is surely quite sufficient to suffer for our own, of which most of us
have plenty--we ought to endeavour to convert those of others, into
causes of comfort and consolation, instead of fretting about them--if
you receive rudeness in return for civility--and ingratitude for
kindness, it may move your Pity--but should never excite your
Anger--instead of murmuring at Heaven for having created such Crazy
Creatures! be fervently thankful that you are not equally inconsistent
and ridiculous--and Pray, that your own Mind, may not be afflicted with
the like aberrations.
_Indigestion_[34], is the chief cause of perturbed Sleep, and often
excites the imaginary presence of that troublesome Bedfellow _the
Nightmare_. On this subject see _Peptic Precepts_ (Index.)
Some cannot Sleep if they eat any Supper--and certainly the lighter this
meal is, the better--Others, need not put on their Night cap, if they
do not first bribe their Stomachs to good behaviour by a certain
quantity of Bread and Cheese and Beer, &c. &c., and go to Bed almost
immediately after.
As to the wholesomeness of _a Solid Supper, per se_, we do not think it
advisable,--but habit may have made it indispensable, and we know it is
often the most comfortable Meal among the middle ranks of Society, who
have as large a share of Health as any.
We caution _Bad sleepers_ to beware how they indulge in the habit of
exciting sleep, by taking any of the preparations of _Opium_--they are
all injurious to the Stomach--and often inconvenient in their effects
upon the Bowels:--
"REPOSE _by small fatigue is earned_, and Weariness can snore upon the
flint, when nesty Sloth, finds a down pillow hard."
As there can be no good _Digestion_ without diligent _Mastication_,--so
there can be no sound _Sleep_, without sufficient _Exercise_.
_The most inoffensive and agreeable Anodyne_ is to drink some good White
Wine, or Mulled Wine, by way of a supplement to your Night cap.--One
glass, taken when in Bed, immediately before lying down, is as effective
as two or three if you sit up any time after.--(See _Tewahdiddle_, No.
467.)
Many people, if awoke during their first sleep, are unsettled all that
night--and uncomfortable and nervous the following day.--The first sleep
of those who eat Suppers, commonly terminates when the food passes from
the Stomach.--Invalids then awake, and sometimes remain so, in a
Feverish state,--the Stomach feeling discontented from being unoccupied,
and having nothing to play with:--a small crust of Bread, or a bit of
Biscuit well chewed, accompanied or not, as Experience and Instinct will
suggest, with a few mouthsful of Mutton or Beef Broth (No. 564), or
Toast and Water (No. 463*), or single Grog[35], (_i. e._ one Brandy to
nine Waters), will often restore its tranquillity, and catch Sleep
again, which nothing invites so irresistibly, as introducing something
to the Stomach,--that will entertain it, without fatiguing it.
We have heard persons say they have been much distressed by an
intemperate craving for Food when they awoke out of their first sleep,
and have not got to sleep soundly again after--and risen in the morning
as tired as when they went to bed at night--but without any appetite for
Breakfast--such will derive great benefit from the foregoing Advice.
_A Broth_ (No. 564), _or Gruel_ (No. 572) _Supper_, is perhaps the best
for the Dyspeptic,--and those who have eaten and drank plentifully at
Dinner.
THE BED ROOM should be in the quietest situation possible, as it were
"_the Temple of Silence_,"--and, if possible, not less than 16 feet
square--the height of this Apartment, _in which we pass almost half of
our Time_, is in modern houses absurdly abridged, to increase that of
the Drawing Room, which is often not occupied once in a month:--instead
of living in the pleasant part of the House, where they might enjoy
Light and Air, how often we find people squeezing themselves into "a
nice snug Parlour," where Apollo cannot spy.
We do not recommend either _Curtains_ or _Tester_, &c. to the BED,
especially during the Summer;--by the help of these, those who might
have the benefit of the free circulation of air in a large Room, very
ingeniously contrive to reduce it to a small Closet:--_Chimney-Boards_
and _Window-Curtains_ are also inadmissible in a Bed Room; but
Valetudinarians who are easily awoke, or very susceptible of Cold, will
do wisely to avail themselves of well made _Double[36] Windows and
Doors_, these exclude both Noise and Cold in a very considerable degree.
_The best Bed_ is a well stuffed and well curled _Horsehair Mattress_,
six inches thick at the Head, gradually diminishing to three at Feet,
on this another Mattress five or six inches in thickness: these should
be unpicked and exposed to the air, once every Year. An elastic
Horsehair mattress, is incomparably the most pleasant, as well as the
most wholesome Bed.
_Bed Rooms_ should be thoroughly ventilated by leaving both the Window
and the Door open every day when the weather is not cold or damp--during
which the Bed should remain unmade, and the Clothes be taken off and
spread out for an hour, at least, before the Bed is made again.
_In very Hot Weather_, the temperature becomes considerably cooler every
minute after ten o'clock--between eight o'clock and twelve, the
Thermometer often falls in Sultry weather--from ten to twenty
degrees--and those who can sit up till twelve o'clock, will have the
advantage of sleeping in an Atmosphere many degrees cooler, than those
who go to bed at ten:--this is extremely important to Nervous
Invalids--who however extremely they may suffer from heat, we cannot
advise to sleep with the smallest part of the window open during the
night--in such sultry days, the _Siesta_ (see page 94,) will not only be
a great support against the heat, but will help You to sit up to enjoy
the advantage above stated.
_A Fire in the Bed Room_, is sometimes indispensable--but not as usually
made--it is commonly lighted only just before bed-time, and prevents
Sleep by the noise it makes, and the unaccustomed stimulus of its light.
Chimneys frequently smoke when a fire is first lighted, particularly in
snowy and frosty weather; and an Invalid has to encounter not only the
damp and cold of the Room--but has his Lungs irritated with the
sulphureous puffs from the fresh lighted Fire.
A Fire should be lighted about three or four hours before, and so
managed that it may burn entirely out half an hour before you go to
Bed--then the air of the room will be comfortably warmed--and certainly
more fit to receive an Invalid who has been sitting all day in a parlour
as hot as an Oven,--than a damp chamber, that is as cold as a Well.
THE SIESTA.
The Power of _Position_ and _Temperature_ to alleviate the Paroxysms of
many Chronic Disorders, has not received the consideration it
deserves--a little attention to the variations of the Pulse, will soon
point out the effect they produce on the Circulation, &c.--_extremes of
Heat and Cold_, with respect to Food, Drink, and Air, are equally to be
guarded against.
_Old and Cold Stomachs_--The Gouty--and those whose Digestive Faculties
are Feeble--should never have any thing _Cold_[37], or _Old_, put into
them--especially in Cold Weather.
_Food must take the temperature of our Stomach_, (which is probably not
less than 120,) _before Digestion can commence_.
When the Stomach is feeble, _Cold Food_ frequently produces
Flatulence--Palpitation of the Heart, &c.--and all the other troublesome
accompaniments of Indigestion.--The immediate remedy for these is Hot
Brandy and Water, and the horizontal Posture.
_Dyspeptic Invalids_ will find 75 a good temperature for their drink at
Dinner, and 120 for Tea, &c.
Persons who are in a state of Debility from Age,--or other causes,--will
derive much benefit from laying down, and seeking Repose whenever they
feel fatigued, especially during (the first half-hour at least of) the
business of Digestion--and will receive almost as much refreshment from
half an hour's Sleep--as from Half a Pint of Wine.
_The Restorative influence of the recumbent Posture_, cannot be
conceived--the increased energy it gives to the circulation, and to the
organs of Digestion, can only be understood by those Invalids who have
experienced the comforts of it.
_The Siesta_ is not only advisable, but indispensable to those whose
occupations oblige them to keep late hours.
ACTORS especially, whose profession is, of all others, the most
fatiguing--and requires both the Mind and the Body to be in the most
intense exertion between 10 and 12 o'clock at Night,--should avail
themselves of the _Siesta_--which is the true source of Energy--half an
hour's repose in the horizontal posture, is a most beneficial
Restorative.
_Good Beef Tea_[38], (No. 563), with a little bit of slightly toasted
Bread taken about nine o'clock--is a comforting restorative, which will
support You through exertions that, without such assistance, are
exhausting--and you go to bed fatigued--get up fevered, &c.
When Performers feel _Nervous, &c._--and fear the circulation is below
_Par_,--and too languid to afford the due excitement, half an hour
before they sing, &c.--they will do wisely, to wind up their System,
with a little "_Balsamum Vitæ_."--See "PEPTIC PRECEPTS."--Or tune their
throats to the pitch of healthy vibration with a small glass of
JOHNSON'S[39] "_Witte Curacoa_," see (No. 474) and Index, a glass of
Wine, or other stimulus.--
To "Wet your Whistle," is occasionally, as absolutely necessary, as "to
rosin the Bow of a Violin."--See "Observations on Vocal Music," prefixed
to the Opera of _Ivanhoe_.
ACTORS and SINGERS are continually assailed by a variety of
circumstances extremely unfavourable to Health--especially from sitting
up late at night--to counteract which, we recommend _the Siesta_, and
plenty of Exercise in a pure Air.
When they feel _Nervous_--_Bilious, &c. i. e._ that their whole System
is so deranged by fatigue and anxiety, that they cannot proceed
effectively and comfortably,--they must give their Throats two or three
days' rest--cleanse the Alimentary Canal with Peristaltic
Persuaders--see Index--and corroborate the Organs of Digestion with the
Tonic Tincture (No. 569), see Index.
Strong PEPPERMINT LOZENGES, made by SMITH, Fell Street, Wood Street,
Cheapside, are very convenient portable Carminatives:--as soon as they
are dissolved, their influence is felt from the beginning to the end of
the Alimentary Canal--they dissipate Flatulence so immediately, that
they well deserve the name of _Vegetable Ether_; and are recommended to
SINGERS and PUBLIC SPEAKERS--as giving effective excitement to the
Organs of Voice--as a support against the distressing effects of Fasting
too long--and to give energy to the Stomach between Meals.
THE POWER OF THE VOICE depends upon the vigorous state of the
circulation supplying the Organs of Voice, with energy to execute the
intentions of the Singer or Speaker--without which--the most accurate
Ear and experienced Throat, will sometimes fail in producing the exact
quality and quantity of Tone they intend.
That the VOICE is sometimes _too Flat_, or _too Sharp, &c._ is not a
matter of astonishment--to those who really understand how arduous a
task Singers have sometimes to perform;--it would only be wonderful if
it was not--how is the Throat exempted from those collapses which
occasionally render imperfect the action of every other fibre and
function of our Body?
The _Dyspeptic_, who Tries the effect of Recumbency after Eating,--will
soon be convinced that _Tristram Shandy_ was right enough, when he said,
that "both pain, and pleasure, are best supported in an horizontal
posture."
"If after Dinner the Poppies of repletion shed their influence on thy
Eyelids--indulge thou kind Nature's hint."--"A quiet slumber in a
comfortable warm room, favoureth the operation of Digestion--and thou
shalt rise, refreshed, and ready for the amusements of the Evening."
The _Semi-Siesta_ is a pleasant position--(_i. e._ putting up the feet
on a stool about eight inches high;) but catching a nap in a Chair is
advisable only as a substitute when the Horizontal posture is not
convenient--when you can, lie down on a Sofa--loosen all ligatures--and
give your Bowels fair play.
These opinions,--which are the results of Personal experience--are
exactly in unison with those of the following Medical Professors.
"From Eating comes Sleep--from Sleep Digestion."--SANCTORIUS, Sec. iv.
Aph. 59.
"Perhaps one of the uses of Sleep, and of the horizontal posture during
that period--may be to facilitate the introduction of Chyle into the
Blood."--CRUICKSHANK _on the Absorbents_, p. 95.
"The Brute Creation invariably lay down and enjoy a state of rest, the
moment their stomachs are filled. People who are feeble, digest their
Dinner best, if they lie down and sleep as most Animals do, when their
stomachs are full."--DARWIN'S _Zoonomia_, vol. iv. p. 137.
"Dr. HARWOOD, Professor of Anatomy at Cambridge, took two pointers who
were equally hungry, and fed them equally well,--_one_ he suffered to
follow the promptings of Instinct--curled himself round till he was
comfortable--and went to sleep, as animals generally do after
eating--the _other_ was kept for about two hours in constant exercise.
On his return home--the two Dogs were killed.--In the Stomach of the
_one_ who had been quiet and asleep, all the food was digested; in the
Stomach of _the other_, that process was hardly begun."
"Quiet of Body and Mind for two hours after Dinner, is certainly useful
to the Studious, the Delicate, and the Invalid."--ADAIR _on Diet_, p.
44.
"After Dinner, rest for three hours."--ABERNETHY'S _Surgical Obs_. 8vo.
1817, p. 93.
"After Dinner sit a while."--_Eng. Prov._
"If you have a strong propensity to Sleep after Dinner--indulge it, the
process of Digestion goes on much better during Sleep, and I have always
found an irresistible propensity to it--whenever Dyspeptic symptoms were
considerable."--WALLER _on Incubus_, 1816, p. 109.
"Aged Men--and weake bodies, a short _Sleepe_ after Dinner doth help to
nourish."--LORD BACON'S _Nat. Hist. Cent._ I. 57.
CLOTHES.
Of all the Customs of Clothing, the most extremely absurd is the usual
arrangement of _Bed Clothes_, which in order as the chambermaid fancies
to make the Bed look pretty in the Day time--are left long at the head,
that they may cover the Pillows; when they are turned down, You have an
intolerable load on your Lungs, and that part of the Body which is most
exposed during the day--is smothered at night--with double the quantity
of Clothes that any other part has.
Sleep is prevented by an unpleasant degree of either Heat or Cold; and
in this ever-varying climate, where often "in one monstrous day all
seasons mix," delicate Thermometrical persons will derive much comfort
from keeping a Counterpane in reserve for an additional covering _in
very Cold Weather:_ when some extra clothing is as needful by Night,--as
a great coat is by Day.
A Gentleman who has a mind to carry the adjustment of his Clothes to a
nicety--may have the shelves of his Wardrobe numbered 30, 40, 50, 60,
&c. and according to the degree of Cold pointed to by his
Fahrenheit[40], he may wear a corresponding defence against it:--This
mode of adjusting Dress according to the vicissitudes of the weather,
&c. is as rational as the ordinary practice of regulating it by the
Almanack, or the Fashion, which in this uncertain Climate and capricious
Age--will as often lead us wrong, as right.
Leave off your Winter Clothes late in the Spring;--put them on early in
the Autumn. By wearing your Winter Clothes during the first half dozen
warm days--You get some fine perspirations--which are highly salutary in
removing obstructions in the cutaneous pores, &c.
_Delicate and Dyspeptic persons are often distressed by changing their
Dress_,--which must be as uniform as possible,--in thickness--in
quality--and in form,--especially (Flannel, or indeed) whatever is worn
next to the Skin.
The change of a thick Waistcoat for a thin one--or a long one for a
shorter one--not putting on Winter garments soon enough, or leaving them
off too soon,--will often excite a violent disorder in the Lungs--or
Bowels, &c. and exasperate any constitutional complaint.
Those who wear _Flannel Waistcoats_, are recommended to have their new
ones about the middle of November, with sleeves to them coming down to
the wrist--the shortening these sleeves in the warm weather, is as
effective an antidote against extreme Heat--as lengthening them, and
closing the Cuff of the Coat, is against intense Cold.
Our COAT[41] should be made so large--that when buttoned we may be as
easy as when it is unbuttoned, so that without any unpleasant increase
of pressure on the Chest, &c. we can wear it closely buttoned up to the
Chin--the power of doing this is a convenient provision against the
sudden alternations from heat to cold--buttoning up this outer garment,
will protect the delicate from many mischiefs which so often arise in
this inconstant climate from the want of such a defence; and the
additional warmth it produces will often cure slight Colds, &c.
Another way of accumulating Caloric, is to have two sets of button holes
to the CUFF of the Coat, (especially of your Great Coat,) one of which
will bring it quite close round the wrist.
When the Circulation is languid, and your _Feet are Cold_--wear worsted
Stockings, have your Shoes well warmed--and when you take them from the
Fire--put your Slippers[42] to it--that they may be warm and comfortable
for you on your return home.
_In Wet Weather_ wear Shoes with double upper-leathers--- two thin
leathers will keep you much drier than one thick one, and are more
pliable--the Currier's Dubbing is the best nourisher of Leather--and
renders it as soft as satin, and impervious to Water.
The mean temperature of England is about 50 degrees of Fahrenheit--it
sometimes rises 25 degrees above this, in the height of Summer,--falls
about as much below, in the depth of Winter--and in Summer frequently
varies from 20 to 30 degrees between Mid-day and Midnight.
_The restoration, and the preservation of the Health, especially of
those who have passed their_ FORTIETH _Year_,--depends upon minute and
unremitting attentions to Food,--Clothes,--Exercise, &c. which taken
singly may appear trifling--but combined, are of infinite importance.
"_If you are careful of it, Glass will last as long as Iron._" By a
regular observance of a few salutary precepts, a delicate Constitution
will last as long, and afford its Proprietor as many Amusements, as a
Strong Body,--whose Mind takes but little care of it.
Invalids are advised to put on a Great Coat when they go out, and the
temperature of the external air is not higher than 40. Some susceptible
Constitutions require this additional clothing when the Thermometer
falls below 50; especially at the commencement of the Cold weather.
A GREAT COAT must be kept in a Room where there is a Fire,--if it has
been hung up in a cold damp Hall, as it often is, it will contribute
about as much to your Calorification,--as if You wrapped a Wet Blanket
about You.
_Clothes_ should be warm enough to defend us from Cold[43],--and
large[44] enough to let every movement be made with as much ease when
they are on,--as when they are off.
Those whose employments are sedentary,--especially hard Students--who
often neglect taking sufficient Exercise[45], suffer extremely from the
pressure of tight _Waistbands_--_Garters, &c._ which are the cause of
many of the mischiefs that arise from long sitting--during which they
should be loosened.
_Braces_ have been generally considered a great improvement in modern
dress--because they render the pressure of the Waistband unnecessary,
which when extremely close is certainly prejudicial--but we have always
thought they have produced more inconvenience than they have
removed--for if the inferior Viscera get thereby more freedom of
action--the superior suffer for it--and, moreover, _Ruptures_ are much
more frequent--the Girdle which formerly prevented them being
removed,--and, instead of that useful and partial horizontal pressure,
in spite of the elastic springs which have been attached to the Braces,
the whole body is grievously oppressed by the Vertical Bands.
The best material for Breeches, is the elastic worsted stocking stuff.
_Tight Stays_--and _Braces_--obstruct the circulation of the Blood, &c.
are the cause of many Chronic Complaints, and often create Organic
Diseases[46].
FIRE.
As we advance in Age--the force of the circulation being lessened, the
warmth of our Clothes and our coverings at night should be gradually
increased. "After the age of 35, it may be better to exceed, rather than
be deficient in clothing."--ADAIR'S _Cautions_, p. 390.
Cold often kills the infirm and the aged, and is the proximate cause of
most Palsies;--it is extremely desirable that Bed and Sitting Rooms for
Winter occupation, should have a Southern aspect--when the Thermometer
is below 30, the proper place for people beyond 60, is their own
Fire-side:--many of the disorders and Deaths of persons at this period
of Life--originate from irregularity in Diet, Temperature, &c. by Dining
out, and frisking about, joining in Christmas Gambols, &c. in Cold
weather.
_The Art of making a room comfortably warm_, does not consist merely in
making a very large Fire in it--but depends as much on the keeping of
cold air out--this is best done by _Double Windows_, see page 91, and
double Doors,--at least take care that your Sashes fit close,--that the
beads of the window frames are tight--stop the aperture between the
skirting boards and the floor with putty--and list the Doors.
We suppose it almost needless to say that every room in the house should
be thoroughly ventilated[47] by a current of fresh Air--at least once
every day, when the weather is not very damp--or cold. By making a Fire
accordingly--this may be done almost every Day in the Year.
If You leave the Door open for _Five_ minutes--it will let in more cold
air than your Fire can make warm in _Fifteen_--therefore, initiate your
Domestics in these first principles of the _Economy of Caloric_,--and
when the Weather is cold, caution them to keep Doors shut.
A regular Temperature may be preserved by a simple contrivance attached
to a Thermometer, which will open an aperture to admit the external
air--when the apartment is heated above the degree desired (_i. e._
about 60 for common constitutions,) and exclude it when it falls below
it.
A Room, which is in constant occupation all day--may be occasionally
_pumped_ by moving the door backward and forward for several minutes.
We do not advise Invalids to indulge themselves in heating their rooms
to a higher temperature[48] than from 60 to 65.--Those who have resided
the best part of their Life in warm climates--will like the latter best.
While we recommend the Aged and Infirm to be kept comfortably warm--they
must at the same time cautiously avoid excess of heat.
When the Thermometer tells them that the external air is under
60,--whether it be in July, or in January,--those who are susceptible of
Cold, must tell their Servants to keep a small fire--especially if the
Weather be at the same time damp.
Those who, from caprice, or parsimony,--instead of obeying this
comfortable and salutary precept, sit shivering and murmuring, and
refuse to employ the Coal-merchant, as a substitute for the Sun--may
soon spend in Physic, more than they have saved in Fuel.
By raising the temperature of my Room to about 65, taking a full dose of
Epsom Salts, and a Broth Diet, and retiring to rest an hour sooner than
usual, I have often very speedily got rid of _Colds_, &c.
The following _Plan of Lighting and managing a Fire_, has been attended
with great comfort and convenience to myself, (particularly at the
beginning and the end of winter, when a very small fire is sufficient),
and I think considerable saving of coals.