OUR BABIES.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LV, Issue 13921, 27 March 1909, Page 10

OUR BABIES.

(By HYGEIA).

Published under the auspices of the society for the Promotion ©« $* Health of Women aivi <3hildr«a. QUACK FOODS AND MEDICINES. .Anxious, expectant mothers write from time to timo asking whether tlus or that patent food or patent mcciici»e, which has been strongly recommended to them, would bo likely to prove beneficial. One can reply 1a general U> all such inquiries that repeated investigations into similar suostanoe* have only served to show that the claims put forward are without foundation. Health cannot be bought Or sold in packets or bottles. WfWDELL HOLMES ON QUACKERY. Dr Oliver Wendell Holmes said half a century ago— "There is no offence or danger in expressing the opinion that the community is still overdosed. Jho beat proof of it is that no families take w> little medicine as those of doctors, except those of apothecaries. . . Somebody buys all the quack medicines that build palaces for the mushroom— say, rather, the .toadstoll — millionaires. Who is it? These people have a constituency of millions. Th© popular belief is all but universal that sick persons should feed mi noxious substances. "A doctor was called not long since to a man with jn terribly sore mouth. On inquiry he found that the man had picked up a box of unknown pills, in Howard Street, and had to take them, on general principles, pills being good for people. They happened to contain mercury, and hence the trouble for which he consulted our associate." The more we know of life the morfc obvious it becomes that health and vigour depend on very simple and more or less universally attamabio,conditions. There is no short cut to bodily r fitness. The way is .the same for all. All the progress that has been made during the last century in the scier.co of medicine and surgery has not served to advance us appreciably beyond tne ancient Greeks as to the fundamentals for health. Indeed, it is only quit© recently that *we have attained- to as clear a view as the ancients had regarding absolute- essentials. .They realised tne conditions jtnder which alone their ideal— the sound mind in the sound body— could T*» attained, and they handed down their ™F*™«™* conclusions to us and to afl'limo. Jhe fresh .open air : exercise j moderation and regularity in food, drink, and habits generally; bathing; occupation; pleasurable recreation,, etc-theee were recognised as the first necessities ox healthy living 2500 -years ago, and there is practically nothing to add sow. Of all factors bearing on the perfect health of mother and offspring *ne most essential is. s EXERCISE. I.' SENSORY EXEHCISE.-f timulation through all sense channels, but specially stimulation through the skifc by contact with the changing open air and sunlight, and stimulation through vision by light and the changing pageant of the outside world. * 2. MOTOR EXERCISE.— In general when people speak of exorcise they mean essential "voluntary ' motor exercise" (exercise of muscles .through the will): but sensory functioning/sensory exercise, .is even more important because this is what us, this is the main source of stimulation of aU our bodily *awh» II «»y'--»* l ? in fi 1 5!;j the voluntary muscles, which, though under the control of the will, do most of their work and are kept in tone without the intervention of thought, or even the arousing of consciousness. As for the essential vital organs (nervecentres, heart, lungs, digest*™ and Scretary organs, ettc), they depend for 23? activities almost entirely or the stimuli coming to them through - the sensory nerves One cannot possibly overstate the advantages of active open-air life. Most of our, physical Silitfes come from living in houses and not outside them ! Looking at what I have writtAl am afraid that the right ,^ may not be conveyed. In upholding the need for sensory and rertex; stimulation as contrasted with exercise of the voluntary muscles alone (if that were possible); I have been writing from the pSSrf view of simple Withy out, 3oor exercise and recreation, contrasted with formal Sandow or breathing exercise done indoors for a snort time each day. Of course, the latter doe* cood, but a game 1 of tennaa, or— v one wants a less strenuous and less violent form of recreation (as is desirable durine pregnancy)^-a game of croquei; wfere procurable, is infinite*]* better than any mere formal exercise, because almost all the senses are engaged as wellasall the muscles, and there* is also the enjoyment of the game and the associated social -diversion. .It goto without saying that walking, is excellent, and forms for most of .Us the staple form of recreative exercise, but unless there are other resources as well, walking in the form of forced consfatuonts is apt to become irksome, tiring, and monotonous. COTTAGE GARDENING. The tending of a few favourite flowers, and even the growth of some small fruit,and -vegetables, in one's garden is not beyond, the reach of most mothers fothSe days of independent suburban iottages, -yet how- few»v«l $*«*&? of thiir advantages. The window gardens of Londoners. Jiving in a vast crowded city, show how much could be done to make a greater source o health and attraction to the whole family, and at the same time a way to health Hor the wife and mother^ who needs something to draw her out into the open air and sunshine. OVERTAXED MOTHERS. Of course there a«* ramo mothers - whose hands are so full from lining ' till night that they can scarcely find a moment for escape into the open an from the cares of housework **&™* tending pf a numerous Jamily of small children.. What are such women to do, especially when another baby is expected ? We can only surest co-opera-tion with a neifirHbour. if otip is available, who is willing to take joint rhar«e for, say. an hour or «> every day in return for similar . friendly help, in order that both mothers may -feel £- cure of a. daily respite for rest and Sik Surely a iu^iv tone wit* her housework there Sse-°Wproper sensory S2fc£« recreation (recreation) arei

wanting, and these can only be supplied by spending some time daily away from the hoiioO. WHERE THE MAN SHOULD COME IN.

A short walk in the open air, followed by a rest iv the suubhine, \\ ill do such "a woman a world of good, and her husband should spare no pains to secure her if possible an afternoon a week of pleasant outing at the seasido or elsewhere. The whole future health and fitness of, mother and child are dependent on attention to the mother's health and spirits at such times, and nothing should be allowed to set aside th>se considerations. Iherc is no time, in a woman's life in which she so much needs sound advice and a helping hand to induce her to overcome tTic difficulty which stand in the ray of her doing justice to herself and her family as when she is carrying an unborn babe. It is as much in the interest of the husband as oi the wne that the health of mother and child should be made the one paramount consideration until the baby is born and long afterwards.' Between the ideal husband and the selfish hopeless drunkard there are all shades of men who make or mar the destiny^oi those dependent on them. Regarding the matter from a purely selfish standpoint, the education, of men in what is needed for maintaining the health and fitness of their wives and children is almost as important in the long run for the men themselves as it is for the rest of the family, and we commend the •Our Babies" -joluinii if husbands as well ab 1 DER OAK AND DER VINE. I don'd vas preaching voman's righdts, Or anyding like dot, Und I likes to see all beoples .. Shnst gondented mit dheir «*;; . Budt I vants to gondradict dot shap Dot make dis teedle shoke ; - "A voman vas der glingmg vine, Und man, der shtiirdy oak. Shust go oup to der paseball groundts, Und see dliose "shturdy oaks'' Ul planted rbundt übon der seats-— s£i»t hear dhcir laughs and diokes! Dhen see dhose vomens at der tuos, Mit glothea oudt on der "««»». Vhich, vas der shturdy oaks, mine friondts, „.• < • 9 Und Vhich der. gliugmg vines.'' Yen sickness in der hoiweholdt comes, j Und veeks und veeks he sntays, Who vas id fighdts- him mitoudt resdt Dhose veary nighdts nnd days.' Who beace und gomfort alvays prings, Und cools dot fefered prows* More Jik<* id vas der tender vine Dot oak he glings to now. Maype, vhen oaks dhey gling some more, ' Und don'd «o. shturdy peen, Der glingmg vines dhey haf some shance . To helb run life's masheen. In helt und sickness, shoy and pain, In calnxor/shtormy -veddberj \ 'iSvas beddher dot dhose oaks and vines Should alvays gling tbgoddher.