HEALTH TALKS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8367, 1 March 1913, Page 9

HEALTH TALKS.

“Health is the second blessing that ■wo mortals are capable „of— a blessing that money cannot buy.

The publication by the London “Practitioner” of a special tuberculosis number with contributions from 36 authorities has created the greatest interest in the medical profession. A London specialist pointed out that too wide a publicity cannot be given to the simple means that can be relied upon, if carried out carefully in the home, to stamp out consumption in .the course of a generation or two. “It is not enough that every medical man should be‘able to diagnose and treat consumption,” ho said. “Every person in the country ought to know by heart the early symptoms.”

Professor Leonard HilFs dictum that the man with a had cold should not be allowed to talk for fear of passing on his disease to others, has met with general support in London. Addressing a teachers’ conference. Professor Hill said that it was an offence against society for anyone with a cold to cough, sneeze, or even talk without covering his mouth with his handkerchief. “Colds kill tens of thousands every year,” the doctor pointed out, “and yet w© persist in taking no special precautions to escape them. We go to great trouble to prevent the spread of diphtheria or scarlet fever or smallpox, but the person with a cold, who is scattering deadly microbes everywhere, we treat as perfectly harmless. I thoroughly agree that during tho sneezing, coughing stag© tho person with a cold should he isolated, so that the germs-he is constantly scattering may not ’be breathed by his neighbours.”

It might seem a reckless paradox to say that barefoot nations suffer less from cold feet than the owners of patent footwear, but experimenters who have tried both plans wear shoes often only as a protection from mechanical injury. They find that bare feet become impervious to changes of temperature, and that, with rare exceptions, cold feet are the penalty of tight shoes, or other leather contrivances that compress the blood vessels.

Savages never have chilblains and corns and bunions and in-growing toenails as w© do. That is why w© send missionaries over to their countries to teach them the blessings of civilisation. If only yon teach them properly tho healthy natives will squash their feet and pinch their waists into tight corsets like the best of us. What I want is to see a few black people com© over to us to show us their natural feet, built as God made them. .

Take a piece of dean paper and plant your foot on it, and draw a pencil round the sole so as to get the outline of the boot.- Now plant your naked foot on the Same and you will see that the foot overlaps all round. Now bend down and press your toes together, so that they are compressed within the compass of the pencil outline. You now have an opportunity of seeing how your toes are placed when they are inside the boot. The toes .are not side by side like a new-born baby’s; they are on top of one another; they are distorted and bent ont of shape. Now, if yon are not ashamed of yourself you ought to be. The Creator knows what shape our feet ought to be, but some of us •think we know better still. If a Isavage with a ring through his nose .could see your feet, how he would (laugh and wonder at the strange customs of England and Christianity. Chilblains are often a warning that the feet are not being taken proper care of. • How can the blood circulate through feet that are tightly compressed? It is impossible; the circulation is seriously impeded, and chilblains result. If the feet are unpleasantly moist, it is a good plan to sprinkle a little finely-powdered boracio acid into the stocking. , The stockings should be, changed frequently.

Gout is brought about by an excessive amount of uric acid in the system land by the waste products of the body fnot being properly disposed of. Sometimes it is caused by a hereditary influence attacking certain members of a family after passing the period of middle age. Eating too much butcher’s 'meat and other nitrogenous food, 'drinking heavy "wines, such as port, sherry, and malt liquors, taking too ilittle muscular exercise will increase any tendency to the disease. Lead workers are also liable to gout. Uric acid circulates in the blood and is deposited about the joints in a crystalline form, bringing about great pain and inflammation. It generally attacks first the big toe, then the ankles and knees and joints of the bands and wrists. The temper becomes irritable, the appetite decreases, and there is great tenderness over the, stomach and liver. The pain is generally worse at night, causing sleeplessness. There may also be catarrh of the mucuous membranes of the nose and throat.

The most important thing in the treatment of gout is to adopt a very hygienic mode of living. There must be moderation in everything, meals must be simple and there must be plenty of exercise in the open air. There should be a tepid or cold bath every morning followed by a brisk rubbing with a rough towel. An occasional Turkish bath may be beneficial. Woollen underclothing should be worn, and sudden alterations in temperature should be avoided. Only a very small portion of butcher’s meat should be taken daily; three simple meals a day of good plain nourishing food will be sufficient. Wines and malt liquors must not be drunk, but plenty of pure water, which helps to drive away the waste matter. During an acute attack a milk diet consisting of milk and barley water must .be adopted. Some of the foods which gouty people should not take arc pastry, sweets, greasy foods, sugar, hot bread, and rich dishes of any description. Fresh vegetables and fruits, except bananas and strawberries, may be taken. Fish and chicken are also beneficial.