MEDICAL NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18025, 25 February 1922, Page 4 (Supplement)

MEDICAL NOTES.

BATHING. Bathing is not merely one of the pleasures of the civilised life, but one of its necessities too. Baths, both hot and cold, have figured in the domestic routine from time immemorial; and they serve an important hygienic purpose that is by no means limited either to pleasure or to keeping the body clean. One of the most frequent recommendations of the doctor to his patient is the old one, " take a cold sponge down eveiy morning on rising," and to tho patient unaccustomed to such wholesale use of cold water that advice is apt to savour of something like torture. When tho average human being thinks of baths, it is usually of the hot bath taken at night- before going to bed. Such a bath consists of a generous soaking of the body in hot water, liberal application of soap, and subsequent rinsing : and the main idea at the back of it is one of cleanliness. That is all very right and proper, but there is another side to it, a side that transcends even the very important one of cleanliness. It is best illustrated perhaps by tho cold bath. Let us, therefore, consider first the primary purposes of that cold sponge down every morning.

SPECKS BEFORE THE EYES. The eye-ball is hollow, and it is filled with a watery jelly-like fluid which keeps the eye-ball from collapsing. Occasionally little- speokg get into tho fluid and float about; they form a shadow on the back of the eye, and can therefore be seen, but they have the appearance of floating in space. It is a temptation to put out one's hand and 'catch the offending object as though it were a mosquito. There is no cure for these specks floating before the eye, but there is no doubt they become more apparent when one is run down. A brisk walk, some fresh fruit, brown bread, a cold bath, and a rub down, not to mention cheerful companion, ship, will all help to banish specks and restore health. It is surprising how sound was tho teaohing of the physicians and monks who lived and wrote their books in the' thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. These dear old fellows laid down tho law that overy one who was sick should have an abundance of " sweet air"," and they actually announced that diet wus of moro value thai) simples in relioving the sick. Alas! that was five hundred years ago, and all those gems of wisdom wei'e buried and forgotten.

CONSTIPATION, Constipation, winch is one of tiie commonest troubles of modern life, is also one that is seldom .intelligently understood. A good many people imagine that the complaint begins and ends in the bowel, and that if only they bring about a copious evacuation, 'by no matter what means, they aro doing not only the wisest but the only thing that should bo done in the circumstances. The means most commonly adopted to this end are pills and purges. Now the pill for producing an evacuation of the bowels is a very important and useful remedy in certain emergencies, or as prescribed by the doctor. Used as it so often is, habitually and indiscriminately, it very easily becomes a curse rather than a blessing. Any habitual sufferer from constipation soon realises how temporary, and therefore unsatisfactory, is the relief afforded bv violent purging. In most cases the clearing of the choked system by such means merely makes subsequent evacuation the more difficult. And in nine cases out of tan the. bad habit of dependence upon drugs is established. Causes of Constipation. The regular evacuation of the waste products of digestion "should follow as it natural consequenco of healthy functioning. This can only come aiiout if every organ concerned in the process of digestion is • doing its work properly. An impaired digestion may give rise to innumerable troubles, many of which may seem to be so remote from the root cause as to escape association with it. If tho wrong kind of food is eaten it is bound to cause trouble at some stage in its journey through the alimentary, or digestive 'ract. Some people, again, eat too little; -•thers too much. Every organ and gland which contributes its share to the work of digestion does bo in response to a particular stimulus. Tliub . the digestive juices of the stomach are set flowing by the presence of attractive food in the mouth. Food which reaches the bowels in an undigested condition, or which does not oontaii- the proper elements which stimulate its activities, cannot bo dealt with satisfactorily. The bowel becomes overloaded with a putrifying mass of waste products which it fails to eliminate, and tho poisons engendered find their way to every part of the body. The blood stream becomes polluted with toxins; headaches follow; -rheumatism is a common result, and lassitude and debility and a number of similar troubles, all tho result of the protracted presence in tho bowels of this mass of undesirable, decaying waste material.

Treatment. The treatment of constipation should follow commonsenso principles. First of all, the food should be sufficient in quantity, and suitable to the digestive capacity of the individual, neither too little nor too much. The diet should include such foods as are known to stimulate the evacuatory agents. Fruit, both fresh and stewed, brown bread or coarse oatmeal, will be found effective in many cases. The diet should also be varied. In some cases the quantities of starchy food should be lessened, and such as are eaten should have every chance of subsequent digestion by .being thoroughly masticated nnd impregnated with saliva before being swallowed. Such substances as soft white bread, which are bolted without being chewed or properly insalivated, start on their journey doomed to produce' trouble. Green vegetables, salads, boiled onions and celery are wholesome ingredients in the diet of the habitually constipated. Tea, if taken, should be sparing in quantity and always freshly brewed. The meals should be taken as dry as possible; but. liberal quantities of water should be drunk at other times. The glass of water on rising, in the middle of the morning, and last thing at night should not be neglected. This may bo taken either cold or hot, and the addition of a squeeze of fresh lemon juice will make it tbo more palatable.

Exercise Necessary, In addition to dietetic precautions, exercise is essential. Certain forms of bedroom athletics may be recommended, and are often very advantageous, massage of the abdomen, too. But over and above these purely local correctives, brisk walking in the open air, for all who can manage it, is far and away,the finest of all. The bowels should be encouraged to empty themselves at a fixed time each day. The attempt to do so should never be neglected, even though the impulse may be lacking. , Habit in these things is more than half tlio battle. Many men find the smoking of a pipe immediately after breakfast a most effective stimulant in this way. Whenever drugs in any shape or form are resorted to, they should always be regarded as a temporary aid. to be abandoned at the earliest possible stage. To sum Up, then, the teeth must be sound, the diet adequate and suitable, and exercise and regular habits , ihould be regarded as indispensable, '