Talks on Health

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17572, 24 June 1925, Page 10

Talks on Health

BY A FAMILY DOCTOR

-NETTLE HASH. A nettle rasli, in. nine eases out of j ten. is duo to something that has ( been eaten. The rash may come out } an hour or two after the meal, or it may be delayed until the next day. j It follows tljat. the proper treatment ' is to get rid of the offending material that is inside t lie body as rapidly as possible, and the best method is to tabu a dose of castor oil. The poisoning may be of any degree, from the. mild, transient attack which docs not even necessitate staying away I rom work, to the profound collapse which is associated with actual ptomaine poisoning. An attack of diarrhoea following the partaking of some tainted meat should, not ho stopped ioo soon. There is a mistaken tendency to rush to the chemist for some mixture to, stop Nature's specially-de-signed method of ridding th c body of poisons. "\ omit mg. although very unpleasant, is also beneficial if the stomach contains some food that is not lit for human consumption. TIIK SOURCE OF POISONING. A careful inquiry should be made abuofc the source o.f the poisoning. You must ask what kinds of food have been, taken, whether any* tinned food or potted meat was among the articles of diet, whether anyone else had the same things, and if they wore similarly affected. Needless to say, no more of the- same food should he taken ; if there is any left, in the tin. it should be taken to the medical officer of health, and steps should be taken to trace- th c origin, of that particular tin. A SIMPLE REMEDY. In some eases a patient will find that a certain kind of food, even though it is quite good, will cause nettle rash. Yfc all have our own peculiarities; one person will reject what another one likes verv much. However, the remedy is simple avoid the tiling that disagrees with you. A comforting application for thc skin when it is irritated with nettle rash is lead lotion. It may be applied, frequently with a clean handkerchief and may he allowed to dry on. ITCHINGS OF THE SKIN. 1 tilling of the skin is an affection which, most people are particularly grateful to have cured. If a doctor cuts off a man's leg, or saves his life by a skilful diagnosis, no particular gratitude is expressed, but let a doctor take something out of his patient's eye or relieve itching of the skin, and he will lie overwhelmed with, thanks. For the irritation which is associated with the appearance of tiny white blisters or lumps, situated specially between the fingers and on the wrists, nothing is so useful as sulphur. The ordinary sulphur ointment is efficac>oi:s, but it will act twice as quickly if, before it is applied, the patient has a hot bath, so as to soften the skin and open the pores. Or another way is to have a sulphur hath. Another variety of itching of the skin is specially liable to affect those whose skin acts freely, and who perspire profusely at their work, as is the case with bakers and furnace men. A bath containing a large handful of washing soda, is the sovereign remedy for this. Jaundice is accompanied by an almost intolcr-

;tDI o irritation. .So long sis the skin is discoloured by the presence of vello-w bile, little can be clone, but a lotion containing a weak percentage of carbolic acid should be tried, as it will very likely give relief. BAD TEETH AND CHEST TROUBLES. Will you please keep your eyes open and cultivate the powers of observation' One man goes for a walk and sees ; nothing of interest: another goes over the same ground and can give a most fascinating account of all he has seen and heard. T want you to notice how commonly bad teeth and chest troubles go together. The ai<r that goes down into the lungs has first to traverse the teeth, tongue and throat. If the teeth are unhealthy the air is impregnated with the bad smell from the dccaying teeth, and, however pure the air may be, it is fouled in its passage through the mouth. Every breath is thus infected, and as wc breathe fifteen times a minute, a good deal of bad air gels clown into the lungs in the course of ten years. FACE SORES. When a child has sores on his face covered by scabs, it is very important to remove the scabs before applying any remedy in the shape of ointment or lotion. Sometimes the scabs arc very tight, and then they should be soaked in warm water with patience until the}- arc soft and can be removed with the aid of the blade of a clean pair of scissors. If the ointment is put on the scabs, no good will result: the sores will spread. The matter from one place infects another portion of the skin, and, unless some care is taken, the sores may spread.all over the body. The one place where they must be vigorously attacked is the head. The hair becomes matted with the discharge, and the sores last for weeks. You must cut the hair off. I am sorry to say some mothers like to keep the hair long so that it hides the ugly places; but, of course, that is wrong. SYRINGEING THE EAR. You must not syringe an car merely because the hearing is dull. You may be wrong in thinking that wax is the cause Of the deafness, and if you syringe against an inflamed drum you may do much harm. The drum is delicatae at all times, but doubly so when it is inflamed. It may be that four or five years ago you were relieved by syringeing, but it does not follow that the same treatment will do now. The feeling of deafness suggests that there is some wax obstructing the passage, but it may only be a sensation as though wax were there, when as a matter'of fact there is no wax to syringe out at all. LEARN' TO SWIM. Please remember that swimming is an excellent exercise. Everyone ought to know how to swim, and every year I try to encourage you to learn. It is a clean, healthy pastime, and many an accident would have been only a joke if the occupants of the overturned boat could have swum. It is a feeble thing to do. to flop to the bottom when a few strokes would mean safety. It is good for the skin to have the water all over it; it is refreshing, and develops the lungs and heart as well as the * body-muscles.