Number of words: 208

There has recently been an interesting discussion of this subject in Time magazine. Professor Huntington of Yale has argued that the highest forms of civilization must develop in temperate climates. If a country is too cold, its people have to struggle too hard just to stay alive. If it is too hot, they relax into a slowmoving lassitude. In reply to this, an anthropologist, Dr Wulsin of Massachussetts, has declared that it is neither the heat nor the humidity, but over-dressing that robs tropical residents of their energy. The human body has its own methods of radiation, by convection and reduction to the  air and through the cooling effect of evaporation. When it does not escape fast enough, the temperature of the internal organs rises. Sometimes so much blood is needed for carrying heat that not enough remains to make the body work properly.

In warm weather, or during exercise, the evaporation of sweat does most of the final cooling. But the body cannot produce an unlimited amount of sweat, and if it is forced to do so, there are various ill effect. So the natural reaction of the overheated human is to sit still his temperature falls. In the long run this ‘defensive lassitude’ lowers the cultural level.

Excerpted from”page number 134, of A philosophy for NEFA”