HEALTH NOTES

Greymouth Evening Star, 3 December 1926, Page 8

HEALTH NOTES

CARE OF THE BODY. , (Contributed by tho Department of Health). From a health point of view, the terms “cleanliness” and '■ “personal hygiene” are practically synonymous. Personal hygiene is a. distinct aid to health, and, therefore, to efficiency. There can thus lie no question of its importance. So much so, that instruction in personal hygiene is of inestimable value in primary schools in order that life-long habits of right living may be inculcated in each individual. We may now consider what steps must be taken to keep the various parts of our body in good order. The skin, by surface radiation and evaporation, regulates the temperature of the body. It is also an excretory organ, as it contains innumerable sweat glands whose ducts open on to the surface. There are other glands of the skin —sebaceous glands. The skin is therefore exuding sweat and sebaceous matter which, mixed with shed epidermic scales and scurf, accumulates on the surface, and must be periodically removed if the body is to be kept in a clean and wholesome condition. t Some of this matter penetrates into the underclothing next to the skin, thus rendering periodical changes of underclothing necessary. Dirty skin and dirty clothes are not only disagreeable to the senses, but arc injurious to health, as they lessen the excretion of waste materials on the surface of the body, and therefore throw more work on the internal excretory organs. Uncleanly’ people in whom the skin is too clogged with dirt to perform its functions are also more liable to chill than those whose skins are clean. To keep the skin in good health a hot bath should be taken at least once a week, preferably' at night in order to avoid chill. Cold baths are less cleansing than hot, but more stimulating and invigorating. The best time for a cold bath is on rising. Very young and delicate people do not as a rule stand cold baths well and for them a daily tepid sponge is preferable. Swimming baths are of great value. Not only do they afford opportunity for acquiring a valuable accomplishment, but they provide physical exercise in a form that is most potent for the promotion of health. Where school baths have been instituted they have been found to lead not only to greater cleanliness of underclothing and person among the pupils, but to increased self-reliance, better moral tone, better mental attainment, and most decidedly better physical development. Special attention to the care of the feet is essential, as a large amount of perspiration is given off by the sweatglands on the soles of the feet, even in the coldest weather. This, together with the scales which collect in the spaces between the toes, must be daily removed by washing, as otherwise the feet rapidly become offensive. Other parts of the body which require special attention are those parts where perspiration is most active, such as in the armpit and in the groin.

The head should be thoroughly washed at least once a week. A good deal of the soot, and dust in the atmosphere of large towns is pre- - vented from reaching the lungs by becoming lodged in the nasal cavities just within the opening of the nostrils. The nose, therefore, performs the useful functions of a filter, but, like other kinds of filters, it should be periodically cleansed. It is important therefore, that children should be taught the proper use of the handkerchief, and that they be encouraged at all times to breathe through the nose. Dirty skin and clothing attract lice. There are two kinds of lice commonly infesting the human body, the head louse (pediculus capitis) and the body louse (pediculus corporis). The head louse infests the hair of the head. The female lays numerous eggs—nits—which are attracted to the shafts of the hair. The embryos take some eight or ten days to hatch out, and then appear as grown lice. Hence, measures taken to get rid of the lice must be carried out thoroughly for at least ten days. Lice bite the skin and suck blood, the bites inducing great irritation, which leads to Scratching,

and the formation of sores, accom panied by painful enlargement of tin neck glands. The body louse re sembles the head louse. It lives am breeds in the creases of the garment; next to the skin, and also sucks blooc from its victim. Both head and bodj lice are transferred from person t< person by close contact or by the wearing of infested caps or clothes The effect of these vermin is mucl more serious than would at first ap pear probable, as the intense irrnatioi inflicts much loss of rest and conse quent nervous disturbance on the suf ferers. Head lice is best got rid W by cut ting the hair very short and tlior oughly saturaL'r'r it with keroseiu over-night. Kri morning the hail should be v • ’• fl th..-.- -uglily with softsoap am : !■. >1 w?f . and then combed wi-’i a fine •;-..omb. The removal oi its can I>W assisted by dipping th comb arm vinegar. Body ] ( are de.'.lrcy-M if the garments U. ;• infest r.re baked or disinfected 1. : taan; h at. Lack o'. .» r.-son; 1 cleanliness predisposes to si : i di- eases such as ringworm, impo* - .-.ciitagios, and scabies or itch. Cl- ■ mople may become infested frorr. e-.>;.je contact with a sufferer. Ti. .se conditions demand prompt medical atteaiion. Nails should be kept short and their cleanliness ensured by a thorough scrubbing witn ia nailbrush in hot soapy water. Dirty nails often carry infection to the food. Small children for instance, often reinfect themselves with thread worms by conveying the ova into the mouth from dirt underneath their fingernails. Decayed teeth are a potent cause of disease. A person with bad teeth swallows poison with each mouthful of food. A dirt.v mouth and foul breath are meat repulsive as well as injurious to health. Hence, care of the teeth is ini porta nt. Teeth should be brushed after each >neul if possible, especially th?. last thing at night. Meals should be ended by foul of a deans. ;g clia.-tct-r, -• g salivary stimulants such as lettuce, celery, apples. /f Cloth.ug should bo light and louse so that, it Io is not interfere with fr-w bodily movement. It slum. I Ik- adapted to the climate and seasons of the year. Underclothing should be changed at lea: t once a week. For young children especially, simple garments are desirable as they are more readily kept in good order. No child is properly clothed who has not a handkerchief. This is a most important article, both for health and cleanliness. Remember that dirt decreases physical efficiency and takes away selflespect. Cleanliness not only gives bodily comfort and health, but contributes a sense of personal dignity, and hence adds greatly to one’s power of achievement.