HEALTH NOTES.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXXIX, Issue 159, 11 July 1906, Page 1

HEALTH NOTES.

(By Dv Andrew Wilson.)

SOZvil'l CAUSES OF INDIGESTION. The subject of indigestion unfortunately possesses a constant and perennini hrraivvt icr a very largo number or person;;. It is porh;u>s of ail tvonbies in uiodorn life that most frequently iT;m:s-?ntc'd in our mid.-.t. So ce-iiui'o; 1, i;:cW'd. is tiiis nileetion that by !':-">.;• tho •.■;n\vc nirijorily of p-—'^ — medicine::, v.-ii! be icwd to t!io:ve which a:v (i-T.'ie-:! :>s euro-.; fuv digestive-i-roui:-'.'--.;. i'.i defiiiriu v:ich tills sub joct i.: [,: i-.eoo.aary tfot first of all wo siioi.'jJ. rncbavour to k;ri\i «>r.;o clear •kv!'::>m ol "tli" mcr.Hiing of the toni! ■' ii:-]'■<>^.^tioii.' ■ As a rr.'e, 1• ns worvl is v.m-.v onrt*.: f .]y nrcd by the; public. U •:; i.'i it^Mi \'-.v; tr-a <;yt:eral a m"-)k-ro !)■_• ':] •;!!>• :;>;;:i;:l i:s'> or v;;iiu> in iv-U'hv.rei-i'r r.iiy ('•.iyturiiiince o!' tho --.ligestivo r-.[iK-i'v:>:is tak?o j>iacc«, wlniilior it mar {'■' <:!u:! to some upset tin;.'' of th1: livvr. to :. 3 !ii:.. in-itiibilitv oi: the l.jnvo.! or is'fto.'uino, or to v'Knt of action- or: i the ]'k\rt of tliu srreotbread, the trouble will I.'O elasvivicd, uu n rule, under on"; commoii nair.o. Lot us be very clear at tho outset ihoroi'oro to note that vsrv vai'iet 1. anfl different coiMlicien.l--nfvr'-ti'io; Slip, djj/.oi-iivo orttar,s r:re inciii'J.oc! undor the oxprossion " inc!.i^o:-j----fcion,"' i-.iid further, that ss these troui);:1.:-; vary rrrep.i.'y i:i tlioir nature it is i^powibki t?iat cue kind oi remodv or one l;;r.d of treatment can be no?:!: an. SOME COMMON ERRORS. liecognitiing tlieso facts it rosy ht; well that in th?. prcfOiit article 1 should direct the attention of reader,-; to some of ih.o chief and more promineire causes of dir.^ovtivc trciib!-.::-; at large. First amoiupt thsse e;,u.so,s wo mr.y place certain erroneous liabits of body connected with the taking and assimilation of food, 'i'lms if the teeth, be deficient, and if cur food be not perfectly divided, w-s are tempted to swallow it in masses too large for easy digestion on the part of the stomach. This is a very frequent cause of indigestion itself, and the. bolting of the food in too large masses is recognised by every physician as forming the initial, or commencing stage of the trouble. Yet another evil is apt to be wrought by defective teeth. We must remember that in the mouth a certain digestive action is exerted by means of the saliva or water of the mouth. This fluid contains a substance called Ptyalin, and it is the duty of this latter substance to- act upon the starch we eat and to convert it into a particular kind of sugar, to which the term of grape sugar is applied. If the food be not properly masticated and divided we note that time and opportunity will not be given for the saliva to exert its starch-changing action, and therefore move work is thrown upon the digestive system at a later stage by its labour in converting the starch, and in carrying on a function which ought to have been discharged in the mouth.

FAIR TREATMENT OF THE STOMACH.

Next in importance to the proper divisioai of the food we may rank the duty of giving time and opportunity for the work of digestion ■to be fairty started. Let us keep in mind that the digestion of food is a species of bodily laboUr in the performance of which a very large amount of blood is drawn to tno digestive system for the purpose of manufacturing the varicuu fluids or secretions which arc poured upon the food and through whose agency the food is digested. In the second place, tho work of digestion involves tho expenditure of a considerable amount of nervous power or energy. We cannot assimilate -our f'ocd, therefore, without the.expenditure of what oho may call a fair amount of bodily force. The old proverb which advises us to vast awhiiG after food is certainly fouiyJled upon a reasonable basis. If we indulge in active work or exercise immediately after taking a meal we aro practically burning the candle at both ends, and we are not playing fairly to tlis stomach in that 'we aro depriving it to a certain extent of the quietude and also of a certain amount of the nsrvotis forca required for the proper performance of its duties. It may not bo necessary1 for us to rest absolutely, find far loss to go to sleep after a meal, but it is quit® certain that active exorcise is to be discouraged, more especially in the case of persons who are tending towards the middle period ot life. The proverb I have just quoted may therefore be borne in mind bj' those who are troubled with slight disturbance of the digestion. Many scuh cases can be cured without the use of drugs at all simply by paykig attention to the rule which teaches us that,: after eating a full meal particularly, active exercise can only tend to upset the gravity of the stomach.

FLUIDS AND INDIGESTION

A case which is also worth observing is that having reference to the amount of fluid which is consumed with meals. Personally I regard this point as of great importance, not merely in cases where some digestive trouble exists, but also for the proper regulation of digestion in health. It- is no uncommon thing to find people consuming during their meals large quantities of fluids. These, of course, may range from pure water or aerated waters and the like drinks to beer and other alcoholic beverages. Thus, leaving the stronger forms of alcohol out of the question, it is to a certain extent immaterial what drink is consumed if too large a quantity iy taken. The result of swallowing large Quantities of fluid is to distend the stomach unduly, so that the natural movements of the organ which take place in order to mix the food thoroughly with the gastric juice poured out from the walls oi' the. stomach are impeded, and digestion is thus interfered w-ith. Also we must note that extreme dilution of the food tends to interefere not only with the action of the saliva of the mouth on starchy foods, but likewise interferes with the due composition of the stomach's juice itself. Unduly diluted, it cannot act upon the food in a healthy and satisfactory fashion. In another paper I propose to consider the action on digestion of certain beverages which may be taken with food, ranging from tea and coffee onwards to alcoholic beverages. I may only here throw out the hint that tea and coffee when taken along with moat toods powerfully hinder and «rrest digestion, ft is on thf« account that the "meat tea." and "high tea," as it is also called, must be regarded as an example of a thoroughly erroneous and unphysiological meal.

For Colds in the Head and Influenza. Woods' Great Peppermint Cure, Is (scl and 2s 6d per bottle. * A shocking discovery was made at C'nrlton (Victoria) Jast week. In a 'joiiemant in Ilathdow-n Street a married woman, aged 32 years, was found •.load, while beside the body lay the wu.man's husband, who was" stuuefied with drink. The: man, when roused to .'■;diu',i N«rt of consciousness, told a s'.jtrilkl tale. Up knew his \v;^e was dyad. She had died .some time before, oho had been drinking heavily for a considerable time. Rum, beer, n t tn methylated spirits wen.) ' liur usual i-'nyeruges. She dm;ik inotliylated spirits when ord.tiuiry li.-jucrs were, not ■pvailable. During the previous three days they had been drinking together, and eventually they both went "to bed drunk. Some .hours later a neighbour asked the. man if he would like a drink. He said he would, and on shaking his wife he found he could not waken her, so he (1 guessed " she was dead. After a doctor had been called in the man went back to bed, and fell asleep beside his wife's dead body.