UNKNOWN

Wanganui Chronicle, Issue 12856, 24 October 1912, Page 6

UNKNOWN

LECTURE BY DR. PORRITT

A very instructive and interesting lecture was given on Monday evening last ay Dr Porntt, hon. surgeon to the brigade, m tlie 'i^ascown ituu'way .Library room, iiae aoct-or, witn a. clxarming absence or conventionality, started on oy conrt-siiing his rt'grec jn not having had suincient time to prepare a more elaborate treatise upon tn^ subject he had purposed addressing the liitn upon. Ino conrcssed iauK 01 preparociutss was amply atoned for -by-the clear, concise, and forcible series ox l©ctureitcs upon the common or garden varieties or ailments most men aro subject to. The serious lack oi: care of the ttoth and the chrome unhygienic condition or the mouth wore su-own to be n proiinc coarse or physical and mental perversities. No goo-a wurnman would think of producing good work with dirty tools. Dirty, unwholesome surroundings, blunt and neglected tools, meant bad work. Yet so many were suffering to-day, even the tortures of rheumatism and the melancholy effects of anaemia, solely througu otginnuig the process of digestion with dirty contaminating 'toow in an;ytilling bi^t swtiet and clean surroundings. His advice was: Keep the mouth clean and sweet; cleanse trie teeth always before retiring to bed; allow not the least putrid particle /to mix with !the 'foodstuffs and poison the blood; use the teeth well and thoroughly, remembering that the functions of mastication and insalivation were primarily responsible for the completeness with which all the subsequent processes extract the nutritive factors from the food.

Dr Porritt gave it as his opinion that, generally speaking, we ate too much and drank unwisely. The habit of washing down our meals should be avoided, and fluids taken only after at least an hour had elapsed since the meal. A glass of clear water first thing in the morning and last thing at night, and one or two during the day between meals, would be drinking wisely and well, and be conducive to a happy, vigorous mind in a strong healthy body. The doctor eaid that the prevalent defectiveness of our dentition, was largely attributable to mistaken feeding as infants. Hence the urgent importance for the establishment and encouragement of the Plunket nurse.

The inter-relatedness of the circulatory system with the processes of digestion, from masticrJtion to absorption, was ably demonstrated. The art of right breathing should be acquired, and nxed by habit, remomtiering tnac the nose is the important visible organ of respiration. Many of the ailments arfectmg the throat and lungs might be effectually warded off by breathing only through the nose, providing that at all times, both day and night, fresh air was supplied in abundance. The functions of the ciliated epithelium, that line the posterior nares and trachea, were deiined in .a simple manner by the doctor, who explained how, by the continual wave-like action of the cilia, they catch and work outwards the foreign bodies .and minute germs that enter with each inspiration, and stand guard, like myriads of tiny soldiers, over the citadel of the lungs. The smoking habit came in for a mild oastigation from the doctor. In many cases, it was pointed out, it was the probable cause of deafness, more especially by usmg a short-stemmed pipe, and plugging the tobacco in hard. The effort made to draw the smoke into the mouth caused a vacuum in the. eustachian tubes, leading to the inner ears. This had the effect of continually submitting the drum of the ear to unfair pressure from outside, possibly leading to perforation or bursting of the tympanum. If a man will smoke, he should keen his pipe scrupulously clean, use a pipe through which the draught was free and easy, and .not ram in the tobacco too tightly. Dr Porritt next dealt with the functions of the skin as one of the chief excretory organs, and urged the importance of the frequent bath, or at Least daily cold rub clown and weekly warm bath. So much poisonous matter was retained in the blood through the blocking up of the nores of the skin, causing all kinds of preventable illness. After answering several questions, a hearty vote of thanks to the doctor for his instructive address was prepared by Supt. Brine on behalf of the- "Eastown and Wanganui Divisions, which wr.s carried with enthusiasm.

Dr Porritt briefly expressed h's pleasure to he of some service to the men of the brigade.