TALKS ON HEALTH

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIX, 30 January 1936, Page 2

TALKS ON HEALTH

BY A FAMILY DOCTOR A BLOW ON THE EYE The body is marvellously constructed so as to be delicate and, at the same time, able to withstand violence. What, for instance, could' be more delicate than the eye? And yet so well is it protected by the overhanging hone beneath the eyebrow and by the soft pad of firm fat that constitutes the cheek that a blow right on the eye seldom damages the optic itself. All around is bruising, swelling, redness, but the sight of the eye is unimpaired. A KIDNEY PUNCH The effects of blows on the body aro well worth study, and the signs that an ordinary man, not a doctor, might look for may be noted down. A blow over the region of the kidney does not very often reach that organ. Lying over the kidney and affording it strong protection is a very thick layer of powerful muscle and a large pad of fat. If the kidney has been injured by a blow, blood will appear in the urine. This sign should be looked for and, if necessary, the assistance of a doctor called in. It is a sign that the injured man ought to rest quiet even though he does not feel very bad. Bleeding from the kidney may assume alarming proportions unless the man lies quiet. The blood may clot somewhere in the internal passages that lead from the kidney to the exterior, and great pain a%"l even danger may result. . BLOWS ON THE HEAD Blows on the head give great anxiety to the medical attendant on the case. It is a common experience to find ’ that a blow from which the patient dies at the end of a week'showed no ill 'effects at all for several hours after the infliction of the violence. Your best plan' is to call in a doctor; if you decide to take the responsibility on yourself I strongly urge you to insist on the injured man resting in bed. It may be he will'bo all right, but you never know. Injuries to tlie head are difficult to treat when the man is sober ; they are ten times more difficult to tackle when he is drunk. NO BRANDY ■ Always look for from the ears. If even a drop of blood* conies from the ear it is a bad sign and you must send for the doctor. But do not be deceived by'thinking' that blood that trickles into the ear from the outside is a sigu of a fractured skull. Carefully wash away any blood that may be on the outside of the ear, and then watch for any sign of haemorrhage from the inside of the ear. After a head injury of any severity the patient should be put iii a darkened room, his friends should be excluded, and bis diet should be very light—a little custard or arrowroot or something of that nature is best-. All forms of alcohol should’, of course, be forbidden. It i£ a mistaken kindness' to 1 run up with a glass of brandy to a man who is suffering from concussion. BRUISING An explanation of bruising may be interesting. It is well known that the blood is red. Small discs float about in the blood. These discs contain a red pigment; one little disc by itself looks a pale yellow, but thousands of them piled on 1 top of each other give a deep red tint. These discs swim round in the circulation of the blood and are, therefore, found in the very smallest bloodvessels. The large blood-vessels are thick and strong, hut the vessels get smaller and smaller until the most minute are of great delicacy of structure; the walls of the tiiliest vessels are' so thin as to be quite invisible to the nakec. eye and scarcely visible under a powerful microscope.

A SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION Now, when a violent punch is given to the cheek or any other part of the .body the violence bursts these tiny blood-ves. sels and the.red discs flow out through the broken walls into the surrounding parts, just as water escaping through a leaky drain-pipe might find its way _mto the surrounding earth. The red discs finding themselves out of the bloodstream cannot live, and they die away, leaving their red pigment lying around in the tissues of the cheek. This red pigment undergoes changes in colour which give the 'familiar appearance ol- a black eye. The harder the .blow the worse the bruising'; but some people bruise very easily; that is, tlieir bloodvessels are % particularly delicate. As the red pigment soaks through the fat under , the skin it gradually reaches the surface, and that is what, is meant by tne bruising coming out. This is a natural process and is not affected by appliestions to bring the' bruising out. Ahe proper treatment for a bruise is to keep the injured part at rest and to .prevent the skin from being .broken. The skin is a natural preservative and protection against the entry of dirt—and by qirt 1 mean poisonous germs. IN THE ARMS OF MORPHEUS Sleep is a great remedy. In these rushing times we do not get enough sleep. Not only the brain, every organ in the body benefits by sleep. ihe tired child, weary with homework, needs more' sleep. The overworked clerk needs sleep. And poor mother, she needs more sleep than anybody. Cast your eye down the advertisement columns, where you can find a score of cures for everything under tile sun. Aiid then say to yourself, I think I will tiy sleep as a remedy. It cures headaches; it relieves eyestrain; it improves the temper; it refreshes, the brain and all the nerves. Sleep, that is the cure. Now make your plans deliberately. Go to your room after lunch, draw the' blinds, give orders that you are not to be disturbed ; ask a neighbour to look after the children, for a bit; you will do the same for her one day; compose your thoughts, see that you are comfortably warm, and then sleep. Your body will be so grateful to you; you have never. given it enough sleep; your nerves will feel like a wilting flower that is put into water. Sleep is the remedy you want. HEALTH DON’TS Do not say that measles and whoop-ing-cough are not important diseases; take a s much care as though they were often fatal (wlhcli they are). Do not accuse your child of being stupid at school, when lie may be deaf from adenoids or unable to see the blackboard owing to defective vision. Do not always rely on the teacher and the nurse and the doctor to do your job for you; it is your child, and you must accept your own responsibilities. Do not wear tight shoes; the foot department at the hospital is a disgrace to you all; it ought to be shut up, only your vanity makes it the busiest part of the hospital. Do not eat so fast; indigestion is the commonest illness.