TALKS ON HEALTH.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16542, 28 September 1921, Page 6

TALKS ON HEALTH.

BY A FAMILY DOCTOR. ABOUT NIGHT AIR. No harm can come from breathing night air. It is curious this violent prejudice against night air; it is a fako tradition handed dwon from the Dark Ages, when men believed that tlio night air v.aa infested by hobgoblins and evil sprites- Open the windows wide at night and defy the goblins to do their worst. Bedroom air is a far more potent danger. You folk have no horror of bedroom air, but I have. Alas! years of patient teaching have had very little effect. I dread going into the bedroom of a sick man in the morning—it smells so unpleasant. T can scarcely refrain from smashing tho window with my stick. Let me make one more ale nipt to convince you of the danger of stuffy air. Thro© people sleco in a room—father, mother and baby. First of all, tho air goes into father’s lungs and out through hia mouth. The air from father now goes down into mother’s lungs, which are in an early btage of consumption, although she does not know it. Tho air. fouled by father's breath and poisoned by mother’s, is now in a fit state to he supplied to baby's lungs. Do not forget what I have taught you before that we all breathe about fifteen times a minute, «o three peonle breathe fifty times a minute. Multiply fifty by sixty, and you have three thousand breaths every hour inhaled bv tho three inhabitants of the room. So you see. when the same old breath comes out of the baby’s lungs, back it goes into mother’s tuberculosis lungs, then once again into father’s septic mouth, and then round again into baby. And, if you will believe me, the register of the grate is shut down Cl because the night air is so dangerous.’ ’ The baby is pale, and does not have a healthy appetite for breakfast. But, fortunately, the mother knows what to do: the child needs Professor Pompo’s Perfect Pills, onlv seven-and-six for a halfcrown box. But free education will tell in the long run, years after I am dead. Fresh air will come into its own, and though the poor babv of this story will have died from want of fresh air. future babies will blossom in radianthealth. TREATMENT OF SCABIES. Scabies is a disease which causes intolerable itching of the skin. It very often appears between the fingers and on the front of the wrist, but may show itself on almost any part of the bodv. The complaint is due to the activities of a tiny insect—not a microbe, but a sort of spider. The little wretch burrows under the skin, and that is why he chooses the thin, soft skin between the fingers instead of the horny skin of tho palm of the hand. dne disease can be spread through the medium of clothes, towels, beds, or dirty lavatories. The treatment consists in opening the pores of the skin bv hot water, and then rubbing in sulphur ointment. The usual plan of swallowing a blood mixture :s. of course almost universally adoDted, but is absolutely useless. To trv to kill u spider under the skin of the fingers b*- pouring some nauseous stuff into the stomach is neither sound science nor common sense. Do not continue the sub 'pliur too long, as sulphur itself is ;iu irritant if used to excess. DANGERS IN THE BOIL. Th© contents of a boil or an abscess are infectious. Take the matter irrnn a boil on the neck and rub it on the forearm and an abscess will appear on the forearm. If this simple fact were remembered much suffering might be saved. The misguided patient always feels tho boil on the back of his nock to sc© how it is going on, and having thoroughly rubbed his fingers in the poisonous matter, soon after scratches his nose or his leg, or, worse still, wipes his hand on the towel his little girl is going to us©. If you watch the doctor dressing a boil you will note that his fingers never come in contact with Ike patient’s skin. He takes a dab of cotton-wool -out of the antiseptic lotion and the wool touches the boil. Also you will note that tho boil is most carefully squeezed between two dabs in such a way that not a spot of matter trickles on "to the skin. Tho used dabs should be burnt. Boils are sometimes due to a constitutional complaint. The urine should be examined to see if it contains sugar or some indication of kidney disease. A change of air sometimes cures boils in a miraculous manner. It is said that yeast obtained from tho brewery will charm away boils if a teaspoonful is taken two or three times a day. The sunshine cure is effective if the sun will kindly oblige by shining and the skin is exposed to its healing rays. THE VALUE OF WATER-. Tliero are many folk who declare that they have derived much benefit from drinking certain waters. It is impossible to enumerate the various places, at home and abroad, that produce life-giving waters. It seems a natural inquiry to ask what tlie waters contain, and an answer is readily obtainable. It is an easy task for a trained analytical chemist to examine a given specimen of water and draw up a list of its constituents —so many grains of common salt, of calcium salts, of phosphates, etc. Each town produces a different water from Its springs. And vet, although the waters are entirely different, they produce a beneficial effect on the same disease. Ten rheumatic old gontlemen set out to ten different spas and drink ten different waters, and all say how much better they feel. How can this bo explained ? I think the solution is simple. The beneficial part of the waters ir> the water! Tli© salts are in such minute amounts that thej* have little or no effect. But the pur© water, the precious water, that indeed is curative and beneficial. Our bodies are nearly all water; we must have quantities of water; we do not drink enough water until we go to drink the waters! The bowels are washed out. the kidneys are flushed out, the blood is cleansed, th© water is substituted for other drink, and the final result is good. The chief lesson we learn from the experience of patients at sous is tho value of water! Try the home spa ; perhaps the tap water contains a remedy fort your complaint SUPPORT YOUR “ SOLES.” If you study the anatomy of a foot, you will find that it is constructed in the form of .'in arch. Part of the sole of the foot never touches the ground. This is a wise precaution of Nature; it gives elasticity and resilience to th© foot and makes walking a pleasure. Two factors may flatten th© arch and destroy the proper anatomical structure. Either the arch may be weak and unable to carry even an ordinary strain, or, though strong, may b© asked to bear a weight greater than it was constructed to sustain. If the arch falls the foot arches, and to me times the temper suffers. It is hard to be Cheerful when the feet are burning. Middle-age brings with it increased weight and also a loss of the elasticity of youth. The arch of the foot beings to grumble. ‘ 4 You used to weigh ten stone,” says the arch; il now you have put on an extra three stone I can’t- stand it.'* I have often appealed to you not to grow too fat, speaking to yon on behalf of your

hearts and livers. Now I mast add th© cry for merev from the arches of the foot. Or, if you must grow fat. ease your poor feet by giving tb**ju a metal support to then >oles.