TALKS ON HEALTH.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12285, 6 April 1918, Page 2

TALKS ON HEALTH.

BY fl FAMILY DOCTOR.

WAX IX TUB BAH. Tho our js a highly-complicated or-< gan; there is iniirli more of it inside than outside, and iL is not, by any means every case that can bo treated through the external orilicn. One of idle commonest causes of deafness is wax in I bo ear, and 1. cannot ton earnestly recommend yon not to make iho attempt to remove (he wax yourself. It must ho done by a doctor. At the bottom of the oar is a drum of thin akin, to which is attached a delicate little, bone, and any rough treatment of the car subjects the drum to grnro risk of injury. You are- forbidden to use oar-picks and oar-shovels, and other instruments of torture. The doctor uses a carefully-directed stream of warm water, and that can do no harm. If yon clip your bead under water, or go bathing, the water never stays in your ear- It feels as though tho -water is still in. but what has rcajly happened is that the dry wax lias absorbed moisture and become swollen to twice its size. Wax is not dirt, and it is no disgrace to have wax in tho ears. Some people never need syringeing; others need it every six months. Never make the mistake" of syringeing out an ear simply because, it is deaf: if the deafness is due to catairh you will do harm.

FROM THE EAR TO THE THROAT, An essential part of the organ of hearing is an air-tube which leads from the ear to the back of the throat. For the hearing to bo perfect this air-tube must be open and clear, so that tho air has free entry into tho ear. This will make it clear to you why children with adenoids are deaf. Tho adenoids are growths very much like tho tonsils, and they are found at the back of tho throat just where- the air-tnbo opens. Tho adenoids block the opening of tho imho and disturb the normal mechanism of hearing, nnd no cure can he hopyl for until the adenoids are removed and thrown into the dustbin. But apait from adenoids, ordinary catanh ni.l block up tho air-tube. The nose itself is easily blocked up by catarrh, and anyone with a cold in the head finds the air-way through tho nose completely obstructed. Hence, the deafness duo to catarrh of the throat and nose must be treated by methods applied to the spot; it is useless to put apparatus and instruments-.and lotions into tuc outsicio ear.

THE SUN-CURE FOR CATARRH. Some folk have a chronic catarrh; they seem never to be able to get rid of ii. I think, if I wore in that position and were a young man starting my career, I should seriously consider the choice of some dry, warm climate. The British Empire is vast, and a spot can bo chosen where the absence of fogs and damp, dreary weather would allow the catarrh to cure itself. The warm sun is a. wonderful remedy for catarrhal deafness. Meanwhile, go in for all the out-door sport that you can; reduce your cigarettes to a minimum, and take care of y.onr digestion. The catarrh may be due to a defect in the structure of the nose. An operation may remedy the defect, the catarrh is improved, and the deafness disappears.

CONSIDERATION FOR THE DEAF. Will you all, please, he. very kind to deaf people. There is nothing so cruel as to make fun of a deaf man. Take pains to speak distinctly, and always look at him when yon talk, because the movements of the lips help him. Yon must feel pity for anyone who is cut off from hearing ordinary conversation, in a room. Alako a point of going to see the deaf person alone, so that you can talk directly in his ear. Think of little ways to please the deaf. Their 'lot is a very hard one, and they cannot help being a hit crotchety and suspicions. Good Christian people have pity on the deaf. A LEAGUE OF CHEERFULNESS. Shall wo form a National League of Cheerfulness? In some quarters I fancy 1 detect a certain snappiness of temper that acts and re-acts on all around ns. Now, snappiness is a wellknown infections disease. If you could see the microbe that causes suappiness under the microscope yon would have the horrors for a week; it is all spikes and poison fangs and glowering eyes. It was specially invented by some German professors and dropped among n.s from aeroplanes by the Kaiser’s "own urgent orders; believe me or not, as yon like. Anyway, there is no room for doubt that every cheerful smile is as good as a punch on the nose of the Kaiser. DETERMINED TO SAULE. Aon are made Hi by worrying, and your nervous irritability is doubled by snappiness in others and soothed by kindness. It is because lam a physician that I appeal tor gentleness of manners. Aliiul you, lam lull of sympathy. lam old enough to remember the time when I had two new-laid eggs for breakfast; it seems a long time ago now. I sometimes wish I had had my two boiled eggs photographed one morning, so that 1 could have their picture framed and hung up by the miniatures of grandpa and grandma and th? other clear departed’. But I know that the German Government are workine: night and day to make met miserable-, and that makes mo determined to smile myself and make others smile I know that peace is coming this year, and that I shall see my dear boiled eggs once again in September. USE OF THE LEFT HAND. When you are wounded in the right hand, begin at the earliest possible date to practise using your left. A medical student has to spend many months learning the structure of the human body before he is allowed to enter the hospital and attend to real live patients. And lie learns, among oilier things, that the left hand is exactly the same ns the right—same bones, same muscles, same nerves. The only leason we are clumsy with the left hand is lack ,of practice. A movement such as making the letter A with % pencil seems a simple matter- But it involves the accurate use of some hundreds of colls in the brain, the precise transmission of a nervous impulse down hundreds of nerves acting like electric wires, coupled with complete co-opera-tion of the intricate system of small muscles in the palm of the hand. It is only practice that can produce the perfect result. HINTS FOR PRACTICE. Therefore Ik gin at once to work with the left hand. You will remember that tiie let t side of the body is controlled by the right side of the brain, and vice versa. Do not allow your right c.febral hemisphere to be lazy. Educate the ncrvo-muscular system by any simple, trial of siall—play cup and ball with the left hand until you can do it fifty times without a mistake; write your name and address with your Aft hand and see that the writing improves; throw darts at a wooden board; do anything rather than sit still and waste the precious hours.