HEALTH WEEK

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 92, 15 October 1926, Page 12

HEALTH WEEK

"THE SKIN OF YOUR TEETH"

WATER, THE BEST DENTIFRICE

JAPAN. CLEAN UP.

There ivas a very large attendance at tho Town Hall last evening, and the programme was thoroughly enjoyed in all its items, serious and otherwise.

The chairman, Mr. 10. A. Batt, said that ho could not claim to bo iv any way a health expert, and that was the business of medical men, dentists, and thoso who made a study of health matters their life work —but in health matters he nevertheless had a very keen interest. A motto for the people at tho present time might very Avell bo: Exercise for Health. There was no doubt that modern methods of transportation had taken from-tho people the unavoidable, necessity of taking exercise. Not only in transportation, but in a score, a hundred, of Avays, mechanical appliances saved him from exerting himself. The present-day man pressed a button and turned on the radiator instead of taking an axe and chopping enough wood for the day, he caught a tram to Avork, climbed to his office in a lift, transacted his business oarer the telephone instead of walking round and talking it over, and so on and so on. His exercise at the week-end he took in a motor car—and arrived homo on Sunday night thoroughly exhausted. There ivas no doubt that mechanical science had robbed man of much of his exercise. When a man was about to "buy a car he studied cars in detail, looked into their working, did everything possible ho could to prevent it becoming sick, and generally did his very best for his machine. He knew all about it—a very great deal more than he did about his own works. He Avas mightily careful of the fuel and oil he supplied his machine —and he dropped into the first restaurant and took anything that Avas given him. It was impossible to put back the march of time, and mechanical science Avould continue to advance, but the people should recognise the loss of Avholesomo exercise as a result of mechanical advances,- and should make up for that exercise in other ways. Mr. Batt referred to a very remarkable health campaign held annually in Japan, a* drastic business altogether, extending over the whole nation, and occupying a full month. Towns and cities were divided into blocks, and on notified days' the wholesale cleaningup and sortiiig-up commenced, street by street. Tho clean-up was under Government control, and when it started the inhabitants Avero called upon to place on the roadway—closed to all traffic for the time being—not only the univanted rubbish, but everything in the house. The whole place was then thoroughly disinfected, the good goods returned, and the unwanted stuff taken aAvay, to be sorted into materials which could be used by others or made up again, and the really useless stuff destroyed. Possibly some would say:— "That is all very Avell for the Japanese; they need it." But, as a matter of fact, the Japanese wero the most cleanly people on earth, personal cleanliness was a religion with them. Ho did not advocate quite so drastic a system for New Zealand, but he did urge that every citizen should be interested and Should assist in every Avay those Avho had taken the lead in instituting Wellington's most valuable Health Week campaign. LOOKING AFTER ONE'S TEETH. In view of the remarkably largo number of people in New Zealand who had artificial teeth, said Mr. Drnn, perhaps the best advice he could give to most people was that the vOry best Avay to take caro of tho teeth Avas to tako them rut and put them in oue'.s pockot. If, hoAvever, one had some real teeth, then the best Avay Avas to brush them two or three times a day, go to the dentist every __: mouths or so— and no': *rget to p.-.y ,';i3 bill. Brushing the teeth at bed_l::i:i was extremely important, and it avi.s a very much wiser practice to clean one's teeth and not go to bed then to go to bed Avith-out-cleaning one's teeth. Too many people were apt to remark: "Bother these teeth; 'I wish I had none." And by and by they went to the dentist _ and had them out and Avere fitted up with a fine set of china teeth, with about 10 per cent, of the efficiency of real teeth. In other words three natural teeth were as useful to the possessor as thirty artificial teeth. "The skin of your teeth," continued Mr. Dunn, certainly wa.; a rather peculiar title for a lecture, but it was no metaphor; the skin of one's teeth Avas a very real thing. T1- skin was soon worn off the greater part of the tooth, but it persisted about the base of the tooth and was of the greatest importance in protecting and preserving the enamel. If a germ got down into a hair folliclo (the dip from which hair grew) a boil or a carbuncle resulted, if a germ penetrated to the nail root a Avhitlow followed, and' that same germ, penetrating the skin of the tooth, gave rise to pyorrhea. USING THE BRUS" AND WATER. he misuse of an unsuitable tooth brush a, as the greatest cause of damage to the skin of the teeth, but it Avas impossible to get on without a tooth brush. The best way to clean the teeth was to drink plenty of ivater after every meal and use plenty of water to wasn aAvay. food particles from tho teeth. It was not necessary at all to scrub away with a brush. Teeth Avero not to be scrubbed, but should be gently brushed with a circular motion, with plenty of water or Avith salt and water. "In choosing a tooth brush, discard that scrubbing brush," concluded Mr. Dunn, "and look upon the brush as a battery of tooth picks to help, with plenty of water, clear away the debris of tho meal. Just as you Avash up the cups after a meal, Avith plenty of water, Avash up your teeth in the same way, with plenty of Avater. Thero is no sort of paste or dentifrice, or powder, Avhich will do this job r.s well as water. Clean your teeth in this natural way after i-vcry meal, and particularly after every cup of tea."