WHAT IS A COLD?

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 134, 8 June 1929, Page 3 (Supplement)

WHAT IS A COLD?

Most people believe they catch .a cold through being exposed to cold air, especially to cold moving air in the form of draughts. But that is .a big mistake. Cold air, or even cold draughts, can have little or nothing to do with colds, as we •see sit once when we iind that Arctic explorerSj airmen and chauffeurs seldom or Jiever catch cold, and that people who are afraid of cold-air and draughts often catch bad colds. Another popular mistake is to imagine that colds are caught .by coming from warm air into cold air. That, also, is easily seen to be a mistake, for Arctic explorers go from hot huts into icy air .far below freezing-point and never catch cold. Most people think cold must .be the caus of colds, because after they .have caught cold they usually feel shivery and chilly; but this cold feeling is not the cause of the cold: the cold is the cause of the cold feeling. As a matter of fact, cold air, unless the cold is extreme, is more likely to prevent colds than to cause them. The cause of colds is nothing more, nor less than germs, and the severity of colds depends on the kind and number of germs at work. ; •In most cases the germs are caught directly from somebody with a cold who sprays and scatters them about :by, sneezing or coughing, blowing his nose or flourishing his handkerchief; but they, are also often caught indirectly from germs that have settled on the furniture, and floors of infected rooms. They are : often plentiful in railway carriages, buses, cinemas, churches, dark, dusty t rooms, and closed trunks, but luckily they are usually quickly killed by exposure to sunlight and fresh air. The best way to escape the germs of colds is to keep away from people frith colds, to avoid dark, stuffy rooms and halls, and to live as much, as possible in the open air. With every precaution, however, it is seldom possible to escape colds altogether, and the next best thing is to catch them lightly and throw them off quickly, which we can manage to do by living healthy lives, taking plenty of open-air exercise,, eating simple, nourishing food, keejping early hours, avoiding overheated rooms. '■

To a very limited extent cold does play a part in the production of colds. If the cold be very severe and prolonged, and if tho person exposed to it be ■ ill-fed and ill-clad, or if he has .pampered his skin, he may be cooled down ;to a dangerous extent and rendered an easier prey to any germs that may be prowling about. If the .akin is pampered and always protected from draughts and cold, it forgets -how to perform one of its most important duties, which is to regulate the amount of blood flowing in it. In warm air its blood vessels should dilate so that -the blood da "near the 'surface and has a chance to cool down, while

in cool air its Wood vessels .should conrtraet .and drive the blood inwards from "the surface, so that it may not lose too much heat. That is a most important duty for the skin. •Cold is good for the skin, and the skin should "be put through a blood drill frequently by cold baths and by exposure to cold air.

THE NINE SQUARES

lake twenty-four matches and arrange them in nine squares as in the picture. The trick is to take away only eight

THE WONDERS OF NATURE

SOMETHING ABOUT RAINBOWS

"There's a rainbow in the sky." Directly someone calls out about the rainbow, boys and girls run out as fast ag they can to get a view of it. We all liko to seo the beautiful colours in the wonderful semi-circle that appears across the sky after rain. But did anyone ever tell you what .caused this many-coloured phenomenon to appear above our heads 1

A rainbow is caused by the sun's rays shining .back from the water. When you see a rainbow you know that it is still raining, though the sun is shining. A rainbow appears in the shape of an arch or half-circle, with either end resting on earth. It is always seen in the part of the sky opposite the sun. It is high when :the sun is low, and low near •the horizon when the sun is high. You will notice that the colours of the raiu■bow are always in the following order: —

Eed, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.

SCHOOLBOY HOWLERS.

33.5 c. stands for Boy Scout. Conscription is what is written on a tombstone.

'' An ibex is wJiere you look in the back ,part of the book when you want to find anything that is printed in the front part.

JUNO.

(By Alice Berridge, 04, Graham Road, Gisborne, age 15.) It was when I went back to the garden for my book, that I came across Terry and Ryan tethering their ponies to the gate, and overheard their plans for. the night. But it was Terry who caused "me to feel so insulted and wild. "Don't bother telling Juno," he said, "girls are such scarey creatures." I wanted to shake Terry, badly. He!s only thirteen and a half, six months older than I, and Ryan's only a year older. Why, at the little country school I went to last year the boys regarded me as one of themselves. I played cricket with, them and a jolty good bowler they said I was, and although Dad never let me ■ play footer I knew all about it. I don't s'pose Auntie Chris, she's mothering me while Dad's south, will let me play with boys, now I'm to go to boarding school, except Terry and Ryan. Well, I was saying—. I didn't stand there long. I just confronted those boys and told them what lovely cousins they were, and how glad I was I -wouldn't be with them much longer, and what beautiful fosterbrothers they'd be! "You're unutterably mean," I ended, "goin.sr to the bush to-night without saying anything when Uncle and Aunt and everyone's going to that social. I'll be all by myself—what would they .say, except that boy, Mack, I don't know yet and p'raps Sara, who's too dry and dull."

I could see that they had, forgotten all about the social because Ryan said, "then, that puts the lid on it."

Terry grumbled about girls and said they spoilt everything/

"We wanted to ride to the Spur Bush and take some flashlight snaps of moreporks and birds before school starts/ , explained Ryan, quite decently, while Terry stamped off in a huff.

Of course I dids't want to be a spoilsport and, although I wanted to go too, I told them I wouldn't say a word about their leaving me alone. Ryan, however, refused either to go and leave me or to take me. He seemed almost as mean as Terry when he explained that I'd be too scared in the .bush for any success with the birds. What idiots boys can be!

I went to bed early that evening and I was lying silently in the dark, when the window rattled. That wasn't much, but there wasn't a breath of wind. The p>l sh was open the merest bit, while the upper was right down. I lay low, then—l went all goosey-flesh and cold. I could see a hand and its fingers were curving the sash, forcing it slowly up. I did feel really scared; I thought I should .scream. The thought of Terry gave me courage and I slipped as silently as possible across the floor. Then, with, the water-jug in my hands, I stood in readiness on one side ■while the window opened slowly more and more. At last it was wide enough for my purpose, and, with fierce bravado, I flung the cold water through- it—came a gurg-

ling cry and a burst of laughter in voices I knew. The wretches! the scoundrels! —the — I shouted every name I could think of, then drew the blind and put on the. light. In another minute I heard Ryan's voice at my door. "Say, Juno, hurry up; we're going after all. anr!—and—Terry says you're.a little sport and I'll shake hands when you come out. You are coming, Juno?" Of course I was, and I shook hands ■with them and forgave them both for scaring me. And that is how they tested my courage! Aren't boys just the absolute limit?

TO MAKE A ROCKING TOY,

Remove the blackened ends from 14 used matches, and gum them together to form two rockers, as shown. Now gum the rockers beneath a cardboard box of the right size.

Paint the whole in any gay colour preferred, with a little gold paint to •decorate the. top, and then you can strap in your tiny dollies and give them a "ride" by gently pushing the toy, rockinghorse fashion. -

If preferred, some fine string can he attached to each end of the "boat," eo that it can be slung .up and become a swing-boat. How the dolls will enjoy it!

MOVING PICTURES.

This is certainly the easiest and cheapest way of making moving pictures. The only apparatus you need- is a magnifying glass. Ghoose a bright day, and on the wall opposite the window pin up a sheet of white paper to be used as a screen.

Hold the lens between the fingers, so that the light can get through without interruption from the window to ;the screen. Hold it upright sin or Gin from the screen, and look for an image of the window on .the .screen. A.t first you may see a blurred image. Move the lens nearer to the screen, or further away, xmtil the image is clear.

The screen may be fixed upright at the inner end of a hall and the door left open. In this way a moving image may be formed of what is passing in tho street.