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CHAP. XI] mentary to the action of the skin, and they should also fit as nearly like the skin as possible. The skin, it must be remembered, is elastic, and gives with every movement of the body, hence the material of clothing should also be, as far as possible, elastic. In being elastic, the woven material out of which vests and drawers are now made possesses a great advantage over ordinary flannel; while they stretch to every movement, they fit to the figure sufficiently well to prevent their weighing particularly on any one portion of the body, their weight is distributed equally, like their warmth, all over the body. In the system of under-clothing which I advocate, and which is illustrated by the above figure, combinations should be worn next to the skin; or, if the objection to these, which I spoke of on p. 131, is raised, a vest of woven wool, coming well down over the hips, may be worn next the skin, and drawers, either of the same material or of flannel, can be buttoned on to the bodice. The thickness of the material of which this and all the other garments are made can, of course, be varied to suit the temperature of the air. I advisedly do not say "to suit the season of the year," for it is observable that the weather and corresponding temperature is, as a rule, "very unseasonable:" the merry month of May is a snare and a delusion, devoted to rheumatism and colds in the head.

The bodice itself should be made of flannel, for if it were constructed of a stretchy material, it would give too much to properly support the