On the baseball field, we used to say that “he’s so bad he couldn’t catch a cold.” Oh so funny, I know, but what about when the weather turns cold? Do you remember hearing that you should dress warm so you don’t catch a cold?
It’s amazing how long this saying has survived. Back before Louis Pasteur figured out germs in the 1860s, this was a pretty valid saying. But now that we know that germs make you sick, why would you say that the temperature of the air can have an effect on your health?
This probably started because winter is cold and flu season. You’re more likely to stay inside which means you probably have more contact with other people which means diseases spread more easily.
Of course, cold weather can hurt you physically. If it gets cold enough, you’ll get hypothermia, frostbite, etc. But just walking outside without a hat when it’s 20 degrees is not going to make you more likely to get sick.
Catching A Cold
It’s amazing how long this saying has survived. Back before Louis Pasteur figured out germs in the 1860s, this was a pretty valid saying. But now that we know that germs make you sick, why would you say that the temperature of the air can have an effect on your health?
This probably started because winter is cold and flu season. You’re more likely to stay inside which means you probably have more contact with other people which means diseases spread more easily.
Of course, cold weather can hurt you physically. If it gets cold enough, you’ll get hypothermia, frostbite, etc. But just walking outside without a hat when it’s 20 degrees is not going to make you more likely to get sick.