HEALTH COLUMN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2915, 26 January 1910, Page 76

HEALTH COLUMN.

Value of Buttermilk. Why do not Australians use more buttermilk? In most of the cities of Europe and America, this beverage is sold in all the reireshmemt shops. Buttermilk satisfies thirst, has an agreeable after-effect, and does not make you want another drink, as milk, water, and beer do. Doctors tell everybody that it is the moat healthful drink one can take. Men who have a reputation as consumers of champagne are drinking more buttermilk this summer in America.than an ordinary farmer's son will consume in a lifetime. "Many thousands of quarts daily represents our present sales of buttermilk." said an official of a milk company. "The increase lias been enormous. We have had a large, steady demand all the year round for several years from those who drink it under advice of their physicians. When the weather gets particularly hot the demand 4akes a big jump- We make it from fresh milk which is 'set' over-night and carefully kept at a certain temperature. Then the liquid goes through a partial butter-making process. Ordinary buttermilk, such as one gets on farms, is What is left after cream has been thoroughly churned and all the butter removed. The buttermilk specially prepared by us is of a much richer quality." Buttermilk !has ?,n excess of lactic bacteria which seem to be the sparrows of the bacterid world. The other microbes thfev meet have no chance againsl them. They are harmless and beneficial in driving out other bacteria of the alimentary system,, and give to buttermilk a 'slightly laxative pro

perty which' other forms of milk are- with out.

«oue for Ever When the hair falls as age advances, it is in consequence of the death or atrophy of the hair follicles. Once this has happened, if is impossible to grow the hair again, and he is a wise man who makes up his mind that ha must put up with f the inevitable. A common, --ease of too a air falling its the presence d: :oo muefl scurf on the scalp; the follicles are not destroyed they are made unhealthy by the codection of scurf, and treatrnen't directed tcD th'O removal of the superabundant scales from the scalp will be successful in promoting a new and 1 vigorous growth of hair. A lotion containing salicylic acid, alcohol, and castor oil is very useful. The application c .£ the lotion should, however, be under the supervision of a doctor, as some scalps are more sensitive than others, and care must be taken in regulating the strength of the lotion. Sometimes the hair comes out in patches. The condition is known as “Alopecia areata,” and is very troublesome to deal with. It is not catching, like ringworm is, and it may be distinguished from ringworm by the fact that the affected areas are completely bald; in ringworm, short, stubby, broken hairs are always teen. For the treatment of “Alopecia” the best application is a lotion containing turpentine; but the cure requires much patience. It generally gets well in the end. Throat and sose. For these who are annoyed by a collection of mucus at the back of the throat, especially in the morning, a good plan is to wash out the nasal cavity with dilute salt and water. The correct proportion is one teasipoonful of salt to a pint of water, and a few drops of eau de Cologne may be added to make it pleasant. It is best to dispense with rll douches and syringes and simply pour a little of the lotion into the palm of the hand and sniff it up. It should come into the back of the throat and then be spat out. The throat and the nose are very closely connected, and in a great many cases affections of the voice can be cured by paying attention to the nose. The unhealthy mucus runs down the baok of the throat during sleep and infects the voioe-bex. The nose acts as the filter for the air that goes down into the lungs, and it is therefore essential to keep it clean. Anaemia. Dr Mjalman Agtiec calls attention to a' remedy for anaemia which is popular in Sweden—i.e., nettle.. He himself was cured of anaemia when he was 17 by taking nettle soup. One of his patients, a girl of 20, had tried ail remedies recommended in anaemia, including the preparations of iron, but without apparent benefit- He ordered her them nettle soup, first every second day; then, when she improved, twice a week. The patient was completely cured. The common or stinging (Urtica doica) and the dwarf nettle (Utrica urens) possess the same virtues, but the first is used almost exclusively. The best time for collection is the spring; the best parts to use are the roots and stalks, with only half-developed leaves. It may be used as an infusion —a handful to two quarts of water, two or three glasses thereof to be taken during the day, but it is much pleasanter to use in the form of a freshlyprepared soup from the fresh herb. Bier’s Treatment. Professor Bier, the celebrated German scientist, has given to the world a treatment, now known by his name, the possibilities of which promise to be far-reaching-An interesting article on “Bier’s Passive Congestion Treatment” appears in the Nursing Times. For two thousand years mankind has had _ the opportunity of studying inflammation; in all its varying forme, and has learned, to mistrust it. “May not,” says the -writer of this article, “swelling be a blessing in disguise?” Indeed, the proposition that some of the symptoms of inflammation, are, in fact, evidence of an attempt on the part of the tissues to cope with the mischief causing the inflammation, must be accepted as proved. Instead), therefore, of attempting to diminish these symptoms of inflammation, Professor Bier encourages them; and has founded an entirely new method of treatment—Bier’s passive ihyperamia treatment—which is fraught with immense possibilities, and : s daily making great strides. Barber’s Itch. Some men are unfortunate enough to catch a complaint known as barber's itch through being shaved by a hairdresser who does not (keep his razors and brushes iC.ean. This disease is becoming rarer now tnat public attention has been called to the matter, and since barbers have begun to realise ,thyt it pays to keep their shops clean, and all their instruments sterilised. - Barber’s itch consists of a breaking out on the face, with the appcar4r.ee of (unsightly yellow scabs. The treatment requires perseverance; if you are unlucky enough to be afflicted in this way buy some boracic lint and wring a piece out of boiling water, and apply it to the face as hot as it can be borne; tms will soften the scabs, and then they can be readily removed. After tire complete removal of the scabs apply by gentle rubbing some ammoniated mercury ointment. This will curs you in a few days or a week. Heart Strain. Dr Schott, in, a recent lecture in Lonson, said that it has been physiologically ■Gs-tablished that the simple per for mane® of labour can lead to dilatation of the heart. The exaggerated pursuit of athletics, which during the la,st 20 yearn baa ■been constantly on the increase, has confirmed the observations he mad© known in his first publication, and now large numbers of cases, are on record in which simplo physical overstraining, due to excessive indulgence in athletic sports, has impaired a healthy heart in youths who have not suffered from previous maladies nor indulged in the immoderate use of alcohol, tobacco, coffee, or tea. Ho thought English physicians had ample opportunity of confirm, ig the-view that in individual previously aormal, and solely through different fotnis of overstraining, thq heart might brought first to a state of acute diUtaf >:)■, and finally, through repetition, to permanent dilatation, with all its consequent ...headmena. ‘ v '