Common Cold Analysis
This statement can be classified as a common belief. I have also been victim to this statement from my mother every once and a while.
History
This statement could have originated from Louis Pasture who did an experiment on chickens. In 1878 he exposed chickens to anthrax (an acute infectious disease of herbivores) and placed their feet in cold water. These chickens later caught the disease and died. However, the same experiment was repeated on chickens wrapped in a warm blanket; these chickens survived. This was confirmed by German studies during WWI were it was realised that soldiers who slept in wet cold trenches were more likely to get colds than those who rested in dry barracks.
Truth
The common cold is caused by a virus, the most common is rhinoviruses. The virus enters your body through either your mouth, nose or eyes and can spread through particles in the air or contaminated objects. If you touch any of the above body parts, you are more likely to catch a cold. However, wet hair may be the indirect cause of a cold. Having wet hair in cold weather can make you feel colder and can put stress on your body. This can lead to hypothermia. This can lower one's immune system and thus be …show more content…
He said that people expect the same outcome every time. However, he disagreed and stated that the expectation is just a figment of the human imagination. This can be directly related to the statement "Going out in the cold with wet hair will make you sick". Although your hair is wet and this makes you cold when you are outside, every person will be in a different scenario. Every person has a different immune system. Some people will have a stronger or weaker immune system or some people will be wearing an extra sweater. Everyone is different, therefore they cannot be judged equally. Just because one person gets sick, does not mean that everyone else will and this belief can therefore not be used on
History
This statement could have originated from Louis Pasture who did an experiment on chickens. In 1878 he exposed chickens to anthrax (an acute infectious disease of herbivores) and placed their feet in cold water. These chickens later caught the disease and died. However, the same experiment was repeated on chickens wrapped in a warm blanket; these chickens survived. This was confirmed by German studies during WWI were it was realised that soldiers who slept in wet cold trenches were more likely to get colds than those who rested in dry barracks.
Truth
The common cold is caused by a virus, the most common is rhinoviruses. The virus enters your body through either your mouth, nose or eyes and can spread through particles in the air or contaminated objects. If you touch any of the above body parts, you are more likely to catch a cold. However, wet hair may be the indirect cause of a cold. Having wet hair in cold weather can make you feel colder and can put stress on your body. This can lead to hypothermia. This can lower one's immune system and thus be …show more content…
He said that people expect the same outcome every time. However, he disagreed and stated that the expectation is just a figment of the human imagination. This can be directly related to the statement "Going out in the cold with wet hair will make you sick". Although your hair is wet and this makes you cold when you are outside, every person will be in a different scenario. Every person has a different immune system. Some people will have a stronger or weaker immune system or some people will be wearing an extra sweater. Everyone is different, therefore they cannot be judged equally. Just because one person gets sick, does not mean that everyone else will and this belief can therefore not be used on