Mary Agnes Roberts, aged 12, of S. Charleston, West Va. , for her question:

What kind of germs give us a cold?

A cold in the head is still something of a mystery to the experts. They are pretty sure it is caused by a minute virus. A virus is far smaller than a bacterium. We are not even sure whether it is a living creature or some complex chemical.

There are many different kinds of viruses. They cause sickness in plants, birds and fishes. A dog gets rabies from a virus. People get measles and chicken pox from other viruses. Still another virus gives us a cold. There may be a number of different viruses that can give us colds. Suppose a cold virus attacks you. It is a parasite and feeds on the fluids and cells of your body. Naturally, your wonderful body won’t stand for that, it fights back. The virus multiplies and the body fights harder. Your body is at war and various things happen. You get the sniffs and maybe a temperature,

With all this extra work, the body needs extra rest, It also needs plenty of good food, Give it all the help you can and it will drive out those pesky viruses. The experts may not know a quick ‑way to curea cold. But, given time, your body does.