The dirt of the skin and underclothing consists of the sweat and greasy
matters exuded from the pores, together with the cast-off surface of the
skin itself, which is continually scaling away. The importance of
frequent bathing will be better appreciated when we remember what are
the functions of the skin, and the amount of solid and fluid matter
excreted thereby. The quantity varies greatly according to the
temperature and moisture of the air, the work done, and the fluids
drunk, but is probably never less than five pounds or half a gallon
daily, and with hard labor and a high temperature this amount may be
multiplied many times. From one to two per cent of this consists of
fatty salts, without taking into account the skin scales.
A good cistern, spring or well of wholesome water is a positive
necessity on every farm. A bath-tub and its frequent use are quite as
essential to the welfare of the farmer.
In the cities, where soot and dense coal smoke soil linen and mulch the
lungs and air passages, there is necessarily a greater regard for
cleanliness on the part of the inhabitants than may be observed in the
country, where the agencies which oppose cleanliness are of an entirely
different composition and productive of different results.
The farmer during the summer season is lightly clad—a straw or hickory
hat, a strong shirt, a pair of overalls, socks and heavy shoes
constituting his bodily protection. The absence of underwear—sometimes
socks—is excused upon the ground that the lighter the harness the less
energy is diverted from the performance of work.
Clothed as he is, the farmer when working in the fields or engaged in
any farm work, soon not only gets his clothing soiled, but the pores of
his skin fill with particles of dust and this retards their normal and
vitally necessary functions. No vocation in life makes frequent bathing
unnecessary. Farmers and miners, perhaps more than any other class of
laborers, who are continually in contact with the earth, need the
elevating influence, physical and spiritual, of a daily bath.
From a moral and hygienic standpoint the matter of cleanliness, which is
next to godliness, is of great importance, and it is fine evidence of
intellectual progress and spiritual growth when men use more water and
soap at the end of the day’s work.
For purposes of cleanliness a bath without soap and friction is
perfectly useless, and warm water is more effectual than cold. The shock
of a cold plunge or sponge bath, however, has a powerful invigorating
influence on the nervous system, and helps it guard against the risks of
catching cold. The purpose of health and cleanliness alike will be best
served by the daily bath with cold water and once a week with warm.
Speaking of cold baths, we may take note of a popular error as to what
this means. The temperature of the body is always a little under one
hundred degrees F. If, then, in summer, a bath at sixty degrees F., or
forty degrees below that of the body, is considered cold and gives the
desired amount of shock, it will do the same in winter, and to insist on
plunging into water still colder than that is, to say the least
unreasonable. The cold bath, then, is one at forty degrees below the
temperature of the blood, and is the same in January as in July. To
bathe in water from which the ice is broken, as some do, is a result of
misunderstanding or folly, and may be followed by dangerous
consequences.
It is dangerous to bathe after a full meal, and also when fasting. An
hour or two after breakfast is a good time, but if one wishes to bathe
earlier, a bit of food should be taken first. Again it is dangerous to
bathe when exhausted by fatigue, but the glow of moderate exercise is a
decided advantage. A light refreshment and a short run or brisk walk are
the best preparations for a swim, which should not be prolonged until
fatigue and chill are felt, and should be followed by a rub-down, speedy
dressing and a quick walk home.
When the resisting and rallying power and the circulation generally are
weak, as shown by shivering, coldness of the extremities, and sense of
exhaustion, river or sea bathing should be given up. So, too, persons
whose lungs and hearts are weak, and above all those who have any actual
diseases of those organs, should not attempt it. There is a general
tendency among those who enjoy outdoor bathing to stay in the water too
long. Boys in summer remain for hours at lake or river side, most of the
time in the water. This is an exceedingly weakening practice. Half an
hour is ample for all the benefit that can be derived from such a swim,
and a longer time in the water is apt to be distinctly injurious.