HEALTH NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 21317, 23 January 1933, Page 14

HEALTH NOTES

I HOT WEATHER I ADVICE TO THE PUBLIC I (Contributed by the Department of | Health.) I The temperature of the air has a verj | important bearing on health, though | man has an almost incredible power ol if adapting himself to wide variations ol | temperature. The reason that man is able to maintain a constant body temperature when exposed to great variations of atmospheric temperai lure is duo not only to the body | mechanism which regulates heat proj duction and elimination, but to the 1 layers of air immediately in contact with the skin. Wo wear clothes to protect ourselves from external heat or cold, but still more do we wear air for that purpose. That is why warm temperatures are better borne when the air is in motion, which facilitates evaporation, than when tho air is still; while extremes of cold are better borne when the air is still, for then we become clothed in a blanket of air. The effect of heat upon health, however, cannot be considered alone, for it depends on tho humidity as well as on the movement of the air. Extremes of heat and cold are much more trying when tho air is humid than when the air is dry. The withering effects of heat upon infants —and adults, too—are increased by the still, moist air found in overcrowded, narrow streets and poor ventilation of houses. Excessive moisture makes hot air feel hotter and cold air colder. CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS. Now that summer is here some suggestions might bo considered for comfort and health during hot months. In the construction of buildings often too little thought is given to making them comfortable for human occupancy during extremes of outside temperatures. Much can be accomplished in this direction by proper and expert planning of buildings, so as to exclude extreme cold and afford tho maximum amount of ventilation in summer. In the tropics, where the problem of heat is a vital one, there aim two fundamental principles upon which house building depends. Firstly, tho attainment of the greatest amount of ventilation and air circulation, and, secondly, the exclusion of the greatest possible amount of heat. Excessive heating can be prevented by keeping rooms properly shaded in hot weather. Rooms protected against the heat of outdoors should bo thoroughly aired during the early morning and during cool spells. At other times the inside air can be best kept in motion by the use of fans, thus giving a greater feeling of comfort to the occupants of rooms. The shading, however, should be of such a nature that not too much artificial light is required, as this may in turn become a means of increasing the inside temperature. One of tho most important rooms in the home as far as the housewife is concerned is the kitchen. Therefore care should be exercised in planning so that it is roomy and airy, receiving the maximum amount of ventilation and not unduly exposed to tho sun’s rays. WORKING CONDITIONS. Work in the form of muscular or mental activity is associated with the formation of heat in the body. It is evident therefore when work must bo performed that tho surrounding conditions should vary with the prevailing temperature, and should be correlated with tho aids to work, such as eating, drinking, rest, and recreation. Effective heat regulation becomes most difficult when tho surrounding temperature is high. Under such conditions air movement is highly essential. Dr Leonard Hill and Dr Campbell, recognised authorities on ventilation problems in relation to health, state: “ The indoor conditions of many shops, offices, business houses, and factories in Groat Britain closely approximate to the outdor conditions which pertain to such climates as Madras and Sierra Leone, a climate which is recognised to be enervating to white men. The stillness of air in confined spaces has a most potent influence on tho cooling functions of tho skin, on the cutaneous nerves and so on vigour health, and efficiency. The results of bad ventilation are not duo to supposed chemical poisons in tho air, but to heat stagnation tho symptoms felt in crowded rooms, oppression, headache, sickness, and faintness—resembling those experienced out of doors on excessively hot, humid days.” When air movement cannot be provided or when the required air currents become uncomfortable it is necessary to provide some protection against excessive heat. Outdoors much can be accomplished by proper shading against tho heat rays of the sun. In places where high temperatures are required to carry on manufacturing process much can be accomplished by providing mechanical moans for conducting the heat created in such establishments to the outside air.

CLOTHING. The first essential of comfortable hotweather clothing is that it bo small in amount anti that it hang loosely about the body, being mainly supported from the shoulders. Constricting clothing which impedes the circulation should be avoided. Air when warmed tends to rise so that the air next the body rises and escapes around the nock and wrists. If the openings here arc free and sufficient then the cooling of the body in hot weather occurs more readily. The clothing .should ho of such material as to allow free evaporation, becoming to the least degree wet with sweat and not clinging when wet to the skin! Colour is important in that light shades throw off the sun’s rays instead of absorbing them as dark colours do. There is also a psychological effect in light cool colours that adds not a little to the comfort of wearing these clothes in hot weather. Jt should he remembered that although sunlight is one of Nature’s most heneficient agents, injudicious exposure to the sun may be not only harmful hut actually dangerous. A healthily tanned skin cannot bo acquired in a few days, and sea bathers should refrain from too sudden and reckless exposure of the body on hot beaches. Adequate rest taken during extreme heat is beneficial, while pro’ longed .strenuous exercise under such conditions may give rise to excessive bodily fatigue.

FOOD. During Lot weather tlio food should bo such :is, while supplying sufficient nourishment, produces a minimum of heat. There are certain foods for hot weather use that have a Idling and satisfying effect. These include lettuce, celery, cabbage, lirussols sprouts, and the like; tomatoes, oranges, ami apples arc excellent. Other foods may, of course, be included in the diefarvi hut the rule in hot weather, particularly for sedentary workers, is to cat moderately and lightly. During hot weather everybody needs much more lluid on account of the water necessary for evaporation from the skin. The water con-

sumption should bo more than doubled during tho summer unless medically otherwise advised. Bathing and cool showers help to reduce weariness ami to add to our comfort and energy. Sometimes a tepid bath just before retiring is soothing and quieting. To avoid excessive fatigue it is essential that the proper amount of sleep ami rest .should he secured. It is of importance to keep emotional poise during tho hot weather season, and this is often acquired by keeping mentally occupied so that there is no time to worry about the heat.