MEDICAL NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16561, 9 June 1917, Page 5 (Supplement)

MEDICAL NOTES.

I AMOTION AND RESPONSIBILITY. -'-->' A-cheat amount of sickness and morfv! tality might be prevented if people could p; be induced to take a more serious view J; of v their responsibilities towards the ff public It should be realised that to | travel or go into any place where there •T'is an. assemblage of people whilst sust pected of suffering from an infectious ,C illness is an anti-sociai act So, toe, is • •■' it the duty of anyone blowing himself to be dangerous to others; a consumptive person, for instance, to take every possible precaution. 60 that at least he may not be the means of bringing other people into his own state of ill-health. Selfishness is hardly a strong enough expression to apply to the conduct of .those " who knowingly risk.the health of others through carelessness or inattention. PYORRHOEA. Pyorrhoea alveolaris is a disease of the gums which has until quite recently I proved very resistant to treatment. It I . is characterised by a suppurating of the ! gums whore they surround the teeth. This spreading downwards causes atrophy of the gums, and finally the loosening and • dropping out of the teeth. This process is aided by the abundant deposit of tartar which accompanies the disease, the tartar, and with it decaying fragments of food and microbes, of ' all kinds, spreading lower and lower till the wholo gum is involved. The disease is conveyed from one s tooth to another, and appears in otherwise quite healthy individuals, .'it should be treated as soon as ever it is suspected, a it' taken in time the teeth can practically always be saved. The first step is the removal of the tartar which, has collected round the neck of tho tooth, as the mere presence of this would, of course, prevent the gum from closing firmly round the tooth. Then, by means of a specially constructed syringe, pure > peroxide of hydrogen—a strong disinfect- . an»r-is injected into the socket of the ... tooth. This must, of course, always be done by an expert, as tho solution must not be allowed to get into the; tissue of the gum itself, where it would do con- .-... • siderable mischief. When successful, the suppurative process is at once checked, and injections, repeated every fourth or f: ifth day, finally restores the gum to its ii'v normal condition, in which it grips and .secures the tooth. Of course, the sooner a case is treated the greater is the chance •. of effecting a complete cure. The condiI tion, if left untreated, not only means the & loss of the teeth, but a general lowering jh of. the bodily vitality, through the coni| tinual swallowing of the poisonous proIjv ducts of the diseased gums. |}:\ ' I HUMPS. v„ Mumps is probably the mildest of the ;};!- epidemic levers, though one, of the most infectious. Although it is not often accompanied with danger still, its compli- / ' cations and consequences are often sumciently serious to make a certain measure spjj of care and prudence expedient in all -s;. cases. It is infectious from the very begj>:; ginning of its course, long before any obvious external signs exist to indicate the , I nature of the disease. When fully devel- „' ps oped the most conspicuous sign of mumps • ' consists in a swelling of the parotid gland, - situated in the hollow beneath the ear, that is in the neighbourhood of the angle ;?>,-- of the jaw. The disease is almost certainly due to a specific germ, though this |i**-has not yet been absolutely proved. Gen- .-; erally a few days before any obvious '-.''■ swelling occurs in the gland there is a feeling of ill-health • and feverishness like ~;/, that which ushers in an attack of influ- ;- enza. In a little while there is some stiff- ;:' I ness in the movements of the lower jaw, Wm together with tenderness below the ear. .First one side and usually then the other Iritis attacked. Sometimes a distinct period d%sToi time occurring between the disappearance of the swelling on the side first atill tacked and its appearance on the other Wm side.,; Most commonly mumps attacks Js§£? children between four and fourteen,. but '■■/',■ adults are by so means exempt. The mm ; treatment is simple, but important, most | pfer of the complications occurring in patients, W££ ; . who have recklessly disregarded the pri* fe\ mary" disease. Rest in bed is important %vfromlthe v start, and there the J patient ;' should remain until the temperature again becomes normal. Under no circumstances should he leave the house until all the external signs have disappeared- The ■v/y diet' should be nourishing, but for the flii most part liquid, that is to say, it should P|: consist chiefly of milk, » beaten up egg, mm soups ; 'and • the like. A smart purge §§P usually helps on at the onset. Calomel fl^:, and Epsom salta feeing ratable for this Wk purpose. To the swollen glands warmth '*'"' may :be applied and usually gives a good ' i - ~ deal of relief. Bags of hot salt or hot • sand, or hot bran, or moist applications, "-. such as fomentations and poultices, are \ • almost equally efficacious. Should swell' ' " ings or tenderness show themselves in other parts of the body, medical advice \\" should be obtained without delay, as these often presage serious complications. . INSOMNIA AND INDIGESTION. f-l' If 'you cannot sleep well at night, the first '* thing you must do is to try and discover f he cause. The last thing you must do is m ' to take drugs. The commonest thine to W£ disturb the night's rest is a disordered Hi stomach. Indigestion in any form will so ?1K" plague the sensitive brain that no sleep ' can possibly come to that harassed organ. •; . Anyone liable to wake up "hungry should - keep a tin of biscuits by the side of the •' bed; two or three oatmeal biscuits eaten ' " slowly form a very good sleeping-draught. Or. if the last meal is eaten earlier so as •'• :;f to allow of some quiet digestion before ||ff retiring, the night will be more peaceful. 1 '-'Indeed, the treatment of insomnia is v'. generally the treatment of dyspepsia. WM Sleep may be prevented by flatulence, and I "' r- the silly patient takes a sleeping tabloid :'.. instead of curing the flatulence. Slip Simple Experiments. |tfi. A large tumblerful of hot water taken M 1 the last thing at night is often a help. It Iff- washes away all the residue of food that ■^■V-mighty stay in the stomach add causes • "_•. fermentation. A number of simple -ex- ;?'■ periments may be tried. A higher pillow -I ]~'P or the removal of a pillow may be a help. P|P.-. More clothes on a cold winter's night or J ':'.'d.. taking some off in the summer should be ■"-'' tried. Children are made restless by ? v being bundled up with a heap of thick .v: blankets they do not really need- Cold ;"';:. feet should be guarded against by wearfp ing bed-socks and warming the feet ?f.i:i~ thoroughly before getting into bed. A -'-'; stuffy room will make you wakeful. Even •: :/.'.'■ g in winter the window must be kept open ■•;•:'at the top. A good deal can be done to I'."■' overcome worries. Say to yourself: "I jsO refuse to worry; I am going to sleep; {*£". worry will not help me," and it is sur- .".•^.: < prising how you can succeed. It does not ':.^, ! '•. sound convincing, but you try it. W£fi Thoughts will come into the brain, but 'Jp«. they can also be thrown out. To get the "?■ brain off a train of thought that is dis- --<?'. turbing you should try reciting poetry to lIP yourself. jSsi''-' mi' ■ Importance of Regularity. Wjjf&.- The whole body is subject to ' definite § . rules _of health, and the most important rule is regularity. This applies to sleep Wsm more than to anything. If you go to bed *$ffik at ten one night and twelve the next and |p* not at all the night after, you will never ll^Vk 6 a good night. Children must go to bed at the name, time every night, and the MM habit must be kept up in 'after life. The ££t' brain will K row to expect sleep at a certain £!"*;'■ hour. Sometimes people cannot sleep bo- ; -"*;'', cause they are not really tired. Sleep is iffi-i a reward for the active and tho free, a ;.:".'■' olessing vouchsafed to the meritorious. A ■ : i «harp walk before going to bed helps some '.' '~ people to spend a good night, especially ',- r V on » frosty night, when the roads are •„ •. "*d- The exercise sets the blood tingling through the _ veins, and sluggish circu- '\- lations and chilblains are cured by improv- , -. I"? the rate of blood-flow. As you tramp ;:, a ' on in a few minutes a healthy warmth |SgC : ' glows ' through the wholeJramej.it is a much more welcome warmth than is to be gained by sitting- over the fire with your oi4>ioead up the chimney..... . . 1