MEDICAL MOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16234, 20 May 1916, Page 6 (Supplement)

MEDICAL MOTES.

p o — A COMMON ACCIDENT. A pinched finger causes a child most acute pain at the time, although in simple cases it is quickly forgotten. The bestremedy is to hold the finger in a bowl or cup of hot wateras hot as the child can —for a few minutes. The pain wiH soon subside. APPENDICITIS. Luxuriant and indolent methods of living predispose to genuine appendicitis; and conversely people who lead active, ; healthy lives are very unlikely to become : victims. Constipation is the great thing to be avoided. When an attack is threatened, the best remedy is a good dose of castor oil, followed by a few days' rest in bed. The method is to be recommended even when the patient is a child. In all cases there should be foil treatment by aperients, and rest before there is resort to the surgical knife. If adults suffer from recurring seizures they would do well to abstain rigidly from alcohol, and to adopt for a time a vegetarian diet. FOREIGN BODIES IK THE EYE. Sometimes these can be removed by blowing the nose suddenly and rather violently- Should mortar or lime get in the eye, sponge immediately with weak vinegar and water. If a tiny fly or a little dust gets under the lower lid it must be drawn down and removed with the aid of a soft, clean rag. If the upper lid be affected, draw it over the lower one, telling the child to gradually open his eye: then the lashes will generally do the work. I Should there be slight soreness, put a i drop or two of castor oil or sweet, almond j oil in the eye. Of course, if there is any i difficulty in removing the offending object, j or inflammation or severe pain set in, a { doctor must be consulted. i [ ADENOIDS. j A very large number of children, generally, but not always, owing to some ; fault in -their hygienic surroundings, dej velop thickenings or growths at the back lof the nose and throat, which more or j less block the openings which connect tha j nostrils with the throat. Coincidentally, as a rule the tonsils become enlarged. .' Consequent on these conditions, the child ' fs unable to breathe properly through the J nose, and at night-time sleeps with the ) mouth open, generally snores much, and I gradually suffers from a thickness and .'; indistinctness of speech. Often, also, : there is increasing deafness, owing to the i , blocking of the Eustachian tubes, which i ' lead from the throat to the drums of the [ ears. It is curious how, in the process .. of time, this state of affairs acts on the .. mental condition of the child: and ; gradually a vacant expression begins to i show itself, which is some indication of > the serious changes that are occurring j within. In the way of treatment the re- , i moval of the adenoids by the surgeon is i the only rational thing" to do. After- .. wards the child should be kept in the i; healthiest possible surroundings, and 3 should spend as much time as possible in > the open air. Stuffy bedrooms should. , , above all, be avoided. 'I _

THRUSH lE' INFANTS. , Thrush is much more common among bottle-fed babies than among those nursed by their mothers, but to some extent, it is found under both conditions. It is a disease of which it may be said, in almost every case, that it might hare been prevented. It is due to the growth, on the surface of tee tongue and of the lining membrane of the month, of a white mould or fungus which sets up a painful inflammation, seriously interfering not only with the baby's comfort but also with its*digestion, and consequently with its general health. Cleanliness is its foe. Feeding- ; bottles should always be thoroughly washed : with hot water brush immediately after every meal, and should be left soaking in a quart of water to which a tea- ! spoonful of powdered boracic acid has been | added. All . this applies even more J strongly to the stopper.and rubber teat. I Of course, no rubber tubing should be , used. The babies' comforter or pacifier . has a great deal to answer for. Only j under the most exceptional circumstances i can its use be excused. In those excep--1 tional circumstances, the comforter should i be thoroughly washed with boracic lotion i and a brush three' or four times a day. i Once the disease shows itself as small ' white spots in the baby's mouth, these I precautionary measures should be perj sisted in, and in addition, the baby*3 mouth should be swabbed out every two . hours with a piece of soft linen dipped jin glycerine of borax- One grain of calomel may also with advantage be placed on the 'baby's tongue.

CONCERNING COLDS. Over-eating, bad teeth, diseased tonsils excessive fatigue, these are the most pre-' valent reasons for colds: Take over-At-ing. Too much meat produces an excessive amount of uric acid, which causes poorness of blood. Furthermore, meateating promotes the growth of Doisonformmg germs in great numbers. The poisons produced by them are absorbed into the blood and thus cause a state of lowered vital resistance, wh>ch prepares a fertile soil for the infection known as the common cold. Bad teeth cause colds because they allow microbes to congregate in the month. These, when the system is run down or chilled by undue exposure, bring about various forms of cold. The ' same applies to diseased tonsils. The cavities formed in the tonsils from further ! attacks of tonsilitis teem with bacteria, ; and cause susceptibility to colds and! rheumatism. It is a notable fact that I most colds are contracted at night. The real reason for the prevalence of night j colds is that then the body is tired and "vital resistance lowered." By hardening the constitution, however, much of this trouble can be avoided. The simplest remedy is to live and exercise as much as possible in the open air. Cold-water bathing, fresh-air sleeping apartments, j warm but light underclothing, which enables the skin slowly and systematically to react to cold and to withstand ordinary draughts if necessary, and less meat-eat-ing,, are all simple, common-sense methods of cold dodging. If fresh air cannot be had during the working hours, then be sure and get it in the sleeping apartment. This can be accomplished by using outdoor j bedrooms, sleeping porches, and tents. Thin-soled shoes are dangerous in both summer and winter. Never use the public drinking cup or towel, as they spread colds and other diseases. Be careful when 1 using dirty telephone mouthpieces. If .you possess a telephone, see that the mouthpiece has an antiseptic covering. Spray the nose and throat, or gargle with a solution of salt and water or other antiI septic, after being in the companv of j people who have a cold, or before" and after mingling in crowded places. Breathe through your nose, especially in crowded street cars and when tliere is*a high wind. The nostrils are provided with filters thai catch and hold cold germs, that would j get into the system if breathed through ! the mouth. And if you do catch a cold, then the best remedies are those that are equally efficacious in treating rheumatism. Hot-water bathing is excellent. If a cold has developed through wearing thin shoes and by getting wet and chilled, the proper procedure is to take a long hot footbath. If the cold is caused by exposing the back of the neck to a draught resulting in a lame, sore, or stiff neck, drive it out bv using hot applications to the back of the neck. At the beginning of a sore throat gargle with hot salt water, and when a cold is the result of a general exrjosure and lowering of the bodilv temperature take a hot full bath. If the cold is well established, get into the hot water and stay there until a profuse perspiration is induced. Then, before retiring, drink two or three cupfuls of hot water, to which may be added, lemon, grape, or other fruit juices. In the morning drink a couple of glasses of water and partake of a very light breakfast. Four or five quarts of water may be drunk during the first twenty-four hour? of a cold with beneficial results. The meals, however, of the following two or three davs should consist only of cereal and vegetable foods.