HEALTH COLUMN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2456, 10 April 1901, Page 62

HEALTH COLUMN.

The Teetii of the Nation.

If we were truly a military nation, vre certainly should (*iys the Hospital) give more attention to the children's teeth than we do at the piesent time. A committee of the Bnti-h Dental Association some time ago investigated the mouths of a large number of school chilclien, with the result that "they found that 84 per cent, of those examined hid canoub teeth. Of course, all these children were not Miffenng from toothache. If th?y had been, something nouM have been "done. The mkchief is that dental ci.i"-* often goes on until it has, ruined the tooth for all useful purposes before any scrioirs pain is produced, and that the children of the poor, Tihen caries has gone on 10 •■uch a Ftage n-- to causa tooth iche, hive often nollune; befoie them but extraction. H^-nce many trouble-, much cio^ding ard IH-dc-velopment of the permanc.it teeth, ar.d iiiikli future inability to tackle " bully beef." It i« in the <-ta£e before toothache that preventive men^uies can best be taken, and this means that the dentist must go to the schools. A gieat deal is being s ud just now about the necessity of providing fiee meals for school chiidien, and altl ough such a proceeding spells rank Socab-in. •=-). it mn«t be re-msmbc-red, does free education. But there is something bsfore even food, and tint is teeth. It mu«-t be remembered that there is a great hereditary and instinctive tendency among all but the very lowest type of the human race which (Lives paieins to provide tli^ir young with food. Food of a sort, then, the children will be sine to have. On the other hand, there is no inborn instinct m hich drives parents to look after their children's teeth. Yet we as a community object to Nature's method of eliminating the toothless ones by starvation. So we keep tlie^e weakly ones alive, sometimes in hospitals, sometimes in gaols, & mistimes in woikhouses, but alw.ijs at, great expense, v. h:le the great multitude of those who ,u'3 not tlirov. n entirely upon our hands, lead a less healrhy and kss productive life than would be the case if they had been thrown upon the world uneducated, perhaps, but with good teeth. That the State shoald take care of tie children's teeth is n milter not to be lightly put aside on the plea of its socialistic tendencies. It is a matter of 'both military and national importance. Whether the State m'ght dig even deeper to the root of the matter, destroy aIL feeding bottles, and punish with fine and imprisonment all mothers who do not suckle their own infants, is a still larger question which we y\ill leave the soc.ahsts to discuss.

When the nnkle has been severely sprained, imm?ise it immediately in hot water, keeping it theie for 15 or 20 mmutefc. After it hui b°en taken out of the water, keep it bandaged with cloths wrung out of hot water.

Isn't it queer that some people care more for what they eat than for how they feel. Another strange thing is that when people know that re-breathed air is an active poison, many have a hoi-ror of pure air in their homes, and especially in their bedrooms.

Also queer, that while all people have a hoM-or of disease, they are so long in finding out that the only sure way of avoiding disease is by keeping every organ in the body perfectly well.

So queer that while we are po deathly afraid of germs, microbes, bacteria, etc., we live in such a way that our bodies become deficient in resisting nower to these same germs, and when they are present, expect in some miraculous manner to have them expelled.

Queer that while we all want so much to enjoy life, with all its comforts, plea&ures, and happiness, we are so apt to forget that upon health these all depend, that

Health is the vital principle of bliss, And exccrcise of health.