The laws of health / by W.H. Corfield.

  • William Henry Corfield
Date:
1896
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The laws of health / by W.H. Corfield. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    himself is forming a habit which may become very burdensome to him, and that if he is a poor man he is spending money for which there are fifty better and more pressing applications.’ The regular removal of waste substances from the body is most necessary for the preservation of health. If they are not removed, they are partly re-absorbed into the blood, the quality of which is thus deteriorated, and so the nourishment of the tissues is seriously impaired. It is certain that many of the diseases of middle age are either actually caused, or at any rate aggravated, by the want of proper attention to this matter. The organs by which these substances are removed are the skin, the lungs, the kidneys, and the intestines. The most important agents in regulating the action of the first three are cleanliness and exercise. With regard to the last, the formation of a regular habit early in life is essen- tial, and bodily exercise also stimulates the action of the intestinal canal. If the skin is not kept thoroughly clean, the dead scales of the epidermis, or scarf skin, yvhich ought to be removed, accumulate upon the surface, and impede the proper action of the glands of the skin. Now, this action naturally becomes weaker during the later periods of life, and it is only by practising habits of cleanliness throughout life that we can preserve the action of the skin as long as possible. If the skin does not do its work properly, more has to be done by the lungs and kidneys, and these, having too much to do, are more likely to be- come diseased. .The cold sponge-bath taken in the morning is not only cleanly, but is a valuable tonic to the system generally, and should be taken regularly
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