HEALTH COLUMN.

Otago Witness, Issue 1989, 10 April 1890, Page 45

HEALTH COLUMN.

Influence of the Potato on Heriith.

The leprosy, of which much lately has been Heard; is rilore dr les3 prevalent ,iri tropical and semi-tropical climates, as well as in the colder regions of" Norwaj. Iceland, New Brunswick," &o. Br Radcljffe Croker considers that diet and bad hygiene can only be regarded as predisposing influences, not as Causes of this scourge. It is within the obpervatibh of many travellers that it prevails chiefly among the dwellers oh sea coasts and estuaries, of rivers; whos'efoodis. chiefly fish and birds; wjtli art .aJrHost tdtal abstinence from vegetable substances. A gentleman who had paid much attention to the chemistry of foods is convinced that one vegetable— the potato— has fiad much to do with the gradual stamping out of this plague in Europe. Wherever potatoes are not found it rages ; whet-eVer they are freely thed it Is unfenowft. Certainly, its most rapid decline idpk place after, that _ vegetable came into general use. The value of the potato iri scurvy has been emphatically acknowledged tiy many ertiinetit medical rtten.. Dr. 1; L'^nkeiiter Bays, in his a Lectures on Food" : — " I dp not know whether any of you have speculated upon the reason . why Europe should have seized, with buc^ a,vjdity upon that plank, which h foreign td its shdfesj. but there afe philosophical writers who trace the cessation of plague and other epidemic visitations to the use of the potato." And after comparing it with wheat, iice, and other substances, he further remarks : "It seems then, looking at it from this point of view, as, if it were a matter of very little importance whethei 1 we eat potatoes or not, so long as we get flesh-forming and heat-forming subdtaiices from 1 other equrces ; btit Herb are those ashes; lib in 1001b, and what are they from principally ? Why, salts of: potash, it is not much, to be sure, about a drachm in a pound, but that quantity se.emß in sdme' measure explanatory of its influence on the health of the population of Europe."

tseiui Hints for the ftres. (Dr Liuooln iv tlie Annals of Hygiene.)

Secure good ventilation. Frequently rest by looking up. , Have abundant light, biit not dazzling, Distance of book from the eye, about 15in. Posture erect; never read lying down or stooping. Great caution about study after recovery from fevers.

The book held at right angles to the line of sight, or nearly so. Sun not shining on desk or on objects in front of the student.

Clothing at the neck loose ; the same as regards the rest of the body. A comfortable temperature, ard especially let the feet be warm and dry. Light coming from the left hand, or left and rear; under some circumstances, from in front,

Little study before breakfast or directly after a hearty* meal ; none at all at twilight or late at night.

Climate and Phthisis. — Does climate cure phthisis 1 is answered in the affirmative, " beyond question," by Dr James A. Lindsay of Belfast, -Ireland, in the current number of the Popular Science Monthly. "It does it, not usually by a single or specific quality of the air or any, definite combination of meteorological conditions," he says, r u but by removing the consumptive from the evil influences of unfavourable meteorological conditions and of an' injurious soil, and transferring him to a climate where fresh air, .sunshine, and outdoor life may be enjoyed and their concomitant , advantages realised. The best climates to cure phthisis are found at marine resorts and mountain resorts. The best marine.resort is a sea-going ship— a sailing vessel preferred— and the longer the voyage the better. Next are ocean islands, coast islands, and shore places, of which Algiers, Tangier, and Malaga are among the best. Of the dry inland resorts, the best are Nubia, the interior parts of Algeria, the Orange Free State, and the vast interior plains of Australia. The Orange Free State is recommended on account of its altitude. The mountain resorts have proved most efficacious in cases of delayed recovery from pneumonia, with threatening tuberculosis, chronic pleurisy of the apex and chronic tubercular phthisis, with good reaction and the retention of fair constitutional vigour. They are not good for advanced and muoh weakened cases; and, speaking generally, only chronic cases with fair reaction are suitable for climatic treatment."

What Pboportion of Illness is Due to Ovebwobk?— lt is often exceedingly difficult to ascertain the precise origin or cause of illness, for in a large majority of diseases, the original cause is either concealed, or is so connected with other causes that it cannot be traced as a distinct agency. There is an especial difficulty in finding out what proportion of disease is directly attributable to bodily overwork, as in many cases work is carried on under conditions (such as close quarters and impure air, &c, in indoor work, and exposure to damp and other deleterious influences in outdoor work) which are unhealthy, and may combine with overwork to produce disease ; but medical scientists, however, are generally of opinion that when fairly good hygienic conditions exist, bodily overwork may often be carried on almost to the point of exhaustion, without affecting the general health, for men when overworked may be able to eat well and sleep well, and thus the system recuperates itself. The same argument; holds good to some extent as to mental overwork. Mental strain, however, oftea tends to broken and irregular hours of rest, to insomnia more or less severe, to disturbances of some of the functions of tke nervous system, and to various derangements of the digestive and other organs. From the foregoing observations it is obvious that an estimate of the proportion of illness that is due to overwork would be vague and misleading. Influenza.— Concerning the real cau3e or causes of influenza medical science is still very much in the dark. The symptoms point to the operation of a depressing agent, either in the nervous system or in the blood. Such an agent could alone, it is argued, account for the sudden seizures, the rapid spread of the disease, and the prostration of

strength which accompanies it. Atmospheric influenoe, and not ordinary infection,, alonej we are told, explain simultaneous outbreaks in platies Widely apart.- But what that atmospheric influence is nobody can tell. "Influenza," says Dr Peacock, " has travelled over districts without reference to season or climate, and has prevailed in ths same locality in all seaSottS, and in almost every variety of weather." Great and sudden changes of temperature are supposed to be more or less Connected with the complaint. But as it sometimes comes without them, and they often come without, it, the connection^ lackd scientific completeness. — Saturday Review, LI G-kippjb.— A great rriany people are'; I fear; under the cdmfortable Selusio'n that when they have once had the influenza they have done with it. This is not the case, however. Dr Symes Thompson pointed out that, like malaria and ague, it recurs with the renewed activity of the organisms associated with the disease; That is to say, the' chance's are that if you' get it a second titde you faro worse than you did the First— which is far from 1 cdnsolirJer.