Page:Advice to young ladies on their duties and conduct in life - Arthur - 1849.djvu/111

Rh in supplying the waste that is always going on, if it be in an unhealthy state from any cause, its work cannot be properly done, and the consequence must be, that every part of the body will suffer. A good digestion, however, does not always depend upon the quality of the food taken; the best food in the world will be rendered indigestible if it be not sufficiently masticated, or is eaten too fast. Great care should also be taken to keep the chest well protected, and on no account to sit in draughts of air, nor to venture out of doors in cold weather without putting on additional clothing, and covering the head. Often we see young ladies running in to a neighbor’s three or four doors off, in midwinter, without even the addition of a light shawl over the head or shoulders. It is no wonder that colds are the result of such indiscretion, often leading to serious inflammation of the air-tubes, or lungs.

If, in spite of all her best precautions, a young lady, who has every reason to believe that she inherits a tendency to disease of the lungs, takes cold, and is attacked with hoarseness and a slight cough, she should feel sufficient concern to prompt her to take the greatest possible care of herself. The advice of the family physician ought immediately to be obtained, and she