Local and general cleanliness of the body is less a health measure than an esthetic necessity but its importance to health, particularly of the skin, and to comfort must not be minimized. Bathing is to some extent an artificial procedure and made necessary largely by clothing and civilization. The body is self-cleansing, but clothing tends to prevent this. Also, many civilized occupations soil the body in a manner that its self-cleansing functions cannot remove. Dr. Trail says: Were human beings in all other respects to adapt themselves to the laws of their organization, and were they . in all their voluntary habits in relation to eating, drinking, clothing, exercise, and temperature, to conform strictly to the laws of hygiene, I do not know that there would be any physiological necessity or utility in bathing at all. Dr. Page agrees with this, saying: The less clothing one wears, the less essential a daily bath becomes, and the less time necessary to devote to it. At the same time there is an increased ability to withstand exposure to wet or cold, whether of the bath, an involuntary ducking, or however caused. Bathing: Keep your body clean but do not indulge in too frequent and too prolonged bathing. Do not stay in the water and soak for a long time. Man is neither fish nor amphibian. He is a land mammal. To get clean, simple washing in plain water, at a moderate temperature (luke warm or slightly cool-not hot or cold), is sufficient. Get into the tub or under the shower and quickly wash the body in the same manner that you wash your face. Stay in the water only long enough to cleanse the body. Get out as quickly as possible and dry off with a coarse towel, vigorously rubbing the body with this. Staying in the water too long enervates through stimulation. Soap: I do not favor the employment of soap, except by those whose work (automobile mechanics, miners, o:il workers, etc.) soils their bodies with materials that plain water will not remove. Soap extracts the natural oil from the skin, leaving it dry and cracked
Posted on: Sun, 07 Dec 2014 01:41:56 +0000