heavy one--that would have saved him. A garment of that
kind should be worn by singers at night when traveling. They can
regulate the bed-covering accordingly, so as not to be too warm.
Clothing should give correct aeration for the season. Silk underclothing
I regard as dangerous, because silk is a non-conductor. Good Lisle
thread or flannel giving proper aeration is excellent. No one should be
more careful about their clothing than New Yorkers, because of the
sudden changes in temperature there. Stiff, high collars are injurious,
because they are irritants to blood-vessels and nerves and are
non-conductors. Collars should be worn from a quarter to half an inch
away from the skin, for the less the Adam's apple--the highest forward
point of the larynx--is irritated, the better.
There are certain periods of the year and even one special day when
singers should especially look out for their voices. From January
15th-20th is the period of January thaw and of colds from melting snow.
From March 19th-25th the earth is beginning to ferment and this is a
period for spring fever and intestinal troubles, which indirectly affect
the voice. May 9th usually is cold and rainy. The latter part of May and
nearly all June, rose cold or June cold is prevalent. About August 1st
come the dog days and hay fever. In fact, from August 1st until the
autumnal equinox is an anxious time for the singer. From November
11th-25th there is apt to be alternate cold and warm weather conducive
to asthma.
With the singer, more even than with any one else, the ounce of
prevention is the pound of cure. The first sneeze should send the singer
to his physician; and he also should realize--as only too few people
do--that after a cold nature requires from a week to nine days to repair
the damaged processes, and that he should not work too soon. Rest is a
great cure.
One of the most distinguished French laryngologists, Dr. G. Poyet, was
interviewed for the European edition of the N. Y. _Herald_ on the
subject of hygiene for the singer. Although what Dr. Poyet says on some
points is a repetition of matters already gone over here, while other
points will be more thoroughly gone into than was possible for him in
the space at his command, a summary of what this clever man had to say
on a subject of such importance to the singer will serve capitally the
purpose of this chapter.
Dr. Poyet began by saying that, since the voice has intimate relationship
wit
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