Part 4
Thus, the Animal Functions are performed with a perfection and regularity, the tranquillity of which, in the incessantly irregular habits of a Town-life, is continually interrupted,--some ridiculous Anxiety or other consumes the Animal Spirits, and the important process of Restoration is imperfectly performed.
_Dyspeptic and Nervous disorders_, and an inferior degree of both extensive and intensive Life[31] are the inevitable consequence, and are the lowest price for (what are called) _the Pleasures of Fashionable Society_.
Dr. Cadogan has told us (very truly) that Chronic diseases, (and we may add, most of those equivocal Disorders, which are continually teasing people, but are too insignificant to induce them to institute a medical process to remove them,) are caused by Indolence--Intemperance--and Vexation.
It is the fashion to refer all these Disorders to Debility--but Debility is no more than the effect of Indolence, Intemperance, and Vexation--the two first are under our own immediate control--and Temperance, Industry, and Activity, are the best remedies to prevent, or remove the Debility which reduces our means of resisting the third.
During _the Summer_ of Life[32], _i. e._ the second period of it, (see page 34,) while we hope that every thing may come right, the Heart bounds with vigour, and the Vital flame burns too brightly to be much, or long subdued by vexation.
This originally least cause, soon becomes the greatest, and in _the Autumn_ of our existence, when Experience has dissipated the theatric illusion with which Hope varnished the expectations of our earlier days, we begin to fear that every thing will go wrong.
"The whips and scorns of Time, The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despis'd Love, the Law's delay, The insolence of office, and the spurns That patient merit of the unworthy takes."
The insatiable ruling passions of the second and third periods of Life,--Ambition and Avarice,--the loss of our first and best friends, our Parents,--regret for the past, and anxiety about the future, prevent the enjoyment of the present,--and are _the cause of those Nervous and Bilious Disorders_, which attack most of us at the commencement of the third period of Life--these _precursors of Palsy and Gout_, may generally be traced to Disappointments and Anxiety of mind[33]; and
People need not groan about the Insanities and Absurdities of others--it is surely quite sufficient to suffer for our own, of which most of us have plenty--we ought to endeavour to convert those of others, into causes of comfort and consolation, instead of fretting about them--if you receive rudeness in return for civility--and ingratitude for kindness, it may move your Pity--but should never excite your Anger--instead of murmuring at Heaven for having created such Crazy Creatures! be fervently thankful that you are not equally inconsistent and ridiculous--and Pray, that your own Mind, may not be afflicted with the like aberrations.
_Indigestion_[34], is the chief cause of perturbed Sleep, and often excites the imaginary presence of that troublesome Bedfellow _the Nightmare_. On this subject see _Peptic Precepts_ (Index.)
Some cannot Sleep if they eat any Supper--and certainly the lighter this meal is, the better--Others, need not put on their Night cap, if they do not first bribe their Stomachs to good behaviour by a certain quantity of Bread and Cheese and Beer, &c. &c., and go to Bed almost immediately after.
As to the wholesomeness of _a Solid Supper, per se_, we do not think it advisable,--but habit may have made it indispensable, and we know it is often the most comfortable Meal among the middle ranks of Society, who have as large a share of Health as any.
We caution _Bad sleepers_ to beware how they indulge in the habit of exciting sleep, by taking any of the preparations of _Opium_--they are all injurious to the Stomach--and often inconvenient in their effects upon the Bowels:--
"REPOSE _by small fatigue is earned_, and Weariness can snore upon the flint, when nesty Sloth, finds a down pillow hard."
As there can be no good _Digestion_ without diligent _Mastication_,--so there can be no sound _Sleep_, without sufficient _Exercise_.
_The most inoffensive and agreeable Anodyne_ is to drink some good White Wine, or Mulled Wine, by way of a supplement to your Night cap.--One glass, taken when in Bed, immediately before lying down, is as effective as two or three if you sit up any time after.--(See _Tewahdiddle_, No. 467.)
Many people, if awoke during their first sleep, are unsettled all that night--and uncomfortable and nervous the following day.--The first sleep of those who eat Suppers, commonly terminates when the food passes from the Stomach.--Invalids then awake, and sometimes remain so, in a Feverish state,--the Stomach feeling discontented from being unoccupied, and having nothing to play with:--a small crust of Bread, or a bit of Biscuit well chewed, accompanied or not, as Experience and Instinct will suggest, with a few mouthsful of Mutton or Beef Broth (No. 564), or Toast and Water (No. 463*), or single Grog[35], (_i. e._ one Brandy to nine Waters), will often restore its tranquillity, and catch Sleep again, which nothing invites so irresistibly, as introducing something to the Stomach,--that will entertain it, without fatiguing it.
We have heard persons say they have been much distressed by an intemperate craving for Food when they awoke out of their first sleep, and have not got to sleep soundly again after--and risen in the morning as tired as when they went to bed at night--but without any appetite for Breakfast--such will derive great benefit from the foregoing Advice.
_A Broth_ (No. 564), _or Gruel_ (No. 572) _Supper_, is perhaps the best for the Dyspeptic,--and those who have eaten and drank plentifully at Dinner.
THE BED ROOM should be in the quietest situation possible, as it were "_the Temple of Silence_,"--and, if possible, not less than 16 feet square--the height of this Apartment, _in which we pass almost half of our Time_, is in modern houses absurdly abridged, to increase that of the Drawing Room, which is often not occupied once in a month:--instead of living in the pleasant part of the House, where they might enjoy Light and Air, how often we find people squeezing themselves into "a nice snug Parlour," where Apollo cannot spy.
We do not recommend either _Curtains_ or _Tester_, &c. to the BED, especially during the Summer;--by the help of these, those who might have the benefit of the free circulation of air in a large Room, very ingeniously contrive to reduce it to a small Closet:--_Chimney-Boards_ and _Window-Curtains_ are also inadmissible in a Bed Room; but Valetudinarians who are easily awoke, or very susceptible of Cold, will do wisely to avail themselves of well made _Double[36] Windows and Doors_, these exclude both Noise and Cold in a very considerable degree.
_The best Bed_ is a well stuffed and well curled _Horsehair Mattress_, six inches thick at the Head, gradually diminishing to three at Feet, on this another Mattress five or six inches in thickness: these should be unpicked and exposed to the air, once every Year. An elastic Horsehair mattress, is incomparably the most pleasant, as well as the most wholesome Bed.
_Bed Rooms_ should be thoroughly ventilated by leaving both the Window and the Door open every day when the weather is not cold or damp--during which the Bed should remain unmade, and the Clothes be taken off and spread out for an hour, at least, before the Bed is made again.
_In very Hot Weather_, the temperature becomes considerably cooler every minute after ten o'clock--between eight o'clock and twelve, the Thermometer often falls in Sultry weather--from ten to twenty degrees--and those who can sit up till twelve o'clock, will have the advantage of sleeping in an Atmosphere many degrees cooler, than those who go to bed at ten:--this is extremely important to Nervous Invalids--who however extremely they may suffer from heat, we cannot advise to sleep with the smallest part of the window open during the night--in such sultry days, the _Siesta_ (see page 94,) will not only be a great support against the heat, but will help You to sit up to enjoy the advantage above stated.
_A Fire in the Bed Room_, is sometimes indispensable--but not as usually made--it is commonly lighted only just before bed-time, and prevents Sleep by the noise it makes, and the unaccustomed stimulus of its light.
Chimneys frequently smoke when a fire is first lighted, particularly in snowy and frosty weather; and an Invalid has to encounter not only the damp and cold of the Room--but has his Lungs irritated with the sulphureous puffs from the fresh lighted Fire.
A Fire should be lighted about three or four hours before, and so managed that it may burn entirely out half an hour before you go to Bed--then the air of the room will be comfortably warmed--and certainly more fit to receive an Invalid who has been sitting all day in a parlour as hot as an Oven,--than a damp chamber, that is as cold as a Well.
THE SIESTA.
The Power of _Position_ and _Temperature_ to alleviate the Paroxysms of many Chronic Disorders, has not received the consideration it deserves--a little attention to the variations of the Pulse, will soon point out the effect they produce on the Circulation, &c.--_extremes of Heat and Cold_, with respect to Food, Drink, and Air, are equally to be guarded against.
_Old and Cold Stomachs_--The Gouty--and those whose Digestive Faculties are Feeble--should never have any thing _Cold_[37], or _Old_, put into them--especially in Cold Weather.
_Food must take the temperature of our Stomach_, (which is probably not less than 120,) _before Digestion can commence_.
When the Stomach is feeble, _Cold Food_ frequently produces Flatulence--Palpitation of the Heart, &c.--and all the other troublesome accompaniments of Indigestion.--The immediate remedy for these is Hot Brandy and Water, and the horizontal Posture.
_Dyspeptic Invalids_ will find 75 a good temperature for their drink at Dinner, and 120 for Tea, &c.
Persons who are in a state of Debility from Age,--or other causes,--will derive much benefit from laying down, and seeking Repose whenever they feel fatigued, especially during (the first half-hour at least of) the business of Digestion--and will receive almost as much refreshment from half an hour's Sleep--as from Half a Pint of Wine.
_The Restorative influence of the recumbent Posture_, cannot be conceived--the increased energy it gives to the circulation, and to the organs of Digestion, can only be understood by those Invalids who have experienced the comforts of it.
_The Siesta_ is not only advisable, but indispensable to those whose occupations oblige them to keep late hours.
ACTORS especially, whose profession is, of all others, the most fatiguing--and requires both the Mind and the Body to be in the most intense exertion between 10 and 12 o'clock at Night,--should avail themselves of the _Siesta_--which is the true source of Energy--half an hour's repose in the horizontal posture, is a most beneficial Restorative.
_Good Beef Tea_[38], (No. 563), with a little bit of slightly toasted Bread taken about nine o'clock--is a comforting restorative, which will support You through exertions that, without such assistance, are exhausting--and you go to bed fatigued--get up fevered, &c.
When Performers feel _Nervous, &c._--and fear the circulation is below _Par_,--and too languid to afford the due excitement, half an hour before they sing, &c.--they will do wisely, to wind up their System, with a little "_Balsamum Vitæ_."--See "PEPTIC PRECEPTS."--Or tune their throats to the pitch of healthy vibration with a small glass of JOHNSON'S[39] "_Witte Curacoa_," see (No. 474) and Index, a glass of Wine, or other stimulus.--
To "Wet your Whistle," is occasionally, as absolutely necessary, as "to rosin the Bow of a Violin."--See "Observations on Vocal Music," prefixed to the Opera of _Ivanhoe_.
ACTORS and SINGERS are continually assailed by a variety of circumstances extremely unfavourable to Health--especially from sitting up late at night--to counteract which, we recommend _the Siesta_, and plenty of Exercise in a pure Air.
When they feel _Nervous_--_Bilious, &c. i. e._ that their whole System is so deranged by fatigue and anxiety, that they cannot proceed effectively and comfortably,--they must give their Throats two or three days' rest--cleanse the Alimentary Canal with Peristaltic Persuaders--see Index--and corroborate the Organs of Digestion with the Tonic Tincture (No. 569), see Index.
Strong PEPPERMINT LOZENGES, made by SMITH, Fell Street, Wood Street, Cheapside, are very convenient portable Carminatives:--as soon as they are dissolved, their influence is felt from the beginning to the end of the Alimentary Canal--they dissipate Flatulence so immediately, that they well deserve the name of _Vegetable Ether_; and are recommended to SINGERS and PUBLIC SPEAKERS--as giving effective excitement to the Organs of Voice--as a support against the distressing effects of Fasting too long--and to give energy to the Stomach between Meals.
THE POWER OF THE VOICE depends upon the vigorous state of the circulation supplying the Organs of Voice, with energy to execute the intentions of the Singer or Speaker--without which--the most accurate Ear and experienced Throat, will sometimes fail in producing the exact quality and quantity of Tone they intend.
That the VOICE is sometimes _too Flat_, or _too Sharp, &c._ is not a matter of astonishment--to those who really understand how arduous a task Singers have sometimes to perform;--it would only be wonderful if it was not--how is the Throat exempted from those collapses which occasionally render imperfect the action of every other fibre and function of our Body?
The _Dyspeptic_, who Tries the effect of Recumbency after Eating,--will soon be convinced that _Tristram Shandy_ was right enough, when he said, that "both pain, and pleasure, are best supported in an horizontal posture."
"If after Dinner the Poppies of repletion shed their influence on thy Eyelids--indulge thou kind Nature's hint."--"A quiet slumber in a comfortable warm room, favoureth the operation of Digestion--and thou shalt rise, refreshed, and ready for the amusements of the Evening."
The _Semi-Siesta_ is a pleasant position--(_i. e._ putting up the feet on a stool about eight inches high;) but catching a nap in a Chair is advisable only as a substitute when the Horizontal posture is not convenient--when you can, lie down on a Sofa--loosen all ligatures--and give your Bowels fair play.
These opinions,--which are the results of Personal experience--are exactly in unison with those of the following Medical Professors.
"From Eating comes Sleep--from Sleep Digestion."--SANCTORIUS, Sec. iv. Aph. 59.
"Perhaps one of the uses of Sleep, and of the horizontal posture during that period--may be to facilitate the introduction of Chyle into the Blood."--CRUICKSHANK _on the Absorbents_, p. 95.
"The Brute Creation invariably lay down and enjoy a state of rest, the moment their stomachs are filled. People who are feeble, digest their Dinner best, if they lie down and sleep as most Animals do, when their stomachs are full."--DARWIN'S _Zoonomia_, vol. iv. p. 137.
"Dr. HARWOOD, Professor of Anatomy at Cambridge, took two pointers who were equally hungry, and fed them equally well,--_one_ he suffered to follow the promptings of Instinct--curled himself round till he was comfortable--and went to sleep, as animals generally do after eating--the _other_ was kept for about two hours in constant exercise. On his return home--the two Dogs were killed.--In the Stomach of the _one_ who had been quiet and asleep, all the food was digested; in the Stomach of _the other_, that process was hardly begun."
"Quiet of Body and Mind for two hours after Dinner, is certainly useful to the Studious, the Delicate, and the Invalid."--ADAIR _on Diet_, p. 44.
"After Dinner, rest for three hours."--ABERNETHY'S _Surgical Obs_. 8vo. 1817, p. 93.
"After Dinner sit a while."--_Eng. Prov._
"If you have a strong propensity to Sleep after Dinner--indulge it, the process of Digestion goes on much better during Sleep, and I have always found an irresistible propensity to it--whenever Dyspeptic symptoms were considerable."--WALLER _on Incubus_, 1816, p. 109.
"Aged Men--and weake bodies, a short _Sleepe_ after Dinner doth help to nourish."--LORD BACON'S _Nat. Hist. Cent._ I. 57.
CLOTHES.
Of all the Customs of Clothing, the most extremely absurd is the usual arrangement of _Bed Clothes_, which in order as the chambermaid fancies to make the Bed look pretty in the Day time--are left long at the head, that they may cover the Pillows; when they are turned down, You have an intolerable load on your Lungs, and that part of the Body which is most exposed during the day--is smothered at night--with double the quantity of Clothes that any other part has.
Sleep is prevented by an unpleasant degree of either Heat or Cold; and in this ever-varying climate, where often "in one monstrous day all seasons mix," delicate Thermometrical persons will derive much comfort from keeping a Counterpane in reserve for an additional covering _in very Cold Weather:_ when some extra clothing is as needful by Night,--as a great coat is by Day.
A Gentleman who has a mind to carry the adjustment of his Clothes to a nicety--may have the shelves of his Wardrobe numbered 30, 40, 50, 60, &c. and according to the degree of Cold pointed to by his Fahrenheit[40], he may wear a corresponding defence against it:--This mode of adjusting Dress according to the vicissitudes of the weather, &c. is as rational as the ordinary practice of regulating it by the Almanack, or the Fashion, which in this uncertain Climate and capricious Age--will as often lead us wrong, as right.
Leave off your Winter Clothes late in the Spring;--put them on early in the Autumn. By wearing your Winter Clothes during the first half dozen warm days--You get some fine perspirations--which are highly salutary in removing obstructions in the cutaneous pores, &c.
_Delicate and Dyspeptic persons are often distressed by changing their Dress_,--which must be as uniform as possible,--in thickness--in quality--and in form,--especially (Flannel, or indeed) whatever is worn next to the Skin.
The change of a thick Waistcoat for a thin one--or a long one for a shorter one--not putting on Winter garments soon enough, or leaving them off too soon,--will often excite a violent disorder in the Lungs--or Bowels, &c. and exasperate any constitutional complaint.
Those who wear _Flannel Waistcoats_, are recommended to have their new ones about the middle of November, with sleeves to them coming down to the wrist--the shortening these sleeves in the warm weather, is as effective an antidote against extreme Heat--as lengthening them, and closing the Cuff of the Coat, is against intense Cold.
Our COAT[41] should be made so large--that when buttoned we may be as easy as when it is unbuttoned, so that without any unpleasant increase of pressure on the Chest, &c. we can wear it closely buttoned up to the Chin--the power of doing this is a convenient provision against the sudden alternations from heat to cold--buttoning up this outer garment, will protect the delicate from many mischiefs which so often arise in this inconstant climate from the want of such a defence; and the additional warmth it produces will often cure slight Colds, &c.
Another way of accumulating Caloric, is to have two sets of button holes to the CUFF of the Coat, (especially of your Great Coat,) one of which will bring it quite close round the wrist.
When the Circulation is languid, and your _Feet are Cold_--wear worsted Stockings, have your Shoes well warmed--and when you take them from the Fire--put your Slippers[42] to it--that they may be warm and comfortable for you on your return home.
_In Wet Weather_ wear Shoes with double upper-leathers--- two thin leathers will keep you much drier than one thick one, and are more pliable--the Currier's Dubbing is the best nourisher of Leather--and renders it as soft as satin, and impervious to Water.
The mean temperature of England is about 50 degrees of Fahrenheit--it sometimes rises 25 degrees above this, in the height of Summer,--falls about as much below, in the depth of Winter--and in Summer frequently varies from 20 to 30 degrees between Mid-day and Midnight.
_The restoration, and the preservation of the Health, especially of those who have passed their_ FORTIETH _Year_,--depends upon minute and unremitting attentions to Food,--Clothes,--Exercise, &c. which taken singly may appear trifling--but combined, are of infinite importance.
"_If you are careful of it, Glass will last as long as Iron._" By a regular observance of a few salutary precepts, a delicate Constitution will last as long, and afford its Proprietor as many Amusements, as a Strong Body,--whose Mind takes but little care of it.
Invalids are advised to put on a Great Coat when they go out, and the temperature of the external air is not higher than 40. Some susceptible Constitutions require this additional clothing when the Thermometer falls below 50; especially at the commencement of the Cold weather.
A GREAT COAT must be kept in a Room where there is a Fire,--if it has been hung up in a cold damp Hall, as it often is, it will contribute about as much to your Calorification,--as if You wrapped a Wet Blanket about You.
_Clothes_ should be warm enough to defend us from Cold[43],--and large[44] enough to let every movement be made with as much ease when they are on,--as when they are off.
Those whose employments are sedentary,--especially hard Students--who often neglect taking sufficient Exercise[45], suffer extremely from the pressure of tight _Waistbands_--_Garters, &c._ which are the cause of many of the mischiefs that arise from long sitting--during which they should be loosened.
_Braces_ have been generally considered a great improvement in modern dress--because they render the pressure of the Waistband unnecessary, which when extremely close is certainly prejudicial--but we have always thought they have produced more inconvenience than they have removed--for if the inferior Viscera get thereby more freedom of action--the superior suffer for it--and, moreover, _Ruptures_ are much more frequent--the Girdle which formerly prevented them being removed,--and, instead of that useful and partial horizontal pressure, in spite of the elastic springs which have been attached to the Braces, the whole body is grievously oppressed by the Vertical Bands.
The best material for Breeches, is the elastic worsted stocking stuff.
_Tight Stays_--and _Braces_--obstruct the circulation of the Blood, &c. are the cause of many Chronic Complaints, and often create Organic Diseases[46].
FIRE.
As we advance in Age--the force of the circulation being lessened, the warmth of our Clothes and our coverings at night should be gradually increased. "After the age of 35, it may be better to exceed, rather than be deficient in clothing."--ADAIR'S _Cautions_, p. 390.
Cold often kills the infirm and the aged, and is the proximate cause of most Palsies;--it is extremely desirable that Bed and Sitting Rooms for Winter occupation, should have a Southern aspect--when the Thermometer is below 30, the proper place for people beyond 60, is their own Fire-side:--many of the disorders and Deaths of persons at this period of Life--originate from irregularity in Diet, Temperature, &c. by Dining out, and frisking about, joining in Christmas Gambols, &c. in Cold weather.