Health, Beauty and the Toilet: Letters to Ladies from a Lady Doctor

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EALTH, BEAUTY, AND
THE TOILET.

lETTEBS TO LADIES

FROM

A LADY BOCIOB.

BT

ANNA KINGSFOED. MD., (Pabis).

Honlion anil Nrto 9oiic;
FREDERICK WAENE AND 00.

188G,

K5SU

t, )

C^-.

PREFACE.

The following "Letters to Ladies" originally ap«
peitred, between the autafnn of 1884 and the spring of
1886, in the colnmns of Ths Lady's Pictorial. The
encceas they enjoyed, and the large amount of corre-
spondence to which they gave rise, suggested the
advisability of reprodnelng them in a collected form as
a mannal for popular use. They have, therefore, been
revised and remodelled for this purpose, and are now,
with considerable additions and improvements, offered
to the general public.

The writer trnsts that her name and medical diploma
will constitate it sufScient guarantee of the good faith
and serious intent with which the book is put forth,
TSo lady possessing any scientiSc qualification, has,
hitherto, so far as she is aware, interested herself
specially in the study of the " cosmetic arts," or
attempted to instruct her sex on matters connected
with the improvement and preservation of physical
grace and good looks. Yet the demand for puch

CONTENTS.

I. — ON OBEBITT I

iL— »Mf i,KitniE8a ......... 8

IIL— OH CLOTBIHO 13

IV. — ON THE COMCLEXION. — I, II

v.— OX THB C0MFLBX1I>H.~1I S3

VI.— OS THB COWrLKXIOH.— III. . .... 40

YIL— ON 8VPEBFI.C0U8 HAIRS, UOLIB, AND WABT8 . Bl

XI.— ON THB RAMUS AKD ABllS .
ZII.— ON TBB VIOUBE
ZIII.— OH TRB TBETB .

xir.— ON ruBFciiBa .

m.— OS THB OULTDBE OP BBADTT, QBAOB, AND HEALTH

IN TOUTE.— 1 131

Xni. — ON THB CDLTUBB 0» BEAUTT, ORACE ANB HEALTH

IN YOUTH.— II 127

XVin.— ON THB CTLTUBE OF BEAUTY, GKACE, AND BSALTH

IN YOUTH.— Ill 183

XIX.— OH THB OULTDBE OF BEAUTY, OEACB, AND HEALTH

p( VOCTB.— IV. , , 140

XX.— OM THK CCLTCBE or BEiPTT, GRACE, AND HEALTH IN

TOITTH,— T 116

XXI.— OK THB CULTTTKE OF EEAVTY, GKACE, AND UEALTH IK

TOtlTH.— VI IS2

XXII.— ON THX CULTUBE OF BEAUTT, GEACE, ASB HEALTH IN

XXIIL— ON THE CtlLTUEK OF BEADTV, CKACE, AND HEALTH IS

YOTITH.— VIII. 185

TOUTH.-IX. . . .' 171

XXV. — OS THE H2G1EKE AND CUISINE OF THE BICX-BOO>l. — I. ISO

XXVL— ONTBEHYOIBKE AND CUIBINE OF THE SICX-ROOH.— 11. ISO ■

XXVIL— ON THE HTBIENE ASD CVISINE OE THE SICK-BOOM.~III. 198

IXVill,— OB THE HYGIENE AKD CUISINE OE THB SICK-BOOM.— IV. 202

XXIX.-— on THE ETGIBNE AKD CUISINE OF THE SICK-BOOM.- V. 210

XXXI.— OH CUHATE.— II.

HEALTH, BEAUTY, AND
THE TOILET.

ON OBESITY.

My deak Julia, — Your account of your struggles
with the demon of obesity is really amusing, and were it
Bot that you might consider me heartless, I should he
tempted to poke fun at you about the various and in-
eoDgruous dietary experiments you so graphically, and
withal 60 dismally, record. Indeed it is laughable to
think of you in the character of a female Sancho Panza,
compelled at the stem bidding of science to relinquish
the enjoyment of your favourite dishes. And, notwith-
standing all these heroic sacrifices at the shrine of
Comfort and Beauty, you add pathetically, that you
believe you are growing fatter than ever! And no
wonder, considering the injudicious manner in which
yoa appear to have regulated your daily menus.
" Nothing," you plaintively aver, " hut bread and
potatoes, with a milk soup or tapioca pudding ! " Why,
Julia, such a regimen as that, is, under the circumstances,
sheer suicide ! Instead of checking your disorder, you
ftre doing your utmost to aggravate it. Dire indeed

2 HeaUk, Beauty, and ike Toilet.

might the results of such " treatment" prove were it to
be contiDucd a few weeks longer.

But before I proceed to details in regard to diet I
must stop to answer your questions about specific
medicines for the mitigation or removal of obesity. On
this point my advice will be emphatic. Abjure all
drugs, patented or otherwise. Hitherto your general
health has been fair, you have not suffered &om head-
ache, lassitude or faintness. But ~I cannot promise you
a continuance of so satisfactory a state of things if you
have recourse to chemical preparations, of the nature
and action of which you know nothing. There is a more
excellent way of treating your infirmity thao that you
contemplate, and even though it should prove a little
more troublesome than the operation of swallowing twice
a day some unknown compound, the method I am about
to expound to you has at least the merit of absolute
safety, besides being surer, because more permanent, in
its effects, than any merely medicinal treatment.

Obesity is, as no doubt you know, produced by the
accumulation of fat in the cellular tissue of the body,
and it is an infirmity due usually to hereditary pre-
disposition, often combined, as in your case, vrith a
persistent and incorrigible placidity of temper. The really
sad thing about you, Julia, is that you are never
seriously disturbed or ruffled about anything. You are
plaintive sometimes, it is true, under cii-cumstances
which would render ordinary human beings wholesomely
indignant, but you do not know what it is to he nervous,
worried, or fidgety. If it were iu the power of science
to change your temperament, and to endow you with a
tolerable portion of the fretful and irritable idiosyncrasy
of your sister-in-law, Lady Teazle, your deliverance from
the burden of a too generous embonpoint would be assured

On Obesity. 3

without further troubla But as we no longer Kve in
the days of enchantinent, the remedy I shall sug^st
will necessarily be less radical and immediate in its

operation, though, I trust, scarcely less efficacious.

And first, my dear friend, yon must resolve to become
an early riser. Yes, you must positively forego your

extra hour in bed after the maid has " called '

you; yon

must take your early cup of tea while dressing, and not
while reclining delightfully inert among your pillows.
Your hours of sluuiber must be restricted to seven, and
immediately after completing your toilette you must, in
fine weather, go out into the garden and take a brisk
-walk before breakfast ; or, elionld it be wet, you must
employ yourself vigorously for half-an-hour with some
such game as battledore and shuttlecock, or even under-
take a serious bout with little Fanny's skipping-rope.
"When you have quite exhausted yourself, go and break-
fast, beginning with ripe uncooked iruits if possible, — .
figs, nectarines, greengages, grapes. Take no milk or
cream in your tea, drink it weak, and very apanngly.
You might advantageously adopt the Eussian custom of
putting sliced lemon instead of milk in your tea. I
assure you this is very refreshing. Perhaps.it would be
too much to ask you to dispense altogether with sugar,
but, indeed, you must considerably reduce your allowance
of it, as well as of bread. Bear in mind that your
mortal fbea are, chemically speaking, the carbo-hydrates,
or in more homely language, all sugary and starchy
aliments. Eat biscuits, n^s, or toast rather than
ordinary broad ; avoid farinaceous dishes, such as sago,
tapioca, vermicelli, macaroni, &c. ; take no sweets or
pastry of any kind, and never taste cocoa, beer, or
liqaeurs. Drink toast-and-water at dinner, or, if you
prefer it, lemonade, into half a tumbler full of which you

4 Health, Beauty^ and the Toilet.

may put a small pinoli of bicarbonate of soda. But do
not drink more than lialf a tumbler full of liqmd at
any repast; in fact, the less liquid you consume, the
better.

Drinking notoriously increases corpulence, especially
if indulged in between meals. The mineral waters of
(Mtel Quyon are said to be efficacious against obesity ;
and the Friedrichshall bitter water, Tarasp, ..^^ulap and
Hunyadi Janos are recommended for the same purpose.
Probably their beneficial action is chiefly owing to their
aperient qualities, for no habit of body so etirely promotes
obesity as that of constipation. If you are subject to
this complaint, I recommend you to make a practice of
taking, every morning before you leave your room,
instead of tea, which is astringent, a plateful sf stewed
prunes, soaked figs, or ripe pears.

Green v^taUes you may eat at discretion, but
potatoes, on account of the large quantity of starchy
matter they contain, should be wholly excluded from
your dietary. White fish, grilled or baked (not salmon
or cod), raw fruit, salad, pickles, and v^etables, such as
tomatoes and herbaceous l^gumsa, should form the staple
of your food. Vinegar and oil may enter largely into
your salad-dressing, and your dishes may, if you like, be
flavoured with onion, sage, mint, or parsley. I do not
think you will he incliued to partake teo freely of such
aliments as these, so it is hardly necessary, my dear
Julia, to counsel you against over-indulgence as to
quantity. If you find it necessary, however, to add
more substantial dishes to your ttteiiu, you may eat
about five or six ounces daily of game or poultry, pre-
ferably cold. All forms of pork, ham, and bacon must
be scrupulously avoided.

Dr. Ebstein, who is an authority on corpulence, does

On Obesity. 5

not prohibit the use of fats, butter, oil and foods gene-
rally included under the tenn hydro-carbons, but only of
sugary and starchy aliments, the carbo-hydrates. Let
me add a special word of warning against tchite broad,
and particularly the spongy form of it known as rolls.
They are both indigestible and constipating. Eat toasted
broicn bread, or if the bread be perfectly light and dry you
may dispense with toasting it. But in either case let it
be broun bread, and prefer it stale or at least a day old to
new. Remeniber, the bran is what you need, and you may,
Tvith advantage, add bran to ordinary "seconds" flour.

I do not know whether you are accustomed to take
wine ; if so, a single glass of Bordeaux or sherry at
dinner, is all that in future you may permit yoursel£
And if you can dispense eren with this, so much the
better. Trousseau, a celebrated French physician, ad-
vised his corpulent patients to take at each meal two
grammes (thirty-one grains) of bicarbonate of soda ; or
fifty grammes (one ounce and three-quarters) of lime-
water (liquor calcis) in case the soda should be found
objectionable. But as lime-water is usually administered
in milk, and has, moreover, very often an undesirable
effect on the digestive processes, I think the bicarbonate
of soda preferable.

Three meals a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner, are
quite sufficient for yon. Do not indulge yourself in any
stray cakes or cups of tea between your regular repasts.
If you dine at seven and retire for the night about half-
past eleven or twelve, you may take a light supper of
wine and water (Bordeaux), and some rusks, toast or
biscuits. But be careful not to exceed the regulation
half-tumbler full, and let three or four rusks or biscuits
suffice. 80 much for diet.

Now, when you return to town, yon can add to this

6 Health, Beauty, and tlie Toilet,

regimen the important treatment afforded by Turkish
hatha. I recommend to you two such haths every week,
followed hy manage or shampooing, and a fragrant cup
of coffee in the cooling-room afterwards as a Btimulant
and restorative. But until yon are within reach of these
luxuries, you must content yourself with the morning
and evening performance of a series of simple gymnastic
evolutions, consisting principally of jumping and trotting
on one spot — moving as though you were running
briskly, but without advancing. While you practise this
exercise yout hands should rest on yonr hips, and you
should be undressed, or at least, without your corset.
On coming out of your bath you, or your maid, if she is
expert, should rub, knead, and pound all the fleshy parts
of your body with the hands, slowly and vigorously, hut
not with force suflicient to bfiiae or hurt the skin.
These exercises and frictions ought to he continued until
you are tired ; and as you get used to their performance,
the duration of each series may be lengthened. When
you are efficient in them, half an hour's such exertion
will not he found too fatiguing.

Of course if you like to have a Turkish or vapour bath
in your own room so much the better and more comfort-
able for you. A portable Turkish bath complete has
been invented and patented by Dr. Thomas Maccall,
under the name of "The Matlock Domestic Turkish
Bath," and was on view at the Health Exhibition
at South Kensington in 1884. Vapour baths are
comparatively inexpensive, and can be conveniently
administered by a very simple and easily adjusted
apparatus, sold at prices ranging from £1 Is. to £4 4s.,
according to the fittings. Neither gas nor hot water
pipes being needed for these baths, they are easily
conveyed from place to place.

On Obesity.

For the massage after yoar bath, you can, if you wish,
substitute gymnastics or practice with the dnmh-hells,
remembering, however, that massage is, by far, the more
efficacious. Your maid could easily take lessons of a
trained attendant at any good Turkish-bath establish-
metit. Especial attention should bo directed to kneading
and manipulatiou of the abdomen, care being taken not
to hurt or bruise the iutemal organs. While the massage
ia being performed, you should lio on your back, covered
only with a loose wrapper, and having your muscles in
relaxation. A good deal of the necessary shampooing
and kneading you may do with your own hands,
especially over the chest and abdomen where another
person, if new to the work, might possibly hurt you.

Lastly, before you begin to carry out my suggestions,
have yourself weighed, and test the results of the treat-
ment by periodical weighings every fifteen days. You
ought, if you faithfully attend to the directions given, to
lose, every three weeks, from two to four pounds weight.
When you are able to take your weekly Turkish baths,
the process of attenuation will be greatly facilitated.
But, of course, you must persevere courageously, not
allowing yourself to be lured from the path of duty by
tempting menu^ or insidious offers of " good things "
which you know to be forbidden. You must sternly
compel yourself to rise by seven ; and never, my Julia,
permit your inherent indolence to interfere with the
regular performance of your gymnastic feats. Remember
and act up to the laudable spirit of the Fythagoreaa
maxim : — " Fix upon that course of life which is best,
and custom will render it the most dehghtfuL"

ON LEANNESS.

My dear Psyche, — The question contained in your
letter is one wliich but few physicians have yet at-
tempted to answer. No treatise, so far as I am aware,
has appeared on the enbjeet, medical and lay writers
alike seem dumb to the appeab of the Atteniiated, and
even the vendors of patent medicines have not shown
themselves 6qual to the occasion. Yet, surely, many
people would be glad to know " how to grow fat," and
would, like yourself, willingly put into practice any
reasonable system calculated to round their angles and
so endow their figures with a graceful and symmetrical

Well, I will undertake the task, and to the best of my
ability will construct for your edification a code of simple
rules, by observing which I believe yon may in a few
months' time augment the proportions of your now
somewhat too slender and aerial form.

Naturally, you will expect to be told that the regimen
to be pursued is exactly the reverse of that which I
prescribed for Julia. Broadly speaking, this is the case ;
but it is quite necessary to specify the details of the
treatment to be adopted, otherwise you would certainly
omit some very necessary precautions, and would find
yourself at a loss in regard to your choice of a suitable
dietary. And first, let me point out to yoa that it is

On LeamUss.

extremely difficult, ia tkig era and centre of perpetual
motion and constant excitement, to prescribe conditions
favourable to an effectual fattening process. Of course,
all other things being equal, country life is more con-
ducive to embonpoint than any other ; for in the country,
hours are more regular, letters, telegrams, and similar
■worries less frequent, sleep more undisturbed and pro-
longed, and the general current of existence smoother
and more peaceful in its flow than is possible elsewhere.
The most favourable of all milieux for the development
of adipose or fatty deposits is to be found in the repose
and indolence of the Eastern harem. And, indeed, as
of course you know, the life of the harem is especially
arranged and directed with a view to the promotion and
preservation of the plumpness of its inmates. The model
Ottoman beauty is rotund, and even shapeless. European
taste would deem her figure wholly unpresentable.
Oriental ladies are fattened for matrimony, as we of this
Western world fatten pigs for the market. And, for
both ends, the means employed are substantially the
same,— indolence of habit, frequent feeding, and absolute
quiescence of mind. An animal of fi^ety temper
never fattens well; nor do nervous and anxious persons
ever " put on flesh " to the same extent as those of an
even and placid disposition. Worry and cerebral
activity induce rapid oxidation of material, excess of
secretion at the expense of the economy, and hence waste
of tissue and attenuation. Almost all active, inventive,
and conquering races are of lean habit, while inert and
meditative nations exhibit a tendency to obesity. Of
the first class the Yankee afi'ords a good example ; of
the second, the Turk. And the " bearings " of these
remarks, as the illnstrious Captain Cuttle was wont
sapiently to observe, "lies in the application thereof."

ro Health, Beauty, und ike Toilet.

The first step towards growing fat is, therefore, the
encouragement of an easy aad equitable temper, and
this pai-t of my prescription you will probably find by far
the most diiEcult to carry into effect. It will not suffice
to bo placid, as it were, by " fits and starts ; " you must
endeavour to Eet up a fixed habit of placidity, avoiding
fret and mental irritability as you would vinegar. For,
indeed, worry is moral vinegar, the acrid action of which
will effectually neutralise that of the oiliest and blandest
regimen possible to devise. With this premise under-
stood, I now proceed to the easier and more strictly
hygienic rules of treatment necessary to be observed.

You must retire early to rest, and lie in bed as late in
the morning aa, consistently with your duties, you feel
yourself entitled to do. Before rising, take a cup of
warm boiled milk, or of milk and cocoa, well sugared.
Let your hath be tepid, and di-ess leisurely. At break-
fast dnnk more boiled milk, chocolate, or cocoa; not tea
or coffee. Eat mashed potato prepared with butter or
cream, pui-ie ; or, if you prefer it, sweetened wheat or
oatmeal porridge, the finer the better. Revahnta Arabtca,
or, preferably, the more expensive but far nicer Sacakout
(Ics Arabes may be recommended as an occasional varia-
tion. I know of no food more delicious and delicate
than this latter preparation, but it requires care in cook-
ing. Bread, not too stale nor too coarse, should be eaten
rather than toast, and the monotony of butter may be
advantageously relieved by hooey or cream cheese. At
lunch, take as a beverage, slightly warmed milk, to which
should be added an equal part of ApoUinaris or soda
water, unmixed milk being difficult of digestion and
likely to cause considerable discomfort. Take care, too,
that the milk has been previously boiled, a precaution
that, under no circumstances, should be omitted. Cream,

On Lmitness.

-too, Bhould bo scalded before use. Bo not eat meat at
lunch, but take potatoes, eitber steamed or baked in their
.skins ; eggs, poached, rumbled, or in omelettes ; tapioca,
sago, Tenniceili or custard puddings, macaroni, cheese,
salad served with plenty of oil, but no Tinegar or pickles.
At dinner, a glass or two of champagne will do you no
hai-m, and may even assist and promote digestion. Begin
with some vegetable soup, such as leutil, pea, potato,
pumpkin, vermicelli, or carrot, made with a milk stock,
and sweetened freely. Of fish you may eat plentifully,
especially of cod, turbot, mackerel, and oysters. Flesh-
meats are not commendable ; eat sparingly of them,
I'cserving your appetite for the puddings, sweetmeats,
and fruits, in which you may freely indulge. Some of
my patients, anxious to acquire a seemly plumpness of
cimtour, have renounced the use of flesh-meat and poultry
altogether, and adopt instead a diet composed of fish,
eggs, soups, milk, vegetables, fruits, farinaceous meals,
grains, and sweetmeats. They find this diet most satis-
factory, and more than ample for their needs. Of all
flesh-meats, bacon and ham are the most fattening, but
other considerations are strongly against their use, and I
do not therefore recommend them.

Avoid all acid drinks, and patronise l^gely the sugary
and oily forms of food. Eat sparingly of salt, but
plentifully of mustard, which is a natural stim'Jant, and
favourable to the processes of digestion. If you can
take an occasional siesta after dinner, or earlier, do not
deny yourself that luxury. Two great secrets of the
science of fattening are these : — Ist. Eat very slowly,
and masticate thoroughly every mouthful. 2nd. Let
your meals be frequent. The harem ladies oat all day
long ; they amuse themselves with bonbons and dried
fruits as English ladies do with embroidery. Take after-

12 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

noon tea with plenty of cream and su^r in it at fire
o'clock, and a cake or two at the same time.

Your daily exercise should he regular and moderate.
Horse exercise is to he preferred to every other. But if
you cannot ride, take an hour's walk at a moderate pace
along level ground, or should this again he impossible,
at least be careful to avoid fatigue. Singing is a helpful
fonn of exercise ; it involves the introdnction into the
lungs of a large quantity of air, a habit of retaining it,
and an energetic series of contractions of the expiratory
muscles, lliereby the walls of the chest are rendered
more elastic, and nutrition of tissue is accelerated hy the
activity of the pulmonary exchanges.

When attenuation is excessive, when the ribs protrude,
when the elbows and knees exhibit the shape of the
articulation of the joint, and the face wastes, and the
shoulder-blades and breastbone show themselves distinctly
under the skin, then special medical advice should he
sought, for thinness so pronounced as this indicates
disease. Your case, however, is probably far removed
from the skeleton stage, and judicious attention to diet
and habits of life will, no douht, accomplish all that yon
wish. Remember, regularity must he your watchword.
Everything must be done leisurely and with calm, all
hurry and disturbance being calculated to interrupt and
impair the orderly processes of digestion and assimilation.

ON CLOTHING.

DsAB Pauline, — ^Tout ideas regarding the liygiene of
olotbing appear to me to be so rudimentary that the best
thing I can do will be, I think, to categorise for you
methodically the different kinds of fabric chiefiy employed
in making garments, and their variooa properties, con-
sidered from A scientific point of view.

Materials used for clothing are divisible, in the first
place, into two groups, — those of vegetable origin, such
as linen, hemp, cotton, and caoutchouc, and those of an
animal nature, as wool, cashmere, fiirs, feathers, hides,
and silk. Now, to all these materials belong certain
physical characteristics — difi'ering for each variety —
which may be ranged under three distinct heads, i.e.,
calorific properties, texture, and colour.

Tou ask me how you are to know what kind of stuff
and what " make " is likeliest to prove most suitable for
winter wear ; why linen is often recommended fo be
worn next the skin in hot weather, merino in cold, and
so on. Such questions can only be answered by putting
you in possession of certain facts ascertained by science
in regard to the qualities of the various dress fabrics in
common use. Caloric, as no doubt you know, is the
learned word for heat, and by the " calorific properties "
of any material is meant simply its hsat-prodooing

14 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

qualities. Tho bmuan body, the temperature of wliich
19 normally superior to tbat of the Burrounding atmo-
sphere, would lose a great part of its warmth were it not
for the action of the clothing worn. This action is two-
fold; in the first place, garments act as a Ecreen, by
opposing themselves more or less to loss of heat by
radiation from the surface of the skin; secondly and
indirectly, by intercepting between themselves and the
skin a layer of atmospheric air, which air, being a feebly
conducting agent, diminishes still more the loss of bodily
temperature. On the- other hand, by inverse action,
clothing prevents the overheating of the body by the
solar rays, and thus opposes the absorption of exterior
heat. Vegetable stuffs, such as flax materials which
include all varieties of linen, cambric, and batiste ;
cotton materials, such as calico, muslin, and so forth,
conduct heat better than animal fabrics. The conduct-
ing power of woo], merino and silk is very small ; that
of furs, feathers, and down is still less, so that you seo
at once what is the answer to your question about
wearing merino vests in cold weather. Merino, of
indeed any kind of feebly conducting fabric, such as
spun silk for instance, shuts in the heat of your body,
and the warmth thus accumulates and remains in a
flxed quantity; whereas when you wear linen, the
radiation from the skin is much greater, and your
temperature is correBpondingly lowered.

Moreover, according to the conducting, emitting, and
absorbing power of different stuffs, the cutaneous trans-
piration of the body varies ; feeble heat conductors,
while accumulating the warmth of the skin augment its
transpiration; strong heat conductors, on the contrary,
diminish this transpiration. And here I must stop to
remind you that transpiration is not necessarily liquid.

On Clothing. 15

Perspiration is simply the condensed state of the vapour
of the cntaneons transpiratiou or exhalation. The skin
is always breathing through its two or three million
pores, and is thus continually discharging a considerable
quantity of invisible vapour, so that were the whole hody
to be varnished in such a way as to prevent this evapo-
ration, death would ensue. This once actually ha{>pened
in the case of a child who had been gilded from head to
foot in order to represent a golden cherub in a religious
procession. The application of the gold-leaf closed the
Orifices of the skin, suppressed its transpiration, and the
child died asphyxiated.

Fabrics retain in their meshes, or at their surface,
more or less of the moisture of the atmosphere. Usually
those stuffs which retain the most are coolest, and con-
sequently in certain seasons they expose the wearer to
the action of chills and humidity, and should be carefully
avoided by rheumatic persons. Science distinguishes
between that part of the atmospheric moisture which
impregnates the tissues without causing them to feel
damp to the touch, or allowing itself to be squeezed out,
and that part which is retained by capillary action, and
which gives the fabric a moist feel, and can be wrung
out of it. Linen materials are more apt to retain
humidity than hempen stuffs, and these last than cotton.
Cotton absorbs most moisture without becoming damp ;
flannel and woollen materials absorb most by capillarity,
and therefore more readily assume a feeling of humidity ;
but as this humidity evaporates gradually, it does not
detennine any sudden chill.

Again, woollpn and silken stuf^, as well as fursj
feathers, and caoutohouc, develop and retain electricity.
Hemp, linen, and cotton are, on the contrary, good con-
ductors of the electric fluid. A silk or merino jersey,

l6 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

vom next the skin, viU often " crackle " audibly wheD
removed &om the body at night, especially if the weather
be dry.

'Die more air a fabric encloses in its meshes, the
warmer it is, because, as I have already pointed out,
air is a very poor conductor of caloric. Therefore, all
looaely-made tisanes, woven of thi<^, "flafiy" material,
anch as trioot, garments made of knitted wool or silk, or
of mixed cotton and wool, are invariably warmer than
doee-made stufis, not because in themselves they are
warm, but because they imprison and retain in their
interstices a considerable quantity of air. The same
observation applies to the warmth of feathers and fur
trimmings, and of quilted linings, whether the padding
employed be cotton wadding or down.

A word may be useful here in regard to the value of
fiir clothing. Hides in their living and natural con-
dition are permeable, and permit the system of the
animals to which they belong to retain the normal
temperature and healthy function of the various organs
by means of tree glandular action. But dead hides,
stripped from the carcase, and having undergone an
astringent and hardening process, called "tanning,"
have lost their permeability, they no longer admit ven-
tilation, and, if worn as clothing, they tend to repress
transpiration, and to shut in beneath them the exhala-
tions of the body, which, consequently, condense as per-
spiration on the surface of the skin, and render it
dammy and unclean.

A suggestion has recently been made that fur garments
might be rendered more hygienic by perforating them
here and there with small holes, so as to admit of the
access of the air to the skin. But such an artifice would
probably result in making the dothing draughty and

On Clothing. 17

diilly rather than hygienic ; and it is, therefore, I think,
better to escbev garments of hides altogether, or at least
to wear fiir only as trimming on cloth, pUish or velvet
materiRl. Moreover, the fiir trade, and especially that
branch of it known as the seal fishery, involves very
great cruelty, and this consideration ought not to pass
for nothing with good women. There are few worse
barbarities in tbe world than those which are perpetrated
in the Arctic seas on the gentle and intelligent seals.
It would wring your heart to read of these things,
Pauline, and I am sure you would never wear a setd-
flkin again. When they first came to my knowledge, I
had a seal dolman in my wardrobe, but I could never
put it on afterwards ; so I got rid of it at the first oppor-
tunity, and have never bought a atrip of fur of any kind
since. Nor have I suffered from the cold in consequence ;
for with woollen materials, soft, thick plush, so like fur,
without its inconveniences, velveteen and feathers, I keep
myself quite sufficiently covered in winter-time, and gain
in the warmth of my garments what I lose in weight.
For, among the inconveniences of fur must be reckoned
the heaviness of the hide, and the fatigue it consequently
causes to the wearer.

Feathers are quite light, and, being sewn on to a per-
meable foundation of cloth or canvas, they are thoroughly
hygienic clothing. Ostrich feathers, the prettiest and
most effective of all, are obtained without cost of life or
pain. The birds which furnish them are kept in large
numbers at ostrich farms, end once a year their feathers
are taken by clipping the quills at a short distance from
Hie skin. If the quills were to be pulled out forcibly,
the bird's health would be injured, and the feathers
might not grow again; therefore as the ostriches are
reared and preserved for the sake of their pinmage, the

l8 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

owners do not resort to this barbarity, but by aroidia^
the laceration of the birds, avoid also their MBfimely
death and injury to their health.

For bed-clothing in vinter-time I iJtatik. you will find
knitted or woven wool coverlets pftferable to dnvets,
which, being less perviona, often cause excessive perspira-
tion and headache if spread over the body at night. For
the same reason duvet petticoats and jackets for day-
wear are objectionable- Sy the way, remember that if
you want to be warm in bed, you must not heap all your
coverings twvr it, but see that a thick Austerlitz blMiket
or tricot is placed under the lower sheet, between it and
tlie mattress. Tour spine needs warmth even more than
your chest, and this must always be borne in mind, in
making a bed as well as in dressing.

Nor is the colour of garments a detail to be over-
looked from the hygienic point of view. The celebrated
Benjamin Franklin, having placed some scraps of doth
of similar texture and size, but of different colours, on a
bank of snow, under a bright sun, found that of all of
them a piece of black cloth sank deepest, and that white
cloth did not sink at all. Hence he concluded that the
black cloth had become hotter than the rest, while the
white had remained cold, and, couGcquently, he assumed
black bodies to be the best and white the worst absorbers
of radiant heat. But his reasoning was incomplete, for
the chemical constitution of colour has as much to do
with the matter as colour in itself, and in some oases
white radiates and absorbs far better than black. It will
not therefore surprise you to find that scientific people
are by no means agreed in opinion about the relation of
colour to warmth. Stark and Coulier, who have made a
special study of the subject, think that the influence of
colour is not the same in r^iard to the radiation of beat

On Clothing, 19

from the body, and to the penetration of solar heat from
without. They hold that black garments radiate the
maximam of caloric, and that white ones best retain the
heat of the body, protecting it equally well against the
exterior temperatare, ho that such garments are always
the beat to wear, alike iu hot and cold weather ; for in
hot weather they absorb less solar heat than black or
coloured dresses, and in cold weather they retain better
than these last the animal warmth of the sur&ce of the
skin. Certain it is that in very severe latitudes, the for
and feathers of wild creatures are almost invariably white
or silver grey. The Polar bear, the ermine, the Arctic
fox and Siberian dog are examples. On the other hand,
white flannel is usually found cooler than coloured by
cricketers and boating men ; and white cotton, muslin,
and linen are worn for the same reason by the inhabitants
of tropical countries. Other hygienists of repute — Rum-
fort and Home — hold a different opinion, and counsel the
use of black garments in hot climates. For my part, I
think that although in this respect, as in so many others,
"doctors differ," experience amply proves the superior
coolness of white clothing, and I therefore decidedly en-
dorse Professor Tyndall's view that " black dresses are
more potent than white ones as absorbers of solar heat "
(v. Professor Tyndall's lecture " On Radiant Heat," de-
livered before the Royal Institution of Great Sritain,
January 19, 1866). In the Polar regions there is but
little solar heat available, therefore Nature clothes the
Arctic animals in white, in order to retain the bodily
temperature and prevent a too rapid radiation. The same
motive is appHoable to the wearing by ourselves of white
woollen apparel and fiirs in winter, when the sun's rays
have but scant power.

I have a few words to add on the subject of colour and

20 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

texture in relation to the absorption of miasmatic emana-
tions and organic contagia. Black dresses are said to be
less safe from this point of view tban any other. Next
in order comes blue, then green. Yellow absorbs very
little, and white least of all. Animal tissues retain the
minnte floating germs of disease longer than vegetable
fabrics, and harbour them more readily ; contagia are
longer preserved in wool and in silk than in cotton or
linen. Consequently the light-coloured print dresses
worn by hospital nurses are well chosen for their pur-
pose, while the black cloth costumes of the doctors are,
on the contrary, highly dangerous as a means of spread-
ii^ infection. Eildebrand, in bis remarkable work on
contagion, says that a black coat which he had worn
when visiting a patient suffering with scarlet fever, after
having been laid aside for more than a year and a haJf,
was taken by him into Podolia, and, on being put on
there, immediately communicated the disease to himself,
and spread it in the province in question, where, until
then, scarlet fever had been almost unknown. Verbiim
sat mpienti.

ON THE COMPLEXION.— I.

My dear Laura, — I am entirely of yoar opinion that
it is the duty of our sox to be beautiful. I should indeed
be sorry were the iutellectual advantages, now so widely
extended to women, to lead them to despise or depreciate
the cultus of the laughter-loving goddess. But I do not
anticipate any such catastrophe. The only results of
education in this direction will, I believe, be to add wise
discretion and scientific knowledge to the methods em-
ployed for the creation and preservation of physical
charms, and to correct tastes and tendencies out of har*
mony with the best and truest types of human loveliness.
Many toilet washes and unguents now in use will be dis-
carded when their unwholesome and injurious effects are
understood, and other cosmetics, more favourable to
health and to the perpetuation of beauty, will be adopted.
And thus an intelligent and skilful art will become the
handmaid of Lady Tenus.

It will take more space than can be devoted to ono
letter to set forth all that I have to say on the subject of
cosmetics. It is a subject covering very wide ground,
and must be handled in sections. I propose to speak
first of the complexion and its treatment, and then to
pass on to the consideration of the hair and of mincu:
topics. In order that you may fully appreciate the

22 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

meaiiing aad application of what I have to say I will
briefly recount to yon the structure and functions of the
skin.

The skin is composed of two layers, the denna or true
skin, which liea undermost, and the epidermis or cuticlej
which covers and protects the derma. The latter, on its
upper surface, takes the form of papilla, minute conical
bodies ranged in orderly rows, and composed of elastic
tissue, which changes shape nndcr the touch of cold or
of heat, giving rise to the appearance called "goose-
skin." The derma contains, besides arteries, nerves and
veins, myriads of small glands opening by means of tubes
on the free surface of the cuticle. Through these tubes
the processes of transpiration and perspiration, described
in one of my former letters, are carried on. There is
great danger in arresting these processes, whether by
internal check, or by the application of artificial var-
nishes laid over the' surface of the epidermis. Within
the true skin the hairs also have their roots, and
appended to them are innumerable sebaceous glands
secreting fatty matter, which serves for the nutrition of
the hair. The cuticle is moulded on the papillffi of the
true skin, and consists of flattened scales agglutinated
together and superposed in layers, like tiles on a house-
top. The upper layers are more flattened, transparent,
and dry than the lower. The external scales are con-
tinually desquamating or fallin g oflj and are replaced, as
they disappear, by those beneath, which in tJieir turn
harden, perish, and are shed.

The variation of colour in the hue of the complexion
which causes one person to be blonde and another sallow,
is due to the presence of pigment in the cells of the
cuticle. As the cells approach the surface and desiccate,
the colour contained in them becomes paler. The nails

On the Complexion. 23

and hair are pectUiar modificatioiis of Hie epidermio
tiasue, eonsistiiig essentiaUy of the same cellular structure
aa that membrane. These descriptive observatioiifl in
regard to the akin will render it easy to understand
why the application to it of any kind of paste or drying
wash, containing precipitate, is certain to prove harmful.
The befdth and beauty of the skin depend mainly on the
cleanhness and freedom of its transpiratory pores. If
these be choked up and loaded with foreign matter it is
ohvious that the regular functions of the skin cannot be
fulfilled, and the result will, sooner or later, show itself
in the accumulation of black deposit in the orifices of the
glands, red blotches, due to deranged circulation, and
even grave disfigurements arising from the deleterious
action of certain chemical ingredients used in the compo-
sition of such cosmetics.

Before speaking of the local treatment necessary to
secure and retain a good complexion, a few words must
be devoted to the diet and hygiene of beauty.

Three meals a day should suffice — breakfast, lunch,
and dinner ; or, if dinner he taken instead of lunch in the
middle of the day, then supper should be eaten not later
than three hours before going to bed. For breakfast I
recommend pure cofiee, unmixed with chicory, and boiled
milk, in the proportion of half-and-half of each. Toast
or bread— preferably brown — with a frugal allowance of
butter, should accompany the eafi-au-lmt. The toast
must not be eaten hot, nor the bread new, and the butter
must be not salted, but iresh. Water-cress is strongly
recommended as an adjunct ; it is a great purifier of the
complexion. If water-cress be not obtainable, then let
dandelion be eaten, or lettuce, endive, beetroot, or any
other freshly-prepared salad. Oil may be freely used as
dressing, but not vinegar, for which, if acidity is desired,

34 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

lemon juioe should be subBtitated. After the salad,
porridge, hominy, frumenty, or wheatmnsh will be foond
agreeable to most tastes. Bread and milk is also whole-
some. Honey, baked apples, jam, lightly boiled or
poached hen's og^, are all commendable. But every
kind of Baited and pickled food is to bo excluded from the
meal, whether fish, flesh, or fowl. No raw or smoked
meats can be tolerated, and all such things as anchovies,
Bologna sausage, every form of pork and ham, pdl^de
fme <jrm and other greasy and rich compounds must be
rigorously avoided. Approximate the regimen adopted as
much as possible to a milk, fruit, and farinaceous diet.

At lunch and dinner drink filtered water, or good
sound claret, but not more than three wine-glasses fuU a
day of the latter. Refuse cider, peny, and all beer and
malt liquors. If claret bo not liked, then take instead
some light Rhine wine of good quality. Eat fish prefer-
ably to meat, mutton rather than beef, and poultry rather
than game. Never toke veal, ham, or pork, nor any
dish containing tripe, liver, brains, or kidneys. Partake
plentifully of green vegetables, such as spinach, cabbage,
Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, seakale, &c., but be sui-e
they are thoroughly well cooked, and are not served with
much butter or salt. Remember that all greasy and
salted foods are highly injurious to the complexion.
Eschew pastry, and prefer blancmange, jellies, custards,
and light puddings. Good cheese is not to be avoided,
but do not eat rich or mouldy cheeses. All fruit is
beneficial, and nuts will do no harm after a light meal.
Supper may be regulated on similar principles. Be
extremely careful to keep the bodily functions in perfect
order, and never permit the least irregularity to pass
nnattended to. When medicine is needed, it is better to
have recourse to vegetable oils than to saline drugs. On

On the Complexion. 25

no Bccount take any form of mercury. When a health
regulator is required, an excellent complexion medicine,
qoite tasteless and agreeable to take, may be prepared
by mixing about two teaspoonfula of flowers of sutphar
with a teacupful of cold or slightly warmed boiled milk.
Stir the powder well in the milk until a beautiful uniform
primrose-yellow hue is produced, and no lumps remain.
Take this medicine fasting, about an hour before break-
feat.

Daily exercise in the open air is essential. Horse-
riding and pedestrianism are preferable to driving. All
out-door games are beneficial. Regular hours should be
observed, heated rooms avoided, and great care taken to
ensure efficient ventilation in the sleeping room. Do
not occupy a bedroom without a chimney, and, when
the weather is not too severe, let the window remain
open an inch or two all night, the blind being drawn
down over it. In summer it should always be opened
about half a foot. Insects may be excluded by means of
a piece of muslin or tarletane, listened over the vrindow-
frame. Do not burn gas in your sleeping apartment,
and, as much as possible, avoid using it elsewhere. Take
care that the regular circuiation of the body is in no way
hindei-ed. Let your corsets be light, and loosely laced, .
so that you can move freely and bend yourself with per-
fect suppleness, Nothing is so productive of flushing of
the face, ears, and nose as tight lacing. Wear no garters,
but fasten your stockings up by means of suspenders to
your corsets. As much as possible let your garments be
hung from the shoulders rather than irom the hips, and
do not heap flounces, cushions or horsehair " improvers "
about the loins. Keep your feet always warm. If they
tend to be cold at night, provide yourself with a hot- water
tin, and wear woollen socks in bed. If the feet become

26 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

oold in the day-time, put them into hot water, and ruh
them briskly afterwards with a rough towel ; or wear
felt boots and let your feet rest in a foot-muff while you
sit. Persons of defective circulation, whose hands and
feet are apt to be cold, should wear silk mittens and
woollen stockings. If wool cannot he borne next to the
skin, let silk stockings he put on under the woollen ones.

Next in order, after the consideration of diet and
hygiene, conies that of the local treatment of the skin.

When living in London, where the atmosphere is
generally impure, the frequent use of vapour and Turkish
baths will he found an advantage. If the former are
employed, the face must be well steamed as well as the
rest of the body. In the country an ordinary bath
taken every morning will suffice, but the face must bo
washed separately, in rain water.

The secret of a beautiful complexion is said by those
who ought to know, to lie in the exclusive use of rain
tcaier for washing purposes. The beautiful Ninon de
I'EncloB, who at eighty years of age was stUl capable of
inspiring the tender passion, never used for her face any
other cosmetic than rain water. It used to be provided
for her by her perfumer, who furnished it daily in sealed
stone jars. Diane de Poitiers, a "professional beauty"
of the French Court in its most gallant days, is said to
have used the same magic liquid. Dew water enjoyed a
similar reputation in the days of our great grandmothers.
No doubt the secret of this excellence is to be sought in
the fact that most spring or river waters are more or less
loaded with chalky and other substances, earthy and
alkaline salts, from whidi soji water — such as rain and
dew — are free. The property of " hardness " in water is
due to the alkaline salts — ^lime and magnesia. These
salts combine with the stearic, or fattj', acid of soap, and

On the Complexion. 27

fturm an insoluble stearat« of lime, than whicli ootUng can
be worse for the otmq^exton. For fhia stearate of Ume
is of a gnasy nature ; it is precipitated in, and fills np the
jmres of the skin, whioh ultimately widen and crack under
its influence. No amount of washing in hard water can
remove this precipitation ; honce the skin can be perfectly
deanaed only in rain water, or in water from which the
chalky alkaline salts have been artificially removed.

The artificial method known as "Clark's softening
process," is thus applied : In a wooden tub prepare, by
means of mixing ordinary water with slaked lime, a
safficient quantity of lime water to fill a gallon measure.
When the water has dissolved all the lime it is capable
of dissolving, let the mixture rest, and a perfectly trans-
parent lime-water will be f^us produced, which can be
drawn off by a syphon from the subsided lime. Next
add to this gallon of clear lime water about nine gallons
of the chalk-water you wish to soften. Carbonate of
lime will be immediately precipitated, causing the mix-
ture to become turbid. In about six hours or less, if the
vessel containing the water is kept perfectly still, a
deposit of white matter will be thrown down, and a
perfectly pare and agreeably soft water produced, which
can be u^ with comfort and safety for washing purposes.
A fer less cumbersome method, however, and one that
is thoroughly suitable for adoption in even the most
modest domicile, is that of M. Maiguen, who has patented
his invention for softening hard water under the name
of " Anti-Calcaire Powder." The reagents of which this
powder is composed throw out of solution and precipitate
all the mineral salts usually present in hard water, —
carbonates, sulphates, and metallic elements, rendering
the liquid entirely soft and innocuous. This really in-
valuable preparation is sold at an extremely cheap rate

a 8 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

in tins of various sizes, and is quite as useful for cooking
purposes as it is for the toilette. Drinking water can
be purified of earthy salts by means of the powder, and
afterwards filtered for table use,— a great and indeed
almost inestimable boon for dyspeptics or persons suffering
from goat, goitre, or kidney disease. Tbe anti- calcaire
powder does not deprive water of its free oxygen as tbe
process of boiling does, and although hard water is softer
when boiled than unboiled, it still always contains a con-
siderable proportion of calcareous matter, and has, besides,
^fiat taste which renders it unsuitable as a beverage. It
is necessary that anti-calcaire powder should have fully
twelve or fourteen hours in which to exert its action,
and, therefore, a sufficient quantity should be well stiiTcd
up in tbe water it is desired to soften the day before use.
Such water, once subjected to the process, can be warmed
at will afterwards if it is not required cold.

Twice or thrice a week the face may be washed with
Pears' soap, applied in the form of a lather by means of
a flesh-glove made of Turkish towelling. Fullers' earth
may be used instead of soap, by sprinkliug a little on the
hand or washing-glove and rubbing the skin with it.
It must be well washed off afterwards. One of our most
celebrated " professional beauties " uses an Oriental pre-
paration of this character every night. I prefer Pears'
soap myself, although, it is true, I am not a "professional
beauty." On no account should any kind of medicated
soap he employed, containing such substances as tar,
carbolic acid, sulphur, and so forth. A well-known
medical man, who has long been senior-surgeon to St.
John's Hospital for Diseases of the Skin, says of such
soaps that they are not merely useless, but that they
often do a great deal of active mischief. "The more
purely negative a soap is," says this eminent authority,

On the Complexion. 29

"the nearer does it approach perfection. It is essentially
in this respect that Pears' soap excels. The skill of the
manufacturer, when treading in the right path, is taxed
to rid soap of all extraneous matters, so that it will
cleanse the skin without injuriously affecting it. . . .
I have reason to think that Pears' soap is the best
because it is the pui-est that is made, an opinion vouched
for by the strictness of chemical analysis. So effectually
for medical purposes has the process of purification been
carried out, that this soap, when made into a lather,'
can be applied even to the surface abraded by eczema."
(" Hygiene of the Skin," by 3. L. Milton.) A delight^I
and fragrant lather for the complexion — or indeed for
the whole body — is made by putting into a small jar a
ball of Pears* scented soap, upon which is poured a little
hot soft water, which, by means of a fibre whisk (such
as those commonly used in Turkish baths), is beaten up
into a creamy froth. A soft flax washing-glove should
now he dipped into this delectable mixture and rubbed
firmly over the skin.

Some ladies, instead of soap or ftdlers' earth, use
" vii^nal milk " or another cleansing lotion. Virginal
milk, which is an old fashioned cosmetic and costs little, is
prepared as follows : Take a quart of rose water, orange
water, or elder-flower water, and add to it, drop by drop,
stirring all the while, an ounce of simple tincture of
benzoin. This emulsion smells deliciously, and looks like
cream. The lotion is improved by the addition of twelve
or fifteen minims of tincture of myrrh and a few drops
of glycerine. Be sure you get "simple," not "com-
pound " tincture of benzoin for this lotion, else it will
be spoilt, for the " compound " tincture contains aloes
and other ingredients quite unsuitable for use as skin
" beautifiers."

30 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet. \

After washing, the &oe moat be carefully dried vith a i

soft towd, and may then be powdered, but not with the
ordinary violet or nursery powder, which ia a great deal I

too coarse and voyant for toilet purposes. Suitable
powders are variously made with bases of rice, nut, I

starch, fiour, oxide of zinc, talc, and nitrate of bismuth. i

Fay's Vihutine has a bismuth baais, and is adhesive and
effective, but I do not recommend it for daily use, because '

its continued application is apt to irritate delicate skins. |

Nor is it always possible to be sure that all bismuth I

powders are pure. Aisenious acid is apt sometimes to I

be present in preparations of this mineral. All cosmetics
made of or containing carbonate of lead are essentially
dangerous. Oxide of zinc is quite inoffensive, magnesia
not less so : but I give the preference without the least
hesitation to Wee potcder. Finely prepared rioe powder —
poudre de riz — ^is by far the b^ cosmetic I have ever I

yet used. It can be had in three tints, white, pink and
cream.

On going to rest at night, the face should be again
washed in soft water, and having been dried, cold-cream
may be rubbed over it from forehead to chin, with the
hand, and then wiped off with a soft towel. Bo not go
to bed with the face greasy. It is better not to trust
bought cold'Cream, hut to prepare it oneself if possible.

The following is a good formula : —

Pnie white wwt .... 1 onnce,

Spermaceti 2 ounces.

.dJmoud oil ) pint

Melt these together by a gentle heat in a glazed earthen-
ware pot, then add : —

Oljcerine 3 ounces.

Ottoofroaea . ... 12 drops.

Stir till nearly cold, then let the mixture settle.

On ike Cofnplexion. 31

This is the basis of most of th« toilet unguents so
largely sold. Of course, any kind of perfume caa he
added to give an agreeable odour, and a smaller quantity
than that given in the above recipe can be prepared, the
proper proportions being observed. The ingredients
should he thoroughly mised together over a spirit-lamp,
and stirred with a glass or stiver spoon while melting.

It is by no means necessary or advisable to use this
unguent every night The frequency of the application
should depend on the condition of the skin. If you
prefer an emulsion to a "cream," you cannot have a
better formula tban the following recipe for "Milk of
Cucumbers " : —

Blaucbed almonds 1 lb.

Juice of encumbers, boiled for a minute,

then cooled and stmiued . . .1 pint.
Spirits of nine (rectified) . • ■ \ pint.
Spermaceti and white wax . . . } ounce of each.
Essence of encumbers . . . . 1 drachm.

Mix by melting first the wax and spermaceti ; then heat
the almonds in a little distilled water, adding the
cucumber juice drop by drop. When reduced to a
paste strain through muslin ; then add gradually the
melted wax and spermaceti, stirring meanwhile; next
the spirits of wine, drop by drop, still stirring ; and lastly
the essence of cucumber, drop by drop. Great eare is
required, else the mixture will curdle. When all is
complete strain the lotion, and bottle.

Steaming the complexion by means of a small portable
vapour-lamp— such as that introduced by Dr. Manson
for vapourizing essential oils, or even an ordinary kitchen
steamer — is excellent treatment for the preservation of
the skin, especially when the glands of the cuticle are
blocked and the surface of the epidermis is inclined to
look greasy and yellow. The action of the steam should

32 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

be helped by friction with the hand ; gentle and regular
manipulation designed to restore or promote elasticity
and tone in the small organs of the ^in. Five or ten
minutes' good steaming and shampooing two or three
times a week will materially help to obriate premature
wrinkles and to keep the cuticle in a fresh and youthful
condition, by promoting healthy action of the glands and
freeing them from accumulated dirt, and the products of
stagnant secretion in which acne and "blackheads"
originate. It is better to make use of 'Sba ateam-bath at
n^ht than in the morning, so that any chance of chill
from subsequent exposure to the outdoor air may be
avoided.

ON THE COMPLEXION.— 11.

My deah Latjra, — Tou will, of course, undetatand
that although I believe science can do much in r^ard to
the creation and preserration of beauty, I do not for a
moment suppose that it can in any way supersede nature.
Some happy people are bom beautiful, with skins like
milk, and chseks like china roses, and scarcely any aid is
needed irom science to keep this natural loveliness in
repair. But the majority of women are not so blessed ;
and some, even if they enjoy a tolerable endowment of
good looks during youth, begin to get actually plain when
mature age sets in. It is, therefore, in the interests of
the majority, and not of the exceptionally fortunate, that
chemistry and medicine are taxed to furnish the feminine
world with the means of sovereignty. As for you and
me, my dear Laura, we both belong to this honourable
majori^, and neither of us is strong-minded enough
to dispense with scientific assistance in regard to our
toilette. I wish, you see, to be quite frank ; and, more-
over, in order to inspire you with the greater confidence,
and to add weight to the snggeetions made in these lettere,
I will justify my good faith by assuring you that I shall
not recommend the use of any wash or unguent which I
have not either personally tried myself, or which is not
for sound reasons entitled to oonfideoce. And here let
me say, parenthetically, that, in my opinion, one of the

34 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

raisons d'etre of the medically educated woman lies in
the direction of the valuable seirice which her special
knowledge enables her to render to the cultus of beauty.
No male physician can be expected to sympathise, as
does a woman, with the ardent desire which all of our sex
have to be lovely, and to arouse love in others. Even
though his science may be equal to the task of euper-
vising the toilette of his fair patients, he is always prone
to dimniss the topic of cosmetics and complexion lotions
with a professional and somewhat disdainful " Pooh-pooh,
my dear Madam, what do you want with such things P
Take my advice, and leave them alone ! " Wherefore,
anticipating some such response, ladies do not care to
consult the family doctor on these very delicate subjects ;
and thus, wanting instructed guidance, they follow their
own fancy in regard to the choice of " ferds " or powders,
often, thereby, unwittingly ruining or defacing the natural
charms which it is their aim to enhance.

All the masculine sex are amenable to the effects of
beauty, but they would rather not know its secrets.
Instinctively they feel that the fascination of a trick is
gone for them when once they leam " how it's done."
What if the slaves of the drawing-room nymph should
be initiated into the mysteries of her morning and even-
ing devotions to Queen Venus, — should behold the jugs
of distilled and perfumed waters, the pots of cold cream,
the rose vinegar, the preparations for the vapour bath,
and all the other insignia and adjuncts of the sacred
rites made ready by the attendant priestess P No, we do
not show these secrets of the " Sona Dea " to men ; we
do not even talk about them, but for the greater number
of us they, are, nevertheless, necessities, if we mean to
reign, and to hold in the world a power and place that
shall sustain our moral influence upon it. For if a had

On the Complexion. 35

woman, endowed witt beauty, can yet command the
hearts of men, what may not a good and noble woman
do, possessing the same inestimable giftP Barbara
Palmer, Duchess of Cleveland, the wildest and wickedest
of Charles the Second's favourites, was once — at a time
when her rapacity and lavish expenditure were creating
disturbances at Court, and disaffection in the whole
country — stopped in her carriage by a furious mob, and
assailed with maledictions, hootings, and hisses. The
people loudly charged her with the burden of the exces-
sive taxation which the nation then had to bear, and
threatened her with personal violence. But Barbara
was no coward, and she knew the power of beauty.
Opening her coach door, she stepped out into the midst
of the exasperated crowd, and looked proudly round on
the sea of malignant faces, Instantly the mood of her
assailants changed. Her beauty conquered and dis-
armed them. " Blessings on your handsome face ! "
they cried ; and bursts of cheers rang out from throats
outetretched to curse and revile. Could a heautiJul woman
have a greater triumph than that — to paralyse the wrath
of the howling mob, wither the imprecations on the lips
of desperate men, and convert foes into friends by the
magic of a single glance ?

That is what beauty has done for bad women. But
beauty and goodness together — ah 1 that is the power of
the angels. What a pity it is, however, that to mortals
it is only permitted to be fair for so brief a span ! Few
women retain the fulness of their charms long after
thirty. As a rule, Time is kinder to blondes than to
bmnes, but he ia gallant to none, and forty finds all of us
conjugating our past tenses with a touch of sadness.
"It was, it has been, it might have been!" Alack,
why cannot we, like the story-book princesses, who had

36 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

fairy godmotliers, Temam yotmg and liandsome for a
handred years P

You are not yet forty, my Laura, nor even thirty-five,
but it may perhaps " adrantage " you, as the old Engh'sh
writers would say, to know beforehand what you should
do to defend yourself against the encroachments of the
enemy. For instance, if you would prereat the forma-
tion of wrinkles, and keep the skin of your face from
falling into furrows and crows' feet, I advise you to
make a practice of rubbing the forehead and cheeks with
the hand, using rosewater and glycerine, or some other
simple lubricant to facilitate friction. Hub in a direction
contrary to that which the wrinkles threaten to take ;
vertically if the lines are forming horizontally, and vice
vers&. Continue this operation for fully five minutes at
a time, changing hands in case of fatigue, and using an
even, firm and gentle pressure.

In my opinion all so-called "skin tightenere" are
inefficient and injurious. If you will reflect on the cause
of wrinkles, you will easily see that they cannot be cured
or prevented by means of outward application. The
skin of the face wrinkles exactly for the same reason and
by the same mechanism that the skin of an apple wrinkles.
The pulp of the fruit under the skin shrinks and con-
tracts as the juices dry up, conseijuently the skin, which
was once tight and smooth, now being too large for the
contents, puckers and lies in folds. Similarly, when the
subcutaneous fiit of the cheeks and brow, which in youth
is abundant — especially under the eyes and at the comers
of the mouth — begins to be absorbed, and to disappear,
the cuticle, which so long as this fat lasted remained
smooth and even, begins to shrivel, and MV into lines,
because it is no longer exactly fitted to the lining which
was formerly beneath it. No astringent, appUed to the

On the Complexion. 37

ontside surface of the skin, can remove Tmnklea bo caused.
The only way in whieh to treat them is to anticipate their
formation by a strictly hygienic and tonic method of life,
assisted by the mechanical friction already recommended,
and a happy and hopeful disposition of mind. The mere
presence of youth in the heart irill often sufEce io
keep old age from the face, and to baffle the efforta of
Time.

Acoimnoncomplaint,Tarioii8lyassociated with plethora,
constipation, and debility of the general health, is«edon-^(ni,
or greaay sldn. This unpleasant affection is caused by
want of tone and elasticity in the sebaceous glands, which
either secrete abnormal quantities of oity matter in ex-
cess of natural use, or else, being blocked at their orifices
by want of cleanliness, swell here and there, and con-
stitute little black or white heads under the cuticle. The
latt«r form of the disease is a kind of waie; and of this
I shall speak more particularly in a fiitare letter. But
greasiness of skin may exist without the complication of
black or white points on the face, and constitute a very
persistent and ugly malady.

Of course, it must be treated, like other skin disorders,
mainly by careful general hygiene. Laxatives, in the shape
of fruit early in the morning, saline mineral waters,
and dandelion and water-cress salads, should be taken,
with outdoor exercises, hydrotherapy, particularly douche
baths, tepid or cold, according to the season, vapour
baths, and abstinence from hot crowded rooms and rich
foods. In almost all skin complaints, from the simplest
and most trivial to the most complicated and serious,
climate is a consideration of the utmost importance.
Warm, moist, relaxing climates are injurious in nearly
all such cases, and, on the contrary, removal to high,
dry and cold altitudes, such as the climate of Switzer-

38 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

land affords, will almost immeiliately alleviate and
often cure even the most obstinate skin complaints.

Apart from general treatment, on the necessity of
wliicli I cannot too much insist, it is advisable to use
certain local remedies. For the affection we are now
considering, — greasiness of the akin, — stimulating and
astringent washes are needed, in order to restore tone
and vitality to the relaxed glands and to brace and
retract their flaccid orifices. For this purpose I recom-
mend the use of white wine, — Greek or Rhine wine, —
costing about two shillings the bottle. Bathe the face
with it morning and evening. If the skin is not very
fair, red wine, — ^Medoc claret, — commonly called " vin
ordinaire," may be used. Of course such wines as sherry,
port, and madeira are inappropriate. If the application
of wine as a toUette lotion be objected to, the following
wash may be substituted :—

Dried ro

1 onnc

■White iy

. . i.pint

RoBe-wa

^r

. i-pmt.

Pour the vinegar upon the rose-leaves, and let it stand

for a week; then strain, and add the rose-water, throwing

the rose-leaves away. The lotion may be used either pure

by dabbing the face with the comer of a napkin that has

I been wetted with it, or by putting about a tahlespoonful

into a cupfiil of rain-water.

If the oiliness of the skin is excessive and requires

\ more specific treatment, a lotion, composed as follows,

I may be applied two or three times daily : —

I Sulphate o( line .... 2 grains.

I Comp. tincture of lavender . . . 8 tniniuiB.

Water (dUtillsd) .... 1 ounce.

I Hix for a lotion.

Other astringent lotions may be used with the same

On the Complexion. 39

object, tut the aboTe is the best I know of. In some
cases, it is necessary to wipe the skin with a soft rag
impregnated with benzine before using the lotion, so
that it may come in contact with the cuticle, otherwise
the excessively greasy state of the skin would prevent
the beneficial operation of the astringent.

Ablutions with toilet vinegar, friction with flesh gloves,
electric brushes, and local steaming are all good methods
of treating seborrhcea.

Of vinegars, I recommend as the best I know the
vinaigre de toilette of the " Soci^t^ Hygieniqne." Vine-
gars for the complexion are frequently made with diluted
acetic acid, into which are infused rose-leaves, lavender,
verbena, or some other fragrant substance. Toilet vine-
gar should be used much diluted, and is best employed
after the ablutions of the morning, for the purpose of cool-
ing the skin, of removing the tendency to greasiness, to
which some sallow complexions aro liable, and of bracing
the epidermis. Vinegar must not, however, be used when
soap has just been applied, because the acid of the vinegar
will decompose the soap, and injury to the skin will
result.

Never use any kind of liquid wash for the face con-
taining metallic powder in solution, or earthy substances,
such as chalk ; for such cosmetics, drying on the skin,
cause it to contract, form a solid coating over the cuta-
neous glands, and willj if frequently employed, prove a
fruitful source of wrinkles and crows' feet. Under the
influence of such applications the skin hardens, shrivels,
and becomes blotched and roughened.

Next time I shall write further on the subject of the
complexion, giving directions in regard to the use of toilet
preparations for speciflo treatment of the skin.

OK THE COMPLEXION.— HI.

Dear Latjra, — ^Tou ask me what rouge is made of,
and what I think of its iiae.

The best rouge-powders are Tariously prepared from
carmine — extracted from cochineal,— earth amum (also
called " rouge d'Sspagne "), and orcanct. They are
either mixed with tale de Venise, or prepared as solu-
tions. Itouge of a commoner and inferior quality is
made of Yermilion or red sulphur of mercuiy. This last
substance is extremely dangerous, and should never be
laid on the skin. With r^ard to other rouges, their use
is a question of taste rather than of health.

Carthamum powder, which ia the best of the yegetable
group of colouring matters, is extracted from an annual
herbaceous plant known as the "bastard saflfrou," by
means of an alkaline soIutioD, from which it is precipi-
tated by a vegetable acid, such as lemon-juice, under the
form of flakes of a brilliant pink hue. This pigment is
soluble in a small quantify of alcohol, or in ether, to
which it gires a beautiful red tint When used for the
toilette it is usually prepared as a powder, which is made
adherent by mixing it with crate de Briangon, also known
as talc de Venue. This talc is a colourless silico-alumi-
nate of magnesia, containing a little potass ; it is unotnooa
to the touch, easily pulverised, and quite inoffensiye in
its action on the skin. Indeed, it is frequently used in

Oft the Complexion. 41

SQi^ry as a dressing for open -wounds, on vMch it readily
exercises a beneficial and bealing action. No better
recommendatioa than this can be offered for its use as
a toilet cosmetic- Vinaigre de rouge is made of carmine,
suspended in vinegar, by the aid of a little mucilage.

The best of the liquid rouges, "Bloom of Eoses," is
made as follows ; —

Put this mixture into a stoppered bottle, set it in a
cool place, and agitate it occasionally until complete solu-
tion. Then add, with agitation,

preyiouflly mixed with —

Esunce of rose .... 2 dnohnu.
Lastly, diaaolye in the mixed liqaid —

?ine gnm-orabic . . . . i ounce.
and, in a few days, decant and bottle the mixture.

Carmine, the colouring agent used in the above prepa-
ration, is entirely soluble in liquor of ammonia, hence
its purity is readily determined by this test.

"Rouge crepons," counting of white woollen crape
or fine cotton wool which has been repeatedly soaked in
the abore solution, and allowed to dry, are commonly
used in Spain and elsewhere on the Continent. The
crepons are rubbed on the cheeks nntil the desired tint
is obtained.

As to what advice about the use of rouge a "medical
woman " ooght to give, that is rather a dehcate qaestioa
to determine. I do not think there is any mor^ harm
in tryii^ to make oneself look one's best, and I fancy a

42 ' Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

great deal of nonsense is talked about "paint" and so forth,
even by people who do not scruple to lace tight and to
adopt the most artificial and insincere manners. Few of
us see any wrong in adorning our persons with beautiful
fabrics, jewels, and metals, the object of which is to
enhance whatever charms we possess naturally. Some of
us powder our hair with gold or diamond dust for the
same reason, and I do not know why, if it suits us, we
should not equally powder our faces with pink and
white. The reaUy important point of the contention is
that the powdCTS so used shodd be perfectly innocuous
to the skin. I have already pointed out to you how
unwise it is, and for what reason, to use any kind of
complexion wash containing mineral precipitates, but the
moderate employment of simple preparations, whether
white or coloured, such as those I hare indicated, ap-
pears to me to be justified both by hygiene and morality.
Pallid faces, and skins which have lost the first flush of
youth, are often greatly improved by a little judicious
"getting up," and it is not the least of a woman's duties
to look fair and pleasant, and to adorn the world. The
details of these little artifices, however, ought not to
occupy UB very seriously. They should be lightly
"thrown in," so to speak, as an artist here and there
throws in a bit of bright colour to enliven and perfect an
already finished landscape. "Not too much attention,
but just attention enough," as they say at " Toole's,"
shoald be the ruling axiom of the toilette. A true woman
thinks firet of her heart, secondly of her mind, lastly of
her personal appearance.

After this little homily, you will, no doubt, be ready
to hear what I have to say about the specific treatment
of the skin, concerning which I promised you in my last
letter to give some account.

On ike Complexion. 43

Broadly and generally speaking, all disorders of the
Bkin should be treated by vapour baths, taken r^nlarly
once a day, or three or four times a week, according to
the necessity of the case. To this treatment it is neces-
sary to add rigid temperance in both eating and drinking,
regular hoars, and daily exercise, good ventilation, and
the exclusive use of rain-water for ablutions of the skin.

As I have already given sufEoient directions in regard
to these matters, I will not further recur to them. It
must also be borne in mind that sea air and sea bathing
are injurious in all forms of skin eruption, and that
patients residing at the seaside should remove to inland
residence before commencing a course of treatment for
oataneous disease. In many cases irritable and eruptive
skins will be completely restored to a healthy state by
this single measure. In others, flie adoption, for a few
weeks, of a milk diet is advisable ; or, whether this he
practicable or not, the use of fennented drinks and of
butcher's meat should be at least discontinued.

Tho commonest form of face eruption is acne, or "black
points." The parts most frequently affected are the
nose, cheeks, and chin. As you are no doubt aware,
these black points are caused hy the deposit of morbid
material in the glands or follicles of the skin, these folli-
cles becoming thereby distended, and not infrequently in-
flamed. But you are wrong when you speak of the
matter contained in them as " grubs." The contents of
the affected follicles are not " grubs," but simply seba-
ceous or greasy matter secreted hy the glands themselves,
and discoloured by exposure It is the shape of the
glandular sac which causes the contents to take a worm-
hke appearance when pinched out. True, certain
medical writers describe under the name of "demodei"
a minute parasitd which is sometimes found inhabiting

44 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

the sHa follicles, but the " demodex " is microscopical,
sod does not give rise to acne. I do not think it is
odviaable to squeeze out the " black pointa." This prac-
tice constitutes treatment of the symptom only, imd the
morbid secretion will speedily renew i^lf after each such
operation. Acne can only be successfully cured by care-
ful attention to general diet and habits, assisted by the
use of steam baths, and shampooing of the affected parts
of the face with the hand while in the bath.

It is best to have these steam baths early in the day,
but never immediately after breakfast or any other
regular meal.

In addition to the general rules just prescribed, the
following lotion may be used as a core for acne, dipping
a soft rag into the preparation, and rubbing it firmly over
the pimples night and morning : —

Salphnr prEecip. .... 1 dntchm.
Spt. Bsctilicfta 1 ounce (mix).

This mixture must be shaken before use. While em-
ploying the lotion, an occasional dose of flowers of
solphm: should be taken in warm milk before breakfast.
The face must be washed night and morning, before using
the lotion, in rery hot rain water.

Another astringent lotion is also useful, as follows : —

Sulphurisptxcip. Z^.

Ktheris Bulphanci Sir.

Spiritns vini rect Biii. ta.

UiBce et fiat lotio.

Sometimes, instead of flowers of sulphur it is better
to take the medicine in the form of pilla — Pilula
Cakii Sulphidi — two or three daily. A lotion made
as follows, proves efficacious in many obstinate oases of

BlaDched almondfl . . 1 odiicb.

Bitter almonds 3 to .'] draclimB.

Distilled iratai ) pint.

On the Complexion. 45

of wluch make aa emulsion ; then strain, stir, and add
gradoally

Bichloride of menury (powdered) . IS gniiu.

previously diseolTed in half a pint «{ distilled water.
After mixing all these ingredients, add to the whole,
enough distilled water to make the entire mixture exactly
a pint. Take care that nothing metallic or alkaline
touches the liquid. Use it by moistening a comer of a
napkin or soft towel with the mixture and dabbing the
face, especially over the black spots.

When acne assumes the form of small hard distinct
pimplee, occurring in groups on the forehead, chest
and back, they are best treated by stimulating lotions
consisting of equal parts of strong spirit and water, or of
vin^ar to vhich a third part of water may be added.
At the same time it is essential that the use of coffee,
ale, beer, wines (except Burgundy), and all rich, greasy
dishes should he abandoned,)as well as indulgence in pastry,
hot rolls and pickles. Fresh and stewed fhiit, water-
cress, dandelion or lettuce salad, and green Tegetables,
plainly cooked, should be plentifully eaten, hrown bread
being snbstituted for white. The sleeping apartment
must be well ventilated, and the patient must strictly
abstain from all tmwholesome and improper habits.

A peculiar form of acne known as " acne mollusoum "
sometimes appears on the forehead and about the nose.
It has the aspect of tiny seed-pearls imbedded in the
skin, and is due to the obstmctioa of the sebaceous glands
which, unable to rid themselves of their contents, distend
snd become hardened and prominent. These glands
must be opened with the point of a needle, and the
concrete mass pressed or picked out. The empty sack
of the ^aod may then be bathed or dabbed with a little
tralet TiQ^iar or spirit and water.

46 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

Herpes is a troublesome eruption frequent in children
and young pereons. It appears in the form of red
patches, of irregular shape and rariable size, causii^
great irritation and a sensation of burning. After a day
or two — sometimes in a few hours — there arises 6n the
patch a cluster of very minute blisters or vesicles. These
blisters rupture, and a scab, ultimately becoming yellow
and shrivelled, forms above the patch. Usually herpes
occurs at the comers of the mouth, and is then called
hei'pea labuilis. The best cure for this complaint is milk-
diet, with a dose, now and then, if needed, of castor oil.
It is not necessary to use any local application ; the
eruption will quickly disappear under the e^t of the
general treatment.

Nettle-rash, or urUcaiHa, consists of little red wheals
on the skin, like those which are raised by the stroke of
a whip. The eruption is accompanied by a tingling and
pricking sensation, recalling that produced by a stinging-
nettle, — whence its name. Acute nettle-rash is generally
due to indigestion, caused by the eating of some food
which the patient has been unable to assimilate, as, for
instance, shell-fish, lobster, crab, prawns, potage bisque
(made of cray-fish). Some persons suffer from nettle-
rash after taking oatmeal, or even eggs. The chronic
form of this eruption is almost always connected with
internal disease, and in such cases, of course, medical
advice should be sought. In the acute form, the follow-
ing lotion will give useful relief : —

Citrboiiatia ammomEe . . . I drachm.
Plumb. iLceUtis . ... 2 dr&cliins.
Aqua; roBearum .... 8 onnces.

If the rash be caused by inappropriate diet, it is
advisable to begin the treatment with the administration
of purgative medicine, such as a dose of castor oil, or

On the Complexion. 47

some oooliDg saline, after which care should be taken to
aroid eating food likely to prove ind^eatible, such, for
instance, as shell fish, preserved meats, salted viands,
and greasy dishes, especially pastry. Green vegetables
should be largely partaken of, salad au naturel, and ripe
fruit. When the eruption is connected with habitual
acidity of the stomach, the administration of bicarbonate
of soda will he found beneficial. Quinine is also a useful
medidne in intermittent forms of the rash. The chronic
form due to special functional or organic disorder of the
liver or to disease peculiar to women, necessitates medical
examination and treatment.

Flushing of the face and other forms of transitory
redness usually indicate a general perturbation of the
health. Antemia and plethora both shew themselves in
this way. In the first case tonics, nourishing food, with
plenty of oxygen and exercise, are needed ; in the second,
aperients, refrigerauts, and, if possible, manual work,
or active pedestrianism. In both cases, care should be
taken that no bandages, laces or ligatures impede the
circulation in any part of the body ; the sleeping chamber
should be thoroughly ventilated day and night ; and every
morning, before leaving the bedroom and while still fasting,
a couple of ripe pears, oranges or figs should be eaten. If
these cannot be procured, stewed prunes or grocer's dried
figs soaked in water overnight and thus rendered soft
and swollen, may be substituted.

Flushing is sometimes checked by bathing the face in
very hot water, or putting the hands and feet in hot
water, the action of which may he enhanced by the
addition of a handful of mustaxd powder. Excessive
nervousness and hysteria cause fiushing, beoause the
small vasomotor nerves which control and regulate the
cutaneous blood-vessels are disorderly in their action, and

48 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

relax or contract spasmodically, and in obedience to
iiregnlar and morbid stimulus. Id Buch cases, flushing
is but a symptom, and cannot be treated effectively apart
£rom the malady which causes it. Hot drinks, such as
tea, coffee, or n^;ua, are very likely to g^ve rise to flush-
ing, and should be avoided by persons who are subject to
the complaint. Indigestion again, is a common cause of
transitory burning and BuflusioQ of the face. Eating
rapidly, reading, writing, or otherwise using the eyes and
brain actively during or immediately after a meal, are all
frequent provocatives of fluslmig. Both mind and body
should be rested for a quarter of an hour or more after
a meal. Gentle exercise in the open air, however, is ■
better than a " nap " in an armchair.

As for " tan " or freckles on the skin, these pigmen-
tary discolorations are of two distinct kinds, — summer or
sun freckles, and wiuter or cold freckles. The first are
ephemeral, the second chronic. For summer freckles,
Lait Ant^ph^lique, or Antipbelic Milk is a good remedy.
This lotion can be bought everywhere pretty dieaply,
and it is therefore superfluous to give a formula for
making it. But if you want recipes of your own, try
the following : —

Sal-aramoniBc (poivder«d) . . . 1 drachm.

DisUUAd water 1 pint

Ban da Cologne - 2 naid dnchins.

Mix, apply with a rag night and morning. Or this,
whidi is more decided in its action : —

Bichloride of merciiry . . . . grains.
H;diochloiic *cid (pnn) ... I flnid druhm.
DistiUed water ipink

Olj'cerine . . . . . 1 ounce.

On the Complexion. 49

Mix, and tise night and morning. In cases vhere sun-
burn docs not assume the form of spots, but simply dis-
colours and browns the skin uniformly, the foUoiring
formula will be more appropriate : —

Fresh lemon-juice . . . .1
Eos8-water. . *. . . .1 Ec[m1 parts.
Rectified spirit . > . . . }

Mix tJiese together; next day decant the clear portion
and strain it through muslin. Bathe the face night and
morning -with the lotion, wiping the skin afterwards with
a soft towel.

A quarter of an ounce of red rose-leaves, steeped in a
quarter of a pint each of fresh lemon-juice and brandy
for about three hours, and then pressed, strained, and
decanted, makes a good lotion for whitening the skin.
It is best to decant the day after infusion.

For cold or chronic freckles and tan it is advisable to
have recourse to other remedies. These dificolorations
are caused by disorder of internal organs, usually the
liver, but sometimes they are due to uterine displace-
ment or functional disease, or to ovarian tumour. In
the latter cases they belong to a class of pigmentary dis-
coloration called chloasma uterinum, and must be treated
medically. If they are liver-spots they will be of a
yellowish brown colour, with smooth surface, having
tolerably sharply-defined margins. The forehead, temples,
and region of the mouth are the most ordinary seats of
the discoloratioBS. As the stains are deposited beneath
the epidermis, it is diiBcult to reach and remove them
by superficial applications, but the following lotion may
nevertheless be of service : —

Hjdrargjri chlor. oorrosivi . . . . gr. v.
AmmoDu chloridi purificBti. ■ ■ .3 39.

Mbt. amygdaiffl amar 3 i^'

Misce et fiat lotio.

50 Heallh, Beauty, and the Toilet.

This mixture should he applied twice daily, and its actiou
should he assisted hy the use of an aperient ■' liver " pill,
preferahly of podophyllum.

Another uJcful form of chloasma lotion is the sub-
joined: —

HydwrgyricUoriili corrosivi . . . jjr. vi.

Zinci salpliatdB . ' . . ' . ' . . 5 ^'

Plumbi acetatU 5 **-

Aqdss rosa . . . % iv.

Uisce eC fia,t lotio.

If the action of this lotion he irritating, use an ointment
thus composed: —

Bigmudii tab-nitratis Si.

Uoguenti hydrarg. ammon, . , 5i-

Unguenti aqnie ro8» ad 3 ■■

tlisce et fiat aQgnentuni.

Some persons are subject to the eruption on the face,
neck, and arms of small pink spots, which appear sud-
denly, and in the course of a few hours, or a day at the
utmost, subside. Very often these spots are mistaken for
the stings of insects, because they are most often experi-
enced in summer, and are usually isolated. The eruption
is simple erythema, and is caused by indigestion, irregu-
larity of the bodily functions, want of fresh air, or
debility. It usually indicates the need of a tonic, and
quinine may be taken with good results, either as a wine
or in the form of a tincture. Other cutaneous eruptions,
such as eczema, erysipelas, ecthyma, and so on, require
professional supervision, and cannot safely he treated
without it.

As for superfluous hairs, warts, moles, and other
" accidents" of the skin, I must reserve what I have to
say about them for my next letter.

ON SUPERFLUOUS HAIRS, MOLES, AND WARTS.

My dear Laura, — My present letter, in accordance
with your request, will be devoted to the treatment of
superfluous hair, moles, -w&rta, and similar defects,
whether occurring on the face or elsewhere.

Superfluous hair is of two kinds, and as the .same
treatment does not eqn^y suit both, it is necessary I
should distinguish between them at the outset. On the
chin and upper lip, especially in women of dark com-
plexion and mature age, it is not unusual to see a growth
of stiff, isolated hairs, almost as conspicuous as those of
the eyebrows, though not so close and numerous. The
same kind of hair, but eren more bristly in character,
sometimes sprouts from moles upon the face or other
parts of the person. The other kind of superfluous hair
is called lanugo. It is mere down, soft, and usually
very much thicker in growth than the stiff hairs above
described. It grows upon the outer. side of the arms,
the anterior surface of the legs, and about the upper lip,
chin, and lateral parts of the face, appearing usually at
adult age, and growing more robustly on dart than on
fair skins.

The methods by which superfluous hair of these two
varieties may be removed are four in number. The first
and most general method is that of applying a chemical
depilatory. Depilatory powders, the commonest being

52 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet,

composed of sulphide of arsenic (orpiment) or of caustic
lime, are used for the purpose of burning ofiF the hairs,
but the roots always remain uneradicated and the hairs
reappear. Here is the very best depilatory preparation
known to me, and I recommend it with confidence : —

Barii sulphidi . . , , . 5 ii-

Mix with enough water for a paste, smear it lightly over
tho hairy part, and in from five to ten minutes wash it
off, when the hairs will come with it. Sulphide of
sodium also makes a good depUatory ^hen thus

formulated : —

Mix and apply as above.

After using a chemical depilatory, a drop or two of
sweet oil should be applied to the denuded surface, in
order to allay the irritation and heat of the cuticle. The
whole operation should be performed at the night toilette,
just before going to bed, so that by the morning the local
disturbance may have completely subsided.

The second method of removing superfluous hairs is
mechanical, and is accomplished by means either of
the tweezers or of a resin stick, heat«d to melting point,
clapped on the hairy part, allowed to remain in contact
with the skin a minute, and then sharply withdrawn.
This method gives perhaps less trouble than the first,
but it is decidedly more painful, and of its two varieties,
the tweezers arc, I think, preferable, especially when
the hairs to be removed are stiff and few in number.
DuBser's "Pftte Epilatoire" is the best adaptation I
have yet seen of the mechanical method for cases in
which epilation by tweezers would be tedious.

On Superfltwtis Hairs, Moles, and Warts. 53

Next in order comes the solvent method, which, how-
ever, does not suffice of itself to remove hair, hut facili-
tates epilation either with the tweezers or with resin.
Ita effect is to dissolve the natural fat of the hair follicles,
and thereby render the Iiaii-s loose, and easy to pluck
out. The solvent is thus composed : —

Athene 5 v,

Spt. vini rect, 3 ij ■»-

Thymol 3 sa.

Lastly, we have the galvanic method, recommended
by most medical writers on the skin, and recently
brought into considerable vogue by Dra. de Watteville,
Michel, Hardaway, Piffard, Fox, Duhring, Startin, and
others. This method is called electrolysis, and is not
applicable save by the skilled hand of an adept. It
consists in the introduction of a fine needle into the hair-
follicle and the destruction of the papilla by means of
the galvanic current The needle — usually either a very
fine sewing-needle ground down to hair-liko dimensions,
or an ordinary " bead-needle," and attached to a small
holder— is connected with the negatiye pole ; the positive
pole, with sponge electrode, being held by the patient.
From six to a dozen cells of a recently-charged galvaaio
battery are requisite. The needle is introduced into the
follicle without extracting the hair, which ia loosened by
the galvanic current, set in operation when the patient
touches the sponge electrode. At^^r the current has
been in action for about half a minute or less, the needle
should be removed. If the patient relinquishes the
electrode before the needle is taken from the follicle, a
shock will result A slight £roth Rccomulates about the
follicle alter the operation, and a little redness, sometimes
followed by the fonnfttion of a email pustule, which.

54 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

however, soon disappears. No scar results, or ought
to result, if the operator is skilful and experienced. As
fop the pain caused by electrolysis, it is very slight.
Nervous persons are more affected by the process than
others, and it ought not to he attempted whenever the
patient exhibits fear or hysterical tendencies. The
sensation caused by the current is really disagreeable
only when brought to bear on the region of the upper
lip and other acutely susceptible parts. This method is
the only one by which hairs can be really eradicated, and
even by this method a single operation does not always
sufGce. If the base of the follicle is not reached by the
needle, the hair will sprout again, and another sitting
will be necessary.

Now that I have described to you in detail the four
modes at present known of treating superfluous hair, you
will easily see why I began by establishing a distinction
between lanugo or down, and separate stiff hairs. Elecr
trolysis is applicable only to these last. Applied to mere
down it would not only be an intolerably tedious process,
but the time and trouble it would involve would cost a
fortune. Isolated and conspicuous hairs on the chin or
upper lip may be very conveniently removed by the
galvanic battery, and, as we shall presently see, the same
method is equally useful in dealing with hairy moles ;
but for the removal of soft downy hairs, chemical and
mechanical depilatories constitute the only available
means of treatment.

And now let us turn to the consideration of moles,
warts, and other "beauty-spots." These blemishes are
sometimes merely pigmentary, sometimes both pigmen-
tary and hairy. They may be elevated above the skin,
or level with it. Usually they are congenita!, and are
then known as »tevi or .birth-marks, but, under some

On Superfluous Hairs, Moles, and Warts. 55

circumstances, they develop in childhood or even later.
The colooring matter which constitutes them is deposited
in the deeper portion of the suhcuticle, so that a scar
usually results if they are removed either by the knife or
by the actual cautery — hot iron. Ligature by means of
a silk or silver thread tightly wound round the root of
the excrescence is a method applicable to large pendent
781119, which, thus treated, shrivel and drop off, when
the base can he cauterised with a nitrate of silver stick.
Common warte, without a pedicle, may be removed by
repeated applications of strong acetic acid, nitric acid,
caustic potash, lunar caustic in pencil, tincture of
chloride of iron and hydrochloric acid. In applying any
of these remedies, care must be taken not to touch with
them the surrounding skin, else a stain and soar may
result. It is best to isolate the wart or mole before
putting on the caustic, by spreading a thin layer of
soft wax or spermaceti over the adjacent surface. AU
the agents enumerated are liable, it must be borne in
mind, to leave permanent marks behind them, and, in
the case of moles on the face, these marks may after all
prov^ to be more disfiguring than the original blemish.

Children and young people who suffer from abnormally
moist hands, a feeble constitution, and general debility of
health, sometimes have multiple warts of various sizes
on the hands and fingers. In the treatment of these the
intomal administration of arsenic and other medicines is
often advisable, combined with the local application of a
paste made of precipitated sulphur, glacial acetic acid,
and glycerine in equal parts. This paste must be freshly
made at the time of using, and spread evenly over tlie
warfs. But the best of all treatments for the removal of
moles, warts, and other pigmentary or excrescent
blemishes is electrolysis. The mode of operation is the

56 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

Eame as that just described in the case of superfluoae
hairs, only that when applied to solid growths of skin
more than one sitting is invariably necessary, and tho
duration of the galvanic action should be continued as
long at a time as is found bearable. " Port wine "
marks, which usually are amenable to no other treat-
ment, may be removed in a similar manner, so also may
iiffict of other kinds, liver-stains, obstinate freckles, and
even local skin disease, when independent of general
iil-health. Affections of the cuticle characterised by
thickening or infiltration are those which best lend
themselves to the influence of the galvanic current. The
powerful modification thus produced on the circulation,
absorption, and nutrition of the tissues may even. Dr. de
Watteville thinks (" Practical Introduction to Medical
Electricity"), be brought to hear successfully on such
forms of dermal affection as acne, eczema, neurotic
baldness, chilblains, and herpes.

Electrolysis is especially valuable as a cure for cuta-
neous vascular formations, whether congenital or acquired.
This kind of skin complaint is not uncommon, often
appearing in mature life and in connection with acne or
some other generalised affection of the kind. It consists
of patches of dilated blood vessels situated in the sub-
cutaneous tissues, irregular in shape, and varying in
colour from dark purple to bright pink. These patches
may appear singly or in numbers on any part of the face
or person, but they are most commonly seen on the nose
or cheek. Their aspect is that of a Une network of
distended veins, tortuous and serpentine in appearance,
and more or less distinctly outhned. The affected part
often burns and assumes a shiny look. Vascular marks
of this character, whether recent or congenital, can be
entirely eradicated by the galvanic battery, after all other

On Superfluous Hairs, Moles, and Warts. 57

known mettods of cure have been vainly tried. More-
over, the use of caustics, blisters, heated irons, and knives
often causes suppuration, is always more or less painful,
sometimes, indeed, violently so, and is liable, after cica-
trisation, to leave disfiguring scars. The pain caused by
electrolysis is very sligLt, comparatively, and with some
patients amounts merely to a disagreeable sensation ; in
every ease it ceases immediately after the removal of the
needle, and scarcely ever scars. Sometimes the cuticle
which has been the seat of the debvus or of the mole
assumes a thick white coagulate appearance, but this is
not conspicuous, and 13 wholly unattended by contraction
of the skin. The eradication of small and superficial
formations, whether protuberances or vascular patches,
by electrolysis, is never followed by permanent marks
when the operation is ably performed. Considering,
therefore, the manifest advantage of this method of cure,
its rapidity, simplicity, safety, efficacy, and superior
results, as well as the absence of all heemorrhagc, and
the insignificance of the pain caused by it, I think it
hardly worth while to trouble you with further details
of other and less commendable modes of treatment.

ON THE HAIR.— I.

Dear Laura, — I propose iu my present letter to
preface the subject of the treatment and toilette of the
hair by a brief account of ita structure and physiology,
so that you may the better understand the practical
advice and suggestions I shall afterwards make.

Hairs, whether growing on the head, or on any oth«r
part of the body, are modifications of the cuticle. Every
hair consists of a root, which is implanted in the skin, a
shaft, or elongated portion, projecting from tho root, and
the terminal point. At the extremity of the hair-root
ia a bulbous enlargement, lighter in colour and softer in
consistency than the stem ; this bulb is contained in a
follicular or sack-like involution of the cuticle, called
the hair-follicle. Some hairs are more deeply implanted
than others ; the rule being that the longer the shaft,
the deeper is the seat of the bulb. Thus the hairs of
the head have roots embedded in the subcutaneous
cellular tissue, while the fine hairs on the upper lip, and
on the limbs, have short follicles reaching only into the
superficial layer of the derma. When a hair is plucked
from ita follicle, the inner lining of the latter usually
adheres to the bulb and is torn away with it, forming
what is called the root-sheath. Every hair follicle has
two layers, an outer or dermic, full of tiny blood-vessela
and nerve filaments, and an inner, or epidermic. Open'

Oil the Hair. 59

ing into the follicle are the orifices of the sehaceoua
glands, ia which is prepared the oily matter whereby
gloss and smoothness are imparted to the hair.

Do not suppose that the root of the hair is, like the
root of a tree, the actual source and oi-^n of the hair.
A tree plucked up by its root cannot be reproduced on
the same spot ; unless replanted, it is for ever removed,
and the place where it grew will know it no more. But
a hair plucked up by the root reproduces itself, because
its true point of derivation is not iu its bulb, or so-called
root, but in the dermic layer of the follicle containing
the root, and in a small vascular papilla continuous with
this layer, and known as the matrix. The cells formed
by this matrix are always being pushed upwards into
the follicle and massed together, so as to constitute the
tissue of which the hair is spun. Moat hairs are com-
posed of three tunics, or tissues ; some of two only. The
outermost tunio consists of thin flat scales, having an
imbricated arrangement, and capable of being detached
from the inner layers by means of a strong acid, such as
sulphuric acid. The next tunic is fibrous ; its cells are
elongated, and contain pigment granules, to the number
and quality of which is due the distinguishing colour of
the hair. The inmost layer, absent in fine short hairs,
and ceasing altogether towards the point, even in the
strong hairs of the scalp, is more opaque and deeper
tinted than the fibrous tunic. It consists of fat granules
and colouring matter lodged in large firm cells. A
magnified transverse section of a hair shows the three
layers constituting it, fitted one inside the other like the
annular zones of an oak tree.

The quantity and quality of the hair varies with the
temperament, the health, the hereditary constitution and
predisposition, and the accidental circumstances of the

6o Health, Beauty, and the Toilet,

individual. Persons of nervous and lymphatic tempera-
ments have usually less abundant hair than those of a
sanguine or bilious temperament. Again, mental trouble
and anxiety cause the hair to &11 prematurely, as also
does ill-health, especially disorders of the circulation and
of the nervous system. A dispositioQ to fret and worry,
over-study, and sitting up late at night will weaten the
hair and thin it rapidly. Among accidental and easily
avoided causes of injury to the hair, the most common
and baneful is the use of pads, heavy artificial plaits,
fringes and head-dresses, tight-fitting bonnets or hats
impervious to the air, and the wearing of night-caps. I
cannot teo strongly caution you against fixing cushions
or padding te the scalp as a "foundation" over which
to pile up a mass of curls or " twists." Not only do
such things injure the hair directly, by overheating and
drying thfi cuticle, hut they are likely also to cause con-
gestion and headache, and thus indirecUy destroy tbo
vitality of the germinal matrix whence the hair grows.
Neither must you tie up your hair too tightly, or mal-
treat it with hard brushes and steel combs. Use a soft
brush with long bristles, and, if the hair be thinning, an
electric brush ; only mind that it is really electric — that
is to say, that a battery is attached to it. No brush can
really be electric unless an electric current be supplied
through it by means of a generator, and this current
must be unmistakably felt and heard.

It is better not to use any kind of grease or pomatum
to the hair. If you are well, and keep the skin of your
head in a healthy state. Nature will supply all the lubri-
cant that is necessary by means of the secreting oily
glands attached to the hair roots. If, however, your
health is not good, and your hair should become dry and
rough, with a tendency to snap easily and to split at the

Oh the Hair. 6i

ends, you may now and then make use of a little eimpla
nut or olive oil, whicli should be well rubbed in Tritli the
fingers upon the scalp, and not merely brushed over the
surface of the hair. At all events never use lard or
animal fats of any kind for this purpose, nor indeed, for
any purpose at all in vliich the skin is concerned. They
qni^y become randd, putrefy, and irritate the cuticle,
besides being far more apt than any vegetable oil to
collect dirt and cause the formation of dandrifF.

In order to keep the hair and scalp in a healthy state,
it is, of course necessary that they should be scrupulously
clean. But beware of using irrigations of cold water
with the intention of thereby cleansing or strengthening
the hair. Nothing causes the hair bo soon to thin and
become grey and scanty as the frequent use of shower-
baths of cold water. The best wash for cleansing the
hair and 6calp that I can recommend is made by putting
into a qnart of hot rain-water a piece of lump ammonia
about the size of a Brazil nut, and two tablespoonfiib of
solution of Boft soap. By the time the ammonia has
dissolved, the water will probably be cool enov^h for use.
If yon prefer carbonate of soda instead of the soft-soap
solution, a piece about the same size as the lump of
ammonia will suffice. Dry your hair well after washing
with a rough towel — not " Turkish," however, else you
will get your hair filled with cotton " fluff," than which
nothing is more troublesome to extricate. It knots and
rolls in the meshes of the hair, and can only be forcibly
dragged out with a comb. The wash just mentioned is
particularly suitable for fair hair, because both ammonia
and soda tend to produce and preserve an auburn or
golden hue. Dark-haired persons should use the yolk of
e^ beaten up with a little subcarbonate of potash or
borax and warm rain-water. Some hrumi use red wine —

62 Health, Beauty, and ike Toilet.

the ordinary vin rouge, of Continental countries — mixed
with an e^ and a very small quantity of soda. Eed
wine owes its colouring to the skin of the hlack grapes
from which it is made, and it contains therefore a large
amount of tannin, which is an excellent tonic for the
skin and hair roots. If hair is scanty from hereditary
tendency, or is hecoming thin through constitutional ill-
health, I advise the use daily of the following mixture :

7 Seaquiwrbonate of :
i Oil o[ roBemary

. of each 2^ Snid oi

2 drachms.
20 drops.

Mix ; then add —

DUtilled water .... 6 ounces.

Shake the whole well together.

A quinine wash, the efficacy ot which I have myself
tested and seen demonstrated, is thus composed : —

Sulphate of qainine ... .1 drachm.

Mix ; then further add—

)r essence of musk .

Agitate until solution is complete. Next day decant the
mixture, and use it once or twice daily.

Another formula, probably as good, and very popular,
is thus c

Liquor of ai
Oil of sweet almonds .
Spirits of roeemary
Otto of mace
Eose- water .

I homely and simple recipe is the following,

Oti (he Hair. 63

the value of wMcb is undoubted in oases of thinning and
falling hair. I have witnessed its good effects and can
answer for them. Stew one pound of rosemary for some
hours in & quart of rain-water, then £lter through calico,
and add half a pint of bay rum : bottle the mixture, and
rub some into the roots of the hair night and moming.

A little more elaborate, but similar is the following,
for strengthening and improving the growth of the
hair : —

Infuse this in a teapot until cold ; then press out the
liquor, and add to it

Jamftica ram , , . ■ 3) fluid onnces.

If you find it difficult to procure the box-leaves, you can
use good black tea-leaves (1 ounce) instead ; but tea is
not suitable for fair hair, because its tendency is to
darken.

Other hair reetoratives and stimulant lotions of infinite
variety can be compounded. I have mentioned the fore-
going as specimens of the best, or, at least, the best with
which I am acquainted. In special cases, physicians
may be called upon to devise special formulte. In most
ordinary cases of rapid loss or thinning of the hair tbo
use of a hair-stimulant should be associated with careful
cutting at intervals ; but, concerning the science of hair-
cutting, I have now no time to speak, so I reserve it for
a future letter.

A lady who is, like myself, a qualified medical practi-
tioner, and may therefore be presumably exonerated from
the charge of superstition, tells me that she has reason
to believe in the influence of the moon upon the growth
of the hair and the proper periods for cutting it. Thus,

64 Heaitk, Beauty, and the Toilet.

Gbe says that the hair, if cut vHen the moon ia young,
grows with its increase and lengthens without thicken-
ing ; if cut when the moon is waning, the growth in
length ceases, but the hair increases in thickness.

ON THE HAIR— II.

My dear Laura, — It may very likely have occurred
to you to wonder why the colour, texture, and charac-
teristics of the hair differ so greatly in various individuals.
Why, for instance, should my hair be fair and wavy and
yours dark and straight ? Or why, again, should Kate's
hair curl bo tightly and persistently, no matter what
measures she takes to "smooth" it? and Isabel's be so
soft and pliant that it refuses to retain for more than an
hour or two the " set " given to it by the crimping-pin ?

These individualities of the hair are partly of chemical
and partly of mechanical origin. First, as to colour, it
has been scientifically demonstrated that, in association
with the natural oily substance contained in hair-tubes,
there is always present, iii the pigment of the cells, a
certain quantity of mineral ingredient. The nature of
the mineral varies in various races and individuals, and
it is on this variation that the colour of the hair depends.
Very fair hair contains magnesia ; chestnut and brown
hair is rich in sulphur, with but a small amount of iron ;
in black and dark hair, iron predominates. Grey and
white hair contain only traces of sulphur, and no iron.
The supply of iron pigment usually fails before that of
the sulphur ; therefore, black or dark hair is wont to
turn grey earlier than fair hair, and blondes frequently

66 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

retain the pristine colour of their tresses, even in advanced
age.
Acting on the inference drawn from these facts, it has

heen attempted to restore the natural hue of the hair,
when faded in consequence of illness or senility, by
rubbing into the scalp a thin pomatum or a wash con-
taining sulphur or iron in a form capable of absorption
by the hair-bulbs, and of reproduction in the tubes of
the hair itself. Such is, in fact, the rationale of hair
" restorers " or " daikeners," as contrasted with dyes.
Both iron and sulphur may be harmlessly, even if
not effectively, used in this manner; but a word of
caution must be uttered against the substitution for
these ingredients of lead, copper, or bismuth, none of
which exist in the natural colouring pigment of the
hair, and if absorbed into the system are liable to cause
grave mischief, possibly ending in atrophy of the hair
follicles or paralysis. Sometimes, with a view to the
restoration of colour to prematurely whitened hair, iron
or sulphur are administered internally with success. I
can give yon no recipe here for such medicines, because
the condition and circumstances of the patient must
in casea of this kind determine the form and manner
of the treatment, and special medical advice would be
requisite.

Next, the habit which the hair naturally assumes of
being crisp and curly on some heads, and lax and straight
on others, is duo to the shape and character of the hair-
folhcle- You remember that I told you how every hair
has its follicle or cuticular sac, out of which it springs,
and within which it is moulded. Now, in some races
and individuals, these follicles have a curved or spiral
form, and hairs arising from such moulds naturally take
a curly appearance, more or less crisp according to tho

On the Hair. 67

texture of their substance and the curvo of the glandiilar
canal. Hairs are not continuous tubes, but are formed
by a succession of inverted cones, which, seen under a
microscope, present a serrated or ja^cd aspect. The
"curl" is caused by the volutions of these cones upon
each other.

The texture of the hair, again, depends on the amount
of gelatinous material contained in it. Moist, lax hair,
flexible, lank, and inapt to retain " carl," is very gela-
tinous, and in order to dress it conveniently it is often
found useful to employ a drying wash. In contrast to
hair of this nature is seen the "fozzy" lambent hair
with which mcdisBval angels, and fairies of the " modem
antique" school, are generally credited, containing a
comparatively small quantity of gelatine, and being, as
a rule, coarse to the eye and rough to the touch. It is
a great mistake to apply grease to hair of the kind last
described, or, indeed, I may add, to any hair, rough or
otherwise. Grease, especially when solid and of animal
origin, clogs the pores of the skin, prevents the free access
of air to the hair roots, and suppresses the action of the
natural secreting glands embedded in the scalp. A
little — ^very little — olive or almond oil in a liquid state,
is the only artificial grease that can be safely used.
Vegetable fluent pomades, composed of some such oil
mingled with some fragrant essence, should always be
preferred to preparations of animal fat, all of which ore
extremely apt to become rancid.

For greasy, moist hair the following is an excellent
drying lotion. If used daily it tends to produce a crispy
condition and an auburn shade :

Powdei'Bd bioaibonate of soda . r V t , f ,
Biborat« of soda (also powdered) . , J- 1 o^. oi eacu.
Eb,u de Cologne 1 fluid ouiLce,

68 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

Rectified Bpirit S flnid ouuce&

Tincture of cocluneal . . . . \ fluid oance.
Distilled water IS uz.

Mix and agitate tmtil solntioa 18 complete.

For dark hair, and iq cases where it is not wished to
produce an auburn tint, a good wash for drying purposes
ia thus compounded : —

Essential ail of almonds . . .1 fluid drachm.
Oil of caaaia \ fluid drachm-
Essence of musk I fluid drachm.

Rectified spirit 'i^oz.

Mix, and add gradually, with brisk agitation,

Difltilled water , _ . . , , 16 oz.
Dissolved gum antbic . . . . 1 oz.

When long-continued ill-health or any other cause
has rendered the hair incoeroibly stubborn and dry, the
best means of treating it is by a glycerine lotion diluted
wi& some perfumed distilled water, such as orange-flower

Another emollient hair-dressing, with an excellent
reputation, is the following, the occasional use of which
will entirely obviate the necessity of using pomatum, even
in those cases which seem most to require the application

I'lice's riycerina
Eau de Cobgna
Liquid ammonia
Oil of origanum
Oil of rosemary
Tincture of cantharides

\ drachm of each.

Briskly agitate for ten minutes, then add
Camphor- julep \ pint,

and £^in well mix and stir. A few drops of essence of
musk or other perfume can be added.

On the Hair. 69

Dr. Erasmus "Wilson's recipe for a similar wash, more
active than the preceding, is as follows :

Eau cle Cologne . . . . S oz.

Tintturo of cantharides . . . 1 oj.

Oil of Enjzlish lavencipi- . . .1 i j i,„ t i

Oil of roarmarj- . . . .J* ^ '

You can make your choice among these formulas.
Cocoa-butter is often used for the hair, as well as for the
hands, eyehrows, and lips. In a future letter I may
have occasion to mention it, so it may be omitted from
present conaideration. You will observe that none of
the formulas I have given you contain any lard or other
solid fat. My reason fur excluding these has been
already stated.

After severe sickness or in cases of prolonged ill-health,
when the hair "comes out in handfuls," and thins with
great rapidity, it is advisable to have it cut quite short,
and to keep it so for a year or two, treating the scalp
r^ulaxly meanwhile with some tonic lotion, adding, if
convenient, the occasional application of the stimulus of
electricity by the means already described.

But it is not generally understood that hair-cutting, if
intended to be really a regenerative process, must be con-
ducted on scientiEc principles. The weakest and most
sparse hair-growth on debilitated scalps is always along
the central parting and about the crown of the head.
Here, therefore, the hair should be cut more assiduously
and attentively than elsewhere, care being taken that
the hairs on the top of the head should be kept shorter,
or at least as short as the lower and usually more robust
growth at the sides and back. As a rule, however, the
scissors are freely applied to the lateral and occipital hair,
which is often cropped very short, while the hair on the
crown and around IJie parting is left unduly long. Kow,

70 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

it is precisely the upper hair which always needs most
cutting, and which requires to be kept shortest in order-
to strengthen its growth and encourage that of the downy
under-crop, liable in this region to be particularly fine
and feeble.

The effect of keeping the hair short is to cause the
hair-bnibs to expend on the short hairs and on the
formation of new growth the stimulation and nutrition
which would otherwise be appropriated by the excess of
length. Moreover, the air and light reach and penetrate
short hair much more freely and thoroughly than hair
that is twisted up, compressed and pinned down closely
OD the scalp, thus excluding ventilation and its 6timula>
ting effects. Nothing is so beneficial to growth, whether
vi^table or animal, as the free access of oxygen and of
light. Again, friction is more easily administered to the
scalp when the hair is short, and the value of daily and
regular excitation of this mechanical kiud is very great
in cases such as that we are considering. The hair falls
and thins for want of vigour and tone in the bulbs, and
friction conduces greatly to the restoration of these quali-
ties. Rubbing with greme should, however, be avoided,
for grease vrill clog the pores of the skin and hinder
rather than help the growth of new hair. Strong rose-
mary tea, or a weak solution of the essential oils of
thyme or rosemary, may be advantageously used to faci-
litate friction. Oil of thyme is sometimes called oil of
origamim. These essential oils excite the natural secre-
tions, and promote the action of the glands without
blocking them as solid grease does. If a little good mm
or spirit of wine be added to the solution of thyme or
rosemary oil, a still better and more stimulant lotion
13 produced. Ammonia may be used with the same
object.

On the Hair, 1\

The presence of loose "scurf" or scales of light skin
on the scalp is a great annoyance in some cases, espe-
cially after fevers and illness due to debility. This dan-
drifFmay be removed by the occasional application of a
"shampoo" wash thus composed: —

Yolk of one egg,

One pint of rain-water,

One oDDCe of rosemary spirit.

Beat the mixture thoroughly up and use it warm, rubbing
it well into the stin of the head.

This dressing is suitable not only as a cure for dan-
driff, but as a cleansing wash under all circumstances. It
does not have the drying efPect of a soda and ammonia
ablution, but, on the contrary, it softens the scalp, and
renders the hair very silky and smooth. Cases of per-
sistent "scurfiness" can be successfully treated by the
use of the following; —

Mix by shaking, and apply to the partings before
brushing.

Now and then, even in youth and among abundant locks,
grey and white hairs make their appearance. These
colourless hairs, denoting insufficiency of pigmentary
secretion, are due either to general debility of health, or
to the want of local nutrition and vitality. Iron taken
internally, under medical advice, and the use of red wine
(claret) as a tonic head lotion, constitute the best treat-
ment I can suggest. If the natural colour of the hair be
dark, sulphate of iron can be advantageously added to
the wine, in the proportion of seven grammes of the iron
to 360 of the wine. Boil the two together for ten
minutes. The iron sulphate can be dissolved in rain-
water before adding it to the wine.

72 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

I shall say notlung here about baldneesi for this is a
complaint that very rarely afflicts our sex, unless under
exceptional circumstances in which special medical treat-
ment is requisite, or in extreme old age, when it would
be idle to attempt to restore the hair.

No doubt you will expect mo to say something about
"curling fluids," Well, almost all these nostrums are
injurious. In some the active ingredient is mercury and
aquafortis, in others, salt of tartar. This last is not mis-
chievous, so here is the recipe ;— -

Dry salt of tartar (carbonate of potash) . . 1 dmchm.
Cochineal (powdered) \ drauhm.

E^oelf"" : : : : :)i.i-i>-"f-h.

Glycerine i onnoe.

Rectified spirit \\ ounce.

DiatiUed Bater 18 ounces.

Let this mixture digest with frequent stirring for a
week, and then filter. Moisten the hair with the lotion
when dressing. The effect will occur as the hair dries,
I give this recipe rather to satisfy any cravings you may
have on the subject of "curling fluids " than as a useful
addendum to your toilette formula. For practical pur-
poses, especially if the hair is to be curled or waved daily,
a simpler preparation is advisable. This may be ob-
tained by mixing ten or twelve grains of carbonate of
potash with a pint or more of warm water and soap, pre-
ferably Pears'. Froth the water by brisk agitation, and
moisten the hair with it, dipping the brush into the solu-
tioQ and distributing it thus throughout the hair until
every part Is damped. Then curl up the hair while still
humid on kid and wire rollers, sold for the purpose by all
hairdressers at 6rf. or Is. the packet. Of course this
operation must be performed at night, ou going to bed.
In the morning, on removing the rollers, the hair will be

On Ike Hair. T^

found crisply curled, and will retain its crispness mucli
better ttan it would hare done without the use of the
potash solution. Heated irons should never be applied to
the hair, either to curl or to crimp it. Their use will
infallibly injure the hair-tubes, causing them to wither,
snap, and perish.

ON THE HAIB.— III.

My dear Laura, — I propose to-day to say » few
words about dyes, premising that I strongly disapproye
of the use of all dyes under any circumstances. Red hair
is not now considered a misfortune, hut the reverse ; grey
or white hair in old age is always heautifiU and becoming ;
and it is far better to pluck out isolated colourless hairs
occurring in youthful tresses, or to renovate the system
hy hygiene and medicine, than to use dyes for the purpose
of concealment. As for the few cases in which an entire
head of hair becomes white in early life, all I can say is
that whatever the cause of the phenomenon, its effect is
admirable. Really white hair is most becoming ; it throws
up the colours of the face amazingly, and makes even an
ordinary complexion appear brilliant. It was for this
reason that, a century ago, the belles and beaux wore
white powdered wigs; and this snowy coiffure is still
fashionable in New York. Apropos, Edith amused me
immensely with her account of the Lytteltons' costume-
ball last week. " My dear," she said, " wo all went in
hoops and brocades with our hair powdered white. You
have no idea how well it made us look ! We all said
exactly the same thing to each other — ' Why, how lovely
you look, dear ! I never should have known you.' "

The only kind of artificial alteration in the natural hue
of the hair that I consider permissible, is the modiflca-

On the Hair. 75

tion produced by means of a bleaobiDg agent, sucli aa
peroxide of hydrogen, also called " oxygenated water."
The forms in which washes of peroxide of hydrogen are
sold are numerous, and the best of them is, I think,
Hobare's Aureoline. Peroxide of hydrogen can, how-
ever, be purchased at pharmacies for about a shilling or
eighteenpence the four-ounce bottle. By the use of this
liquid, which is colourless and transparent as pure water,
the hair may be gradually lightened in shade until ita
tint bejomes of a pale flaxen, well-nigh white. But if
its use be pereisted in until this result is attained, the
hair will suffer considerably, ita texture and vitality will
be seriously impaired; it will become brittle, decayed,
and shrivelled. The legitimate use of the peroxide is
limited to its occasional application for the purpose of im-
parting a bright auburn tint to otherwise sombre tresses,
and giving them a gleam and richness of colouring which
they would not naturally possess. Employed to this ex-
tent only, it is quite harmless, and, indeed, even beneficial
to the hair. It must, however, be noted that the action
and effect of this bleaching agent depend greatly on the
original hue and texture of the hair. Some locks under
its influence become pallid and faded-looking ; to others
it imparts a raddy-gold shade, and on others again, it
appears to exert little effect of any kind. The hair which
best receives its action is dark brown, coarse hair, in-
clined to be crisp and curly.

Peroxide of hydrogen should be apphed to the hair,
not to the acaip. If persistent attempts are made io
bleach the roots of the hair it will rapidly become weak,
thin, brittle, and finally, dead. It is natural that hair
should be darker at the roots than at the ends, because
at the roots the supply of colouring pigment in the hair-
cells is more copious, and the cells themselves more

yd Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

niunerous. Agaic, it is a mistake to attempt to render
the shade of the hair utiiform throughout. The most
heautiful and loxuriant hair is never all exactly of the
same shade. Artists most admire tresses of variable hue,
affording lioh shadows and high lights. Hair that is all
over of one exact tint, like that of a wax doll, is auspicious
— it suggests a dye.

In oxygenated water, the chemical symbol for which is
HgOj, while that of water is HjO, the second atom of
oxygen is in a very loose state of combination, con-
sequently the liquid readily decomposes under the action
of light, or in contact with a metalHc oxide, such as that
of silver or manganese. It should, theretbre, be always
kept in a box or dark cupboard, and bo put up in a blue
glass bottle, well corked. Before applying it to the hair,
a wash of hot water containing a solution of soda, borax,
or ammonia should be used, so as to free the hair entirely
from grease and dirt. If this precaution be not taken,
the peroxide will produce little or no effect. After
thoroughly cleansing the hair in the manner described,
and drying it, the peroxide should be applied with a
small sponge, the moisture being subsequently distributed
by means of a clean soft brush with long bristles. This
operation is best performed in the morning, and, prefer-
ably, in sunlight When completed, the hair should
remain unbound until dry. On the following morning
the application of peroxide may be repeated, and again
the third, and perhaps the fourth day, by which time
the required hue will probably be obtained, and the hair
should not be further touched with it for a month or even
more. Then the washing with soda solution should be
repeated, and the whole process as just described.

As for dyes, properly so called, they are always difficult
to manage, great skill and experience being needed to

On the Hair. 77

prevent staining the skin. Usually, hair begins to show
greyness first on the temples ; it is there, consequently,
that it is most needful to apply the dye, and precisely
there, also, that any discoloration of the cuticle will bo
most conspicuoos and ugly. For which reason I revert
to the protest against dyes in general with which I began
this epistle, and strongly advise, in place of them, the
use of a hair "restorer" or "darkener." Here is a
specizuen of a good hair-darkening agent : —

Enst of iron 1 drachm.

Old ale (strong) 1 pint-
Oil of roaematj 12 dropa.

Pot the mixture into a bottle, cork it very loosely, agitate
it daily for ten or twelve days ; then, after repose, decant
the clear portion for use. Another is as follows : —

Sulphate of iron (crMhed) . , .1 drachm.

Rectified spirit 1 fluid ounce.

Oil of cosBmary 10 drops.

Pure raia-water J pint.

Agitate until solution and mixture are complete. Many
persons substitute for the rain-water good old ale. It is
as well to state that both these washes will iron-mould
linen if they come in contact with it.

A very good preparation for staining the hair, but par-
taking rather more of the nature of a dye than the fore-
going, is composed thus ;—

Pyrogallic acid ...,.} ounce.

Distilled water (hot) . . . . li ounce.

Dissolve, and when the solution has cooled, add
gradually : —

Bectified spirit \ fluid onncs.

The above is full strength. To darken patches of grey hair
gradually, the mixture should be diluted with twice or
thrice its weight of soft pure water and a little rectified,
spirit. Pyrogallic acid, the active ingredient in the

78 Health, Beauty, and the Toile

staining agent last described, is extracted from Aleppo or
Chinese nut-galls.

And now, having clearly expressed my, views about the
use of dyes, here, my dear Laora, arc a few recipes for
the preparation of liquids designed to impart various
colours to the hairs : —

A solution of pure rouge in a weak solution of crystal-
lised carbopate of soda gives a bright red or reddish-
yellew hue to hair, according to the strength of the pre-
paration, if followed, when dry, by a "mordant" of
lemon-juice or vinegar, diluted with from one-half to an
equal part of water. An acidulated solution of tartar
emetic (acidulated with a little tartaric, citric, or acetic
acid), followed by a weak " mordant " of neutral hydro-
sulphuret of ammonia (or the bisulphuret), carefully
avoiding excess, gives a reddish orange, which tones well
on hght-brown hair. A solution of bichloride of tin, di-
luted considerably, followed by a "mordant" of hydro-
sulphuret of ammonia, gives a rich golden hue to very
light hair, and a golden brown or auburn to darker hair.
But these processes require to be very expertly man^d,
and can only be properly applied by a hairdresser.

None of these dyes ought to be prepared by other than
experienced hands, and the " mordant" must always be
put up in a separate bottle. In every case the hair must
be well cleansed from grease before the dye is applied.

If a dark dye is required, a choice can be made among
the following formula! : —

Greeu sulphate of irou . .2 di-aclitiis.

Common aalt 1 di'aclim.

Bordeaux wine 1 2 fluid ouutes. ,

Simmer these ingredients together for five minutes in a
covered glazed pipkin, then add —

Aleppo nut-galls (powdered) . , 2 dmclirni,

On the Hair. 79

ttoA. fiimmer again, stirring oocasionally. When the liquid
has cooled, add a tablespoonful of French brandy, cork
Hie liquid up in a hoUle, and shako it well. In a day or
two decant the clear portion for UBe.

An old-fashioned dye, giving little trouble, is the fol-
lowing : —

Dissolve, and dilute the solution with three or four times
its bulk of diatUlod water. If any precipitation occurs,
more liquor of ammonia must be added, drop by drop,
with agitation, until the precipitate be redissolved.

Hair moistened with this liquid gradually turns brown
or black as the ammonia flies off, which it quickly does
on exposure to warmth or light. Dr. Pincus and Mr.
Piesse recommend a dye thus formulated : —

Dissolve. Diluted with an equal bulk of distilled water,
it dyes the hair deep brown or cbesnut ; with twice its
bulk of water, light brown ; and undiluted, complete
black. The natural colour of the hair also affects the
shade produced. A dense black is obtained by the follow-
ing dye : —

Mix. This solution must be freshly made before use, or
it will not produce the required effect. Moifiten the hair
with it, then let it dry, and afterwards apply —

(Dissolved.)

8o Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

The potassium sulphate, if good, ought to smell
strongly. The second solution of nitrate of silver must
be kept in a blue bottle.

The effect will be visible after a few hours' exposure
of the unbound hair to the light. Any stains left on the
skin can be removed by a rag or sponge Tvetfed with the
first solution of sulphuret of potassium, diluted slightly.

Endless modifioations of the nitrate of silver dye,
glorified by attractive titles, iumish the fashionable dyes
so lai^ely advertised and sold. It is, however, useless
to give more recipes ; those I have mentioned are certainly
the best.

Before using any of the foregoing liquids, the hair
must be freed from grease or dirt by washing it in the
soda solution already described, and must be dried
thoroughly before applying the dye. A soft tooth-brush
is the best and most convenient implement for putting
on and distributing the dye. The process must be
repeated about once in every six weeks.

In order to prevent staining the skin while using
hair-dyes, a good plan is to smear pomatum over it, so
as to keep it from getting wetted.

ON THE HANDS AND ARMS.

My peak Lauba, — Of course you understand that all
I said in a former letter witli regard to the injurious
effect of hard water on the complexion, and the superiority
of rain or distilled water, applies equally to the toilette
of the hands and arms, and, indeed, to the skin of the
whole body.

To have pretty hands, great attention must be paid
to the nails. I have already said that the nails, like the
hair, are modifications of the epidermis. The part of
the finger-tip which lies beneath the body and root of
the nail, is called the nail-matrix, because from it the
nail is developed. The pink colour under the body of
the healthy nail is due to the large vascular papillsa
covering the matrix at this point Near the root of the
nail tbese papillce are smaller, and less vascular, so that
the transparent horn of the nail above appears here of a
paler hue. The nails themselves are composed of cells,
having a structure and arrangement similar to those of
the epidermis. New cells are continually forming at the
root and under surface of the nails, and as they grow
upwards the old cells are pushed forward, and become
denser and more closely compacted together. Weak
nails are frequently speckled with white opaque dots and
bars ; these mafks are commoner in childhood than in
adult age, and frequently disappear as years advance,

82 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

and as the tone of the general health improves. They
are said by certain extremely unscientific people to in-
dicate peculiar mental aptitude and talent, and hence are
commonly called " gifts." In order that the nails Fhould
he comely In appearance, they must be regularly and
careftilly cut with nail-scissors — never with a pen-knife
— about once a fortnight.

Some people's naila grow very rapidly, and need still
more frequent trimming. The shape of the fingers must
regulate that of the nails, which should be cut so as to
correspond with the curve of the finger-tips. As a rule
this will be oval, and the nail must therefore correspond
to that shape. The skin which naturally grows over the
root and sides of the nail must be kept in \\s place by
means of an ivory nail-trimmer, used after washing the
hands in hot water, and while the skin is still warm and
soft. With this httle instrument the cuticle which tends
to encroach on the lower mai^a of the nail must be
forcibly pushed down and tucked under itself, so as to
. preserve to the nail a filbert shape. A slice of lemon
should, if obtainable, be rubbed over the nails after this
operation. Never use any kind of sharp or pointed
instrument to clean the nails. A soft brush employed
with care will suffice to remove all ordinary dirt ; stains
of ink can be e£Faced by means of chemical pencils
invented for the purpose, and sold at all pharmacies.
Some ladies, with the view of whitening their hands,
sleep in kid gloves, and even line these gloves with
poultices or pastes of grease, wax, bread, and other pre-
parations. Such a practice appears to me not only
uncleanly, but unhealthful, since it must certainly tend
to hinder the free and natural transpiration or breathing
process of the skin, a process which, especially on the
pdms of the hands, should he abundant and itnre-

On the Hands and Arms. 83

Btrained. For the same reason I think it always whole-
Eomer to wear Bilk than kid gloves, especially in the
evening, and at balls, Trhea the skin is particularly apt
to become hot, and to transpire freely. Long silk gloves
are now lai^ely worn, both indoors and out, and I rejoice
at the fashion, for it is eminently sensible and hygienic.
I have not myself worn kid gloves for several years, and
intend never again to put them on so long as silkworms
spin their glossy coils, and factories produce gloves of
this lovely material.

Hands which easily become rough and red are ofl^n
benefited by being washed in oatmeal water. Take some
good oatmeal, such as that used to make porridge, and
boil it in water for an hour, strain, and use the liquid to
wash with night and morning. This will soften the skin,
and whiten it. The heautifiU Countess of Jersey, who
retained her charms to a very late period of life, always
used oatmeal gruel as a lotion.

This wash must be made freshly every day, for it soon
becomes sour, and smells unpleasantly. If an equal part
of starch be added to the oatmeal, the whitening effects
of the lotion will be enhanced. For hands which are
very red and coarse this wash will hardly suffice. la
such cases a few grains of chloride of lime should he
added to the warm soft water used for washing. Soap
containing chloride of Ume may be prepared thus : —

Mix and beat up in a mortar to a stiff mass with —

Bectified spirit qiunt. sat.

Divide the mass into tablets, and envelope each closely
with oilskin. You can scent this soap by adding to the
mass a couple of drachms of verbena oil or cassia. Before

84 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

usiDg cLlorino soap or lotion, all ringB and bracelets must
be removed, else they will be tarnished. Oacao-cream,
mentioned in one of my former letters on the hair, is
frequently used for softeniog and vfaiteniug the hands.
It is composed as follows : —

Cacao-batter 1

Oil of Bweet almondB . . .1 Equal paits.

Befioed white wsz . . |

Helt them together, and etir until cool. This mixture is
Gometimes called " coooa-nut cerate."

A good emollient for a harsh skin, especially in winter-
time, ia thus prepared : —

Myrrl. jounce.

Eefined honey 2 otinces. .

Befined white wax .... 1 ounce.

Rose-water IJ ounces.

Almond oil 1^ ounces.

Put the wax, rose-wafer, oil and honey together in a jar,
place this jar in a bain-marie, and mitlt the contents of
the inner vessel thus, over a stove or spirit-lamp. When
the ingredients are well melted, add the myrrh, niin the
whole well, and let it cooL

In a former letter on the complexion, I have already
given a recipe for cold-cream ; but, as you may like
another formula, I subjoin that of M. Fiesse : —

Oil of sweet almonds .... EOO gntmmee.
Glycerine (or rose-water) . . .600 „

White refined wax 98 „

Spermaceti 23 ,,

Essence of rose 0'88 „

Put the wax and spermaceti into an enamolled or china
pot, as deep as possible ; then place this pot in a bain-
marie of boiling water. When the wax and spermaceti
are melted, add the oil, and melt the whole again
thoroughly. Then pour in the glycerine slowly, stirring

Oft the Hatids and Arms. 85

all Uie time witb an ivory spoon or spatala. When the
cream is cool, add the perfame,

Young people, especially those of a highly nervous
temperament, or of a weaMy constitution, are frequently
troubled with excessive perspiration of the palms of the
hands. There are many degrees of this complaint, and
it is usually worse in hot than in cold weather. Moderate
forms of this inconvenience may be sufficiently treated
by ablutions with very hot soft water, and the applica-
tion, alter careful drying, of pulverised lycopodium,
oxide of zinc, fullers' earth, or a medicated powder thus

Salicylic acid .... 3 porta ]

Tola 7 parts I powdered.

Starcb 00 parts )

Lemon in slices is also a good cosmetic in such cases,
but it must not be used in conjunction with soap. Should
the disorder be very obstinate, astringent and alcoholic
lotions will be necessary. The following wash, for the
fonnnla of which I am indebted to a medical con/rire,
will prove serviceable in many instances : —

Liq. plnmbi eubacetatis 3 iij.

Spt. vini methjlati %i.

AqniE roBte ad 5 x.

Fiat lotio.

This wash should be allowed to dry on, and the hands
should he subsequently dusted with one of the powders
already named. Sulphate of zinc, one or two drachma
to the pint of water ; tannic acid, two or three drachms
to the pint, and alum in like quantities, are recommended
by many practitioners. The most valuable remedy for
extreme cases which do not yield to any of the methods
of treatment just described is found in the use of bella-

86 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

donna. Besides causing paralysis of the vasomotor
system vhicb controls the small blood vessels, beUadoana
contracts the imstriped muscular fibres which surround
the arterioles supplying the sweat-glands ; but the em-
ployment of this drug needs great care, on account of
the poisonous effects it is capable of causing if used
Tritbout due caution. If it is found necessary to resort
to its agency, the best means of applying it is that re-
commended by Dr. Sydney Ringer. Rub lightly on the
palms of the hands equal parts of extract of belladonna
and glycerine, mixed together thoroughly. Or, wash the
hands three times daily with carbolic acid soap and soft
water, in which half a drachm of extract of belladonna
has been previously dissolved. Carbolic acid exercises a
benumbing effect on the nervous filaments which go to
the secreting glands and the papillee of the skin; so
that \\& action is likely to materially assbt that of the
belladonna. It is advisable to associate the local treat-
ment with a careful regimen, the administration of tonics,
and avoidance of fermented liquors, pickles, tea, coffee,
and highly spiced dishes, shunning, if possible, gas-
Kghted aad heated apartments, particularly in summer
weather.

Sometimes, when the skin of the hands or arms is
much "chapped" or abraded by cold weather, it is
useful to employ as dressing at night, a little emollient
paste. This paste should he rubbed well over the cuticle,
and then either lightly wiped off with a soft cloth after
having remained on for about twenty minutes, or covered
with an old cambric handkerchief torn into strips, and
wrapped like a bandage over the hand or arm, thus
obviating the unhygienic use of kid gloves at night.
Almond paste or wax for the hands is made as follows : —
One ounce of white refined wax : two ounces of oil of

On the Hands and Arms. 87

sweet almonds, and a few drops of otto of roses. Another
almond paste for the same purpose is made thus : —
Take equ^ portions of pounded almonds and honey mixed
with an equal quantity of pure oil, and the yolk of three
eg^ to every quarter of a pound of tho almonds and
honey. Mix the e^a and honey together, then the oil,
then the almonds, then perfume as you like. As ogga do
not keep, only a little of this paste should be made at a
time. If you want it to keep long, you must leave
out the eggs, and use three ounces of spirits of wine
instead.

While I am talking of "chaps" and ahrasions, I must
not forget to give you the formula for camphor-balls,
popularly regarded as a speciEc in such affections. Here
it is: —

' Spermaceti 2 ouncsg.

Itefined white was 2 ounces.

Ahnoad oil (sweet) . . . . \ pint.

Melt by a gentle heat, and add —

Camphot (in shaviriga) .... 1 ounce.
Stir until all are dissolved thoroughly, and beginning to
cool; then pour the mixture into slightly-warmed
moulds or egg-cups. A drachm of balsam of Peru may
be added while it is dissolving.

All the washes, creams, and lotions recommended for
the hands are, of course, equally beneficial for the arms,
shoulders, and neck. But, as a few special words of
advice may be necessary in r^ard to the toilette of the
arms, I must not omit to make particular reference to
them.

Ladies whose arms are not well-turned and white
should always wear long gloves at balls and dinners. If
desired, these gloves can meet the short sleeves of the
dress, or they may extend only to the elbow. The use

88 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

of mittens of similar length obviates the necessity of
baring the anus at dinner or sapper. If, hoiirever, arms
vhich are otherwise comely are temporarily disfigured
by undue redness, they may he blanched hy the use of
the following lotion, considerably diluted with soft tepid
water: —

Mix by shaking in a bottle occasionally for two or
three hours, then, after repose, filter the clear portion
into a stoppered vessel, and add :

Cubon&ta of soda (crystaJlued) . . 3} dntcbnu.

preriously dissolved in

Soft water \ pint.

Shake well for fifteen minutes, and again filter the whole
through moistened coarse calico.

Another good, hut less energetic, lotion for whitening
the arms and neck is the following :

Powdered borai 3 draclims.

This lotion, however, has a decided advantage over
the former as an emollient It is also fragrant^ which is
not the case with the chloride of hme wash.

Some persons are much troubled with profuse and
odorous perspiration under the arms, in the axtlke. The
chloride of lime lotion, which is a deodorant, will be
serviceable in such cases ; so also will he the application
of lycopodium (club moss) powder, powder of oleate of
zinc, perfumed by the addition of thymol and attenuated
with starch or kaolin. All the powders and lotions
which I have already named as suitable for the treat-
ment of perspiring hands can be used with like effect for
the Bzillie, and, indeed, for any other part of tbe body

On the Hands and Arms.

similarly affected. Excessive moisture of the hands is
usually associated mth the same condition elsewhere,
although the secretion seldom smells unpleasantly on the
palms, but is often extremely disagreeable in the asillffl
and on the under surface of the feet. This odour, as
well as the tendency to excesave secretion, may be
checked by the use of ablutions of boracic acid, one part
of the acid to twenty parts of hot wafer. In a pulverised
form, boracic acid, mixed with starch, forms a useful
dusting powder for arresting fetid perspiration either
under the arms or on the soles of the feet. It is mild
and perfectly innocusus ; even mechanically, the crystals
of boracic acid do not irritata abraded surfaces c^ the
skin or mucous membranes, and it is therefore far prefer-
able for toilet use to any preparation containing belladonna,
which can only be safely applied to perfectly uncracked
and healthy surfaces, and never to any other part of tho
body than the cuticle. In hospitals boracic acid is now
lai^ely used as an antiseptic, chiefly under the name of
" Aseptin."

As for superfluous down or hairs on the arms, you will
And the question treated in regard to the face, in my
seventh letter. All that I say on the subject there is
applicable to the arms, with the single difTerence that
depilatories are more suitable for use upon the arms
than on the face. The removal of "knugo" from
the arms by means of the galvanic needle would be
very tedious and unnecessary.

Warts on the hands may be treated similarly to moles
on the face or elsewhere, by excision with surgical
scissors, cautery, caustic sr electrolysis. These little
deformities are commoner in childhood and early youth
than in later years, and rarely appear save on weakly and
strumous subjects.

ON THE FIGURE.

My dear Laura, — Our chat this week will be, with
your permissioiii on the subject of the figurei its treat-
ment and development. Many ladies afflicted with a
enperabondant opulence of aeck and bosom have besought
me to recommend them Bome lotion oi drug which
will have the effect of reducing this inconvenience. I
always refer them to the advice I gave to " Jnlia," *
assuring them that no specific exista by which the
bust can be safely reduced in dimensions, unless by
the method of treatment there laid down for sufferers
from general obesity. Astringent washes or unguents
applied to the bosom, even if efficadous in absorbing a
part of the adipose tissue under the skin, would infallibly
leave the loosened cuticle wrinkled, flabby, and dis-
coloured, and so impart an appearance of premature old
age, incomparably more dreadM than the inconvenience
of a little extra plumpness. On the other hand, not a
few clients come to me with a request for some prescrip-
tion by means of which they may attain a rotundity of
bust denied them by Nature. To these petitioners I
usually recommend the adoption of the farinaceous
regimen advised to "Psyche," f with the addition of a
local treatment, such as daily friction of the neck and
bosom with " Lait Mamilla," the efficacy of which pre-
paration I have frequently tested, or with linseed oil

• Lettar No. I. + Letter No. 11.

On tAe Figure. 91

added to an equal part of " Lait Virginal " (elder-flower
or orange-flower water, 1 quart; simple tincture of
benzoin, 1 oz. ; tincture of myrrh, 12 drops), mixed
gradually by stirring. At the samo time, cod-Hver oil,
preferably Allen and Hanbury's " Perfected," — the best
in the market, — should be taken internally, in small doses
several times daily. Frequent ingestion of the oil in
fractional quantities is more ef&cacious for fattening
purposes than larger doaes less eften. The oil should be
beaten up in warm milk and drunk, while in suspension,
immediately after every meal. Whether "Lait Mamilla"
or " Lait Virginal " be used for external treatment, or
even, simply, linseed oil diluted with orange- flower water
and glycerine, the friction must never bo omitted. It
imparts firmness, solidity, and contour, and should be
continued for five or ten minutes at a time morning and
evening. As, however, the bosom in women ia an
especially delicate and glandular part of the body, this
friction must be gently and evenly applied, never being
allowed to cause abrasion or sensation of bruising. Such
treatment may be advantt^eou&ly supplemented by the
daily practice of singing scales and vocal exercises for an
hour, taking deep inhalations the while; and' by the
regular use of dumb-bells or the performance of calis-
thenic movements for the enlargement of the thorax and
pulmonary capacity. Exercises of this kind, a full des-
cription of which I give in my Letters to "Sibyl,"
should form part of the physical training of every
woman.

It should be remembered, in view of the functions
which most women hope to fulfil, that the duties of
motherhood are greatly dependent on tbo physiological
development, of the lactic glands. Where these are
immature and incompetent to meet the needs of nature.

02 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

mucli disappointment may result to the mother, and
very real detriment to the child, which ia, in conse-
qaence, relegated to some hired nurse, or brought up by
hand. All the glandular structures of the body are
benefited and aided in their normal growth and vigour
by judicious manipulation and friction. The hair-bulbs,
the sudatory-glands, and those of the digestive tract,
equally respond to the stimulus of matsage with increased
or renewed power of secretioii and development. The
regular stimulus of gentle rubbing with the open palm of
the hand and without undue pressure, constitutes the
most suitable and the simplest method of promoting
healthful functions, and counteracting any tendency to
morbid arrest of development or secretive energy.

Need I say anything, my dear Laura, about the
wickedness of tight-lacing ? Shall I remind you that if
you lace tight nothing can save you from acquiring high
shoulders, abnormally large hips, varicose veins in your
legs, and a red nose P Surely such penalties, to say
nothing of heart disease, spinal curvature, or worse
interior affections, are sufficiently dreadful to deter maida
and matrons from compressing their waists unduly.

No adult woman's waist ought to measure lees in cir-
cumference than twenty-four inches at the smallest, and
even this is permissible to slender figures only. The
rule of beauty is that the waist should he twice the size
of the throat. Therefore, if one's throat measures twelve
and a-half inches round, one's waist ought to measure
twenty-five. The celebrated statue known as the Venus
de Medio!, the acknowledged type of womanly beauty
and grace, has a waist of twenty-seven inches, the height
of the figure being only five feet two inches. Consider
what important and delicate organs are packed away
inside a woman's waist. Within that cincture lie the

On the Figure,

stomaob, tlie liver, the upper part of the intestine, the
spleen, the pancreaa ; and, immediately above, the heart
and longs. It is something worse than dlly to compress
and lacerate these organs. It is suicidal, and even
murderous ; for when girls who have deformed their
bodies by tight-lacing become married women, their
infants often perish before birth, in consequence of the
folly of which the mothers have been guilty. Such acts
are sins for which wemen are quite as much accountable
as for any other moral transgression. It is far less stupid
and misohierous to compress the feet as do the Chinese,
for by this practice no vital organs are injured. Bones
are crushed and duews withered, it is true, but the great
circulatory, digestive, respiratory, and reproductive
centres are not interfered with. Corsets should support
without constriction ; they should he pliable and elastic.
No man worth a woman's regard admires an unnatural
waist, and girls are, therefore, greatly mistaken if they
imagine that by deliberately abandoning the form of a
human creature to assume that of an insect they are
commending themselves te male admiration. By such
conduct they only exhibit their own ignorance, stupidity,
and vanity, besides doing their best to render the sex to
which, by misfortune, they belong, ridiculous and con-
temptible in the eyes of all intelligent persons.

For my part, I recommend for your adoption cor-
sets of the kind which I myself wear, made of per-
fectly permeable white canvas, stiff enough te afford
comfortable support, whQe permitting free cutaneous
evaporation ; wholly innocent of whalebones, and having
merely a very light steel busk, fastening easily in
front. These corsets should be made by a skilled
ariinte, and moulded to the figure. The petticoats should
not be tied over them round the waist, thereby producing

94 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

a bulky and ungainly effect, but attached to the e^e of
the corset low down on the hips, where the additional
thickness is not disadvantageous. Over the corset diould
bo worn only a single under-bodice of spun silk, which
occupies very little room, and is warm, and so elastic
that it may be fitted exactly over the stays, without
wrinkling the dress or disturbing its " set."

From a hygienic, as well aa from an Eesthetic point
of view, a multiplicity of petticoats is a great error in
dress. Two underskirts sufG.ce ; one of these should be
in white calico, flounced, to serve as a " eiinolette " or
' ' dress-improver ; ' ' the other — worn outside the flounced
petticoat, and immediately under the dress — should be of
some white embroidered material in summer, and of
satinette or linsey stuff in winter. In place of the old-
fashioned and unhealthful "flannel petticoat" which our
mothers used to wear, a merino combination suit or a
pair of flannel knickerbockers should be adopted. Of
course, stocking suspenders must replace the odious
ligatures, which, under the name of garters, were used,
in an unscientific ^e, to disfigure the legs of past
feminine generations. Our &shionable modistes are now
adopting all these improvements in attire ; and in the
showrooms of the first-class corsetiires now>a-days yon
will see beautifully-modelled corsets very sightly whale-
boned, and constructed with a deft arrangemeot of hooks
around the lower edge in such a manner as to prevent
the bands of the petticoat skirts from rising above the
hips. As for undei^;arments, the chief thing to be borne
in mind is that the material of which they are made
should be pervious, and that all highly glazed and
" dressed" linen, cotton or calico is therefore unsuitable
for clothing. The skin is constantly throwing off through
its myriads of pores an invisible cloud of transpiration.

Oh ike Figure. 95

When this is shut in by impermeable clothing the result
is a damp and clammy moisture which clogs the cuticle,
Boaks the inner garment, and becomes the fruitful source
of rheumatism, cold and skin eruption.

The "dressing," composed of tallow, glue or other
artificial substance, ■which gives the yam of linens and
damasks their gloss and smoothness, is not only by its
nature detrimental to the skin when brought into contact
with it, bat its presence upon and between the fibres of
the material renders the latter well-nigh impenetrable by
the vapoury exhalation of the body, so that this esha-
lation, unable to escape by natural radiation, condenses
and becomes watery. Soft web-like cotton goods are by
fox the best for under- wear, and they are manofactured
for the purpose under Dr. Lahmann's directions by a
Wurtemberg firm named Wizemann, at an extremely
moderate cost, considerably lees than that of ordinary
woollen fabrics. Dr. Lahmann calls his material "baum-
woll" (tree- wool), and, indeed, for all intents and
purposes, it may fairly he described as vegetable wool,
possessing, however, one advantage over sheep-wool,
even of the finest, t« wit, that it never causes the
tickling or irritation to which the epidermis, when very
sensitive and delicate, is apt to be liable in contact with
flannel or merino.

Some time ago I dwelt on the necessity of wearing
woollen clothing in cold weather, and I may now point out
that in cold damp climates like ours, woollen fabrics are
especially requisite, and should, if possible, be worn next
the skin over the entire surface of the body in winter.
"Baumwoll" is, for this purpose, eminently serviceable
and appropriate, its peculiar weft making it in the
highest degree elastic, while its unglazed, unwrought
surface answers all the ends of a fleecy garment. The

96 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

looser and "fluffier" ite texture of tlie material, the
warmer it is to wear, because it imprifions more air in its
meshes, and this air beooming warmed by proximity vith
the body, retains a constant temperature over the sur&ce
of the skin, and proYents loss of heat from the person by
chill. Featheis and down make still warmer apparel
than wool, becaose they retain a yet greater quantity of
warm air. If, however, duvet pettiooats and jackets be
worn all day, or duret coTerings spread over the body at
night, headaches and other discomforts are apt to be
produced, the free evaporation from the cutaneous
surface being liable to be impeded by the want of
permeability in the material used. It is, in fact, of the
highest importance that, while we study warmth in our
clothing, we shonld not foT^t the functions of the skin.
Any &.bria which solidly encompasses the body and
hinders transpiration is unhealthfrd.

With regard to boots, I give the preference to the
" Hygienic " or the " Sensible," which are admirable for
walking purposes. Pointed toes are, of course, an
abomination, whether for boots, shoes, or slippers.
Besides looking hideous, these unnatural pointa are
certain to produce corns uid enlarged toe-joints, espe-
cially if assooiatod, as is usual, with very high heels, the
effect of which is to throw the foot forward upon the
contracted extremity in front. Broad-toed boots, with
fiexura "waists," to support the instep — the comfort of
which in walking long distances is very marked — heels
sufficiently high to prevent untoward soiHng of the dress
skirt at the back, and sufficiently broad at their base to
avert the rolling motion common in walking upon
slender heels — these are the desiderata after which we
ought to aspire, carefiilly avoiding impervious material,
because it hinders cutaneous evaporation and produces

07t the Figure. 97

" tondcmesa," and preferring curved soles (" rights and
lefts") to straight ones. In cold weather, cork soles,
flannel-liaeil, should be put both in outdoor and indoor
boots and shoes, for it is all-importaut to keep the feet
wana and dry.

ON THE TEETH.

My deak Ladra, — To-day I am goiDg to say a few
■words about the teeth, their stnictiire, and their hygiene.

Homan teeth, whether incisors, cuspids, or molars, are
composed of four distinct substances. The exterior of
eyery tooth is divided, anatomically, into crown and
fang, the crown being the portion above the gum, and
the fang the portion helow. The outside of the crown is
covered with a hard compact substance called enamel,
which sometimes, especially on the molars, or grinding
teeth, wears away, exposing the second layer or body of
the tooth, that is, the dentine, otherwise called ivory.
This material extends also into the fangs or roots of the
tooth. It is not bone, for, alike in chemical composition,
in structure, and in appearance, it differs from the
ordinary osseous tissue in other parts of the body. The
enamel which covers the upper part of the dentine
ceases at the neck of the tooth, that is, at the part
meeting the gum, and below this is replaced by a
substance called cement, a thin crust of which surrounds
all the ivory of the fang. In the interior of the tooth,
beneath the dentine, is a cavity, and this cavity contains
the fourth element of the tooth, the dental pulp, soft in
consistency, and highly vascular and sensitive, being
pupplied with nutrition and feeling by means of small

On the Teeik

arteries and nerves which penetrate to the centre of the
tooth through narrow channels in its &ngs or roots.

The rewards and penalties of heredity manifest them-
selves perhaps more strikingly through the teeth than
throi^h any other oi^ans of the body. Scrofula and
specific disease announce themselves from generation to
generation by means of deformed, brittle, or discoloured
teeth. Early decay and loss of the molars betray feeble-
ness of constitution and vitiated blood, and may indicate
some such particular expression of debility a^ tubercle in
the lungs or analogous disease of the bony tissues.
Apart, too, from the special heredity of the individual,
all civilised races suffer more or less from dental disease
and decay, and this phenomenon is traced by our best
authorities to the abundant use made by such races of
cooked food, and, in particular, of hnt food. Hot meats
and drinks are undoubtedly injurious to the teeth, and
the taste for them is purely artificial, since we see
animals, taught by natural instinct, invariably refuse
food at a high temperature, and I believe the same
observation has been repeatedly made in regard to
savage men. If you give a plate of steaming hot soup
or bread and milk to your oat or dog, ho will not partake
of it until it has cooled, and will wander about it wist-
fully, snitfing now and then at it, until satisfied that its
heat has sufficiently subsided to allow him comfort in his
repast. But the temperature at which he finally consents
to eat it would disgust his master, and would cause him
to consign the dish again to the cook with orders to have
it " made hot."

Nothing, in fact, is worse for tooth, bone, hair, and
complexion than our civilised and luxurious custom of
daily swallowing hot food at all our meals. We begin
the day with hot coffee or tea ; at lunch, hot soup, hot

loo Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

joints, hot potatoes, hot paddings ; the same at dinner,
and maybe, to wind up mth, more hot coffee, or even
hot " grog." And the worst of it is, that because habit
ia second natnre, and is beq»ieathed to us through long
generations, we like all these things so much as to esteem
cold or cool viands and beverages positively insipid and
comfortless. Among all civilised nations, Americans
have the worst teeth, and consequently resort the most
commonly to dentists and to dental operations; and
Americans are precisely the people who eat most hot
dishes, and who altercate them most ingeniously with
icy-cold drinks. Even if we cannot induce ourselves to
forego hot foods, we can at least refrain from mixing the
use of ice with that of fire, and from alternating mouth-
fills of steaming potage or fricassie with sips of glacier-
cold champagne.

Then, again, teeth otherwise good are often destroyed,
especially in childhood and early age, by over-feeding,
by unsuitable food, and hy the immoderate use of
medicinal drugs, and in particular, hy preparations of
iron and mercury. Strong acids also damage the teeth by
attackbg tiie enamel, corroding it and softening it, and
thus denuding the ivory. A tooth which has lain for
twenty-fbuT hours in a wineglassful of mineral acid
becomes bo soft outride that it may be dented by the
simple pressure of the finger-nail. Persons who habitually
take acid drinks usually suffer from decay or caries of
the teeth. Such is notoriously the case with the French
peasantry in certain districts of Normandy where large
quantities of cidor are consumed. Hence, acids should
never be used as dentifrices, because, although they may
momentarily whiten the enamel, they assuredly and
inevitably destroy it in the long run. Tooth-powders and
toilette lotions for the mouth should be either alkaline,

On ike Teeth.

astringent, antiseptic, or wholly inert. Alkalies neutralise
the acidity of the products of decomposition and fermen-
tation arising from the organic alimentary matters ac-
cumulated in the interstices of the teeth or elsewhere in
the buccal cavity. If these products be allowed to
remain, they will, by the precipitation of insoluble salts,
cause the deposit of tartar on the surface and about the
neck of the teeth, and ultimately lead to the retraction
of the gums, their inflammation and atrophy, and to the
loss of the teeth by loosening or decay. The nature of
the dietary regimen has an incontestable influence on
the condition of the teeth. M. Pr^terre, laureate of the
Faculty of Medicine of Paris, and sui^eon-dentist to the
civil and military hospitals of that city, expresses his
opinion in regard to this question in the following
words: —

" The accumulation of tartar on the teeth varies accord-
ing to the nature of the alimentation. This deposit is
abundant on the teeth of persons living in towns and
eating largely of meat : it is, on the contrary, found in
very small quantities on the teeth of country folk who
suWst chiefly on fruits and vegetablea" — (Practical
Treatise on Diseases of the Teeth.)

Astringent and antiseptic tooth-washes and powders
exercise a beneficial effect in hardening and preserving
the gams, and counteracting the results of fermentative
action; inert powders, such as chalk, pumice-stone, cut-
tle-fish bone, &c., produce a mechanical effect only. Of
all compositions sold as tooth-powders or "elixirs," those
containing alum or tartaric acid should be the most
sedulously avoided. M. Pr^terre says of such com-
pounds : —

"If one were to try to invent a preparation for the
express purpose of destroying the teoth in the shortest

lOi Health, Beauty, and the Toilet

time possible, nothing better could be imagined than a
mixture containing acidulated tartar of potass and cal-
cined alnm ! "

Recently prepared fine charcoal, especially areca-nut
charcoal, which is somewhat scarce in commerce, forms one
of the best dentifrices known, because of its whitening
and deodorizing properties. Moreover, it acts mechani-
cally as well as chemically, and cleans the surface of the
enamel by friction without scratching it, as harder sub-
stances are apt to do. Hero is a formula for charcoal
tooth-powder which you will find very good: —

Areca-nnt charcoal ... , G ounces.

Cuttle-fish bone 2 ounces.

Raw BTecn nuts pounded . . .1 ounce.

Pound and mix. Two or three drops of oil of cloves
or of cassia may be added if a perfume is required.

For general use the following tooth-powder is excel-
lent : — Powdered bark, half-an-ounce ; myrrh, a quarter
of an ounce; camphor, one drachm ; prepared chalk, one
ounce.

Camphorated chalk, which combines antiseptic quali-
ties with the virtues of an inert powder, is an admir-
able dentifrice for daily needs. The camphor should
be in the proportion of one-twelfth part to the chalk
basis.

Soap dentifrices should be avoided. Almost all of
them tend to make the teeth yellow.

Among liquids for cleansing and preserving the teeth,
no preparation is better than the following : —

Camphor (powdeted) . . . , ) drachm.

Triturate to a fine powder and add

Drr blenched almonds

On the Tetth. lo3

Beat up tlie whole into a paste ; then make an emnlsioD
with

DUtilM water J piut,

Tery gradually added.

Or again, camphor julep, thus composed : —

Campbor 1 dntclim,

Eectified spirit 20 drops,

triturated, and diluted with

Distilled wfifer 2 pints,

strained through linen, is an excellent antiseptic tooth-
lotion.- In case the gums are spongy, tender, or disposed
to recede from the teeth, the following compound will he
serviceable : —

Tauiiin { drachni.

Tmcture of myrrh .... 8 iuid draclims.
Spirit of horse radish . . .2 ounces.

Tinctiiie of tolu . . , . 2 fluid dmehrns.

Shake and stir until complete solution.

If the teeth become brown by discoloration of the
enamel, so that inert powders fail to cleanse them, a little
kmon-juice may be permitted, applied on the tooth-brush,
or by means of a rag. But it must only be used very
rarely, and the mouth should be well rinsed with pure soft
water afterwards. Apples, or the inside of orange-peel,
may bo effectively used in a similar way. Mineral acids,
seductive on account of their bleaching properties, must
be avoided with the most conscientious determination,
for the reasons I have already stated; and if much
vinegar be taken with food, the teeth should be cleanseiS
after meals.

104 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

As a lotion for rinsing the mouth, a weak solution of bo-
rax may be beneficially used at nigbt, and the teetb may bo
afterwards rubbed with a moderately soft brush and some
neutral powder, such as camphorated chalk or orris-root.
Finely pulverised pumice-stone may be employed occasion-
ally for preventing the formation of tartar; but it should be
sparingly used, and preferably by means of a cambric rag
or a small piece of soft wood, the teeth being afterwards
brushed in the ordinary way, and rinsed with water.
Remember always that it is quite aa necessary to clean
the teeth at night as in the morning. Never go to bed
without having thoroughly purified the mouth and teeth
from the results of the day's repasts. Be careful, too, in
cleaning the teeth, to pass the brush well behind the
front teeth, both in the upper and lower jaw. It is at
the back of the incisors that tartar is most apt to accu-
mulate. In the morning, after completing the brushing
operation, wash out the mouth with a tumbler-tuU of
tepid water, with which a few drops of tincture of myrrh
have been mixed. I may add here that the quality of
the water used for drinking purposes and for rinsmg the
mouth is not without its cflfect upon the teeth. Water
containing calcareous substances appears to exercise a
disastrous influence on the teeth. It is to the habitual
consumption of such water that M, Pr^terre attri-
butes the dental disease and premature decay common
among the inhabitants of Picardy, Holland, Champagne,
and other districts supplied with silicioDS and chalky

Hever allow a decayed or hollow tooth to remain
neglected, even tiiough it does not cause pain. If it
cannot he filled with gold or other stopping, have it
removed ; the administration of nitrous oxide (laughing
gas) is now so easy and even pleasant a process that no

On the Teeth. 105

one need dread the dentist's cbair. The presence of a
decayed, and therefore decomposing, tooth in the mouth,
is not only unsightly, but it is a continual danger for
sound contiguous teeth ; it infects the breatb, impairs the
digestion, and deteriorates the general health.

ON PERFUMES.

My dear Selina, — I am quite ready to comply with
your request that I should conclude my obserrations on
the cosmetic and toilet arts by giving a brief summary
of the history and science of perfumery. Perfumes are
as necessary to the toilet of the gentlewoman as soaps,
oils, and powders, and, indeed, all these are themselves
im'ariably scented and so rendered agreeable for use.
So ancient is the art of perfumery that its origin was
by the Greeks imputed to the Immortals. One of the
nj-mpba of Venus is said to have imparted to mankind
the secret of extracting from flovrers those essences by
whose magic virtues the undying charms of her mistress
were enhanced and preserved. The Egyptians, the
Orientals, the Jews, tho Chinese, the Romans — all, from
time immemorial, made profuse usage of balms, incense,
pomades, and liquid scents, which were carried about on
the person in small vases of alabaster, or onyx, or in
gold and silver caskets. Perfumed woods were burned
in dwelling- houses and in temples ; the bodies of the
dead were embalmed with sweet-smelling resins, and no
banquet was complete where the guests were not anointed
with fragrant oils during or after the repast. In this
country, the art of perfumery appears to have reached
its height in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, who was
greatly addicted to tho use of scents, and who not only

On Perfumed. 107

wore a jewelled pomander on all state occasions, but
caused her entire wardrobe, including even her shoes
and gloves, to be perfumed. At the South Kensington
Museum may be seen a perfume-coffer, said to have
belonged to the Vii^n-monarch, containing six separate
compartments appropriated to as many different scenta.
Mary Stuart is also described as a great lover of per-
fumes, and some chronicles attribute to her in this
respect an extravagance equal to that of the Roman
ladies in the days of the celebrated Poppea, on whose
funeral pile more perfume was consumed than all Arabia
could produce in an entire year.

Under the Kenaissance the art of perfumery revived
with the taste for beauty and decorative architecture.
Catherine de Medicis was everywhere attended by her
perfumer, whoso office at Court became one of consider-
able importance and honour, Diana of Poitiers, Mar-
guerite of Valoia, Ninon de I'Enclos, and other celebrated
beauties made great use of scented waters and baths
perfumed with various essences ; hence the variously
named toilet washes still in vogue, such as " Eau de
Kinon," " Hungary Water," " Pompadour Scent," and
the like. In the present day we are more refined in our
appreciation of odours than were our ancestors of some
centuries back. Strong perfumes, such as those com-
monly used to excess by Court ladies and gentlemen in
the times of Fran9ois I., Henri III., or Louis XIII.,
would be deemed coarse and overpowering in the salons
of the nineteenth century. Even patchouli and musk
are now out of mode, and their use in " society " would
be generally regarded as a breach of good taste. The
odours most in favour with us to-day belong to the ranks
of the more delicate essences, such as violet, rose, cedar-
wood, jasmine, or heliotrope ; and many of our fashion-

Io8 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

able perfumes are compoaite preparations, in which, by a
judicious and Ecientific combination of some four or five
diferent essences, a fragrance of remarkably subtle and
tender character is produced. For instance, vanilla,
almond, clematis, and heliotrope blend admirably together,
and form an aroma as completely harmonious as the
chord of a major key in a low octave, while lemon,
orange-flower, and verbena mingled produce a perfume
which may be compared with a similar chord sounded
two or more octaves higher. So great is the analc^
between odours and musical sounds, that the very grada-
tions, timbre, and qualities of the latter appear to corre-
spond with similar attributes of the former ; there are
scents suggestive of minor concords, of deep notes, or of
high, clarion-hke tones, and we speak quite naturally of
odours that are " shai'p " or " flat " according to the
impression they produce on our olfactory nerves.

Jis for the strange connection subsisting between per-
fume and the mental processes, experience universally
demonstrates the fact that nothing so instantaneously
evokes and revives foi^otten memories as the smell of
some odour in affinity with events or scenes long since
passed out of mind. Nor is it always easy to relate the
scent in question with the recollection thus awakened.
I cannot, for example, account for the circumstance that
the odour of sweet peas invariably recalls to me the
parlour of a little seaside cottage in which, when a child,
I spent many very happy days. Certainly I have smelt
sweet peas since then in hundreds of various gardens
and houses, yet none of these is recalled to mind by the
aroma in question, but only and always that one par-
ticular place, of which I am never reminded in any other
way. And these memories are not mere indefinite
recollections. They are vivid, sharp, instinct with life.

On Per/times. 109

They spring up in the mind like actual revivals of the
past, with all the accessories of minute detail and personal
feeling associated with them years and years ago. As
the magic odour floats over our nervous surfaces, the
heart throbs again with emotions and hopes of which we
have long ceased to have experience. Time rolls back,
the atmosphere around us is changed — ^we are young,
we are sanguine, we believe in love ! But, in a moment,
the curtain falls again ; the porfiime is dissipated or
spent in the air, and no effort voluntarily mode can
continue or revive the charm. Memory sinks once more
to her ordinary level of generalities, the litiug moment
has passed, and we are back again in the existence and
scenes of the present hour.

The scent of flowers has its origin, for the most part,
in a volatile oil, or " essence," contained in the interior
of the corolla. Some plants yield aromatic resin or
" gnms " by incision, as, for instance, benzoin, myrrh,
and other balms. Balm of Peru and Tolu are prepared
by boiling the plant which contains them, filtering the
infusion, boiling it a second time, and then evaporating
the liquid until a thick residue is obtained. Extracts
employed as perfumes for the toilet, whether in the form
of " eaux " or otherwise, are produced by four distinct
processes, varied according to the nature of the flower or
plant under treatment. These methods consist of expres-
sion, distillation, maceration, and absorption. The first
process, that oi pressure, is suitable only when the volatile
essence of the plant employed is extremely abundant.
In such cases mechanical force alone is sufficient to ex-
tract the odoriferous substance. A vice fixed in an
apparatus capable of producing enormous pressure, regu-
lates the operation and equalises the distribution of the
weight. The liquid obtained by this method is sub-

no Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

sequently sepftrated by filtration from the watery juices
expressed with it.

DidillatUm is a more complicated process, hut hetter
adapted to the majority of plants. A large vase capable
of containing some fifty or hundrod litres is partly filled
with flowers, and water is poured upon them. The re-
ceptacle is then covered with a dome-like lid, from which
issues a tube curled like a corkscrew, the spirals of which
are passed through a deep apparatus containing cold
water. The mouth of the spiral tube terminates in a
spont placed over an open jar. Heat is applied to the
water in which the flowers are plunged, steam arises from
it, and, having no other outlet, passes into the curved
tube. Here the vapour is condensed by the cold water
surrounding the tube, and being thus again reduced to
a liquid condition, it issues in a watery state through the
mouth of the tube into the receptacle set to receive it.
The crude pei-fume thus obtained soon separates itself,
by repose, into two layers, the heavier o£ which is easily
divided from the lighter watery portion. It is thus that
most toilet perfumes are procured, though in some cases,
spirit of wine or rectified alcohol is substituted for the
water poured on the flowers in the alembic, or, occa-
sionally, a little salt is added to the water used, in order
to raise its boiling-point. The process of maceration is
accomplished by means of clarified grease or olive oil,
into which the flowers under treatment are plunged, and
ill which they are allowed to remain, exposed to a high
temperature, during twenty-four or forty-eight hours.
The oil or fat becomes impregnated with perfume, the
flowers, now exhausted of their essence, are strained out,
and iresli ones introduced, and the process is continued
until an oil of the required strength is obtained. When
none of the three processes — pressure, distillation and

Oil Perfumes.

maoeratioQ — can be effectirely employfed, recourse is had
to the fouith operation of ahsorption.

The fragrance of some plants is so delicate and so vola-
tile that the heat necessary in the two last methods de-
scribed would prove destructive, or at least injurious to
it, and mechanical pressure would be insufficient for the
purpose of extracting the essential principles. In the
operation known as absorption, lai^ frames with glass
bottoms are used. These bottoms are covered with a
layer of cold solid oil or clarified lard, and over this
layer are thickly spread the petals of the flowers selected
for treatment. After periods from twenty-four to seventy-
two hours, these petals are changed for others, and so on,
during, perhaps, two or three months. Grease has a
remarkable affinity for volatile vegetable essences, and —
contact with the open-air being avoided by covering in
the frames, or piling them one on another — the odour
rapidly attaches itself to the oily substance in contact
with the petals, which thus becomes strongly saturated
with it. This process is sometimes combined with that
of mechanical pressure, the flower petals being spread
upon oiled linen or cotton and submitted to the action of
a hydraulic press.

To these processes, in general vogue both on the Conti-
nent and in this country, other supplementary operations
have been added, such as the fneamatic, in which the
agency of currents of air is employed to convey odoriferous
particles into receptacles containing hot oil ; and the
method of dissolution, in which ether, petroleum, and
other chemical media are employed, but this process is
preliminary only to distillation and evaporation.

Such are the basic operations in vogue for the prepara-
tion of perfumes. Of course many varieties of method
are practised, and many subsequent processes of blending,

113 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

harmonizing, and combining different odours so as to
produce one of a complex nature. It is thus that new
scents are inrented by skilful manipulation of old mate-
rials, precisely as a musical composer makes new tunes
by a novel arrangement of the familiar notes of the
gamut.

A word before closing this letter about perfdmed
powders, such as are used to fiU sachets for wearing on
the person, or placing in wardrobes, dressing>cases, and
BO forth.

The basis of these powders is usually reindeer moss,
in coarse powder {lichen rangi/erinus). This substance
is chosen because it has, naturally, a pleasant odour, and
is very retentive of scent artificially mixed with it. Oak-
moss and other lichens are sometimee, however, used
instead. The vehicle thus chosen is, when washed, dried
and pulverised, known as Cyprus-powder.

In order to make scented powders " aux flenis,"
whether of roses, jasmine, violets, orange-blossom, or
otherwise, the Cyprus-powder is mixed with about a
twentieth of its weight of the petals of the flower selected,
in a fresh state. The mixture is tbcn lightly shaken
together in a covered tin canister, and stirred several
times in the course of the day. Next day the petals are
sifted out, fresh ones added, and the stirring repeated. In
this way a new supply of petals must be added three or
four times, and the powder will then be sufficiently per-
fumed. Sometimes, and almost always for commercial
purposes, the prepared Cyprus-powder, instead of being
shaken up with flowers, is merely scented by the addition
of ground tenquin-beans, cloves, orris-root, calamus
aromaticus, ambergris, cassia, musk-seed, sandal-wood,
oil of beT^amot, of millefleurs, of vanilla, of lavender, of
patchouli, cf neroli, or otto of roses.

On Perfumes.

Here is a specimen formula :-

Cloves do. .
Cedu irood ntsped
Yellow sandal wood ra;
Ambergris, pondered .
Mmk-Beed do.

Mix. Then add—

Oil of lavender .
Oil of be:^nmot .
Otto of roses

I of each 1 dndini.
15 drops.

Blend the whole thoroughly vith a chosen proportion of
Cyprus powder.

ON "BABY."

Dear Mrs. Cameron, — I am sorry to hear your baby
is not thriviug quite so well as you could wisb ; but from
the account you give mo I gather that there is no reason
to apprehend anything serious, and a little attention to
hygiene will, I doubt not, speedily set matters right.

As he is your first baby, of course yon cannot be ex-
pected to display much experience in your management
of him, and I fear that your nurse has some ideas about
infantile diet which — to put it mildly — are slightly un-
scientific. Your baby was a healthy child enough when
he was bom, and as ho has now reached the age of four
months without any grave complaint, I feci sure that his
present indisposition must be owing only to a want of
judgment in your method of treating him.

You tell mo you nurse him yourself, that your health
is good, as indeed it always has been, and that there is
nothing amiss in your appetite, digestion, or strength.
So far, this is all well, and we may assume, therefore,
that the quality of milk your baby geb is above sus-
picion. But that is not everything ; there must be law
in the nursery as elsewhere in this world; times and
seasons must be strictly observed, and the utmost atten-
tion given to details of feeding, clothing, and general
sanitation.

On " Baby.^' I15

First, then, I shall speak of your haby's diet, and of
the rules to bo observed in regard to it.

Let him bo fed every three hours during the day, never
more frequently, even though he should cry and seem,
hungry. Give him his last meal at night, about half-
past ten, and he will then need nothing more until about
five, or evea six o'clock the following momiug. It is a
bad plan to rise in the night time to nurse a child; the
mother's rest is thereby broken, her functions disturbed,
her health impaired, and habits engendered which will
prove injurious alike to her own organism and to that of
her child. Of course, during the first two or three months
of infantile life, when the child requires feeding more fre-
quently, the above rule cannot be observed ; but after
four months a healthy baby can very well sleep for aix
hours at night without needing any aliment. Accustom
your infant, therefore, to sleep aa long as he can without
food. If you have been used to nurse him at intervals
during the night, gradually lengthen those intervals untU
you approximate to the hours I have named. Three
pints of milk daily is fully sufficient for a baby four
months old, and as you are a healthy woman, this is
about the quantity with which Nature will furnish you
every twenty-four hours. Let this suffice, and on no
account add to this regimen any kind of artificial food,
otherwise you will ruin your baby's digestion, and pre-
dispose him to serious complaints in later life. Be care-
ful, while he is being fei], to hold him in an easy and
reclining position, and let him lean to the right side, not
to the left, both during and after his meal, because the
liver in infants is extremely large, and as this organ
occupies the right side of the body, it will, if the child be
laid on the left side, press unduly on the stomach, and so
cause sickness and vomiting.

Ii6 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

You say nothing about your own diet ; but it is perhaps
as well to suggest to you ttiat boiled milk, eggs, fish, rice,
sago, porridge, farinaceous paddings, and vegetables in
moderation constitute the food most commendable to
nursing mothers. Pea-soup, lentil-soup, turnips, and
parsnips are especially useful. On the other hand, you
should carefully avoid perk, veal, bacon, ham, salt beef,
duck, goose, sausages, tripe, liver, kidneys, heart, and all
rich dishes. Do not take alcoholic stimulants ; it is far
better to drink boiled milk and water while nursing, than
porter, ale, or stout, I have seen the very best results
to both mother and child from the adoption of a milk
regimen by the former.

Be sure yon get, every day, a fair amount of exer-
cise and fresh air, and let your mind rest as much as
possible.

You ask me at what age your baby should be weaned.
It is customary to wean children at seven months, but I
consider this too early an age. I think no child ought
to be weaned until the first four teeth are through the
gums, and this does not occur in some cases until the
ninth or even the tenth month. Of course, if the mother's
health should tail, or the proper supply of milk not be
forthcoming, some preparation of an artificial kind must
be given to supplement the natural food. For this pur-
pose, I recommend the following aliment, for the formula
of which I am indebted to eminent medical writers : —

Fresh cow's milk .

Skimmed milk

Hot filtered water .

Sugai' of milk ....

Bicarbonate of soda, in powder

J pint.

The sugar of milk, which can be bought at any chemist's,
should be first dissolved in the hot wat«r, mixed, and

On "Baby." 117

then added to the other ingredients. For a child ten or
twelve months old this food should he replaced by more
solid aliments, such as boiled and sweetened coVb milk,
thickened with light biscuits, or rusks, tops and bot-
toms, &c., broken small and reduced to a pulp. Thick-
ened milk can also be made by moans of cooked wheat-
flour, or other meal. To prepare this, spread the flour
loosely over the surface of a clean, ungreased tin, and let
it stand in a moderately hot oven until the flour becomes
baked to a light brown. ' The object of this process is to
break up the granules of the flour and thereby render
the food easier of digestion. Remember that all infan-
tile foods must be administered tcarm, not hot, but about
the temperature of the mother's milk, and that the feed-
ing bottles and tubes used by the child must be kept
scrupulously clean, and be well emptied and rinsed out
after each meal. Do not make more food at a time than
the quantity needed for one meal — about a quarter of a
pint tohalf-a-pint — according to the age of the baby; and
neyer keep until evening the food prepared in the earlier
part of the day. When the bottle and tube are cleansed,
let them lie in pure cold water until next wanted.

If you cannot trust your milkman, or if, for any reason,
you suspect the fresh milk you buy to be watered, or un-
wholesome, you will find the Swiss M«sawetoierf condensed
milk, which is sold in tins by all grocers, a good and safe
substitute. Dilute it with &om four to six times its
volume of warm water. Remember, however, that even'
the MMSweetened milk does not keep well after the tin is
opened, therefore be cautious in using it. Do not on any
account use the sweetened milk. The sugar contained in
it cannot he digested by a baby's stomach. Later still,
when your child is able to masticate well, you can give
such foods as porridge — ^Nichols' " Food of Health " is

II 8 Healthy Beauty, and the Toilet.

tte beat I know of for the purpose — Brown and Poison's
cornflour, sago, hominy, semolina, light custard pudding,
bread jelly, fruit syrups, and so forth. But I would never
permit a child of tender years to consume fleshmeats in
any form.

Next, let mo give you a few suggestions about cloth-
ing. Tour baby's garments should be loose and fre-
quently changed. As children of an early age require
much warmth, the best material for their underclothing
is soft fine flannel. Be sure you have your baby's night-
gown made of flannel, with a long skirt, for, like all
children, he will certainly be apt to toss off his bed-
clothes at night, and it is therefore necessary ho*should
be protected against any chill that might ensue befoie
you awake and can cover him up again. You must be
careful to keep his feet warm all day and night, and for
this purpose nothing will be found so useful as knitted
woollen socks. Let him always sleep in his crib beside
your bed, but not with you in your own bed. Keep
him out of currents of air, and be careful not to place his
crib between a window and door. TTntil he is fully three
years old, he will want to sleep the greater part of the
day. Six hours every day should be passed by him in
slumber, besides the repose of the night. But if, at any .
time, either night or day, he should not seem inclined to
sleep when he is laid down for the purpose, do not rock
him. Booking induces slumber, it is true, but it is by con-
gesting the blood vessels of the brain, which are in child-
hood singularly susceptible and delicate. Take the child
in your arms, if he will not sleep, sing to him, or put
him on a mattress in &ont of the fire and let him feel the
warmth of the flame on his body. Children are often
sleepless because they are cold.

Twice a day, morning and evening, let your baby have

On ''Baby!* 119

a bath of soft water. The water used must be tepid,
about 85° or 90° Falir. For the morning bath use Pears'
anscented soap, making a lather of it, and applying it
plentifidly over the whole body, the head included. In
the evening you do not need the Eoap. Be sure you do
not use ha\'d water, containing alkaline salts, for your
child's bath. Immediately after he is washed, envelope
him in a warmed Turkish towel, and rub him all over,
thoroughly and brisMy. Then powder him from head to
foot with simple violet powder, taking care to employ
the best quality you can procure. As soon as the child
is dressed in the morning, or even before he is dressed,
if the weather be not too cold, put him on his mattress
before the fire, and let him kick there to bis heart's con-
tent. If this is done before he is dressed, he should be
loosely wrapped in flannel, in such a way as not to im-
pede his free movements. As he grows older, let him
crawl about as he likes, only mind that no pins are
dropped about on the floor, and that aU draughts are
carefully excluded from under doors and windows.

Exercise, untrammelled and vigorous, is as necessary
in infancy as in adult age. In fine weather you must see
that your baby gets taken out into the open air once
every day about noon, for an hour, well protected from
cold, but without any constriction about the throat.
Cloaks or tippets hanging from the neck are most inju-
rious, the free passage of the air in the windpipe is
thereby hindered, and choking may ensue. I hope you
get plenty of sunshine and air in your nursery. While
the nurse and baby are out for their walk, open the
windows of their room ; and, unless the weather be too
cold, do the same again later in the day while you take
the baby into the drawing-room for a change. Sunshine,
remember, is the beet thing possible for your child, ancl

120 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

you should let Mm have all you can of it. Fire-warmth
is the next best thing, but nothing can compensate for
the want of sun-heat and light. Mind you keep an effi-
cient nursery-guard before your fire, and bum wood, if
you can, rajjicr than coal.

ON THK CULTURE OF BEAUTY, GRACE AND HEALTH
IN YOUTH.— I.

My deah Sibyl, — Tou are wise to turn your atten-
tion to the care and culture of beauty in your children,
and I will gladly do what I can to he useful to you in
your laudable design. It is far easier to lend a helping
hand to Nature in the development of good looks during
childhood and youth than to coiTect her mistakes in
adult age. For the body aB -well as the mind is most
susceptible of impression and training in early years,
and, if one may so speak, the habit of beauty is easier to
acquire then than in any subsequent period of life.
Mothers ought, therefore, if they wish their sons and
daughters to grow up fair, straight, and well-formed, to
Buperintend their physical education with a care as great
as that bestowed on their intellectual culture, never
allowing the interests of the former to be sacrificed to
those of the latter, as is now too oftca the case in these
days of relentless cramming and perpetual examinations.
It is a piiceless good for a boy to be handsome, for a girl
to be beautiful, and for both to be healthy, graceful, and
strong of limb ; but these blessings are not altogether
fairy gifts, — they can, in most cases, be made or marred
at will, and the power of withholding or conferring tbem
is cbiefiy vested in the hands of the mother. Under the
head of " beauty " I include, of course, health and good

122 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

sense, for no boy or girl can be really beautiful who ia
either sickly or foolish. A weakly body, a pallid skin —
•pace Mr, Bume Jones — or a vacant espression of face
cannot but be considered inimical to physical channa.

Every mother should, if possible, nurse her own baby,
supposing, of course, that she is healtliy and able to un-
dertake the duty in question with comfort and success.
When weaned, the milk of cows, goats, or asses should
for a full year form the staple alimentation of the child,
with a small allowance of some light farinaceous food,
such as that I recommended in my letter to Mrs.
Cameron. As, in that letter, I gave many minute direc-
tions for the preparation of baby-fooda and the manage-
ment of infants, and as you can easily turn to it for
details, I will not now dwell on the subject of nursery
cookery and hygiene with regard to the first period of
existence, but will devote myself to the consideration of
the diet and manner of life to which children should be
accustomed from the age of two years and upwards.

And this ia the place to say a few words on the ques-
tion of heredity. We are all of iis branches of a tree,
part and parcel of the stock from which wo spring. One
of the commonest errors of unthinking or uninformed
people is to speak and write on the subject of physical
education as though every child were an independent
and isolated product of Nature, capable of being deve-
loped to a condition of perfection exactly proportionate '
to the method and amount of training which he or she
personally receives. This is very far indeed from being
the case. Environment, of course, may do much in the
way of modification, but It can only modify the material
on which it operates, and this material is vastly different
in different individuals. We are not ourselves only ; we
are the representatives or deputy selves of our parents,

Grace and Health in Youth. 123

grandparents,' and collateral relatives. To use a sugges-
tive metaphor, it may be said that children are but
newly-issuod editions of old compositions, re-bound and
corrected, with fresh introductions, modem print and
headpieces, but the text ia that of former editions banded
down from generation to generation. If the parents on
either side, their progenitors, or even remoter ancestors,
have been gluttonous, intemperate or otherwise vicious,
physically or mentally, the children of such a line will
bear about in their bodies and intellects the fruits and
results of these defects. Drunken habits in the father
may show themeelvea as epilepsy in the son ; luxurious-
ncss in the father may produce gout or liver disease in
the son ; and other sins will visit themselves on the off-
spring of the sinner in many terrible and even loathsome
forms of malady.

Consumption, insanity, rheumatism, asthma, heart
complaint, cancer, Bright's disease, hysteria, deaihess,
blindness, imbecility, and many other more or less
painful and mortal disorders, are hereditary penalties
imposed by a vicarious law upon the sons and
daughters of those who have lived amiss, whether igno-
rantly or wilfully. For Nature does not stop to ask
whether infringement of her mandates is deliberate or
unwitting; her law is inflexible; she knows neither
caprice nor forgiveness. "Punishment," says Hegel, "is
not something arbitrary, it is the other half of crime."
Or, again, in more definite terms, we are told in the Pali
Dhammapada that " evil deeds, like newly-drawn milk,
do not all at once turn sour," but the sourness is never-
theless inevitable, sooner or later ; " pain follows trespass
as the wheel follows the foot of the ox that draws the
carriage." And if we turn to the Hebrew prophet we
read: "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the

124 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet,

teeth of the children are set on edge," — & figure which
admirably pourtraya the law of heredity, inasmuch as
the real offender against Nature frequently escapes almost
wholly the reckoning which his child has to defray by
lifelonjT suffering. Thus it isoften said, "Robinson drank
two or three bottles of port every night of his life, and
died in a green old agewitbaut a symptom of gout." In-
vestigation would probably show that " Robinson " had
healthy and temperate parents, the benefit of whose
virtue be enjoyed in his own person. But the son of
"Robinson" has a poor chance. He will get the gout
that his father has earned, or, may be, something worse.
Heredity is, then, a factor in our lives which may be
either for good or for evil. In scientific parlance it may
be either physiological or pathological. Physiologic^
heredity, or transmitted health, is, however, more uncer-
tain and limited in its character than pathological here-
dity, or transmitted disease. It is seldom that the effects
of right living hold their own against the mistakes of
posterity throughout six generations. Yet this is on-
doubtedly the case with the effects of evil living gainst
attempts to counteract them. Sometimes, in cases where
the lives of the immediate parents of some afflicted child
have been irreproachable from the physiological point of
view, inquiry elicits the fact that the habits of a grand-
parent, or even of some remoter relative, were irregular.
Insanity, idiotcy, epilepsy, and gout may be mentioned
as diseases especially liable to develop in alternate gene-
rations. Sometimes even two or more generations may
be missed, and reversion may occur in a third or fourth
remove. Nevertheless, Nature always tends, in the long
run, to eliminate diseased conditions ; the physiological
state is the regular and normal state ; the pathologica^
is the abnormal and accidental. Every generation, there-

Grace and Health in Youth. 125

fore, of an infected stock exhausts a portion of the poison,
and so attenuates it that at length it becomes wholly
purged away. The seventh generation is, by most medi-
cal anthorities, regarded as that which establishes the
boundary line of the hereditary transmission of any
q}ecial malady.

Three principal features, as a rule, distinguish heredi-
tary complaints : the marked severity of their symptoms,
— often wholly disproportionate to the accidental cause by
which their manifestation is provoked : their tendency to
relapse easily, and to assume a periodical or habitual
type ; and their custom of appearing for the ^st time in
a new subject at the same epoch of Hfe and in the same
Cleans as in the previous generation. Some hereditary
diseases of the more virulent kind, such as scrofula,
tubercle, epilepsy, and skin disorders appear in early
infancy, and render necessary the most stringent and
incessant vigilance from the hour of birth. Others, such
as rheumatism, asthma, hysteria, and heart disease,
appear later, or await some provocative cause to manifest
themselves for the first time; others again, as cancer,
goat, kidney and arterial disease, develop in middle age,
or even towards the close of life. Consanguineous mar-
riages in families affected with any special taint have a
most disastrous influence on the offspring, which thus
inherit, as it were, a double portion of morbific virus, and
are apt to manifest the malady common to both parents
in a violent and speedily fatal form.

I cannot quit this interesting and important subject of
inherited health and disease, without reminding you of
the effect which a wet nurse may have upon the physical
and even mental constitution of the child she rears.
A nurse of scrofulous, cancerous, or rheumatic tendency,
for instance, may infect a nurseling in no way related to

126 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

her ; and diseases too horrible to name may be conveyed
by her milk. I know a remarkable case, in which the
whole mental type of an individnal appears to have been
modified by that of the foster-mother; the child in
question, now grown to manhood, exactly resembling in
disposition and idiosyncrasy the woman who nursed him,
not the mother who bore him, nor, so for as can bo
ascertained, any of his proper relatives. Such facts
show how highly important it is for those mothers who
are forced to confide the nourishment of their infants to
strangers, to moke a judicious and careful choice, assisted
by professional guidance, and by a knowledge not only
of the person, but of the antecedents of the substitute
selected.

ON THE CULTURE OF BEAUTY, GRACE AND HEALTH
IN YOUTH.— 11.

My dear Sibyl, — Haying in my last letter pointed

out to you that children are to be considered, not as
isolated ereationa, but as products of hereditary evolu-
tion, and tbat, therefore, their constitution and general
characteristics will be those of the stock from which they
are deriYed, you will now be able to understand that the
physical training of boys and girls ought, if conducted on
an intelligent basis, to be modified and adapted to their
particular type of inherited temperament and capacity.
For example, the children of a family in which Yalyular
disease of the heart has persistently shown itself, should
not he set to violent gymnastic exercises ; the boys should
not be encouraged to play football, or to row in University
races ; the girls should not be permitted to become ad-
dicted to himting, or to frequent tennis. Others, among
whose relatives a tendency to consumptive lung disease
is prevalent, should, on the other hand, from early age,
be accustomed as much as possible to a life of robust
activity in the open air ; sedentary occupations should
be avoided aa far as is consistent with the demands of
a fair education ; nourishing food, in small quantities,
should be frequently admintstered, and they should live
in a dry cHmate, if possible at a high altitude, and on a
gravel or sandy soil. In short, every special tendency

1 2$ Health, Beauty, akd the ToUei.

requires special adaptation in the method of physical
education employed, and a medical opinion should always
be taken before any particular course of training is deter-
mined upon. As a rule, however, at the present day,
children, and more especially girls, suffer considerably
from privation of exercise. C^ames which involve dis-
ciplined and free movement of the limbs are not suffi-
ciently encouraged among them. Too much stress is
laid upon restraint of demeanour ; dancing, of the sedate
and subdued order, in close and artificially-lighted rooms,
is too often viewed as an efBcient substitute for horse-
riding, swimming, and other outdoor exercises requiring
effort and capacious action ; and the consequence is that
a large majority of the gentler sex, particularly among
town-bred girls, grow up to maturity with narrow chests,
crooked spines, and stunted muscular development.

Let us pass in review the method which ought, as a
general rule, to be pursued by parents desiring for their
children the full benefit of a healthy training. Tour
young folks, my dear Sibyl, are girls, so we will, while
speaking generally for both sexes, treat more particularly
of what concerns the physical education of the comelier
half of humanity.

It is essentia that, £rom the earliest days of infancy,
children should be plentifully suppUed with good air and
food, if they are to develop clear complexions and robust
frames. Nurseries should face the morning sun, if pos-
sible ; they should be light, spacious, and well ventilated.
Do not put stays of any kind on your children before the
age of fourteen or fifteen ; until then a hght- fitting band
of jean sufficient to support the under-clothing comfort-
ably, is all that ia needed to preserve the grace and
contour of the figure. During childhood the bones are
comparatively plastic, and undue stricture or pressure of

Grace and Health in Youth. 129

any kind is liable to produce doformity. Beware, there-
fore, of impeding or spoiling the development of the
form by artificial bandages, whether coraets, garters,
waist- strings, or an excess of weight hung from the bips.
All garments worn by children should depend from the
shoulders ; a sim^e sash, lightly tied over the outer
^ock, is quite enough to indicate the wsist. In this
respect the French are very wise. No Parisian child is
ever seen with a "waist," As for the stockings, they
should he beld up hy means of suspenders, never by
ligatures above or below the knee. Garters impede the
circulation grievously, and thereby give rise to the dis-
tressing and disfiguring complaint of varicose veins. In
our variable dimate children should wear high-necked
frocks, with sleeves reaching at least to the elbow. In
winter the sleeves should be quite long, or else warm
mittens should be worn as a protection against frost-
bites. When out of doors, the feet should be stoutly
shod as a precaution against damp, for children have in
general an inveterate fondness for puddles and moist
places, and when not assiduously watched, tisually con-
trive to walk through any marshy grass or watery
depressions in the footpath that may chance to be in
their way. Indoors, however, I think it is best to leave
children's feet as uncompressed as possible, and I there-
fore prefer shoes to hoots, unless there is any special
reason for the use of the latter, as, for instance, a marked
tendency to coldness of the extremities, chilblains, weak-
ness of the ankles, and so forth. In any case, never buy
for your children pointed or high-heeled shoes or boots,
but see that they are made with square broad toes, and
a simple lift at the heel of not more than a quarter, or
at most half an inch in thickness.
Wbile your children are still infants, let them roll

130 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

and tumble about on tbe floor aa muck as and in what
faflhion they please ; do not he too anxious to set them
on their legs, otherwise you will run the risk of imposing
a etiain on the bones and muscles of the lower limhs that
may induce feebleness of the ankles, cmrature of the
thighs and legs, and other similar evils. When they
begin to get strong, and to acquire the power of control
over their limbs, accustom them to the use of rhythmic
exercise of the arms, lege, and body. Five years of age
is the earliest at which any orderly gymnastic or calis-
thenic movements should be taught. The object of such
movements is to develop muscular force, to give the
limbs agility and suppleness, to open the chest and
increase the lung capacity, to fortiiy the constitution, to
regulate and facilitate the digestive functions, to equalise
the circulation, to enhance the development of tbe mental
powers, to create and preserve beauty of form, grace
of outline and of movement, and just proportion and
rotundity of limb. The (Jreek maidens who ran races
in the public games, and tossed the " sphaira " or the
quoit from hand to hand, who dived and swam like
river-nymphs, and even hunted on foot, as did Arcadian
Atalanta, were renowned for beauty, grace, and splendid
contour of form. And, when they became wives and
mothers, they gave birth to heroes whose adventurous
prowess, chivalrous valour, and wise patriotism will stand
as ideals for the human race as long as the world shall
last.

For all the reasons just enumerated, I am, therefore,
disposed to advocate strenuously the education of girls in
all kinds of physical exercises, using, of course, in every
case, due supervision and caution. Swimming is, per-
haps, on the whole, the finest of such exercises, because
it gives simultaneous and distributed action to nearly all

Grace and Health in Youth. 131

the moBcles and organs of the body, is beaatifuUy
rhythmic and graceful, entaila regular and lai^e respira-
tion, and combines with healihfnl gymnastic movement
the advantages of developing intellectual confidence, and
of adding a new and keen pleasure to existence. The
man or woman who can swim well is in possession of an
extra sense. It is the next best thing to being able to
fly. In fact, the action of natation is a kind of flying ;
the motion of propelling the body in the watery fluid is
strongly analogous to that of cleaving the aerial fluid.
It is a movement which implies the utmost liberty of
physical action and empire over the elements which a
human creature can enjoy. But the art must be early
learnt and judiciously taught. It is most suitable as a
corrective and invigorating exercise in cases of lymphatic,
debilitated, or scrofiilous constitution, curvature of the
spine, or nervous excitability, over-work, and hysteria ;
but it is often dangerous, or at least unadvisable, for
persons in whom any specialised weakness of the lungs
or of the heart is indicated.

Swimming should be learnt in sea-water, this being,
on account of its greater specific density, more buoyant
than fresh water, and, therefore, affording easier suste-
nance to the body immersed in it. The art of floating
is usually more readily acquired than that of swimming,
and it should, therefore, be tai^ht flrst, a^ a means of
acquiring confidence. In floating, it is essential to throw
the head well back on the water, fill flie chest with air,
and have the legs and feet close together, and thoroughly
under control. The teacher should stand beside the pupil
in smooth and moderately shallow water, reaching to
about the waist, and, in the first few essays, should place
the hand firmly under the base of the pupil's spine, in
such a manner as to aflbrd physical suppcni and moral

132 Health, BeoMty, and the Toilet.

enoouragemeDt. The other hand might clasp the right
hand of the learner, ready, in case of any iailore of
confidence, to give immediate aesistaQce. Of course, the
bathing costume vom must be of such coustruotioa as to
impede the limbs as little aa possible. It should consist
of a combination dresa of light serge, dark in colour, and
readiing a little belov the knee, girt in loosely at the
waist by a leather belt strong enough to bear the strain
of lifting the body by it, if necessary. On no account
must any floating skirt, capable of getting inflated or
weighted with absorbed moisture, be worn. The tem-
peratore of the water in which swimming and floating
lessons are giyen should be nearly tepid, and the time
spent in it should, at first, be limited to about half an
hour. If headache, shivering, giddiness, or coldness of
the extremitiea appears, the pupil must at once leave
the water, and dress, after rubbing the body dry with
warm rough towels. It is best to be provided, after
the continental fashion, with a lai^ Turkish wrap or
peignoir de bain, which should, directly the bathing-dress
is stripped off, be thrown over the whole person, from
shoulder to foot. This arrangement obviates piecemeal
drying, and prevents loss of heat by radiation from the
surface of the skin. A hot foot-bath is also a great
convenience and benefit to delicate girls and women after
a prolonged immersion in the water.

My 0KAR Sibil, — You ask me whether I think your
gitla would be benefited by gynmaatio exercises, and if
80, under what drcumstances and with what precautions.

Children liring in the country, and accustomed to out-
door games, do not certainty need gymnastio or calis-
thenio training so much as those who are imprisoned in
towns and unable to obtain hardy eserdse ; but even for
the former the discipline and method of orderly exercises
are extremely useful as a means of drill, and of acquiring
facility of controlled and graceful movement. Undis-
ciplined exercise is apt to degenerate into mere romping
and horse-play, often rude, and sometimes dangerous.
The body requires training just as much as the mind,
and this training can be secured only by application ;
the eye needs to learn quickness and precision, the hand
steadiness of grasp and of aim, the limbs rhythmic and
restrained gesture, the neck and head grace of poise and
carriage, the whole body dignity and ease of manner
and of presence. Mere nmning about wildly and un-
checked over hills and meadows, though beneficial to
pulmonary and muscular development, frequently develops
also an awkward gait, hoydenish demeanour and round
shoulders, so that unless each liberty is supplemented
and corrected by a daily drill, it may be productive of

134 Health, Beauty, and tlie Toilet.

much that is undesirable. Gbaceful out-door sports,
combining physical training vith orderljr movement and
the discipline which the aoquiroment of proficiency neces-
sitates, are, in my opinion, preferable to any other form
of exercise. By such methods, not only the muscles of
the body and limbs are developed, but the hand and eye
also are educated, alertness and intelligence are stimu-
lated, pleasurable emulation evoked, the fresh air plenti-
fully inhaled, and a zest and joy imparted to the exertion
which is wanting, equally in the mere systematic practice
of gymnastics as a school task, and in Uie aimless scram-
bling about over woods and wilds, which is the only form
of physical training many country-bred children get.

Lawn tennis is a good form of sport, and one just now
particularly popular among young peo^e; so also is
cricket, a game, however, unsuitable to girls who are
not in robust health and endowed with excellent " stay-
ing " power. Archery, which some years ago was
deservedly popular among our sex, seems at present to
enjoy less fivour, thoi^h it is assuredly a most graceful
and delightsome pastime. I warmly commend it, as
also the old English game of " bowls," played on lawns
with a netting, and hardly second to archery itself as a
means of educating the eye and hand. In wet or cold
weather, however, when outdoor sports are impossible
for girls, or only practicable . at rare intervals, indoor
dancing, calisthenic and gymnastic exercises should be
regularly adopted. The Swedish, or Ling system, and
that of Dr. Sdireber are the simplest and best, as they
reijnire no apparatus or aid of any kind, are easily
taught, and do not involve any great fatigue. The
method of Dr. Schreber consists solely in a series of
rhythmic gestures of the body and limbs, performed in
the following order -.-^

Grace and Health in Yoiilk. 135

1st. Describe a circular movemeDt with each arm

twenty times in succession. Extend the arms forward,
outward and upward, thirty times in succession, taking
eight or ten deep inspirations between each series.

3nd. Execute a circular movement from the waist,
swaying the upper part of the body slowly round, the
hands resting on the hipa, thirty times,

3rd. Extend the leg as nearly at right angles with
the body as possible, twelve times each side, taking
eight or ten deep inspirations between each series.

4th. Extend and bend the foot twenty times each
side ; perform the gesture of reaping or sawing thirty
times ; bend each knee rapidly twenty times ; take eight
or ten inspirations.

5th. Eaise the arm swiftly and rapidly, as in the
action of throwing a lance, twelve times in succession ;
throw out both arms simultaneously twenty or thirty
times ; take eight to ten deep inspirations.

6th. Trot on one spot, resting the hands on the hips,
and lifting the feet briskly, a hundred to three hundred
times. Take eight or ten deep inspirations.

7th. Jump with the hands on the hips, and the head
and body erect, fifty or a hundred times. Take eight or
ten inspirations.

These movements, the orderly execution of which
should occupy a good half-hour or more, should be per-
formed without haste, and with intervals of repose if
necessary, but with all the vigour and heartiness which
can be put into them. Every gesture must be ample
and resolute, well-defined, and separated by a distinct
pause &om the preceding and following movements. The
exercise must not be pushed to the limit of the per-
former's strength ; all distress, pain, or exhaustion must
be avoided. For weakly girls, or those sufiering from

136 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

temporary and periodic indiapositioii, the moTements
DiTiBt be modified and curtailed, l^e room cliosen for
this exercise should be airy, unencumbered with fomi-
ture, and, if possible, unoaipeted. The dresa Tom must
be light, entirely without ligatures, tight heary skirtiDgs
or impeding weights, and the feet should be shod with
light heel-less boots or shoes. The time chosen for tlie
exercise should be before brealdast, or during the fore-
noon, preceding by about an hour the second meal of the
day.

Another important and frequently neglected item of
physieal training is the culture of the voice. Nothing is
more favourable to the healthy development of the lungs
and chest than the daily exercises of singing and reading
aloud. In cases of hereditary tendency to delicacy of
the lungs, consumption, or susceptibility of the throat
and bronchial tubes to catarrh and cold, this method of
training is of sovereign importance, and too much stress
cannot be laid on its value as a remedial agent. Let
your girls sing their scales and voice exercises every
morning for half on hour, and in the evening let them
read aloud for a full hour at least.

To read aloud weU is an art requiring careful
and patient application. It does not, for instance,
suffice to sit in a cramped position before a table, the
elbows thrust forward — perhaps resting on each side
of the book — and the head bent over it, jabbering
rapidly sentence after sentence in a half-audible
voice. The reader should sit in a comfortable and
easy attitude — or even stand, if she is a strong girl
— in front of a book-rest, the shoulders thrown well
back and the chest forward, the arms by the sides, or
resting, if she sits, loosely in her lap. The voice must
be measured, resonant, and clearly distinct in its enun-

Grace and Health in Youth. 137

ciation, every syllable must be pronounced with pre-
cision, the sound must not be suffered to drop towards
the end of the word or sentence, the breath must be well
sustained, the stops carefully obserred, and a pause of a
half minute or more, allowed at the end of the para-
graphs. Most girls bare a tendency to gabble; this
defect is due chiefly to shyness and nerrous feeling, and
it can be cured only by the acquirement of confidence
and dignity.

During holiday time, when there are no lessons to be
got up, girls might be encouraged to learn poems or
short prose compositions for recitation, emd to entertain
one another and their friends by declaiming selected
pieces in the evening, standing in the centre of the room
and accompanying the recital with appropriate hut re-
strained gestures, modulating the voice and facial ex-
pression according to the theme. The bane of all
uncultured girls consists in the propensities to gi^le, to
grimace, and to gabble, especially whenever anything
methodical or serious is demanded of them. When I
was at school, a certain gentleman who professed litera-
ture at one of our Universities used to come occasionally
to read Shakespeare with 11s. The members of the class,
composed of girls between the ages of fourteen and
eighteen, read aloud in turn, and if by chance one of
them, momentarily moved by the sentiment of the lines,
suffered her voice to be betrayed into tones less rapid
and meaningless than the usual wont, the suppressed
tittering of her companions speedily covered her face
with the blush of concision, and against their mirth the
encouragement of the Professor went for nothing. It
was considered the correct thing to gabble, and we each
gabbled accordingly, else the rest were sure to giggle.
"Alas," as Walter Beaant's French Professor would

138 Healthy Beauty, and the Toilet.

pathetically exclaim, "alas for Girl, gaunt, ungaiDly,
and ungracious Girl ! "

It is quite as necessary for the cultivation of the voice
and the development thereby of the chest and breathing
appatatoB, that the waist should be free from artificial
compression, as we have already seen it to be when other
exercises ere concerned. The lungs cannot be properly
inflated, nor the voice sustained if the thorax is laced in
by means of stays, or squeezed by tight frocks. I have
already said that no corsets ought to be worn before the
age of fifteen, but a mere baud of jeau only. After
womanhood is reached a pair of very light stays may be
adopted with the view of supporting and sustaining the
figure, not of compressing it, Neither whalebones nor
metallic side-pieces need be need ; the corsets ought to be
boneless and elastic, fastening in &ont by means of a
light and narrow busk, easily adjusted and perfectly
flexible, so that the body can be bent and swayed about
in all directions with absolute freedom and grace. No
young woman, unless, unhappily, deformed or diseased,
requires bones in her stays. It would take up a whole
page of my letter-papet even to enumerate all the com-
plaints and troubles engendered by the pernicious fashion
of tight-ladng. And knowing how great and how
deadly are the evils entailed by this practice on our
women and their ofl'spring, I rejoice at the spreading of
the gospel of hygiene, and at the tendency of modem
art to revert to the delineation of the undraped form.
In my opinion, girls should be familiarised wili the out-
line and contour of the humau body as Nature makes it
and as painters and sculptors best love to show it, and
taught to regard it with purified eyes, as being in itself
a beautiful and divine creation, worthy of their highest
reverence, and admiration ; not as a mere lay figure on

Grace and Health in Youth. 139

vhich to hang skirts and paiiiers, to pinch, to pad, and
to distort, as though it ought not to be thought of
respectfully or dutifully, but rather with contempt, or,
perhaps, with a sense of shameful annoyance and morti-
fication. Baiment should be for the body, not the body
for raiment. And the best and purest taste in dress is
that which moulds itself on natural forms, and seeks
neither to exaggerate nor to suppi-ess, but to follow and
preserve them, ministering thus to the interests alike of
beauty, of comfort, and of sound health. Educate your
g^rls in these maxims, my dear Sibyl, and be sure they
will grow up comely, tall, and full of grace, and will
live loi^ to bless the wisdom of an admirable mother.

ON THE CULTCBB OF BEADTT, GEAOB AND HEALTH
IN YOUTH.— IV.

Mt dear Sibyl, — My obsen^tions upon the physical
training of girls in relation to exercise would hardly be
complete were I to omit the mention of horse-riding, — an
amusement in much greater favour with our sex at the
present day than in the time of our mothers. I have
a high opinion of the value of equitation, both as an ex-
ercise and as an art. Most hygienists regard it as one of
the best methods available in the case of girls for pro-
moting muscolar development and imparting general tone
to the system, especially in nispect to the expansion of
the chest and the action of the respiratory organs ; while,
from an educational point o£ view. It is an exercise
eminently calculated to inspire confidence and grace of
movement, to fortify nerve, to dispel awkwardness and
timidity, and to stimulate the control of hand and eye.
From a therapeutic point of view, again, horse-riding is
particularly advantageous in coses of general debility,
and of affections liable to become chronic, such as hys-
ifiria, hypochondria, diorea, scrofula, tendency to con-
sumption, dyspepsia, anemia, atony or weakness of the
functions, chlorosis, and all nerrous disorders. Qirls
may begin to ride, under proper direction and with due
precautioD, when about ten or twelve years old. This

Grace and Health in Youth. 141

is, I think, quite soon enongt, became, before this age,
the bones are so soft and pliable in consistency tbat they
are not unlikely to become deriated by the posture vhich
the side-saddle renders necessary, and curvature of the
spine, 01 even of the thigh-bone, might possibly result if
the ezeniise were frequently indulged in during the
tender years of childhood. The chief art of riding con*
sists in the acquirement of a firm, easy, and graceful seat ;
the rest is mere detail, and, as it hardly belongs to my
province, I will not dwell on the subject longer than to
observe that the greatest care should be bestowed on the
choice of the horse destined to mount a beg^ner. He
must not be fretful, tricky, or heavy in his paces, nor
must he have a hard mouth, necessitating the curb, or
likely to iatigue and cramp the hand of a novice. 'He
should have a short light trot and a good manner, and,
above all, he must have no vices, such as those of shying,
rearing, jibbing, bolting, or stumbling. To mount a
beginner on a vicious or a tricky horse is not only dan-
gerous, but fatal to future proficiency. Confidence and
courage will be paralysed at the outset ; apprehension and
nervousness will take their place ; and when these defects
have once laid hold of the mind they are difficult to
overcome, and entirely incompatible witii ease and dignity
of pose.

As girls approiich the age of fifteen or thereabouts,
care must be taken to regulate such violent exercise as
that of horse-riding, in accordance with the fluctuations
of their health. Rest is necessary at times to enable the
organic functions to assert themselves in a natural and
orderly manner ; for it must be borne in mind that in-
terruption or disturbance of these, from whatever cause,
may not only entail headache, lassitude, and other dis-
orders more or less immediately disquieting, but may

142 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

wen give rise io lasting conseqaences of a very serious
and distressing character.

I am not an advocate of hunting for women. It is a
dangerouij pastime, especially for the sex that rides across
country encumbered with drapery, and liable, should a
fall occur, to be fonnd either hopelessly pinned down to
the saddle by a third pommel, or inextricably mixed up,
by means of a tight habit-skirt, among the hoo& of a
floundering horse. MoreoTer, the sport itself ia hardly
one in which refined and womanly women will be able to
take much pleasure ; the spectacle of the "death," even
when Beynard is concerned, ought not to inspire feelings of
joy in theheartsof English girls, and when poor "pussy"
is the victim the aspect of the thing is, to my mind at
least, wholly revolting and contemptible. Ifo doubt the
actual chase is exhilarating; but its purpose — that of
deliberately running to death an innocont and sensitive
creature, and making pastime of its bitter fear and phy-
sical distress — has always seemed to me a cowardly and
unworthy game for Christian ladies and gentlemen. I
would never encourage any son or daughter of mine to
find delight in such an amusement ; and I think the time
is not far distant when the view I take of the matter will
become pretty general. An age in which the public
taste condemns the pigeon matches of Hurlingham, and
impels ingenious mechanicians to replace the living doves
with substitutes of clay, will surely not long continue to
countenance other sports dependent on animal suffering
and slaughter. At all events, hunting and shooting are,
in my view, distinctly unsuited to women, alike from a
physical and an ethical point of view, seeing that, on &e
one hand, bodily risk and injury mean so much more to
us than to the stronger and less vulnerable sex; and that,
on the other hand, women are in a special sense entrusted

Grace, and Health in Youth. 143

wifli the censorebip and sanction of morality, vith tke
direction of the mole conscience, and the formation of the
national taste.

]!fext to riding, no exerciae is so beneficial as that of
dancing, when it is practised vith art and knowledge.
All rhythmic and musical motion is educational alike to
mind and hody; the pity is that an exercise so com-
mendable should usually entail the evils of late hours,
depriTation of sleep, and the inhalation of heated and
impure air. " Cinderella dances " have of lafe become
fafjiiouable, and they are, undoubtedly, a step in the
right direction. But the hygiene and ethics of the ball-
room still leave much to be desired, and it wiU, I fear,
be left to a future and wiser generation to regulate these
things in better accord with the dictates of common-sense
and comfort. Meanwhile, notwithstanding present detri-
ments, dancing may be safely recommended as a most
useful means of physical training. The waltz especially
affords an excellent exercise for tho development of ease
and graceful carriage, and for the acquirement of that
undulating movement from the hips which specially dis-
tinguishes well-bred Frenchwomen, and which is abso-
lutely necessary in order to give the figure sweep and
poise. If dancing is nnobtainable, a good method of
learning to walk by moving &om the hips instead of
from the waist, is to perambulate a room or a garden
with some object, moderately large and heavy, balanced
on the head, as the Southern and Oriental peasants carry
pitchers, unsupported by the hand. The aim of the
pitcher carrier is to keep the waist steady, the chest
expanded, and the neck erect, but not stiff, — the lower
limbs, by their restrained and disciplined movements,
imparting to the whole body a swaying and graceful
demeanour.

144 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

But, so less than exercise, repose is good for growing
girl& Do not let your daughters sit apon narrow forms
without support ; on the contrary, encourage them to test
the spine by lying back in a convenient chair or on a re-
clining board for an hoar, with one email cushion only
beneath the head, the knees straight, and the arms
crossed on the chest or resting by the sides. During
this hour of relaxation the governess or a sster might
read aloud, music might be played, or oral instmction
given to avoid unnecessary waste of time. Under some
circumstances, however, intellectual rest may fitly accom-
pany that of the body; and the interval thus employed in
entire repose will be found to act as an excellent tonio
and restorative.

ON THE CULTOBE OF BEAUTY, GRACE, AND HEALTH
IN YOUTH.— y.

My dear Sibtl, — I promised you this week a dis-
course about the care of the complexion, iigure, and so
on, in early youth. And as just now the vacation season
is close at hand, and you will hefore long be tbinking
about carrying off your young people to some sea*side or
country resort, I think a few sug^jestions in regard to
holiday-making from the hygienic point of yiew will
hardly be inappropriate.

In the first place, having selected a suitable spot for
your summer retreat, you cannot be too cautious in your
choice of a habitation. Bear in mind that a large
number of nomad visitors to our coasts and inland sana-
toriums frequent such resorts, in order to re-establish
their own or their children's health after attacks of
infectious fever and other malignant maladies, leaving
behind them, of course, in the abode they have tem-
porarily occupied, a virulent contingent of disease germs,
ready to seize upon the first unfortunate who unsuspect-
ingly comes wittiin their reach. Nor is this the only
danger of the sort which threatens the frequenters of
such places. Children recovering from measles, whoop-
ing-cough, scarlatina, and other similar complaints are
to be met with in plenty, dig^ng on the sea-shore at
Jqw tide, scrambling among tlje ropks, bathing, wading,

146 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

and airing ihemselres, noder maternal or nursery
guardianship, on pier, parade, and promenade. Common
prodence, therefore, suggests that you should not only
protect your family against the chance of infection in
lodging-honses by strenuous inquiry and other precau-
tionary measures, but that you should also warn your
young folk of tiie risk incurred by consorting out of
doors frith chance acquaintances, concemiog whom
nothing further may be known than that they are well-
dressed, pleasant in manner, and disposed to be friendly.
It is no uncommon thing, unhappily, for a &mily to
leave home on the annual sea-side visit in excellent
health, and in a short three weeks or so to contract, by
infection, some maUgoant sickness involving much im-
mediate peril, perhaps even loss of life, or a long period
of subsequent trouble and anxiety, ^ot infi^qoently,
too, lodgings are dangerous fixim causes otlLer than those
just mentioned : drainage may be defective, bed-rooms
damp, water-supply insufficient, or the arrangements of
the lower premises unsanitary. All such matters should
be subjected to. careful scrutiny before any agreement is
made ; otherwise great inconvenience, expense, or worse,
may result

It is always best, I think, whenever possible, to lodge
en pemion in some well-condiioted hotel or boarding-
house, for in such establishments the risk incurred, both
from accidental infection, and from unsanitary construc-
tion, is minimised. Hotel companies and managers of
pensions, having capital at command, and large com-
mercial interests at stake, are far less likely than needy,
and therefore greedy, proprietors of " apartments " to be ,
neglectful of the hygienic interests of their clients in
regard to the questions under consideration. Moreover,
arrangements at hotels and boarding-houses are usually

Grace and Health in Youth. 147

made by the week, and not for tiie season, as is the case
with moat priyate lodgings, so that should any difficulty
arise in respeet of cleanliness or otherwise, nothing is
easier than to change one's quarters. Again, it is worth
while observing, that unless one brings one's own servants
and batterie tie eamne, the cookery in lodging-houses is,
as a rule, bad beyond description ; the proprietors and
their domestio staff usually appropriate the larger and
better share of the comestibles ; the attendance is abomin-
able, the linen retained too long in use, and the whole
detail of " service " unsatisfactory in the extreme. Far
different is the hotel table d'Mle, freshly furnished every
day, prepared by good cooks, and attractively served on
clean linen, with shining glass and unimpeachable plate.
Happily, the continental and American custom of Hving
en pension at large establishments is increasing rapidly
in this country ; first-class hotels, " with every modem
improvement," now receiving guests on these terms at
most of our chief watering places ; and the old-fashioned,
msalubrious, and often uncleanly lodging, with its sour
spinster landlady, its detestable cuisine, and general dis-
comfort and unsavoariness, is in a fair way to become
a legend of bygone times.

If precautious are thus necessary in regard to the
choice of an abode, they are requiaito also in connection
with a score of minor accessories. For instance, my dear
Sibyl, avoid using bathing-dresses, towels, wraps, and bo
forth, which are public property. Let each one of you
go to the morning dip provided with his or her own
apparel and linen ; wear nothing, and make iise of
nothing which has served for the toilette of strangers ;
and even, if you can manage it, charter your own bathing-
machine to be set apart for your especial behoof. If
you go to a bathing station where you have friends, or

148 Health, Beauty, and ike Toilet.

where you meet otter families known to you, it is the
most convenient and eaay to make a co-operative arrange-
ment among you for the monopoly of a machine by the
month or the season. Some people take their own tents,
which can be pitched on any unfrequented spot along
the shore— guaranteed 'safe for wading or swimming
purposes — and which can be utilised in turn by boys or
girls. Or, if the site selected be quite retired, and the
hathing costumes of both sexes appropriate, a canvas
partition added to the tent will readily enable the whole
family to enter the water together, after the sociable and
sensible fashion prevalent abroad. As, in a former letter,
I have already discoursed at some length on the advan-
tages of learning to swim and float, I will not now dwell
further on the subject than to observe that afl«r leaving
the water it is well, for the complexion's sake, to bathe
the face in fresh soft water, so that the saline con-
stituents of the sea brine may not dry on the skin, and
harden or excoriate it.

Encourage your children to be b8 much as possible out
in the open air and sunshine during the holidays. In our
climate there is not much fear of sunstroke, hut on hot
July and August days it is, nevertheless, wise to guard
against the chance of such an accident by wearing large
straw hats enveloped with white cambric puggarees, and
covering the neck and upper part of the back with a
long flowing lappet. If the head and spine are thus
protected, there is, as a rule, very little danger to be
apprehended from English sunshine. Should, however,
the heat of the season be unusually fierce, and no shady
resort be available, you will act prudently in keeping
your young people indoors during the middle of the day.
Sunstroke is an accident which has several degrees, the
severer of which are seldom experienced in temperate

Grace and Health in Youths- 149

latitudes. Sudden death, delirium, and violent cerebral
oongestioii smite the unwary under tropical suns, but
here the worst effects of summer heat are usually limited
to headache, nausea, giddiness, bleeding of the nose, and
sleepiness. All these symptoms are dae to congestion
of the nervous centres, and are best treated by rest in a
darkened room, abstinence from food, applications of
some cooling lotion — as, for instance, vinegar and wafer
— to the head and spine, and a dose of simple aperient
medicine.

As for the effect of sunshine on the skin, that also is
liable to show itself in various degrees, according to the
constitution of the individual, the condition and texture
of the cuticle, and the degree of sunlight encountered.
Some complexions scorch, some tan, some freckle, some
become eruptive under strong sunshine. The peculiar
dark tint produced on the epidermis by the action of
solar light is due to the exaggeration, under its influence,
of the pigmentary deposit in the secreting glands of the
skin, and to the chemical decomposition of the iron
present in this deposit under the same action ; a process
which gives rise every here and there, where it is moat
energetic, to the formation of little brown and yellow
stains called freckles. Freckles, however, are of two
kinds ; some are evanescent and dependent on the season,
others are constitutional and permanent. I do not now
speak of the latter, which are referable to other causes
than exposure to sunshine, and are not, therefore,
amenable to the treatment I am about to propose.
Against summer freckles, due to the chemical action I
have just mentioned, a lotion composed of an ounce of
alum, two table-spoonfuls of lemon-juice, and a pint of
elder-flower water, may be usefully applied twice daily.
This wash is quite harmless, and may be employed with

T5o Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

confidmce for even very delicate ekiiiB ; bnt the follow-
ing remedy, reoonimended by Eraemus Wilson, ^HMigh
exoellent in obstinate oaseB, does cot euit all oomplezionfi
equally well : —

. lotmce.
. 20gt(diie.

Mix veil, and rab into the affected skin at night. In
tbe morning wash the cerate off with soap and soft
water, and afterwards apply a lotion thus composed : —

lufusioii of roses .... } {ant
Citric acid 80 graini.

All local discolorations. Dr. Wilson afiGrms, wiU dis-
appear under this treatment, or, if the freckles do not
entirely yield, they will, at least, be greatly ameliorated.
Should, however, any unpleasant irritation or roughness
of the skin follow the application, ia lotion composed of
half a pint of almond mixture (Mistura Amygdalse), and
half a drachm of Goulard's extract will afford immediate
relief. Lait AntipMliqut, invented by Dr. Hardy, of
the Bt. Louis Skin Hospital in Paris, and sold in this
country by all drug^sts and perfumers, is also a good,
though somewhat violent, remedy against freckles and
tan marks. This " milk," which, among other ingre-
dients, contains acetate of lead, modifies the skin by
peeling off the caticle, and thus renewing the surface of
the complexion. But it is obvious that a^ soon as this
new surface ia exposed to the action of the air and sun,
freckles will again form upon it, and the operation will
have to be repeated de novo.

Here is a formula which I have heard much praised ;
it is a good substitute for Erasmus Wilson's recipe : —

Chloride of umuonis . . .1 draclmi.
Distilled water .... 1 pint
LaTcnder water .... 2 dmchme.

Grace and Health in Youth. 151

Apply by gently dalibing the freckled ekin witli this
lotion two or three times daily.

Powdering the face with fiaely-pulverised rice or
starch protects the skin against the action of solar light,
and if to this precaution be added that of constantly
wearing a gauze veil — not net or tulle — when out of
doors in sunny weather, no reasonably practical measure
for the prevention of sunburn will be omitted. I may
add that blue or green veils are the most efficacioua for
the purpose, but as they are undoubtedly trying both to
wear and to behold, some more neutral tint approxima-
ting to these colours may with advantage be substituted.

Some skins, under the action of summer heat and
light, develop erythematous, or even erysipelatous erup-
tions, which cause more or less severe irritation and
disiigurement. In such cases great attention must be
paid to diet ; coffee, wines, liqueurs, shell-fish, and all
heating and stimulating foods must be avoiied, sea-
bathing should be discontinued, and a cooling lotion used,
containing either oxide of zinc, laurel-water, or hydro-
cyanic acid. Aperient saline draughts should also he
administered, and warm sitz-baths taken night and
morning. Powdered magnesia and rice mixed, FuUer's
earth, or orris-toot may also advantageously be dusted
ovet the skin.

ON THE CDLTUBE OF BEAUTY, GRACE. AND HEALTH
IN YOUTH.— VI.

My dear Sibtl, — I promised to give you to-day
Bome general instmctions for tbe treatment of hay-fever.
Two of your family, I believe, suffer from this incon-
venient and distressing complaint, Mabel and Constance.
If I remember rigbtly, the form which the malady
assumes in Mabel's case is that of asthma, while Con-
stance is usually afflicted with the symptoms of influenza.
Hay-fever has, in fact, three or fonr varieties, the two
commonest being those just mentioned. In some in-
stances it developea a very persistent and uncomfortable
rash on tbe skin, resembling measles, and accompanied
with much heat and a quick pulse. In other cases,
again, it causes, on the contrary, a sensation of extreme
chilliness, and I have seen patients under its influence
wrap themselves in warm shawls or even furs, and sit
shivering over a cup of hot negus on a blazing July day.

As for the origin and etiology of hay-fever, nothing in
the annals of medicine has afforded more food for dis-
cussion, disquisition, and difference of opinion. Some
medical authors are of opinion that the disorder has no
immediate relation to vegetation, but that strong soltor
light and heat, whether in town or country, are quite
s^cient to produce it in predisposed oi^anisms. But
my own observation and experience are decidedly adverse

Grace and Health in Youth. 153

to this view, for I have repeatedly cured bad attacks of
the malady by retnoving my patient either to a city or
to the coast, away from the vicinity of meadows and
foliage, and it is well known that a sea voyage is an
almost certain remedy even in the most aggravated cases
of the complaint. Tet the brilliancy of solar light and
excess of solar heat are certainly liable to be greater at
sea than on land. Moreover, pei^ons subject to hay-
fever have frequently informed me that a simple drive
through country lanes during hay harvest is quite enough
to induce a severe attack of the complaint, which does
not show itself at all so long as they remain in a town,
confining their walks or drives to the streels. I know a
lady, now resident in Paris, who, on account of her
liability to this malady, never visits the Boia de Boulogne
during the summer season, knowing by painful experience
that even an hour's ride through its shady alleys and
delightful woods would entail on her several days of
more or less acute suffering.

Again, some physicians regard hay-fever as a form of
nervous disease, the idiosyncrasy of which is developed
only in persons of a specially sensitive temperament. It
is true, I think, that nervous people are more often
found to be susceptible to this malady than others, but
Buch a fact merely proves the greater impressionability
or irritability of their physical constitution. External
causes, which pass harmlessly by less acutely sensitive
systems, are potent agents in the case of highly nervous
persons. It is not, therefore, at aU wonderM that hay*
fever, in common with hysteria, epilepsy, neuralgia,
melancholia, chorea, and other recognised disorders of
Uie nervous system, is far more prevalent in our time
than it was half a century ^0. Indeed, it is only since
the year 1828 that the complaint appears to have

1 54 Health, Beauty, and tlte ToUet.

attracted medical attention, and it vas in that year that
the term " hay-fever " was first applied to it. It cannot
be doubt«d that the tendency of flie " high pressure,"
mental and physical, at which we now live, the oontinual
forcing process undergone by the cerebral centres, and
the strain to which the nervotiB system is in the present
day subjected, from childhood upwards, entail as <Hie of
their most salient results a condition of heightened sensi-
bility which shows itself in the present predominance of
types of disease specially affecting tiie nerves. It is nsoally
in the "better" and more cultured classes that such
diseases are commonest, and hay-fever is no exception to
the role of its kind. Passing over several minor and less
important theories respecting the etiology of hay-fever, I
need only observe here that the malady is, in all its forms,
undoubtedly due, according to my own opinion, to the
presence in the atmosphere at certain times of the year
of emanations and organic partudes liberated by grass,
flowers, and foliage ; — agents which, although perfectly
harmless to a majority of persons, are t«xic to others
having irritable surfaces of the mucous membrane,
whether of Hie nose, mouth, eyes, throat or digestive
canal. Consequently, such persons, breathing the air in
which these particles and vapours are contained, speedily
suffer from congestion and exaggerated secietioDS of all
these different organs, itching of the nostrils, running of
eyes and nose, as in severe cold, incessant sneezing,
swelling of the eyelids, tickling of the throat, diarrhoea,
slight fever ; and, where the form assumed by the disease
is asthmatic, wheezing and difficulty of breathing, which,
in some cases, may become extremely severe and
obstinate. Whether these very disagreeable effed» be
caused by minute corpuscles of pollen, subtle aromatic
exhalations, or invisible bacteria, matters little from a

Grace and Health in Youth. 155

therapeutic point of view. For each hypotJiesis the indi-
cation is clearly the same, — to Buppress or to neutralise
the active caase of the complaint.

Let us first take Mabel's case. Of course, both for her
and for Constance, the main thing is to quit the oountry
during hay-harrest, and indeed during the whole reaping
season, for the seaside, and to Sequent the shore and
the town as much as possible, avoiding drives or rides
inland, picnics, and other similar temptations. Possibly
these simple precautions may suffice ; but if not, they
should be supplemented by one or more of the following
remedies.

Every morning, before leaving the bedroom, drink
slowly, in sips, a email cupful of black coffee, very hot,
and, while sipping it, smoke a stramonium cigarette.
Cigarettes of datura stramonium, such us those which I
find most efficacious in this complaint, are sold in
shilling boxes by Messrs. Boberts, chemists of !(f ew Bond-
street, London, and Place Vendfime, Paris. They must
he amoked slowly, the fames must be well drawn into the
air passages, and, now and then, ezpeUed through the
nostrils, a trick which is soon learnt by prat^ce. I have
found stramonium ranoking a sovereign remedy in many
had cases, where quinine, belladonna, and other specifies
entirely &il.

Later in the day, and, indeed, whenever the asthmatic
attack becomes violent, the dose of hot coffee and the
tngarette may be repeated. Dr. Carter MofEat's Am-
moniaphone is also a valuable remedial agent m hay-
asthma. It should he inhaled slowly and thoroughly
two or three times a day during a minute or two.
Champagne iced, especially if taken fasting in the morn-
ing, will frequently cut short a distressing paroxysm of
difficult hreatiiing, as I have many times had occasion te

156 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

observe. Whenever possible, the patient should aleo
have recourse to hydrotherspy — cold spinal douches and
douches on the head and chest being espeoiatly service-
able.

As for Constance, she vill need a somewhat different
method of treatment. In her case the disorder shows
itself as a catarrh, accompanied with &ontal headache,
sneezing, and all the usual symptoms of a severe cold.
Sea-bathing and cold water douching will do mudi for
her, no doubt, but to these remedies she must add the
use ef a lotion of sulphate of zinc, two grains to an ounce
of distilled water, applied freely to the eyes several times
a day. Twenty minims of tincture of opium added to
this lotion will render it still more efBcacious. If the
irritation of the eyes is intense and bumit^ I recommend
the following : —

Acetate of lead . ... 2 grains.
Dilate acetic acid .... 1 miuim.
Distilled water .... I ounce.

This lotion may also be used in the form of spray for
injection into the nostrils.

On going to bed at night the inside of the nostrils may
be smeared with a small quantity of Calvert's carbolic
camphorated ointment, a remedy which in some cases
suffices without other aid to remove unpleasant symptoms.
The edges of the eyelids, if sore, may also be gently
rubbed with this ointment In the morning the use of
the ointment may be replaced advantageously by a nasal
douche thus compounded : —

Cartiolate of zinc . ... 2 graina.

Kasal douches are best administered by means of
spray-producers, sold by all perAimers and chemists in

Grace and Health in Youth. 157

different sizes and at Tftrious prices. By means of one of
these little instruments the lotion can be introduced well
into each nostril and scattered in small particles on the
mucous membrane lining it.

Belief is afforded also by the occasional use in the
daytime of ordinary tobacco snuff, or of a powder com-
posed of one-sixteenth of a grain of morphia and one
grain of bismuth, applied as snuff, by sniffing it up into
the nostrils. The vapour of compound tincture of
benzoin, one drachm to a pint or half a piot of very hot
water, inhaled two or three times daily, constitutes a
most valuable sedative in acute irritation of the back of
the throat and the larynx. In the same way, carbolic
vapour may be inhaled; twenty grains of carbolic
acid to a pint of hot water ; or as spray, in cold distilled
water, twenty grains to ten ounces of water.

Both Mabel and Constance must avoid walking in the
glare of the sun unless well protected with large shady
hats and blue gauze veils, or veils as nearly approaching
that colour as possible. Small cotton-wool plugs steeped
in a camphorated or carbolised solution and inserted into
the nostrils, will also be found of great use in neutralising
the evil effects of country air when it is impossible to
wholly avoid it. A drop or two of spirits of camphor
attenuated with a little alcohol or water is enough to
impregnate a suiEcient quantity of wool for one nostril.
If a carbolic plug is preferred, the prescription already
given for a nasal douche can be utilised, or Calvert's
ointment, smeared on the surface of the wadding.

Indoors, both girls should sit in shaded rooms, and
avoid decorating their tables or their persons with flowers.
If any further remedy is requisite than those already
recommended, sulphate of zinc and assafoetida may be
taken internally in flie fona of pills, h, recent writer

ijS Health, Beauty , and the Toilet.

on liay-fever prefers valeriaaate of zino to &e solphate,
and g^yes tbe followmg formula ; —

Theae pills may be taken once or twice a day, bnt not
more frequently, and only in severe cases which do not
yield to external treatment.

ON THE CULTURE OP BEAUTY, GRACE, AND HEALTH
IN TOUTH.-Vn.

Mt dbab SiBifL, — As I have already written a good
deal to you concerning the cultivation of the voice and
the development of the figure, let us now give our minds
to the consideration of the complexion, and the care and
preservation of beauty generally.

In very early childhood the complexion is always,
unless in cases of disease, clear and blooming. This
skin of milh^ and roses, however, begins to tarnish and
&de at about seven years of age, sometimes even earlier.
Mothers who wish to preserve a beautiful complexion tn
their children should pay especial attention to two im-
portant matters — ventilation, and quality of food. The
first essentials for the culture and preservation of beauty
are pure air and sunshine. I^urseries should catch the
morning sun, and should be airy, with high oeUings and
open beds. Children should run about out of doors as
much as possible, and be encouraged to play in the
garden rather than in the house. Nest, they should be
nourished on the simplest and plainest fare, consisting
chiefly of milk and milky foods, ripe fruits in summer,
wholemeal bread, and all kinds of farinaceous dishes,
such as sago, macaroni, tapioca, semolina, rice, vermicelli,
hominy, and so forth. Children do not require meat ;
they seldom like the taste of it, and when it is not forced

i6iD Health, Beauty^ and the Toilet.

on them they are sure to prefer sweet and milky foods.
Never give children beer to drink, nor any kind of
alcoholic liquor. Naturally pure water is tho best
heren^ they can take, but, if it be difficult to get,
Salutaris, 8t Galmier, or Apollinaris water may bo
substituted. I cannot forbear, while on this subject, to
quote a passage from "Hypene of the Skin," by Mr.
Milton, senior suigeon to St. John's Hospital for Diseases
of the Skin. He says : —

" Of all the pestilent habits now prevailing, that of
giving boys and girls beer is, perhaps, the worst. There
are other habits which do their work more rapidly, but
they are only casually operative ; whereas the use of
beer is always and everywhere sowing the seeds of
mischief; eating like a leprosy into the land. Like
leprosy, too, the habit gets more hold of the system with
each successive year, the factitious strength and stimulus
which malt liquor imparts for the time being made an
excuse for continuing it, even when the victim finds that

it is spoiling the natural zest for food The

grown-up patient pays the penalty of a mistake begun,
it may be, fifteen or twenty years ago. In my own
experience this has been especially noticed as affecting the
skin, kidneys, and nervous system. Hie skin becomes
thick, muddy, and pimply, a fact evinced by the speedy
improvement which ensues from merely leaving off malt
liquors, without making any other change ; bo that I
would advise every young lady who values her com-
plexion, and particularly when she suffers under a
tendency to eruption of any kind, to eschew beer as a
worse poison than she could find in Apothecaries' Hall.
She is violating the rules of hygiene by putting an
undue strain upon her system and her skin, which latter
it is just as possible to oyertftx fts it is to overload the

Grace and Health in Youth. i6l

stomacli or work the brain too Lard, .... Cider,
thoagh it does not induce so much visible disturbance of
the oonfititutionj is almost as mischievous with regard to
the skin."

Tea, coffee, cocoa, and chocolate are all bad for
cMldren, causing heart-bum, indigestion, sick headache,
and rendering the skin yellow and opaque-looking.
Nothing is bo good for girls and boys as milk and water ;
milk at breakfast and supper, water at the mid-day
meal.

Every morning a tepid bath — rain-water if possible — ■
should be used in the nursery, but care must be taken
that the nurse does not wash two or more children in
the same water. Each child must have its own bath ;
the water must he plentiful, and the soap employed of
the very best kind. Nothing injures the complexion so
soon as bad soap. A large number of toilet soaps com-
monly used contain an escess of alkaline matter, which
ia extremely pernicious' to delicate skins ; others are
made by means of the " cold process," which does not
obtain complete chemical solution of the ingredients;
others, again, are mixed with animal fate of a coarse
kind, such as dripping and kitchen refuse. Nor is this
all. Many of the highly-scented and coloured toilet
soaps contain a considerable amount of lime, chalk, or
gypsum, and owe their attractive tints to noxious mineral
matters. The best soaps are uncoloured and unscented
transparent soaps, the type of which is Pears' hospital
Eoap, made according to the suggestions of the surgeon
already cited. Among opaque scented soaps I know of
none so pure as Dr. Nichols' " Sanitary Soap," prepared
with fine vegetable oil. Soap ought to contain from 15
to 20 per cent, of water, 7 or 8 per cent, of soda, and from
€7 to 70 per cent, of oil. Itf order that the daily bath

l6? Health, Beauly, and Ihe Toilet.

should be really beneficial, cbildren mast be well rubbed
from bead to foot with a rough Turkish t^wel after 'Oaa
wash. Frictiou is essential to the preserr&tioD of a
healthy skin and robust circulation.

During the summer do not permit your little girls to
ramble about with unprotected faces, or they will cer-
tainly get freckled, and freckles are sometimes difficult
to remove. Large cotton bonnets or shady hats ^ould
always bo worn in Hot weather, and the &ce should be
bathed with a little elder-flower water after a long walk
under a summer sun.

When children are quite yonng, the length and
luxuriance of the eyelashes may be enhanced by careful
clipping of the points every month or six weeks. This
operation, however, requires the greatest possible pre-
caution in order to avoid hurting the child or injuring
the eye. The eyebrows may be thickened also by the
same method. If a child's nose has a tendency to grow
upward, in other words, to become "snub," or unduly
broad at the base, it may be coaxed into better shape by
judicious manipulation daily applied. In early years the
cartilage which forms the iramework of the nose is
extremely pliable, and easily lends itself to external
pressure and training.

One of the most important adjuncts to personal
beauty is a good, sound, and even set of teeth. With
comely teeth no plain woman is ugly, while with bad
teeth no handsome woman is attractive. It is in childhood
that the teeth assert themselves for better or for worse,
and mothers who have the personal appearance of their
daughters at heart, ought, therefore, to pay a very special
attention to the hygiene and toilet of the mouth during
their infancy. The enamel of the teeth in childhood is
very delicate; therefore hard toothbrushes should be

Grace and Health in Youth. 163

aroided, aud only a soft brash of badger's hair used
onoe or twice a day. For shape I know no tooth-
broshea that can c«mparo with Mr. Salter's "Perfect
Pattern" brush, the handle of which is curved bo aa to
follow the contour of the dental arcades, and the bristles
graduated in length. I always use this brush myself,
and can confidently recommend it. Toothpowders are
uanecessary for children living on simple milk foods ; a
little weak myrrh and water, tepid, is quite enough to
cleanse both teeth and gums. If the second teeth appear
evenly they will need no manipulation, but should they
project or show a tendency to grow irregularly, they
should be pressed frequently into their proper portion,
and care must be taken to remove the first (or milk
teeth) if not naturally shed, as soon as the permanent
ones appear. If a first tooth remains fixed in the gum
when its successor shows itself, the latter will necessarily
deviate from its rightful place, and will either project
forward like a tusk, or will usurp the position of otiier
teeth, and so the regularity of the whole set will be spoilt,
and perhaps even the shape of the mouth affected. H the
least spot of decay becomes visible on any tooth, take the
child at once to a dentist and get gold stopping filled in, and
the progress of the mischief arrested. By this means
you will avoid not only the chance of future disfigure-
ment by the loss of the tooth, but also the certainty of
much suffering and disordered health.

With regard to the treatment of the hair in early
youth, I am of opinion that, as a rule, it is better to
vear it short I Uiink the luxuriance and beauty of the
hair in future years is best secured by the free use of
the scissors in childhood ; and, moreover, the comfort of
the child itself is greatly enhanced by the absence of
curlpapers, hairpins, combs, and other adjuncts of long

164 Health, Beauty, and the Tmtet.

tresGes. Short hair can be vashed daily in soft Trami
water, and so kept perfectly clean with but little tronble,
withoDt recourse to the use of washes or oils, which are
never advisable for children's heads. If the hair should
show any tendency to fall abnormally, the employment
of an electiic brush will be found of considerable value,
and this, with the occasional application of a quinine
lotion, and strict attention to general hygiene, will nsnally
suffice to arrest the complaint.

Let your children go to bed early : about an hour and
half after their last meal, or at the latest two hours,
and see that they do not lie late in the morning.
Children should be up by seven o'clock, or even half-
past six, in summer time, and by eight in winter ; and
i£ you can turn them out in the garden for a run beforo
breakfast, so much the better.

ON THE CULT0EE OF BEAUTY, GRACE AKD HEALTH
IN YOUTH. -VIII.

Mt deah Sibtl, — The culture and preservation of
beantjr in oliildhood must be supplemented by a careful
superrision of tbe habiis of the children themselves.
Boys and girb when quite young frequently contract
"tricks " in which they indulge more or lesa all day, or,
at any rate, during intervals not actively employed in
study or play, and which, if not speedily and decidedly
checked, may result in disfigurement of the face, bauds,
or other part of the person. I refer to such habits as
Buckiiig the thumb, biting the nails, rubbing the eye-
brows, distorting the mouth, drawing in the lower lip
and thereby protruding the under jaw, sitting with the
feet habitually twisted or tamed inwards, curving the
shoulders and contracting the chest by crouching over
books with the elbows thrust forward aad the chin rest-
ing on the palms, and many other unhygienic and ugly
tricks, easy to correct in their early stages, bat very
difficult to get rid of if suffered to become confirmed by
usage. It is, of course, lost labour on the mother's part
to endeavour by pressure to mould the too-spreading
cartilage of her child's nostrils, or to push back prominent
incisors into their right position, if the child itself is still
more frequently and industriously addicted to thrusting
ita forefingers into its nose, or to sucking its thumb aud

1 66 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

ttereby drawing the teeth forward and outward. Tricks
of this kind must be suppressed in early years by firm
and persistent vatcbfulness on the part of mother and
muse, gentle reprimands and uniform censorship. Later,
if new habits of a hurtfiil kind are acquired or old ones
reTived-^— as sometimes is the ca^e, for children when
even in their " teens " are usually imitative and con-
servative — argument may be used, and the ralionale of
the matter explained to the culprits, who will then, if
well-disposed, seldom fail to correct themselves.

And here it is, I think, the place to say that the
physical education of children can never be properly
carried out unless the children are permitted and en-
couraged to co-operate in the work. When they readi
a competent age — the standard of which it is impossible
to fix arbitrarily, because capacity and intelligence are
not equally developed in all young people — botti boys
and girls should be instructed in the elements of physi-
ology and hygiene. Unhappily, mothers are too often
themselves wholly ignorant of such things, and therefore
ouable to impart information to their children. Nor,
indeed, can such instruction be given by persons who
hare no thoroi^b knowledge of the subjects named, hut
only a smatterii^ hastily acquired by means of some
popular text-book. In order to teach even hat the rudi-
taanta of any science well and adequately, the teacher
most know its higher and more intricate developments,
and be able to pass a tolerably stiff examination in them.
Otherwise, tiie pupil's questions will certainly sooner or
later elicit either an honest acknowledgment of ignor-
ance, calculated to inspire mistrust, or, what is woisci
an erroneous reply. I therefore counsel mothers who
axe not conversant with the sciences of hygiene and phy-
nolc^ to send their children to private classes where

Grace and Health in Youth, 167

these subjeots are expounded by qualified teachers in
plain and simple language. Until ttiis is done regularly
and Byst^matioally, young girls will continue to r^ard
abnormally small waiste as desirable and omamental>
bigli French heels as elegant adjuncts of the human foot,
dress improvers as graceful appendages to the hollow of
the haok ; and, in consequence, red noses, indigestion, en-
laijied toe-joints, corns, crooked spines, and hysteria will
continue to increase and abound.

As much as you can, my dear Sibyl, encourage your
children to study nature and the natural sciences. I
venture to believe that a knowledge of anatomy, of the
rules of health, of the chemistry of foods, of the botany
of herbs and simples, of the laws of physics, Ught, heat,
sound, electricity, m^netism, evaporation, and so forth,
of the phenomena of storm and mist, and dew and rain,
and sunshine, their uses to the earth and to man, and all
the many interesting and beautiful facts of the nature
around and within us, would prove to be infinitely more
serviceable and enlightening than the customary lessons
in grammar, political economy, algebra, polite letter-
writing, or even history. I would rather my child should
know the composition of the air she breathes, the forma-
tion and working of the lungs in her bosom, the method
of the circulation of the blood, and the necessity of pure
Mr and plenty of it, than I would hear her discourse
about the deification of prepositions and pronouns, or
the articles in the indictment of Charles the First. As
it is, both girls and boys leam innumerable things which
are useless except as memoria teeknica, and neglect
knowledge of the widest interest and import. Your son
will fluently parse a sentence in Greek or Latin, your
daughter will faultlessly recite pages of Saeine or of
TaesOf bnt neither of th^iQ can tell you the history of

1 68 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

this drop of dew on tte grass at their feet or of the white
8e8-oli£F gleaming ia the eunshine yonder. Not tibe
study of tongues, whether quick or dead, is doubtless a
good and usefiil thing ; but why not also study to onder-
etand and interpret the language of Mother XaiureP
Other people's thoughts — especially such as Plato's^
Goethe's, or Dante's — may indeed be profitable to read,
but it is still better to think for oneself, and thinking is
learnt, not from hooks, but from obserratioa and sympa-
thetic interpretation of Nature. And of this also springs
Beauty itself, the best and most abiding, for heart and
mind impress and image themselves in face and form,
moulding and making these in their own similitade and
likeness. I recall, as I write, some lovely verses of
Wordsworth's touching this sympathetie intimacy with
the world of natural things, and I think I must quote
them to make my meaning clearer : —

Ou eartb waa never bowq ;
This child I to lUfself will take ;
3he shall be mine, and I will make

A lady of miuo own.
" Myself will to iny darling be
Both law and impulse ; and with mo

le eirl, in rock and plain,
irtn ani' "" '~ '^- -

Id earth and heaven, in glada and bower.
Shall feel an overseeing power

To kindb or lestrain.
" She shall be sportive as the Tawn
That, wild with glee, across the lawn

Or up the mountain springs ;
And hers shall be the breathing balm.
And bers the silence and the calm

Of mute insensate things.
" Tbe floating clouds their state shall lend
To bcr ; for her the wUlow bend ;

Nor ahall she fail to see
Even in the motions of the storm
Grace that shall mould the maiden's form

By silent sympathy.

Grace and Health in. Youth. 169

" The stars of midnight slmll be dear
To her ; and she shall loan her ear

In many a aecret place
Where rivulets dance their wayward round.
And Beauty, born of murmuring sound,
Shall pass into her iace.

" And vital feetinga of deligbt
Shall rear her form ta stately height,

Her virgin boaom swell ;
Such thoughts to Lucy 1 will give
'While she and I together live

Here in this hapjiy dell."

Lay these stanzas up in your heart, Sibyl, for there is
an excellent sermoa ia them. Teach your children to
know aad to love Nature, and to have sympathy for all
creatures, great and small, wild and tame. Let them ba
taught the history aad ways of birds and of all the littlo
clever, wise animals of field aad wood and moor, so that
by-aad-by they may see in them something better than
mere living marks for their guns, or quarry to be rua to
death by horse and hound. Aad, as much as possible,
accustom your hoys and girls to associate together,
whether for stady or for play. The sexes complete and
counterbalance oach other, the boys encouraging their
fiiatera to healthy exercise and stimulating enterprise, the
girls restraining their brothers from acts of foolhardiness
OP thoughtless cruelty. If education were shared in
common, and sport more generally participated in by
youths and maidens together, our youag men would be
far more chivalrous and clean-hearted than they now are,
and our girls would be less frivolous and artificial. The
separation of the sexes in the morning of life is, to my
mind, a fruitful cause of miachief, physical, moral, and
intellectual.

There are some forms of amusement aad sport which,
of course, are less suited for girls than for boys, such as
cricket, rowing, aad cycling. But for tl^e loss of these

1 70 Health, Beaviy, and the Totlet

the girl can be amply compensated by the exercise which
domeetic work at home ioTolyee. I think it is Mr.
Buskin who advises that every girl should do a certain
amount of house-cleaning or cooking daily, if only to
give her an idea of the pleasure of labour. And, apart
from the "pleasure," all young women ought to serve an
apprenticeship in home duties, else how, by-and-by, when
they come to be heads of households, will they know
how to instruct and oversee their servants P Every girl,
no matter what her station in life, ought, before she is
eighteen, to have leamt how to cook simple dishes, how
to make beds, to lay a table for dinner, and, generally, to
superintend with knowledge the common daily duties of
the housemaid, parburmaid, and other domestics. All
these things are holiday tasks that may well and agreeably
fill file interval of vacation time when graver studies are
laid aside. "Wet days, which would otherwise prove weari-
some, and which cannot be wholly occupied by sedentary
pursuits, may bo pleasantly and wholesomely diversified
by means of a Httle indoor activity with broom, duster,
or rolling-pin. In the country, too, there are usually the
dairy, the laundry, and the bread-oven, all representing
so many centres of energy and interest to lively girls.
And there is often more tun to be got out of these
domestic departments than out of the lathe or the car-
penter's tool-box, with which, meanwhile, their brothers
are amusing themselves.

ON THE CULTURE OP BEAUTY, ORACE, AKD HEALTH

IN YOUTH. -IX.

Mt dsar Sibyl, — I have but few words to add to
what I have already said on the physical edocatioii of
children, and they shall be devoted to the consideration
of certain natural individual idiosyncrasies which tend to
help or to hinder physiological development in youth.

Physicians attribute to the human body five different
eonstitutional temperaments or normal states, wit^ one
of which everybody is bom. l^eee five temperaments
are : the sanguine, the nervous, the lymphatic, the
bilious, and the composite, which last may represent a
eombination of two or more of the other four.

These natal and constitutional differences of organisa'
tion are all of them constant in the same individual ;
that is to say, they are not interchangeable, but through-
out life continue identical, and control the entire maniire
d'itre of the subject from cradle to grave. Particular
expressions of the constitutional temperament may be
modified by education and acquired habit, but the native
tendency of physique is ineradicable, and must, as I
shall presently hope to show, be taken into due account
during die years of childhood and early youth.

The eangnine temperament is so named because it im-
ports great activity of the circulatory system. The chest
and lungs of sanguine people are well developed and

172 HeaUh, Beauty^ and the Toilet.

sturdy, their skin is usually clear, their cheeks and Ups
ruddy, their muscles firm, ttieir powers of digestion and
assimilatioQ strong and rohust, their movements free,
vigorous, and eren vehement ; their passions and imagi-
natiouB d the liveliest. The poise is strong and full, iha
body usually inclined to embonpoint, and the mental
acumen sharp and penetrative. Boys and girls of this
temperament are, as a rule, endowed with regular and
easily-preserved health ; if they contract any cliildish
malady, such as measles, scarlatina, or whooping-cough,
the disorder is well marked, attended with strong fever,
and followed by a convalescence of short duration. The
illnesses to which this temperament most predisposes are
of a plethoric character, and special care should therefore
be taken te avoid over-heating, sunstroke, ill-venfilated
rooms, and undue excitement. Stimulating foods and
drinks are unsuitable to young people of sanguine tempera-
ment; they should take chiefly fruit, vegetable, and
farinaceous articles of diet, and should not he indulged
with tea or coffee.

The nervous temperament is usually characterised by
pallor of the face, fineness and scantiness of hair, spare-
nesa of frame, great length of spine, and a somewhat
contracted chest. The countenance is expressive, the
forehead broad, the muscular system poorly developed,
the movements sudden and often spasmodic, and the
circulation generally defective, from the intellectual
point of view there is great susceptibility of mental
impression, everything is felt in extremes, at times there
is almost overwhelming despondency and discontent, at
others an exaltation equally exaggerated. Children of
nervous temperament are very quick of apprehension,
generally studious, inventive, and subtle ; genius belongs
to this type, and often shoTj^s itself ^t a very early age.

Grace Und tleatth in YotUh. 173

When the nerrons temperament exists in combination
mth another, it al'ways dominates and controls the latter.
Great care is needed in the education and traimng of
children of this constitational calibre. They are subject
to irequent complaints, and usually hare many infantile
disorders. Later, as the mental &culties ui^old, they
are liable to manifest all kinds of nervous indisposition,
— chorea (St. Yitus's dance), hysteria, somnambulism,
asthma, neuralgia, and VBrious irregularities of the diges-
tive processes. Yet, notwithstanding these weaknesses
and the instability of their physique, it is remarkable
that the nervous temperament endows its possessors with
greater power of endurance than any other. Suffering,
labour, fatigue, privation, and every kind of trial, moral
and physical, are better supported by nervous persons
than by others of hardier or less sensitive type.

The diet of uervous children should be carefully
selected. It should consist of line and concentrated
aliments, all coarse, bulky, and flatulent foods being
avoided. Tonics, bitters, and cordials are beneficial aids
in most cases. Baths, either warm or tepid, should be
daily administered, followed by gymnastic exercises and
jriotions &om head to foot, in order to promote the
general circulation and equalise the nervous tension.
Boys and girb, especially girls, of this temperament,
suffer greatly from cerehro-spinal irritability, and this
tendency must be taken into consideration during their
schooldays, in such wise aa to avoid brain-pressure,
anxiety, and excessive fault-finding. All nervous children
are sensitive in an acute d^;ree, they take blame terribly
to heart, and are elated, often unduly, by praise. Their
teachers should tiot be their parents ; for unless the latter
can, in the capacitj' of instructors, preserve a perfectiy
unrufBed and serene demeanour, lesson-time is liable to

174 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

end abraptly in tears and laments. For nerroas diildiea
are excitaUe, resentful of reproof and often petulant ;
and it is equally bad for parent and for child to come
into colliaion as tutor and pnpil. The fathers and
mothers of nervous children should reserre themselTea
for the parlour and the nursery, and remain absent from
the school-room. The parental presence should be one
of repose, vholly nnassooiated mth reminiscences of tur-
moil, vexation, and disheartenment. Frequent change
of air and scene are beneficial — indeed, almost necessary
— ^for nervoos children. Violent exercise should be
avoided, especially in the case of girls, because all the
bodily functions are precociously developed and easily
excited to abnormal activity in yonng people of this
temperament, and much mischief may be done by over-
fatigue or stimulation of the system.

The lymphatic type is, perhaps the most easily recog-
nisable. It consists in the predominance of the oi^anio
over the cerebral and spinal nervoiis system, resulting in
general feebleness of the intellectual and physical forces,
whiteness and flabbiness of the flesh, exaggeration of the
■watery fluids of the body, arrest of development, and a
production of fatty tissue often inconvenient and un-
wieldy, with a marked tendency to chronic complaints
of the mucous membranes and of the skin. Generally
speaking] seaside and moist places are unfavourable to
lymphatic children ; they should live in country towns
inland and on high levels ; they should wear flannel
garments, thick boots, and be well noarished, eschewing
rich and greasy foods, and taking a iair portion of stimu-
lating aliments, such as spices, pepper, mustard, coflee,
and occasionally a little wine, especially if liable to any
form of chronic fluxion. It is usually futile to expect
much from children of this temperament in the way of

Ci*au and Health in Youth. 175

iatellectoal acquirement. They are dreamy, indolent,
and capricious, and incapable of sustained effort. Freseurs
will only exasperate them ; they are neither encouraged
by praise nor abashed by censure. It is not in their
nature to be moved by emulation or ambition of any
kind : all they desire is to be tranquil and undisturbed.
Women of this type make good mothers irom the
physioal point of Tiew, and rarely require wet-norsee for
their infanta.

The bilious temperament is nearly allied to the nerroos,
and some b^iieiusta regard it as a derivatiTe of the
latter, with which it is frequently combined. It is
characterised by a dark or yellowish aspect of complexion,
black or dusky-coloured hair, a downy skin, pronounced
features, well-developed muscles, with very little &t,
large bones, and predominance of the fiinctions of the
liver over those of the other organs. The passions are
usually enei^tio and their effects lasting, the character
is distinguished by great perseverance, firmness, and evrai
obstinacy. Young people of this temperament require
a good deal of exercise, and their diet should be strictly
moderate, vegetable rather than animal ; milky foods are
not suitable for them, nor are stimulants of any kind.
Usually, indeed, they dislike milk and all sorts of mild
or sweet dishes.

As for the composite temperaments, such as the nervo-
sanguine, the nervo-lymphatic, the sanguine-lymphatic,
and so forth, they are, of course, distinguished by com-
binations of the various types just described ; and are of
far more frequent occurrence than simple temperaments*
Dr. B. W. Richardson (F.R,S.), in an interesting lectnre
entitled " Fehoity, as a Sanitary Research," records his
conviction that temperament is a fundamental and all-
important factor in the attainment of happiness. He

176 Health, J^eauiy, and ike Toilet.

sajm : " As a general fact, the sanguine is altogether the
happier temperament, but not always the most sustained
as such ; the dark or bilious is the least happy in early
life, but is often in later life more serene ; the nerrous
is a varying conditioD, full of ups and downs ; the
lymphatic is, by a native effect, the most oven ; and,
among the twenty-four combinations of temperaments,
the sangnine-lympliatic is the most felicitous in respect
to physical pleasures ; and the bilious-sanguine and the
bilious-lymphatic, in respect to intellectual ; the nerrons-
Bftnguine is the most irritable, and the nervous-lymphatio
the most helpless and miserable."

Varieties of temperament must be viewed, then, as
potent factors in determining the direction and result of
education, and especially of that branch of education
which is, properly speaking, physiological. Childhood
and youth are the most plastic periods of life. Accord-
ing to the prevailing tone of the influences, moral, social,
and otherwise, brought to bear on the vital centres of
the brain and heart in early years, will be their subse-
quent development and calibre. Repression, worry, or
frequent rebuke, combined with what in most girls'
schools is usually called " discipline," will suffice to
develop in a nervous temperament aU the symptoms of
chorea or hysteria, disorders which leave their mark on
the character or physique for long periods, and blight
the felicity of early womanhood. Girls of nervous tem-
perament, or of any of its combinations, should be
encouraged to adopt as a special subject of pursuit some
one particular study or accomplishment, as drawing,
music, botany, or one of the sciences. Their idiosyncrasy
needs the sati^iction of absorbed interest and ambition,
and they will pine or become melancholy if repressed to
the dead level of ordinary domesticity. If such a girl

Grace and Health in Youth. 177

shows aptitudes &ud desire for uausual avocatiaDs, —
ae medicine, Ecience, or otber pTofesEional work, she
should be encouraged and uded in fellowiug up tlie bent
of her genius, precisely aa though ehe belonged to the
more favoured sex. If she is thwarted and restrained,
nature will aTenge itsdf against her guardians by
instigatiDg the girl so de&auded of a legitimate outlet
for her mental energy, to some wild or romantic actioa
OD another plane. She will elope with a penniless
adventurer, or engage iu some Quixotic enterprise not
lees disastrous, or, failing tiieee resources, will fall into
chlorosis or some otber chronic state of ill-health. For
tiie vital activity bums fiercely in such a temperameitt,
and Mies imperatively for work and the aatisfaction of
ambition.

Again, lymphatic children need very careful physia-
Ic^oal tnmmig and supervision, but, of course, of a wholly
^ffwent character. Indolence and supineness are the
besetting faults of the lymphatic. In common phrase,
tbey are said to "moon about," no doubt because, astro-
logically q>eakiDg, ' they are "bom under the moon's
ififluenoe." Their disposition is the reverse of that which
diaracterisea the nervous or "quicksilver" temperament,
and the difficulty in their case is to arouse them to an
i&t««ai in any subject. Injudicious harassment and
perpetual attempts to force them to occupy their minds
at bodies against their will, usually result only in com-
pdliog Uiem to take refuge in subterfuge or prevarica-
tion. In order to excuse themselves from work or e£fort
of ffliy kind, they will enter on a bewildering series of
miwepresentations, generally as littie lucid and perspicn*
OQS as the condition of their own intelligence. It is
htile to endeavour to "cram " children of this constitu-
tion. Let them do what they can ; expect nothing bril-

178 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet,

liaat from them ; if perchance they exhibit aoy livelier
intereet in one particular branch of study than in others,
suppress the rest, and let them dorote all the energy
they can Hommon to that one. Bilious-lymphatic per-
sons oflen make good executive musitdans ; they are not
inrentiTe, but they are reflective, and the mechanical
study of music is not one that requires the exercise of
acute mental processes. Self-possession also is necessary
to executive musicians, and this virtue is frequently con-
spicnoos in lymphatic types of temperament. The ner-
vous person may bref& down utterly for want of self-
possession, where the lymphatic subject will score a
success, chiefly on account of his or her admirable
aplomb. In many circumstances and avocations the
power of coolness is of far more value than that of
intellectual skiU. The scholar of genius who is perturbed
and agitated before his examiners, so that his memory
plays him false and leaves his mind a prey to confusion,
obviously stands abetter chance of being "referred to his
studies" than does the phlegmatic pupil whom nothing
COD excite, and who is at the top of his excellence wh^i
before his jury. At the Paris Faculty, where all exami-
nations are tiva voce, I have had ample opportunities for
verifying these conclusions.

On the whole, the sanguine temperament and its
varieties give the best material for steady success and
felicity. The nervous subject is mobUe as mercury;
every change of scene, of weather, or of magnetic condi-
tion in his surroundings, affects and influences him. He
mopes in damp seasons, and is joyously responsive to sun-
shine. In the midst of mountains he bums with fierce
ardour and enthusiasm ; among the pastures of the low-
lying country he is resigned and timid. Like a flower,
his subtle and various nature droops under frost or rain.

Grace and Health in Youth. 179

ftud expands beneatli the light. On the other liand,
nothing of all these affects the lymphatio. He resemhlea
the Yankee who, when shown the Falls of Niagara for
the first time, observed that the sight was "really very
pretty." Enthusiasm never visits the breast of the lym-
phatio individual, nor is be ever abnormally depressed.
He glides evenly throngh life like flowing water, which
is, indeed, the philosophical analogue of his type. But
the saaguine temperament has the better of both these.
It ia pre-eminently hopeful ; its tide is always high ; it
is true and steadfast without being briUiant, earnest
without being fanatic. Sanguine natures are usually
" well-regulated" and thoroughly tnietworthy. They are
truthful because neither indolent nor fearful; they are
persevering and determined because they have an
abounding confidence in Providence. All will come
right for them; they are never discouraged or faint-
hearted. If your children are of this temperament, Sibyl,
receive my congratulations. They will succeed in life,
and will have ample and unshaken felicity ; for happiness
dwells in the heaxt of the sanguine man or woman, and
to such all seasons are fair. Genius may poison itself in
despair, as Chatterton did at fifteen, or run away with an
innkeeper's daughter, as Shelley did at twenty ; but the
sanguine boy will do credit to his pasters and masters,
and will grow up to become by-and-by eminent in law, in
chemistry, or some other of the more solid and less artistio
profesffions.

ON THE HYOIESE ASD CnsiNE OF THE 8ICK-R00JL— I.

Deab Ladt Pohehoy, — I am pleased to hear that
yon are eeriouBly studying the scicoice of sarsitig. It is
a science too much neglected in its essential elem^s, for
although it may be true that women are by natnre peca-
liarly adapted for the duties of the nurse, it is certainly
no less true that nature does not snfSce to complete the
qualification. Technical knowledge is needed to suj^le-
ment and to correct natural impulses, which, even in the
most sympathetic and earnest persons, are liable to mis-
lead in important matters, — such, for example, as the
yentilatioD of the sick-room, the dothing, the i^etary, and
general treatment of the patient, and the regard which
must bo paid to his special "fancies" and temperament.
Ko amount of science can replace sympathy and affection,
bat by means of science their value is enhanced a thou-
sandfold: A good nurse is better than the physit^an,
and her ministry is more potent to save life than all the
drugs of the pharmacopccia. This axiom sounds like one
of King Solomon's ; and, indeed, it would not be out of
place amoi^ the proverbs of the wise man. Of course I
am not suggesting that the pbysidan is superfluous ; I
am insisting only on the fact that his part is chiefly that
of adviser and overseer ; the real duties of healing are in
the hands of the nurse. Therefore it is essen^ that

Hygiene and Cuisine of the Sick-room. i8i

she should be intelligent, and capable not only of execut-
ing, but of understanding, injunctions laid upon her.
Also, it is a decided advantage to her patient if she be a
person of refinement, -with the instincts and habits of the
class to which he himself belongs. The doctor is, or
should be, a gentleman ; otherwise he cannot be a really
efficient physician. So, also, the nurse should be a gen-
tlewoman, if not by station, then at least by nature. She
must step Hghtly, shut the door noiselessly, move adroitly,
speak softly, and, above all, be scrupulously clean, neat
and "nice " to look at. If the patient is in much pain,
very ill or weak, the nurse must remember that silence
and semi-obscurity provide the best conditions to pro-
mote recovery. There must be no whispering in comers
with visitors, servants, or the doctor ; all that has to be
said — if not for the patient's hearing— must be said out-
side the sick room, for nothing more readily aggravates
and disturbs a sufferer than suppressed colloquies held in
hia presenca

Candles ought never to be used in sick-rooms; the
only light allowed should be that of a carefully shaded
lamp, giving a soft, diffused glow through a tinted paper
screen. The sudden flare of a candle abruptly introduced
into the apartment, or placed where the fiame is visible
to the sick person, constitutes for him an annoyance and
irritation often sufficient to induce a return of bad symp-
toms previously allayed, and to seriou^y retard rest and
convalescence. I have known sudden attacks of neu-
ralgic pain in the bead and of vomiting created by
notbii^ else than the entry into the darkened sick-room,
of a servant bearing a naked light. The best illumina-
tion for the sick-room consists of a shaded reading-lamp —
the wick half-high only — placed a few yards from the
patient's bed or chair, and yielding a steady subdued

182 Health, Beauty, and the "Toilei.

light. Any lamp the flame of which begins to Sicker or
fluctuate, most be at once remoTed.

Wood iuel is healthier than any other, and, when pos-
sble, should be always preferred, for although it gives
less heat than coal or coke, the latter combustibles
largely jrield smoky products, and a fine gritty aah,
which, being deposited abont the room, necessitates a
great deal of inconvenient dusting, sweeping, and clean-
ing, besides vitiating the atmosphere with exhalations
of oxide of carbon, carbonic acid, and other deleterious
gases.

During tlie cold season a wood fire should be kept
burning night and day, in the sick-room, as much for the
sake of ventilation and purification of the air as for that
of warmth, for it most be borne in mind that the funda-
mental condition of ventilation lies in the difference of
temperature existing between the inner and outer atmo-
sphere ; the warmer the room the freer and more constant
is the flow of fresh air into it from without In order
that the supply of fresh air should be sufficient, it is not
necessary to create draughts or currents of wind annoying
to the persons inhabiting the apartment. On the con-
trary, draughts must be carefully excluded from doors
and windows by means of india-rubber tubing attached
to the woodwork in such a manner as to cover apertures
while freely permitting opening and shutting. This
method is — at least as regards doors — far better than the
ordinary expedient of placing sandbags, mats, or other
moveables on the fioor at the entrance of the room, where
such articles frequently form traps for unwary feet, and,
being liable to easy displacement, are not always left in
proper position by persons entering and leaving. Venti-
lation is best effected at the upper part of the room,
towards which the heated and vitiated air ascends, and

Mygieiie and Cuisine of the Sick-room, 183

where the entry of the fresh air engenders no cnrrent
helow the level of eight or ten feet. An ingress of cold
air along the floor is extremely dangerous, hecause it is
apt to chill the feet and lower limbs of persons in the
room, 'especially if they be sitting near the fire, since it
is always towards the chimney that tho air current is
drawn. The lower sash of a window should not be
raised, but only the upper drawn down . Better still if the
room he provided with a ventilator above the window
near the ceiling, and clear over the heads of all present.

While upon this subject, I think that it will not be amiss
to insist at some little length on the necessity of tho-
roughly aerating all dwelling apartments, whether inbs-
bited by sick or sound foll^ for, even in these enlightened
times, there exists everywhere much want of infor-
mation on the point. Nor is it only the restoration
and preservation of health that are concerned ; Yenus and
the C^races, as well as Hygeia, have a plea to put in on
behalf of fresh air.

Health and beauty are intimately connected, and no
advice concerning the preservation and improvement of
either can he considered complete without a few words
on the subject of ventilation.

Headache, dyspepsia, languor, general debiUty, and
many of the minor disorders of the skin, such as acne, net-
tlerash, inaction of the glands, causing dryness and sallow-
ness of the complexion, congestion of the circulation in
the nose, eyelids, or cheeks, and numberless other incon-
venient troubles of the vascular and nervous systems, arise
from the habit of passing the night in unaired rooms, the
windows, doora, and chimney outlets of which are kept
closed. In some houses, especially those built during
tho preceding century, sleeping apartments may he found
entirely unprovided with fireplaces, and in such case it is,

184 Health, Beauiy, and ifie Toilei.

of course, doubly important to secure the ingress and ^ress
of air by otber means. Every adult individual requires
three thousand cubic feet of aii to breathe per hour if
health is to be maintained, and it is, therefore, necessary
that a constant inflow of pure air &om without and oat-
flow of stale air from within the bed-chamber should be
ensured throughout the night. TVe live upon air as
much as, if not more than, upon food, and stale or con-
taminated air is capable of poisoning as as readily as
deadly drinks or anwholesome viands. But it must be
remembered that air is rendered unfit for breathing not
only by the action of human and animal respiration, but
by that ako of plants, at night, and especially by the
burning of lights, whether candles, gas, or lamps.
Flowers breathe like animals ; they abstract oxygen Irom
the atmosphere and give out carbonic acid gas, differing
in this respect from foliaceous trees and shrubs, the green
leaves of which, under the action of daylight, act in- -
Tersely, withdrawing carbonic acid, and returning oxygen
in its stead. For t^ reason, among others, forests are
Tery invigorating and refreshing retreats daring the day-
time ; the trees not only afford a pleasant shade, bat
actually purify the atmosphere and exhilarate the ner-
vous system of the wayfarer. At night, however, the
proximity of green plants is not so beneficial, and it is
therefore nnadvisable to keep them then in bedrooms^

In order to ventilate rooms scientifically, it most be
remembered tbat stale or impure air, whether given out
■by the respiratory organs of oar own bodies, or by the
lights burning in the apartment, is always warmer thaa
anbreathed and unbumt air, and that, coasec|uently, the
latter occupies a lower stratum than the former, which,
1>eing heated, mounts and rises to the upper part of the
room, near the ceiUi^. In theatres or ohorohes the

Hygiene and Cuisine of the Sick-room. 185

hottest and most unwholesoToe atmosphere is alvays
found in the neighbourhood of the galleries; and in
closed chambers, coDstructed for experimental purposes,
and lighted with tapers of unequal length, those that are
tallest, and therefore higher up than the rest, always go
out soonest. But, although for this reason it is desirable
that outlete for impure air should he situated in the upper
part of our rooms, it must not be forgotten that vhererer
such outlets are constructed they will not only give exit
to heated air, but ingress to cold outride air, and that
the latter, being much heavier than the stale air, will
fall through it in a steady stream, and make its presence
very disagreeably felt by the occupants of the apartment.
Ventilators, to be hygienic and conTenient, must, then,
he devised in such a way as to introduce the outer and
colder air in an upward direction, and to prevent it from
descending immediately like a shower on the heads of the
persons present. To accomplish this object it is neces-
sary to have a good clear space between the ventilator
and the ceiling, and to direct the entering column of air ob-
liquely, in such a manner as to avert any sudden draught.
A system of ventilatiou known as the " Sherrington "
has been widely recommended by my professional con-
frira, and as it is easily adapted to any room, I will
give a brief description of it. It consistd of an iron valve
fitting into an aperture in the wall, which should not be
too high, but 80 placed as to prevent rebound of the cold
air from the ceiling. The side of the valve, which faces
outwards, is covered by an iron grating. The valve
slants forward, and is provided with lateral " cheeks "
which prevent the overflow of cold air from its ends ia
Guch a manner as to direct the entering current upwards,
and cause it to ascend. If desired, the valve can bo
closed by pulling a string, or it can bo kept partly open.

i86 }ieaUh, Beauly, and the Toilel

Anotber good method of ventUatioTi, and one that has
the advantage of heing extremely simple, is the follow-
ing : — Raise the lower sash of the window, and insert
between the woodwork and the sill a " lift," about an
inch deep, extending from end to end, and filling up the
whole opening. The air then enters between the sashes,
and in an upward direction, because the lower sash, being
supported by the lift, is raised an inch above the lower
edge of the upper sash. Very little draught is created
by this plan, upon which, however, Mr. Tobin, of Leeds,
has improved, by perforating the lower sash-frame with
several small holes, into each of which a little case con-
taining cotton-wool is fitted. The wool filters the air,
and prevents the entry of smuts, or of too fierce a
current. Lids can be fitted over the holes so as to close
them at will. Many other contrivances are used, too
numerous to mention here, but I will just add a few
words in commendation of the double-pane system,
which is a modified application of " Louvre " ventilation.
Louvre ventilators are made of glase, and can be fitted
into windows instead of panes, but as they have metal
frames, they are liable to become rusty and unworkable.
But the double panes are iree from this objection. They
consist of two ordinary glass panes, the outer of which
has an open space of about an inch or less at the bottom,
and the inner an open space of the same dimensions at
the top, so that tho current of air entering is deflected
upwards. If this contrivance be used in large cities,
however, dirt is apt to accumulate between the panes,
and is with difficulty removed. Cooper's disc is more
suitable for urban ventilation, because it is more easily
cleaned. It is a revolving circular glass pane, per-
forated in five or six places, and fitted over an ordinary
window-pane similarly pierced. By turning the disc on

tJygieke and Cuisine of the Sick-room. 187

ite pivot the holes can he made to correspond or not,
and thas the air can he admitted or cut off as may be
wished. To clean it, the pivot must he unscrewed.

Then there is the vertical shaft ventilator, which you
may see in most "health exhibitions," and which, of
late, has become very fashionablo ; and scores of other
more or less convenient and hygienic apparatus impossible
to describe here. The one thing to be borne in mind,
as a general rule, is that all openings for ventilation
should slant inwards and upwards, at a point about two
feet below the ceiling in a moderately lofty room, and as
far as can be from the fireplace. Slides or lids that can
easily be drawn over them when necessary, should be
provided. Tubes for ventilation on this system have
been invented by Shillito and Shorland, McEinnell,
Tobin, Tossell, and others.

In warm summer seasons, of course, the windows,
whether of the sick-room or of the ordinary dwelling
apartment, should be somewhat widely opened at the
top throughout the day, because in warm weather the
exchanges between the outer and inner air are far less
brisk than in winter, owing to the fact that but little
. difference of temperature exists between the atmosphere
indoors and that without. Even at night, in the summer
season, the sick.room windows may remain opened, for
night air is by no means harmful, as many untrained
nurses suppose. Care must, however, he taken to pre-
vent the entry of gnats and other nocturnal insects, by
fastening over the aperture a piece of tarlatane or coarse
muslin ; and the window so opened must not be in the
immediate vicinity of the patient's bed.

It is, moreover, important to the purity and whole-
someness of the air in the sick-room that no utensil
contaioiDg foetid or evacuated matters, liquid or other-

i88 Healih, Beauty, and the Toilet.

viae, should be permitted to remain in the apartment.
SoohntensilB Bhonld, immediately after use, be carried
away and cleansed, and a uig'ht-table provided in vhieli
to keep them when not in use.

The ook-room should be lai^ and airy, the bed
QQCortained, or, at least, if the treather be cold, only
very lightly guarded by 'washable dimity or chints
hangings, so that the air may bare free ciroolation about
the bed oa all sides. Floors of polished wood— ^r^ue^
— which can freqaently be swept and deaned, an
greatly saperior from a hygienic point of view to the
ordinary carpeted floors of most English dwellings.
Carpets, especially in sick-rooms, quickly become nn-
oleanly, and harbour a vast amount of dost and organic
particles, often of an infectious character. Instead vS.
nailed, and therefore immoveable, carpets, I would sub-
stitate warm rugs and furry hides, strewn loosely about
the room, and capable of being daily removed and shaksD
in the open ur outside the house. Parquet flooring is,
of course, expensiTe on a large scale ; bat oak or erea
deal boards can, without much oost or dif&culty, be
planed, plugged, and ramished in such a manner as to
oomplet^y exclude draughts between the plankings, and
to present an even and pretty effect.

The coverings of the patient's bed should be warm,
light, and porous ; coverlets of loosely knitted flofiy wool,
sufficiently large to tack in at the sides, are especially
commendable. Nor can I sufficiently impress upon you
the necessity of always keeping yoor patient's feet warm,
whether he be in or ont of bed. For this purpose a fiat
tin, filled with boiling water, should be placed inside the
bed, and enveloped in flannel so as to prevent it from
burning the feet, and the nnrse must be careAd to keep
it replenished as occasion requires. When the patient

Hygiene and Cuisine of ike Sick-room. 189

leareB his bed, and " sits up," the hot-Tater tin may be
placed on a stool beneath the soles of hia feet, or ineide

In my next commnnication attention ehall be paid to
the subject of sick-room cookery, times and meUiods of
administering food, and other details concerning diet in
stages of acute malady as well as in those of cooTales-

XXVI.

ON THE HYQIEKE AND CUISINE OF THE SICK-BOOM.— II.

D£AB Lady Pomeroy, — In fulfilment of my promise,
this letter shall be devoted to invalid dietaries, witt a few
simple sn^jiestions concemmg various regimens and their
appropriate uses.

Alimentary regimens are usually divided hy authorities
on hygiene into seven classes, ■which are, — tonic, stimu-
lant, analeptic, emollient, laxative, astringent, and tem-
perate or watery. This classification is, of course,
somewhat arhitrary, and in practice it is customary to
comhine tiie characteristics of two or more groups. The
advantages of a cleverly and scientifically composed
regimen cannot he too highly estimated, for diet plays
the leadii^ part in the art of healing, and the ancients
wisely atbibated to it an importance which has since
been unhappily usurped hy drugs. Hippocrates did not
hesitate to a£Brm that the most learned and skiliiil
physician was he who cured the sick by means of an
appropriate regimen.

The first daas of r^;imen above enumerated — the tonic —
consists of aliments selected for their richness in nutritive
qaalities, and comprises all albuminous, mucilaginous, and
feculent substances, whether animal or vegetable, plants
and herbs containing bitter principles, tonic beverages,
Bordeaux and Burgundy wines, and in general all the
more solid and generous foods and drinks. This regimen
is appropriate to cachectic conditions of ill-health — that is
to say, chronic states of ezhaustioQ and feebleness follow-

Hygiene and Cuisine of the Sick-roam. 191

ing prolonged maladies by whicli the system of the p&tieat
has been depleted and shattered; it 13 suitable also to
cases of brain fatigue after severe mental strain, and
should be permanently adopted by lymphatic, Bcrofulous,
and weakly persona, especially those suffering habitually
liom fluxions of the intestine, loss of blood, and other
similar excesses in the function of internal oi^;anE.

The stimulant regimen comprises the greater number
of the aliments named in the preceding class, with the
addition of herbs, spices, and condiments posaeeeing
aromatic and pungent qualities. Mustard, ginger,
pepper, curry-powder, garlic, capsicum, — all these things,
and others of analogous kind, are stimulants. Among
meats, game in particular belongs to this class, and among
beverages, coffee, tea, and liqueurs. Such a r^imen is
useful in cases of long-continued loss of appetite, nervous
nausea, convalescence after infectious fevers or other epi-
demic diseases, and in certain types of illness characterised
by prostration of the physical forces, sluggish circulation,
&intnees, and feeble digestive power. On the contrary,
a diet of this hind must be studiously avoided wherever
Leart disease is present, aneurism of the blood-vessds,
liver complaint, or tendency to apoplexy, gout, or gravel.

The analeptic regimen is sometimes described as a milk
diet. It is one of the most important and useful. Its
component aliments are at once nutritious and emollient
in a high degree, and include milk and all milky pro-
ducts, light puddings, farinaceous gruels and soups,
custards, and bever^es prepared from pearl barley and
other fine meals and grains. This regimen is especially
suited to acute stages of illness, in fevers, diseases of the
chest or throat, dyspepsia, cancer, complauits of the
kidneys, hysteria, rheumatism, and inflammation of the
intestuiBl canal.

193 Hmlth^ Beauty, and ike Toilet.

Next in order comes the emolUent regimeii, the model
'light diet" of the dootors, often apoetrophised by dis-
contented nnrses end reooldtrant pati^ifs as " lowering. "
The alimenta vhich compose it are chiefly v^etablea,
frnita, jellies, thin sonpe, and eatery broths. It is the
ai^ropriate diet of severe cases of ilbess, hemorrhage,
dysentery, pneumonia, pleurifff, gastritis, typhoid fever,
and during the first day or two after eerious surgical
operations.

Laxative and aatringmt dietaries conmst, (^ course, in
the usage of foods and drinks possessing these charao-
teristios, the first comjnising a liberal allowance of fruits,
steired, baked, or raw, salads, oils, green vegetables, md
so forth. This kind of regimen is particularly appro-
priate to cases of scorbatie disease. Astringent qualities
are useful in the treatm^ of chronic diarrhma, hemor-
rhage, and finxiona of various kinds. A milk diet is
frequently associated wiUi the employment of aatringeot
herbs and grains. ' Bice possesses tiiis quality m a high
degree, and when boiled in milk or water is often
successfully employed to arrest persistent dirarhcea or
English cholera.

Lastiy, a temperate, or, more correctly, a watery re^-
men, consists of &uit and acid drinks only. It includes
grapes, oranges, nectarines, peaches, lemonade, end other
finbstances combining vegetable acids with gummy md
sugary principleB. Such a dietary, the nearest approach
to a fast consistent with eating at all, is most suitable to
hot climates, and is resorted to in maladies characterised
by jdethora, repletion, acuta inflammation, brain fever,
and some forms of madness. The effect of this regimen
is to lower the circulation, and thereby to abate the
animal heat and any tendency to fever that may exist,
to augment the secretions and facilitate the action of

Hygiene and Cuisine of the Sick-room, 19J

the intestine, and, generally, to refresh, cool, and soothe
an overheated or irritated system. Aneurism of the
arteries, and cases of cancer in the stomach or other
parts of the d^estive canal, are often advantageously
treated by the adoption of a purely fruit diet ; but ita
effects must be carefully watched, and if exhaustion or
abnormal lowering of the heart's action appear, it must
be promptly modified by the addition of farinaceous or
albuminous foods in small quantities. Absolute al)'
stinenoe from all aliments — even from fruits — ^is necessary
in the treatment of certain violent disorders, such as
apopl^y, cerebral congestion, and concussion of the brain,
rupture of blood vessels, capital operations, and dangerous
wounds of the bowels, stomach, or other internal organs.
In the acute stages of scarlet fever, small-pox, erysipelas,
and other diseases characterised by strong febrile symp-
toms, severe fast is advisable, so that the circulatory and
respiratory fiiuotions may be favourably modified, and the
intensity of the morbid action reduced as much as possible.
To quench the thirst which characterises such dis-
eases, demulcent or acidulated beverages should be
administered - from time to time throughout the day
and night. Barley-water, the most useful and agreeable
of such drinks, is prepared in the following manner : —
Wash a tablespoonfiil, or, if required, double the
quantity, of pearl barley in cold water ; then pour off
the water and add to the barley two or three lumps of
sugar, the rind of one lemon, and the juice of about half
a lemon ; pour over the whole a pint of boiling drinking
water, and let it stand covered for two or three hours on
the hob of tiie st^ve or fireplace to keep warm ; then
strain the mixture, and let it cool. Lemonade is made
by slicing into about four or five pieces a good-sized
lemon, to which must be added several pieces of loaf

194 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

ngar. A pint of boiling water is added, the mixtnre is
Dovered, and allowed to eool. If needed in a hurry,
lemonade oaa be made with cold water, but in tbiB case
the lemon-juioe must be squeezed out of the fruit, and
the sugar melted separately in hot water, and added with
the juice to the cold water. Whether prepared with hot
or oold water, the beven^ most be strained in order to
removB firom it the pips and pulp of the irnit. Toast-
water, which is, to some patients, more palatable and
aoeeptable than either of the foregoing drinks, is beet
made with stale bread, thoroaghly browned before a red
fire. Immediately after taking it off the toasting-fork,
pnt it into a jug and pour over it a sufficiency of boiling
water. Cover it, and let it cool. Tamarind whey, a
oooling and slightly lazatire drink, is made by adding
two tablespoonfuls of the Amit to s pint of milk while
boiling, stirring the mixture well, and afterwards straining
it This beverage should be taken cool, and must always
be freshly made.

As a general mle, it must be home in mind that no
preparation for the sick room is fit for nse the day after
it has been made ; nor, if possible to avoid it, should
either food or drink be kept standing in the bed-chamber
occupied by the patient. The atmosphere and tempera-
ture of the sick room are apt to hasten putre&otive
decomposition, especially in milky compounds. A plea-
sant demulcent drink is made by blanching two onnces
of sweet almonds and two bitter almond seeds, pounding
these with a little orange-flower water sufficient to make
a paste, and then rubbing up the mixture with a pint of
boiled milk diluted with an equal quantity of water.
The emulsion thus formed must be then strained and
sweetened. This liquid is called orgeat. It is nutritive
^ well as emoUient Eioe-water, which I have re-

Hygiene and Cuisine of the Sick-room. 195

oommended as a useful drink in cases of diarrhcea,
dysentery, and similar complaints, is prepared in the
following manner : ■ — Thoroughly wadi an ounce of
Carolina rico in cold soft water. Then steep it for
three hours in a quart of water kept simmering, and
afterwards gradually raised to boiling point ; strain and
cool the liquid before use. Ijinseed tea, a useful beverage
in acute pulmonary disorders, is thus made : — Take an
ounce of bruised linseed and two drachms of bruised
liquorice-root, put them into a jug, and pour over them
a pint of boiling water. After the tea has been allowed
to " draw " for three or four hours on the hob, strain it,
sweet«n it to taste, and serve it hot. A little lemon
peel can be added as flavouring. Iced milk is extremely
serviceable in the treatment of maladies involving nausea,
or diarrhoea, and also in diseases of the throat and
stomach. As a rule, ice may be freely used to allay
febrile thirst, and remove unpleasant tastes in the mouth ;
but in administering it \o patients in a state of stupor or
great weakness, care must be taken that the fragments
given are small enoi^h to avoid the possibility of causing
choking. Ice may also be conveniently added to gnm-
water, isinglass-milk, orangeade, or any similar beverage.
In cases of severe collapse or exhaustion the following
mixture 'ivill be of signal service ; it is quickly made,
and needs no great skill in the preparation. Take two
ounces of flist-rate cognac brandy, four ounces of cinna-
mon wat«r, the yolks of two &esb eggs, and half an
ounce of pounded loaf si^ar. Beat up the ^gs and
sugar rapidly, add the cinnamon water and brandy, stir
the whole well, and administer in teaspoonfiil doses.
In extremely urgent cases the quantity of brandy may
be doubled, age, sex, constitution, and previous habits
being taken into due consideration.

ON THE HYGIENE AND CUISINE OF THE SICK-BOOM.— I U.

Dear Lady Pomeroy, — I think you are quite right
in saying that a savoury and suitable dietary for the use
of invalids would be very acceptable to tiie pubUo, and
that difficulty is frequently felt in providing dishes for
the sick-room of an appetising, and at the same time of
a l^ht and inoffensive nature. I propose to give you a
few hints of the kind you desire, with some formulas
which are certainly not generally known in this country.

Of course the regimen of any particular invalid must,
in great measure, be placed under the direction of the
physician. Tiands and beverages suited to some forms
of malady, or of convalescence, are unemted to otiiers,
and, moreover, due account must be taken of individual
idiosyncrasies and tastes. More especially with regard
to invalids than to persons in health, it is important
to bear in mind that an aliment which is not relished will
seldom prove nutritious or beneficial, because the neces-
sary flow of digestive secretions is withheld for want of
desire, and eating under such circumstances is Hkelier to
result in indigestion and nausea, than in reparation of
vital force and renewal of function.

The first question in your letter refers to the use of
beef-tea and bouillon, and asks my opinion of the value of
liebig's emiractum camts. Medical opinion is still greatly
divided respecting the nutritive qualifies of beef-tea, even

liygiem and Cuisine of the Sick-room. 197

■when made on the most approved plan. Ordinarily the
beef used as the basis of the " tea " is subjected to pro-
longed boilii^, and the liquid, on cooling, becomes a
jelly, which &ct is wrongly supposed by many people to
be a guarantee of its nutritive value ; while the roally
nutritious part of the beef — the albuminous matter —
becomes condensed and agglomerated in such a manner
as to form a part of the subsequently rejected residue, or
else to be skimmed off with the ao-called " scum " rising
to the surface of the boiling mixture- Beef-tea or bouillon
thus prepared contains chiefly gelatine, fatty matter,
flavouring and odoriferous principles, meaty acids, and
certain soluble alkaline salts. It is a mistake to suppose
that a concoction of this kind has any high nutritive
qualities, for the quantity of albumen contained in it does
not exceed an infinitesimal proportion.

Concerning Liebig's Extract, I prefer to quote the
words of Dr. Pavy, an undoubted authority on dietary
matters. "Tho true position of Liebig's Extract," he
writes in his " Treatise on Food," " is scarcely that of an
article of nutrition, and this is now beginning to be
generally recognised. The fact that from thirty-four
pounds of meat only one of extract is obtained shows how
completely the substance of the meat which constitutes
its real nutritive portion must be excluded. The article,
indeed, is free from albumen, gelatine, and fat, and may
be said to comprise the salines of the meat, with variooa
extractive principles, a considerable portion of which doubt-
less consists of products in a state of retrograde metamor^
phosis, and of no use as nutritive agents. If not truly
of alimentary value, the preparation nevertheless appears
to possess stimulant and restorative properties whidi
render it useful in exhausted states of the system."

And, in &ct] the valoe of ordinary bouillon, as well

igS Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

as of Lieb%'s fiztract, may be summed up in the
■word " stimulant." These beverages act as excitants of
the digestive organs, and, provided they are relished,
they may be useful as restoratives of the appetite and ^
digestive powers, this effect being due principally to the
potassium salts and flavouring matters contained in them.
The old notion that jelly must necessarily be nutritious
has been long since exploded by scientific investigation.
The chemical composition of jelly, or gelatine, indeed
approaches that of albuminous matter, but, physiologi*
cally, its action is very different. Gelatine does not
undergo in the stomach the same transformation as
nutritive substance ; — that is to say, the gastric secretion
does not convert it into peptone, and it is consequently of
little or no value as an alimentary agent. Nay, more,
many of the best authorities on hygienic chemistry, both
at homo and abroad, are of opinion that the addition of
gelatine to the food of invalids may often seriously
disturb or retard the digestive process.

It is, however, necessary to state that all writers on
the food question are not agreed, even on this point.
Dr. Edward Smith, F.E.S., for instance, believes jelly to
be a valuable form of food, and this view is shared by
many practitioners of considerable name and fame. Sir
William Eoberts places very little faith in beef-tea, as
the term is generally intended, but recommends in its
place cold-made meat-infosions. As, however, he admits
that these infusions have an tmpleasant " bloody " ap-
pearance, and a " raw " taste, which are difficult to
di^uise, and aa I am emphatically of opinion that one
of the chief requisites in sick-room cookery is niceneai
both in aspect and in Savour, I shall not trouble you
with Sir William's recipe.

Fruit jelly must not be confounded with the jelly

Hygiene and Cuisine of the Sick-room. 199'

produced by tte coction of bones. Tbe latter is a com-
poand of four elements, — oxygen, bydrogen, carbon, and
nitrc^;^. Fruit or vegetable jelly is a compotmd of tha
first tbiee elements only. As an aliment, however, frnii
jelly, tbe basis of wbich is pectine, is of no greater vala*
than ia ordinary stock jelly.

Beef-tea, even when sdentifically prepared, is apt to
be of but little service, because it is usually distasteiul
to invalids, on account of its full and unsavoury taste
and odour. Prepared unscientifically, it is certainly
more toothsome, but is then, as I have pointed out,
inoutritious. A more agreeable, and a superior a!imen>
tary preparation may be made with fish-stock, pre-
ferably fresh haddock, flavoured with pot herbs and
vegetables. Tbe value of fish is too Httle appreciated
in this country notwithstanding — or, perhaps I should
rather say on account of — tbe fact that as an article of
food it is far more economical than butcher's meat,
besides being easier of digestion, and much loss liable to
disease. Dr. Davy, F,R.S., observes that populations
subsisting on fish are found to be particularly strong,
healthy, and prolific. " In no other class than in that
of fishers," be says, " do we see larger families, hand-
somer women, or more robust and active men."

Moreover, not only do sturdy folks flourish so well on
fish, but, as Dr. Pavy points out, it is also a specially
suitable food for invalids and persons with weak diges-
tions, and can constantly be employed with advantage
when the stomach will not support coarser kinds of
animal food. Sea fish, too, contain certain strengthening
elements, which, from a therapeutic point of view, are
invaluable, and which are far more efficaciously intro-
duced into the system in the form of food than under
that of drugs. Every one knows, too, how high a plaoQ

aoo Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

has been accorded bj medical men to the oil of the cod's
iirer as a fortifying c^^nt in diseases due to mal-nutritioa
and irant of stamiaa. In tliis oil are contained three*
important elements — phosphorus, iodine, and hromine —
besides a special constituent peculiar to fish, but not
necessarily to the cod, since oil of similar properties
is yielded by several other sea-fish. It, is, however,
an unpleasant medicine to the taste, and o^n, there-
fore, impossible to assimilate ; eo that the consumption
of fish-broth containing its chief ^ingredients, and pre-
pared in a palatable form, is to be preferred. In order
to make such broth scientifically, and to extract from
the stock the ntmost of its nutritive principles, the fish
used should, while uncooked and nnboned, be broken up
into small pieces and placed in cold water. A pound-
and-a-half of ray, skate, cod, haddock, or other fish,
will require two pints of water, which should be poured
upon it in an earthenware preserve jar. This jar should
then be set in a saucepan of hot water, so as to form a
bain'marie, and placed upon a moderate fire to boil
gently for about an hour. Meanwhile, put into a stew-
pan, with a little fresh butter, one or two small carrots
and onions ; cut the carrots in pieces and the onions
across ; then cover them with slices of leeks, some sprigs of
parsley, mint, thyme, marjoram, a little celery seed, and
a bay-leaf, with a few cloves. Moisten with a little hot
water, and put the whole to simmer over a slow fire.
In an hour add more hot water, and stir until the con-
tents axe well mixed and coloured. Then add the fish-
stock, and pass through a coarse strainer to preclude the
possibility of leaving bones in the broth.

A very savoury and nourishing broth may also be
made without fish-stock, using instead of the latter a
pur^ of peas or of lentils. To prepare this, take two or

Hygiene and Cuisine of the Sick-rpovt. 20!

three pounds of dried peas or beans, wash, and boil them
for some hours, adding water from time to time. Stew
■ half-a-pound of rice for two hours in half-a-gallon of
water, with a little butter, a mealy potato, a turnip,
carrot, onion, head of celery, a couple of Jerusalem arti-
chokes, and a leek or two, all cut into dice. . Then add
the peas-broth, with pepper and salt, a little parsley, one
or two bay leaves, some thyme or mint, and a few cloves.
Boil up, and if thickening be required, add before serriiig
a little cream, well stinml in, and a few button mush-
rooms.

Or again, an extremely nutritious and valuable soup
may be made by soaking four ounces of the best maca-
roni in cold water for two hours, then throwing it into
a pint of boiling milk and water — two parts of milk to
one of water — to which must be added salt, pepper, a
tablespoonful of stale bread-crumbs and a small onion,
with a little spice. Boil the whole gently, pass it
through a sieve, then let it simmer, and add before
taking it up a gill of cream and a few peppercorns.
Vermicelli and sago broth may be made in ttie same
way.

In the colder season of the year oyster broth is commend-
able as a nutritious and suitable aliment for convalescent
invalids. To make it take a pint of fish-stock and two
dozen 03rsters, a little butter, according to taste, two
ounces of flour, a small quantity of grated nutmeg, and a.
teaspoonful of Chili vinegar. Add to these a quarter of
a pint of cream, or good milk, and stir over the fire till
it boils gently. Toast should he eaten with all these
broths.

ON THE HYGIENE AKD CUISINE OF THE SICE-ROOM.- 1 7.

Dear Lady Pombeot, — In a former letter I pointed
out to yon that in preparing food for invalids it is neces-
sary to pay special attention, not only to the condition of
their digestive organs and powers of assimilatioD, but to
their particular tastes and fancies. Your patient will
not thrive on food which he does not like. For the
living organism is a irilful creatnre ; its juices refuse to
flow at the call of aliments repugnant to it ; it must he
catered for, not as a mechanical apparatus for the con-
sumption of fuel, but as a complex and finely-endowed
being, whom, if need be, you must wheedle and propitiate
with all manner of subtle devices. Therefore you will
understand that in the application of what I am about to
say regarding eick-room cookery, you must bear in mind
always the special partialities and aversions of individual
patients, and, within due limits, provide accordingly.
Thus, some invalids have an unconquerable repugnance
to jelly, and recoil from it with disgust; others sicken
at the sight of arrowroot, gruel, or milk puddings.
Sometimes this dislike is due to the form in which such
foods have been habitually presented to them, to the
insipid manner of preparation adopted, or to some
neglect easily remediable. You must take pains to
ascertain the facts in respect to these details before
accepting as final the emphatic declaration, " Oh, I

Hygiene and Cuisine of the Sick-room. 203

can't bear this or that; it never agrees with me. I hate
the tasto of it." For it often happens that the addition
of some savonry condiment, a sprig or two of pot-herhe,
a little mace, a few cloves, a scrap of lemon-peel or
cinnamon, may make a world of difference in the
character of the broth or the gruel which you are
anxious your patient should take. Sick-room cooks
ought, however, to be specially chary of one particular
form of condiment, the proportion of which employed is
often greatly in excess of the reqnifdte quantity. I
speak of salt, an ingrediont which should be administered
very sparingly to invalids, because it is liable to hinder
and impede digestion, to irritate the mucous surfaces,
and to excite unnatural thirst. Salted meats are, as is
well known, very indigestible, the reason being that salt
is, in its nature, a preservative f^nt, preventing disinte-
gration, and hardening and consolidating organic sub-
stances. When it is wished to preserve butter, fish,
fiesh, or other perishable matters, it is customary to salt
them, because by this means they are rendered refractory
to decomposition and alteration. But, by this very
action, they become equally refractory to the process of
assimilation and dissolution in the stomach, and their
presence in a delicate or enfeebled oi^an is apt therefore
to set up a 8tat£ of grave irritation and of subsequent
fever.

Salt ought to be viewed rather as a medicine than aa
a condiment, for it differs widely, both in its operation
and in its nature frum all other condiments in common
use, being, unlike these, a mineral inorganic product,
and needing to undergo in the living economy a more
complex evolution than principles immediately derived
from vegetable or animal sources. In its crystallized
state, moreover, salt exhibits an extraordinary avidity

404 Health, Biauty, and ike Toilei.

for water, and thus cauaea tbirst, whicH Bhould especially
be avoided in cases of debility, tendency to fever and
invalid coaditions generally. Use, therefore, in yoar
sick-room cookery, only just eafficient salt to make your
dishes palatable, depending rather for their savooriness
on such organic substances as ginger, pepper, epices,
thyme, hay-leaves, vanilla, parsley, mint, celery, chives,
eschalot, horseradish, and other aromatic or pungent
stimulants of the digestive functions.

Before serving a meal of any kind to an invalid, see
that his hands and face have been washed, and his
mouth weU rinsed with tepid water to which a few drops
of myrrh have been added ; if he is able to clean his
teeth, so much the better. You will find that when
these little attentions have been observed he will relish
hia food fer more than when they are omitted. Take
care, also, that the tray on which any viands brought to
him are served, be covered with a clean white napkin,
the glass and silver bright, the dishes prettily garnished,
and the gener^ aspect of the meal as inviting and
appetising as possible. With a sick person such small
details often carry great weight, and strongly influence
the imagination.

Before I enter into particulars in regard to special
recipes and preparations, it will, I think, be well to give
you some general ideas in regard to the relative digesti-
bility of the various articles of food in common use, in
80 far as it has yet been possible to ascertain their
properties in this respect. By the word " digestibility,"
we must understand the quality any given aliment
possesses of yielding promptly to the digestive juices tha
sum of its nutritive elements. The proportion of nutri-
ment which it may contain is independent of its digesti-
bility, since, as will presenUy be seen, fruit is more

Hygiene and Cuisine of the Sick'Toom. 205

digestible than poultry, though the latter is certainly
richer in alimentary principles. Again, certain con-
ditions of the constitution and preparation of different
viands modify both their digestibility and their nutritive
properties ; for example, highly concentrated foods, such
as pure albumen, are far less nutritive than aliments
containing an admixture of various principles ; and a
process of cooking which disintegrates and dissociates
tissue in such a manner as to render it easily soluble in
the stomach greatly enhances its value as food.

Solid foods, of whatever kind, are always more readily
converted into chyme— that is, into the state necessary
for aaaimilation by the blood — 'when eaten roasted than
when prepared in any other manner. Boiling deprives
the material subjected to the process of a large pro-
portion of its nutritive substances which escape by
evaporation from the water in which it is cooked. Thus
is lost a great part of its flavouring matter, called by
chemists osmazomo, its fatty and gelatinous elements ;
while its whole mass is rendered tougher and more
fibrous. Part of its albumen is dissolved, and, with its
hematosine, coagulates and floats on the surface of the
boiling water in the shape of froth and scum. The meat
which has undergone this process is lai^ly deprived of
ita most nutritious principles. It is the more difficult of
digestion, also, in proportion to the quantity of water
used and the length of time the boiling process has been
continued. Roast meats are more savoury, more stimu-
lating, and more nutritive ; but the heat apphed to them
should be uniform and gentle ; hence slow fires cook
better than flerce ones, the object being to expand and
rupture the fibres of the viands, so as to render them
susceptible of easy division and mastication, and not to
char or harden them. In the process known as baking

3o6 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

^ comestibles ore penetrated and softened by the
Ti^ur of their own juices, and although the nutritive
principles are thus largely retained, the food is lesa
easily digestible than when exposed before an open fire.
Fricassee, frying, and eimilar metJiods of culinary prepa-
radoD, in the course of which considerable quantities of
grease are used— this grease being usually of a most
objectionable nature, such as pork fat and diipping —
should be avoided, especially in catering for in'ralids or
persons in delicate health. These methods of cooking
give rise to certain chemical changes in the ingredients
used, the e£feet of which is to deteriorate the meats and
to cause thirst and severe ind^efition.

Of all processes of cooking applied to fish and flesh-
meat, that of grilling or broiling is the best ; while of all
modes of preparation to which v^etables can be sub-
jected, that of steaming is to be infinitely preferred. In
&ct, all vegetables, of whatever description, are perfectly
cooked only when they are steamed. A boiled potato ia
tastdess, watery, poor in soluble salts and nutriment ; a
potato steamed in its skin in a covered receptacle made
for the purpose, is both delicious in flavour and valuable
as food. Nor ia the potato the only v^etable that is habi-
tually spoilt by unscientific preparation. One of the most
delicate and precious foods for invalids — asparagus —
which, when cooked with due art and served on toast
might tempt the appetite of an ascetic, is generally
ruined, and deprived of its subtlest and most sapid
quahties by the ordinary treatment which it undergoes
in Et^Ush kitchens. Asparagus, of whatever variety,
should, before cooking, be loosely tied in a bundle with
a wisp of long grass, and the ends out exactly even.
The bundle shoidd then be placed, standing endwise, in
a deep covered saucepan, not three parts fiiU of water.

Hygiene and Cuisine of the Sick-room. 207

The heads should be out of the water, the Bteam sufficing
to cook them, as they fonu the tenderest part of the
plant ; while the hard stalky part is rendered soft and
succulent by the longer boiling which this plan permits.
Instead of the orthodox twenty minntes allotted to
averse asparagus boiling in the usual manner, a period
of thirty or forty minutes on the plan recommended will
render quite a third part of the stalk delicious, while the
head will retain its fall flavonr and consistency, heing
cooked by the steam alone. Sir Henry Thompson, in
his little treatise of " Food and Feeding," advocates this
method of preparing table vegetables. The same plan
is, of course, applicable to seakale, celery, vegetable
marrow, tomatoes, cauliflower, and all similar comestibles ;
remembering, however, that the process of steaming
requires, always, twice the time at least, needed for
boiling them in the usual manner.

Upon fiirinaceous, oily and fatty matteni, the effect of
oooting is somewhat more ctanplex than in the case of
the foods we have just enumerated. Starch — tiie feculent
matter constituting so large a proportion of the various
meab and grains in common use, as well as of certain
edible roots and stems, such as sago, tapioca, and arrow-
root — consists of minute cells or granules which, under
the influence of heat and moisture, whether derived from
steam or boilii^ water, swdl and bm^t, thus becoming
soft, and loosening the texture of the substance they
compose. A considerable portion of the fecnla becomes
transformed into dextrine, which substance is the con-
necting link between starch and sugar. Although by
this process such foods as tubers and the iarinacea are
rendered lighter and more digestible, these beneficial
results are, in the case of some preparations, in which
fot or oil is lately nsed, more than counterbalanced by

2o8 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

the nature of the change which cooking produces in
these latter suhstances. fat, whether aDimal or vege-
table, when subjected to prolonged heat, undei^oes
decomposition, attended by the formation of fatty acids
and of a pungent volatile product called acrolein, liable
to cause dyspepsia. These acrid matters are the source
of the gastric disorder known as " heartburn." Baked
fat undergoes greater decomposition than boiled fat, and
for thia reason, pie-crust, and pastry generally, are
compounds of a more indigestible order than boiled
puddings.

Having thus resumed the chief modifications caused
by cookery in the digestibility and nutritive value of
various foods, I will briefly sum up for you the con-
clusions arrived at by Dr. William Beaumont in regard
to the relative solubility in the human stomach of the
comestibles most commonly used in this country.

He found that beef, mutton, pork, and ved are less
easily digestible than game and poultry, and these, again,
much less readily than fish. Fish axe, as a rule, a great
deal more easily digestible than any other kind of animal
viands. Eoast meatd of whatever description are more
easily digestible than meats boiled or fried. Mutton and
beef are both more digestible than pork. Whitefowl ismore
easily soluble than game, and fresh fish than fish salted.
Milk and milky products are more digestible than any
of the preceding articles, fish only excepted ; and milk
hailed is more digestible than it is raw. Cream is more
readily disposed of than butter or cheese. Eggs, when
lightly cooked, are as easily digested as boiled milk.
Beef tea and meat broths are very refractory, and quite
as difficult of digestion as pork. Feculent vegetables are
as digestible as milk, eggs, and fish; bread is less so
than potatoes ; starchy foods when unmixed with grease

Hygime and Cuisine of the Sick-room. 209

are very readily soluble. Fresh green vegetables are
digestible in the same degree as poultry. Lastly, the
most digestible of all foods ia the human stomach are
fruits.

Of course, you will remember that individual pecu*
liarities and idiosyncrasies may modiiy considerably the
special applicatioti of these data, as also may an un-
natural or diseased state of the stomach itself. Expe-
rience and personal observation must qualify oil scientific
deductions, for no general rule is without its exceptions
and variations.

OS THE HYGIENE AND CUISINE OF THE SICK-ROOM.— V.

Dear Lady Foherot, — Now that you have a general
idea of the variooa kinds of regimen appropriate to special
states of ill health, it will be well to add a few sn^es-
tions in regard to the method and times of adminieteriog
food to invalids. Patients suffering from acute diseases
involving fever should, in the earlier and severer stages
of the malady, he strictly dieted on a few albuminous
broths, and acid or milky beverages. Chicken broth is
prepared in the same manner as the fish broth for which
I gave a recipe in a former letter. It should be served
hot, with small slices of crisp, freshly-made toast. Any
of the acidulated or demulcent drinks described in my
last epistle would suit as beverages. Very little food
should be taken at a time, and a pause should be allowed
between each spoonful. The best time for administering
food in such cases is in the morning, between eigbt and
twelve o'clock, for the pulse is then more normal and
the temperature lower than in the later part of the day,
consequently the digestive oi^ans are better able to receive
nourishment. At night the only aliments permitted
should consist of some such light drink as barley-water,
lemonade, or tamarind milk, and even these must be
given with caution. Wten convalescence sets in after
acute disease, some patients develop an abnormal appe-

Hygiene and Cuisine of the Sick-ro&m. 2 i i

tite, and ask for solid viands, -which, in health, may have
heen favourite dishes, as, for instance, beef steak, sausages,
mntton chops, or beans and bacon. These craviugs must
on no account be satisfied, for their indulgence will almost
inevitably induce relapse, and febfis carnie — or meat fever,
as physicians tertn it>— will result, to the great detriment,
and even danger, of the enfeebled organism of the patient.
Until perfectly restored, and until exercise in the open
air can be freely taken, no convalescent should be per-
mitted more than one meal of animal food daily, and
this food should not consist of any coarser meat than
that of white fish or poultry, vritb a single glass of good
claret.

In the earlier stages of conralescence the poultry or
fish would be better dispensed vrith, and instead the
patient should have an egg lightly poached on toast,
asparagus or seakale prepared by steaming in the manner
already recommended, and served on toast with a little
simple sauce ; custard pudding, ground rice boiled with
milk, racahat, or an omelette. Very few English cooks
know how to make a good omelette — a fact which is
greatly to be deplored, for no more delicious dainty has
ever been invented than is an omelette secundum artem.
Here is the continental recipe ; but the continental skill
can be acquired only by practice : —

First, you must have a china fire-proof omeletf« pan,
wiUi a wooden handle, and a steady, smokeless fire giving
a good heat. Kext, break three or more fresh eggs, ac-
cording to the size of the omdette required, but never
less than three eggs, beat up yolks and whites separately
and thoroughly in a basin ; have ready your omelette pan,
quite hot, put into it about an ounce of good batter, then
turn in the beaten egga, add immediately a sprinkling
of fine sweet herbs chopped very small, — ^marjoram, basil,

2 1 2 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

lemon thyme, parsley, and chiTes or eschalot, with a little
pepper and Bait ; when the omelette has began to settle,
tarn one half over on to the other with a broad silver
knife, and eerre at once, t'n the omelette pan. Omelettes
should be eaten directly they leave the fire, and must
never be covered, or turned about fnJm ono diah to
another. A richer and more taefy omelette is made by
adding a spoonful of cream and a little piece of butter to
the eggs, and whipping up the whole together before
pouring into the pan. Fore^ers generally add a clove
of chopped garlic to the berbSr bnt this would not be
suitable for an invalid cuisine. The art of omelette making
consists in the lightness and rapidity with which the
operation is performed, and in the quantity and quah'ty
of the heat employed. Only experience can supply the
necessary skill.

Racahat is an Arabian preparation of fine lentil flonr,
rice, and cocoa. It is a perfect food far invalids, at once
natritious, digestible, and exquisite to taste and smell.
All first-rate chemists supply it, with directions for its
preparation, which must be carefully followed, for its
excellence depends in no small degree on the metjiod
of cooking it. Milk jelly, an Italian dish, is another
nourishing and toothsome dainty, made as follows :—
Whip several e^ (from four to six), white and yolk
together, in a basin, adding two dessert-spoonfols of
powdered sugar, or less, according to taste ; then pour
in gradually a pint of fresh milk, beating up the mixture
all the time. Flavour with vanilla, cinnamon, almond,
or other flavouring. Four the mixture into a mould,
and put it on the fire in a bain-marie till it thickens to a
jelly. When cold, pour it out, and serve it. Ordinary
jelly, orange or lemon, is pleasant as a refireahment, but it
must not be viewed as a fitting substitute for more sub-

Hygiene and Cuisine of ike Sick-room. 213

staatial food, for it contains but little nourfshment. It
ahoald be stiffened with isinglass, not gelatine.

Macaroni aa blanc de poule is a Swiss dish, quite suit-
able for invalids entering apou convalescence. To make
it a sufficient quantity of mediom-sized macaroni should
be boiled for an hour over a gentle fire. Meanwhile,
melt in a saucepan a piece of butter, about an ounce, if
the dish be for one person, and add to it a dessert-
spoonful of flour, mixing well. Pour on this gently a
breaMast-cup full of milk ; add a little salt and pepper,
and when these are well mingled, cook the whole in a
saucepan for about ten minutes. Kow, if the macaroni
be well done, take it out of the water, put it in a sauce-
pan, and cover it with the dressing you have prepared,
then cook it, without boiling, another ten minutes.
When ready for serving, beat up one or two eggs in a
cup with a very httle hot milk, and pour them over the
macaroni in the dish. And here permit me a word on
the subject of macaroni Properly dressed, it is an in-
valuable and most delicious food (to be aware k(m
delicious, one must have eaten it, as I have done, in
Italy), but unskilfully and ignorantly prepared, it is
insipid, and even worse. " Never," says the sapient
author of " Dinners and Dishes," " never ask me to hack
a bill for a man who has given me a macaroni pudding."
Macaroni is not meant for puddings ; it is alien to sugar
and jam, bat it is bosom friends with pepper, salt, butter,
and Parmesan, and as a savoury dish dressed with grated
cheese and cream, or tomatoes, it is ambrosia. Very few
invalids can digest cheese, so in cooking macaroni for
them you most get as near only to the right thing as
circumstanoes will permit. In case, however, the physi-
oiaa in attendance should think cheese may safely be
given, I append a recipe for macaroni d fltalientie.

214 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

whiofa, if followed with skill and caj%, will produce most
satisfactory results.

Fat some macaroni into eight times it weight of boil'
ing water. A pound and a pint being equivalent quan-
tities there should be four pints of boiling water for half
a pound of the paste. Iiet it simmer with a little pepper
and salt for twenty minutes — more or less, according to
the quality of the macaroni, particularly its freshness.
Test a piece between the fingers to know when it is done
enough. Then drain it from the water in a colander,
and pat it back in the stewpan with as much hot milk as
it can absorb in a further simmering of a minute or two.
Half a pound of macaroni will take about half a pint of
milk. In the meantime have ready (for half a pound of
macaroni) four or five ounces of grated cheese, hdf Par-
mesan, half Gruyere, and an ounce of butter. Shake
half the cheese into the macaroni, and toss it well, then
mix in the ounce of butter ; finally shake in the re-
mainder of the cheese, and when all is well mixed by
tessing, and it h^;ins to get stiingy, serve it. Some
people like the cook to be liberal with the pepper-pot in
this dish.

Macaroni au (iratin is prepared in the same way. It
is then heaped up on a dish which will stand the fire-
It is sprinkled with grated cheese and with fine bread
raspings; it is bedewed with melted butter; it is put
into the oven till it becomes of a golden hue ; and if the
oven is not hot enough, it may be finished with the

Tou can vary this dish by sprinkling over it tomato-
sauce or stewed tomatoes. Eemember that in cooking
for invalids, you must be especially on your %- ird against
adulterated and stale ibods. Be sure that the butter,
jnilk and cream used are all thoroughly ^^re and u^-.

Hygiene and Cuisine of ike Sick-room. 215

mized with manufactured fats, oils or thickeuiiig matter,
besides being irreproaobably sweet and &esti both to taste
and smell

When macaroni, vermioelli, or other pastes are added
to broth or consomm^, they should be first boiled in
water for five minutes, otherwise they will be apt to dim
the transparency of the soup. An extremely dainty and
appetizing broth for invalids is Consommi aux ceu/s
Pochia. To make it, put into a saucepan equal quanti-
ties of sliced carrots and onions, a sprinkling of chopped
shalots and garlic, with a little very finely cut parsley,
celery and bay-leaf, some powdered basil, thyme, nutmeg,
sugar, and a good-sized piece of butter. Put the whole
upon a brisk fire, and turn it about with a wooden spoon
continually, that the vegetables may not stick to the
bottom of the saucepan. When they are well browned,
add to them two or three pints of water and about one
of good dry white wine. If you wish to have consomm^
de poisson, add some fish-stock and boil ; if not, proceed,
without tho stock, to boil, and simmer afterwards, for a
couple of hours. Pass the consomm^ through a tammy,
and clarify it with the albumen of two or three eggs.
When this consomm^ is well made, it ought to be of a
deep russet colour. - Julienne maigre is made with car-
rots, turnips, leeks, onions, and the white stalk of celery,
chopped up and put into a saucepan with batter and a
little sugar. These ingredients are then placed over a
moderate fire until well browned, turning meantime, as
before, in preparing the consomme. They are then
moistened with vegetable broth, added gradually, to the
amoimt of about two or three pints. Then let the whole
boil, and immediately it hubbies, remove it to the side of
the fire and let it simmer for two hours, adding more
^oth, i^ necessary, little bv little, Skim, straint and serve,

3i6 Health, Beauty, and ike Toilet.

It IB of the utmost importance, if a ekar julienoe is
nqoiied, iliat the saooepaa should be moved avay to tiie
Ende of the stove directly the first boiling ocoon. Of
oouise, the proportiona in these recipes may be varied at
will, as taste or requirement may iudieate. Poached
e^ may be served witli either of these soups. The
^gs should be lightly poached in water ; then, just as
the soup is served, one ^ould be deftly slipped into Ute
bovl or soup-plate placed before the invalic^ care being
' taken not to break the e^ in so doing. Toast should be
eatea as before iritb this preparation.

I must not prolong this epistle, and cannot therefiire con-
tinue to descant on the enticiDg subject of recipes. Modem
literature is rich in culinary manuals, from wluoh you may
cull many a pleasant suggestion for varying the monotony
of sick room dietaries. In passing, I commend particularly
to your notice two cheap little books, one, in French,
entitled "Le Livre dea Soupea et des Potages," by Jules
3on£F^, a vell-knoTu Parisian "chef;" the otber, a
littie English manual called " Maigre Cookery," which
contains many excellent formulas suitable for invahds,
and costs only eighteenpence. Before concluding this
subject, I have two general admonitions to give. First,
remember the value of savoury herbs. Always have at
hand bunches of dried thyme, maijoram, basil, min^
B(^^, et hoc genus omm. In the good old days every
lady had her herb-garden, and in every kitchen were to
be seen, suspended &om the crosa-beam of the ceiling,
rows of sweet-scented bundles drying for winter use.
Some of these simples were used for culinary purposes,
others had medicinal uses, and right wholesome and good
they were. Now, all the flavouring is done by means of
extracts and essences bought at the grocer's, and all the
physic comes in phials from the chemist's. Alas fax

Hygiene and Cuisine of the Sick-room. 217

the wise old times t There is hardly any dish that you
may not make palatable and attractiTe by the skilful
employment of herbs and the addition of a few vegetable
stimulants. Savoury broth, far nicer and more whole-
some than ordinary bouillon, can be made, for instance,
by some such formula as this : — Take a quart of good
clear lentil stock, prepared in the usual way by gentle
boiling for several hours ; slice three or four onions, one
small carrot, and six or eight button mushrooms. To
these add a small buncli of herbs, a little celery seed, a
tew peppercorns and cloves, an ounce of butter, and a
bay-leaf; let all simmer till the ingredients are quite
soft, then season with salt and sugar, strain through
a tammy, and serve. You may vary this recipe at
pleasure, according to taste or necessity.

Next, bear in mind that invalids like surprises in the
way of food. Do not give every day the same thing.
Chai^ the menu as often as possiUe, and let all your
dishes look and smell invitingly, and be served in small
quantities, so that the patient may not be repelled by
the sight of more than he can eat. Be sure that every-
thing required is placed on the tray before it is taken
into his presence ; otherwise servants will have to run for
pepper, salt, bread, or what not necessary as adjuncts to
the meal, and meantime the broth will get cold, and your
patient, not umiaturally, will lose both his temper and
his appetite. And now, good-bye. Set your ingenuity
to work, and, on the strength of these hints, multiply
tasty and nutritious dishes for your sick clients.

ON CLIMATE.— I.

My dear Edith, — There have been many fashions
in medicine, and every epoch has had its peculiar panacea.
At one time, now, happily, remote, the leech and the
lancet were employed indiecriminately alike in surgical
and in medical cases, and it was, no doubt, in conse-
quence of this alUprerailing custom that medical prac-
titioners acquired the popular name of "leech," still
preserved in the books of writers on medicine and philo-
sophy from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century.
Then foUowed the age of blisters, cupping, drugging with
mercury, and over-heating with heavy bed coverings,
during which period it was customary to exclude air from
the sick room by every possible device, to wrap the
unhappy patient from head to foot in thick blankets, and
to draw damask curtains round his bed, thus enhancing
the danger of febrile disturbance when it did not yet
exist, and aggravating the mischief when fever had
already declared itself. In those days, therefore, small-
pox, scarlatina, and other zymotic diseases attained their
deadliest percentage, and, where they spared the life,
ruined the constitution. Anon appeared another medical
fashion — happily of short duration— the method of treat-
ment by alcohol. Wine and brandy were administered
in large quantities, and patients were sometimes kept for
weeks in a condition of semi-intosioatiofl, under tb^

On Climate. 219

impression that alcoholic stimulus imparted strength to
the system. All these various practices, and many
others almost as deplorable, have no'v dropped out of
medical fashion, and have given way to treatment by
sounder and saner methods for which we are indebted to
the discovery and definition of the science of hygiene.
Hygiene has taught us the necessity of ventilation, of
bathing, of cleanliness — personal, domestic, and public —
and the very important part played in therapeutics by
diet and climate. I have already, in former letters, dis-
cussed at some length the question of diet, and have
spoken about the various regimens appropriate to dif-
ferent conditions of Dl-health and convalescence, besides
giving details in regard to cookery for invaUds. I have
likewise had occasion \a write about the necessity of
fresh air, sanitation, and exercise, hut, as yet, I have not
touched on the subject of climate in relation to health and
to the treatment of diseaj;e, so I propose that we shoiild
consider it in the present letter.

Of course it is a matter of common knowledge and
experience that invalids are constantly benefited, or the
reverse, by change of residence. Physicians are in the
habit of sending their well-to-do patients with -weak
cheats to winter in the south of France or elsewhere ;
while invalids wanting "tone" are despatched to bracing
sea-side or moorland resorts ; asthmatic or rheumatic
subjects to inland towns or alpine levels, and so
forth. It will be interesting to devote a few sheets of
letter-paper to a study of the scientific rationale of this
method of treatment, which is now very generally super-
seding the old-fashioned employment of drugs in mala-
dies of hereditary and constitutional character. The
principal fectors of climate are quality of air and quality
of soil. Quality of air depends on altitude and poeitioa

220 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

vith r^^ard to tho sea or inland waters, and to the pro-
pioqaity of forests, heaths, and large towns, iitor
height above tho sea, the most important consideration is
distance from the sea. Sea-air contains a large propor-
tion of moisture and holds rarious salts in suspensioa,
Tith, occasionally, small quantities of ozone, a substance
vhich, by combining very readily with organic efiBuTia,
possesses the property of purifying the air. The
proximity of the sea exercises also an equalising in-
fluence over the temperature of the land, because during
the day the land absorbs heat more quickly than the
sea, and by night it cools more rapidly, the sea mean-
while remaining almost as warm as in the daytime.
Consequently the breeze blows landward in the daytime,
because the hotter the air oyer the coast the higher it
rises, allowing the cooler and heavier air to rush inland
from the sea ; and at night-time the breeze blows sea-
ward, because the air over the coast is now colder than
that over the water, so that the current of the atmo-
sphere.is reversed. By these constant exchanges between
land and sea the climate of places on tlic coast is kept at
a more equable temperature than that of others, and as,
moreover, the air of seaside towns is thus being con-
tinually purified and agitated, their advantage over towns
where the air is comparatively stagnant is very great
indeed.

Altitude affects climate in a different but not less im-
portant manner. The higher tho altitude of any place the
lower its temperature, and also the dryer the air, because
the air of mountainous regions is much less dense than
that of low-lying levels, and consequently it does not so
readily absorb sun-heat, while the absence of vegetation
on lofty ground renders the atmosphere less moist.
If orest lands attract humidity, end cause abiuidant ra^n-

On Climate.

falls, while, inrersely, places devoid of T^etation, and
at the same time low in altitude, such as deserts, ere
dryer and hotter than any others in the world. Marshes,
lakes, and rivers affect the climate of places in their
vicinity by the evaporation which always goes on from
their surface, especially in warm weather. Kiverside
and lakeside towns are usually humid, and often fc^gy,
because the channels of rivers, and the beds of lakes, as
a rule, occupy valleys and goi^s whence the heavy,
mist-laden air cannot getaway, so that it remains more or
less stf^ant, and often becomes loaded with smoke and
oi^anio material. Gold places, such as those situated
on Alpine heights, are also usually dryer than low-lying
places for another reason, which is that cold air dissolves
much less water than hot air, and its point of saturation
is represented by a much lower figure. For instance,
air at the temperature of 64 deg. Fahr. will hold in
solution 6^ grains of moisture per cubic foot, and when
that quantity is reached, it is said to be saturated ; but
air at 96 deg. will hold as much as 17^ grains of water
in each cubic foot, and sir at freezing point (32 deg.
Fahr.) only 2 grains of water for the same measure.
Therefore cold atmospheres, other things being equal,
are far less moist than hot atmospheres, and hot climates
are much more rainy than temperate or cold climates.
More rain falls at the equator than anywhere else.

You may prove the fact that cold air does not hold
in solution so much moisture as warm air, by putting a
piece of ice into a wineglass. Dew will very soon be
deposited outside the glass, because the surrounding warm
air has been lowered in temperature by the cold atmo-
^here emanating from the glass, and, as this lowering of
the temperature changes the saturation point of the air,
the moisture it was before capable of holding in solutiou

222 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet.

is deposited tinder Uie fonn of dew. Kow, as ttiis
country is an island, and as its atmosphere, even in the
Midland counties, is continufdly charged with a con-
siderable quantity of humidity due to the proximity of
the sea on all sides, its cold season is inevitably a time
of fog, and hence of clammy and penetrating moisture,
because the coldness of the air, while preventing the
damp irom being maintained in solution, condenses it,
and holds it in suspension as mist or fog. On the other
hand. Continental countries, however cold, enjoy a much
plearer atmosphere on account of tbcir immunity from
humidity, and as cold dry air is always much less nip-
ping and keen than cold moist air, the result is, of course,
that Gootinental cold is a great deal pleasanter than
insular cold. When cold air is also dry air, as in Swit-
zerland and other places removed feom contiguity to
laige expanses of water, its effect on the skin is not felt
as " chilliness," because it does not tend, as does moist
air, to repress evaporation from the cuticle and respira-
tory surfaces of the body. We lose more heat and less
moisture in a damp atmosphere than in a dry one, and
therefore in this country diseases caused by chill and
insufficient glandular action — as rheumatism, asthma,
bronchitis, kidney complaint, and congestion or inflam-
matioQ of the lungs — are very common in winter time ;
and in order to escape them delicate people are sent by
their medical advisers to such resorts as the Upper
Engadine, where the air, although far colder than iu
England, is dry and clear. There is, moreover, another
reason why mountains are beneficial resorts to many
delicate persons, especially to those who have not strong
lungs. High altitudes have a rarer atmosphere than.
low-lying regions, and every inspiration of the pulmonary
organs in billy places draws info the chest a less weight.

On Climate. 223

of air than in lower altitudes. Consequently, in order
to obtain air enougli for the needs of the body, moun-
taineers breathe more quickly than people liTing in the
lowlands, and obtain thereby more lung exercise. You
may gather irom this fact that although a sojourn in
Alpine districts constitutes an excellent method of treat-
ing weak-chested patients by expanding their lung
capacity, giving tone and stamina to their mucous sur-
faces, and helping to invigorata their muscular and
circulatory systems, that it is not likely to prove so
beneficial whenever the lung complaint is caused or
complicated by disease of the heart, for in such a case
the heart's action would also be considerably quickened,
and this is not desirable if the organ in question he
enfeebled, liable to palpitation, fatty, or dilated.

As for soils, they may be roughly divided into pervious
and impervious. The most pervious soils consist of
gravel and sand, the least pervious of clay and marl.
Pervious soils, being loose and porous, do not retain
damp; they permit rain to penetrate through them
easily, and therefore are favourable to dryness, while
thick, heavy soils hold water as in a basin, and thus
hinder drainage, and give rise to ground mist, miasma,
and constant humidity. Eocky soils, such as those
common in hilly regions, are usually dry, because the
water is not absorbed in them, but flows off their surface
into natural basins at lower levels. Springs are thus
formed iu mountainous places, the rain remaining un-
absorbed, and running underground along the rock until
an outlet is reached, whence it gushes forth as a spring.

Of all the various climates we have been considering,
that of the high and dry altitudes is, on the whole, the
most healthful and valuable in cases of disease. Con-
gumption, anEemia, rheumatism, neuralgia, asthma, and

324 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet

malaria, in all their many fonns, are frequently amenable
to the climate of high altitudes when ^1 other curatiTe
means iail to affect them. The rarefied air of Alpine
regions stimulates the lungs, and exeroises the bronchial
functions in a degree impossible in heavy and stagnant
atmospheres, irhile the dryness of mountain air is
eminently favooraWe t» patients afflicted mth any of
the disorders named. Again, sea air is extremely beneficial
in cases of conralescence from zymotic complaints, such
as measles, scarlatina, or smaU-poz, on account fS. the
oonstatit interchange of sea and land air, and the pre-
sence of the purifying agent, ozone, in the atmosphere.
Ozone is oxygen in an electric state, and it is therefore
often found in comparatively lai^ quantities in breezes
after thanderstorms. It has valuable disinfectant pro-
. perties, which have been tested and demonstrated chemi*
cally as well as physiolc^cally. Sea «a is also useful
in cases of wasting diseases, rickets, and scrofula, because
certain valuable stdts — bromides, iodides, chlorides, and
others — usually spoken of collectively as " saline parti-
cles," are suspended or dissolved in such air. But
generally, when scrofula and strumous disease take the
form of skin eruption, it is better to seek moxmtain than
sea air, for chloride of sodium, or sea-salt, is not reme-
dial in such cases. Cholera and kindred complaints hare
never yet been known to visit very high altitudes ; they
confine themselves as a rule to low levels, and especially
to moist and riverside places. Cholera was bom on the
brink of the Ganges, and it is always obserred to haimt
particularly the vicinity of inland waters. Typhoid
fevers exhibit the same tendency. Relaxing and warm
climates are soitable in some cases of constitntional heart
complaint, kidney disease, and certain forms of nervous
malady. Formerly it used to be thought that con-

On Climate. 225

sumptive patients were benefited by sojourn in such
temperatures ; but most physicians are now ^reed that
b^h and dry climates, such as that of the Engadiue,
Davos Flatz, and other Alpine stations, are best suited
to invalids suffering from tubercle uncomplicated by other
disease, and in its earlier stages. Such cases, too, are
frequently greatly modified, and sometimes cured by
residence in or near pine forests, where the atmosphere
is laden with the aroma of the trees, and the soil loose
and rocky.

In most constitutional complaints the naturo of the
sttil is a highly important consideration. Thick, sodden
olay soils are extr^oely pernicious to persons suffering
witii rheumatic, neuralgic, or lung diseases, and in such
cases very little good can be effected by medical treat-
ment so long as the patient lives over ground of this
nature. Intermittent fevers, and all disorders of the
^ue type also imperatively require the removal of their
victim to a dry sandy soil as the first couditiou of cure:

Moist atmospheres favour the development of obesity,
dry atmospheres of leanness ; because less evaporation
ooouifi firom the bodily tissues in humid atmospheres, and
liquid is a principal factor in the production of corpu-
lence. Ergo, — if you want to grow fat, my dear Edith,
you should reside in a moist, wana oUmate.

ON CLIMATE.— II.

Ut dear Edtth, — I am glad to hear tliat my letter
oo olimate interested you so much, sod am qotte willing,
since yoa wish it, to continue the subject. You ask
me to ex{dun to you in vhat manner the air of cities
differs from country air, and why I said that the pro-
pinquity of large towns must be taken into considerataon
in ganging the quality of any given atmosphere.

Other things being equal, the air in and near great
. centree of human habitation is vanner and drier, but
less pure than that of the open country. The presence
of trees, or of other vegetation, always diminishes the
heating effect of the solar rays on the soil, whicb, if
denuded of herbage and foliage, as in towns, becomes
very warm during daytime, and reflects heat with con-
siderable intensity. Moreover, the soil of towns is
usually well, drained, and hence, again* far drier than
that of grassy and uninhabited places. Moisture, as I
pointed out in my flrst letter, is attracted and encouraged
by foliage, so that forests are always more or less humid.
As for the purity of the atmosphere, it is easy to under-
stand that in this respect there is an enormous difference
between cities and country districtfl. The air of cities is
loaded with organic and mineral particles, arising from
exhalations of living bodies, the diffusion of suspended
dust, and the presence of smoke, consisting chiefly of

On Climate. 227

vapour of salphur and of uDconsumed carbon. Dr. Angus
Smith haa computed that in a large town like Mauchester
the air breatiied by every inhabitant in the space of ten
hours contains thirty-seven millions of organic sporea
besides suspended mineral particles. I remember being,
when a student, greatly astonished at a post-mortem
examination held on a man who had spent all his life in
the East-end of London, by finding the entire snrlace of
both his lungs encrusted irith a complete pall of fine
black dust, which, being scraped away gently with the
thumb-nail, exposed the healthy tissue of the organs
beneath it. In my innocence I had at first supposed
this unsightly sable covering to indicate a diseased state
of the lungs ; but it was only carbon dust deposited inside
the chest by the bronchial apparatus, and resulting &om
the feet that this man had for some fifty years or bo
continuously inhaled a smoky and soot-laden atmosphere t
The air of towns, as Professor Tyndall has shown in his
many interesting microscopic and other investigations,
is filled with floating infinitesimal fragments of every
imaginable kind of material. Dust of iron from wheels
and machinery, dust of wheat and other grain from
bakeries, dust of cotton, linen, velvet, fitr, wool, and
other fabrics from the clothes of the citizens, dust of
wood and stone from the pavement of the roads, particles
of manure, vegetable and animal germs, atoms of food of
all sorts, and other products too varions to enumerate,
jostle each other in the atmosphere of London and all
cities. As for other constituents of town air, it contains
very little ozone, and a great deal, comparatively, of
carbonic acid gas. One of the most mischievous social
tendencies of the present time is that which leads the
inhabitants of civilised countries to mass themselves
tc^ether in crowded areas, forsaking the villages and

228 Health, Beauty, and the Toilet,

hamlets in vliioh our ancestors spent such long tsA
healthy lires. The continual inhalation of vitiated air,
loaded vith the products of decomposition, and depleted
of vitalisiiig elements, occasions much of the laasitadc,
nerroos irritability, craving for alcohol and atimnlante of
all kiods, sleepleaeness, pallor, ansEnnia, and other com-
plaints common to residents in great towns. The atmo-
sphere of sudi places is harnt atmosphere, deprived oE
all invigorating and natarally stimulant qualities, and
hence the need so often felt by those who constantly
breathe it for artificial stimtdants and hot driulcs afto
meals. Smoky air, moreover, irritates mechanically the
mucous membranes of the mouth and throat, setting np
dryness, tickling, hoarseness and congestion ; and all
these symptoms contribute also to create thirst and
feverishness, thus iaducing improper habits of diet and
abnormal desire for strong beverages. Drunkenness is a
commoner vice among the poor of cities than it is with
country peasants.

You will gather from these remarks that I do not
think city air, on the whole, very healthful. It is,
nevertheless, distinctly beneficial in some seasons to some
cases, as, for instance, in spring and summer to persons
who suffer from hay asthma, chronic catarrh, rheo-
matism, and certain forms of hysteria. But even Buck
patients as these ought not to live contiunously in towns,
and care should be taken in every instance to select dry,
well-drained, and high situations £>r residence. As ixtx
country air, that of inland districts, sheltered from cold
sweeping winds by the proximity of forests or mountain
ranges, is best suited for convalescents from acute diseases,
fevers, or general inflammatory maladies. For such cases
mountain or sea air would be too exciting, and might,
very likely, retard instead of hastening recovery, by pre-

On Climate. 229

maturely stimulating tlie activity of the circulatioii, or
by BTouaiiig an appetite for food incompatible with th*
capacity of an enfeebled digestiTe system, " Chi ca p^m^
ta sano" says the Italian proverb, the wisdom of which
is nowise better exemplified than in application to iaralidi
of the type just mentioned. But where repose and
gradual healing by soothing processes are not necessary,
where mnscular debility and organic exhaustion do not
make rest imperative, the bracing influence of high
altitudes or of sea-breezes may he extremely beneflcial.
'Mental depression, irritability of disposition, impaired
appetite ; deterioration by prolonged sojourn in cities,
harassing cares or brain pressure ; as well as dyspepsia,
atony of the digestive oigans, and many types of nervous
complaint, — all find their most potent remedy in Alpine
resorts. For renovation of the nervous system, and
especially of the brain, fatigued with labour or long-
contiuued ill-health, there is nothing comparable to
mountain air. It is also, in the opinion of many phy-
sicians, especially valuable in cases of incipient and even
advanced consumption, chronic asthma, and bronchial
af^tions. "A certain morbid sensitiveness to cold, or
rather to ' taking cold,' is," says Dr. Bumey Teo, " often
greatly lessened by a residence in the bracing, rarefied
air of elevated localities." As a rule, young and middle-
aged persons benefit more from a visit to mountain
" stations " than elderly people, probably because the
latter are less able to bear the changeful and stimulating
atmosphere of high altitudes than those whoso circula-
tory and respiratory organs are capable of being roused
to more vigorous activity.

After surgical operations, or accidents, or in conra*
lescence following grave chronic disorders, sea air is far
better than either inland or Alpine air. In my former

230 Health, Beauty, and the Tmlet,

letter I pointed out the beneficent effect of sea air in
eases of recent zymotic complaints, rickets, wasting
disease, and some forms nf scrofula, so that I need not
^ain insist upon this fact or its causes ; tut I may add
to what I then said on the snbject that aged persons
who do not suffer from rheumatism are usually benefited
by sea air on account of its even temperature, which
braces, without trj-ing, the animal forces. Of course,
however, you must remember that I am now speaking
Tery generally, for seaside places differ enormously in
regard to character. All the west and south coasts
of England, for instance, possess a far warmer, moister,
and more relating climate than those on our eastern
abores. Torquay, Bournemouth, and Hastings differ
widely iu temperature from Cromer, Scarborough, or
Whitby, and inralids with very sensitiYe throats or
dieete, who derire benefit from frequenting the former
places, would suffer proportionately from the bracing
winds of the latter. But I must not go iuto particulars,
for I am not writing a guide-book for inYaliifc, hut only
a friendly letter to an inquiring " gossip,"

'iBliibulabndir.M
AaaodikitKMiiiiha

lotffns for whllcilillg,
AUnaenwT rB glm em, ■

T>ATllB.TiilUita.t
BhoW, ng^man ot, 33

Bubua Pidmu, N

INDEX.

lAKBO-HYDKATEB, 9

pAKBO-HYDK

EIBSTEIN'H, E

OiSki "mitay'v ^«<H (Tot ! Epliuliiu, E.'

i||U^iiuDii»r.lEl
Bu-lj ffoiDf to b«d fU

nnr^LMUroii,M
Fniltiallr. !■>

nih-bnili, nn

r&r»

VumJcKUibfiid.HI

THE PURE WINES OF SANLUGAR.

"DBNYER A Co.'e H*manlllii !■ theprodoeoot tbe eholpMt of all gmpM. Th»
diitiict dT a>nlDcai oIom In bvonttble to tb« ileTelopment of this delicate ind llfe-
snstilning wlno."— C™rt Journal

36s,perdoi. HANZANILLA, Very Old, 48s.perdoz.

" DESTER ft Co. ■•pa™ Mimainllla from Sanlncar it no old i-ln« of rare deJlMOJ
■nd (aqnlBlte bouquet"— Unmin; Foit.

"It li & dsUeste uj groins wine, anadiUleraltd and trndoctorai,''— ^utniinmr

SOLERA, 42s. perdoi

"DGNTERft Co.'i HineuiUU !■ thorouglily drfitnil cletn, nnUiinghot tuiil neir.
■nd ■ (ortueiH which will grcatlj' ImptovB by ileep'nK."— .Vnt Tina and Gauru.

•• It !■ CboronghlT dry nd clou nnd soft, of moderate ulcoholic Mnngth, mtirtly
fttefr<nnlKiilandallficniqaai1tirt."^JohnBldl,l]x\yS0, 1S7J.

AMONTILLADO, 48s. pti doi.

The TahM, October 80, 1875, ssys ;— " The' AmontllUdo, from Binlucw, it «*., la
InreUlW, 'BttoMtbefo; -■■--■'■
" We hive eumlned

tlon."'— T*( Dnctor, Angui

INTERNATIONAL HEALTH EXHIBITION,

Tie Uedtaa Tima iii^:—"Mrssni.T>EVTER S Co.'B eihibits oFChMorW?*!*

and fonnd perfect In bnnguet and ^togstlier eicellent. SRY, tii. Aoi. EXTRA DRT,
Mi: shut, 4«g. F. T. DENVER & CO., 2T,RegBntStr«et, Piccadilly Olrcut.

Dr. NICHOLS'

FOOD OF HEALTH.

8d. per lb. packet.

Nutritious and Delicious..

For all ages.

Invaluable for Indigestion, Constipa- '

tion, &c.
For every day use.

OF GBOCDMS Aim CBXXISTg.

Proprietors, FRANKS & Co., 59, Eastcheap,

IjOndon. e.g.

"THE QUEEN" say>:

'tTO SOFTEN HARD WATER USE

MAIGNEN'S

PATBN11

ANTI-CALCAIRE

POWDER.

QtUte SarnUea» and Inea^ensive."

ros

W«sliiitgr, Cooki]^, Drinking, Watering Plants, Ac

All partteulart in pamphUl " Wattr Pnventdblt Dtteait
md Filtration," Free on appileatien.

P. A. KAIGNfiN. 32, St. Marjr-at-HiU, Eastoheap. E.C.

QEKffAL vrSCaUNT WOLSELET »ay8!
••rr F(LtEftED THE WATER

both quickly and wall and wm much valsed hj oar uldien."— Kile

EXPBDITIOIf.

MAIGNEN'S

PATENT

FILTRE RAPIDE.

"THE LANCET" says: "A better flltaoonld not badt^nd:"

Full jpartieiriww lit pam^ri- " Wnttr Pmeniable Dimue- and
Filtration." Free on appUeation.

f. A. NAIGNEN, 82, St. Mary-at-Hill. Easteheap, E.G.

Specially Kecommendeil hy Dr. ANNA KINSSFOHD.

PEARS'

SOAP.

A Specialty for tlie Complexion.

Recommended by Sra Erasmus Wilson, F.B,S., late Presi-
dent of the Royal College of Surgeons of England aa

" Tlidiuoat refreshing and agreeable of balms for tlieskin."

MDME. ADELINA PATTI writes :— "I have
fouad Peabs' Soap malckleBs/or the hande
and complexio'n."

MRS. LANGTRY writes:— "Since using Pbaes'
Soap for the hands and complexiOD, I have
diecarded all othevB."

MDME. MARIE ROZE (Prima Donna, Her
Maje^y'a Theatre) writeat — "For prraerving
the complexion, keeping the ekin soft, free
from redAess and roughness, and the hands
in nice condition, Pears' SoAp is the finest
pi'eparation in the world."

MISS MARY ANDERSON writes:— "I have
used Peabs' Soap for two years with the
greatest satisfaction, for / find it the very

PEARS' SOAP SOLD EYERYHifBERE.

BEAUTY.

How to Acquire and How to Retain it.

VTriuklei, Moles, Pimplea, Frccklee, Blacklieadg, Small-pox
MarkB, SaperflDOQS Hairs, Warts, Coma, SuUownesa, Grea^
Skins, Red Nosea, etc., ([iiicklj and safely removed. Fteidi
lacreased or Decreased. The Neck, Arms, and Cheat, made
Plump. Any Figure qtdckly and pcnnaneutly developed
into a fnll and pcrrect form.

ALL COSMETICS OUJRAXTEKD FVEB.

tnteretting Toilet List and Particulars sent free as a Letter.

Mme. BAYARD, Toilet Department,

P, SOUTHAMPTON STREET, STBAND, LONDON, W.C.

SIMEOIN'S

AMERICAN HAIR RESTORER

Is the only absolute Specific which modem science has provided for
Eftectuallt and permanently restoring Gkrt or Faded hair to its
natnral colour.

IT IS NOT A DYE.

As there are several fraudulent imitations in the Market, the Proprietor
t«gs to caution the pnblic to seo that thej ^et " Simeok'b." Sold bf dl
Chemists and Perfumers. Piice 3i. per bottle; or post free, 13 Stamps,
direct of the Sole Wholesale Agent—

^..iAMES MITCHELL, 10, Southampton Kow, Holboni.

KINGSFORD'S

MILK OF CUCUMBERS,

vox

Improving, Beautif^iog, and Preserving
the Complexion.

It effectiuUjr remoTes Sanboms, Freckles, and RoughDesa, impsi'tiug tliat
delicate and health; hloom. ao much admired.

This preparation, as recommended by Dr. ANNA KINGSFOBD, and
introduced to the Public by ns. Los, tbrou^U ita simple, non-iujurioiis,
and laarvellously beuutifying properties, become so universal a favourite
that unscrapulous vendors offer, for the sake of increnged profit, spurioiu,
worthless, and injurious imitations.

Ask for KiyaSFOBD'S MILK of CPCUMBEBS,
anil refuse any »ubstitute.

Price 3b. 6d. and 6s. 6d.

KINGSFORD'S

MILK OF CUCUMBERS SOAP

{SdFOX AIT LAIT DE COXCOMSEES).

The Purest Soap Procurable.

MADE ENTIRELY WITHOUT HEAT.

NritlwT Sugar nor Spirit is used in its iiiepacation, as is the case in aU the

Tratuparent Soapa, hence it ia more suitable foe delicate skins.

T&bleti Is. ; Boxes of 3 Tablets 2b. fid.

PREPARED ONLY BY

KINGSFORD & CO.,

(English ant .#artign ffihcmuts to tht lEmlntssiui,
S4, PICCADILLY, LONDON, W.

Pf^fV^'- ^1 PI-ACE VBSDJIME. NICE: QUAI H.iSBKXA,

Works by Dr. ANNA KINGSFORD.

THE PERFECT WAT IM DIET.

KEGAN PAUL, TKEKCH. ft CO.

BOSAHDIISA THE PBINCESS, AND OTHEE TALES.

J. PAKKER, Los-DOK ASv Oxpobd.

RIVER REEDS (Pwms).

J. MASTERS, LoNDOs (New Bond Street).

"ASTROLOGY THEOLOGIZED" (Weltrellus), with an

Essay on BIBLE HERHEIIEUTICS.

GEORGE REDWAY it CO., Yoek Stbeft, W.C.
£V (A< wvu AulAor, iit eollaboraiiim vnlh Ms. Edwabd Maitund,

THE PERFECT WAY; Or, THE FINDING OF
CHRIST.

FIELD & TITER, Leadbkiull Stbe^t.

"THE VIRGIN OF THE WORLD:" With INTRO-
DUCTORY ESSAYS.

GEORGE REDWAY ft CO.

For Puddings, Blanc-Hange, Custards,

CHILDREN'S AND INVALIDS' DIET
AUB ALI, TBM USES OF ABMOWBOOT.

BROWN & POLSON'S

CORN FLOUR.

Has a World-Wide Beputation.

AKI> IB SIBTIKOtrlSHZS lOR

UNIFORMLY SUPERIOR QUALITY.

KoU. — Purchasers sliould iiuUt on being nippUed with BBOWK
AITD FOIiSOH'S OOBN FLOUS. Inferior qualities, asserting fictitious
cJuma, lie being offered for the sake of extra profit.

A BEAUTIFUL COMPLEXION

SOFT « FAIR HANDS « ARMS

ROWLANDS'
KALYDOR.

Au iUstera Botnnicd Prepan-
tion, whicli is wwranted ft^e from
all miueral or metalic iDgredients,
oroziijeof zinc, of which moat Cos-
metics ars composed, and which
niiu th« Slcin. It eOwtoall; dis-
perses all CutanMus Eraptiona,
Freckles, Tao, SautFurs, Stiogs of
iDseots, Bedneas, Roughnsssof the
skin, cures Eczema, Biirui, Inita-
tiQD ot the Skin, Pnckly Meat,
etc., And renders the

SKIM SOFT, SMOOTH

And white, and produces a beauti-
fullj pure aud delicate complexion.
The genuine Ealyilor has on the stopper s 6d. GoTemment Stamp to
insure its purit; and barmleuness. Ask aD]> Chemist or Perfumer for

ROWLANDS' KALYOOR,

20, HATTON OABDEN, LONDON,

And avoid Spurious Imitations under thi same or eintilar tumot.

Price 4$, Od. and 88. Sd, per bottle; Half-aixed botUe*
at Sa. 3d, By poet for 3d. extra.

"QOLDEN BRONZE HAIR."

>ERINE.

The Uteit triampli of Chromatic Chemiitiy, quickly imparU the mnch-
admued Oolden Broma Tint to Hair of ad; colour, produoiuK the Tint
Cb&bun FoDO^e, «o th&t it may be truly laid the hair under ita influence
Menu aa if a ray ofiunahtne hftd pennanentlj establiihed itself .amanj^ the
ttasaaa. Price 5«. M..- Wi. 6d., and 2l>. InvmUd by W. WINTEB,
Court Hair Dnaaet and Uanufactnring Perfumer, 173 {lah 209), OXFOBD
STREET, tONDON, DepOt for Ckldaa Hair.

Tor Tinting Orer or Faded Hair MRJXm is liiTalaalil*.

B11DKE88, BREyNESS, DEFKSIENCy OF HAIR.

Me. winter, Author of " Trichnlogia," may be consulted personally or
by letter, addressed to *(2, {late 205), Oztobd Stkeet, Lokdoh, W,

Extracts from "Triehologia " forwarded post free on apptieatioit.

DR. LAHMANN'S REFORM
COnON-WOOL UNDERCLOTHING

la made from the best long staple only, by an entirely novel
mechanical process, which preserrea, unaltered, the delicate
primrose tint of the natural fibre, showing at once the least
■oil, is perfectly transpirable and elastic, while soft and yielding,
does not shrink in the wash, is very durable in wear, possesseB
all the merits of animal wool without its drawbacks. Specially
recommended in Mrs. Kingsford'a "Health and Toilet Book,"
Agents will be named by the only maker, G. Wizemanh
(H, Hbinzelmahh), Eentlingen (Wurtemberg), who senda
English Pro^ctos and Prize List,

YOTXTH AND SSAXTTY

Can be uoured and mniutMiied l>; caiutant use of OLABKBOITB

fLILLIEi POWDER,

FOB THE COMPLEXION.

TSn. Langtr7 writes :

" The LiLuE FawUER ia a great Buoceu. I shetl UH nothing dae."

' H&dame Sarie Bose : ^WS^i'^^^

Hill ForteBcue : ^^SjKs'tP^

"Hea much tileaaure Id iDformingUr. Chukton Hut ihe f^i'itxiii^Jf^S'S^J'
theLJLLjE FovDRR is lEioat plcoauit and n&«sldiig to the akin." ^^^^'Ult^ -^'S

HiB. Cliippendale: '^l3Q4f>^

"HavJDg all ni; life ohJeeted to the whole tribe of coueoctad -^^Stl 1 tfj

Cwdeni, I liavsuaed only slinplo pondered chalk : bat I like your:- i'v&*t> KB
LUC PoWDKH, Indiog It renulna on, Bod apnidi loftly over the --.' ■flAnT
boa becomingly, withont prndnqing the terribly "hito ami artllloialiV -^lO 4 Al
effest that toe many prepared poirdwa do." K tfeVlV

HiBB Violet Cameron : c/ . **»* >

" I think the LiLUE PowDIB the beat I have ever uaed."

In ThrM Tlnti, Blanche, Naturalla, «nd Rachal.

Price Is. 6d, per Box. Sold Everywhere, or of
W. CLARKSON. Theatrical and Private Wigr Maker,

U, WEILDTOTOH STAEET, SIBASD, lOVDOV.
Quit* Harmlcaa. Thouiimcli 8«illne Dally.

lAfll V2||M V2 7ATENT BTGIBNIO

Health to the Body.

"E^FRICTM TOWELS.

ABSORBENT, FL&A3ANT, AND EXHILARATINO.

INDUCE HEALTHY ACTION OF THE SKIN. ' Said bt «» Imdlut

NOT UNPLEASANTLY BULKY. |Draptri onJ O^

NO ANNOYANCE FROM LINT ASTER USE. '^i,Ji^t^i

WEAH WELI. I dHUxl^i ii fmvd

UNEQUALLED FOR BATHROOMS. BEDROOMS, AND ' |» "W"'"''* oppl*

ONCE USED, ALWAYS USED. Iwhtn tkcf mtt tx

HADE IN VARIOUS DEOBEES OF B0U0HNE88. IprocuTid* /maird

, I Mmjili o/nwln-iul.

B QUALITIES ARE A DECIDED NOVELTY, ROUOH (
ONE BIDS AND SMOOTH ON THE O

Fleth Glo*e$, Frietors, Sheets, and Bath Gowns from
same Materl&l.

Hanufacturers, WILSON ^ ^QNS, H9PQh^tQr<

nm, 6d., la., 8a., b., u>d 10a., XVSBTWBaBX.

Allen & Hanburys'

HALTU-FMUIHaU. mm& ^^ ^^ gi^ FMfHFMrTS.CHIinEN,

A nm-euM t^CjCjIj mvauoi,

UtmU OF BIET. * \^\^ ■^BT8P£PT»8JiraEiWiD.

" Veqi Digntibla—Nutiiticui—Palatablt^Sati^yiiig—ExeellBnt in
Iwlity—Pirftetig frta from OHl—Requiret neither boiling nor
ttntijiing—Made ina Minute."— Vii6Zaiusa,BraMll*dieaiJournal,ks,

"Inji)unUiupU>Mdwitlivanr'IiitUti'F(u]. Our llttk boy nUiktd It, ud
**t ttae Bmbodimwit of urfect bcutb. EIveiTbod j who «iw Um HDiikAd abont Oa
paoiUu tiaulj of hii jiUn, fitDuuni of hii B«b, >Dd brMit totolUiowa of U« tftt.
He ni alvaji luppj ud oont^Dted^mlghad Sj khiihU at nna ■wvtha, having
tbn Uk*D yonr toad for ibout ■ couplE of moothi ; at tlabt aiinitlu old IM could uim
hiuHlf and itand by a grip of anything flnn. He vai au<nred your fbud only. I han
TasonmmdHl It in other catai witb smt aatlihctlon to all partiea eoneenwd." —

" My child, after being ai deatlk'i door tot weeka from eihauriUou, oonaagueut upon
annn diuTbBi and inabllU) to relain any Mm tf ' Ixjbnta feod ' cr MOk, began to
Improve imaudlately be took your malted preparanon. and I have naver Men an Infaut
iaentie Id irelghtio rapidly Bi he baa done. ".^H. B. TaaiBAiL, F.R.C.8., ll.RC.P.

Furthar Taatlmony and Full DIrsctloni accompany each Tin.

LETTERS PATENT.

SOUTHALL'S

"SANITARY TOWELS"

ls.&2s.perPkt.ofldoz. FOR LADIES.

Trom Ladiu' nnderclothing EstabluhmentB Everywhere.

been In practice. ■■

forworn

riLSS

.U'a Banltsry Towel i
re teen in the quarter r

I from Medical Men, ProfoMional NorEes, Sc„ by

pgreels port for le. 3d. oria. Sd.; Six Puckota, Bi. 6d. and 12*. Sd. ; from
the PatenteM and sole Manufacturers,

SOTTFHAU^ BB08. ft BAKCLAT, Birmingham.

Wholual* Agantt-eHARP, PERRIN, & 00., 31, Old Ohang* ; 8TAPLEY and
SMITH, UHidon Wall ; LONDON.

Rgt nWftf and It^rioHt imiUu
aignalun nt On taltnlrt.

The Perfection of Jfuraery Powders.
"The ^ — — -J-— — Silw Medal Awifded

Sanitary

Rose Powder.i

InvaluaUe „.
ti* Sta tide after Bath-
inf, Olid to eotmteratt
tie iffitf OH the Skin of
the lun and tea tciitd:

A Solnble Antiseptio dustdng powder for the

NUB8EBY and TOILET.

Ladies will appreciate its rnnny advantage a.

Appioved bj- the lanat, BMUh UrdUal Journal, iScdUal Ft
" A vary superior urtiels— tlnsnint, lootlilng, >nd cle»nlr,"-
" A great »av»nee in tbe hjttieoe ot Uie toilet."— Tli t'lmrt J

May b« obtained through all Chemists, in Boxes, Is,, \l. M., and 3s. ;
Large BottUs, Us.
In camplluica with tha wlaha* or tevtral lujlsi, a PINK wlaty or Iha

•anIUry Rom Powdw ii now mads and lold In BauM of two iliea only, II
and at. JPoit frae H. ad. & 3i. 3d.). Tho boxa» are aimllarly wrappad '- •—
ordlnarv kind, but are diatlnsuiihed by the word PINK itamped acn

3a. (Poit rrae H. 3d. & 3l. 3d.).

'■ ' ■ ■ id by the word PINK tumped acrou

Fluk

Froprietorfl, JAB. WOOI.LSY, SONS, * OO.,
yAMUfACTURIKC PHMHACEUTlCftt CHEIIJSTI, WmCMISTER.

Digestion Promoted, and Sound White Teeth Secured I!

largt, Jtfsdiiim, '■llllliiiiiiiiWfflM ~~~~ 1 an^ SaiUl-tliii.

P^^"^'"*' i>l'V,\II|| MB WJEfn PERFECT wnreBT,

OCTOPUS dentifrice:.

All li. each ; or frae 14 itampa. S). worth, pott-free.

See the Name, etc., on each Bruth.

Dr. A. XISa^OSD >tite3 :-" r nerer use anj other."

KSKZ. KABU BOZE wril«a :~" The; KKticelluit in UM, and I can UftOj

O£0. SALTEE, Com Exdumge FaBM^e, Bimmigliam.
WAENE'S ONE-VOLUME COPYEIGHT NOVELS.

AT ALL LIBRARIES.

Ik cmm tw, pric* Si., ctalk gUi.
THROUGH ONE ADMINISTRATION. By Fauicm HoLoaoj. Bmanr.

Author of " That Liaa o' Lowriai," Ac.
OUENN : A Waic on the Breton Cout. Bf BUKtBI ffiixig Howtau, Aotboi o(

A YOUNG GILL'S WOOtNQ: A Love Btoif. B>- Ber. E. F. Bob, Anilior

of " Barriers Burned Away," Ac-
AULNAY TOWER. By Bi.i«cBB Wima Howino, Author of" euenn,"4o.

London : Frederick W«ni« ft Co., Bedford Street, Strand.

ApoUinaris

"THE QUEEN OF TABLE WATERS.'

Highest Award, liondou, 1884.

" ApoUinaris reigns alone among Natural
Dietetic Table Waters."

" Its numerous eompetiiors appear to have, one
Qifter another, fallen away."

Frie drich shall

THE WELL-KN OWN APERIENT^ MIN ERAL WATER.

IMPORTANT NOTICE.

By reason of an improved method of caption by
wliich dilution is avoided, FRIEDRICHSHALL
WATER will be found now to be of CONSIDER-
ABLY GREATER STRENGTH and EFFICACY
than heretofore.

The ordinary dose is a large wineglaeaful (4 ounces) taken &ating.
Host afflcacious and more acceptable to the palate when heated or
mixed with an equal quantity of very hot water.

" I know nothing at all equal io Friedrichshall. The longer it
is taken the SMALLER is the quanUty necessartj to effect the
j)uri)<M«."— Sir HENRY THOMPSON. F.R.C.S., London.

Of aU CHEMISTS &H[I1£RALWAT£S DEAIBRS,

HOOPER'S LOTION.

For Whitening the Hands and Anns.

FOB BTENiya USB.
As KecommendeA by Sf. ANNA KINGSFOBI).

Sold In Bottles, 2s. und 4s, escli. Postage 3d.

ilso HOOPER'S MCE raWDEB, in Is. ml is. M. bmis, its.

HOOPER'S

COOLING FACE LOTION,

InTalnable for allaying the roughness and irritation of the
skin, prodaced by the enn or wind ; and removing all
blemiahes caused by exposnre, hard water, &c.

In Bottles, U. 6d. and 2s. 6d. each.
AlBO Recommended by Dr. ANNA KINGSFORD.

LAVENDER, ROSE, AND MUSK.

A SPECIAL tWm. OF EXQUISITE mCBAICE.
In Bottles, at is., 3s. Bd., 7s., and 13s. 6d., each.

May be ohlained of

W. HOOPER ft CO., 24, Russell Street, Govent Garden,

and 26, Weston Hill, Norwood ;

And all Chemists,

Highest Award at Health Exhibition.

"Sensible"

BOOTS

AND

SHOES

J FOR

LADIES, GENTLEMEN, & CHILDREN,

hn the Best Boots and Shoes that an possibly be
worn for Comfort and Style.

OVER FIFTY DESIGNS FOR ALL SEASONS,

Specially Suitable for Persons of Elegant Taete.
MAIfT TESTXMOSIAL8.

ILLUSTRATED PRICE LIST
J FEoa

cLILLEY AND SKINNER,

!

107, WE8TB0URNE GROVE,

LONDON, W.

HARNESS' ELEGTROPATHIG BELT,

ELECTRISITIOI

AS A REMEDY

DISEASES
WOMEN.

IMPORTANT TO INVALIDS.

HR. 0. B. HABNBSS, ConenlUng Medical Electrician to tlu Medical
Butterr Oompony, Unltad, me,y ba consnlted Daily from 10 lum. to
6 p.m., and on Saturday up to 4 p. m., free of charge upon all matters
retating to Health and tha appEoation of Electricity as a cnratiTB uent,
and an experienced female attendant is in readiness tc see Ladies daily in
th« Iiadlos' Boom, where those requiring special attentiou with regard to
Abdominal and Accoachement Belbi can have skilled advice. Those vho
ane nnable to call can be commuiticated with hy addressing — "THE
MEDICAL BATTERY COMPANY, Liiiited, 62, Omord Stbbbt,
London, W."

LADIES RESiDiNQ AT A DISTANCE -who »re umMb to nvsll them-
Klvea of > perrooiil eonmlMtion, shonld wi-lfe for a " Privite Adilce Form." Mm.
HAavTiss' knowledge of the irmrveUoOd therapeutical eltects of Electro path le treatment
in raanrTarjIngfonnBof dlaeftBelsao complete that, by a reliable ayBtflm nf diagDoila,
based upon in aacanitfily written deacriptlon of the patlent'a aymptomB, he can bvat
nun* malsdiea quite aa >UGCeMfull)> vlthout u with a penonal consultation ; In fact,
of the thonaandt cured in (11 p&rts of the United Kingdom md more remote qnartera nf
the globe, he haa aeen but comparatix'eEy few. The Electropathlc treatmont is thus
placed within the reach of every snUertr. and the aumeroun aathenticated tutimonlala
pabllahed in the Psmphleta are lndtiputat>le evidenee of the JuceeM achieved.

The Advice Form should be returned to the Cojuulting Medieal
gtettritian, MEDICAL BATTERY COMPANY, limited, 52, 0:^ord
Street, London, W-, when the ease will receive his prompt eomiaera-
tioH and replji.

Oonaullallona atthtr by lnt«rvl*w or Oorraapondane* FrM of Oharfa.

AH eommuniratioiu are treated as ilrktly PritaU and cot\fidential.

THE MEDICAL BAITERY COMPANY, LIMITED,
82, Oxford Street, London, W.

"Painless and Perfect Dentistry."

A NEW PAMPHLET

Dr. GEO. H. JONES,

F.R.8.L, F.E.M.S., tc.

SURGEON-DENTIST,
57, GBEAT BUSSELL BTBEET,

Faetng Sritish Muaeum Enhance,

LONDON.

ContwM a list of DIPLOMAS, GOLD and SILVBE
MEDALS, and OTHER AWARDS obtained at the Qre&t
Intemationttl Exhibitions, forwarded Qratis and Post Fbse.

Her Hajesty*s Surgeon-Seiitist sara : —
Ht dx&b Sib,— Allow me to ezjirees mj smcere tlianks for the akill
and attention diipU^ed ia the construction of mj Artificial Teetli, which
render my mutication and artienUtion excellent. I am glad to hear th*t
yon have obtained Hei H^eaty's Royal Letten Patent to protect what I
consider tha p«rf«ction oC FBinl«S8 Dentistry. In recc^ition of your
valaable serricea yon »re at liberty to nse my name.

a O. HUTCHIN3,

By ajipoinlateitt Sv,rg»m-!>tMill la Brr JtfifjMtv t^ QiUtn.

To Geo. H. Jokes, Eaq., P.D.S.

Box of Dr. G. H. JONES' Tooth
Powder Is., post free 18 stamps.

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