would come into the schoolroom with her feet
almost frozen, and take her seat close to the stove, so as to warm them
and be ready for school as quickly as possible. Here she would sit, if
permitted to do so, till the bell rang for school.

It was not long before I learned that she was a great sufferer from
chilblains. Whether she inherited a tendency to this troublesome and
painful disease, which was awakened and aggravated by sudden changes of
temperature, or whether the latter were the original cause of the
disease, I never knew with certainty. But I was struck with the fact
that sudden warming was followed by such lasting and terrible
consequences.

And herein is one reason why I have opposed, from that day to this, the
custom or habit, so exceedingly prevalent, of rushing to the fire when
we are very cold, and warming ourselves as quickly as possible. I have
reasoned; I have commanded; and in some few instances I have ridiculed.
Every one knows it is hazardous to bring the ears or fingers or toes,
or any other parts of the body, suddenly to the fire when really
frozen,--that is, when the temperature is lowered down in the part to
32 deg.; and yet, if it is only down to 33 deg., and the part not quite
frozen, almost every one, young and old, will venture to the fire. Can
there be such a difference in the effects when there is only a difference
of one degree in temperature? No reflecting person will for one moment
believe it. The trouble is we do not think about it.

Sudden changes from heat to cold are little more favorable than when the
change is in the other direction. Indeed, it often happens that children
at school are subjected to both these causes. Thus, in the case of
Lydia, suppose that after roasting herself a long time at the stove, she
had gone to her seat and placed her feet directly over crevices in the
floor, through which the cold wind found its way at almost freezing
temperature. Would not this have greatly added to the severity of the
disease?

There are, it is true, other reasons against sudden changes of
temperature, particularly the change from cold to heat, besides the fact
that they tend to produce chilblains; but I cannot do more just now than
barely advert to them. The eyes are apt to be injured; it renders us
more liable than otherwise we should be to take cold. Occasionally it
brings on faintness and convulsions, and still more rarely, sudden
death. I will only add now, that sudden warm