dyscrasia, where distempered humors have 
 to be dispersed, crises of a more important char- 
 acter may take place, as in other methods of cure. 
 But it would be folly to be discouraged on this ac- 
 count, and to relinquish a remedy which will be 
 permanent if the System be adhered to. 
 
 PROGRESS OF THE SANATORY WOOLEN 
 CLOTHING REFORM. 
 
 (1880.) 
 
 TN the prosecution of this far-reaching reform it 
 is necessary to be ever on the watch to combat 
 and refute prejudices, due to the hitherto sanc- 
 tioned modes of dress and hygienic tenets; to neu- 
 tralize the effect of the opposition which proceeds 
 from those interested in the linen and cotton indus- 
 tries; and to correct constant mistakes made by 
 the general public in their adoption and practical 
 utilization of the Sanitary Woolen System, refera- 
 ble to imperfect apprehension of the subject. 
 
 It may interest my readers if I here give a sum- 
 mary of what has so far (1880) been achieved. 
 Introduced two years ago, my Sanitary Woolen 
 System has already taken root in all European 
 countries, as well as in the United States, partic- 
 ularly in Germany, Austria, and Finland, where, 
 in every town of any size and importance, many 
 7 
 
90 The Sanatory Woolen Clothing Reform. 
 
 now wear the Sanatory Woolen Clothing. Of 
 course, the greatest progress has been made in my 
 own Swabian district, where, by means of lectures 
 delivered in the chief towns, I have succeeded in 
 firmly establishing the superiority of the new sys- 
 tem of dress to that of the old. Next to Swabia, 
 Bavaria ranks foremost, while in the North Ger- 
 man States, I understand it is in Hamburg that 
 the System has found most adherents. 
 
 With the extensive experience thus acquired, ob- 
 jectionable features of the original designs for the 
 various articles of clothing have been eliminated, 
 and difficulties connected with the choice of ma- 
 terial, nature of web, greater or lesser thickness, 
 cut and make, etc., have been overcome. I will 
 not assert that nothing further remains to be done 
 on these various points, but much progress has 
 been made and improvements have been intro- 
 duced. 
 
 Extensive experience, too, enables me to state 
 that the beneficial effects of the Sanitary Woolen 
 System, as originally tested upon a comparatively 
 small number of persons, which I summed up as 
 power of resistance to weather, disease, and the 
 effects of the emotions, together with an important 
 enhancement of the mental and physical capacities, 
 can be secured by persons of both sexes of every 
 age and calling; provided they will follow the 
 three rules in conjunction, namely to wear the 
 Sanatory Woolen Clothing, to sleep in and on 
 wool, and to keep the bedroom window open at 
 night. 
 
 Objections raised against the Sanitary Woolen 
 System, such as danger of uncleanliness, its debili- 
 
The Sanatory Woolen Clothing Reform. 91 
 
 tating effects, its impracticability in the hot season 
 of the year, have not only been shown to be theo- 
 retically untenable, upon grounds intelligible to 
 every one with the least claim to technical knowl- 
 edge, but have also been disproved by the evidence 
 of well established facts. 
 
 I would ask impartial readers to note that I do 
 not desire that the truth of my statements be taken 
 for granted; but that a thorough and fair trial 
 should be made of the Sanitary Woolen System, 
 uninfluenced by long-established custom or prej- 
 udice. Especially would I caution the public 
 against coats not made throughout of pure woolen 
 material. Readers will be astonished if they ex- 
 amine the interior of their coats, at the quantity of 
 evil-smelling rubbish, especially when damp, which 
 they will find there. 
 
 My attention has been drawn on more than one 
 occasion by experts in the wool trade to the fact 
 that, besides interweaving entire cotton yarns in 
 the fabric of buckskins or other stuffs, which is 
 easily detected, many more fraudulent practices are 
 resorted to, such as spinning cotton together with 
 the wool, so as to increase the tenacity of the yarn, 
 and thereby facilitate the process of working in 
 considerable quantities of the cheaper short-stapled 
 wools. My informants added that as the per- 
 centage of intruded cotton is small, the imposture 
 is undiscernible by the naked eye, and hence such 
 stuffs are frequently palmed off upon buyers as all- 
 wool material. That the above statements are 
 perfectly correct, I lately had very striking proof, 
 I examined under the microscope thirty-six cut- 
 tings of buckskins, which, in the opinion of highly 
 
92 Variations of Temperature, and Sunstroke. 
 
 experienced men of business, were pure, all-wool 
 cloth, and I found six of these cuttings or about 
 seventeen per cent, contained some admixture of 
 cotton. True, it did not exceed one or two per 
 cent, but it had escaped observation. If the al- 
 cohol in wine contains one per cent of fusel oil, 
 the wine is unwholesome; or if a pastrycook uses 
 in one baking a hundred eggs, and only one of the 
 hundred is addled, the whole baking is tainted. 
 Woolen material adulterated with ever so little 
 vegetable fiber is an analogous case. 
 
 VARIATIONS OF TEMPERATURE, AND 
 SUNSTROKE. 
 
 (1880.) 
 
 TN No. 212 of the Neue Zilricher Zeitung Dr. MAY- 
 ENFISCH writes, in an article on " Mountain Cli- 
 mate," as follows: " Many think to harden the 
 body by seeking to do without extra clothing in 
 the cooler hours of the morning and evening, but 
 this folly must be dearly paid for. The skin pro- 
 motes or checks the evolution of heat in sympathy 
 with the surrounding temperature; but as it can- 
 not adapt itself to sudden leaps and bounds of 
 temperature it must be assisted by the clothing. 
 When the temperature is low the clothing should 
 be warmer, while in high temperatures lighter 
 garments should be worn, which, too, may be 
 loosened and opened to facilitate the throwing off 
 of heat. The impediment to this function offered 
 by the closely-buttoned military uniform, when 
 troops are massed in columns, and the consequent 
 accumulation of heat in the body, cause the fre- 
 
Variations of Temperature, and Sunstroke. 93 
 
 quent cases of sunstroke witnessed on the march or 
 on parade. Let every one, therefore, put on warmer 
 clothing in the early morning and after sunset." 
 
 I will now express my view on the subject. The 
 statistics for the whole German army, on which I 
 based my researches on the preservation of health, 
 embrace a period of six and a quarter years, and 
 these instructive returns go to show that, among 
 an equal number of men, the deaths from sun- 
 stroke were thirty-four among recruits, twenty 
 among soldiers of two years' service, and only six 
 among three years' service men. Hence it would 
 appear that, apart from the buttoned uniforms, 
 massed columns, and consequent heat the causes 
 of sunstroke, according to Dr. MAYENFISCH an- 
 other very material element must be taken into 
 account, viz., the degree to which the body is 
 hardened. 
 
 The probability of a fatal sunstroke with a thor- 
 oughly seasoned soldier of three years' standing is 
 six times less than with a recruit. If, therefore, 
 the Sanatory Woolen Clothing have the effect of 
 hardening the body, it must protect against sun- 
 stroke. Some cases of sunstroke occurred in our 
 Wiirtemberg Army Corps in the middle of last 
 August. On the very day of these casualties a 
 day of most intense heat a party consisting of 
 myself, my wife, my boy (six years old), and my 
 son-in-law, walked from half-past nine to twelve 
 o'clock to the Federsee Lake, along the Schussenried 
 and Buchau road, entirely without shade. We 
 went on the lake in a boat during the hottest part 
 of the day two till half-past four o'clock exposed 
 to the scorching rays of two suns, one from above, 
 
94 The Woolen Glove, and Stings. 
 
 and the other reflected in the water, my son-in-law 
 and myself rowing nearly all the time. We went 
 through the day in high spirits, the holiday mood 
 never forsaking us for a moment, and in the even- 
 ing returned home on foot by the same road, after 
 a most enjoyable excursion. 
 
 In the case of wearers of the Sanatory Woolen 
 Clothing, the limits referred to by Dr. MAYENFISCH, 
 between which the skin can perform its function of 
 heat evolution, are very much enlarged, so that 
 only those whose bodies are clothed on wrong prin- 
 ciple need lay to heart the advice about morning 
 and evening dress. The former, if so minded, may 
 reverse the usual order without incurring risk. 
 They may walk with coats buttoned up in the 
 hottest part of the day, and may enjoy the German 
 national game of skittles in the evening, in the 
 draughtiest situation, playing in their shirt-sleeves; 
 in fact, that is just what I did myself on our return 
 to Schussenried on the occasion referred to. 
 
 THE WOOLEN GLOVE, AND STINGS. 
 
 (1880.) 
 
 A MONG the fruits of a foot tour just brought to 
 a close is an observation in respect of stinging 
 flies; and since the newspapers periodically fill the 
 air with lamentations about the mosquitoes, I need 
 make no apology for here communicating my ex- 
 perience. 
 
 Not every one is alike sensitive to the stings of 
 gadflies and gnats. I myself belong in a very 
 special manner to the sensitive class. On the spot 
 wnere the sting is inflicted there rises an itching 
 
The Woolen Glove, and Stings. 95 
 
 tumor which plagues me for weeks. Two years 
 ago I noticed that the swelling, together with the 
 itching sensation, very soon disappeared if the 
 wound were scratched with a small knife, suffi- 
 ciently to draw a drop or two of blood. Obtaining 
 the same relief on several subsequent occasions, I 
 have since made a point in summer time, as soon as 
 the flies make their appearance, to carry a vaccina- 
 tor's lancet for the purpose. This year I have dis- 
 covered another remedy. 
 
 First I was stung in the hand by gadflies three 
 times in rapid succession, on my return journey 
 home from Hohenheim. Simply with the idea of 
 avoiding further stings I pulled on my woolen 
 gloves. To my surprise the itching sensation was 
 allayed in a minute or two, and the trouble was at 
 an end. 
 
 On our pedestrian excursion I had further oppor- 
 tunities of observing the like effects, three times 
 upon my own person, once on my daughter. My 
 wife and daughter, who had been in the habit of 
 wearing cotton gloves in summer, assured me that 
 a gadfly or gnat, stinging through a cotton glove, 
 inflicts very great pain indeed. This reminded me 
 that I had also suffered greatly when stung through 
 the white linen trousers of former days. 
 
 On another occasion I struck my hand against a 
 stinging-nettle, and as this, too, causes me very 
 great annoyance, I bethought me of my woolen 
 gloves, with the same excellent result. Gnats paid 
 us a visit on two nights during our travels; several 
 of us heard them buzzing, felt the sting, and found 
 the swelling in the morning. I had six lumps on 
 the legs, which were very troublesome and much 
 
96 The Woolen Glove, and Stings. 
 
 swollen; but scarcely had I put on my closely- 
 fitting woolen breeches when lumps and itching 
 had gone. Such close-fitting breeches, made of 
 stockinet, are quite as good a remedy and pro- 
 tection against stings as woolen gloves. Loose 
 trousers, made of cloth or buckskin, cannot act in 
 the same way, in spite of the woolen material, be- 
 cause they move backwards and forwards, and thus 
 irritate the wound. Stockinet cloth breeches, on 
 the contrary, cling tightly, and therefore do not rub 
 against the part which has been stung. 
 
 (To the foregoing may be added that bee-keepers 
 have testified to the protection afforded by woolen 
 gloves in cases of stinging.) 
 
 Thus, in a field of observation which I should 
 never have imagined would repay the trouble of 
 thought or study, is again clearly revealed, on the 
 one hand the remedial protecting virtue of wool, 
 and on the other the baneful effects of cotton. Now, 
 too, I was reminded of something which had always 
 been a mystery to me. Whereas gadfly stings raise 
 great bumps on human beings, which itch and 
 smart for days, upon cattle, that are at times stung 
 by swarms of these flies so as to be covered with 
 blood-drops, no bumps are seen, nor movements 
 denoting itching or desire to rub themselves; as 
 soon as the gadflies are gone the animal stands per- 
 fectly still. Various explanations may be sug- 
 gested, but the facts are there to speak for them- 
 selves. 
 
 An extension of the clothing reform to the gloves 
 will confer a very distinct benefit, and the use of the 
 Sanatory Woolen gloves may be recommended to 
 every one who is dissatisfied with the condition of 
 the hands* 
 
Patents and Royalties. 97 
 
 PATENTS AND ROYALTIES. 
 
 (1880.) 
 
 A CORRESPONDENT has written to me: 
 " Frequently when I argue with others, the 
 answer is to the following effect: ' No doubt there 
 is something to be said for it, yet I cannot bring 
 myself to put faith in the System as you do; be- 
 sides, Dr. Jaeger is so keen on the subject of Wool- 
 en clothing simply as a matter of business; for he 
 gets a percentage from every one of the woolen 
 drapers and manufacturers." 1 
 
 'The first condition imposed by manufacturers in 
 taking up specialties, is protection by patents or 
 registered designs. It is only under such pro- 
 tection that a man of business will feel encouraged 
 to incur the initial loss involved in the make and 
 introduction of new articles, and subsequently to 
 constitute them an exclusive feature of his trade. 
 Without patents, competitors will at once begin to 
 make and sell goods for which an opening has 
 been secured, and the originator will be damaged, 
 if not ruined. 
 
 Inventors who present their discoveries free, 
 benefit no one, but do harm to everybody con- 
 cerned. Firstly, the cause sustains damage, for it 
 cannot be properly advanced; secondly, consumers 
 suffer, since they can never procure the article on 
 reasonable terms with due regard to quality and 
 workmanship; thirdly, manufacturers lose, because 
 their earnings are diminished by the difficulties 
 attendant upon a new process of manufacture. 
 
98 Patents and Royalties. 
 
 Hence it is as a matter of public policy, and not in 
 the interest of individual inventors, that civilized 
 States have very wisely enacted patent laws. 
 
 It was on the urgent and repeated recommenda- 
 tion of his Excellency Dr. von STEINBEIS, a gentle- 
 man who, greatly to the benefit of the community, 
 has for many years occupied the distinguished post 
 of President to the Royal Central Board of Trade 
 and Industry in Wiirtemberg, that I, too, resorted 
 to this effectual means of protection for my designs; 
 and the sequel very soon convinced me that my 
 adviser had counseled well. 
 
 The first article patented was the shirt. The re- 
 sult is that, at the present time, both in this and 
 other countries, there are establishments in at least 
 a hundred different towns where it can be bought; 
 and every one of these establishments constitutes 
 a centre of propaganda for the Sanitary Woolen 
 System. Considering, further, that these establish- 
 ments constantly advertise, it will be admitted that, 
 by patenting the shirt, the System has received a 
 great impetus. 
 
 No eloquence of tongue or pen could have done 
 as much in ten years to spread the reform as has 
 been accomplished in one year by patenting the 
 shirt. 
 
 Touching the question of royalties, I repeat that 
 it was only the legal protection afforded by my 
 paten ':ing and registering, which induced manufac- 
 turers to work according to my views. But it is 
 the general rule for inventors to receive royalties 
 from business men working their patents. Had I 
 not done so what would have been the conse- 
 quence ? 
 
Patents and Royalties. 99 
 
 A man of business regards a refusal of remunera- 
 tion, where it may honestly be accepted, as foolish. 
 But since I flatter myself upon looking anything 
 but foolish, I should never have had credit for my 
 disinterestedness. I should have been charged with 
 advocating my theories from mercenary motives 
 just the same; while I should have had no com- 
 pensation for my time and trouble, and for the 
 scoffing and jeering to which I was at first sub- 
 jected. Had it been eventually ascertained that 
 really and truly I received no remuneration, some 
 would have laughed at me, while others would have 
 pitied me. Schiller says: 
 
 " Denn aus Gemeinem ist der Mensch gemacht, 
 Und die Gewohnheit nennt er seine Amme." 
 
 (" Man is born of the commonplace, 
 And nursed at the breast of habit/') 
 
 Whosoever, like myself, dares to attack cherished 
 habits must bear the brunt of all the forces of com- 
 monplace vulgarity arrayed against him. It is pro- 
 verbial that those who seek to benefit mankind are 
 badly treated at the hands of their contemporaries. 
 My maxim is, " Better be hammer than anvil." 
 
 I believe that only thus could opposition have 
 been broken down; and the steady and energetic 
 progress of the Sanatory Woolen Clothing reform, 
 surpassing my most sanguine expectations, is the 
 best assurance that I set about it in the right 
 way. 
 
IOO Tailors. 
 
 TAILORS. 
 
 (1880.) 
 
 INASMUCH as the Sanatory coat is more difficult 
 to make than ordinary ones, tailors do not coun- 
 tenance the reform, but usually oppose it; especially 
 are those tailors prejudiced against the Sanatory 
 coat who make it merely as a supplement to their 
 business in ordinary clothing, as they never acquire 
 sufficient skill to produce an article capable of com- 
 peting for price and excellence with the ordinary 
 coats. There is the further disadvantage that so- 
 called Sanatory coats continue to be made on wrong 
 principles, with cotton and linen paddings or linings. 
 Of course, when a customer is furnished with 
 such a coat, and finds it intolerable, he throws it on 
 one side, and rails at the System. The report 
 spreads, people shake their heads and say, "Did I 
 not tell you it would never do? Believe me, the 
 whole thing is a delusion, if no worse! " Thus a 
 single coat badly made may have the effect of check- 
 ing the progress of the movement in a whole district. 
 Accredited tailors, authorized by me to work from 
 the proper pattern, are frequently at a disadvantage 
 in that they cannot make the Sanatory coat an 
 exclusive feature, and thereby acquire the highest 
 degree of proficiency. Besides, even in such estab- 
 lishments, there is no security, so long as ordinary 
 clothing is made there, and a stock of canvas must 
 be kept for stiffening. A journeyman tailor who 
 cannot bring himself to dispense with the greater 
 ease in working, which the addition of the canvas 
 
The Crisis of Disease. 101 
 
 affords, will soon sew some of it into a coat, without 
 his master's knowledge, and a spurious article is 
 thus palmed off upon the public from a duly ac- 
 credited establishment, causing all the greater mis- 
 chief. 
 
 There is another difficulty with which I have to 
 contend. Tailors cannot afford to lose a customer. 
 When I give some special direction which does not 
 approve itself to the mind of a buyer, tailors must 
 either endeavor to persuade him, talking by the hour, 
 or else, rather than waste more time, simply acqui- 
 esce. The latter course being more pleasant, and less 
 costly, my directions go unheeded. For example, I 
 am constantly impressing upon tailors never to 
 select too heavy a cloth, and insisting that they 
 should try to dissuade customers from such a 
 choice. Perhaps a tailor will make an effort, but 
 the customer persists; when he receives his coat 
 he feels as hot in it as a fireman at the stokehole 
 of a steamer, and of course, blames the Sanitary 
 Woolen System. 
 
 THE CRISIS OF DISEASE. 
 
 (1881.) 
 
 A TRANSITION from the ordinary style of dress 
 to the Sanitary Woolen System is sometimes 
 attended with phenomena which doctors designate 
 "critical," as indicating a turning point. These 
 "crises," which may occur soon or some time after 
 the change, running their course in a few hours, or 
 enduring for a longer period, and involving greater 
 or less disturbance of the general health, have 
 
IO2 The Crisis of Disease. 
 
 caused persons who did not understand them to 
 discard the Sanatory Woolen Clothing, especially 
 when the " critical " periods have lasted any length 
 of time. In place of the improvement that was 
 expected from the adoption of the System, people 
 conceived that it made them ill. 
 
 Healthy persons who need nothing beyond the 
 elimination of superfluous tissue-water find that 
 the " crisis," as a rule, is confined to one or more 
 copious outpourings of perspiration, occurring in 
 rapid succession, and in a few weeks the full bene- 
 fit of the Sanitary Woolen System is realized. But 
 where there is a long-standing chronic disorder 
 be it only a constitutional susceptibility to colds 
 and chills the case is altered, and for the follow- 
 ing reasons: 
 
 The earlier physicians believed that in cases of 
 disease and chronic disorders, some special " mor- 
 bid matter" must first be expelled before the 
 patient could recover. They were familiar with 
 the kind of " crisis" which heralds convalescence, 
 but is preceded by exacerbation of the symptoms, 
 and they termed the attendant secretions, which, 
 as a rule, appear in the form of perspiration, " criti- 
 cal secretions." They could not, however, explain 
 more precisely the nature of this " morbid matter." 
 The modern school of physiology rejected this 
 theory, or recognized it only in epidemic diseases, 
 and ceased to give the same attention as formerly 
 to the " crisis" of illness. 
 
 My researches confirm the earlier views of the 
 profession on this point, and show that the odor 
 of the "morbid matter" exhaled by the patient is 
 characteristic of the particular disease, thus admit- 
 
The Crisis of Disease. 103 
 
 ting the practicability of recognizing a disease by 
 the sense of smell. 
 
 I could say much more on this subject, but will 
 restrict myself here to the following remarks. 
 
 As I have frequently explained, every living crea- 
 ture, even when healthy, evolves " noxious'* emana- 
 tions from its food and from the decomposition of 
 albumen in its tissues. If these emanations can be 
 freely eliminated, they do no harm, but if their 
 discharge from the body be checked, they will 
 accumulate within, creating what medical men call 
 dyscrasia, or a bad condition of the bodily juices. 
 The same thing will happen in an atmosphere con- 
 stantly laden with offensive emanations, whether 
 originating within the body, or from any other 
 source. The albumen of the tissues attracts such 
 emanations, and becomes impregnated therewith. 
 
 Want of exercise especially favors this process 
 of absorption, rendering sluggish the interchange 
 and conversion of the constituents in the body, the 
 tissues of which then as readily take up odorous 
 exhalations, as standing milk is known to do. 
 
 A person whose tissues are thus overcharged with 
 " noxious" emanations may not at the time feel 
 unwell, for the emanations are, in a manner, chemi- 
 cally combined with the albumen in the tissues. It 
 is the decomposition of albumen, consequent on 
 increased activity of the organs, through some 
 stimulating cause, that liberates the " noxious" 
 emanations, which then become odorous, and ill- 
 ness sets in. The tendency to this is accentuated 
 by the effect of the " noxious" emanations in ren- 
 dering the tissues more spongy, increasing the 
 
IO4 The Crisis of Disease. 
 
 quantity of water in them, and assisting decom- 
 position. 
 
 The next is a very important point for laymen as 
 well as doctors, and I beg my readers to give it 
 their best attention. 
 
 According to my observations, many u noxious" 
 odors, by direct action upon the skin, and by pene- 
 tration into the bodily juices, produce contraction 
 in the cutaneous blood-vessels, and thereby create 
 a sensation of cold, because the skin in such cases 
 receives a smaller amount of blood heat. The same 
 will happen if internally a " noxious," volatile es- 
 sence be set free. That is the reason why many 
 illnesses are ushered in with a shivering fit. If 
 this be very pronounced, and so closely followed 
 by the so-called febrile fit, by way of reaction, the 
 effect of the volatile, odorous essence above men- 
 tioned is no other than the hitherto unaccountable 
 feverish shivering. But if the reaction is delayed, 
 and there be only a moderate degree of shivering, 
 the patient will probably say that he has caught a 
 cold, even when there is not the faintest trace of a 
 cause for the chill. Hence comes that very general 
 view of chills as prime causes of illness, and the 
 consequent uervous dread of catching cold which 
 has wrought, and is still working so much mis- 
 chief. 
 
 To return to the question of the "crisis." The 
 Sanitary Woolen System has by this time fully 
 approved itself as one of the most powerful, if not, 
 indeed, the most powerful, curative means for 
 dyscrasial habits of body, for the reason that it 
 possesses the faculty of expelling the volatile dys- 
 crasial stuff from the body. 
 
The Crisis of Disease. 105 
 
 What is the inference ? A person predisposed 
 to take cold is one whose dyscrasy or " noxious'* 
 essence possesses the special characteristic, when- 
 ever set free, of setting up a feeling of chill. If, 
 by the help of the Sanitary Woolen System, this 
 odorous essence be suddenly expelled, the "crisis" 
 will run its course as an apparent fever caused by 
 a cold. 
 
 It must be remembered that the "noxious" 
 emanations, in cases of dyscrasial or distempered 
 habit of body, are greatly diversified; and, conse- 
 quently, the symptoms characterizing these " crises" 
 must be as dissimilar as are the maladies them- 
 selves. 
 
 In conclusion, I may state that although I have 
 been now wearing the Sanatory Woolen Clothing 
 for the last two years and a half, it was not before 
 the past winter that a certain troublesome irritation 
 of the skin between the shoulder blades quite dis- 
 appeared. I had been saddled with it for fully 
 seven years, especially during the cold season, and, 
 in fact, it showed even two winters ago, although 
 only as a mild kind of evanescent rash. Therefore, 
 I say, patience ! The " salutary" principle which 
 clings to woolen garments nature's healing power, 
 or the body's inherent medicine will overcome 
 everything, unless indeed internal anatomical 
 changes have taken place. Care, however, must 
 be exercised that the remedial action be not inter- 
 fered with by the " noxious" principle of the body, 
 which adheres to textures of vegetable fiber. 
 
 I am satisfied that many who have adopted the 
 Sanitary Woolen System, and who may read this, 
 call to mind their own early experiences. 
 
106 Woolen Clothing Fire-proof . 
 
 These remarks will clear up much that may have 
 seemed unaccountable, and it will now be better 
 understood why opinions of the System may at 
 times have been diametrically opposite, according 
 to particular cases and circumstances. 
 
 When I was told at first that a person had tried 
 the Sanitary Woolen System but could not stand 
 it, I was fain to conclude that there must be con- 
 stitutions with which it did not agree, although I 
 rebelled against such a doctrine as an obvious 
 paradox. Now, however, since I more fully under- 
 stand the character of the " crisis," I no longer en- 
 tertain the slightest doubt. The Sanitary Woolen 
 System agrees with everybody, without exception, 
 and the very persons whose bodies make the hardest 
 fight against it will ultimately derive the greatest 
 benefit from it. The struggle is proof that " mor- 
 bid matter" is lurking in the body; and, although 
 for a time this may not cause actual illness, there 
 is a consciousness of imperfect health, which shows 
 itself in this, that, and the other minor ailment; 
 and sooner or later its development is attended 
 with serious, perhaps fatal, results. The reader 
 will, therefore, readily perceive how a " crisis," 
 when misunderstood, may give rise to seeming 
 contradictions in the minds of those who claim to 
 have given the System a fair trial. 
 
 WOOLEN CLOTHING FIRE-PROOF. 
 (1881.) 
 
 great difference in this respect between 
 woolen and vegetable fiber is worth noticing. 
 Cases often occur in which the hair takes fire, 
 
The Sanatory Woolen Handkerchief. 107 
 
 but it never burns down to the skin, as would 
 certainly happen with vegetable fiber. If a piece 
 of linen or cotton be held over a lighted candle, as 
 soon as it ignites it burns away with a clear flame 
 until nothing remains but the ash. If a similar 
 experiment be made with woolen material, a con- 
 siderable time will be required before it will ignite 
 at all, and then the flame is extinguished as soon 
 as the material is removed from the lighted candle. 
 Thus people are fire-proof in wool />-., their cloth- 
 ing or bedding cannot take fire ; while, when 
 clothed in woven material or vegetable fiber, they 
 are practically torches ready for the lighting. 
 
 THE SANATORY WOOLEN 
 
 HANDKERCHIEF, AND CATARRHAL 
 
 INFECTION. 
 
 (1881.) 
 
 T AST winter, when the severe cold weather sud- 
 denly set in, and windows and doors in the 
 living rooms were kept closely shut, the dimin- 
 ished ventilation and heated atmosphere caused all 
 things of vegetable fiber in the rooms to exhale 
 the " noxious" odors which they are constantly 
 absorbing; and whoever, like myself, was com- 
 pelled by his occupation to remain continually 
 indoors, contracted what is frequently mistaken 
 for a cold, but in reality resembles the disease 
 called " strangles," with which horses kept in 
 stables are affected />., we did not catch cold, 
 but we were " poisoned " by the atmosphere of the 
 rooms in which we lived. 
 
 (I may here remark that I have been reproached 
 
io8 The Sanatory Woolen Handkerchief. 
 
 for repeatedly comparing the condition of human 
 beings to that of animals. I am compelled to this 
 by the necessity of keeping under my readers' 
 notice the fact that the Sanitary Woolen System 
 does not promise absolutely perfect health and per- 
 petual existence, but only that degree of stability of 
 health which is possessed by the domestic ani- 
 mals.) 
 
 I was guided to the above conclusion by the 
 following considerations, which obtained in my own 
 and all similar cases that came under my observa- 
 tion : I never coughed out of doors, however cold 
 it might be, nor at night, when sleeping with the 
 window open ; the irritation in the throat was 
 only felt when in the living-rooms. It was evi- 
 dent from the beginning that the cough originated 
 from the stomach /.<?., a fit of coughing would 
 set in about two or three hours after taking a 
 meal, without any apparent cause. This period 
 coincided with that of the change in the nature of 
 the emanations evolved in the body from the food 
 in process of digestion. 
 
 My sons, who skated a great deal and went twice 
 a day to school, were entirely exempt from the 
 disorder in question, and the case of my youngest 
 daughter, who went to school in the forenoon only, 
 was milder than that of my grown-up daughters, 
 who sat at home at their needlework. But the 
 chief sufferer was myself ; for while my family 
 betake themselves at 10 to n p.m. to the pure air 
 in the bedrooms, I remain until 2 a.m. in a study 
 filled with books, papers, and other objects, which 
 absorb and exhale the noxious matters in the al> 
 mosphere. 
 
The Sanatory Woolen Handkerchief. 109 
 
 I find that the remedy for this disorder consists 
 in: 
 
 (1) Thorough ventilation of the living-rooms. 
 
 (2) It is an old rule that catarrh will be sooner 
 cured if the handkerchief be changed as often as 
 practicable. This must be due to the presence in 
 the used handkerchief of an infectious agent which 
 renews the catarrhal complaint ; and herein lies a 
 striking confirmation of my theory respecting the 
 effects of the "noxious'* emanations. 
 
 I reasoned that this infectious agent must be the 
 well-known characteristic, odorous matter of hand- 
 kerchiefs used by catarrhal patients ; further, that 
 this " noxious" emanation would be absorbed by 
 vegetable, but not by woolen fiber. In order, there- 
 fore, to obtain relief from the disorder, after it 
 had annoyed me for four weeks, I resolved to try 
 the woolen handkerchief, which had already been 
 introduced by adherents of my Sanitary Woolen 
 System, although I had hitherto objected to it as 
 impracticable. This objection I withdraw, and I 
 acknowledge my error. In three days I was freed 
 from the nasal catarrh, and by the fourth day the 
 cough had disappeared ; only the mucous mem- 
 brane of the throat was not completely in order. I 
 may add that, so far as I could learn, no " hard- 
 ened " wool-wearers thus attacked experienced fe- 
 verish symptoms, or were interrupted, in their 
 ordinary avocations. For instance, when the dis- 
 order was at its height I was able, on one occasion, 
 to dictate for seven hours at a time ; on another, 
 to lecture and discuss continuously from 7 p.m. to 
 2 a.m. in a thick atmosphere of tobacco smoke. 
 
 Since I have adopted the woolen handkerchief 
 
i io The Adulteration of Wool with Cotton. 
 
 the nasal secretion has become quite normal i.e., 
 has almost ceased, but the catarrhal affection of the 
 throat and larynx remained almost unchanged, 
 until one day a light dawned upon me. I had for 
 years smoked a pipe consisting of a clay bowl and 
 a simple reed stem, and it occurred to me that, just 
 as the handkerchief of vegetable fiber preserves 
 the infection of nasal catarrh, so the pipe stem of 
 vegetable fiber might retain the infection of throat 
 catarrh. Therefore, if my theory were correct, by 
 substituting for the pipe with the reed stem one 
 with a horn mouthpiece the continuous self-infec- 
 tion would cease. This surmise was completely 
 justified by the result. A few days after the change 
 from the wooden to the horn mouthpiece the ca- 
 tarrh disappeared from my throat, and the voice 
 was restored. Various tests have further estab- 
 lished the noxious quality of the wooden mouth- 
 piece. Inhalation from it distinctly retarded the 
 rapidity of the movements of the nerves, as measured 
 by the stop-watch (see page 7), and I have several 
 times made the experiment of smoking through it 
 again, but invariably with an irritating effect on the 
 throat. This effect, however, passed off again at 
 once, which is important evidence that the infection 
 does not arise from disease germs, but from odor- 
 ous matter. 
 
 THE ADULTERATION OF WOOL WITH 
 COTTON. 
 
 (1881.) 
 
 'THE surest mode of detection is by microscopical 
 
 examination. With a thirty-fold magnifier 
 
 the least admixture can easily be recognized. The 
 
The Air in Rooms. in 
 
 woolen thread appears as a cylindrical body of al- 
 most circular shape, with wavy outline ; the cotton 
 thread appears flat and ribbon-like, with angular 
 folds, as if crumpled. 
 
 A second test, which any one can apply, is by 
 holding the separated warp and woof to a flame. 
 Pure woolen thread exposed to a flame fuses to an 
 irregular mass before it is consumed, leaving a 
 shapeless ash, and ceases to burn when removed 
 from the flame; cotton or linen thread burns steadi- 
 ly on after removal from the flame, and the form 
 of the thread is distinctly preserved in the ash. If 
 a thread be an admixture of wool and cotton, it 
 will burn irregularly 
 
 THE AIR IN ROOMS. 
 
 (1881.) 
 
 T^HE injurious effect of the air confined in rooms 
 is one of the oldest and best known themes of 
 sanitary science. Writers on health abound with 
 advice as to ventilation, the keeping as much as 
 possible in the fresh air, and so on, and my readers 
 know the importance of sleeping at night with the 
 window open. Therefore, in making the following 
 suggestions with reference to the air in rooms, I 
 am only pursuing and extending the ancient track. 
 I have now (autumn, 1881) had three years' experi- 
 ense of the Sanitary Woolen System, and I can 
 safely say that it has answered the expectations 
 formed of it. It is a powerful remedy, and, when 
 the body is hardened, maintains those who adopt it 
 in as sound health as, for instance, the horse, or 
 the house dog. More than this cannot be demanded 
 
112 The Air in Rooms. 
 
 of any system by those who dwell under artificial 
 conditions, within four walls. But the improve- 
 ment implied by the above comparison will be 
 patent to every one who knows how much less 
 often the dog is ill than its owner. 
 
 To laymen, at the beginning, the Sanitary Woolen 
 System may have seemed as if it would accomplish 
 even more than this, but medical men know that 
 all systems of cure and rules of health, such as the 
 use of special baths, change of air, change of diet, 
 etc., work much more energetically at the com- 
 mencement than when the body becomes accus- 
 tomed to the altered conditions. The reason is 
 that the bodily machine at once seeks to restore 
 the equilibrium thus disturbed, and to this end 
 works more rapidly, causing freer and more com- 
 plete exhalation of the " noxious" vapors. The 
 consequent improvement in health at the com- 
 mencement should not be allowed to mislead, as 
 the value of a rule of health can be estimated only 
 when the body is accustomed to it. 
 
 This stage in the Sanitary Woolen System has 
 now been reached by many, and the conclusion 
 arrived at is, that the System procures that addition 
 of health for which man has hitherto had every 
 reason to envy the domestic animals ; but the 
 wool-wearer shares with the domestic animals those 
 diseases which are the raison d'etre of veterinary 
 surgeons. The question now to be asked is. Can 
 matters be carried any further ? Again the ani- 
 mals supply the answer, and most plainly. 
 
 I describe the wool-wearer as being as healthy as 
 a horse or a dog, or more precisely, as housed cat- 
 tle ; a higher degree of health is attained by graz- 
 
The A ir in Rooms. 113 
 
 ing-cattle for example, by sheep. These are much 
 less subject to disease due to the personal, " nox- 
 ious" exhalations; for instance, wool-wearers do 
 occasionally catch cold in the same way and for 
 the same reason as housed cattle, while grazing- 
 cattle are absolutely weather-proof; but the latter 
 are not proof against infectious diseases, although 
 the fact that sheep are more so than oxen was im- 
 pressed upon the soldiers in the Franco-German 
 war, who had for that reason to subsist on mutton. 
 That sheep are infected with very dangerous par- 
 asites does not affect the argument, for all wild 
 animals have parasites. 
 
 To what is the higher degree of health of grazing- 
 cattle due? Simply to the cause that makes our 
 soldiers healthier during the month of the manoeu- 
 vres than when they are penned in barracks. Graz- 
 ing-cattle constantly bivouac, at least in summer, 
 and are not poisoned by the air of their stable. 
 Yet a degree higher in health than grazing-cattle 
 are ground-game (hares, foxes, deer, partridges, 
 pheasants, etc.), which also bivouac in the winter. 
 These animals are not only weather-proof, but much 
 less susceptible to epidemics than grazing-cattle ; 
 still, however, such diseases do occur, and it 
 would be interesting to consider the reasons, 
 which will be explained by the following two 
 facts: 
 
 i. Animals which live on the ground are nearer 
 proof against epidemics than animals which live 
 under the ground; for instance, field-mice are sub- 
 ject to violent epidemics which will destroy nearly 
 the whole of them in a district; and this occurs 
 when the mice are so numerous that the whole 
 
1 14 The Air in Rooms. 
 
 ground smells of their excrement, and is therefore 
 saturated with poison proceeding from the mice 
 themselves. 
 
 2. The birds in the air are absolutely infection- 
 proof. I have never heard of nor seen an epidemic 
 among crows, jackdaws, sparrows, starlings, swal- 
 lows. The only diseases to which they are subject 
 are caused by lice and worms ; and they sometimes 
 suffer from predatory animals, frost, hail, etc. Their 
 " self-poison" is mainly contained in their excre- 
 ment, and with this they hardly ever come in con- 
 tact, while they are removed from every kind of 
 miasma of the ground. 
 
 Now comes the question, to what degree of health 
 man may hope to attain, having regard to existing 
 circumstances and customs, and without heavy ex- 
 penditure ; in other words, without building castles 
 in the air, or seeking to inhabit balloons, as he 
 would need to do to become as healthy as the 
 birds. This condition is, therefore, unattainable ; 
 and here, as everywhere, to demand perfection gen- 
 erally, leads to realizing little or nothing, Those 
 who have followed my suggestions as to Sanatory 
 Woolen Clothing and Bedding and sleeping with 
 open window have reached a degree of health 
 equal to that of the horse ; the next degree, and 
 the only one practicable for discussion, would be 
 health equal to that of sheep. The experiences of 
 this winter (1881-2) give me the firm assurance 
 that this is tolerably easy to attain, for it is merely 
 a question of the atmosphere in living and working 
 rooms, respecting which I am in a position to say 
 something more radically helpful than my prede- 
 cessors on the subject of ventilation. 
 
The A ir in Rooms. 1 1-5 
 
 Before coming to the practical side of the ques- 
 tion, I must again institute a comparison with the 
 domestic animals. If they be classified according 
 to the facility with which they contract disease, 
 the lowest place must be assigned to stalled cattle, 
 the horse and the ox, who live in the same space in 
 which they deposit their excrement. Why does 
 the dog possess more power of resistance to dis- 
 ease ? Because the dog is cleanly indoors, and does 
 not, like stalled cattle, subject itself to the injuri- 
 ous influence of the odor of its excrement ; while 
 chained dogs, who cannot get away for the pur- 
 pose, are not confined in close rooms. The great- 
 est strength of resistance, and the toughest nature 
 of all, has the cat, which carefully buries its excre- 
 ment, and is not confined to the atmosphere of 
 rooms, or chained to miasmatic ground, as dogs 
 frequently are, but seeks the airy and lofty parts 
 of dwellings. These considerations show that the 
 worst enemy to the health of every being is found 
 in the malodorous portion of its own exhalations. 
 This is most readily apparent with respect to sew- 
 age, and the attention of sanitary authorities has 
 been rightly devoted, in the first place, to the re- 
 moval of this notorious " self-poison." I may, 
 however, point out that the habit of the cat, which 
 buries its excrement immediately, is better than that 
 of allowing it to ferment and distill, so as to give 
 out a maximum of odor. 
 
 That the atmosphere in rooms which are inhab- 
 ited, even when no air from drains, etc., forces its 
 way in, soon becomes loaded with " self-poison," 
 has, of course, long been recognized ; but much 
 too little attention has been paid to the fact that 
 
Ii6 The Air in Rooms. 
 
 these exhalations are not only dispersed in the sur- 
 rounding air, but are also caught up and retained 
 by the objects in the room, to be again, on occa- 
 sion, given out. So long as a dwelling-room is- 
 abundantly ventilated there is no danger, and fol- 
 lowers of the Sanitary Woolen System are in this 
 respect much better off than those who are mis- 
 clothed; for they can not only sleep with open win- 
 dow, but also, as they are not afraid of draught, 
 and have less need of external warmth, can work 
 with open windows and doors. I may here remark 
 that while the air in a room remains, through ven- 
 tilation, free from poison, its temperature may, 
 without becoming too cold, sink much lower than 
 when, in the absence of ventilation, it contains poi- 
 sonous matter ; " self-poison," in fact, chills, and I 
 know wool wearers who work in winter by open 
 window, which is the right thing to do. 
 
 The difficulty begins when the cold necessitates 
 warming the rooms ; proper ventilation then be- 
 comes expensive, for the warmth escapes simulta- 
 neously with the vitiated air, so that most people 
 resign themselves to the inevitable, keep their win- 
 dows shut, and live in a fusty atmosphere. 
 
 I believe that the danger thus incurred would be 
 greatly lessened if all those objects which absorb the 
 noxious exhalations were removed from the room. 
 If they would retain them, their presence would be 
 a benefit, but warmth and damp cause them to give 
 these exhalations out again, and they are and re- 
 main malodorous. After a close examination of 
 the subject, I am in a position to affirm the 
 unwholesomeness of dust in rooms. It is only 
 necessary to inhale the odor under a piece of furni- 
 
The Air in Rooms. 1 17 
 
 ture, from which the dust is not regularly removed, 
 to be convinced of this ; or to compare the very dif- 
 ferent smell of the atmosphere of a room before 
 and after the latter has been thoroughly cleaned 
 and dusted out. Further consideration of what 
 constitutes the dust in rooms shows that this offen- 
 sive smell is less that of the dust particles per se, 
 than of the fetid odors taken up by them. 
 
 The following are mainly the constituents of the 
 dust in the rooms : (a) Earth dust : We know that 
 the earth readily absorbs odors, and gives them 
 forth again under the influence of warmth and 
 damp, hence the dangerous ground miasmas, (b) 
 Coal dust : Coal has such strong absorbing power 
 that it has long been used for deodorization ; it 
 seems to retain odors more firmly than earth dust, 
 but still coal dust cannot be considered harmless. 
 (c) Vegetable-fiber dust : This proceeds from the 
 linen and cotton materials of clothes, etc., and from 
 the droppings of horses, etc., in the streets; also 
 from the wear and tear of floors and wooden ob- 
 jects. It is clear that vegetable-fiber dust must act 
 in a similar manner to vegetable fiber in clothing. 
 
 Dust thus constituted cannot but be most dan- 
 gerous company in a room, since, if allowed to re- 
 main, it becomes poisonous, and, when it is dis- 
 turbed and enters the lungs, has not only an irri- 
 tating effect, but, becoming moist, gives out its 
 noxious odors within the body. The disagreeable 
 odor when a dusty floor is wetted is well known, 
 and a damp atmosphere suffices to let loose the 
 smell. Hence follows the recommendation not only 
 to remove the dust of rooms as often and as thor- 
 oughly as possible, but also to adopt certain meth- 
 
1 1 8 The Air in Rooms. 
 
 ods of doing it. In dealing with the dust in rooms 
 most ladies and their servants make three mistakes. 
 
 The first is that the dust is more driven about the 
 room than actually removed. If a room of which 
 the windows are closed is swept out, and the fur- 
 niture wiped down, it looks comparatively clean, 
 but is nothing of the sort, because a large portion 
 of the dust has deposited itself on the walls, and on 
 projections, such as picture-frames, mirrors, etc., 
 between the books on the shelves, and behind the 
 heavier furniture standing against the wall. Nor 
 are things much improved by the opening of one 
 or more windows on the same side of the room. 
 What is wanted is a thorough draught of wind; 
 and if a room has only windows on one side, a 
 window in the passage or elsewhere should be 
 opened to cause such a draught as will really carry 
 the dust out of the room. Windy weather is, of 
 course, best for this purpose, to which I attach so 
 much importance that I would recommend the , 
 sweeping-out of rooms to be deferred when, in the 
 absence of wind, it is impracticable to create a 
 good draught. 
 
 An important help in getting rid of the dust by 
 means of the wind is to attach a large piece of 
 pasteboard to a wooden handle, and, after the 
 room has been swept, to stir the air, driving the 
 minute dust out of the corners and angles, away 
 from the walls, preventing it from settling any- 
 where, until the room smells free from dust. No 
 sense can be so relied on for accuracy in this re- 
 spect as that of smell : long after no more dust 
 can be seen, the nose will detect it. 
 
 A second mistake is the belief that through mois- 
 
The Air in Rooms. 1 19 
 
 ture (tea-leaves on carpets, or a damp cloth on 
 wooden floors) the dust is prevented from rising, and 
 is removed. Some, of course, is removed, but only 
 such as is on the floor, and that not entirely. The 
 fine dust, clinging to the walls and ceiling, can only 
 be dealt with by stirring the air, as just described. 
 And it is this fine dust which is most dangerous, 
 for it consists of the specifically light organic mat- 
 ters, while the heavier mineral dust sinks to the 
 floor. The third mistake is the habit of overlook- 
 ing the dust which is more difficult to get at, behind 
 furniture, pictures, mirrors, and so on. It is only 
 necessary to smell at these places to be convinced 
 how they must conspire to vitiate the atmosphere. 
 The removal of such dust would be easier if all fur- 
 niture stood on casters ; but if furniture be not 
 placed quite close against the wall, a stick may be 
 introduced to loosen the dust, etc., so that it may 
 be driven out when the air is stirred. 
 
 Another point with reference to the atmosphere 
 in rooms is connected with the flooring and the 
 furniture. Proofs of how eagerly and freely offen- 
 sive odors are absorbed by wood, which gives them 
 out again whenever wetted, are open to any one 
 who likes to try the simplest experiments. I have 
 no longer any doubt that wood of which the sur- 
 face is not painted or polished takes up the exhala- 
 tions of the body in the same manner as do tex- 
 tures of vegetable fiber when used as clothing. 
 
 Every one is acquainted with the disagreeable 
 smell of a room in which there is rough woodwork, 
 such as register-boxes, deed-chests, book-stands, 
 and the like, in (German) government offices. The 
 general ill-health among those who work in these 
 
I2O The Air in Rooms. 
 
 offices, which is ascribed to the sedentary nature 
 of their labor, is certainly not attributable to that 
 alone, but also to the exceptionally bad atmosphere, 
 mainly caused by the very old, wooden lumber, 
 charged with evil odors. 
 
 All woodwork in rooms, including furniture and 
 flooring (the former not only externally and in front, 
 but also internally and at the back), should there- 
 fore be treated with varnish, oil paint, linseed oil, 
 or some similar preparation, which will have the 
 effect of closing the pores of the wood. One of the 
 most important sources of lurking self-poison will 
 thus be removed. 
 
 Not a few people object to sitting on upholstered 
 furniture; some find it too warm, others have no 
 further reason to give than "the unpleasant feel- 
 ing." Now, all so-called " feelings" proceed from 
 odorous matters, and the materials of vegetable 
 fiber in the stuffing of a well-used piece of uphol- 
 stery will be found on examination to emit a repul- 
 sive smell. Here, therefore, is another source of 
 vitiated atmosphere in living-rooms, which makes 
 itself felt as soon as the windows are closed. In- 
 deed, the seeds of disease may lurk in upholstered 
 furniture. A medical friend has related to me the 
 following incident: He was attacked by a disease, 
 at first inexplicable, but afterwards declaring itself 
 as the form of intermittent fever prevalent in the 
 tropics, and he was for a long time quite unable to 
 discover the cause. On a subsequent professional 
 visit to the house of a clergyman in his district the 
 matter was explained. The clergyman, previous- 
 ly an African missionary, incidentally mentioned, 
 pointing to an American chair, that he had lain in it, 
 
The Air in Rooms. 121 
 
 in Africa, for two years, ill with intermittent fever. 
 Shortly before my medical friend's attack, he had 
 had occasion to sit in this chair for a considerable 
 time. 
 
 My sister, resident in New York, has told me that 
 one of the best-known American physicians in that 
 city once remarked to her that no house ought to 
 be inhabited for more than sixty years, but should 
 then be pulled down, as it is infected by all the dis- 
 eases of those who have ever dwelt there. He was 
 right; probably every reader has at some time or 
 other, on entering an old house, full of woodwork, 
 been struck by the unwholesome smell. What is 
 then to be done ? My readers will scarcely rec- 
 oncile themselves to the radical remedy suggested 
 by the American physician, nor do I consider it 
 necessary. If all plain wood were to be thor- 
 oughly oiled or varnished, I believe that old houses 
 would no longer be haunted by such evil spirits. 
 As regards ordinary upholstered furniture, it would 
 be a great step in advance to discontinue its em- 
 ployment in the rooms usually inhabited, and if 
 new upholstery be procured it should be "Sanatory 
 Woolen." I have had the furniture for my daugh- 
 ter, on her marriage, made in this manner by a firm 
 of upholsterers here, and find that it is easy to effect, 
 without adding to its cost, or detracting from its 
 appearance. Ordinary upholstery can also be al- 
 tered to "Sanatory Woolen." I particularly cau- 
 tion against old upholstered heir-looms, to which 
 the remarks of the American physician respecting 
 houses, quoted above, are entirely applicable. 
 
 In conclusion, I must inflict a deep wound on the 
 housewifely heart. If the nose be applied to white 
 9 
 
122 Cold Baths. 
 
 window-curtains, even after they have been up a 
 very short time, they will be found to smell like 
 " dirty wash," and are therefore just as prejudicial 
 to the atmosphere in the room. Whoever can af- 
 ford it should have woolen curtains, and who- 
 ever cannot has the economical alternative of dis- 
 pensing with curtains altogether. I have never 
 permitted their presence in my study, and there- 
 fore know from experience that they are not neces- 
 sary. 
 
 COLD BATHS. 
 
 (1881.) 
 
 "CROM time to time I have encountered persons 
 who declared that the Sanatory Woolen Cloth- 
 ing did them no good, but made them languid and 
 nervous. At first I attributed this to the early* 
 stage of their experience, but when similar com- 
 plaints were made in cases where the System had 
 been adopted for twelve months, it became clear 
 that there must be some other cause. I am in- 
 debted for the discovery of this cause to my atten- 
 tion having been drawn to the fact that similar 
 symptoms are constantly found in cases of excessive 
 use of shower and other cold baths. On inquiry, I 
 ascertained that all those who had made the above- 
 mentioned complaints regularly took such batjbs. 
 Before I advocated the Sanitary Woolen System I 
 had spoken against the too frequent use of so 
 strong a stimulant, and this especially applies 
 when Sanatory Woolen Clothing is worn. The lat- 
 ter attracts the blood to the skin, which is good, 
 and cold baths do the same thing for a short time; 
 
Cold Baths. 123 
 
 but the combined effect is bad, just as two good 
 meals, taken together, would be unwholesome. 
 For wearers of ordinary clothing, cold baths are 
 beneficial, when not used in excess and too regu- 
 larly, because the linen or cotton shirt has the bad 
 effect of driving the blood away from the skin. To 
 such persons the cold bath affords an increased cir- 
 culation of blood at the surface, at least for a time. 
 But dry woolen clothing, after a cold bath, causes 
 such a flow of blood to the surface that the supply 
 to the brain and the intestines is impoverished. 
 We here again see that nature's laws must be re- 
 spected. The wearer of Sanatory Woolen Clothing 
 must take pattern by the woolen-coated animal, 
 which does not throw off its clothing, go into cold 
 water, dry itself, and then resume its dry clothing, 
 but goes, coat and all, into the water. The cooling 
 effect of the evaporation set up through the drying 
 of the wet coat on the body counteracts the exces- 
 sive tendency to expansion of the surface blood- 
 vessels ; and it is precisely to this evaporation that 
 is due the lasting refreshing effect of the bath. 
 Let the wearer of Sanatory Woolen Clothing follow 
 this example, and, if he wants to be refreshed, wet 
 his fleece. The body should not be dried, and in 
 warm dry weather the shirt should be dipped in 
 the water, or sponged over, and then the dry over- 
 clothing put on. The effect is most pleasant, af- 
 fording an enjoyment from which the wearer of 
 linen or cotton is debarred, and preventing the lan- 
 guid feeling often experienced after bathing. But 
 here again moderation is a golden rule; as already 
 explained, wool-wearers do not require the cold 
 bath for its stimulating effect; while, as the secre- 
 
124 The Sock or Stocking. 
 
 tions pass freely away in vapor, instead of being 
 turned to water on the skin, the latter remains clean 
 and wholesome. Wool-wearers should therefore 
 study their feelings in the matter, and be guided by 
 them. Summer bathing in the open air, should be 
 on the same plan. The shirt should be kept on, or 
 wetted before it is resumed ; the best bathing cos- 
 tume is a combination-garment of short-sleeved 
 shirt and short drawers, fitting closely, and made 
 for the purpose. The bather simply keeps this on, 
 and, after pressing out the surplus water, draws on 
 his outer clothing. 
 
 The wetting of the underclothing will be found a 
 capital substitute for the refreshment of a bath 
 when such cannot be had. 
 
 To allay uneasiness, I may remark that experi- 
 ence has long shown that pure woolen clothing, 
 when wet, may, without any injury to the body, be 
 allowed to dry on it. A constant proof of this is 
 afforded by the woolen-clothed fisher population on 
 the shores of the Baltic, who are noted for their 
 splendid health. 
 
 THE SOCK OR STOCKING. 
 
 (1881.) 
 
 T HAVE often be.en requested to devote attention 
 to this article of clothing, and I believe that I 
 am now in a position to give full technical direc- 
 tions respecting it. 
 
 I formerly attributed to the faulty construction 
 of the shoe the troubles to which the feet of civil- 
 ized mankind are subject. I therefore devised the 
 Sanatory Woolen shoe, and only required of the 
 
The Sock or Stocking. 125 
 
 sock or stocking that it should be woolen. The 
 low partition which I introduced into my shoe to 
 separate the great toe from that next to it, and to 
 keep the former in its proper position, whereby 
 its powerful and heretofore disused muscle was 
 brought into play in walking, first caused me to 
 examine the subject of the stocking more closely. 
 I remarked that the separation of the flesh of the 
 great toe from that of its neighbor had a very 
 advantageous result. Perfect cleanliness of the 
 feet is most difficult to maintain between the toes, 
 where the two surfaces are pressed together, in- 
 ducing an offensive condition of the skin quite dif- 
 ferent from that of any other part of the foot. 
 
 The freer exhalation secured by the Sanatory 
 shoe had improved the condition of my feet, but 
 the skin between the toes could not be said to be 
 restored to a wholesome state. Between the great 
 toe and its neighbor, however, which were sepa- 
 rated by the little partition referred to above, and 
 by the fold in the stocking which this caused, the 
 cleanliness was perfect. I considered that this 
 must be due to the inside surfaces of the toes no 
 longer being in contact, and I remembered that 
 persons who suffer much with their feet find great 
 relief from wrapping a rag round each toe. I was 
 thus led to design a sock with a separate recepta- 
 cle for each toe as in a glove. 
 
 I have now worn this sock for about three 
 months, and can say that it completely attains its 
 object. The skin between all my toes has become 
 as clean and normal as thai between the fingers of 
 the hand; all matter of offense has departed, and 
 the toes are much more supple. The improvement 
 
1 26 The Nature of Disease. 
 
 is not confined to the toes, but extends to the en- 
 tire sole, particularly to the fore part, where for- 
 merly, if I walked much, I always suffered. Dur- 
 ing my last foot-tour I felt nothing of this, which 
 I attribute to the ventilation channels afforded to 
 the sole by the double layer of wool between each 
 toe. 
 
 I can therefore strongly recommend this form of 
 sock or stocking to every one who is dissatisfied 
 with the condition of the feet. In cases where two 
 or three toes have grown together, a special con- 
 struction of sock is, of course, necessary. There 
 need be no fear of these divided-toe socks neces- 
 sitating unduly broad shoes, if the former be not 
 made too thick. Lastly, there is the objection that 
 it requires more time to draw them on. This is so 
 at first, but practice soon puts that right, and even 
 if an extra minute be consumed, it is not too much 
 to pay for the pleasure of having the skin between 
 the toes as pure and wholesome as that between 
 the fingers. 
 
 THE NATURE OF DISEASE. 
 (1881.) 
 
 TN many cases, of the most various description, 
 the seat of disease will be found in the non- 
 sanitary clothing and bedding rather than in the 
 body of the patient. It is an important fact that 
 not only the so-called infectious diseases, which 
 originate through germs, can be conveyed in the 
 clothing, but also diseases with which germs cer- 
 tainly have nothing to do. 
 
 Clearly, when the seat of the disease is in the 
 
The Nature of Disease. 127 
 
 clothing or bedding, all medical treatment is use- 
 less which is only applied to the body. There are 
 cases which often seem desperate of cure; such as, 
 to name the simplest of them, the numerous nerv- 
 ous complaints, especially of women; the not less 
 numerous diseases of the digestive organs, and 
 chronic catarrh in the breathing passages. The 
 cures which the adoption of the Sanitary Woolen 
 System works in these disorders are sometimes 
 called miraculous; but the only matter for aston- 
 ishment is that these simple diseases have hitherto 
 defied successful treatment. 
 
 A consideration of great practical importance is 
 that the faculty of conveying the whole class of 
 diseases in question extends even to subsidiary ar- 
 ticles of clothing, such as handkerchiefs, chemi- 
 settes, aprons, etc., when the material is of vegeta- 
 ble fiber. 
 
 In assisting my readers to a deeper insight into 
 the nature of these disease-poisons, and to the 
 practicability of their being conveyed through the 
 clothing, I assume their acquaintance with what I 
 have elsewhere pointed out. Vegetable fiber has 
 the faculty of retaining disease-poisons, which, how- 
 ever, do not remain in animal wool. I also assume 
 that my readers remember my distinction between 
 the " noxious," malodorous exhalations of the body 
 which vegetable fibers absorb, and the " salutary," 
 fragrant exhalations which animal wool attracts. 
 
 In order to understand the nature of disease, it 
 will be well to inquire, In what does poison con- 
 sist ? The answer is that every thing, even the salt 
 which we consume daily, and which is an impor- 
 tant constituent of our bodies, can become poison- 
 
128 The Nature of Disease. 
 
 ous. The question whether any substance is a 
 poison or not is simply one of quantity or concen- 
 tration; and the reason why certain substances are 
 especially termed " poison" is that such are poison- 
 ous in very small, while others are only so in very 
 large, quantities. 
 
 Whatever the nature of this poisonous action, 
 the ultimate consequence is, of course, the destruc- 
 tion of life; but the practical question is, how to 
 tell whether a substance, if its action be unim- 
 peded, will destroy life; in other words, What are 
 the first effects of a poison ? 
 
 Science has not completely solved this problem, 
 and only knows the symptoms produced by special 
 poisons, such as arsenic, lead, laudanum, prussic 
 acid, etc., but has no general characterization. 
 
 There have been no means of ascertaining the 
 presence of poison until it has reached a dangerous 
 degree of intensity; and thus the opportunities of 
 studying the symptoms have been exceedingly rare. 
 
 My plan of nerve-measuring supplies such oppor- 
 tunities, so that in the simplest manner and at any 
 time, without incurring danger or needing the help 
 of chemistry, any one may ascertain whether a 
 thing be poisonous or not. 
 
 The final effect of poison is death, t.e., cessation 
 of the voluntary (as well as of involuntary) move- 
 ments. The first effect is the protraction of the 
 voluntary movements. Therefore, in order to know 
 whether any thing is poisonous, it is sufficient to 
 measure the rapidity of the simplest accustomed 
 voluntary movement (for instance, the time re- 
 quired to effect a pressure with the finger several 
 times in succession) at regular intervals of time; 
 
The Nature of Disease. 1 29 
 
 then the odor of the object under examination 
 should be inhaled during ten to fifteen minutes, 
 measuring meanwhile the rapidity of the finger- 
 pressure every ten seconds. If the substance be a 
 poison, the rapidity of the movement, either im- 
 mediately, or after a preliminary increase of short 
 duration, declines with a quickness in proportion 
 to the dangerous nature of the poison. 
 
 When the medical profession have once recog- 
 nized the importance of the discovery, I believe 
 that my method of nerve-measuring will find wide 
 practical use for this purpose. In my own practice 
 it is of inestimable service. 
 
 Now arises another question: 
 
 There is no doubt that wild animals distinguish 
 things which are poisonous from those which are 
 not, without the aid of a nerve-measure. How do 
 they accomplish this ? By smell. Here I must 
 again diverge. 
 
 If from any substance soluble in water or spirits 
 of wine a series of solutions of different degrees of 
 dilution be prepared, the test of the nerve-measure 
 will show that some one of these solutions leaves 
 the rapidity of the finger-measure unaffected. This 
 may be termed an " indifferent " concentration. All 
 more concentrated solutions, in proportion as they 
 are more strongly concentrated, protract the finger- 
 pressure, thus showing a poisonous effect. On the 
 other hand, the more diluted solutions, in propor- 
 tion to their dilution, quicken the finger-pressure; 
 this may be described as an animating effect, which 
 may be enhanced to a remarkable extent by con- 
 tinued diluting. 
 
 If the odor of each of these solutions be inhaled, 
 
1 30 The Nature of Disease. 
 
 that of the "indifferent" concentration will be 
 found effectless one way or the other; the odor 
 of the stronger concentrations, however, will be 
 more or less repulsive, while the odor of the weaker 
 preparations will be pleasant and fresh in propor- 
 tion to the degree to which these are diluted. 
 
 Or another experiment may be tried. If a pleas- 
 ant odor be concentrated, as by filling a room with 
 strongly-scented flowers, before long the perfume 
 will have become repulsive. For this reason, 
 flowers should not be tolerated in bedrooms. The 
 sleeping person not only absorbs the oxygen of the 
 air, but also its odorous elements; and the juices 
 of the body will thus gradually be permeated by 
 flower perfume until a poisonous degree of concen- 
 tration is reached. 
 
 If, on the other hand, a series of solutions of a 
 malodorous substance, of different degrees of con- 
 centration, be prepared, the odor of the strongly 
 concentrated solutions is offensive; then comes the 
 solution of the "indifferent" stage, while the 
 weaker solutions have a pleasant odor, which be- 
 comes finer as they are more diluted. Makers of 
 perfumery are well acquainted with this fact, and 
 manufacture the finest perfumes from most repul- 
 sive material. Again, the odor of a substance may, 
 when first inhaled, be fragrant, and yet be poison- 
 ous for instance, spurge-olive {Daphne mezereum) 
 or prussic acid. The true effect, however, is felt if 
 the inhalation of the odor be continued. Suddenly 
 the fragrant impression is reversed, the odor be- 
 comes repulsive, and we know that the thing is poi- 
 sonous. We need only observe the behavior of ani- 
 mals. If something unknown be thrown to them, 
 
The Nature of Disease. 131 
 
 it is long and thoroughly smelled, exactly as I pro- 
 ceed when testing with my nerve-measure. Only 
 when, after prolonged inhalation, the odor remains 
 pleasant will animals consent to eat unknown 
 things, while, if the odor changes, the thing is re- 
 jected; therefore an animal can only be induced to 
 take poison when this is concealed in something 
 with which it is familiar, and which it therefore 
 considers unnecessary to test; or the poison must 
 be so wrapped up that it cannot be smelled. 
 
 In short, poison is whatever has a repulsive odor, 
 and all volatile matters smell repulsively as soon 
 as, by inhaling them, their concentration in the 
 juices of the body exceeds a certain intensity. 
 
 With these preliminary remarks, I will now ad- 
 dress myself to the solution of the question with 
 which I started. The human body incessantly 
 produces volatile matters odors which may be 
 smelled. These are not of themselves poisons, but 
 normal constituent parts, or products, of the body, 
 which, indeed, when sufficiently diluted, may, from 
 their animating effect, be very useful constituents 
 of the bodily juices. These odors, however, become 
 poisons as soon as the degree of their concentra- 
 tion in the bodily juices exceeds a certain height. 
 Unsanatory clothing and bedding are quite enough 
 to produce this effect, particularly in badly ven- 
 tilated rooms. 
 
 The body continually exhales through the skin 
 and lungs these odorous matters, which are readily 
 absorbed by clothing made from material of vegeta- 
 ble fiber. The astounding quantity of repulsive 
 odor which such clothing will take up may be 
 shown by removing the cotton padding from un- 
 
132 The Nature of Disease. 
 
 der the armpit of a coat which has been long worn, 
 slightly wetting it, and passing a hot iron over it. 
 
 If the odorous matters were firmly fixed in these 
 textures, they would be less dangerous, but every 
 minute increase in temperature, and especially 
 every moistening of the material, causes them to 
 evaporate. 
 
 A portion rises with the warmth of the body and 
 is again inhaled, and another portion mixes with 
 the air under the clothes, interfering with the ex- 
 haling action of the skin. Thus the concentration 
 of these odors in the juices of the body reaches a 
 point at which they are poisonous. 
 
 I must here refer to the tendency of clothes to 
 store up odorous matters. 
 
 If at night water be placed in a dish or bottle in 
 a closed, occupied sleeping-room, the water next 
 morning will taste and smell abominably. The 
 popular explanation, that the water has lost some- 
 thing, is wrong. The water has become perme- 
 ated by the poisonous exhalations in the room. 
 This not only happens to water but also to all vege- 
 table fiber in the room. The linen or cotton shirt 
 lying on a chair near the bed absorbs these odors 
 throughout the night precisely as does the water, 
 and the same thing goes on in the drawers and 
 cupboards in which the so-called clean linen is ly- 
 ing. It is generally thought that when linen has 
 been washed it must be clean ; but scarcely has 
 the linen, by washing and wringing, been made to 
 yield up a part (by no means the whole) of the odors 
 it has absorbed, and is neatly laid away, than it 
 begins again, if placed in an occupied room, to ab- 
 sorb a fresh stock of poison, before it is worn. Let 
 
The Nature of Disease. 1 3 3 
 
 any one who doubts this, take a linen or cotton 
 garment, which, after being washed, has thus been 
 lying by for some time, or a linen or cotton cur- 
 tain with which no one has come in contact; and he 
 will find, if the garment or curtain be wetted and 
 ironed, that an offensive odor will be exhaled from 
 it. The tendency of a substance to become more 
 volatile in proportion to the warmth of the air, and 
 inversely, to be precipitated and to deposit itself 
 somewhere when the atmosphere is colder, is partly 
 the reason why the summer is a healthier season 
 than the winter. In summer the odorous matters 
 are dissipated in the air, where they are destroyed 
 by electricity, or are washed by the rain into the 
 ground, which readily absorbs them, or are con- 
 sumed by the leaves of plants. In winter, on the 
 other hand, these odorous matters sink, especially 
 at night, when the room is cold, like dew, into all 
 materials of vegetable fiber, such as linen or cotton 
 clothing, etc. A shirt which was not so permeated 
 with " noxious" exhalations as to have been unwhole- 
 some when its wearer took it off in the evening, 
 may attain this degree during the night, and when 
 it is afterwards warmed upon the body the mis- 
 chief is let loose. 
 
 Conversely, the bed may, as long as it is occu- 
 pied, be free from the above-named concentration, 
 but the air maybe full of odorous matter, which, if 
 the window be not opened immediately on rising, 
 will sink like unwholesome dew upon the materials 
 of vegetable fiber in the bed, in proportion as the 
 latter cools. When the bed is next warmed by 
 the body of its occupant the mischief is again 
 let loose, 
 
1 34 The Sanatory Woolen Bed. 
 
 I would ask my German lady readers what they 
 suppose happens when the beds are placed, during 
 summer, in the sun, as is the practice in Germany. 
 If they do not know, I beg of them to use their 
 noses, and they will find that the doubtful if not 
 offensive smelling bedding has acquired in the 
 sunshine a fresh, pleasant smell, and the next 
 night's sleep is most refreshing. The sun, by ex- 
 pelling part of the odorous matter, has converted 
 or diluted the poisonous degree of concentration 
 into a degree that is not poisonous, and the efflu- 
 via into fragrancy; but the pleasure is of short 
 duration, as the old degree of concentration is soon 
 reached again. In summer this does not matter so 
 much the bedding can be again placed in the sun 
 but in winter this is impracticable. Thus, in 
 winter, when the sparrow on the roof is as healthy 
 as in summer, so many human beings, however 
 cleanly, are, through the evil emanations from 
 their beds, chilly, sickly, troubled with cough, 
 headache, vapors, palpitation of the heart, rheuma- 
 tism, and, perhaps, worse complaints still; out of 
 humor, poisoned, and poisonous. The simple 
 remedy is to throw away sheets, quilts, counter- 
 panes, etc., to sleep in and on pure wool only, and 
 to ventilate the room by opening the window be- 
 fore going to bed. 
 
 THE SANATORY WOOLEN BED. 
 
 (1882.) 
 
 Sanitary Woolen System requires that the 
 materials of the bedding and clothing shall 
 consist of animal fibers only. As regards the stuff- 
 
The Sanatory Woolen Bed. 135 
 
 ing of mattresses and pillows, feathers are good 
 anpl sanitary, but are only admissible in pillows, 
 and even these are too soft, and too apt to work 
 through the felt covering. For the stuffing of 
 mattresses, only two materials are permissible 
 horsehair and wool. 
 
 The horsehair of commerce is assumed to be 
 animal fiber, but considerable deception on this 
 point is practiced by unprincipled dealers. These 
 pay, perhaps, 35. per Ib. for horsehair, and probably 
 not less for oxen and cow hair, which would do 
 equally well. When, therefore, professedly horse- 
 hair mattresses, weighing 25 Ibs., are sold at from 
 755. to 905., how can the contents be pure animal 
 hair? Where would be the profits of the dealer 
 and the manufacturer ? There are various vegeta- 
 ble substitutes which so resemble horsehair that 
 they can only be distinguished from it by the clos- 
 est examination for instance, the so-called shadow- 
 grass; and unadulterated horsehair is nowadays 
 even more rare than unadulterated wine. This un- 
 certainty, and the much higher price of horsehair, 
 led to the selection of wool as the material for 
 stuffing the Sanatory mattress. 
 
 Here, however, other obstacles arose. Only car- 
 bonized wool i.e., wool from which all admix- 
 ture of vegetable fiber has been chemically sep- 
 arated and destroyed can be relied on as pure. 
 Even among the raw material are scattered bits of 
 straw, and hay, and burrs. But mattresses stuffed 
 with carbonized or raw wool would not be suffi- 
 ciently elastic, and would become, after short use, 
 as hard as boards. 
 
 The present manufacturer of the Sanatory Wool- 
 
136 The Sanatory Woolen Bed. 
 
 en bedding had, however, been accustomed to 
 furnish wool-stuffed mattresses, although inclosed 
 in a linen ticking, as completely and lastingly 
 elastic as the best horsehair mattresses. This 
 stuffing was provided from tailors' clippings (there- 
 fore, of unworn clean material), coarsely shredded. 
 By forming this material into balls, which are 
 placed close together and surrounded by carbon- 
 ized wool, an excellent elastic stuffing is obtained. 
 Until I entered into relations with this manufac- 
 turer, tailors* clippings of mixed materials, as well 
 as those of all wool, were used indiscriminately to 
 stuff mattresses. At that time I had a clear per- 
 ception of the sanatory effects of wool, but I was 
 not so well acquainted with the unsanatory nature 
 of linen. I knew the benefits of wool, but had not 
 fathomed the pernicious qualities of vegetable 
 fiber. I considered it sufficient if (i) the cover- 
 ings, (2) the mattress ticking, (3) the upper layer 
 of mattress stuffing, were of pure wool, and I saw 
 no disadvantage in vegetable fiber being mingled 
 with the innermost stuffing of the mattress. 
 
 As soon, however, as I obtained the necessary 
 insight into the injurious influence of vegetable 
 fiber, even when not actually in contact with the 
 body, I required that such of the tailors' clippings 
 as were not of pure wool should be carefully sorted 
 out. To this the manufacturer agreed, premising, 
 however, that it was impossible absolutely to in- 
 sure that no clipping adulterated with cotton, or 
 with tailors' thread sewed in it, would escape the 
 attention of the sorters. These clippings cannot 
 be carbonized, as the process is only practicable 
 with half- woolen material, in which one thread is 
 
The Platinum Lamp Deodorizer. 137 
 
 all wool and the other all cotton ; the destruction 
 of the latter by carbonization leaves only the sepa- 
 rate woolen threads, which easily dry. But when 
 cotton is mixed with each thread of the material, 
 carbonization does not cause the web to fall to 
 pieces, and the consequent difficulty of drying the 
 material makes the process too costly and trouble- 
 some. The absolute purity of the stuffing of the 
 pillows is even more important than that of the 
 mattresses, and it is hoped that this at least can be 
 secured. 
 
 In view of the difficulty of procuring pure wool- 
 en stuffing material, I suggest that worn-out pure 
 woolen clothing should be washed in water, pulled 
 to pieces, and preserved in linen bags (for fear of 
 moth) until sufficient has accumulated to stuff a 
 pillow or a mattress. This material has the addi- 
 tional advantage of being permeated by the " salu- 
 tary" principle which I have elsewhere described 
 as the body's inherent medicine ; and worn-out 
 pure woolen clothing is therefore especially suita- 
 ble and wholesome when thus used as stuffing for 
 the mattresses and pillows of its former wearers. 
 
 THE PLATINUM LAMP DEODORIZER. 
 
 (1882.) 
 
 T HAVE long felt that the difficulty of properly 
 ventilating living rooms in winter constitutes a 
 principal obstacle to the practical carrying-out of 
 my system, which, in addition to its title of " Sani- 
 tary Woolen," may be termed a "Pure Air," or 
 "Anti-offensive Odors System." I was therefore 
 anxious for the experience of the past winter, as, 
 10 
 
138 The Platinum Lamp Deodorizer. 
 
 hitherto, at that season, the confinement indoors 
 had invariably led to my being troubled with a 
 cough, although every year in a lesser degree since 
 I adopted the Sanitary Woolen System. This win- 
 ter the cough made no sign until Christmas Eve, 
 when I read aloud to my family uninterruptedly 
 for nearly three hours, from a new book. Towards 
 the end of the reading I became hoarse, and the 
 next morning the old trouble in the throat had re- 
 appeared. There would be nothing very remark- 
 able in my having become hoarse after reading 
 aloud for three hours, but for my experience of a 
 fortnight previously, when I had lectured on two 
 consecutive days, at Mlilhausen and Basel, respect- 
 ing the Sanitary Woolen System. On the first day 
 the conversation, lecture, and discussion lasted 
 almost without interruption from 2 P.M. to 3 A.M., or 
 thirteen hours; on the second day, from n A.M. to 
 i A.M., or fourteen hours; yet I was in no way ren- 
 dered hoarse by these exertions. It was therefore 
 clear that there must be some other cause for the 
 hoarseness on Christmas Eve than the mere me- 
 chanical exertion of the organs of speech. When I 
 referred to the circumstance the next day, my 
 ' daughter, who attends a weekly meeting for the 
 purpose of reading aloud, remarked that hoarse- 
 ness sets in much sooner in reading aloud than in 
 ordinary speaking, and she attributed this to the 
 smell of the paper. This observation served to ex- 
 plain to me the sudden affection of my throat, and 
 to afford another confirmation of the injurious 
 effects of vegetable fibers on the health. I was 
 thus led to consider in what manner I could im- 
 prove the unwholesome atmosphere engendered by 
 
The Platinum Lamp Deodorizer. 139 
 
 the mass of papers and books with which my study 
 is crowded; and my glance fell on a small object 
 which had stood in my room unused for nearly 
 two years the spirit lamp, with platinum spiral, 
 constructed by the well-known DOBEREINER. 
 
 The lamp was recommended to me some time 
 ago as a contrivance for sustaining the diffusion of 
 perfumes in the atmosphere of rooms, and I in- 
 tended when I purchased it that it should diffuse 
 odors by which I might illustrate my lectures, but 
 I never happened to make the experiment. I now, 
 however, determined to use the lamp in order to 
 disperse about the room that admirable agent for 
 destroying odors ozogen and the result quite 
 exceeded my expectations. 
 
 The instrument in question is an ordinary glass 
 spirit lamp, with a spiral-shaped thread of plati- 
 num encircling the upper end of the wick. When 
 the lamp is lighted it burns with a flame, but as 
 soon as the platinum spiral glows and the metal 
 holder of the wick is sufficiently warm, the flame 
 will either expire, or, if this be delayed too long, 
 may be extinguished by rapidly popping the glass 
 cover on and off again, when the platinum spiral 
 will remain in a glow until all the spirit in the 
 lamp has evaporated, for platinum has the remark- 
 able faculty of continuing to glow in warm spirit- 
 vapor. 
 
 The practical effect of this is, that as the air imme- 
 diately surrounding the spiral becomes heated it 
 rises, and is replaced by air drawn in from all 
 sides under the glowing spiral, through which it 
 is compelled to pass, causing all combustible mat- 
 ter contained in the air to be consumed. If half a 
 
140 The Platinum Lamp Deodorizer. 
 
 dozen smokers were to endeavor to fill with tobacco 
 smoke an ordinary-sized room in which such a 
 lamp is burning, they would not succeed. The 
 fumes would be constantly drawn through the 
 lamp and consumed. The same thing happens 
 to all odorous matters in the atmosphere of the 
 room. If the platinum lamp be lighted in a room 
 after dinner, however strongly the atmosphere may 
 have been charged with odors, in a few minutes all 
 trace of them will have vanished. 
 
 This effect of the lamp in purifying the air was 
 already known to others, and was, therefore, not 
 discovered by me. What I did discover is, that if 
 a small quantity of ozogen be mixed with the spirit, 
 this is not at once consumed, but continuously 
 mingles with the atmosphere in very fine propor- 
 tions. Its action is then twofold : it destroys all 
 offensive smells in the atmosphere ; and it is in- 
 haled into the body, where it develops this deodor* 
 izing faculty in an extraordinary manner. 
 
 Quoting my own experience as a guide for others, 
 I may state that I was formerly greatly troubled 
 with indigestion. Under the Sanitary Woolen Sys- 
 tem the daily recurrence of flatulence and heartburn 
 had nearly ceased, but they were occasionally still 
 felt, especially in winter, although in a much milder 
 form. My suffering from wind in the intestines 
 had not, however, undergone so radical a change ; 
 I was much less troubled, but still it made itself 
 felt daily. In the last seven weeks, during which 
 I have allowed the platinum lamp to burn in my 
 study and sitting-room throughout each day, a very 
 great alteration has taken place. Of flatulence and 
 heartburn there has not been the least trace, while 
 
The Platinum Lamp Deodorizer. 141 
 
 the trouble from wind has been reduced to a van- 
 ishing point. 
 
 The deodorizing influence of the platinum lamp 
 has extended to the evacuations, which are much 
 less offensive, and have been delayed for several 
 hours without any detrimental effect. This last 
 circumstance is strong evidence of the correctness 
 of my doctrine of the ordinary sensations that 
 they are all, without exception, produced by odor- 
 ous matters. The necessity in question is locally 
 felt, just as is the opposite sensation of hunger, but 
 is actually due to the odorous emanations from the 
 digested food having reached a certain concentra- 
 tion in the body. The subsequent relief is not 
 merely mechanical, but is caused by the removal 
 of these " noxious" emanations, with their depress- 
 ing and disabling influence on the whole system. 
 This concentration is retarded by the deodorizing 
 effect of the ozogen dispersed by the platinum 
 lamp. It is a common experience that in traveling, 
 and generally with change of air, the necessity 
 above referred to is absent, even for days; the rea- 
 son being that the impulse given by the unaccus- 
 tomed air to the exhalation of the skin prevents 
 the required concentration of odorous matter. 
 
 If we consider the great influence, on the health, 
 of the gases which accumulate in the intestines, 
 and which must be abnormal, inasmuch as healthy 
 wild animals are free from them, the experience 
 described above is highly significant. 
 
 The lamp, however, has one objection, which 
 should not be too lightly estimated. When I com- 
 menced to burn it I was warned that minute quan- 
 tities of platinum would evaporate, and induce 
 
142 The Platinum Lamp Deodorizer. 
 
 * 
 
 headache. This result at length made itself felt 
 after the lamp had been burning for several weeks, 
 and its use had to be discontinued for some days, 
 until the headache disappeared. This places a 
 restriction on the use of the lamp. Some persons 
 will not be able to endure it very long, while those 
 who are less sensitive should only employ it when 
 ordinary means of ventilation are not forthcoming, 
 and even then not for too lengthy a period, extin- 
 guishing the lamp as soon as the head is in any 
 way affected. 
 
 While I was quite unprepared to find that the 
 platinum lamp would accomplish all that I have 
 described, I was also struck with what it failed to 
 accomplish. I had hoped that its effect on the 
 atmosphere of the rooms would have removed the 
 disturbance in my throat, but such was not the case. 
 The complaint certainly assumed so mild a form 
 that I was able, on the occasion of a lecture which 
 I gave at Basel, to speak for twenty-eight out of 
 the sixty hours of my entire absence from home, 
 twenty-four hours being spent on the railway, 
 and five in sleep ; yet my throat was rather 
 better than worse afterwards, but became more 
 hoarse a week later, when I lectured and spoke for 
 a period of seven hours. It improved, however, 
 when the barometer fell, and there was more stir 
 in the outside atmosphere, to the stagnation in 
 which the affection in the throat was due, and not 
 to the air in the rooms, which had been purified 
 and deodorized by the platinum lamp and ozogen. 
 
 I recommend the use of the lamp in badly ven- 
 tilated rooms, such as workrooms, offices, school- 
 rooms, and in cases where, out of consideration for 
 
The Platinum Lamp Deodorizer. 143 
 
 others, the ventilation is insufficient. Persons who 
 believe that they cannot sleep with the window 
 open, whether on account of cold, or of chronic ill- 
 ness, or because of the vicinity of some evil-smell- 
 ing locality, should deodorize the atmosphere of 
 their rooms with this lamp, bearing in mind that 
 when it is allowed to burn too long in a room of 
 moderate dimensions it may induce headache. 
 Lastly, all sufferers from the disorders which I have 
 indicated as arising during the period of digestion 
 will find great relief by burning the lamp. 
 
 DIRECTIONS FOR USE OF THE PLATINUM LAMP. 
 
 The spirits of wine must have a strength of 96 
 " Tralles/' or the platinum spiral will not glow, 
 and must be perfectly free from fusel-oil, which is 
 otherwise diffused in the atmosphere of the room. 
 Many disappointments have been caused by using 
 too weak spirit. 
 
 Before lighting a wick for the first time, both 
 wick and spiral should be well sprinkled with spirit, 
 and the circular rim of the metal wick-holder 
 should be filled. The flame should burn three or 
 four minutes, or half that time for a wick already 
 in use, in order to draw up sufficient spirit into the 
 wick to keep the platinum glowing. When the 
 flame has burned sufficiently long, the glass cover 
 should be popped quickly on and off again, extin- 
 guishing the flame, when the platinum spiral will 
 continue to glow until the supply of spirit is con- 
 sumed. 
 
 Great care should be taken that the wick does 
 not touch the spiral at any point. The spirals of 
 the latter must not be too close, or ashes and dirt 
 
144 The Platinum Lamp Deodorizer. 
 
 (taken from the air) will accumulate, preventing 
 the passage of air. When the platinum is glowing, 
 the distances between the spirals may easily be 
 adjusted, if necessary, with the help of a needle. 
 
 By pushing the wick up or down, more or less* of 
 the spirals can be made to glow, but three or four 
 are sufficient. 
 
 The lamp should be protected from draught, but 
 if a light current of air causes the flame to revive, 
 the spirals are too far apart, and should be gently 
 compressed downwards. 
 
 To extinguish the glow, the glass cover is placed 
 over it, and should be left until the lamp is again 
 required, as otherwise the spirit will evaporate. 
 
 The lamp should not be allowed to continue to 
 glow until all the spirit is consumed, or the wick 
 will char. If this happen, the charred portion 
 must be removed, and the wick tied round with 
 thin thread, and trimmed with scissors, so that it 
 may be isolated from the platinum. 
 
 A few drops of eau de Cologne or other perfume 
 added to the spirit will be continuously imparted 
 to the atmosphere. The important deodorizing 
 effect of mixing ozogen with the spirit has already 
 been explained. The usual proportion of ozogen 
 to one filling of the lamp is 15 to 20 drops, but 
 varies according to the size of the room and the 
 number of persons in it. For very large rooms and 
 theaters, two or more lamps are necessary. 
 
 If the spiral be so dirty as to interfere with its 
 glowing, it may be removed, carefully rolled into a 
 coil, and polished bright; it should then be re- 
 twisted on the glass tube furnished for the purpose 
 into a spiral shape, and applied once or twice round 
 
Writers Cramp. 145 
 
 the bottom end of the wick-holder, to which it will 
 then cling. 
 
 WRITERS' CRAMP. 
 (1882.) 
 
 A FRIEND, who is over 60 years of age, and who 
 has not yet adopted the Sanitary Woolen Sys- 
 tem in its entirety, writes to me: "Your account 
 of the effect on your throat of the smell of the 
 paper from which you were reading aloud, set me 
 thinking, as I write daily for several hours, and have 
 always much occupied myself with paper. You may 
 perhaps remember that I have complained to you 
 respecting cold in the hands, especially in the fin- 
 gers. Particularly when writing, even in a warm 
 room, the cold seemed to penetrate to the bone. 
 My attention having been aroused by your remarks 
 respecting paper, I laid a piece of woolen cloth on 
 my writing paper, so that the latter no longer came 
 into direct contact with the fingers. I immediately 
 experienced a remarkable improvement, and now, 
 after trying this device for several weeks, I am 
 completely freed from the inconvenience referred 
 to." 
 
 This communication led me to suggest that the 
 exceedingly troublesome complaint of writers' 
 cramp, by which many have been deprived of the 
 means of earning their living, and with which med- 
 ical science has hitherto found it so difficult to deal, 
 is due to the influence of the vegetable fiber of 
 paper, and may be cured by the use of a strip of 
 woolen material under the hand. The accuracy of 
 this conjecture has been strikingly confirmed by 
 
146 The Sanitary Effects of Colors or Dyes. 
 
 the well-known scholar and author, FR. v. HELL- 
 WALD, who informs me that he has acted on my 
 suggestion, and has since been entirely free from 
 writers' cramp. Others have written me to a sim- 
 ilar effect, 
 
 THE SANITARY EFFECTS OF COLORS OR 
 DYES. I. 
 
 (1882.) 
 
 ^PHE difficulties which surround the investiga- 
 tion of this subject, whether from a scientific 
 or a practical point of view, are considerable. In 
 the first place, many different chemical substances 
 and combinations of substances have to be taken 
 into account ; secondly, the matter is embarrassed 
 by the inability to ascertain with what dye a ma- 
 terial has been treated; for, in the division of labor 
 involved in the production, the material may have 
 passed through several hands after it has left the 
 dyer, who, moreover, often regards his method of 
 procedure as a business secret. Notwithstanding 
 these obstacles, I have arrived at a point where I 
 can lay down certain principles, accompanied by 
 the needful explanation ; and I can do this the 
 more easily because there is a remarkable analogy 
 between these principles and those on which the 
 Sanitary Woolen System is based. Although in 
 the essay on " The Nature of Disease" I have 
 already stated the following fundamental truths, 
 they cannot be too deeply inculcated, and I there- 
 fore recapitulate them. 
 
 If a strongly concentrated odor be inhaled, or a 
 strongly concentrated fluid be swallowed, the smell 
 
The Sanitary Effects of Colors or Dyes. 147 
 
 or taste is repulsive; the rapidity of the voluntary 
 movements, as measured by the stop-watch (see 
 page 7), is retarded; the limbs feel heavy, as if 
 fatigued; the breathing is more difficult, particu- 
 larly when an odor is inhaled; the flesh becomes 
 soft; the body is distended; the heart beats more 
 quickly and less regularly; the mood is depressed. 
 In other words, such concentrated matters induce 
 feelings of weariness, weakness, languor, and de- 
 pression; and if the degree of concentration be in- 
 tensified to a certain point, death will result. 
 
 Rarefied or diluted matters have a pleasant smell 
 or taste, and are appropriately termed " fine." The 
 rapidity of the voluntary movements when meas- 
 ured, as before stated, is enhanced; there is a sense 
 of lightness and vigor in the limbs; the breathing 
 is easy; the heart beats strongly but slowly; the 
 mood is cheerful; in short, they have a cheering, 
 freshening, invigorating, and wholesome effect. 
 Rarefied or diluted matters are therefore conducive 
 to health and life, while concentrated matters en- 
 gender illness and are poisonous. 
 
 On these fundamental facts are based the follow- 
 ing principles respecting the sanitary importance 
 of colors : It is well known that dark are less 
 healthy than light colors. Coloring matter in a 
 concentrated condition is dark, and, in a rarefied 
 condition, light. When evaporation from coloring 
 matter is inhaled, the odor from the dark color is 
 concentrated, and from the light color is rarefied. 
 The distinction is especially noticeable in summer, 
 because, in the sun, dark colors absorb more heat, 
 and therefore evaporate more freely than light 
 colors. This explains why darkly dyed clothing is 
 
148 The Sanitary Effects of Colors or Dyes. 
 
 particularly disagreeable in summer, rendering the 
 atmosphere hot, oppressive, and exhausting. 
 
 It is clear from the foregoing that the greater or 
 less readiness with which a coloring matter evapo- 
 rates constitutes an important difference. From 
 this, two deductions may be made. 
 
 1. Natural colors are preferable to artificial. 
 Whenever natural coloring matter is present in hair 
 or wool it is not situated on the surface; either the 
 inner pith of the hair is colored, or, when the outer 
 stratum of the hair, which consists of numerous 
 very minute spindle-shaped cells, is colored, the 
 coloring matter is found in the center of each cell, 
 while the rind of the cell is colorless. This may 
 be verified by examining through the microscope 
 black horsehair resolved by sulphuric acid into 
 separate cells. With dyed hair the coloring matter 
 is at best equally distributed in the hair, and will 
 clearly evaporate more easily than natural coloring 
 matter, as it lies partly on the surface, while the 
 latter is completely inclosed. 
 
 2. " Fast " dyes f.e. 9 those which do not fade 
 are more wholesome than dyes which fade readily. 
 The fading is generally, although not always, 
 caused by evaporation. A dye which fades rapidly, 
 therefore, gives off a concentrated vapor, and is 
 thus injurious. A dye which fades or evaporates 
 little, gives off a rarefied vapor, and is therefore 
 wholesome. Whether a color will fade quickly or 
 slowly will depend partly upon the volatility of the 
 coloring matter, as also on whether the latter sim- 
 ply rests upon the fiber or saturates it. The fore- 
 going explains the important difference between 
 indigo-black and other black dyes; the former, as 
 
The Sanitary Effects of Colors or Dyes. 149 
 
 a much " faster" dye, is considerably less injurious 
 than the rapidly fading logwood dyes. Among the 
 lighter coloring matters, cochineal is notoriously 
 the "fastest," and accordingly it is wholesome. 
 
 Of the foregoing propositions the leading one is 
 sustained by the following circumstance. Coloring 
 matters not only affect the health directly through 
 their own nature, but also by their relation to the 
 exhalations of the body. Such coloring matters as 
 attract the " noxious " exhalations are inferior to 
 those which attract the "salutary" exhalations. 
 
 The precise quantity of odorous matter which a 
 solid body (in this case a coloring matter) attracts, 
 depends, when other conditions are equal, on its 
 own bulk; in other words, on the degree of its con- 
 centration : a concentrated i.e., dark coloring 
 matter attracts more odorous matter (because it 
 represents a greater bulk) than will the same color- 
 ing matter when rarefied t.e., in a lighter shade. 
 Another firmly established fact is, that all matter, 
 when concentrated to a certain point, becomes in- 
 jurious, some reaching this point sooner, and some 
 later. The difference between the " salutary " and 
 " noxious" matters of the exhalations of the body 
 is merely that the former require a higher, and the 
 latter a lower, degree of concentration to become 
 injurious. Hence it follows that whether a color- 
 ing matter attracts in preference the " salutary" or 
 the " noxious " matters, it will be more wholesome 
 in accordance with the smallness of the quantity of 
 odor which it takes up; and this again depends 
 upon its own degree of concentration that is to 
 say, upon its being employed to produce a light or 
 
1 50 The Sanitary Effects of Colors or Dyes. 
 
 a dark dye. Thus light colors are directly and in- 
 directly more wholesome than dark colors. 
 
 I am certain that readers who have been in the 
 habit of observing for themselves and of reflecting 
 on this subject will be able to supply confirmation 
 of what I have stated. For instance, black clothes 
 are less comfortable than light-colored clothes, and 
 have a more disagreeable odor. 
 
 The effect on the nerves of various colored cloth- 
 ing was strikingly confirmed by numerous nerve- 
 measurements, which I made on several days in 
 succession between 8 and 9 a.m. I wore the same 
 underclothing in each case. 
 
 In a brown suit the average interval of time, on 
 ten occasions, required for the finger to stop the 
 watch was T f$o" parts of a second; in an almost 
 black indigo-dyed suit the average on eight occa- 
 sions was T VVV > * n a logwood-dyed black suit the 
 average on twenty occasions was T VVo- Thus the 
 indigo suit was 25 per cent, and the logwood suit 
 80 per cent, worse than the brown, indigo being, 
 however, 55 percent better than logwood. Further 
 observations which I made as to the effect of colors 
 on the powers of physical endurance confirmed the 
 foregoing. I tested my running powers in three 
 different suits of clothing, and found that in the 
 brown suit, which I tried ten times, the minimum 
 distance was 800 metres and the maximum 2400 
 metres. On the three occasions on which I tested 
 the indigo suit I could proceed no further than 800 
 metres, and in the logwood suit I was completely 
 exhausted at 500 metres. These experiments were 
 not repeated sufficiently often to allow of precise 
 comparison; but they so completely harmonized 
 
The Sanitary Effects of Colors or Dyes. 1 5 1 
 
 with the results of the nerve-measurements that 
 they will assist my readers to understand why I 
 attach so much importance to the color of the 
 clothing. 
 
 
 
 THE SANITARY EFFECTS OF COLORS OR 
 DYES. II. 
 
 (1882.) 
 
 ^PO the proper understanding of this subject, it is 
 necessary to bear constantly in mind that each 
 person has an individual constitution, and that con- 
 sequently all people are not affected alike by one 
 and the same substance or matter. 
 
 This may be illustrated by the well-known differ- 
 ence of taste which prevails respecting even those 
 foods which would be expected to please and suit 
 everybody, as, for instance, milk. Many thoroughly 
 healthly people cannot endure milk; in nearly every 
 large household will be found at least one person 
 who not only dislikes milk, but whom it affects 
 wiUi stomach-ache and diarrhoea. Others, again, 
 who are fond of cow's milk have an insuperable 
 aversion to the milk of goats or asses. 
 
 This like or dislike for certain foods is apt to 
 take an extreme form that is to say, one class of 
 people will be exceedingly fond of them, while the 
 other will be equally averse to them; I* refer to 
 mutton, onions, garlic, cheese, craw-fish, straw- 
 berries, etc. The two latter delicacies have the 
 reputation of producing, in certain constitutions, 
 eruptions of the skin, inflammation of the throat, and 
 similar disorders. I myself suffer from inflammation 
 of the throat if I eat strawberries; and this idiosyn- 
 
152 The Sanitary Effects of Colors or Dyes. 
 
 crasy began with the setting-in of puberty, and 
 therefore with a so-called change in the constitu- 
 tion. 
 
 The differences in constitutions are also the 
 stumblmg-block in the medical treatment of sick 
 persons: a medicine which has done good service 
 in ten cases may possibly in the eleventh not only 
 fail, but do positive harm, and doubtless many per- 
 sons have been thus unconsciously poisoned by the 
 medicines administered to them. This considera- 
 tion has brought treatment with medicines, espe- 
 cially in big, so-called allopathic doses, into such 
 discredit, not only with the public, but also with 
 the medical profession itself, that the modern allo- 
 paths are very reluctant to prescribe medicines. 
 The ill-effects of large doses have given rise to hom- 
 oeopathy, or the system of minute doses, whereby 
 the danger of causing injury through a wrong 
 remedy is greatly diminished. But the diversities 
 of constitution, which again constantly vary, even in 
 one and the same person, according to the disposi- 
 tion, genius epidemicus, etc., also form the main diffi- 
 culty in homoeopathy, which fails to cure if the rem- 
 edy applied be " individually" wrong. 
 
 Returning to the question of colors, the diversity 
 of taste in the choice of the colors of clothing is 
 sufficient to show that not every color affects all 
 persons 'alike. Certainly, inasmuch as science 
 ignores in what instinct and feeling really consist, 
 the eye alone is assumed to be responsible for the 
 diversity of taste in the matter of colors. This as- 
 sumption, however, is shown to be incorrect by the 
 actual discomfort, or, at least, diminution in comfort 
 which most people feel in black clothing; further, 
 
The Sanitary Effects of Colors or Dyes. 153 
 
 cases may be cited which arise from time to time, 
 especially since the introduction of aniline dyes, of 
 severe poisonous effects produced by the dyes of 
 articles of clothing. 
 
 That I am able to throw new light on this subject 
 is partly due to my discovery in the " neural-analy- 
 sis" * of a method of testing the noxious or salu- 
 tary quality of any given object, by accurately 
 measuring the effect of the inhalation of its odor in 
 retarding or accelerating the rapidity of the nervous 
 action; but I have also derived information on the 
 subject from experiences which have been gathered 
 in connection with the Sanitary Woolen System. 
 
 When a white linen shirt is worn between the 
 almost universally dyed outerclothing and the body, 
 the action of the dye on the health cannot be so 
 powerful as when the underclothing is dyed, which 
 is very commonly the case with woolen shirts and 
 vests. Moreover, the Sanitary Woolen System 
 causes the skin to develop much greater activity, 
 and therefore to be much warmer than in the case 
 of a wearer of linen; and it is the warmth of the 
 skin which brings into action the dye of the woolen 
 shirt .1 will here mention two cases which have 
 come under my observation respecting dyes hitherto 
 considered harmless logwood and cochineal. 
 
 A lady writes to me that on October 16 she put 
 on a gray " combination" garment before going to 
 bed, and awoke after an interval of one hour with 
 strong feverish symptoms, and with such pains, 
 especially in the region of the stomach, that she 
 thought she must have unwittingly taken poison. 
 
 * See page 7, 
 ii 
 
154 The Sanitary Effects of Colors or Dyes. 
 
 This condition lasted -until the morning of October 
 18, when it occurred to my correspondent that the 
 cause might lie in the garment, which she accord- 
 ingly changed, when the relief was extreme and the 
 fever and the pains subsided. I found that the 
 garment, which was forwarded to me for examina- 
 tion, was dyed with logwood; and on applying the 
 " neural-analysis" test, I found that its effect on 
 the nervous action was a retardation of 34 per 
 cent. 
 
 The first insight into this subject which I ob- 
 tained from personal observation was when I lately 
 had occasion to wear mourning. Under my black 
 clothes I wore a cochineal-dyed shirt. About this 
 time an Italian physician had remarked to me that 
 the Savoyards wear wool almost exclusively (as, 
 indeed, is the common practice throughout Italy), 
 but that they suffer much from ischias (pain in the 
 hips). Not long afterwards, I felt occasional draw- 
 ing and burning pains in the neighborhood of the 
 hips and loins, and I was reminded of the foregoing 
 remark, which I admit caused me considerable 
 alarm. I found, however, as I went on, that at 
 night I was free from the pain, which made itself 
 most felt in a sitting posture, when the trousers 
 were drawn tighter, causing a sensation of numb- 
 ness or loss of feeling over the entire region, and 
 of uncomfortable heat. A rapid walk on a warm 
 spring day solved the problem over which I had 
 for some time puzzled in vain. The exercise in- 
 duced perspiration, and this was followed by a 
 sensation as though I had a mustard plaster ap- 
 plied to the region of the hips and loins. It then 
 first occurred to me that the black trousers might 
 
The Sanitary Effects of Colors or Dyes. 155 - 
 
 be the cause of the annoyance, which, indeed, rap- 
 idly subsided on my changing the trousers for a 
 brown pair. In this case the "neural-analysis" of 
 the cause of offense showed the nervous action to 
 be retarded 75 per cent. 
 
 In another instance, a friend reported to me that 
 a numbness or loss of feeling in the skin of the 
 chest had caused him serious alarm, until he found 
 that feeling was restored on his ceasing to wear 
 the gray woolen shirt, which, like my black trou- 
 sers, had been dyed with logwood. 
 
 An interesting commentary on the effect of log- 
 wood was supplied to me by a hat manufacturer, 
 to whom I related the foregoing incidents, and who 
 remarked that the effect of logwood in depriving 
 the skin of the sense of feeling was well known in 
 the trade. As a practical illustration he pressed 
 the burning end of his cigar in the hollow of his 
 hand until the odor of scorching skin was percepti- 
 ble without any sign of pain. 
 
 As regards the effect of cochineal on certain con- 
 stitutions, I have heard of several cases in which 
 the wearers of shirts thus dyed have suffered from 
 rheumatic and other pains, which have disappeared 
 on the shirts ceasing to be worn. Cochineal dye 
 may be compared, from a sanitary point of view, 
 with craw-fish or strawberries ; to some constitu- 
 tions it is agreeable, while on others its effect is 
 poisonous. The proverb says, " What is one man's 
 meat is another man's poison/' 
 
156 The Sanitary Effects of Colors or Dyes. 
 
 THE SANITARY EFFECTS OF COLORS 
 OR DYES. III. 
 
 (1883.) 
 
 A MONG the researches into the effects of color- 
 ing matters on the health, a leading place must 
 be accorded to those instituted by the homoeopathic 
 body, whose inquiries, however, have not been 
 directed to the action set up by the dyes in cloth- 
 ing, but by colors taken internally in the form of 
 medicines. For the instruction of those of my 
 readers who are unacquainted with the homoeo- 
 pathic doctrine, I append the following information. 
 
 Every substance, when swallowed in sufficient 
 quantity, engenders phenomena of illness, or, in 
 fact, of poisoning, which are peculiar to each special 
 substance, and consist of a certain combination of 
 symptoms. 
 
 Homoeopathy teaches that, if a disease be indi- 
 cated by a complication of symptoms similar to 
 those which are induced by swallowing a large 
 dose of a medicinal substance, a homoeopathic dilu- 
 tion of the latter is the proper remedy. It is neces- 
 sary to the comprehension of this question, that 
 regard should be paid to what I have previously 
 written on the subject, especially where I have 
 pointed out (on page 127) that the action on 
 the body of any substance which is swallowed or 
 inhaled is of two entirely opposite natures : in a 
 large, or poisonous quantity, it disables, and causes 
 illness ; conversely, in small, so-called homoeopathic 
 
The Sanitary Effects of Colors or Dyes. 157* 
 
 doses, it animates, arouses, and exerts a healing 
 influence. 
 
 In treating of the action of dyes in the clothing, 
 the foregoing consideration is of the highest im- 
 portance ; if the dye is fixed so fast in the clothing 
 that even when the body is heated, only minute 
 i.e., homoeopathic quantities mingle with the at- 
 mosphere of the clothes, and thence with the at- 
 mosphere which is breathed, their effect is, as a 
 rule, that of the homoeopathic dose, and is then 
 favorable, provided that there be no special indi- 
 vidual antipathy (or so-called idiosyncrasy) to the 
 substance in question. If, however, the dye adheres 
 loosely, or is " spurious" />., readily fades ; or 
 if, when the dye is genuine and " fast," there is, in 
 consequence of insufficient rinsing after the dyeing 
 process, a surplus of loose coloring matter (percep- 
 tible by its rubbing off), the poisonous, deleterious 
 effect will be apparent. 
 
 A further consideration is, that the evaporation 
 of dye from the clothes is largely dependent on the 
 temperature and humidity of the atmosphere, being 
 less under conditions of cold and dryness, and 
 greater under those of warmth and moisture. Thus 
 the effect of a dyed garment in winter, or in dry 
 weather, or when the body is in repose and the skin 
 is cool, may be neutral, or even agreeable ; while 
 in summer, in hot rooms, or when the body is 
 heated, deleterious effects (discomfort, languor, lo- 
 cal pains, etc.) may be felt, especially when to these 
 conditions are added a damp atmosphere and per- 
 spiration. 
 
 The principles of my system of coloring matters 
 are the necessary deductions from the foregoing 
 
1 58 The Sanitary Effects of Colors or Dyes. 
 
 considerations, and I will here shortly recapitulate 
 them : 
 
 1. For summer clothing, working, and every- 
 day costume, especially for any kind of athletic 
 sport, as also in hot climates, the material should be 
 entirely free from dye i.e., natural white or natural 
 brown. 
 
 2. Dyed materials are least injurious in winter, 
 in cold climates, when the body is in repose, and 
 for Sunday, visiting, and holiday attire (but not for 
 dancing exercise, which is a species of athletic 
 sport). 
 
 3. All dyes which readily fade are wholly to be 
 condemned. The assertion that aniline dyes are 
 only injurious when they contain arsenic is quite 
 false ; they are chiefly noxious because of their 
 volatility. 
 
 4. "Fast" i.e., non-volatile dyes are admis- 
 sible, but only when no residue or surplus of loose, 
 unrinsed dye is left in the garment ; this is easily 
 tested, as in such case the color comes off. As the 
 process of rinsing can only be complete when the 
 wool is dyed before being worked up, all fabrics 
 which have been dyed in the piece, or printed with 
 dyes, should be rejected. 
 
 5. The less coloring matter that a garment con- 
 tains i.e., the lighter it is dyed the smaller will be 
 the danger arising from the coloring matter. 
 
 In carrying out a system of sanitarily colored 
 clothing, it would be impracticable to discard all 
 artificial dyes, and I have therefore adopted certain 
 dyes, especially indigo and cochineal. Indigo, cochi- 
 neal, and logwood are each capable of engendering 
 the phenomena of poisoning ; but in practice there 
 
Girded Loins. 1 59 
 
 is this difference, that indigo and cochineal, as 
 "fast" dyes, never evaporate from the clothing in 
 such quantity as (idiosyncrasy excepted) to produce 
 injurious effects. The converse, however, holds 
 good of the "spurious," logwood dye, which, more- 
 over, has the faculty of attracting the " noxious" 
 exhalations of the body. 
 
 GIRDED LOINS. 
 
 (1882.) 
 
 A CORRESPONDENT who has adopted the San- 
 itary Woolen System writes : " I cannot be- 
 come reconciled to wearing a belt, notwithstanding 
 that this was generally practiced in the Middle 
 Ages, and is still customary with the military, and 
 among the inhabitants of southern countries (al- 
 though nothing similar obtains among any of the 
 four-footed creation). To wear a belt seems con- 
 trary to nature, as it checks the processes of breath- 
 ing and digesting, especially of the former, in the 
 case of the male sex, whose respiration brings the 
 abdominal region more into play, while the female * 
 sex breathe chiefly in the region of the chest. The 
 man's breathing-muscles are attached to the cer- 
 vical vertebra, the collar-bone and shoulders, and 
 the ribs, which latter they extend and widen. So 
 that, if a belt be worn, only the upper part of the 
 chest is capable of the proper undulatory motion 
 incidental to respiration." 
 
 In reply to this I have to say that my experience 
 in wearing a belt has been acquired at different 
 periods of my life. As seminarist and student a 
 period during which my health was good I regu- 
 
1 60 Girded Loins. 
 
 larly wore an ordinary gymnastic belt, and found 
 that it suited me very well, with the exception that 
 if I took off the belt when I was perspiring I easily 
 caught cold in the part which the belt had covered. 
 This induced pains in the direction of the navel, 
 such as are caused by cramp or colic, without, 
 however, affecting the bowels, and would be very 
 troublesome for two or three days. I consider 
 this to have been an affection of the peritoneum, 
 caused by enervation of the skin of the abdomen, 
 for, of course, at that time I was not clothed in 
 wool. 
 
 In the second period of my life from 27 to 46 
 years during which I suffered from indigestion 
 as I have elsewhere described, I wore no belt, and 
 could not bear to have anything tight round the 
 loins, because the circumference of the abdomen 
 continually varied ; and, after meals, when my dys- 
 peptic troubles commenced, I was obliged to 
 loosen the trousers, although these were made to 
 fit very easily. The pain in the direction of the 
 navel, described above, frequently made itself felt, 
 especially in summer. 
 
 About the time that I inaugurated the Sanitary 
 Woolen System, I was reading the well-known 
 gourmand BRILLAT-SAVARIN, who writes amusingly 
 and even instructively, but whose book has as lit- 
 tle claim to the title of The Physiology of the Sense 
 of Taste as a cook would have to that of " physiol- 
 ogist." I was much struck, however, by the re- 
 mark, that in cases of tendency to corpulence the 
 wearing of a belt was much to be recommended, 
 not only in the daytime but also at night. I was 
 aware that corpulence was injurious, and that the 
 
Girded Loins. 161 
 
 body, when constrained, possessed great capac- 
 ity of self-help. Simultaneously, therefore, with 
 adopting the Sanitary Woolen System, I began to 
 wear an ordinary leather belt, about two inches 
 wide, but only during the day. I found that I 
 bore it very well, and as the Sanitary Woolen Sys- 
 tem caused my dyspepsia, and the puffed-out con- 
 dition incidental thereto after meals, to disappear, 
 I ctfuld maintain the belt equally tight throughout 
 the day without inconvenience. Certain other 
 evils, however, were brought to notice. 
 % I felt that a LEATHER BELT was wrong, especially 
 when I perspired, and there gradually arose a dis- 
 agreeable sensation in the skin wherever pressed 
 by the belt. The test of nerve-measurement (see 
 page 7) by inhalation of the odor of the belt after 
 it had been some time in use explained this sensa- 
 tion, as the result was a diminution of 38 per cent 
 in the rapidity of the nervous action. I conse- 
 quently tried a woolen belt of similar width, but it 
 afforded too little resistance, and was soon useless, 
 rolling up, and cutting like a rope. My hope that 
 the body would accommodate itself to the pressure 
 of the belt was not fulfilled as I desired ; the cir- 
 cumference under the belt continually lessened, so 
 that I had to keep tightening the strain to prevent 
 the trousers from slipping ; but above the belt, and 
 to some extent below it, the protuberance was pro- 
 portionately increased. It was thus clear that this 
 form of woolen belt did little or nothing to hinder 
 corpulence. In spite, however, of the inconven- 
 ience described, I considered that the belt had dis- 
 tinct advantages, as somehow I felt comfortable 
 with it, and during this period, which lasted till 
 
1 62 Girded Loins. 
 
 vas free 
 
 within a year of the time of writing, I was 
 from the pain over the navel previously referred 
 to. 
 
 My experiments entered on a new phase in the 
 last excessively hot summer. I must premise that 
 I formerly suffered considerably from difficulty of 
 breathing, and from great corpulence (42^ inches 
 round the body). The relief afforded by the 
 Sanitary Woolen System has exceeded all my 
 hopes and expectation, but still I am not entirely 
 satisfied. The normal measurement round the 
 body should be 75 per cent of that round the 
 chest. The latter in my case is 39! inches, and the 
 measurement round the body should therefore be 
 29^ inches, whereas it fluctuates between 31^ 
 inches and 34 inches, according to my condition 
 and the season of the year. It is thus still about 
 4 inches too large, and I know that in proportion 
 as it is smaller or larger, I am more or less well. 
 
 The difficulty of breathing had also greatly im- 
 proved, but I was unable to account for the cir- 
 cumstance that when I walked somewhat quickly 
 up hill, I felt especially in hot weather a pain at 
 the lower end of the breast-bone, shooting right 
 and left. I was often puzzled as to the origin of 
 this pain, and had long accepted a mistaken theory 
 that it arose from some old-standing distortion of 
 the lungs and chest which would accompany me 
 through life, when light was at last thrown upon 
 it in the following manner : 
 
 I was panting up the southern slope of a valley 
 at the hottest period (between 4 and 5 p.m.) of one 
 of the hottest days of last summer, the path being 
 entirely without shade, and the sun burning piti- 
 
Girded Loins. 1 63 
 
 lessly down upon me, when I suddenly perceived 
 that the pain arose exactly at the junction of the 
 diaphragm with the anterior verge of the chest, 
 and was the natural consequence of the vehement 
 action of the diaphragm. On further observations 
 of my movements in breathing I remarked that I 
 breathed exclusively in the region of the dia- 
 phragm and lower ribs, and that the upper ribs 
 remained almost entirely inactive. I now re- 
 membered the well-known fact that difficulty in 
 breathing (asthma in horses, broken-windedness) 
 is caused by a wasting of the lungs, which always 
 commences in the tissues of the upper portions ; 
 and I had long felt that this affection was due to 
 insufficient use of the lungs. When I further con- 
 sidered that men are much more subject than 
 women to asthma, I had a clear perception of the 
 whole case, as follows : 
 
 Two conditions of breathing must be distin- 
 guished : (i) Quiet^breathing, when lying down, 
 sitting, or walking slowly, is differently performed 
 by men and by women ; at least, this is the case in 
 our state of civilization, although I doubt whether 
 it is so everywhere. Men breathe only in the re- 
 gion of the diaphragm, whereby merely the lower 
 portions of the lungs alternately fill and empty, 
 while the upper portions are inactive. Women, on 
 the other hand chiefly because the diaphragm is 
 hampered by the corset or by the clothing being 
 tied round the hips breathe in the direction of 
 the upper ribs, and, therefore, with the tips of the 
 lungs ; this is the reason why women are relatively 
 attacked less frequently than men by asthma. (2) 
 When the breathing is accelerated by strenuous 
 
1 64 Girded Loins. 
 
 motion of the body, the difference in this respect 
 between ordinary men and women disappears, and 
 the whole of the lungs is called into play. 
 
 It is thus clear, that when a man leads a seden- 
 tary life, and is seldom or never compelled by 
 strenuous bodily movement to breathe with force, 
 two things will happen : The inactive tips of the 
 lungs will waste away, entailing subsequent diffi- 
 culty of breathing, and he will become so accus- 
 tomed to breathing solely in the region of the dia- 
 phragm as to lose all facility of breathing in the 
 region of the upper ribs. If an occasion then 
 arise for more abundant respiration, the body will 
 fall from habit into the error of endeavoring to 
 supply this by increased activity of the diaphragm, 
 instead of obtaining assistance from the direction 
 of the upper ribs. The twofold consequences are : 
 (i) The result is inadequate, because only the 
 lower lobes, instead of the entire lungs, are 
 worked ; (2) the vehement movement of the dia- 
 phragm produces the pain which I have described. 
 
 In considering how this might be remedied, the 
 circumstance that the climbing of ascents induces 
 enhanced activity of breathing led me to think of 
 people who inhabit mountainous districts, and be- 
 fore my mind's eye stood the German Tyrolese 
 (whom I have long respected for their simple and 
 healthy manner of living), with their belt of nearly 
 two hands' width in front. I reasoned that the 
 wearing of so broad a belt limits the possibility of 
 breathing in the region of the diaphragm, and this, 
 whenever the need for breath increases, compels 
 recourse to the region of the upper ribs, thus pre- 
 venting (i) the wasting away of the tips of the 
 
Girded Lains. 1 65 
 
 lungs through disuse ; (2) the habituation of the 
 body to dispense with breathing in the region of 
 the upper ribs ; (3) excessive and painful breath- 
 ing in the region of the diaphragm. 
 
 I at once caused a belt, exactly as broad as that 
 of the Tyrolese, to be made of strong woolen ma- 
 terial ; and the result surpassed my expectations. 
 The effort of breathing when climbing ascents 
 was greatly lightened, and I was at once entirely 
 freed from the pain in the diaphragm. 
 
 What, of course, could not at once be remedied 
 was the wasting-away which had, undoubtedly, af- 
 fected the tips of my lungs. How far this, in the 
 case of a man in his fifty-first year, can be over- 
 come I am unable to judge ; and I do not suppose 
 that, especially with my sedentary mode of life, I 
 shall ever become an active mountaineer. But the 
 fact remains that I have occasion weekly to ascend 
 a hill ij miles long and 705 feet high. I do this 
 without effort in twenty-five minutes, and, if I ex- 
 ert myself, in twenty minutes. When I also con- 
 sider that I can trot i-J miles on a slight descent, 
 I feel that, as an asthmatic subject of many years' 
 standing, I have reason to be satisfied ; and I as- 
 cribe these results in the first order to the Sani- 
 tary Woolen System, and in the second to the Tyr- 
 olese belt. 
 
 The belt must be 6 inches broad in front, nar- 
 rowing on either side towards the hips. The chief 
 difficulty of constructing such a belt of woolen ma- 
 terial was the tendency of the broad band to fold 
 together, and thus to fail of its purpose. This has 
 been overcome by inserting pieces of whalebone 
 or steel, and I can now strongly recommend the 
 
1 66 The Corset. 
 
 wearing of this broad belt, especially by those who 
 suffer from corpulence and difficulty of breathing. 
 
 THE CORSET. 
 
 (1882.) 
 
 TN connection with the preceding essay on the 
 value of girding the loins,. I will make a few re- 
 marks on the subject of ladies' corsets. If the 
 views of the leading authorities on health-culture 
 be correct, there is nothing more prejudicial to the 
 health than the corset. Indeed, their attack on 
 the corset comprises pretty near all that they have 
 to say respecting ladies' clothing, and it is usually 
 enforced by dreadful representations and models 
 of the distortion of the liver which is caused by 
 tight lacing. This may be true, but it is not the 
 whole truth. 
 
 The fault does not consist in the wearing of a 
 corset, but in the material of which it is made. 
 This is usually substantial (possibly even pasted) 
 linen cloth, and (i) concentrates, in an intensified 
 degree, the disadvantages of clothing made from 
 vegetable fiber; (2) it is, as a rule, laced too tightly, 
 because the great enervation of the body which en- 
 sues induces a feeling of want of support and a 
 tendency to unshapely increase of bulk, only to be 
 restrained by the use of force, under which the in- 
 ternal organs suffer. 
 
 Ladies, however, who have adopted, and espe- 
 cially those who have grown up under, the Sanitary 
 Woolen System, and who wear the Sanatory Woolen 
 corset, need to use no force in order to preserve the 
 shape ; their compact firm figures will not require 
 
The Sanatory Boot. 167 
 
 support, They do not, therefore, lace too tightly, 
 and in the Sanatory Woolen corset they have all 
 the advantages of girded loins without the disad- 
 vantages. 
 
 It is with the corset as with the shoe. Hygienic 
 science has hitherto treated the evil as one of me- 
 chanical conditions and of space, while it is really 
 due to the use of unsanatory material. 
 
 A 
 
 THE SANATORY BOOT. 
 
 (1882.) 
 
 SANITARY construction of boot requires that, 
 as far as possible, all impediment to evapo- 
 ration should be removed, and that perspiration 
 should be prevented from accumulating. The un- 
 pleasant odor which stockings or socks acquire in 
 the ordinary boots should thus be avoided, and the 
 foot should remain comfortable, warm, and dry. 
 To design a boot capable of satisfying these re- 
 quirements presented a problem full of difficulties, 
 which, however, were mainly overcome by acting 
 on the principles propounded in the Sanitary 
 Woolen System, in the substitution, as far as is 
 practicable, of woolen material for leather, which 
 is nearly impervious to evaporation. The differ- 
 ence between the Sanatory Woolen and the ordi- 
 nary leather boot is equal to that between the San- 
 atory and ordinary coats, as will be found on 
 recurring to the use of the latter kind of boot after 
 wearing the other for some time. 
 
 The best form of boot on sanitary grounds is 
 one made, with the exception of the sole, entirely 
 of woolen cloth, without any addition of leather. 
 
1 68 The Sanatory Boot. 
 
 Another form, more calculated for muddy and very 
 rough walking, has a narrow leather border all 
 round, and a narrow piece of leather over the toes. 
 This last should not reach back beyond the front 
 part of the toes. The perspiration is most abun- 
 dant between the toes, and at the angles of junction 
 it is most injurious. The hinder extremities of the 
 division between the toes, therefore, especially need 
 ventilation. 
 
 The penetration of water from without can do no 
 harm when the feet are thus clad. On a fort- 
 night's pedestrian tour our party of eight persons 
 had thoroughly wet Sanatory Woolen boots for 
 hours at a time, and we felt no inconvenience nor 
 discomfort, nor was there the least injury to the 
 health of any one in consequence. In fact, if, after 
 a long walk, the feet are swollen and fatigued, by 
 stepping into water, the sense of discomfort is 
 quickly dispelled, and the vigor of the feet is re- 
 newed. The socks and interior woolen soles, which 
 prolonged walking renders hard and stiff, become 
 elastic again with the water, and feel like velvet to 
 the tread. 
 
 The capacity of endurance of the feet is much 
 enhanced by encasing them in woolen instead of in 
 the ordinary leather material. Of the eight mem- 
 bers of the pedestrian party already referred to, not 
 one became in the least footsore, although we fre- 
 quently walked upwards of twenty miles a day 
 during the fortnight. In another case, an ac- 
 quaintance walked for fifteen hours in Sanatory 
 Woolen boots without blistering the feet. 
 
 As the boots should fit quite closely at the ankle, 
 and " side springs" are objectionable, by causing 
 
The Sanatory Boot. 169 
 
 perspiration and impeding evaporation, the " lace- 
 up" form is chosen, reaching to the calf of the leg. 
 With a little practice lacing-up soon becomes easy 
 to those who are not already accustomed to it, 
 and it is the only correct principle for making the 
 boot fit closely. 
 
 Another material for boots which possesses great 
 sanitary advantages is leather made from undyed 
 buckskin. I have tried this now for some time, 
 both in dry and wet weather, and can state that in 
 point of durability it considerably surpasses ordi- 
 nary shoe leather. Buckskin leather is by no means 
 impervious to water, but the feet remain, even when 
 the boots are wet, not only as warm as in wet 
 woolen boots, but distinctly warmer, probably be- 
 cause the cloth of the latter has hitherto been 
 dyed. This is so much the case that it is positively 
 pleasant to put on the buckskin leather boots when 
 they have been freshly washed and are still wet. I 
 can therefore recommend buckskin leather for the 
 feet nearly as strongly as woolen material, espe- 
 cially for ladies' ball-toilet. The ladies of my fam- 
 ily are greatly pleased with their buckskin leather 
 dancing-shoes, and, indeed, a few decades since, 
 such shoes were the fashion. 
 
 Another important point is, that the impregnation 
 of tanned leather with a proper composition of 
 mineral grease prevents it from being tainted by 
 the perspiration of the feet, and renders it soft, 
 pliable, and perfectly water-tight. This last is a 
 doubtful advantage ; but I have arrived at the con- 
 clusion, after for some time wearing high boots 
 made of leather thus impregnated, but lined with 
 undyed woolen material, that tfce objection is less 
 
 13 
 
170 The Sanatory Boot. 
 
 weighty than I had previously supposed. At all 
 events, if water-boots be required, those impreg- 
 nated with mineral grease, which will not become 
 rancid, are far preferable to such as are treated 
 with animal grease which does become rancid. 
 
 An important question in connection with this 
 subject is the material that should be used for 
 blacking the leather. By mixing indigo with min- 
 eral grease a blacking is obtained which gives the 
 leather an excellent appearance without injuring 
 its sanitary qualities. The dust, however, is more 
 apt to cling to the leather than when ordinary 
 polish is used ; but this objection is minimized by 
 the consideration that in dusty weather Sanatory 
 Woolen boots without a bordering of leather 
 should be used. The leather border is only for dirty 
 weather. Moreover, if the boot, about ten minutes 
 after the blacking has been rubbed into the leather, 
 be brushed up, the tendency of the dust to cling is 
 lessened, and the general effect is excellent. 
 
 As regards the sole of the Sanatory boot, the 
 inner surface must be of leather, to give the requi- 
 site consistency. This, therefore, together with the 
 leather stiffening at the back of the boot, which 
 preserves its shape, is impregnated with mineral 
 grease, to prevent taint from perspiration. Fur- 
 ther, holes can be drilled through both these por- 
 tions of the boot, and between the leather surface 
 at the bottom of the boot and the outside sole a 
 layer of felt inserted, into which the perspiration 
 from the sole of the foot passes through the drilled 
 holes. An outlet from the layer of felt to the open 
 air is provided in the heel of the boot. The loose 
 woolen sole, which can be changed and washed 
 
Cleansing of the Outer Clothing and Bedding. 171 
 
 when there is much perspiration from the feet, 
 presses into the apertures drilled through the 
 leather surface at the bottom of the boot, and thus 
 obtains a better hold. 
 
 THE CLEANSING OF THE OUTER CLOTH- 
 ING AND BEDDING. 
 
 (1882.) 
 
 IT is not claimed that the Sanitary Woolen Sys- 
 tem reform has reached, or will reach, a stage 
 of absolute perfection ; the object kept steadily in 
 view is to replace what is bad by "good," what is 
 good by "better," and what is better by "better 
 still." This is apparent when the subject of the 
 above heading comes to be considered. The en- 
 deavor to provide clothing and bedding which will 
 not retain the " noxious" portion of the body's ex- 
 halations cannot entirely succeed, however nearly it 
 may do so. 
 
 The linen or cotton shirt becomes unwholesome 
 in two or three days, or, after copious perspiration, 
 in as many hours, and the feeling of discomfort and 
 aversion which it sets up in the skin tells the 
 wearer that the shirt must be washed. It must not 
 be supposed, however, that, apart from other con- 
 siderations, the Sanatory Woolen shirt could be 
 worn unwashed ad infinitum without a similar sense 
 of discomfort setting in ; this must come at last, 
 although the period which would elapse before it 
 would be felt is considerabJy longer than with a 
 linen or cotton shirt. 
 
 As regards the outer clothing, whoever, like my- 
 self, has worn such of linen or cotton, knows that 
 
1 72 Cleansing of the Outer Clothing and Bedding. 
 
 after a few days it requires washing. Ordinary 
 woolen outer clothing is made externally of wool, 
 and internally is lined with vegetable fiber. The 
 outer woolen surface is much less liable than vege- 
 table fiber to attract dirt ; and as most people are 
 chiefly concerned for their exterior, they seldom or 
 never cause the outer clothing to be cleansed, not 
 considering that a regular Augean stable of offen- 
 sive odors, dangerous to the health, collects in the 
 linen and cotton linings. 
 
 This condition of things has been improved by 
 the Sanitary Woolen System, which discards the 
 offensive vegetable fiber, But, even so, perfection 
 has not been attained, and there comes a time when 
 the degree of concentration of the accumulated 
 odor of the body's exhalations in the Sanatory 
 Woolen outer clothing necessitates that this should 
 undergo a cleansing process. I refer the reader to 
 my remarks on the concentration of odor in the 
 essay on " The Nature of Disease" (page 131). The 
 only difference between outer and under clothing 
 in this respect is that the latter requires cleansing 
 sooner than the former. 
 
 The relation which this question bears to that of 
 the effect of colors on health, which I discuss else- 
 where, is simple. The color of the outer clothing 
 is not the sole, but an essential, factor as to how 
 soon the necessity for the cleansing process will 
 arrive ; and my investigations leave no room for 
 doubt that, from a hygienic point of view, the 
 necessity is greatest with black color or dye, and 
 least with wool which is completely free from dye. 
 As natural wool is white and brown, and white 
 wool appears sooner to require cleansing, the high- 
 
The Treatment of Infants. 173 
 
 est rank must be awarded to natural brown 
 wool. 
 
 The practical question for present consideration 
 is, when and how should the outer clothing and 
 bedding be cleansed? 
 
 As to when : I answer, so soon as there is reason 
 not to feel completely satisfied respecting the health 
 and general condition, whether the complaint be 
 termed headache, toothache, heartburn, rheuma- 
 tism, catarrh, sleeplessness, disinclination to work, 
 etc. As to how : if the clothing or bedding be dirty, 
 it should be washed. If, however, it be free from 
 apparent dirt, deodorization with ozogen (or effec- 
 tually and more cheaply with camphor) will suffice. 
 The process is the simplest conceivable. The bed- 
 ding can be placed in the morning in a chest in 
 which camphor has been deposited, or ozogen has 
 been sprinkled. Two hours before bedtime the 
 bedding should be taken out, to allow the smell of 
 camphor or ozogen to evaporate, and the process is 
 finished. The clothing may be placed in a recep- 
 tacle over night with camphor, and in the morning 
 it will have been cleansed. 
 
 THE TREATMENT OF INFANTS. 
 
 (1882.) 
 
 ''PHE subject of bathing in connection with the 
 Sanitary Woolen System, which is treated of 
 in the essay headed "Cold Baths" (see page 122), 
 has been raised in another form by a lady who ad- 
 dresses me from Helsingfors (Finland), ^with ref- 
 erence to her eight-months-old child, whom she has 
 brought up under the Sanitary Woolen System 
 
1/4 The Treatment of Infants. 
 
 since its third month. I will enumerate my cor- 
 respondent's inquiries, and append my replies in a 
 similar sequence. 
 
 1. May the child, when in health, be bathed more 
 than once a week ? 
 
 2. Must the child be wrapped after the bath in 
 damp warm woolen clothes ? How long should it 
 be kept in them, and what is the effect ? Should 
 the child be first well dried before the clothes are ap- 
 plied? 
 
 3. The child's sleep appears frequently to be dis- 
 turbed by dreams, so that it groans (as after a fit 
 of crying), or laughs aloud. Is there any remedy 
 for this ? 
 
 4. I am told that the child will be enervated by 
 the woolen clothing, and not sufficiently hardened 
 against catching cold. There have certainly, from 
 time to time, been attacks of cough and cold, but 
 these have always been light, and have quickly 
 passed away. 
 
 ANSWERS. 
 
 1. In health-culture there should be no rule of 
 thumb. Everything should be decided by the con- 
 sideration of what is necessary. A child should be 
 bathed when it really requires a general cleansing, 
 and in summer when it suffers from the heat 
 
 2. With infants, as with adults, it usually suffices 
 to place the dry woolen cloths, or clothing, over 
 the dripping wet body. Only when the air is hot 
 and dry should the woolen cloths, or undercloth- 
 ing, be directly wetted. It is simply a question of 
 reproducing as nearly as possible the conditions 
 under which the mammiferous animals bathe. 
 
The Treatment of Infants. 175 
 
 Their coats take up little water because they are 
 not felled, as are, unfortunately, the materials of 
 our clothing ; and their hair is freely lubricated 
 with fatty matter. A dog, on leaving the water, 
 shakes itself, and in the course of half an hour to 
 an hour is dry. Dogs can therefore bathe at any 
 season, but in the cold of winter require a sufficient 
 amount of violent exercise to dry the coat in proper 
 time, the remaining wet too long being also un- 
 healthy for animals. Man should be guided by 
 these considerations, and manage so that, after 
 bathing, there shall be as much water in the under- 
 clothing as will dry in the course of half an hour 
 to an hour, not more and not less. Practice soon 
 makes this easy. In Finland, where the climate is 
 affected by the propinquity of the sea, the placing 
 of the dry shirt and outer clothing on the dripping 
 wet body, will, probably, at all seasons be suffi- 
 cient ; while in Vienna, Pesth, or in the interior of 
 Russia, where the air is hot and dry, the clothing 
 should be directly wetted, in order to secure the 
 full enjoyment of the bath without detrimental con- 
 sequences. 
 
 3. The child's sleep will cease to be restless when 
 the health is no longer disturbed by excessive bath- 
 ing on false principles. 
 
 4. If nothing worse have ailed a child from its 
 third to its eighth month than light and evanescent 
 attacks of cough and cold, notwithstanding the 
 mistakes made in bathing it ; and if, as is stated, 
 the child's health be normal, what more can be de- 
 sired ? It should be remembered that thirty to 
 forty per cent, of children die in the first year, and 
 that an equal percentage undergo severe illnesses. 
 
176 The Treatment of Infants, 
 
 Here may be inserted a communication received 
 by Dr. G. Jaeger some months after the foregoing 
 was first printed: 
 
 "The writer, feeling convinced of the value of 
 the Sanitary Woolen System, procured, in antici- 
 pation of the approaching birth of a child, an en- 
 tire woolen outfit for the newly-born baby, which 
 from its first existence has never worn a particle 
 of linen. The appearance of the child, now six 
 months old, is all that could be wished ; its limbs 
 are agile and strong, the body is round, the flesh 
 firm, and, in short, the child is as healthy as it can 
 possibly be. 
 
 " As to the practical worth of the Sanitary Wool- 
 en System, the writer has noted down the opinions 
 of the monthly nurse, a woman of twenty years' 
 experience, as of more value than a great deal of 
 theorizing one way or the other. At first the whole 
 thing appeared to her ridiculous, and she used the 
 various woolen articles with reluctance ; but after 
 some time she expressed herself as follows : 
 
 " ' Although I am poor, and have brought up six 
 children in linen, I would not hesitate to clothe the 
 next in wool, for it gives only half the trouble of 
 linen. The colds which babies so frequently catch 
 are completely prevented by the equable and sus- 
 tained warmth of the woolen clothing, which is of the 
 greatest importance, since so little heat is generated 
 in the body itself ; this particularly applies to the 
 wet clothes which, when of linen, grow cold on the 
 body, while the woolen ones remain warm. An- 
 other advantage is the time and labor saved in 
 ironing. The washing of the clothes is simpler 
 and quicker, and that of the frocks and shifts is not 
 
Vegetarianism. 177 
 
 required so often, and it is surprising how long 
 they keep clean and free from smell. I also notice 
 that daily bathing and soaping do a child more 
 harm than good. This child was best when simply 
 washed, without soap, each day, and afterwards 
 lightly rubbed with a woolen rag, soaked in olive 
 oil ; it was only bathed once a week. I intend to 
 recommend the bringing-up of children in wool 
 wherever I can.' 
 
 " To this may be added, that when the child was 
 out of doors for some time the cloths which it 
 wetted frequently dried on the way, a proof of the 
 rapid evaporation; moreover, they were free from 
 odor. 
 
 " In conclusion, the cost was about the same as 
 of a linen outfit, having regard to the fact that only 
 half the usual number of articles was necessary." 
 
 VEGETARIANISM. 
 (1882). 
 
 HTHAT whatever is practically good and true finds 
 its greatest enemy in doctrinism, over which, 
 however, it invariably triumphs in the end, is an old 
 story that recurs to me with especial vividness in 
 connection with this subject. My first acquaintance 
 with vegetarianism was in the form of the follow- 
 ing doctrine : 
 
 "According to the construction of his teeth, the 
 nature of his digestive organs, and his systematic 
 conformation, man belongs to the genus ape, espe- 
 cially to that of the so-called man-ape. As tnese 
 animals are frugivora (fruit-eating), the fruits of 
 
i/8 Vegetarianism. 
 
 the earth must be the natural nourishment of man, 
 for whom meat is unnatural food." 
 
 I have always opposed this doctrine, on the 
 ground of practical experience, which I will here 
 briefly relate. 
 
 I was for nearly five years the technical and 
 scientific director of a zoological garden, and I 
 found that few animals presented so many difficul- 
 ties in respect of frailty of health as the apes. 
 When I entered on my duties I found that the apes 
 were treated as frugivora />., were fed with fruit, 
 onions, carrots, rice, potatoes, etc.; but milk was 
 given to them as well. The result of this diet was, 
 as is stated in the journal of the Frankfort Zoologi- 
 cal Garden, an annual mortality of 50 per cent ! 
 The chief, and indeed exclusive, cause of death was 
 pulmonary consumption. 
 
 The following observation induced me to adopt 
 another method: I had two mandrills, which soon 
 after their arrival showed every symptom of con- 
 sumption (phthisis). As I was watching them one 
 day, a mandrill quickly seized a mouse which came 
 out of a hole into the cage, and devoured it with 
 extraordinary eagerness. 
 
 I was reminded by this incident (i) of the suc- 
 cessful experience which I had had in treating two 
 tuberculous patients with the so-called " cold prepa- 
 ration" of Liebig's extract of meat (by no means 
 to be confounded with the Liebig's extract ordina- 
 rily sold) />., a solution of meat in TT ^nr f muri- 
 atic acid ; (2) that the cravings of the sick are 
 nature's hints, to which the physician should al- 
 ways attend. 
 
 From that time I treated all my apes as omniv- 
 
Vegetarianism. 179 
 
 ora, or general eaters, and the result was remark- 
 able. Of the mandrills one, indeed, died after a 
 few weeks, full of tubercles, but the other recov- 
 ered and survived for over a year; an examination 
 after its death showed that the tubercles had been 
 arrested, and that the cause of death was heart 
 disease. The main point, however, was that the 
 total mortality of the apes was reduced from 50 
 per cent, to 20 per cent On my recommendation, 
 my colleagues in the other zoological gardens in 
 Germany adopted the same system, with a similar 
 result. To this may be added that apes in a wild 
 state are by no means exclusively frugivora, but 
 are eager and alert to devour all kinds of insects, 
 worms, snails, birds' eggs, young birds, mice, etc. 
 
 I was therefore firmly convinced that the vege- 
 tarian doctrine is erroneous, and I was strength- 
 ened in this view by the fact that my chronic dys- 
 pepsia distinctly improved when I began to avoid 
 potatoes and farinaceous and leguminous foods, 
 from which I suffer most inconvenience, and to 
 keep more strictly to a meat diet. 
 
 This was my position on the question of Vegeta- 
 rianism at the time that I made my researches into 
 the action of odorous matters, and published my 
 theory of the Sanitary Woolen System. Here, 
 again, troublesome doctrinism at once showed its 
 hostility to what is practically good. The Sanitary 
 Woolen System was vehemently attacked by the 
 doctrinists of vegetarianism. This availed, how- 
 ever, as little as did the doctrinary assaults which 
 were made from other quarters ; the practical 
 value of the system forced recognition, and not from 
 
1 80 Vegetarianism. 
 
 the " omnivora" alone, but especially from vegeta- 
 rians, in spite of the opposition of their doctrinary 
 leaders ; so that a year ago the admission was made 
 in the vegetarian journal, the Naturarzt, that the 
 Sanitary Woolen System had become a power which 
 must be taken into account. 
 
 I have since been continually in contact, both 
 personally and by correspondence, with vegeta- 
 rians, luckily not with the doctrinists, but with 
 common-sense, rational people, whose maxim is, 
 " Examine everything and retain the best." From 
 the communications I thus received, detailing per- 
 sonal practical experience, which I value higher 
 than any doctrine, I arrived at the conviction that 
 the doctrinal and the practical aspects of vege- 
 tarianism are not in congruity that is to say, that 
 the vegetarian mode of life can show great prac- 
 tical results, although the doctrinal foundation 
 on which it rests is erroneous. These communi- 
 cations, together with my progressive knowledge 
 respecting the nature of disease and cure, and the 
 practical experience (now first fully comprehended) 
 which I had with animals, as medical superinten- 
 dent at the zoological garden, greatly changed my 
 attitude towards vegetarianism, and assisted me to 
 a different and, I believe, a more scientifically cor- 
 rect, fundamental reason for the vegetarian mode 
 of life. 
 
 My readers are acquainted with my maxim, 
 " Disease is stench" i.e., everything malodorous 
 either causes or disposes to disease, and this tend- 
 ency is enhanced in proportion to the offensive- 
 
Vegetarian ism. 1 8 1 
 
 ness of the odor.* The cages in any zoological 
 garden or menagerie afford ready proof that the 
 excrement of carnivora is more offensive than that 
 of frugivora. The manifold experience with dogs 
 shows that this difference does not proceed from 
 the specifically diverse natures of carnivora and 
 frugivora, but from their diverse food. The ex- 
 halations from dogs, especially big dogs, which are 
 fed with meat, are so offensive that the animals 
 cannot be endured in a room ; and it is an almost 
 universal rule to feed only watch-dogs with meat, 
 and to restrict house-dogs to a vegetarian diet, 
 although such is not their natural diet. It might be 
 supposed that this unnatural nutriment would dis- 
 agree with house-dogs, but precisely the reverse is 
 the case : those (principally little dogs, whose ex- 
 halations are less perceptible) fed with meat are in 
 no way healthier than those who are compulsory 
 vegetarians ; on the contrary, the former have a 
 disposition to eruptive diseases, digestive com- 
 plaints, inflammatory disorders, hemorrhoids, etc. 
 
 The popular expression for these well-known 
 facts is that " meat is too heating for dogs ;" and 
 yet no one will dispute that dogs, as appertaining 
 to the fox and wolf s'pecies, with similar formation 
 
 *The pithiness of the epigram is somewhat at the cost of 
 scientific accuracy, as the succeeding "i.e." partly discloses. 
 Disease is not strictly stench, nor is stench disease, or even, ex- 
 cept mediately, the cause of disease, but only an indication of 
 the presence of substances possessing morbific properties. It 
 seems proper to state this explicitly, since the shadow of the 
 Doctor's maxim rests upon other passages in his book. 
 
1 82 Vegetarianism. 
 
 of the teeth, intestines, etc., are naturally carniv- 
 orous. The explanation of this apparent contra- 
 diction is, that every creature has its so-called 
 natural food; but so soon as it is withdrawn from 
 its natural surroundings, and placed in a condition 
 which is not natural to it, a change of diet is neces- 
 sary. This is especially true of carnivora, but is 
 also true of frugivora. It is well known, for in- 
 stance, to cattle-breeders that hay is more whole- 
 some for stalled cattle than green food, and yet 
 the latter is their natural nutriment. 
 
 To man's physical nature the same laws apply 
 as to that of the animals, as any one who is not al- 
 ready convinced can prove on his own person. The 
 odor of the evacuations, as well as of the exhala- 
 tions, is much less penetrating when the diet is 
 vegetarian than when the body is nourished on 
 meat. This I consider to be the reason of the un- 
 deniable success of the vegetarian mode of living 
 in numerous cases of illness, and to constitute its 
 hygienic importance ; for as with the house-dog, 
 so with most civilized men, they live within four 
 walls, and are thus liable to be injuriously affected 
 by their own exhalations in proportion as these are 
 mal-odorous. 
 
 Vegetarianism therefore contends, although this 
 has not hitherto been clearly perceived, with the 
 same enemy that is attacked by the Sanitary 
 Woolen System ; and it was thus in the natural 
 order of things that among vegetarians the System 
 at once found enthusiastic adherents. The " nox- 
 ious" emanations of the body were the impelling 
 cause of vegetarianism, and some found therein a 
 remedy for their complaints, while others, when 
 
Vegetarianism. 183 
 
 the external and internal conditions were less favor- 
 able, experienced only alleviation ; and these lat- 
 ter, with accurate instinct, adopted the Sanitary 
 Woolen System as a means of perfecting their 
 cure. 
 
 To the question whether, on the foregoing 
 grounds, I recommend vegetarianism, I can reply 
 neither in the affirmative nor the negative, for the 
 following reasons : 
 
 The suitability of a particular form of nutriment 
 to man cannot be decided solely by the nature of 
 the emanations which it evolves ; the degree of its 
 digestibility and of its nutritious quality must be 
 taken into account. In these respects flesh foods, 
 as a class, are distinctly superior to vegetable 
 foods, although very fat meat is more difficult of 
 digestion than many kinds of fruit, and in point of 
 nutritiousness legumes are very little inferior to 
 meat ; but on the whole the above statement holds 
 good. When, therefore, the conditions of time 
 or space require that the nutriment should be in- 
 tensive, meat is distinctly more effectual than a 
 purely vegetable diet ; and most vegetarians have 
 practically admitted the inadequacy of the latter 
 by adopting two of the most nourishing and easily 
 digested animal foods milk and eggs. 
 
 I therefore go thus far with vegetarianism : For 
 those who suffer from the evolution of the " nox- 
 ious" emanations two courses are open, the Sani- 
 tary Woolen System and vegetarianism. Either 
 or both may be chosen. I consider that vege- 
 tarianism is especially suited to the constitutions 
 of people who lead indoor lives, and the lightness 
 of whose occupation creates in the body a rela- 
 
1 84 Vegetarianism. 
 
 tively small need of nourishment; in short, people 
 whose calling compels them to be idle indoors 
 as, for instance, persons who have frequently to 
 wait in a condition of complete inactivity for 
 orders from their chiefs, or those who have only 
 light, unvaried occupations, as copying, sewing, 
 knitting, reading, etc. 
 
 On the other hand, I should dissuade those who 
 work hard, physically or mentally, or who on other 
 grounds require easily digestive, intensive nutri- 
 ment, both from a purely vegetarian mode of liv- 
 ing, and from restricting their diet too exclusively 
 to meat ; such persons require a mixed diet, and 
 should adopt the Sanitary Woolen System. 
 
 Between the extremes of hard and light workers 
 there will be many cases in which I can only give 
 the advice both as to vegetarianism and the Sani- 
 tary Woolen System which I myself have always 
 followed to advantage, " Examine everything and 
 retain the best." I have been reproached with 
 riding an excellent principle to death, but my only 
 principle is the foregoing maxim, and I admit that 
 I am willing to ride this at all times. My practice 
 as a public teacher and adviser is not to recom- 
 mend that which I and many others have recog- 
 nized as the best, with a demand for unconditional 
 acceptance and submission to my authority, I 
 simply say, " Here is something which many have 
 approved, and which is therefore worthy of 
 trial by others." I only ask that the trial shall be 
 correct and thorough. This is my position in 
 reference to the Sanitary Woolen System, and from 
 this standpoint I have discussed vegetarianism. 
 
Positive and Negative Effects. 185 
 
 THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE EFFECTS 
 OF THE SANITARY WOOLEN SYSTEM. 
 
 (1883.) 
 
 TI7HOEVER has read my publication on the sub- 
 * ject must be well aware that I have never 
 claimed for the Sanitary Woolen System that it is 
 a universal remedy, or that it protects against 
 every disease. As I find that the contrary is fre- 
 quently asserted, I will now state what experience 
 has so far shown that the Sanitary Woolen System 
 will not do. 
 
 As regards the prevention of disease, a person 
 who is suffering from any disorder, and who adopts 
 the System, is not immediately enabled to resist the 
 effects of weather, of infection, and of the emotions; 
 the System must first aid the body to expel the 
 disorder. Where the cure is not complete, the 
 System distinctly increases the power of resistance 
 to the above-named influences, but cannot possibly 
 make this perfect. If the cure be complete, then 
 and all experience, so far, confirms this the resist- 
 ance to influences of weather and temperature is 
 exactly that which is possessed by the domestic 
 animals, not greater and not less. 
 
 Respecting the power of resisting infection, I 
 have constantly made the restriction that this does 
 not apply equally to every kind of infection; the 
 so-called abdominal, infectious diseases (cholera, 
 typhus, dysentery) are those against which the 
 Sanitary Woolen System principally protects. 
 
1 86 Positive and Negative Effects. 
 
 Against infectious diseases of the skin the System 
 affords only a modified protection, and as regards 
 its action in cases of chronic, infectious disease, I 
 have refrained from expressing any opinion. 
 
 This was my position from the first, and I have 
 never swerved from it. Against some diseases the 
 Sanitary Woolen System affords no protection. I 
 know that it has not availed against heart disease, 
 nor against diabetes, as to the origin of which so 
 little is yet ascertained. Of course, the System is 
 powerless to prevent the evil effects of illness aris- 
 ing from the continued use of unwholesome food, 
 or from inhaling poisonous vapors ; in other 
 words, it does not protect the body against all dis- 
 eases due to extraneous influences, but against the 
 evil effects of its own " noxious" exhalations. 
 
 [Any one who has attentively read Dr. Jaeger's 
 book will see at once that he here concedes too 
 much against his System that he claims less for it 
 than it is entitled to, when he says there are some 
 diseases to which it affords no protection. The 
 plain implication of his fundamental proposition 
 is against the concession. While it cannot avail to 
 cure heart disease or diabetes, it is evident that even 
 these diseases must be in some degree subject to 
 the general condition of the body either in its tend- 
 ency to succumb, or its ability to resist perturbing 
 influences. EDITOR.] 
 
 The remedial power of the Sanitary Woolen 
 System may be summed up as follows : 
 
 i. The Sanitary Woolen System cure runs its 
 course similarly to all so-called constitutional cures 
 t.e. 9 those which act upon the constitution. The 
 necessity of expelling a disease through the secre- 
 
Positive and Negative Effects. 187 
 
 tions of the body may give rise to "critical" symp- 
 toms, in the form of an acute attack of illness; 
 and, as with all constitutional methods of cures, it 
 may happen that the patient succumbs. 
 
 2. The complaints which have proved most 
 readily susceptible to the remedial effects of the 
 Sanitary Woolen System are precisely those which 
 have been most obstinate when treated by the 
 methods previously known. I refer to purely ner- 
 vous disorders, next to which comes the group of 
 catarrhal and rheumatic complaints. Of the more 
 localized diseases of the internal organs the most 
 susceptible to the System have been lung affections, 
 including tubercles. Greater pertinacity is shown 
 by diseases of the liver, and by many, although not 
 by all, diseases of the kidneys (diabetes resists the 
 System, which also seems unable to prevent it). 
 The System prevents chlorosis, but will not cure it, 
 although rendering it more capable of being cured. 
 
 Lastly, the tonsils resist the remedial power of 
 the Sanitary Woolen System, and as the delicacy 
 v of these organs constitutes, in my own case, the ob- 
 stacle to my attainment of constant equable health, 
 I will treat of them somewhat more in detail. 
 
 Just as certain, natural, cyclic, bodily incidents are 
 repeated at regular periods, so there are some cyclic 
 disorders, which, without any apparent cause, recur 
 at more or less fixed intervals, and which are fur- 
 ther distinguished by the circumstance that they 
 are hereditary. The most characteristic of this 
 class of complaints is inflammation of the tonsils, a 
 tendency to which was transmitted to me by my 
 mother, while two of my children inherit from 
 me. As a rule, this inherited tendency is first re- 
 
1 88 Positive and Negative Effects. 
 
 vealed on the entrance into puberty, and such was 
 the case with myself and my two children. After 
 that age I suffered every winter from an acute 
 attack of inflammation of the tonsils or the throat. 
 
 Since I have adopted the Sanitary Woolen Sys- 
 tem the complaint is no longer of an inflammatory 
 nature, and has assumed a catarrhal form, which I 
 ascribe partly to the incomplete carrying-out of the 
 System during the course of its development, and 
 partly to external injurious influences, such as the 
 condition of the atmosphere, etc. I was curious as 
 to what would be the experience of last winter, the 
 first in which I had carried out the System in its 
 entirety. This thoroughness notwithstanding, the 
 complaint returned at the usual period, without 
 appreciable cause, so that I now look upon it as the 
 remainder of an inherited tendency to cyclically 
 recurrent inflammation of the tonsils. 
 
 This winter the attack was unprecedentedly mild, 
 so much so that it did not prevent me, in February, 
 on the occasion of a visit to Dresden, from speak- 
 ing, with only one hour's interruption, incessantly 
 from 2 p.m. to 4 a.m.; at 9 a.m. I resumed discus- 
 sion, my voice being quite unaffected, until 6 p.m., 
 and again, in the train, from 2 to 7 in the early 
 morning. Another week I spoke on the Monday 
 for eight and a half hours ; on the Thursday 
 for seventeen hours, with an interruption of two 
 and a half hours; on the Friday for nineteen hours, 
 without interruption. During this time my voice 
 was husky, and occasionally hoarse, but it sustained 
 no injury from the unusual exertion. I may add 
 that my total allowance of sleep from the, Monday 
 to the Saturday was twenty-five hours, 
 
Sanitary Objections to Vegetable Fiber. 1 89 
 
 My two children, who have inherited this delicacy 
 of the tonsils from me, also felt none of its effects 
 until they reached the age of puberty, when in one 
 case it took the form of an affection of the tonsils 
 and larynx, with feverish symptoms, but soon 
 changed into chronic hoarseness, free from all 
 fever; in the other case there was from the first an 
 entire absence of feverish symptoms, as is now the 
 case with myself. 
 
 Another of my children, who arrived at adult 
 years some time ago, was similarly troubled during 
 the period of youth, but has long been free from 
 the disorder. This proves that in the cases of my- 
 self and my two children, who first suffered from 
 this complaint when we were adolescent, the cause 
 does not lie in a faulty mode of living, and is too 
 deeply implanted in the constitution to be pre- 
 vented or cured by any particular system. 
 
 VEGETABLE FIBER, WHEN AND WHY 
 UNSANATORY. 
 
 (1884.) 
 
 '"THE sanitary objections to materials of vegetable 
 fiber are patent from the following facts : 
 
 1. Every sick person gives forth a malodorous 
 exhalation ; a proof of this is afforded in the attrac- 
 tion of flies, which are allured by matter which has 
 become malodorous. 
 
 2. An offensive atmosphere, especially when it 
 has become so through human exhalations, is a 
 well-known cause of illness. 
 
 3. Bacteria are " koprophilous" parasites, which 
 
190 Sanitary Objections to Vegetable Fiber. 
 
 multiply in solutions of offensive-smelling nutri- 
 ment. 
 
 4. Living plants are "koprophagous," attracting 
 all evil odors, and assimilating them. The effect 
 of vegetation in purifying the air has long been 
 recognized. 
 
 5. Dead vegetable fiber has a similar power of 
 absorbing evil odors ; as, however, it cannot assim- 
 ilate them, the ordinary laws of gas-absorption pre- 
 vail, /.<?., the absorption is greatest under conditions 
 of cold, and the odors are again exhaled when the 
 fiber is warmed or wetted. Clothing, bedding, and 
 generally all material of vegetable fiber, while cold 
 (/>., not in use), and when placed in the atmosphere 
 of human beings, attract the malodorous exhala- 
 tions until no more can be absorbed ; as soon as 
 such clothing, bedding, etc., comes in contact with 
 the warm body, these emanations are given off in 
 proportion to the degree of temperature. This 
 directly induces spasmodic action of the capillaries 
 of the skin (feeling of chill), and the atmosphere 
 breathed is corrupted. Both effects are intensified 
 when the fiber is damp; wet, unvarnished, or un- 
 painted wooden floors, and damp linen or cotton 
 shirts, or bedding, are notoriously dangerous to 
 health. 
 
 6. Just as living animal substance, when at rest, 
 stores up oxygen, so, under similar conditions, it 
 stores up the noxious emanations proceeding from 
 the digested food ; but while the chlorophyl of 
 living vegetable fiber assimilates such emanations, 
 the living animal substance does not possess that 
 faculty. These noxious emanations therefore read- 
 ily become disengaged in the body, especially when 
 
Sanitary Objections to Vegetable Fiber. 191 
 
 there is excessive internal heat, and permeate the 
 tissues and juices, inducing similar phenomena to 
 those caused by the direct inhalation of malodor- 
 ous air, viz., spasmodic action of the capillaries of 
 the skin, with feverish shivering while the spasms 
 last ; further, the insufficient throwing off by the 
 skin of the internal warmth is felt, when the spasms 
 subside, as febrile heat on the surface. The reten- 
 tion of the noxious emanations which proceed from 
 the digested food is thus tantamount to a disposi- 
 tion to feverish sickness. 
 
 7. The retention of the emanations which pro- 
 ceed from the digested food also gives rise to the 
 so-called ferment diseases, as they impart to the 
 juices of the body the fcecal taint which these 
 "koprophilous" ferments require. 
 
 8. Whoever, therefore, uses clothing, bedding, 
 and materials of vegetable fiber not sanitarily 
 treated, is continually exposed to the danger in- 
 volved by the retention of the emanations from the 
 digested food ; and this danger is avoided so soon 
 as use is made of animal fiber only, or of such 
 vegetable fiber as has been impregnated with fatty 
 or resinous matter (in short with matter which is 
 not soluble in water), and has thus been rendered 
 incapable of absorbing evil odors. 
 
INDEX, 
 
 Abdominal organs, 3, 87, 159 
 Aberration, mental, 5 
 Acid, use in fermentation, 23 
 Adulteration, horsehair, 135 
 
 wool, 92, no 
 Air, change, in, 141 
 
 in rooms (see Ventilation) 
 Albumen, i, 15, 32, 38, 103 
 Alimentary canal, 32, 42 
 Allopathy, 152 
 Alpenrose, 22 
 Aniline dyes, 153, 158 
 Animals, domestic, u, 75, 108, 
 
 112, 181 
 
 feathered (see Birds) 
 hairy, 67, 75 
 mammiferous, 174 
 and poisons, 131 
 in stable, n, 113 
 Antelope, 67 
 Antiseptics, 22 
 Anxiety (see Emotions) 
 Ape, 177 
 
 Apoplexy, 3, n, 66 
 Armies, epidemics, 41 
 Ass, 67 
 Asthma, 163 
 Athletic sports, 158 
 Australians, native, 76 
 Austria, 89 
 
 B 
 
 Bacteria, 18, 20, 189 
 Baldness, 53, 75 
 Baltic fishermen, 124 
 BANTING cure, 6 
 
 Barm, 20 
 
 Baths, 6, 8, 9, 37, 87, 112, 122, 
 
 173 
 
 Bavaria, 90 
 Beaver, 67 
 
 Bed, 54, 126, 133-4, 135, 171, 173 
 Bedroom window (see Ventila- 
 tion) 
 
 Bedrooms, heated, 18 
 Bee-stings, 96 
 Belt, 159, 160 
 Birds, 67, 114, 134 
 Blacking (see Boot) 
 Blood distribution, 3, n, 36, 
 
 66, 84, 87 
 r fullness, 2 
 
 poorness, 2, 6 
 Blood-vessels, 2, n, 60, 104, 
 
 123 
 
 Bones, 31, 33 
 Boot, 167 
 
 Bowels, 32, 39, 160 
 Brain, 31, 39, 60 
 Breathing, conditions, 163 
 1 difficulty (see Asthma) 
 1 measure, 4 
 Brewers' mash, 20, 23 
 BRILLAT SAVARIN, 160 
 Bruises, 31 
 Buckskin leather, 169 
 Butyric acid, 24 
 
 Camphor, 80, 173 
 Capacity of working (see Work- 
 ing) 
 Carbonic acid, 4, 34, 53 
 
194 
 
 Index. 
 
 Carnivora, 181 
 
 Cat, 115 
 
 Catarrh, 57, 60, 70, 109, 127, 
 
 173, 187 
 Cattle, grazing, 113 
 
 " housed, n, 113, 182 
 
 " stung by flies, 96 
 Cellar floors, 19 
 Centenarians, 76 
 Cesspools, 21, 24 
 Cheese, 151 
 Chemise, 51, 74 
 Chest, 35, 36 
 Chicken-pox, 79 
 Children, mortality, 175 
 
 " treatment, 27, 54, 64, 76, 
 
 173 
 
 Chills (see Colds) 
 Cholera, 17, 21, 26, 32, 41, 44, 
 
 56, 185 
 
 Chronic disorders, 102, 186 
 Climatic changes, 16, 67 
 Climbing, 164 
 Clothing, cleanliness, 80, 90 
 
 *' cleansing, 171 
 
 4< colors (see Dyes) 
 
 " cut, 36, 50, 74, 90 
 
 " fire-proof, 106 
 
 " infection by, 127 
 
 " materials, 48, 91 
 
 " services required, 12, 16 
 
 " summer and winter, 52, 
 66 
 
 " weakening effect, 84, 90 
 
 " worn out, 137 
 Coal, 117 
 Coat, interior of lining, 51, 91 
 
 " removal, 66, 74, 94 
 
 " Sanatory, 12, 35, 51, 65, 
 
 68, 74, 85, 91, loo 
 Cochineal (see Dyes) 
 Cold, exposure, 59, 86 
 
 " inurement, 16 
 Colds, 9, 31, 34, 48, 58, 62, 71, 
 
 84, 102, 174 
 Cold water cure, 87 
 Collar, 81 
 Colors (see Dyes) 
 
 Concentration, degree, 19, 21, 
 
 57, 128, 134, 141, 147, 
 
 149, 172 
 Constitution, 28, 88, 106, 151, 
 
 183, 186, 189 
 Consumption, 4, 178, 187 
 Corpulence (see Obesity) 
 Corset, 51, 163, 166 
 Cotton (see Linen and Cotton) 
 Cough, 57, 72, 78, 108, 134, 138, 
 
 174 
 
 Counter-irritation, 87 
 Cow, 33 
 Cowhair, 135 
 Cow-pox, 57 
 Cramp, writers', 145 
 Cravat, 82 
 Craw-fish, 151 
 Crisis of disease, 88, 101, 102, 
 
 187 
 
 Curative power of wool, 86 
 Curtains, 52, 122, 133 
 Cyclic disorders, 187 
 
 D 
 
 Dancing, 158 
 
 Death, 26, 40, 61, 128 
 
 Deodorization, 54, 140, 173 
 
 Depression (see Emotions) 
 
 Desert, inhabitants, 67 
 
 Designs, registration, 97 
 
 Desiccation, 20 
 
 Diabetes, 186 
 
 Diaphragm, 163 
 
 Diarrhoea, 151 
 
 Die Niederen Pilze, etc., 15 
 
 Diet, change, 112, 181 
 
 Digestion, 60, 64, 74, 108, 127, 
 140, 160, 177, 181, 183 
 
 Diphtheria, 77 
 
 Dirt, 43, 80, 170 
 
 Disease, causes, 14 
 ' chronic, 102, 186 
 ' crisis, 88, 101, 102, 187 
 1 cyclic, 187 
 1 germs (see Germs) 
 * hereditary, 187 
 
Index. 
 
 195 
 
 Disease, immunity, 15, 26, 27, 
 34,42,56,70,77,78,185 
 infectious (see Germs) 
 " nature, 126 
 Disinfection, 21, 55 
 Dislocations, 31 
 Doctrinism, 177 
 D g, 75, I", Ir 5, 175, 181 
 Drawers, 51 
 Dread (see Emotions) 
 Dreams, 174 
 Dropsy, 3, 5,6, 9, 61 
 Duration of life, 75 
 Dust, 69, 80, 116, 170 
 Dyes, 146, 151, 156, 172 
 Dyscrasia, 89, 103, 105 
 Dysentery, 21, 32, 41, 43, 79, 185 
 Dyspepsia (see Digestion) 
 
 Egg, 40, 183 
 Emotions, 38, 64, 78 
 Emphysematous lesions, 5 
 Epidemics (see Germs) 
 
 " in armies, 41 
 Equanimity (see Emotions) 
 
 Fat (see Obesity) 
 
 " excess, 2, n, 30, 47, 74, 
 
 87 
 
 1 liter-weight, 30 
 Fatty degeneration of brain, 5 
 
 " deposits, 5 
 Feathers, 135 
 Feelings, 39, 49, 54, 120, 141, 
 
 152, 161 
 
 Fermentation, 18, 20, 22, 32, 57 
 Fever (see Denominations) 
 
 " anguish, 39 
 Fieverishness, 58, 153, 189 
 Fingers, cold, 145 
 Finland, 89, 173, 175 
 Fishermen, Baltic, 124 
 Flatulence (see Digestion) 
 Flea (see Parasites) 
 Flesh, dried, 32 
 Flies, 94, 189 
 
 Flowers, perfume, 130 
 Food, 6, 38, 60, 108, 151, 178 
 Foot, 125, 168 
 Frugivora, 177 
 Fruit-juices, 20 
 Fungi (see Germs) 
 Furniture, 119 
 
 Game, ground, 113 
 Garlic, 151 
 
 Germany, population, 77 
 Germs in cesspools, 21 
 
 " of infection, 17, 21, 25, 
 
 27, 32, 35, 44, 55, 79, 
 
 126, 185 
 
 " mildew, 20, 22 
 " NAEGELI on, 15, 56 
 " nutriment required, 19,21, 
 
 25 
 
 PETTENKOFER'S discov- 
 ery, 17 
 
 propagation, 25, 60 
 " putrescence, 18, 20, 22, 
 
 23, 24, 57 
 " struggle for existence, 21, 
 
 26 
 
 Girth-measurement, 9, 37, 47 
 Gloves, 95 
 Gnats, 95 
 Gout, 5 
 
 Grams, equivalent, 28 
 Grass, shadow, 135 
 Gravity, specific (see Weight) 
 Grease, 80, 81, 169 
 Growth, attainment, 75, 76 
 Gymnastics, 61, 87 
 
 H 
 
 Hair, turning white, 41 
 
 Hamburg, 90 
 
 Handkerchief, 107, 127 
 
 Hardening of body, 10, 15, 16, 
 21, 27, 34, 35, 37, 52, 
 60, 73, 76, 86, 92, 109 
 
 Hat, 75 
 
 Headache, 58, 75, 134, 142, 173 
 
 Heart, 3, 60, 134, 186 
 
Index. 
 
 Heartburn (see Digestion) 
 HELLWALD, Fr. von, 146 
 Hemorrhoids, 3, 181 
 Hips, 154, 163 
 Hoarseness (see Voice) 
 Hog, 33 
 
 Homoeopathy, 152, 156 
 Horse, 75, 107, in, 163 
 Horsehair, 135, 148 
 Houses, old, 121 
 HUFELAND, 54 
 
 Imbecility, 5, 31 
 Indigo (see Dyes) 
 Industries, linen and cotton, 89 
 Infantile disorders, 27, 174, 175 
 Infants (see Children) 
 Influenza, 70 
 Instinct, 152, 183 
 Intermittent fever, 17, 121 
 Intestines, 31, 33, 140 
 Inventors, 97, 98 
 Irritability, 31, 64 
 Ischias, 154 
 Italy, 154 
 
 K 
 
 Kidneys, 187 
 Kilograms, equivalent, 28 
 
 Lacerations, 31 
 
 Lacing, tight, 166, 167 
 
 Lactic acid, 4 
 
 Lacteous fermentation, 22 
 
 Ladies' dress, 51, 74, 163, 166, 
 
 169 
 
 Lamp, platinum, 137 
 Leather, 75, 161, 167 
 Legs, 3 
 Lesions, 5 
 
 Liebig's Extract, 178 
 Life, duration, 75 
 Ligaments, 2 
 Linen, clean, 132 
 
 Linen and cotton, 12, 48, 49, 51, 
 54, 55, 75, 80, 82, 84 
 95, loo, 107, 123, 131, 
 134, 136, 153, 171, 190, 
 
 Linings, 49, 55, 75, 80, 85, 100 
 
 Liquors, fermentation, 22 
 
 Liter-weight of bulk, 28 
 
 Liver, 166, 187 
 
 Logwood (see Dyes) 
 
 Loins, 154, 159 
 
 Longevity, 76 
 
 Lungs, 2, n, 60, 70, 117, 127, 
 
 M 
 
 Malarious soil, 18 
 Mandrill, 178 
 Manufacturers, 97 
 Marshy surfaces, 17 
 Mattress (see Bed) 
 MAYENFISCH, 92 
 Measles, 27, 79 
 Measurement of breathing, 4 
 
 chest, 162 
 
 of girth, 9, 37, 47, 162 
 
 nerve action (see Nerves) 
 
 of soldiers, 28 
 
 specific weight, 10, 29 
 Meat, putrefaction, 20 
 Medicine, 152, 156 
 Menagerie (see Zoological) 
 Mice, 113, 178 
 Mildew, 21, 23 
 Milk, 151, 183 
 Mood (see Emotions) 
 Moth, 137 
 Mucous fever, 32 
 Munich, soil, 18 
 Muscle, 2, 5, 8, 10, 31, 159 
 Mutton, 113, 151 
 
 N 
 
 NAEGELI on germs, 15, 56 
 Naturarzt, 180 
 Navel, 35, 160 
 Necessity, natural, 141 
 
Index. 
 
 197 
 
 Nerves, excitability, 2, 5, n, 31 
 measurements, 6, 31, no, 
 128, 147, 150, 153, 154, 
 155, 161 
 ' sensibility, 31 
 " severance, 5, n 
 Nervous disorders, 127, 187 
 
 ' ' fever, 17 
 Network undervests, 12 
 Neue Zilr. Zeitung, 92 
 Night air, 53 
 Nightdress, 73 
 
 " Noxious" principle, 38, 40, 41, 
 49. 53, 59, 63, 78, 86, 
 89, 103, 104, 105, 107, 
 109, 112, 127, 141, 149, 
 158, 171, 182, 186 
 Numbness, 154, 155 
 
 O 
 
 Obesity, 2, 5, 30, 47, 160 
 
 Odor, 38, 52, 56, 80, 82, 86, 102, 
 107, 114, 116, 120, 130, 
 132, 139, 146, 172, 177, 
 180, 181, 189 
 
 Onions, 151, 178 
 
 Opposition, 89 
 
 Otter, 67 
 
 Overcoat, 50 
 
 Ozogen, 139, 173 
 
 Padding (see Linings) 
 Paper, 108, 138, 145 
 Parasites, 44, 113, 114 
 Patents, 97 
 Perfumery, 130 
 Peritoneum, 160. 
 Permanence of effect, 87 
 Perspiration (see Skin, action) 
 Pesth, 175 
 PETTENKOFER, 17 
 Petticoats, 51 
 Phosphate of lime, 33 
 Phthisis, 4, 178, 187 
 Pillows (see Bed) 
 Pipe stem, no 
 Plague, the, 41 
 
 Plants, conditions of growth, 22 
 
 Platinum lamp, 137 
 
 Pneumonia, 61 
 
 Pockets, 49 
 
 Poison, characterization, 128 
 
 Population, German, 77 
 
 Post-mortem examination, 44 
 
 Poultice, REGLIN, 35 
 
 Prejudice, 89, 90, 99 
 
 Primrose, 22 
 
 Progress, 90, 99 
 
 Prussic acid, 128, 130 
 
 Puberty, 152, 188 
 
 Pulmonary affections, 4, 178, 
 
 187 
 Putrescence (see Germs) 
 
 Quinsy, 27 
 
 
 
 R 
 
 Rabbit, 53 
 
 " Reaction," 59 
 
 Reading (see Voice) 
 
 Registration of designs, 97 
 
 REGLIN poultice, 35 
 
 Respiratory organs (see Lungs) 
 
 Rheumatism, 134, 173, 187 
 
 Ribs, 159, 163 
 
 Rooms, heated, 18, 60, 107, 157 
 
 Royalties, 97, 98 
 
 Running, 150, 165 
 
 Russia, 175 
 
 Salt, 127 
 
 " Salutary" principle, 38, 63, 65, 
 
 88, 105, 127, 137, 149 
 Sanitary Woolen System (see 
 
 various headings) 
 Savages, 76 
 Savoyards, 154 
 Scarlatina, 27 
 Scarlet fever, 26 
 SCHILLER, quotation, 99 
 School, after dinner, 65 
 " attendance statistics, o, 
 
198 
 
 Index. 
 
 School, gymnastics, 62 
 " infection at, 58 
 
 Schoolroom, atmosphere, 63 
 
 School teachers, 64 
 
 Sea water, putrescent, 24 
 
 Sedentary life, 2, u, 107, 120, 
 164 
 
 Sensations (see Feelings) 
 
 Sewage, 115 
 
 Sewers, laborers in, 56 
 
 Sheep, 113 
 
 Shepherds, Hungarian, 68 
 
 Shirt, linen or cotton (see Linen) 
 ! Sanitary Woolen, 12, 49, 
 
 73, 81, 84, 98, 153 
 [ front starched, 14 
 
 Shivering fits, 104 
 
 Shoe (set Boot) 
 
 Silk, 51, 84 
 
 Sinews, 2 
 
 Skin, action, 5, 10, n, 12, 14, 
 16, 36, 38, 44, 48, 54, 
 55, 62, 66, 74, 86, 87, 92, 
 102, 104, 112, 131, 167 
 
 Skin disorders, 105, 151, 181, 
 186 
 
 Sleeplessness, 173 
 
 Small-pox, 26, 41, 57 
 
 Sock (see Stocking) 
 
 Soils, 18, 19 
 
 Soldiers, 26, 28, 93 
 
 Speaking (see Voice) 
 
 Specialties, manufacture, 97 
 
 Specific weight, (see Weight) 
 
 STEINBEIS, Dr. von, 98 
 
 Stocking, 51, 88, 124, 167 
 
 Stockinet web, 74, 96 
 
 Stomach, 32, 36, 58, 60, 65, 74, 
 108, 151, 153 
 
 Stopwatch (see Nerves, Meas- 
 urements) 
 
 " Strangles," 107 
 
 Strawberries, 151 
 
 Sugar water, 58, 
 
 Summer, 65, 133, 148, 157, 162, 
 174 
 
 Sunstroke, 65, 92 
 
 Swabia, 90 
 
 Tailors, 100 
 
 Tailors' clippings, 136 
 
 Tartaric acid, 24 
 
 Teachers, 64 
 
 Temperature variations. 50, 57, 
 
 59, 65, 84, 92, 116, 185 
 Terror (see Emotions) 
 Thread, cotton, in 
 
 " woolen, in 
 Throat, 56, 73, 78, 79, 82, 88, 
 
 108, no, 138, 142, 151, 
 
 188 
 
 Toes (see Foot) 
 Tonsils, 187 
 Tooth-ache, 173 
 Training (see Hardening) 
 Trousers, 50, 73, 95, 154, 160 
 Tubercles (see Pulmonary) 
 Turkish bath (see Baths) 
 Typhus, 17, 21, 26, 43, 56, 185 
 Tyrolese, 164 
 
 U 
 
 Undervests, 12, 48. 153 
 United States, 89 
 Upholstery, 120 
 
 Varicose veins, 3 
 
 Vegetable fiber, 14, 48, 66, 73, 
 81, 85, 91, 105, 106, 107, 
 109, 117, 119, 127, 131, 
 136, 138, 145, 172, 189 
 
 Vegetarianism, 177 
 
 Ventilation, 10, 34, 47, 52, 54, 
 65, 72, 88, 90, 107, in, 
 134, 137, 142, 167 
 
 Vienna, 175 
 
 Vinegar, 24 
 
 Vinous ferment, 20 
 
 Vis. Med. Nat. (see ' ' Salutary" 
 principle) 
 
 Voice, 42, 82, no, 138, 142, 
 188 
 
Index. 
 
 199 
 
 W 
 
 Waistcoat, 36 
 
 Walls, airtight, 19 
 
 War, 41, 49, 113 
 
 Warmth, line of extra, 36, 50, 
 
 67 
 
 Water, excess, 2, 6, 8, 10, n, 
 15, 27, 28, 31, 32, 42, 
 104 
 Water, liter-weight, 30 
 
 " in sleeping room, 132 
 
 " sugared, 58 
 
 " underground, 17 
 Water-closets, effluvia, 43, 55 
 Weeds, 22 
 
 Weight, specific, 15, 28, 70 
 Whooping-cough, 59 
 Wild tribes, 75 
 Wind (see Digestion) 
 Window open (see Ventilation) 
 Wine-must, 20, 23 
 
 Winter, 10, 50, 107, 133, 137, 
 
 188 
 Women's dress, 51, 74, 163, 
 
 166, 169 
 Woodwork, 120 
 Wool, adulteration, 91, no 
 " carbonized, 135 
 " combustibility, 106 
 " curative power, 86 
 ' * dyed (see Dyes) 
 Working capacity, 3, 5, 8, 10, 
 n, 30, 32, 33, 61, 65, 
 ^9,90 
 
 Working Power of Man, 8 
 Writers' cramp, 145 
 
 Yeast, 20, 23, 24 
 Z 
 Zoological garden, 67, 178 
 
WHOLESALE AND RETAIL 
 DEPOT 
 
 FOR 
 
 CLOTHING, BEDDING, ETC. 
 
 DR. JAEGER'S 
 
 Sanitnrg 
 
 All articles manufactured under this System are of 
 the finest and purest Wool, without any admixture 
 of vegetable fiber, are free from noxious dyes, 
 
 and bear the following Trade Mark : 
 
 This 
 TRADE MARK 
 
 is the sole 
 guarantee of 
 
 Manufacture 
 
 under 
 
 Dr. JAEGER'S 
 authority. 
 
 Illustrated Catalogues, with Patterns of Materials of 
 Underclothing, will be sent on Application. 
 
 DR. JAEGER'S CO.," 
 
 B27 emd 829 
 
 NEW YORK. 
 
 pld Medal, Health Exhibition, London, 1884. 
 
GENERAL LIBRARY - U.C. BERKELEY