HEALTH COLUMN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2921, 9 March 1910, Page 76

HEALTH COLUMN.

Curvature of the Spine. Di Alfred H. Tubby, a surgeon at Westminster Hospital, according to a lecture reported in The Hospital, believes that curvature of the spine may be due to violin playing and hockey. "A large number of girls at about the age of I*," says Dr Tubby, "develop curvature of the spine of varying extent. Some of those curvatures are due to bad positions in sitting and standing, whilst othert are due to the fact that the muscular system is not sufficient to keep the spine upright during thei fatigues incidental to school life, and especially those of writing and sitting in oertair positions foi a long time. I may allude to particular conditions whioh give rise to scoliosis in girls. One of them is playing the violin. I am convinced, from, what I have seen, that of all the pernicious positions in many eirls that assumed in playing the violin is the worst. The right shoulder is raised and the left shoulder is lowered and carried forward, with a curvature to the left in the dorsal region, and a compensatory curve to the right in the lumbar region. I am constantly asked whether a patient may play the violin. If a girl has already a certain amount of curvature, even if it be very the answer should be unhesitatingly 'No.' If it be already advanced, all practice on the violin must be stopped, or the patient will jtever get well." Then the doctor proceeds to point out some of the unsuspected perils which attend the playing of hockey: —"Another cause, of a certain degree of curvature is playing hockey. There is a 'hockey shoulder,' in which the left shoulder is raised and carried forward, and a curvature is developed, also to the left in the dorsal region. These facts may sound far-fetohed, but they are being recognised by the more intelligent mistresses and teachers, and in some schools hockey is taken out of the curriculum, and so is violin-playing. "Another cause is the curious position m which children are taught to write. I have a very vivid recollection of my writing days. The pen was tied to my fingers by jmans of red tape. I was directed to lean ever to the left side and point the held away. If there is any condition more ',k;ly to cause scoliosis it would be difficult to think of it." Dr Tubby's remarks are supported gemrally by the musical profession, and all qualified teachers recognise the danger of the "violin position" to young girls. sasal Catarrh. The name "catarrh" simply means a running or flow. *j«i an examiiLa ; » the ordi-

nary cold in the head, which wei justly describe as a "running cold." But the name as oommonly used means something much worse, a troublesome disease that threatens to become, if it be not already, chronic Catarrh first attacks the mucous membrane of the nose, inflaming it and causing a continuous watery flow, thence it extends downwards to the air passages leading to the chest, causing constant irritation, and finally settling upon the lungs. The sufferer complains of headache, loss of appetite, general weakness, while if the disease goes on unchecked the hearing and the sight and the memory will be impaired. It is well to bear in mind the faat that many sufferers from chronic catarrh have brought the condition on themselves by neglecting ordinary colds, one aftei another, till the weakened membrane has no power to recover from the attacks. This delicate lin ing of the nose and ail passages becomes permanently thickened, the mucous glands diseased, and their functions, if not actually destroyed, at least seriously deranged. Sometimes catarrh is the. result of scarlet or typhoid fever, or measles. In the early stages of the disease the most usual symptom is what is termed "a slight dropping in the throat," the amount cf the discharge from the air passages of the head being at first only slightly in excess of what it should be in a state of health. Later the discharge becomes thick and tough, requiring constant effort in the way of blowing and spitting to remove it from, the throat, where it generally lodges. In some cases, however, the discharge is thin, watery, acrid, and irritating. The nos 3 may be stopped up on account of the mucous membrane having become swollen and thickened, and this will necessitate breathing through the mouth, giving the voice a disagreeable nasal twang. tinder these conditions it is useless to attempt by blowing the nose to clear the passage, as the irritation is only increased. The only efficacious treatment is by inhalation or spraying, but there is perhaps hardly any malady for which so many worthless remedies are advertised as for catarrh, and anyone having reason to believe himself suffering from it should at once consult a medi cal mar; instead of trying to treat the case on the strength of advertised applications Hygiene of the Mouth. In the crypt of Hythe Church, Kent, the visitor is shown heaps of skulls which are said to have been collected centuries ago from a battlefield in the neighbourhood. Nearly all the skulls 6how sets of sound teeth, and I wondered when I saw them how many such perfect sets would be found under similar circumstances to-day. The chief reason for our decayed teeth is undoubtedly that our method of eating is at fault. The average man does not chew hie food enough, he eats too fast, bolts everything in fact, and -he takes too many soft things washed down with liquids. The first lesson to impress on children and even on ourselves is to eat as slowly as possible; the second is to choose such foods as require mastication rather than the puffy or minced dishes which slip down without trouble. Nearly all forms of germ, good or bad, get into the mouth, and where there are decayed teeth or where the lining membrane of the mouth becomes unhealthy from indigestion the germs are certain to have a poisonous effect on the system. A clean mouth and sound teeth are a protection against disease, not only because they do not harbour germs, but a-lso because they enable a man to get. the full amount of nourishment out of the food he takes. It is highly important that the teeth should be kept perfectly clean in order to prevent their decay, for it is a fact that in places where particles oi food can find a lodgment disintegration is most likely to set in. We must realise the necessity of cleansing the mouth as soon as possible after eating. The tooth brush should be used and also silk floss which is to be passed between the teeth ir order to dislodge particles that cannot be reached by the tooth brush. The best tooth powder is plain precipitated chalk, and if in addition the mouth be brushed or rinsed out with a very weak solution of permanganate of potash the sensation oi cleanliness and comfort will be noticeable. Polypus and Complications. Polypus in the nose is a common cause of obstruction to breathing- freely through the nose. It is not so common in children as in adults. This distinguishes it from adenoids, which is a growth at the back of the nose, found most commonly in childhood. Polypus should not be neglected, as apart from the habit of breathing through the mouth, which in itself is undesirable, the polypus may give rise to complications in the ©mall bones of the nose and in the passages connected with the nose. There is ono passage which leads from the top of the nasal cavity up into the bones of the forehead; if this passage gets blocked up a frontal headache sets in. Also, the unhealthy discharge coming- from the polypus falls down the back of the throat and produces a catarrh of the throat, sometimes accompanied by loss of voice, and it is detrimental to' the health that this discharge should be swallowed into the stomach. Polypus can be removed by operation under a local anaesthetic—that is to say, it is not necesary to give chloroform. A little cocaine can be used with perfect safety; the growths are then removed one by one with a snare. The treatment is completely successful [or the time being, and the relief after the operation is very great; but the growths often return, and in a few months the whole process must be gene through Again. In some cases polypi are a sign of diseased bone, which must be removed by an operation before the formation of the. nasal growths can be stopped. Breathing; Exercises. Breathing exercises are new a matter of faith with so many people that some experiments on the effects of them which were made by Dr D. F. Gomstock cannot fail to strike a sympathetic chord somewhere. He found that enforced deep breathing over a period of four minutes had the curious effect of enabling the experimenter to "hold his breath" for nearly three and a-half minutes. The period varies in individuals; but, he adds gaily, "I have seen some very amusing betting on how long it was possible to hold the breath, and have seen the cock-sure bettor laid low by not knowing ( Of this possible resource of his adversary." Evidently this is a pleasant scientific game for the long winter evenings, but Dr Comstock has some more serious observations to offer. The effect of deep breathing as a mental stimulant is, he declares, very

pronounced-. Pfttigu 5 may i be postponed far beyond the usuq! point by two minutei of rapid deep breathing at half-hcu- intorvals. The effect on muscular fatigue is also striking. Another curious effect which is perhaps worth mentioning is the rapid lapse of time during the latter half of a hard-breathing period. This change in the time-Sense is very noticeable. As a mental stimulant, and as a means to increase the time during which the system can do without respiration', violent breathing might fed considerable useful application, and daring rescues from suffec-atior are common enough to make a knowledge of this possible threefold endurances without air of no little value.