TALKS ON HEALTH

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 August 1928, Page 3

TALKS ON HEALTH

BY A FAMILY DOCTOR.

Health Before Lessons.

Tin? schoolmaster and I are very good friends, but wo do not always agree. My idea is that a child should be made a healthy animal first and foremost, and that his mind may be stuffed with knowledge later on. Particularly does this apply to delicate 1 children. A studious child may ho a. great credit to the schoolmaster; he may carry off prizes and scholarships, ami his brain may visibly swell and his knowledge astonish the multitude, but I cannot 'agree that he is making for success unless he is strong and healthy. And, in addition to his body, his disposition must he studied. Ho may bo a very nervous, oxcitable child, and lie awake thinking about his homework. I complain when the growing boy or girl is compelled to spend many hours poring over books that might be more profitably spent in the open air.

No Home Work.

As is always the case, extremes are wrong. Care must be given to both the body and the mind. But it is my business to remind you that your first duty is to the child’s health. A bent back and first prize for Latin do not satisfy me. When he walks up for his prize I shall hiss, not clap my hands. Never let a pale, nervous child do home work.

Apoplexy and Its Causes.

Apoplexy means a sudden seizure caused by the bursting of a blood vessel in the brain. As we grow older our blood vessels lose their elasticity am’ -? ppleness; they begin to get stiff Iky, until, instead of being like

•rubber they are more like pipe- ” , i, ; s. When they are in this condition rney are not so well suited.to bear F.pressure the blood works under. The Brain is so soft that it affords no support to the blood vessels running through it, and so it is in the brain that we most often find the vessels bursting. Old age is the commonest cause of apoplexy, but the decay of the walls of the arteries is hastened by drink, above all things, and the process es helped by gout and, a hard life. There are”old men of forty and young men of sixty.

Fit or Accident.

If you are present when a man has a seizure, the first thing, if it is possible, is to prevent him from falling to the ground with a crash. Put your arms round him and gently lay him on the ground. A severe wound of the head may be inflicted if the man falls heavily on the curb. When a man is picked up after falling in this way it looks as though the wound on the head had made him unconscious. As a matter of fact the bursting of the blood vessel made him unconscious first, and then he fell, so that really the wound on the scalp has nothing to do with his unconsciousness at all.

First Aid.

When the patient is on the ground, loosen everything around the neck, carry him into a shady place out of the sun; place a coat under his head to prevent him from bruising himself, but do not roll the coat too high; splash some cold water on the head and face; make no attempt to pour brandy down his throat; and after he has lain quiet in a safe place for about half an hour, have him removed with all care and gentleness to a hospital. It is not much good waiting for him to recover consciousness, as he may he in a sleepy condition for hours. It is sometimes important to put the tongue forward, if the face is blue, and the breathing of a snoring type.

On Speaking Distinctly.

Parents, you must teach your children to speak distinctly. You are hopeless, I know, but your children have not. yet fallen' into your evil ways, and it. is your duty to see that they don’t. When you want to say “Good morning” you say “’marn”; when you want to say “certificate” you say “sustificate.” A man is often judged by the way he speaks his words. A slovenly man speaks in a slovenly fashion, because he is too lazy to open his mouth. A mumbling method of speech gives a bad impression. The man who has the best appearance and speaks well will stand the best chance. Your children should read out. loud to you in the evening. Try to encourage them, and do not laugh at them when they speak nicely, as they have been taught, at school. When your child stutters it is because you neglected to teach him when he began to speak. He was not born with a stutter. It is all your fault; you had not the patience to teach him: you never made him say over and over again the words that were difficult to him. You just muddled on trusting in a. vague sort of way that it would be all right in time if only you took no trouble. Singing is a valuable method of teaching speaking; a song sung well requires clear enunciation of the words as well as of the music.

A Cure for Backache. A pain in the back is very rarely due to disease of the kidneys. It is a mistake to call every backache a pain in the kidneys; the ache is really in the muscles of the loins. You must remember your proud position in the scheme of creation. You are the only animal that walks upright. An animal walking on four legs would not get backache; but you have to hold yourself upright, and that puts .a strain on the muscles that hold the spine erect. When you are tired out these muscles are the first to feel the fatigue. The best cure for this kind of backache is to lie down flat on your back. I have often found splendid results from this simple recommendation. If you are like me, and have to be on the run all day and every day, I cannot, help you. T merely shed a. silent tear of sympathy and pass sorrowing on my way. Heaven help the poor wretches who have to work as hard as I do all day and are called out at night! But if you suffer from backache, and especially if you are a. woman, try lying down for an hour, say, from two to three or half-past, and, if you can manage it, again from six to seven.