Health: how to obtain & preserve it : being a re-edition of "Hints on health," / by Philip Foster.

  • Foster, Philip.
Date:
Chas. H. Johnson,
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Health: how to obtain & preserve it : being a re-edition of "Hints on health," / by Philip Foster. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Leeds Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Leeds Library.

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    “better than either. Men’s dress, with the exception of that of the head, is both healthy and comfortable. Felt and silk hats do harm by overheating the head and by pressure; and wearing them all day long, as many of our business men do, is, probably, the reason why baldness is so common. The best head-covering is straw or linen in summer, and the tweed roundabout in winter. They fulfil all the requirements of health and comfort, and I am glad to see that the tweed hat is becoming more and more popular. I must caution you against the use of belts, which are a frequent cause of rupture. The trousers should be supported from the shoulders, and an excellent form of brace is the Pectus expandus (chest expanding). Wet clothes should be changed on the first opportunity, and until this can be done we should keep moving about, as it is sitting still in them 'that gives cold. Keeping the feet warm and dry is a thing of the first importance. For this purpose I am in the habit of recommending Dick’s Guttapercha Boots ; they are both cheaper and more durable than leather; I have worn them for upwards of twenty years, and as a protection against wet and cold they are invaluable. Boots should always be made the natural shape of the foot, instead of their form being constantly changed as it is by fashion ; the heels low and broad, the foot being on the same level in the boot as out of it, so that the true balance of the body may be maintained and the tread sure. The waist of the boot should grip the foot firmly, so as to keep it in position and prevent friction; and be roomy about the toes, giving them free play instead of squeezing them together. In other words, it should be easy at the toes and fit closely everywhere else. Boots made in this way would be a help instead of a hindrance to walking, and their wearers would never suffer from corns. The foot does not turn up at the toes, and I don’t see why boots should be made so. CHEERFULNESS. The old proverb tells us that “ a contented mind is a continual feast,” and there are few things more conducive to health, and, let me whisper it in my fair reader’s ear, to beauty than cheerfulness. The physician h«xs frequent