Plain Facts for Old and Young by John Harvey Kellogg

6. Soft beds and pillows must be carefully avoided. Feather-beds should

not be employed when possible to find a harder bed; the floor, with a single folded blanket beneath the sleeper, would be preferable. Soft pillows heat the head, as soft beds produce heat in other parts. A hair mattress, or a bed of corn husks, oat straw, or excelsior--covered with two or three blankets or a quilted cotton mattress--makes a very healthy and comfortable bed.