p. 18 | Summer Hints for the Older Members of the Family

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jul 30, 1914

Summer Hints for the Older Members of the Family

By G. H. Heald, M. D.

REMEMBER that clothing is a nonconductor of heat, because of the layer of air it imprisons. It is the imprisoned air that serves as a nonconductor or retainer of heat. This imprisoned air interferes not only with the conduction of heat, but with the rapid evaporation of perspiration. Every layer of clothing increases this difficulty. To dispense with all but one, or at most two, light layers over the arms, chest, and trunk, makes for comfort and better health.

We talk about woman's slavery to fashion; but there is no slavery more abject than that which compels a man to wear a coat and waistcoat in hot weather. It is true the waistcoat is often left off, and not infrequently now the more daring leave off the coat. But the truth is that men—that is, the men who are not laborers—are more conservative and enslaved by custom than women, and will run fewer risks of what might be considered an impropriety. They will even submit to a stiff collar, and possibly stiff cuffs, on a hot day.

Perhaps the most sensible garment for men in summer would be a light woolen sweater. The wool has the property of taking up the perspiration readily without causing a feeling of dampness—a very important point. One light layer of wool would actually be more comfortable than two layers of cotton. The clammy cotton undergarments make one miserable in a humid atmosphere.

Very little need be said to the women about dressing for warm weather. They could teach the men several lessons in this respect.

Besides the regulation of clothing, there are other ways in which the warmth of summer may be mitigated. One should take comparatively little active exercise during the heat of the day. If it is necessary to do hard work, arise with the sun or earlier and get the work off your hands before the ordinary person is awake, and then rest during the heat of the day. This custom of doing the muscular work while it is cool is common in tropical countries, and should be more frequent here during the hot season.

Another means of controlling the heat of the body is by regulating the diet. All sugars and starches are burned in the body with production of heat. Eat lightly, and let the dietary consist quite largely of fruits and the succulent vegetables, with a minimum of bread, grains, butter, etc. You will, of course, need some protein and fat, but be abstemious. Allow yourself to be just a little hungry, and above all, do not eat puddings, ice cream, and the like (which must all be burned up to your discomfiture), simply because they taste good.

There is undoubtedly a psychological side to hot weather. The person who watches the thermometer, who is constantly telling how hot and disagreeable it is, suffers much more than one who goes about his work, forgetting to look at the thermometer. If you think of the weather, you immediately perceive that you are uncomfortable. Forget it. Concentrate your mind on what you are doing, and it will not be hot—to you.

G. H. Heald, M. D., Editor “Life and Health.”