MEDICAL NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15551, 7 March 1914, Page 8 (Supplement)

MEDICAL NOTES.

GENTLE EXERCISE. (Regular exercise in the fresh air, particularly breathing exercises, which expand the client and quicken the circulation, have & very salutary effect upon the house-' Ivonud individual or the sedentary worker. If no others are available, even room exercises. especially those which strengthen the abdominal muscles, can be strongly recommended. But all exercises must be tak m intelligently. A jaded woman, with no powers of response, is not a fit person to stand the shock of a cold bath or the ner e exhausting routine of severe physical di :11. There is no sense in whipping & fagged out horse. SCALP WOUNDS. When you are 1 renting the scalp for sore' or wounds, you must cut the hair off round the affected aroa. Thero is nothing more distressing to a surgeon's eye than to wo the hair all matted and clogged with blood, or a septic discharge from a sore place. Tho very cause and origin of the sore was the presence of septic germs, and h->w can you possibly get tho scalp clean ii iless you clear away all that mess? Many people who have no idea of surgical cleanli-

rpjs, and have never attended classes of first air! or homo nursing, seem to think that if they apply pome stick ointmnt on top of & mass of matted liair they are doing all that is necessary. CRAMP. Any muscles of the body may be affected by the painful, spasmodic contraction known .is cramp, but those of tho

legs and arms aro most often affected. 1 ho most natural canoes are the presence of indigestible food in the stomach and th'j pressure on tho nerves of tho intestines when overloaded. Cramp in tho arm and ringers is sometimes due to disease of the heart. People who suffer frequently Tv'ith cramp in the legs should be particular to keep the bowels active, taking some aperient which suits them often enough to prevent any constipation. This, combined with ewe as to diet, any food known to bo indigestible being avoided, will probably cure tho trouble. When an attack of cramp conies on there is no better remedy than friction with the hand. Keep ready a liniment of soap or chloroform and apply this, rubbing along the lino of the affected muscles. A mild dose of bicarbonate of soda, and sal volatile, or a little ginger when tho cramp is due to indigestion, will often, give relief. It is a good thi-s to spread a small blanket. m the bed and to wrap this- round the »=>-. issw oeiore lying down, to prevent contact with the cola sheets, PRECAUTIONS IN MUMPS. If it is known that mumps is about, there ought to bo little or no difficulty in diagnosing the condition. The sudden appoaranco of a swelling of the parts always a Elected, i n a person previously quite healthy, should bo quite sufficient. Of course, in other conditions the glands abort the neck are sometimes enlarged; but any swelling i:i front, and behind the ear, tho lobo of which is raised, should cause one to suspect mumps, especially if the 1 inflammation has a tendency to appear on both sides of the #ieck. In cases of scarlatina and diphtheria there may be great swelling at the angle of the jaw; but in these cases the jiatient-s are obviously seriously ill, and an examination of th? throat soon settle* the matter. Children, for the inost part, qpickly recover from mumps; without the appearance of complications." Adults are not quite so fortunate, and their convalescense is somewhat more tardy. As a rule, no medicinal treatment, other than attention to the bowels, is necessary. The patient should ■be kept preferably in " bed --and the diet should be arranged to suit the difficulty he has in masticating. Even in mild cases rest in bed is most desirable, as complications rarely, if ever, occur when this precaution is taken. Fluid or Mini-fluid food ; ' is best at first, such as milt, broth, custards; jellies, and blancmange. The difficulty experienced in opening the mouth sometimes makes the patient reluctant to take sufficient nourishment, but he must be encouraged to do so. A weak antiseptic mouth-wash should bo used three or four times a day. As regards the® local condition, simple hot fomentations, frequently renewed, are probably as useful as any other form of application; or a good long woollen stocking, or a pad of cotton-wool, covered with oiled.silk, may be placed on the swollen

glands and a bandage fixed over all. Sometimes greasy Applications are particularly soothing. In the rural districts a rasher of bacon is frequently applied to tho swelling with a generous length of flannel bandage. For at least three weeks from the date of the appearance of the swelling the patient ought to bo isolated. Children should not bo allowed to go to school for at least twenty/six days from the date of the last" exposure, provided they have not already suffered from the disease. One attack practically ensures against the possibility of a second. WAX ...IN . THE EARS. It is perfectly natural and proper for a certain , amount of wax to be' secreted I within the canal, of the ear, but when this i secretion increases largely in quantity it often causes a slight, deafness. The gland® of the skin which provide it with the oil neot v -6ary to its health do their work inside tho ears, and the wax is the result, 1 his comes away in small particles as a rule, but sometimes it accumulates' faster tlian it can be got rid of naturally. The reason may be a certain condition just as when an excessive amount of oil is (recited by tho glands of the scalp. Dandrun is tho evidence of this oyer .activity in the oil production of the scalp, and in the case of the ears the wax may accumulate till it fills the entire canal, simply because the condition of the patient tends towards excessive secretion. A common cause of too much wax iu carelessness in washing tho ears.' .Soap suds are introduced easily enough because they are liquid, but they are not so easily removed completely, and drying inside the passage of the ear they encourage the flakes of wax to adhere together and form a ball. People who are inclined to eczema throw off the outer skin small flakes, as may often be seen, and whsn the ear is affected in this way, these fine scales form a nucleus for an accumulation of wax. To remove this secretion great care is necessaiy. Too many people are in the habit of {Miking at their ears with a pin, a match, or some other pointed instrument. They get away lumps of wax by this means, it is true, but they run a grave r;*k of doing an injury to one of the most delicate organs, A much better plan in to drop a small quantity of glycerine which has been slightly warmed into the ear and then to pump it backwards and forwards by pressing the finger on the rounded cartilage that is in front of the entrance. This will 'often the wax, and the next day it may be removed with the "id of warm water and a syringe. Use wither a small hand bulb or a fountain syringe. Add about a tablespoonful of carbonate of soda to a pint of warm not at nil hot water, and when is it dissolved send a stream into the ear from the syringe. The patient should head over a wide basin to catch the water as it cornea| away. No force must bo used, or it is possible for injury to the drum to result. Just direct the stream gently into the ear, and repeat several times. Probably the wax will be seen coming av.ay in small brown -lumps, and on looking into the oar in a good light it is easy to see that the canal is clear. Should this, not be so, the syringe may be used again he following day, a few drops of glycerine being again put in the night before. When the wax jis all removed, drain out "the water, by turning the head to -one fide, then put in a morsel of cotton wool to dry it. If a person has over had an abress in the ear, or lias suffered even in childhood from any discharge, it is dangerous to try syringing with water. Any excess of-wax in such a case should only