A PHYSICIAN ON COLDS.

Waipa Post, Volume 36, Issue 2144, 14 April 1928, Page 6

A PHYSICIAN ON COLDS.

Mr Mark Clement, of the Department of Physiology, Middlesex Hospital, writes thus to the Lancet on “ Recurring Colds “ The fact that my own immunity from colds has been so remarkably consistent has led me to speculate why normal healthy people are so prone to catch them. In my opinion it is often because their clothes are grossly in excess of their actual requirements, and I think that the subjuct of over-clothing demands our serious consideration. The modern Briton, as soon as 'he is born, is promptly wrapped up in yards of woollens, and though it is of coursie true that the heat-regulating- mechanism of the human infant remains ill-developed for some time, this is no reason for continuing the wrapping-up process when the organism has become acclimatised to its surroundings. The ritual of mummifying babies is continued throughout childhood and adolescence, so that the skin very rarely comes into direct contact with aid and light, its natural stimuli. As a matter of Routine the- whole body should be exposed to the light daily, summer and winter, for a certain time, and no underclothing need be worn by normal healty individuals. The adoption of this somewhat Spartan regime will raise the general tone of the organism and vivify every bodily function. This is a rule I have strictly observed for the past fifteen years, during which time my immunity from colds has been well-nigfh Olympian. “ I have done my utmost to catch cold by visiting the most virulent of cases, but so far all my wilful attempts to infect myself have dismally failed. I still continue to discard underclothing througUout the year, and I never feel the need for it in any weather. I have on several occasions imprisoned myself in one of those popular * woollen combinations,’ and have sallied out into the opjen. As a result both my temperature and pulse rose appreciably, and my discomfort was so intense that I felt literally balked. On discarding the superfluous garments equilibrium was promptly re-estab-lished and efficiency correspondingly increased. Usually one finds that those who catch colds have faulty dietetic habits. The necessity f|or vitamins in the alimentary region has been proved by many workers and although neither their chemical composition nor their metabolic role is satisfactorily known experimental evidence supports the* view that vitamins play a protean part and that they cannot be synthesised by animals which appear to require them constantly from fresh sources for perfect functional activity and also for re- ; sistance to bacterial infections and diseases generally. “ It is worthy of note therefore that in England people invariably eat vegetables and fruits cooked to a stagnant and supremely unappetising pulp. The water in which they are boiled is always thrown away whereas on the Continent it is carefully preserved atnd consumed, as mineral salts in solution are esteemed for their nutritive properties. Food refinement and the chemical processes iof sterilisation to ensure an artificial purity are not without serious dangers to health, and it is remarkable that all animals thrive on the coarsest and plainest foods. It is not amiss, therefore, to sound the warning: ‘ Remember that you, too, are an animal.’ An infinite range of food factors is destroyed by heating and manipulation, and the body, being internally ill-treated and externally deprived of light and air stimuli, becomes incapable of achieving physiological equilibrium in the midst of the amenities of modern existence. A mere draught is then apparently sufficient to cause a procedsjon of sore throats and stuffy heads.”