MEDICAL NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18333, 24 February 1923, Page 3 (Supplement)

MEDICAL NOTES.

CONDITIONS DURING SLEEP.

Although it is more necessary to life than food, we must confess that up to the present the exact; cause, of sleep is . not definitely known. Careful observation has made us familiar ' with the physical condition of the body during sleep, and from this it would appear that it is a condition of debility. Thus, although no physical or mental function is absolutely abeyant, all the normal activities of the organism are appreciably, lowered. The blood pressure is lower, the heart beats more slowly, respiration is slower and less deep, and i the lamount of aid inspired by a , normal ■ man during sleep is only one-seventh of that used during similar periods of quiet wakefulness. The chest and limbs usually increase in size during sleep owing to changes in the circulation which facilitate the passage of fatigue products into the blood stream. There is certainly an increased vascularity of the skin, which is often flushed, and the brain left with less blood is comparatively anaemic. It is owing to this increased action of the skin that we are so easily chilled during sleep. » 1 : FOOD AND TEETH. Six rules of diet adhered to from infancy would save teeth from decaying, declared Mr. E. A. Rowlatt at the conference of the British Dental Association at Newcastle. England. They are— 1. Be sure that the child sleeps with the mouth shut, and, when awake, breathes through the nose. 2. Prom the age of two let each meal contain some food that needs grinding. 3. Do not drink until the end of a meal. 4. Avoid many sweets and sweet biscuits, and only give them as part of a meal. Never give either the last thing at night. 5. Let the child finish each meal with a piece of fresh fruit or crisp salad. 6. If fruit is not obtainable, give a stale crust of bread, with butter if preferred, but not with jam. Gingerbreads : and hard-boiled sweets are mistakenly believed to bo good for the teeth. Mr. Rowlatt uttered a special warning against milk and biscuits given to children the last thing at night. The question of diet largely depends upon the bread of the nation. If we could ..make the hard French roll the general bread, there would undoubtedly be a tremendous improvement in the teeth of the country. Teeth-brushing lessons at the dentist's for children at the age of 2£ to three years were also recommended. Demonstrations should be given first on a model, and then on the child's mouth. 1 AFTER THE HOLIDAYS. \ The worst of holidays is that so many people feel tired and out of sorts afterwards. This ought not to be, and when it does occur, it usually means that there has been something radically wrong with the holiday itself, or with the "afterwards." A holiday should be a strengthbuilder, a rest-giver, and a preservative against the trying demands of the winter. Too often, though, the holidaymaker casts discretion to the winds, plunges into a completely new set of violent activities during the holiday, only to drop them again abruptly on getting home again. In such a case the after-holiday feeling is very much like the fatigue and stiffness which would follow on any violent and prolonged physical exertion when the body was unprepared for it. The wise thing to do is to take every advantage of the freedom of a holiday to be out of doors. Then when the holiday is over, keep up as many recreative practices as possible. The Regular walks of a holiday should be maintained as a feature of the ordinary routine. Try to get. into the home life something of the variety which has char- j acterised the holiday. Don't drop too complacently into the familiar routine. And above all, don't imagine that every air but the one you breathe at home is" bracing, or that it needs a long railway journey, organised amusements, or an entire absence of responsibility to keep you both happx ,