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132
The Science of Dress.
[CHAP. IX.

the temperature of the bedroom reaches or exceeds 60° Fahr., the garment worn next the skin should not be changed at night, except, of course, in the case of those very strong people whom nothing seems to hurt.

If the woollen vest is changed, its place must be supplied by one of equal thickness and warmth. It is also desirable that nightdresses should be made of wool instead of the orthodox cotton or linen; they can be made extremely pretty by the aid of embroidery in silk. For cases of disease such as rheumatism or ague it has long been recommended for the patient to discard the use of cotton or linen sheets, and sleep between the blankets, a tacit acknowledgment of the principles regarding the relative values of animal and vegetable fibres, which I have explained in former chapters.

Just as it is desirable, in the interests of health, that wool should be used exclusively for clothing during the day, so it is that the surroundings of the body during the night should be of wool, and the bed or mattrass, being, as it is generally supposed to be, stuffed with hair, wool, or feathers, should be cased in woollen material. Many people, when, travelling, they are obliged to sleep in strange beds, are actuated by the fear of damp sheets, and wisely elect to sleep between the blankets; and although this would not be considered comfortable by the fastidious, such beautifully soft and smooth materials are now made of wool, that there is no reason why woollen sheets should not be sub-