TALKS ON HEALTH.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12645, 31 May 1919, Page 2

TALKS ON HEALTH.

BY A FAMILY DOCTOR. AN APOPLECTIC PIT. An apoplectic fit is the same ns a paralytic stroke; a blood-vessel bursts 1:1 the brain. In youth the bloodvessels ore soft and supple, like indiarubber, but-in old age they are chalky ami brittle, like india-rubber that has perished. The pumping action of the ueart is very powerful, and the pressure or the blood against the walls of the arteries is considerable. Arteries sometimes burst in other parts of the booy, but the brain is the commonest ;>ite of rupture, because the brain-sub-eance is so soft that it affords no outrKlo support to the vessel walls. The amount of blood that escapes may be fUiythmg from one drop to a teacupfi rg<sr t ’, G ' ' IIUOUIIfc the more complete the paralysis down the whole I, ® °j, tho Recovery takes p ace uhrough the absorption of the Wood, and if you have seen a- swollen ’ , °,Vo gradually reassume-its natmal condition you have a picture of what occurs inside the brain during recovery from a fit. TREATMENT OF THE SUFFERER. If the hemorrhage is very severe instantaneous death results, but more commonly the fit is accompanied by unconsciousness that is merely temporary. One of tlie dangers is that the man m falling may strike his head against a sharp corner. Ho may fall into the lire, or .oft a railway platform in front _of an advancing train. If you rl® ]>y wh ea a man has a lit, try to catch him and lav him gently down; undo his collar and place r* low pillow under his head. Ho not t.irusti a high pillow under him ns that depresses the chin on to the | l? fL a uw°L ßt ™^ 9 fr , eo respiration, f* place during a meal hook the particles of food out of the mouth with your finger; they may he sacked into the wind-pipcTdunng unconsciousness. Open the windows to revive him with fresh air, hu bdo not let ium get cold ; cover him with warm clothes and place a couple of hot-water bottles against his legs. The bottles n ust he covered with flannel or a towel: I once saw a had bum of the eg caused by patting a stone hot’•later bottle against the bare leg of an unconscious patientA WARNING. If the breathing is of the snoring ype and the face is blue, the tongue mould be pulled well forward. If the patient is deeply unconscious he will ■m he able to swallow any thing;.'but, ai any rase, do not give brandy or any .orm of alcohol. The effect of, alcohol 3 j heart heat more forcibly, •nid that would make the blood pour out ot the torn bloodvessel faster than ever, _ Our object is to keep the heart quiet as possible and encourage the uiood to coagulate and stop up the rent. You must send for a doctor, ui the case may be fatal, and you would jq blamed if you were present and forgot to summon medical aid at the first possible moment. A man shortly boore an apoplectic fit may have .partaken freely of alcohol, and his breath may smell strongly of whisky. Do not be deceived into thinking that the man is drunk and that's all. He is drunk, but has a ruptured blood-vessel as well A man who is merely drunk may be roused by shouting in his ear or flapping his face with the corner of a wet towel. A man who has had a fit cannot bo roused to consciousness I strongly urge you not to accept the responsibility of deciding whether a man is drunk.or dying.. Act as though !S36 dylng then 3X6 0n “ e PERIL OP EXCITEMENT. | In the process of recovery the coarser movements,of the legs return first, the finer movements of the fingers, iU in writing or playing the piano, return lost. A man who has had one fit is always liable to have another, and there la urgent need for him to'avoid all forms of mental or physical excitement A fat of temper, a sharp fun for a tram, or a very heavy meal washed down with copious draughts of alcohol will very ilcely bring%n another It VI mf , r< ?quently liappens that the blood-vessel bursts in the.noso instead of m the brain, and a severe ate tack of nosebleeding in an elderly patient is a sign that he has just escaued having a fit. The oldfa'shioned plan of bleeding a patient was undoubtedly sometimes beneficial to full-blooded, thick-necked, free-living old topers. Gout, kitney disease and chronic leadpoisonmg are all associated with degeneration _of the blood-vessels. Sudden death is always sad, but personally I have always Imped that I should be able te work up to the last, and pass away as the result of hemorrhage in the brain during sleep. HOW TO KEEP WARM. T , We beginning to feel the coldIt is difficult to know how to keep warm. One plan is to avoid big rooms, if you have a little sitting-room you can use, instead of the bigger parlour, go to tlie sitting-room. The small cubic space takes much less warming. It is not always welcome advice, lint tlie best way to get warm is to take exercise ; the muscles make heat when they are worked. A brisk walk round the bouses Will promote the circulation better than crouching over the five. I know you cannot go out in the slush and wet. but on dry, cold, frosty nights an evening walk does not come amiss. iou arrive back with rosy cheeks and laugh at the folic sitting with their 1 beads up the chimney trying to got warm. A SCREEN FOR GRANNY. Old folk are the most difficult to keep warn; we hardly know what to do. Warn shawls and mittens and thick, jT- rshppsrs all help. A screen round tbe back of the chair is a great help. Lie fare attracts all the draughts naturally; nil the air is sucked towards the chimney; that is why our backs are frozen when we sit in front of the fare But the screen keeps off the cold air from behind, and also prevents the neat from tbe fire dispersing into the room, branny will be very grateful for a^ screen. A thick table-cloth hung on the clothes-horse would do. Eat as much fat as possible. Pat is heating. The animals that live in the sea have quantities of fat to keep them warm. Whales have their blubber to act as a nice warm overcoat. And'whales are wam-blooded creatures like you and me. baby’s gymnastics. You promised me you would give baby his daily gymnastics; I wonder if vou have forgotten. You put a warm blanket on the floor in front of the fire; then you place the precious baby thereon > and let him kick and wave his arms. Tb© whole question is ? Do you want a. great strong baby with broad shoulders and a deep chest, or do you want a, rickety baby with feeble limbs? Well, of course I know your answer, only y° u are not going the right way if you keep the precious lamb swathed in a multitude of clothes all dav long. He must have his freedom. Women have votes, and one day babies will have votes, and they will all give their suffrages to the candidates who will see that all the babies have daily gymnastics. You have only to look at the .ittle man enjoying the wriggling in complete freedom to know it is the right thing to do. Do it twice a day if 1 . you like. ■ Remember that all his ■Joints, all his muscles, all his bones, all his nerves and ligaments are dereloping very quickly day by day, and exercise he must have if they are all to be healthy structures. Never again do .1 want to see cripples standing at the corner of the street asking for penniesCripples must vanish.