NEW HEALTH NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18496, 23 June 1928, Page 11

NEW HEALTH NOTES.

BUNIONS. It is very rarely that a foot is seen in which there is not some deflection of the great toe, and bunions are so common that they need special consideration. The malformation is more correctly described by the scientific term, hallux valgus (hallux, the great toe; valgus, a sloping away from the straight line). A bunion is really an enlargement of the first metatarsophalangeal joint (the joint at the base of the great toe), the result of continued irritation whereby inflammation of the tissues is caused, and a bursa or sac of fluid like an internal blister is formed, to relieve the excessive pressure on bone, cartilage and skin. Hallux valgus is a deformity of civilisation, and is directly caused by incorrect footwear. It is much more common among women than men. on account of their tendency to wear shoes which are too short or too pointed in the toe and too high at the heel, and strap shoes that allow the feet to move forward into the narrowing part of he shoe, and so force the toe into an incorrect position. It is also a concomitant of flat foot. The great toe is strained to one side, crowding its neighbours, and sometimes tying over or under the second toe. Painful corns frequently form and, in very advanced cases, abscesses or bony formations which may require excision by operation. The first step in treatment is obviously correctly fitted footwear. Stockings or socks must not be too short or pointed, and shoes must leave room for the toe to regain its natural place. The process can be assisted mechanically and easily by a brace, which is of considerable use, and will often correct the trouble when it has not become so firmly established as to constitute Hallux Rigidis (rigid great toe). Artificial Production of Vitamin D. The Medical Research Council announce that Vitamin D—an essential food factor of an unknown chemical nature, though a deficiency of it causes serious symptoms in the human body—can now be produced by the action of ultra-violet light. Dr C. Rosenheim, P.R.S., and Mr T. A. Webster, in research work at the National Institute, have thus made “ the most obviously dramatic and, probably, the most important in its immediate practical value ” of their investigations. At the instigation of Professor Windaus, of Gottingen, they made tests with Ergosterol, and as a restilt, this Vitamin can now be produced by the irradiation of Ergosterol with "ultraviolet light, and also from yeast. Hitherto, Vitamin D has been sought in living substances, but by these means, the report points out, a practically unlimited supply has become available for the public, the great majority of whom have been suffering from a deficiency of this essential food factor. Human rickets, it is now known, can be cured by a daily dose of two milligrammes.

Lesson From Monkeys! As regards diet, the dentition of the monkey very closely resembles that of man, the prominent fighting canine of the male monkey being no longer required for the make-up of the human, in whom it exists in a less developed form- Their teeth are suited to the vegetable food which forms their sole diet. Even the largest of the ape tribe, the gorilla, develops its huge, powerful form on a vegetable diet solely. Yet with this evidence, and that afforded by the diet of such vigorous races as the Zulus, Punjabis and others, many assert that it is impossible in civilisation to do hard manual, or even mental, work without animal food. That monkeys in captivity will eat some forms of animal food, if placed within their reach, is true, but in my experience such a diet exercises a very prejudicial effect upon their health.

Monkeys will live long in a perfectly healthy and vigorous state if they are supplied with abundance of green food and fruit, if they get all the sun and light available, and are able to get sufficient exercise in the open air. Nuts should be given in quantity, since they serve to keep the teeth firm and clean. While wholemeal bread is excellent, it is wiser to supply it in the form of rye crisp-bread or of wheat crisp-bread, since eaten in this form it necessitates chewing and mastication and its consequent salivation. If not well, a raw onion, or a few drops of brandy, usually afford rapid recovery of health and activity.—Sir Arbuthnot Lane. Guard Tour Teeth. Everyone should keep in mind the simple maxim: A clean tooth never decays. The best way to keep the teeth clean is to follow the dietetic customs of peoples like the Punjaub agriculturists, and there are many such; i.e., to adopt a form of diet which shall at one and the same time develop the masticatory instinct, promote the flow of the cleansing saliva, not tend to adhere unduly to the teeth, but, on the contrary, be of a selfcleansing nature, and allow the jaws to grow properly so that the teeth may take up their proper positions in the gums and enable mastication to be performed adequately. This, perhaps, is a counsel of perfec- ; tion for the British people, but much ' can be done to approach such an ideal, by substituting well-baked, crusty bread made of sound flour, for our soft, pappy, pultaceous, and spongy farina ceous foods, and by so arranging the items of our meals that the last of them shall leave the mouth at least moderately C4.ean. (Issued by the New Health Society, London.)