HEALTH NOTES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 26 December 1928, Page 3

HEALTH NOTES

LIFE IN THE OPEN HINTS TO HOLIDAY MAKI;I«S (Contributed by the Department, of '•'• "" " Health.) The spirit of holiday-making is everywhere. Tired city dwellers are picturing idyllic scenes—-by sea, or river, or bush, with a blue sky overhead and undiluted •sunshine. They grasp the opportunity of realising the joy of life out of doors, and plan to crowd into a few days many pleasurable experiences denied them in the miiline of life. This is as it should be, but some forethought is necessary to secure the maximum of health and happiness from the loug-looked-for vacation. Sunlight, for instance, we know to be one of Nature's most beneficent agents, but injudicious sun bathing may be not only harmful but actually dangerous. A famous medical man has said with regard to sunlight treatment that a blister is a major blunder of technique. A healthily-tan-ned skin cannot pe acquired in a few days, and sea bathers should refrain from too sudden and reckless exposure of the 'body on hot Leaches. Little children especially should wear shady hats. To prevent sunburning and protect the face cold cream, simple talc powder, or even ordinary flour may lie used. To relieve' the: 'pain of sunburn, if acquired, a solution of bicarbonate of soda (one teaspoouful to the pint of warm water) is useful, followed by a soothing application, cold cream, etc. Calamine lotion is also a good application for acute sunburn.

EXERCISE AND BATHING Again, we all know that exercise in the open air is an aid to health, but here again excess is harmful. The essence of a holiday is relaxation, 'l'be same brain controls the muscles and the niind, and excessive bodily fatigue is not an antidote to mental and nervous overwork. It is unscientific and harmful for those of mature years to indulge in violent athletic exercise without proper • tiviining. A twenty-mile tramp with muscles flabby with disuse means exhaustion without benefit to compensate. I?eoplo suffering from weak hearts should exercise moderation in outdoor bathing, as the exertion added to chill may be serious. Cramps attack the strongest swimmers without warning. Hence, swimming far out beyond reach of help is unwise. Leave off before you are exhausted. Even the most ardent holiday-maker is better for a sound sleep at night. Remember that a badly-pitched tent may be stuffier than a shut-up house. Every lent should have a drain dug round it to carry off water after rain, and the tent ropes must be slackened each night .to allow for shrinkage-from moisture. Waterproof ground-sheets are invaluable to Vest on by day or to put beneath the mattress at night. 'The use of judiciously suspended mosquitopetting gives peace and security at night where insect pests abound. The irritation of mosquito bites may be allayed by bathing with weak ammonia or sodium bicarbonate solution. lodine may be applied subsequently to prevent the development of infected sores. Sandflies do not readily bite a mudcovered surface—fortunately for barelegged children disporting in the creek beds.

DIET AND CLOTHING

The diet of campers is necessarily simplified, but it should contain a liberal supply of fresh vegetables and fruit and a minimum of tinned food. One fact not sufficiently known is that milk should not be added to tea before putting in a thermos flask, as by this means a good medium is provided for the growth of bacteria, which may be present in the milk. Milk should be carried separately and kept cool.

Water- from wayside streams may or may not be safe, according to its source. It is safer to boil it—as is fortunately done in the popular pastime of tea-making. Meat for campers may be kept fresh and uncontaminated by flies in an improvised safe of butter muslin stretched over iron hoops and hung from a tree in a cool place. Butter may be kept cool in an unglazed pottery dish with wet muslin over it. When packing remember that though we hope for summer at Christmas we sometimes meet winter, and warm clothing cannot be left out of the bag.

SIMPLE REMEDIES Shoes are important. No one oven on holiday can be happy with sore feet. For little' children sand shoes are good at the seaside. Slices for tramping must have thick soles and broad low heels, and must not cramp the toes. They should be worn with thick stockings, preferably undariied. Stockings should be soaped before use and the feet dusted with boracic powder. Regular daily bathing of the feet is advisable. If blisters form they should be let out by tunnelling under'the edge with a sterilised needle. Fine strips of adhesive zinc oxide plaster should be evenly applied in. lattice-work pattern over the affected parts. Campers should, carry simple first-aid requisites, e.g.. a few bandages, some common antiseptic, as "lysol or boracic acid; tincture of iodine is generally useful. Friar's balsam is not only beneficial for use in sore, throats (a few drops every few hours on loaf sugar), but makes "an uxcellent external protective covering for cuts. In conclusion, good campers do not deface the landscape with debris, such as old "tins, -waste paper, decayed vegetable and animal matter. Such rubbish forms a breeding-ground for (lies. ;)ih\ may form a fertile source of infection. In any case, it is an eyesore. A true lover'of Nature will always leave a scene as beautiful as he found it.