HEALTH COLUMN,

Otago Witness, Issue 2087, 22 February 1894, Page 49

HEALTH COLUMN,

Best in Motion.

"If I am harried or wearied by care or work," said a man who works with his brains, "I can always find rest in motion. I just stop work and get out and walk. As I walk, the weight is lifted, and finally it is gone altogether, and in place of that tired feeling comes tranquillity, succeeded by e'ation. It was a pleasing discovery to make, that I could walk out of depression into buoyancy. At first, when the exercise was Dew to me, I needed to go but a little distance to accomplish this happy result, and so clearly denned was the change that I could locate almost exactly the spot where my burdens disappeared and I found myself in the pleasant company of my hopeful, kindly friend, Cheerfulness. I still seek Cheerfulness by that road, and I find him unfailingly ; but I have to go farther and farther to meet him, for, like any other stimulant, the walk muse be taken in constantly increasing doses in order to produce the same results. At first a brisk walk of a- quarter of a mile brought me to the boundary line; now 1 find it about a mile and a-quarter away. It may be that I will have to seek Cheerfulness nearer home as a permanent atmosphere, for it is obvious that if I must go greater and greater distances to meet the personified Cheerfulness, he might one day be practically beyond reach."

Injury from Dumb-bells. — Directors of physical culture Bay that heavy dumb-bellß do more barm than good, an they strain the heart and lungs as well as the muscles they are supposed to benefit. The Indiscriminate use of Perfumes. — Strong perfumes are decidedly injurioas to the sense of smell. By their frequent use the secretory glands of the nose and throat are overtaxed and weakened. Some day the person observes that the hearing is less acute than usual, and the sense of smell seems defective. This is, of course, credited to a cold, and but little is thought of it. After a time, the entire head becomes affected, and there are throat and lung complications which are likely to end in chronic, if not fatal, illness. Smelling salts are a prolific cause of deafness; all strong and pungent odours, particularly those which act upon the > secretory processes, should be avoided as far as po?sible.

Thh Attitude To Assume While Sleeping. — First of all, the attitude for sleeping should be assumed immediately upon retiring to bed. 4t Sleep not on your back like a dead man," was one of the rules issued by Confucius for the guidance of his disciples. This was good advice, for although lying on tbe back may secure tbe greatest amount of rest to the muscular system, yet thiß is the position assumed in the most exhausting diseases, and it is generally hailed as a tcken of revival when a patient voluntarily turns on the side. It is better to go to sleep on tbe right side, for then the stomach is very much in the position of a bottle turned upside down, and the contents are aided in passing ont by gravitation. If one goes to sleep on the left side, the operation of emptying tbe stomach of its contents is more like drawing water from a well. It is particularly unwise to go to sleep on the back after a meal. The weight of the digestive organs and that of the food resting on the great vein of the body near the backbone compresses itand arrests tbe flow of the blood more or less. If the arrests is partial tbe sleep is disturbed and there are unpleasant dreams. If tbe meal bas been recent or hasty, the arrest is more decided and the varying sensations of nightmare are experienced. It is essential for refreshing sleep to have tbe feet warm, and the head cool, and the head should not be raised more than Gin above the level of the bed.

Companionship in Convalescence. — It will be generally admitted that the term " illness " possesses a fuller meaning than can be explained by tbe mere presence of disease. The further stage of convalescence, hopeful and relatively healthy as it is, must also be included in the term. At best it is the approach to health, and its ailing incapacity must be reckoned with and provided for unless we would retard or frustrate the whole process of recovery. Conscious of this fact, some have even argued that a- service of attendance is needful at this, as it manifestly ip, at an earlier period. For the care of the Bkilled nurse they would substitute that of an invalid's companion. The office is not unknown to experience. In one or other form it has existed, probably as long as that of the nurse, chiefly as a privilege or moneyed comfort. A novel extension bas lately been proposed for the especial benefit of children convalescent from infectious disease, whosoe discomfort and isolation have excited the pity of some kind-hearted persons. Tbe suggestion is well intended and wherever feasible might be put in practice. In Rome cases of partial recovery still requiring supervision for the purpose of its completion, such attendance might even be advisable on medical grounds. In such instances a nurse would be the fittest guardian. For the rest, the attentions of a judicioue friend would usually afford the social advantages best suited to the needs and wishes of the convalescent. A system of regularly-paid service, it appears to us, is in this case hardly called for, though voluntary assistance in aid of the parental care, if rendered with friendly tact, must often bring with it a truly grateful sense of relief. — Lancet.