MEDICAL NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15056, 27 July 1912, Page 8 (Supplement)

MEDICAL NOTES.

M HOW TO BECOME A NEUEASB HOW TO BECOME A NEUEASI -' . •'..■.- THENIO. J-' Ew bo breakfast; Indulge in but one II meal dairy; at any rate, not more one I meal daily; *t **? te > mt mor6 th ? a If''' two. Eat no meat. Eat freak cereals, 1 vegetable*, nuts and tad. , Marinate Iff every morsel 268 Uhmb-267 times wont I;,' do Take a cold bath every morning. H Take a laxative every day, whether you 11 1 jwd it or not. Better still, a cathartic. I>' Take cncßuu frequently. Be massaged If ' daily. Bead all the books on how to gam til, ■elfconlrol and on psychotherapy. ConIt' centrate the mind upon the digestion and I, I' upon all articles of diet, Upon every post'y sible occasion discuss your imaginary 111 troubles with your friends and coerce your »|' isifo into catering to every dietetic whtm llf that you can formulate. Buy a lot of II apparatus for indoor exercise and roll a 111 c»nnon-ball around the abdomen every day II' 1 along tho course of the colon. Bo treated 11ST'. 1 by someone who uses only tho static ma- !' . troubles with friends and your •wife into catering to every dietetic -whim that you can formulate. Buy a lot of apparatus for indoor exercise and roll a cannon-ball around the abdomen every day akmg tho course of the colon. Bo treated by someone who uses only tho statio machine in his practice for all cases—one of f §17.:' those lads who can reduce an enlarged pro•I ' cUto with vacuum electrodes. If all else k J fails try Christian Science. ijr" ' ' EPILEPSY. Diet is of great importance in the treat|K meat of epilepsy. The pyloric sphincter of tho stomach is often greatly relaxed, a|i and the food passes rapidly into tho small "mM: ' intestines, which are also relaxed. This II causes the ravenous appetite of epileptics, I so that they " bolt' their food down withlf out proper mastication. Animal food agI J gravates this condition, and should not Mi- bo taken. The patient should take at least three-quarters of an hour for each meal. K If meat is allowed at all. it should be ||§ token in the morning, and never at night* 111 The bromides of potassium and sodium IM . me thex efficacy to the fact that they |l|i , piiyaryse those peripheral irritations which m . cause the convulsions and other manifesffjp;■';' tations of epilepsy. Grjpat care must be jBpV-. Zeroised in the use of the bromides, for iff these drugs can diminish the normal redox i axdtabflity of the body. If given in m !■ excess they impoverish the blood, pro-RJv-.daoiig » tendency to extravasations, and B cause an acne-like eruption on the face. I ■ The patient becomes sluggish in his move- ! meats, and has loss of memory. They i g should always be given, largely dilated I with water, and always after taking food. I TEE TONGUE AND ITS TROUBLES. I ;■■ Tho tongue forms an extremely import- § ant organ, discharging, as it does, more I than one set of duties in the maintenance I , of life. It has been proved by cases in I -which tho tongue has been amputated for I the cure of cancer that this organ is not * absolutely essential to speech, ajthoagh a )•" -, person wanting tie tengue very naturally I exhibits certain minor defects in articulali; tioa. Along with the nerves of the palate I " - the tongues constitutes our chief organ of {} ;, taste, and it also assists in the work of |i:/■.;, mixing the food -with tho saliva or fluid 1 k ' of Hie mouth, whoso function it is to con- | ' vest tie starch « eat into grape sugar. JL;'-' The connections of the tongue are many |> sad complicated. It is attached behind I to » strong bone, known as the "hyoid" bone, and at the root of the tongue we find » little lid, the "epiglottis,*' which closes . swn on the entrance to the windpipe d«r----;g the act of swallowing, and so prevents food .gaining access to the roadway to the I . bone, and at the root of behind find the « little IM, the "epiglottis," which closes I :■-,;. down on tho entrance to the windpipe d«r- ---■ f»g the act of swallowing, and so prevents ,jv,'';,:Sood gaining access to the roadway to tie I. lungs. On each eido behind we> find the tonsils, these organs which belong to the' series of ductless glands of the body, having, in all probability, as their chief duty, the work of providing the whit® blood . f-p'jj- corpuscles thai form tho sanitary police I force of - our 'bodies.. - 'As is now well. H known, they attend to the devouring and If \,'''' destroying . of' microbes which gain .admitm J ' spiioß to our frases. • '■■"'■': 'V. ; .- ,■ i %' : }''\ "like all other parts of the body, -the i|"iv ioraguo is subject to certain ailments, and • M. ~ «s» of these a2meni« are of tolerably ;f - ' otaanum occurence, whilst in its turn the »£.;.'.•' state of the tongue i* naturally regarded |i ■ iby thtft doctor as affording valuable evidi enco of the condition of the digestive sys- ■§! ""■ * ■: tern, as well as of enabling him to diagnose i jg]^'. 1 ftlse presence of certain bodily states un!|}rii--. ficanaeted with : digestion itself. 'In. the 1., '- disease known as diabetes, for example, I the tongue becomes extremely dry, and §: tends to exhibit a cracked appearance, %s'l ' whilst in scarlet, fever nurses are familiar j I with the appearance known as " straw- j I berry**' tongue, characteristic of the dis- i fe ease, in which small red points, the papiili fe of the tongue, project from the white K; for with which the tongue is covered. In El stomach complaints and digestive troubles i at large we expect the tongue to sympap thise with the mucous or lining membrane My' of throat and stomach, with which it is H in such close connection. Hence a loaded , or "furred" tongue, as it is termed, is a 1 cornmen eign in digestive troubles, as well if,; as "furred which affect it is termed, Evencommon eign in digestive troubles, as well H as in tbooe which aifect the liver. Even i in cam of aiffimsa, or bloodlessness, the ? [ natural pinky surface of the tongue may It: ' be nnnsmuly pale, thus showing now snch L'; f an ailment affects the body at large, and |: , can only be cured when the general state i* ,:;;•'.,' of the blsod itself is attended to. I ', v -Some Ailments. , !X„ __ 'Amongi;t the troubles to which the tongue );■.';.. Is subject, the most common are undoubt- |,- edly connected with the development of if, cracks and fissures. In the vat i majority i 1 of cases sores or fissures of the tongue, ?- apart from the prest«ice of any constituI .;;, f mal disease, are traceable, as a rule, to I the condition of the teeth. It can well be understood thai the jagged or roughm;>{ ened edges of a half-decayed tooth will K . produce a tongue condition of this kind. I Such rtpnditiona are of importance for a \- very Jam reason, namely, that under ceri||| taiu drcumstanceo a simple abrasion or i,' iissure of the tongue may develop into a 5 ' iierious , complaint. The tongue, for. ex- " ' ample, is subject to cancer, and although i we are at present unaware of the exact ||(;' ; fashion in which this disease originates, ; " medical men are always on the alert to j. advise- patients complaining of sores or 1 ' fissures on tho tongue that they should ,', _ have these especially attended and cured, |7" with tho view of possibly presenting them £•■• frOm acting as the commencement of more I: i serious trouble. | , ' Definite sores or ulcers are also liable to tbo developed upon the tongue, and it r■ ; should be regarded as a golden rule that wherever ulceration of the tongue takes g/' place tho doctor should be consulted. Fre- ! J quently such ulceration is a consequence ' I of constitutional trouble, that is. of some h. diseased conditions affecting the svstcm at ij large, and it is only after examination by if .the physician that tho exact source of tho 1,. irritation can, as a mle, be ascertained; |j occasionally, also, the tongue may be |' said to surfer as a conseqnenco of the de- ! irritation indigestion, and ascertained; occasionally, also, the tongue may be said to surfer as a consequence of thf* development of indigestion, and especially of [j " that phase of this malady in which acidity ! \ is abundantly represented. It can well ||:.. be understood that such a derangement I - will affect throat and tongue together. |, . In all cases in which the teeth are defective there is only one rule to be fol- !' " lowed by way of avoiding sores and fisI *«rca of the tongue, namely, that the den--1 tal defects should be corrected. The exp traction of decayed teeth may be necessary, |: or at least the application of the art of I; tho dentiet must, be secured in order to I restore the mouth to a healthy condition, j; and so to avoid not merely ulceration of I the tongue itself, but tho poisoning of IT; food, which represents in itself a very fe. serious, and also frequent, causa of digeaI 1:; live trouble. Where ulceration of the jg: tongue exists apart from the teeth, and j£ where necessity exists for the mouth parts I being cleansed, a formamint lozenge all. lowed to dissolve in tho mouth three or l' K , four times a day forms an excellent dis'iffecting measure. An extremely useful '; drug_ often employed in tongue and mouth ,' ti/Sditions, by way of a cleansing measure, ia represented by chlorate of potash. This ."u-batance may bo used in the shape of tlour times a day forms which it is com'irdeeting measure. An extremely useful drug often employed in tongue and mouth conditions, by way of a cleansing measure, is represented by chlorate of potash. This substance may be used in the shape of lozenges or tabloids, in which it is combined with borax and other substances. *»'','!' 'A mixture wefulin all inflammatory con- ; ; iliiioxm ci the month consists of 2 drachms :;,• of chlorate of potash 1 ounce of glycerine, .' l and camphor water up to 8 ounces. The j ;.!- : :-......<Joie fa a tablcspoonfiil every four hours, j llfe^sirr'J' 1 ;:":''!