HEALTH HINTS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 167, 15 July 1911, Page 15

HEALTH HINTS.

HEALTH VALUE OF THE COLD PLUNGE.

Professor Simon Baruch, the author of "Use of Water in Modern Medicine," has exploded another time-honoured theory regarding the ibath. He says that the idea that bathing opens the pores of the skin is ungrounded. Whafib really:does is to keep the delicate muscles under the skin in healthy condition, and to assist the work of the capillaries, which carry the blood to the surface of the body. He recommends the warm bath, but thinks that it should not be enjoyed for more than twenty minutes, as longer immersion will soften the skin and make its muscles flabby. The value of the cold bath, Dr. Baruoh considers, lies in the cold plunge, which brings about a pleasant reaction.

Prof. Baruch points aut that batting played a large part in the life of the Romans, and it was considered a. necessity both by the philosophers and gladiators. The Japanese have also been extremely fond of the bath, and the nonbathing Russians have their substitute in the sweat bath. A Russian peasant, if he can get one in no other fashion, -will sometimes creep into the oven after the bread has been, baked, says Dr. Baruch, and is bathed with water only three times in his life—when he is born, when he is married, and when he is laid in his coffin. Russia has, however, paid a price for its aversion to water in the tremendous increase of cholera, a dirt disease, from 12,000 cases in 1906 to 210,000 last year. CURVATURE OF THE SPINE. There is no doubt that many a child owes its deformity, when this takes the shape of lateral curvature of the spine, to a badly placed writing desk at school, or to bad lighting in the schoolroom, which forces the child to adopt a wrong position while at work. The irregular pressure caused by the carrying of heavy burdens is also an exciting cause of curvature. It is not uncommon among: young nursemaids who always carry a child on the same arm, and an errandboy may suffer equally from having constantly to carry a heavy basket. The first symptoms generally noticed will probably be the growing out of the shoulder blades. Later on, as the curve of the spine to one side or the other becomes more pronounced, there will be a noticeable change in the patient's manner of walking; one hip will become more prominent than the other, and the body will usually lean to the opposite side lof the deformity. The chest has a tendency to become less capacious, and the patient is in consequence short-winded. The digestion is affeeied, partly because of direct pressure on the liver and other abdominal organs, partly because the patient can take little exercise. It need hardly be said that every care ought to be taken that children, do not develop this disfiguring- condition. Parents should watch them at work and see that they do not assume a bad position either sitting or standing, and gymnastic exercises should form part of the daily routine of boys and girls, but especially the latter, because are more prone to suffer from spinal curvature than are boys, probably on account of their back muscles being less exercised. When the curvature is actually noticed regular gymnastics should always be used. These should be of a special character devised to bring back the spine to its natural form and to restore tone to the muscles. Hanging by the arms from a bar. for example, is a good exercise, as the weight of the body stretches the spine. Climbing and descending a ladder hand over hand is another useful exercise for the same reason. Of course, the patient must not continue such gymnastics till he is fatigued, but a few similar exercises gone through twice a day will generally be found beneficial, ilassage of the back muscles may also be employed, and rest should be taken lying down on a flat couch with a cushion under the head, for an hour or two daily, during which time the patient must not read or bold lup the arms to do anything.