HOW TO SUNBATHE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22371, 19 September 1934, Page 10

HOW TO SUNBATHE

VIII. By Dr C. W. Saleebt, F.R.S.E. By courtesy of the Sunlight League of England Journal.) Sunbathing, like eating, is natural, but it is not foolproof. Uninstructed people may and do injure themselves and their children by both practices. And there are different kipds of sunbathing. as of eating, each with its own advantages and dangers. First, we must find a pure atmosphere, unobstructed by coal smoke or dust,: where the complete sunlight, including the slender and easily stopped ultra- s violet rays, can reach us. These conditions are most easily obtained on: the mountains, at the seaside, or on the sea—whence the deserved: reputations of these places for illness, convalescence and holidays. Having found complete sunlight, which is actually a rarity in our smoke-bound cities even in summer, we must use ;t intelligently. The rules are really simple. Obviously, we must never be too hot or too cold. Either condition is risky, and it is merely stupid to sunbathe and suffer from heat-stroke, headache, lumbago or bronchitis thereafter. Our senses are there to warn us. We should always feel comfortable and physically pleased when sunbathing. It is mot meant to be a kind of temporary ordeal like a Turkish bath. The beginner should hasten slowly. Here I am not discussing heliotherapy, which is an expert treatment for experts alone. But people who are well can sunbathe with nothing but profit if they start slowly. The object is not to burn the skin or produce a painful redness. The browner the skin the more freely we can start. Albinocs cannot sunbathe at all, and “ Titian-reds ” must hasten very slowly indeed. Of course, we aim at and expect pigmentation, but there is no hurry about that. The most successful sunbathers tan evenly and do not freckle. No time table can be laid down. We all vary, and so does the climate. We must use our sense-and our senses. Protect the head arid the eyes from excessive heat and glare., Do not use tinted glasses unless you really find that you need them. Ultra-violet rays are superior to anything else as stimulants for the growth of hair, and there is good reason to let them reach the head. That can freely be done when the sun is not too hot. Hence the advantage of the early; morning, especially in our cities, when the brimstone incense of our domestic fires, offered up to the. deities of darkness and death, has scarcely begun to ascend. Baths of water arc good, baths of-air are better, baths of light are best. Hence the value of water bathing in sunlight. The water has the immense merit of keeping us cool enough when the sun is very hot. But remember to get the. head under water often enough. to keep it cool. .To be cool-in air and sunlight is good; to be cold, at any time, anywhere, is dangerous. Fear the heat and love tlie light. Keep your children cool aud bright. We cannot sunbathe unless we release the skin to see the light. People who sit in the sun with their clothes on are sunbathing their clothes, but not themselves. It is well worth - while to release the limbs alone, but then one may easily become' too hot. We do best if we release four-fifths, or nine-tenths of the whole skin surface. Entire nudity is quite, .unnecessary, as the.jsuperb results of Rolller during more than SO’ years have overwhelmingly proved. Its advocates know nothing of.the facts and are out of court. ■ i-v-f. - «