THE LADIES

Observer, Volume 7, Issue 234, 7 March 1885, Page 8

THE LADIES

LETTEES ON" HEALTH,

(Specially Weitten foe the Ladies.)

Having discoursed about the complexion and the hair, I propose to close the subject of the toilette with a few words concerning the hands and the teeth. The general treatment of the skin includes, of course, the special treatment of the hands. "Ablutions of wine, of aromatic vinegar, or of myrrh will prevent flabbiness and wrinkling of the skin of the hands, as well as of that of the face. If the palms are habitually and unpleasantly moist, the best cure for this inconvenience is the frequent use of hot rain water, and the application, after careful drying, of powdered oxide of zinc, Fuller's earth, or glycerine of tannin. Lemon is^also an excellent cos-' inetic in such cases, but it must not be used in conjunction with soap. To "have pretty great attention must be paid to the nails. In order that the nails should be comelytn appearance, they must be regularly and carefully cut with nail-scissors — never with a pen-knife — about once a fortnight. A slice of lemon should, if obtainable, be rubbed over the nails .after this (Operation. Never use any kind of sharp or pointed instrument to clean the nails. A soft brush employed with care will suffice to remove all ordinary dirt ; stains of dirt can be effaced by means of chemical pencils invented for the purpose and sold at all pharmacies. Some ladies, with the view of whitening their hands, sleep in kid gloves, and even line these gloves with poultices or pastes of grease, Avax, bread, and other preparations. Such a a practice appears to me not only uncleanly but unhealthful, since it must certainly tend to hinder the free and natural transpiration or breathing process of the skin, which, at least on the palms of the hands, should be abundant and unrestrained. For the same reason I think it always wholesome to wear silk than kid gloves, especially in the evening and at balls, when the skin is particularly apt to become hot and to transpire freely. Long silk gloves are now lai'gely worn, both indoors and out, and I rejoice at the fashion, for it is eminently sensible and hygienic. I have not myself worn kid gloves for several years, and intend never again to put them on so long as silkworms spin theiv glossy coils and factories produce gloves of this lovely material.

And now I shall say a few words aboub the treatment of teeth. The rewards and penalties of heredity manifest the nisei ye perhaps more strikingly through the teeth than through any other organs of the body. Scrofula and specific disease announce themselves from generation to generation by means of deformed, brittle, or discoloured teeth. Early decay and loss of the molars betray feebleness of constitution and vitiated blood, and may indicate some such particular expression of debility as tubercle on the lungs or analagous disease of the bony tissues. Apart, too, from the special heredity of the individual, all civilised races suffer more or less from dental disease and decay, and this phenomenon is traced by our best authorities to the abundant use made by such race of cooked food, and, in particular, hot food. Hot meats and drinks are undoubtedly injurious to the teeth, and the taste for them is purely artificial, since we see animals, taught by natural instinct, invariably refuse f oocf at a high temperature, and I believe the same observation has been repeatedly made in regard to savage men. If you give a plate of steaming hot soup or bread and milk to your cat or dog, he will not partake of it until it has cooled, and will wander about it wistfully, sniffing now and then at it, until satisfied' that its heat has sufficiently subsided to allow him comfort in his repast. But the temperature at which he eats it would disgust his master, and would cause him to consrgitfgbhe dish again to the cook with orders to „hav<fat "made hot." Nothing, in fact, is fyforse for tooth, bone, hair, and complexion Sthan our civilised and luxurious custom of dually swallowing hot food at all our meals. *We begin the day with hot coffee or tea ; at lunch, hot soup, hot joints, hot potatoes, hot puddings ; the same at dinner, and maybe, to wind up with, more hot coffee, or even "grog." And the worst of it is, that because habit is second nature, and is bequeathed to us through long generations, we like all these things so much as to esteem cold or cool viands and beverages positively insipid and comfortless. Among all civilised nations, A mericans have the worst teeth, and consequently resort the most commonly to dentists and to dental operations ; and Americans are precisely the people who eat most hot dishes, and who alternate them most ingeniously with icy-cold drinks. Even if we cannot induce ourselves to forego hot foods, we can at least refrain from mixing the use of ice with that of fire, aud from alternating mouthfuls of steaming potage fricassee with sips of glacier- cold champagne. Then, again, teeth otherwise good are often destroyed, especially in childhood and early age, by over-feeding, by unsuitable food, and by the immoderate use of medicinal drugs, and in particular, by preparations of iron and steel. Strong acids also damage the teeth by attacking the enamel, corroding it and softening it, and thus denuding the ivory. A tooth which has lain for

twenty-four hours in a wineglassf ul of vinegar becomes so soft outside that it may be dented by the simple pressure of the finger-nail. Persons who habitually take acid drinks usually suffer from decay or caries of the teeth. Such is notoriously 'the case with the French peasantry in certain districts of Normandy where large quantities of cider are consumed. Hence, acids should never be used as dentrifices, because, although they may momentarily whiten the enamel, they assuredly and inevitably destroy it in the long run. Toothpowders and toilette lotions for the mouth should be either alkaline, astringent, antiseptic, or wholly inert. Alkalies neutralise the acidity of the products of decomposition and fermentation arising from the organic alimentary matters accumulated in the interstices of the teeth or elsewhere in the bucal cavity. If these products be allowed to remain, they will, by the precipitation of insouble salts, cause the deposit of tartar on the surf ice and about the neck of the teeth, and ultimately lead to the retraction of the gums, the inflammation and atrophy, and to the loss of the teeth by loosening or decay. The nature 01 the dietary regimen has an incontestable influence on the condition of the teeth. M. Preterre, laureate of the Faculty of Medicine of Paris, and surgeon-deutist to the civil and military hospitals of that city, expresses his opinion in regard to this question in the following words :

— "The accumulation of tartar on the teeth varies according to the nature of the alimentation. This deposit is abundant on the teeth of persons living in towns and eating largely of meat ; it is, on the contrary, found in very small quantities on the teeth of country folk who subsist chiefly on fruits and vegetables." — (Practical Treatise on Diseases of the Teeth.) Astringent and antiseptic tooth-washes and powders exercise a beneficial effect in hardening and preserving the gums, and counteracting the

results of fermentive action ; inert powders, such as chalk, pumice-stone, cuttle-fish bone, &c. produce a mechanical effect only. Of all compositions sold as tooth-powders or " elixirs," those containing alum or tartaric acid should be most sedulously avaided. M. Preterre says of such compounds: — "If one were to try to invent a preparation for the express purpose of destroying the teeth in the shortest time possible, nothing better could be imagined than a mixture containing acidulated tartar of potass and calcined alum !" As a lotion for rinsing the mouth, a weak, solution of borax may be beneficially used at night, and the teeth should then bo cleansed with a moderately soft brush and some neutral powder, such as camphorated chalk or orrisroot. Finely-pulverised pumice-stone may be used occasionally for preventing the formation of tartar, but it should be sparingly used, and preferably by means of a cambric rag or a small piece of soft wood, the teeth being afterwards brushed in the ordinary way, and rinsed with water. Remember always that it is quite as necessary to clean the teeth afc night as in the morning. Never go to bed without having thoroughly purified the mouth and teeth from the results of the day's repasts. Be careful, too, in cleaning the teeth to pass the brush well behind the front teeth, both in the upper and lower jaw. It is at the back of the incisors that tartar is most apt to accumulate. In the morning, after completing the brushing operation, wash our- the mouth with a tumbler-full of tepid water, with which a few drops of tincture of myrrh have been mixed. I may add here that the quality of the water used for drinking purposes and for rinsing the mouth, is not without its effect upon the teeth. Water containing calcareous substances appears to exercise a disastrous influence on the teeth. It is to the habitual consumption of such water that M. Preterre attributes the dental disease and premature decay common among the inhabitants of Picardy, Holland, Champagne, and other districts supplied with silicious and chalky springs. Never allow a decayed or hollow tooth to remain neglected, even though it does not cause pain. If it cannot be filled with gold or other stopping, have it removed; the administration of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) is now so easy and even pleasant a process that no one need dread the dentist's chair. The presence of a decayed, and therefore decomposing tootll in the mouth, is not only unsightly, but it is a continual danger for sound contiguous teeth ; it infects the breath, impairs the digestion, and deteriorates the general health.