A LETTER TO THE PATENTEE, CONCERNING THE MEDICAL PROPERTIES OF THE FLEECY HOSIERY.
BY WILLIAM BUCHAN, M. D. FELLOW OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS, EDINBURGH.
LONDON: FROM PETERBOROUGH-HOUSE PRESS, BY D. AND D. STUART, MDCCXC.
I AM favoured with yours of January 30th, incloſing ſome ſpecimens of your Fleecy Hoſiery, and requeſting my opinion concerning in medical properties, and the diſeaſes in which I think it is moſt likely to prove beneficial to mankind.
As you aſſure me that the firſt hint of the medical utility of your manufac⯑ture was taken from my Domeſtic Medicine; and, that the favourable opi⯑nion which I expreſſed of the ſmall ſample you ſhewed to me ſome years ago, had induced you to take out a Royal Patent for making it, I find my⯑ſelf called upon to ſupport my opinion; and I comply with your requeſt the more readily, as I am convinced that your diſcovery will prove of eſſential ſer⯑vice to many of my fellow creatures, labouring under the moſt excruciating maladies.
Every one who is at all converſant in theſe matters knows, that, in this country, the moſt fruitful ſource of diſeaſe is obſtructed perſpiration. While the ſecretion from the ſkin goes duly and uniformly on, few diſeaſes affect even the weak and delicate; but where this is obſtructed the moſt robuſt can⯑not long enjoy health.
[4]The celebrated Sanctorius ſays, the inſenſible perſpiration alone diſcharges more than all the ſenſible evacuations together; and that the proportion of this to all the other evacuations, is as five to three: though this proportion va⯑ries in different ages, climates, and conſtitutions, yet it is of ſuch importance in all, that where it is in any conſiderable degree deficient, a diſeaſed ſtate of the body will enſue.
Our inſular ſituation renders the atmoſphere of this country liable to great and frequent changes, and as theſe changes are often very ſudden, every one ought, as far as lies in his power, to guard againſt their influence, by adapting his clothing to the ſeaſon of the year, and the ſtate of the weather. In doing this he only imitates nature, who never fails to fortify thoſe animals which are left to her care againſt the inclemency of the ſeaſons, in thoſe countries where they are produced. Thus we find the foxes, bears, and other animals, in cold climates, covered with a thick coat of fur, which keeps continually varying with the ſeaſons, and gradually becoming longer and thicker, as the cold increaſes.
What nature does for the brute creation, art enables man to do for him⯑ſelf, and he ſeldom errs in following her example. Care is no doubt neceſ⯑ſary in making theſe changes; but even here nature has not left us without a guide, ſhe effects this purpoſe by ſlow gradations, and never ſtarts from one extreme to another. Though man cannot exactly copy her, in this reſpect, yet it is in his power to avoid all great and ſudden tranſitions. Thoſe who heap on loads of clothes on the approach of winter, and are ſo imprudent as to throw them off on the firſt appearance of ſpring, have themſelves only to blame, if the conſequences prove hurtful.
There is indeed a great ſource of deception in our ſeaſons; ſometimes the winter ſets in with all its rigour before it is expected, at other times it conti⯑nues mild throughout, and there is occaſion for very little additional clothing, even to the delicate. But the moſt inſidious ſeaſon, in this country, is ſpring. We have often in March, or April, a few days ſo warm as to make us believe that ſummer is arrived, when all of a ſudden it becomes more intenſely cold than in the middle of winter. Indeed December is ſometimes mild through⯑out, while every day of May is cold and wet.
[5]This irregularity of our ſeaſons, renders it very difficult to lay down parti⯑cular rules for regulating the clothing of invalids. It is their buſineſs, there⯑fore, to watch the changes of the weather, and, as far as they conveniently can, to counteract their influence, by ſuiting their clothing to the temperature of the air. The hardy and robuſt have indeed leſs to fear from the changes of wea⯑ther; but there is no perſon ſo ſtrong as to be wholly ſuperior to their influ⯑ence, and the fool-hardy often loſe their lives by deſpiſing it.
The moſt proper clothing for counteracting the inclemency of our atmo⯑ſphere, is certainly that which affords the greateſt warmth with the leaſt weight. There has not been hitherto, in the article of clothing, any thing invented where theſe properties have been ſo happily combined, as in your Patent Hoſiery. I am informed that a ſingle blanket can be made equal, in point of warmth, to ſix of the common ſort, while it does not exceed the weight of one.
This difference, in reſpect of weight, is of great importance to the invalid. Hardly able to ſupport his own weight, he can ſtill leſs bear a load of cloth⯑ing; and even to thoſe who are able to bear a load of clothes they prove hurtful. They compreſs the veſſels, and impede the free circulation of the fluids, on which not only health, but even life itſelf depends; beſides they encumber the body, and render it leſs fit for active exertions.
The manner in which your Fleecy Hoſiery is made, gives it a degree of elaſticity not poſſeſſed by cloth of any kind, from which many advantages are derived. Thus it adapts itſelf more readily to the figure of the body, or of any part to which it is applied; and, by acting like a perpetual ſpring, the inner ſurface operates as a fleſh-bruſh, by which means the diſcharge from the ſkin is promoted, and at the ſame time carried off by the conducting power of the wool.
In point of cleanlineſs, its preference to fur muſt be obvious to every one. It is not only free from the unpleaſant ſmell which accompanies ſkins of all kinds; but it can, at any time, be waſhed with the greateſt eaſe, and without any conſiderable expence, or diminution of its properties; beſides, it is cer⯑tainly leſs apt to harbour vermin, or communicate infection, than the ſkins of animals.
[6]But the moſt decided ſuperiority of the Fleecy Hoſiery, conſiſts in the powers which wool is found to poſſeſs, over all other articles of clothing, in ab⯑ſorbing and conducting moiſture. This appears from the experiments read before the Royal Society by Sir Benjamin Thomſon, which were made with a view to aſcertain the powers of different ſubſtances, in abſorbing moiſture from the atmoſphere.
Theſe experiments were made with ſheeps wool, beavers fur, eider down, cotton wool, linen, and ſilk; and the reſult was, that wool poſſeſſed a greater power of abſorbing moiſture than any of the others, and was likewiſe better calculated for conducting or carrying off the ſuperfluous moiſture from the body. Sir Benjamin's experiments are made with ſuch accuracy, and the concluſions drawn from them, tend ſo fully to eſtabliſh the ſuperiority of your manufacture over every other ſpecies of clothing, that I ſhall take the liberty of inſerting the ingenious author's inductions in his own words.
"I was totally miſtaken," ſays this candid writer, "in my conjectures rela⯑tive to the reſults of the experiments with the other ſubſtances. As linen is known to attract water with ſo much avidity, and as, on the contrary, wool, hair, feathers, and other like animal ſubſtances, are made wet with ſo much difficulty, I had little doubt but that linen would be found to attract moiſture from the atmoſphere with much greater force than any of theſe ſubſtances, and that, under ſimilar circumſtances, it would be found to contain far more water; and was much confirmed in this opinion, on recollecting the great difference in the apparent dampneſs of linen and woollen clothes, when they were both expoſed to the ſame atmoſphere. But theſe experiments have con⯑vinced me, that all my ſpeculations were founded on erroneous principles.
"It ſhould ſeem thoſe bodies which are the moſt eaſily wetted, or which receive water, in its unelaſtic form, with the greateſt eaſe, are not thoſe which in all caſes attract the watery vapour diſſolved in the air with the greateſt force.
"Perhaps the apparent dampneſs of linen, to the touch, ariſes more from the eaſe with which that ſubſtance parts with the water it contains, than from the quantity of water it actually holds; in the ſame manner as a body appears hot to the touch, in conſequence of its parting freely with its heat, while ano⯑ther [7]body, which is actually at the ſame temperature, but which holds its heat with greater obſtinacy, affects the ſenſe of feeling much leſs violently.
"It is well known that woollen clothes, ſuch as flannels, &c. worn next the ſkin, greatly promote inſenſible perſpiration. May not this ariſe principally from the ſtrong attraction which ſubſiſts between wool and the watery vapour which is continually iſſuing from the human body? That it does not depend entirely upon the warmth of that covering is clear; for the degree of warmth produced by wearing more clothing of a different kind, does not produce the ſame effect.
"The perſpiration of the human body being abſorbed by a covering of flannel, is immediately diſtributed through the whole thickneſs of that ſub⯑ſtance, and by that means expoſed to a very large ſurface to be carried off by the atmoſphere; and the loſs of this watery vapour which the flannel ſuſtains on the one ſide by evaporation, being immediately reſtored from the other, in conſequence of the ſtrong attraction between the flannel and the vapour, the pores of the ſkin are diſencumbered, and they are continually ſurrounded by a dry, warm, and ſalubrious atmoſphere.
"I am aſtoniſhed that the cuſtom of wearing flannel next the ſkin, ſhould not have prevailed more univerſally. I am confident it would prevent a mul⯑titude of diſeaſes; and I know of no greater luxury than the comfortable ſenſation which ariſes from wearing it, eſpecially after one is a little accuſ⯑tomed to it.
"It is a miſtaken notion that it is too warm a clothing for ſummer. I have worn it in the hotteſt climates, and in all ſeaſons of the year, and never found the leaſt inconveniency from it. It is the warm bath of a perſpiration, confined by a linen ſhirt wet with ſweat, which renders the ſummer heats of ſouthern climates ſo inſupportable; but flannel promotes perſpiration, and favours its evaporation; and it is well known that evaporation produces po⯑ſitive cold.
"I firſt began to wear flannel, not from any knowledge that I had of its pro⯑perties, but merely on the recommendation of an able phyſician; and when I began my experiments, I little thought of diſcovering the phyſical cauſe of the good effects which I had experienced from it, nor had I the moſt diſtant [8]idea of mentioning the circumſtance. I ſhall be happy, however, if what I have ſaid, or done upon the ſubject, ſhould induce others to make a trial of what I have ſo long experienced with the greateſt advantage, and which I am confident they will find to contribute greatly to health, and conſequently to all the other comforts and enjoyments of life."
Had Sir Benjamin known how far your Manufacture exceeds flannel, both in agreeableneſs and uſe, he would have been ſtill more laviſh in its praiſe. Indeed it is hardly poſſible to ſay too much in favour of a medicament of ſuch extenſive powers, and which is ſo pleaſant in the application. Many people, who cannot bear the harſh feel of flannel, find the Fleecy Hoſiery extremely agreeable, and indeed the fineſt down cannot be more delicately ſoft than fine wool ſpread on the ſurface of a texture ſimilar to that of your manufac⯑ture. That it is infinitely more pleaſant to the wearer, I can atteſt from my own experience.
On a review of thoſe diſeaſes in which flannel is known to act, either as a preventive, or remedy, they will be found more numerous than all that are cured by any one article of the Materia Medica; yet the powers of flannel, even in its moſt improved ſtate, fall greatly ſhort of thoſe poſſeſſed by the Fleecy Hoſiery. It is not only of a ſuperior fabric, but its warmth can be increaſed to almoſt any degree, which cannot be done with flannel without rendering it too heavy for uſe.
Your invention is ſtill in its infancy; but, from what has already been done, we may venture to foretell, that it will become one of the moſt extenſive branches of manufacture, as well as one of the moſt uſeful remedies; and that it will be of greater ſervice to the afflicted than all the boaſted noſtrums of the age, while it is entirely free from their dangerous qualities.
I ſhall now proceed to point out ſome of thoſe diſeaſes in which your Fleecy Hoſiery will be found the beſt application, not merely as a preventive but as a remedy; and here I muſt ſtudy brevity, as the ſubject is by far too extenſive to be fully diſcuſſed in the compaſs of a letter.
The Fleecy Hoſiery will, in general, be found an excellent medicine, both for the prevention and cure of all diſeaſes ariſing from obſtructed perſpiration. [9]Theſe in our climate include a great variety of diſorders; as colds and coughs, catarrhal affections, fevers, fluxes, aches and pains, rheums, inflammations, &c. To treat of all the diſeaſes ariſing from this cauſe would require a vo⯑lume, I ſhall therefore only touch on ſuch as occur the moſt frequently, and in which I think your manufacture the moſt likely to prove uſeful.
The phyſician who ſaid that colds killed more than plagues, told a ſerious truth. Had he taught us how to avoid them, he had been one of the greateſt benefactors to the human race that ever appeared. Though your manufac⯑ture may not abſolutely effect this great purpoſe; yet the proper uſe of it will go a greater length, both in the prevention and cure of colds, than the appli⯑cation of any other medicine with which I am acquainted. Moſt people place confidence in drugs when they have caught a cold, which only deſtroy their appetite, while the complaint might with eaſe and ſafety be removed by a pro⯑per addition to their clothing; but it is in the nature of man to deſpiſe things that are plain and obvious, and to hunt after ſecret medicines; he neglects what is in his own power, while he has implicit faith in the boaſted noſtrum, merely becauſe he is ignorant of what it conſiſts.
Catarrhal affections are of the nature of colds, and ariſe from the ſame cauſe, viz. an obſtructed perſpiration. An increaſed ſecretion from the glands of the noſe, fauces, and throat, accompanied with ſome degree of fever, mark this diſeaſe, which, in cold and moiſt ſtates of the atmoſphere, proves often ſo common as to conſtitute a true epidemic in this country. The only method of avoiding ſuch complaints is to counteract the influence of the weather, as far as lies in our power. Your happy diſcovery has enabled us to do this more effectually than any thing heretofore invented; without loading the body with clothes, it may now be kept ſufficiently warm, and the perſpiration pretty uni⯑formly ſupported, even in the moſt unfavourable ſtates of the atmoſphere.
That the ſimple inflammatory fever is generally occaſioned by an obſtructed perſpiration, admits of no doubt. The effect of cold is to augment the tone of the ſyſtem, by which means the action of the heart and arteries is increaſed, and what is called the inflammatory diatheſis induced. Indeed every ſymptom of this diſeaſe ſhews a plethora, or too great fullneſs of the veſſels, which is the well-known effect of an obſtructed perſpiration. The way to prevent this fever, of courſe, is to keep up a regular perſpiration: and to reſtore it when dimi⯑niſhed, is the beſt method of cure.
Local affections of the inflammatory kind, as Saint Anthony's fire, the acute rheumatiſm, inflammation of the breaſt, bowels, &c. are likewiſe the genuine offspring of obſtructed perſpiration. In countries where the perſpira⯑tion goes on uniformly, theſe diſeaſes are hardly known; but every one knows their frequency, and multitudes feel their direful effects, in this country. They are ſtill however more dreadful in colder climates, where, as we learn from Boyle's Hiſtory of Cold, the inhabitants often die of affections of the Bowels, accompanied with the moſt excruciating torment. There can be no doubt but a proper application of your manufacture might be of great uſe in pre⯑venting theſe maladies.
The diarrhoea, and other affections of the bowels, are often occaſioned by obſtructed perſpiration; nor can any thing relieve theſe complaints more ef⯑fectually than reſtoring this neceſſary evacuation. I have often known an ob⯑ſtinate looſeneſs cured by the patient's wearing flannel next his ſkin; but what⯑ever can be done by flannel, more is ſurely to be expected from the uſe of your manufacture; and I would adviſe all perſons who have tender bowels, to keep up a due perſpiration, by wearing it of a proper thickneſs. This will be found more agreeable, and likewiſe more ſafe than the uſe of aſtringent medicines.
All people of delicate nerves have tender bowels, and though they ſhould not wear it any where elſe, they would do well to keep the ſtomach and bowels covered with a piece of your comfortable clothing, of a ſufficient thickneſs. Even this partial uſe of it will, in many caſes, be of ſingular ſervice. Thoſe who have weak lungs, will reap equal advantage from wearing a piece of it over the breaſt.
Thoſe who are ſubject to the common angina, or inflammation of the throat, will find a piece of your Fleecy Hoſiery, worn about the neck, the beſt preven⯑tive, nor is it by any means an indifferent remedy. It is more efficacious, and much more agreeable, than the common practice of applying a dirty ſtock⯑ing round the neck.
Amongſt the foremoſt in the liſt of thoſe diſeaſes, where the Fleecy Hoſiery is proper, ſtands the gout. Perſons ſubject to this diſorder ought to keep up the perſpiration at all times, eſpecially in the extremities. This will be found one of the ſafeſt and beſt preventives, and alſo the moſt agreeable that can be employed. To keep the part eaſy, ſoft, and uniformly warm, is almoſt all we can do, during a paroxyſm or fit of the gout. For this purpoſe there is not any thing better calculated than the Fleecy Hoſiery. I have recommended wool in the gout, for above thirty years, and have never found cauſe to change my opinion of it. Your manufacture, however, is in many reſpects preſera⯑ble to wool, as it poſſeſſes all its properties without the incoveniences attending the application of it.
The rheumatiſm is not only a more common, but alſo a more obſtinate diſorder than the gout. That it admits of no remedy, ſave patience and flannel, [12]is an old adage. We can now, however, boaſt of a remedy far ſuperior to the beſt flannel. The advantages of the Fleecy Hoſiery over flannel will appear on the flighteſt inſpection; but on trial it is ſtill more obvious. I have often re⯑commended it in rheumatic affections, and have never been diſappointed in my expectations from it. In the chronic rheumatiſm, indeed, it requires time; yet even here it will be found to perform a cure ſooner than any other remedy.
In every part of this iſland, where I have been, the old people univerſally complain of what they call pains in their limbs. This is evidently a ſpe⯑cies of the rheumatiſm, and is peculiarly incident to women who live on poor diet, are thinly clothed, and inhabit cold damp houſes. It does not appear to me, that any thing could be ſo beneficial to theſe people as to have their limbs clothed in your comfortable woollen manufacture. This would cer⯑tainly prove the beſt preſervative againſt thoſe pains, which not only render theſe poor people very miſerable, but often a burthen to ſociety. They can⯑not indeed always purchaſe it themſelves, but the benevolent could not em⯑ploy their charity better than in ſupplying them with an article ſo neceſſary for health; and even thoſe who have the care of the poor ought, on princi⯑ples of economy, to ſupply them with this kind of clothing, to prevent their becoming totally unfit for labour, and conſequently a greater burthen to the public.
There is no diſeaſe the cure of which depends more on promoting perſpira⯑tion than the dropſy. In all patients labouring under this malady the ſecre⯑tion from the ſkin is defective, and ought by all means to be promoted. This cannot be done ſo agreeably, and I will add ſo effectually, as by wearing your manufacture of a ſufficient thickneſs. I am credibly informed that the dropſy has been cured by the patient's wearing your Fleecy Hoſiery, after the moſt powerful medicines, accompanied with the uſe of flannel, had proved totally ineffectual.
People afflicted with the aſthma are always in danger, and often loſe their lives from a ſudden check of perſpiration. They ought carefully to watch the changes of the weather, and to fortify themſelves againſt them by adapt⯑ing their clothing to the temperature of the atmoſphere. I would adviſe aſthmatic patients to beware of the cold, raw, eaſterly winds, which prevail in our ſpring, and towards the ſetting in of winter, and to avail themſelves of your happy diſcovery for counteracting their influence.
The apoplexy is now ſo frequent as to become truly alarming. It ſeldom, however, attacks people till the decline of life, when the perſpiration becomes defective, and the ſkin grows dry and rigid. When the diſcharge from the ſkin is obſtructed to ſuch a degree, that the ſuperfluous moiſture of the body cannot be carried off by the other emunctories, or common outlets, a plethora, or too great fullneſs of the veſſels, muſt enſue. This will induce a prediſpoſi⯑tion to apoplexy. To ward off the dreadful blow as long as poſſible, the perſpiration muſt be kept up; and I know not any thing more proper for this purpoſe than your Fleecy Hoſiery, prudently applied, and accompanied with a ſufficient degree of bodily exerciſe.
The apoplexy and palſy make their attack about the ſame time of life, and often accompany each other, which renders it probable, that, in ſome meaſure, they depend on the ſame cauſe. That your manufacture is calcu⯑lated to prevent the palſy, I will not take upon me to ſay; but I am certain that, in many caſes, it will be found a very proper remedy. The torpor of a paralytic limb renders ſome warm and ſtimulating application neceſſary, and this intention is more likely to be anſwered by your hoſiery than flannel, as it not only poſſeſſes a greater degree of warmth, but is, from its texture, better adapted to act as a ſtimulus to the ſkin.
Few things prove more troubleſome to perſons in the decline of life than deafneſs. This is generally occaſioned by cold in the head. I have often known deafneſs cured by a warm night-cap; and would recommend it to all who are afflicted with this malady, to wear caps of your manufacture. Theſe caps will not only remove deafneſs, but will be found likewiſe to obviate many other complaints, as the tooth-ach, head-ach, pains of the face, &c. In all caſes where the head is wet, either by bathing or violent exerciſe, theſe caps will be found of the greateſt ſervice. This I am told has been fre⯑quently experienced by ſportſmen, who, by uſing them when heated in the chace, have never caught cold. There are no people ſo careleſs as the in⯑habitants of this country, with regard to the covering of their heads during the night; and this neglect is the ſource of many diſorders, beſides thoſe mentioned above.
Cleanlineſs and warm clothing are the great preventives of ſkin diſeaſes. Where the ſkin is not ſufficiently defended againſt the inclemency of the wea⯑ther, it becomes rigid, and conſequently unfit for tranſmitting the perſpirable matter through its pores. The internal diſorders, ariſing from this cauſe, have already been taken notice of. The external are, ſcabby and ſcaly eruptions, foul blotches, defedation of the ſkin, chilblains, and ſuch like. Theſe are al⯑ways found to prevail moſt among the poor, who go dirty and are ill clothed. The chilblains, indeed, affect young people of all ranks, yet this complaint might generally be prevented by keeping the feet and legs dry, and ſufficiently warm. For this purpoſe I know of no application equal to your foot-ſocks and fleecy hoſe.
The Fleecy Hoſiery is not only beneficial in many diſeaſes, but in various ſituations, where men are neceſſarily placed, it will be found the beſt preſer⯑vative of health. For example, in countries where agues prevail, and the pallid inhabitants are ſhook, like the aſpine leaf, for at leaſt one half the year, there is reaſon to believe, that a ſpecies of clothing ſo perfectly adapted to defend [15]the body againſt the moiſture of the atmoſphere, and keep up an uniform de⯑gree of warmth, would be found ſuperior, both in ſafety and efficacy, to any in⯑ternal medicine whatever. Indeed the internal medicines made uſe of for this purpoſe, are generally of ſuch a nature that, if they keep off one diſeaſe, they induce others, which prove equally if not more fatal.
How pernicious that kind of clothing muſt be which retains the moiſture, and keeps it in continual contact with the body, to men who work in damp ſituations, will appear from Sir Benjamin Thomſon's experiments; and the advantage of the Fleecy Hoſiery, in conducting it off, will be no leſs obvious. Spalden, the celebrated diver, told me that he could not live under water in any dreſs but flannel. In other clothing he was chilled with cold, but, with a ſufficient quantity of flannel, he found himſelf pretty comfortable. Had he known the ſuperior advantages of your manufacture, he would no doubt have been ſtill more ſo.
To travellers, in cold countries, your manufacture muſt be of the greateſt uſe, particularly the fleecy gloves and foot baſkets. The extremities always ſuffer moſt from cold, and are in the greateſt danger of mortification. I ſhall not be ſurprized if your manufacture become the common clothing of the northern nations. Where the inhabitants are obliged to have recourſe to furs in winter, the fleecy clothing will, I am convinced, be found to anſwer their purpoſe much better, and will likewiſe prove far more agreeable to the wearer.
It will not, however, ſo readily occur, that the Fleecy Hoſiery is the moſt proper clothing for the inhabitants of hot climates; yet this is acknowledged to be the caſe by all who have made the trial. It can certainly be made more light than any other kind of cloathing, and with ſo thin a ſprinkling of wool, as to act more as a cooler than a heater of the body, while it conducts off the moiſture from the ſkin much faſter than any other kind of cloathing.
There is no ſet of men to whom the Fleecy Hoſiery is likely to prove more beneficial, than thoſe who have lived in hot climates; they univerſally complain, that, even with the warmeſt flannel and thickeſt clothing, they are not able to ſupport the inclemency of our winters. Thoſe, however, to whom I have [16]had an opportunity of recommending your manufacture, have all told me, that, by wearing it next their ſkin, they have found themſelves ſufficiently warm and comfortable, even in the coldeſt ſeaſon.
All perſons who ſit to read, write, or work, eſpecially in cold rooms, ought to have their feet and legs clothed in your Fleecy Hoſiery. In ſuch peo⯑ple, the circulation in the limbs is obſtructed by ſitting, and a chilly torpor brought on the feet and legs, which paves the way to edematous ſwel⯑lings, paralytic affections, and the like.
In caſes of ſuſpended animation, as it is called, where a perſon is to all appearance dead, and where the great object is to recall the latent principle of life, by reſtoring the genial warmth, and exciting the actions of the ſyſtem, it will be readily allowed that few things are likely to have a more happy effect than wrapping the body in ſome of the thickeſt of your Fleecy Hoſiery, made as hot as poſſible. This will not only receive a much greater degree of heat than a common blanket, but, retaining the heat longer, will be found a much more ſuitable application than the other, while it is ſooner and more eaſily prepared than a warm bath.
I can imagine many ſituations where your manufacture would be of ſingular ſervice, both to ſailors and ſoldiers. The former are often obliged to keep on their wet cloaths for whole days together, and the latter to continue in camp during cold and wet ſeaſons, or in a low damp country. I have been told by ſeveral of the officers who lay in camp on Newcaſtle Moor, in winter 1745, that half the army muſt have periſhed by cold, had it not been for the flan⯑nel waiſtcoats given to the ſoldiers by theſe good people called Quakers. No one who has ſeen it needs to be told, that your manufacture would prove more beneficial than flannel to men in ſuch ſituations.
In point of economy, few things will be found to equal your invention. It will not only ſuperſede the uſe of furs, but, in many caſes, even of fuel; which, to the inhabitants of cold countries, proves very expenſive. Nor does the evil end here. Perſons who ſit roaſting themſelves near a great fire injure their health. They breathe a burnt, unwholeſome air, and, after all, are but half warmed. A perſon clothed in a fufficient thickneſs of your [17]manufacture will hardly find occaſion for fire in any ſituation; and he will feel himſelf much more comfortable than by the fire-ſide, where he is burnt on on the one ſide, and frozen on the other. In one word, your invention may truly be ſaid to unite economy, pleaſure, and uſefulneſs; which is more than moſt of our modern diſcoveries can boaſt.
I ſhall conclude this letter, already too long, by recommending to you the moſt active perſeverance in the proſecution of your plan. You have not only made a great improvement in the woollen manufacture, but alſo in medicine. Your Fleecy Hoſiery, judiciouſly applied, will not only in many caſes preſerve health, but prove more beneficial to the afflicted than any thing that has been diſcovered in the medical art for theſe many years: like other uſeful diſoveries, however, it will meet with oppoſition; but patience and perſeverance will overcome it all, and you will find, beſide the brave defender of Gibraltar*, many who will ſtep forward to do juſtice to your uſeful invention
Wiſhing you all that ſucceſs to which your merit is ſo juſtly entitled,
IF the ſentiments contained in this letter wanted the ſanction of authority, it would be eaſy to adduce a number of eminent authors, both ancient and modern, who have entertained the ſame ideas. The celebrated Boerhaave uſed to ſay, that nobody ſuffered from cold, except beggars and fools: the former not being able to purchaſe clothes, and the latter not having ſenſe to uſe them. This certainly ſhews, that, in the learned Doctor's opinion, the effects of cold might be obviated by a proper attention to clothing.
It is ſaid of the celebrated Mr. Boyle, whoſe delicacy of conſtitution rendered it neceſſary for him to adapt the warmth of his cloathing to the ſtate of the weather, that he had a veſture ſuited to every ſeaſon of the year; and it is much in favour of his plan, that, although a valetudinarian, he died at an advanced age.
But the author whoſe ſentiments are moſt in point is the learned Sancto⯑rius, Profeſſor of Phyſic at Padua, who firſt eſtabliſhed the doctrine of in⯑ſenſible perſpiration on undeniable grounds, and ſhewed its importance in the animal economy, and its influence on health. Though the doctor lived in a more temperate climate than ours, yet the following aphoriſms, which are ſelected from a great number, will ſhew how much he thought health de⯑pended on the inſenſible perſpiration being duly and regularly kept up.
Whenſoever nature is diſturbed in the buſineſs of perſpiration, ſhe ſoon begins to be defective in many more of the animal functions.
The external cauſes which are wont to hinder perſpiration are, the cold air, and that which is damp and foggy; ſwimming in cold water, &c.
Old age may truly be reckoned a diſtemper, but it may be long protracted if the body perſpires well.
The humours of gouty people, even the moſt thick, are carried off only by perſpiration.
A looſeneſs may be removed by increaſing the quantity which is to be per⯑ſpired, as often happens in warm bathing.
Hypochondriacal perſons are cured by promoting perſpiration.
In ſummer to be expoſed to the open air will hinder perſpiration.
In autumn the weight of the body increaſes, owing to the diminiſhed per⯑ſpiration, which, if it be beyond a healthful ſtandard, will produce tertians and putrid fevers.
Swimming in cold water, after violent exerciſe, is very delightful, but fatal; for nothing is more deſtructive than extremes.
A cool wind always hinders perſpiration, and is hurtful.
Any draught of air has the ſame effect.
There is no danger of the autumnal diſtempers, if the body be well guarded againſt the increaſing cold by warm garments.
To be well covered with clothes, aſſiſts perſpiration and lightens the body.
They who in ſpring throw off their winter garments too haſtily, and are too backward in putting them on again in the fall, in the ſummer are ſub⯑ject to fevers, and in the winter to defluxions.