TALKS ON HEALTH

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 71, Issue 237, 6 October 1928, Page 22 (Supplement)

TALKS ON HEALTH

BY A FAMILY DOCTOR. I

SMALL-POX It is very satisfactory that there are fewer cases of small-pox to-day than there were many years ago. Cases of small-pox arc generally Juuml al. the ports, where the disease has been brought from over-seas. Scarlet lever is still with us; diphtheria is common; measles and chicken-pox arc everyday occurrences; typhoid fever is still rile. Strange to say. of all the. infectious diseases, small-pox is ’he only one to be ’lying out. I. wonder why it is that diphtheria was not the one disease to disappear and small-pox' the one to stay with us. Why does scarlet fever s.tiii annoy us, while small pox retreats before our attacks’ All these are like so many skittles in a row. ami we try to bowl them over by eveiy means at our disposal; all other skittles remain defiantly standing up; it is only the small-pox skittle that is wobbling. I here must be something very funny about it. If, is certainly mysterious. The Reason. Education, sanitation, drainage im proved housing, destruction of slums — all these measures we have had, and they have doubtless done, much to destroy disease. But these measures apply to all diseases. Why should smallpox be the one and only disease to give way. while all the others remain rampant .’ There must be some reason, and wp find it in the protection afforded by vaccination. 1 know there has been much ink spilt over this controversy, but the fair-minded man will always be struck by this fart; that where vaccination is usual, there small-pox has been almost defeated, am] the other diseases, for which there is no varination, remain with us. Anyway, it is a verv grave responsibility to allow a crop of unvaccinatod subjects to grow up in -i crowded town where dirt and crowding would give every chance for an epidemic to spread when once if ha! started. Infection by Blushes. The cleanliness of brushes—tooth brushes, hair-l.irushes, shaving-brushes—-is not attended to ns it should be. I had a man in to sec me lhe other dav who had sore places on his face and | could not get rid of them. He shaved every day and used the same brush Now that brush must have been swarm ing with the germs that were the real cause of the sores. Infection i s riot due to the time of the yea,- or the waning of the moon or the evil eve It is due to living germs that breed ami live ami die just like any other living thing, only they breed very fast. On Momlav morning my friend rubbed the shav-ing-brush all over his face, ami caught up a large quantity of the ilischaro-e from the sore places. Then when he had finished shaving he put on some ointment that did some good, but on Tuesday morning he wiped his face over again with the sanm old infected brush and started the inflammation of ilio 'kin all over again. The germs wore rpiite happy living in the securitv <>f the bristles of the brush. When T told him fn throw awav hi< brush and lather his face with a piece <»f rag that he could burn he began to show a rapid ini’irovemenf. The Anmemic Girl. j Anaemia can be cured with lime, patience and perseverance. The rides must never Im broken— neglect of one important regulation may nullify all the trouble that has been taken. Early lo bed is to come fir>t. It is a peculiar thing about, thc anaemic girl that she' hates getting up in the morning, as she ■ feels sleepy ami heavy, as though the' ! night s rest had done her no good, an ! when night conies she begins to wake up and feel lively. The anaemic always comes down last to breakfast, and is generally the life and soul of the dance at night. But that excitement at nightis not wholesome. If the anaemia is to be cured the body must have a good rest, and someone in authority (if anvone ever can succeed in being in authority over a girl of eighteen) must state a lime vvlu-n the bedroom must be exchanged for the sitting-room. Food and Drink (•o<id blood i-aji only be made out of good lood. Here is another difticulty, Anaemic girls suffer from constipation; constipation results in a furred tongue and loss of appetite; ami loss of appetite promotes anaemia again. So there is a vicious circle, and it takes a hold ellort to break it. There is no need lo draw up a diet-chart, because all good food may be taken. Broth, soup, lish, meat, vegetables, puddings, fruit ( fresh or >tewed >. ami, in a word, anv good food that is in season. The only points that need emphasising are vominonsensc ones. For instance, breakfast should be a proper meal, not a hastily- | gobbled mouthful washed down with tea. Pickles, ketchup, sauces, and vine gar are forbidden. Tea. only once a 'lay. and then it must be frosh, and plenty of milk and sugar with if. Cocoa made with milk is the best, drink for anaemic girls in Ibo winter time. Milk ami eggs are very nourishing: porridge with milk and sugar is recommended. "Wale!’ is a drink that is not sufficiently valued; it is cheap, it is always in the house, it is pleasant to take —-you need not hold your nose and shut j your eyes when you drink a glass of water —and. lastly, if is an excellent antidote for constipation. You cannot drink lon much wafer; you need not ho afraid that it will go to your head. Bound up with the question of goo 1 food is the sulijeeJ of good tooth. Go 1o the dentist to cure anaemia. Rad tooth im'an bad blood. What the Doctor Orders. You must not take any medicine or pill' except what the doctor orders. And do remember that ro drug c:'.n possibly help you unless you load a sensibh* life. You are sur-h foolish girls that I some- • times despair of you. You will not lohoy lhe ordinary rules of hygiene, and you expect to get wol on tolls alone. Thc great thing is to bear in mind

that anaemia i s curable. You ar e not allowed lo sit dov.ii and say vou suppose you will always have it—but you will not cure the complaint without care and judgment and perseverance ami the judicial expenditure of a little money. Fresh Air. When you take a breath of fresh air it goes straight down lo the blood. The lungs are the organs used to introduce the oxygen from the air into the blood, i he I reshe:' the air. tin* better can the blood rlo its work. Take no end of thought am| pains to obtain fresh air. It is largely a question of habit. If once you get used to sleeping with the window open you will feel stiflml if it is closed. And when I say open I mean open—not just a millionth of an inch at the top. If yon are cold, wear a woolly vest under your nightdress ami put something extra on the bed. T am going to teach you to love fresh air if 1 die in the attempt.