MEDICAL NOTES

North Otago Times, Volume C, Issue 13170, 7 October 1914, Page 6

MEDICAL NOTES

■'— DON'T, TREAT HEADACHE A foicign physician Malonc, recently addicsscd a LongrcssV doctois, and condemned tbc use ol medium? to lebove headaches without altoinptiug to disio\'ei then muse Many foj'ms of "headache aio susicptiblo of piompt leliol oi ontuc cine bj tuneh and sensible legillalion of tho lite ol the patient, his habits, siiuouiidiiigs, jjillu ence of oiuipatioii, and by tho concc tion of disenscs and disotdets ou which the lic.ul.ulio doponds In Hilso van o'us 'wuys lyhy. bo influenced tho head-aches-of indigestion, biliousness, and constipation; of cerebral overwork and 'ciiiotiqiifll'exeHo'inciiti of insolation mid eyo-stritili; of ■ many etjses of debility; of bad'ventilation;: miliaria and overstimulation, of various sorts; of uterine ami ovarian .disease, and-of chronic blood diseases, ( , ■..' HOW TO.AVOIE CANCER, , The New York Board .of Health has • issued it circular warning tho -public of the increasing dangor from cancer. From this it appears that at the present time one .1111)11 in every fourteen and one •'ivoimtn in every eight over the age of forty die of cancer. Cancer claims 75,000 victims every year in the United States, '.. Tho Board of Health gives some, excellent suggestions as to the best way to avoid cancer. The'inost important of these are not to permit any irritation of the tongue by contact tvith broken or decayed teeth, and not to neglect any swelling of the skin, lips, tongue, ct(». A wart on it child is rarely anything but a wart; on an adult it is likely-to be tho beginning of a cancerous growth. In its earliest stages cancer can 'gcnorally be cured by a simple operation; in its later stages it is generally incurable, though some forms pf.it in some parts of the body have been eradicated by the radium treatment.

TOOTHACHE.

A medical journal gives the following advice on the treatment of toothache by (he practitioner:—Toothache is essentially an inflammatory condition, and in !)!) per'cent, of the cases there is a cavity in the tooth. In those cases where there is a cavity, but no nerve exposure, the treatment is simple •—apply ;a sedative and exclude the secretions of the mouth from the cavity; prompt relief will 'follow, and then advise the patient to visit a competent dentist.. A very effective agent, and one alivays at hand, is the oil of cloves, It should be applied by saturating a pledget of cotton with the remedy and introducing it into the cavity with a toothpick or other pointed instrument; that being done, the secretions are kept mil by filling the cavity with a litlle beeswax, a household remedy always at hand. The wax can be upplcd by 'warming over a lamp on the point of a ;kiiiffi| and forcing inlo the cavity. 'I he wax filling serves not only the purpose of keeping Hie sccrcliuus of the mouth out, but prevents thermal changes from affecting tho nerve when hut and cold are taken into the mouth.

A CIMATIVG AGENT. Tlio therapeutic value oi' rest in the inodieahiiniiageinenl of acute inHaiiimiilory ami infectious processes is not fully appreciated, The average daily output of energy by tlio heart is '10(1,000 foot pounds; liy simple rest in bed if is possible lu save the heart a daily expenditure of fi(),000 foot 'pounds of energy. The faster the lieart beats the less time, it has for rest—that is,' the sum total of the periods of rest or diastole is much greater when it -is 120 per minute; so Dial decren'siiig the pulse rale saves the heart. Again, in the recumbent position this organ is saved the labour of elevating ..that part of the blood which goes to parts above its own level, liest of the voluntary muscles is still more important. An immense amount of energy evolved in muscle movement is conserved by rest in lied. Muscle rest also secures rest for the neurones. The larger part of tlio nervous system is relieved of its. work when the muscles are 'dormant. Decreasing tlio output of energy relieves the digestive, assimilative, and eliininative organs of a corresponding amount of work.

| FACE POWDER INJURES EYES. For several years ladies liave come to l»r. N. M. Black, an English doctor, complaining of vision frequently being blurred, inability to use the eyes for any length of time for near vision, and severe itching of the lids, The slightest rubbing of the lids aggravates the itching. In severe cases tlio lids become swelled and full of fluid from the constant rubbing, There is a sticky secretion in varying amount, which is elastic f and on removal pulls out in long strings. Microscopic examination of the secretion shows numerous epithelial cells.mixed with what appoar to lie'pentagonal crystals, the majority! having a central black spot. These mysterious crystals' puzzled the'doctors ami chemists for a long time, Finally Dr. C. H. Bunting discovered they ciiino from rice powder. They arc probably the cells from' the hard exterior. Dr. Black says that when the powder is applied to the face with a puff some' fine dust arises and lodges on the moist surface' of the eyes and lids. The rice (lour, rendered niucilagintiiis by ' the tears, is not washed away. The woody cells of the hard exterior of the rice grain swell, and, being produce /onjunctivnl irritutioii, which is aggravated by rubbing. Those who use chamois to apply the powder arc less likely to cause tiiioclust to arise, j 'BANDAGE; FOR VEINS.

This bandage is made ( oi' gelatine, Rlvcciiiic, /inc. oxide and watei, lieatcd i" a watci bath mid applied to the baio skin with a painter's bniili, Then n gaiwc 01 cheesecloth bandage h applied, vciy evenly a|id not too tight, Thjs is painted with the zinc glue, and* a urn bandage applied ou|.«idi> il. Surli a bandage may be worn fioiu live to "ight weeks without change. .Patients ivlio have been almost hi' dospair at Hio'aMioya'iieo'of thpir varicoso legH 'nova hwt'mnde eomfortablV bVthfy bam(d^ f : :tfy //^/^V;:, ' / '■ -. iSST'T*'*''!,'?'''"'''' '*■"*"<