OUR BABIES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 27 March 1926, Page 17

OUR BABIES.

(By Hvgeia.) rPublisKed under tin; auspices of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children (Plunket Society.)] NASAL HYGlENE—(Concluded.) The following is based on the conclusion of a lecture delivered by Dr. _Octavia Lewin to school nurses in London, the preceding part of which lecture formed the subject matter of our last two articles under the heading “Nasal Hygiene. ’ ’ Sneezing—A Natural, Cleansing Process. Sniffing is very dangerous. It bombards the base of the , brain with refuse, blocking the drainage, and thus forming breeding grounds for germs. Sneezing lias the opposite effect. It is a natural, cleansing process, which forces out the impurities of the air which have been prevented from entering the lungs by the protective structures of the nose. A sneeze shoots such matter out towards the nostrils, and the nose must be blown before it is sniffed back again, to become more firmly planted than before it was disturbed. , A sneeze must never be broadcasted out into the air, where the germs carried out with it may be picked up by other people. Poisoning the air in such a way'ought to be put in the same category as poisoning wells. The use of a ' handkerchief should ■, be taught early, so that it early becomes a habit. Every baby should have it 3 own clean handkerchief pinned to its dress or the side of its cot by a small safety pin. Do not use your own handkerchief to wipe vour baby’s nose. The risk of infecting the breathing organs by using anything already soiled by another person is as great as that of infecting the eves by using the same piece of cotton wool for bathing both the discharging eye and the well one. f When -baby starts to crawl, and a handkerchief’pinned to his dress would bo carried along the floor with him, the handkerchief should be "carried in a small pocket in his romper. Before he is very old he will learn to use it himself. It is not necessary to provide baby with a made-up handkerchief —a clean piece of rag suffices and is more economical.

. At. kindergarten and school every child should have his own handkerchief. There should be an end to borrowing and lending, for this is a fruitful source of spreading infection. If the handkerchief is not handy, what happens to the sneeze? It is either (1) sent out into the air, (2) backfired or exploded into the head, or (3) it has to be completely checked. All these practices are dangerous, and the last two mentioned prevent, or at least hinder, Nature’s cleansing of the nasal cavities. ' “Hat elastic, collars, strings—

All are very dangerous things.’’ Another common cause of nasal obstruction and mouth-breathing is pressure on the veins of the neck. Tight collars (fortunately not much worn nowadays), neckbands, hat elastics, bibs tied too tightly, and ribbons drawn too tightly round the neck of the child’s frock—-all are detrimental to natural nose-breathing. Anything tight round the neck raises a cry for more air than can be got through the nostrils. So the mouth opens, and the nose gradually up the struggle to do its work and soon becomes a centre of trouble. Anything preventing the full expansion of the chest or the straighteniug of the back, such as tight binders on babies and too short suspenders on older children, acts similarly. The handkerchief should be used at least as often as the hands and face are washed, for it is the same atmosphere that deposits dust and dirt in the .nasal cavities. When the handkerchief is used the nostrils slibulcl not be compressed, but should be kept widely open, and the blowing continued till the breathing becomes perfectly clear and unobstructed. Do not blow too vigorously or jerkily. When the mouth cannot be kept shut because the nose is continually blocked, or from any unaccountable reason, novice should be sought. This does not mean that the nose is at once to. bo tunnelled through by operation, but that, by training and practice, its functions should be gradually restored. The question .of right breathing is vastly important. People would not so disregard the functions of the nose if it were the only possible channel through which air could be supplied to the lungs. They would take more care to see that no blockage took place, for, if the nose went out of action through ill-care and general neglect, and there was no alternative moans of getting air into the lungs, their lives would be cut off in less than live minutes.