TALKS ON HEALTH

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 114, 16 May 1931, Page 7 (Supplement)

TALKS ON HEALTH

BY A FAMILY DOUTOH.

NURSING OLD FOLKS. When you are nursing an old patient you must be careful that he does not get a bed-sore. A bed-sore is a regrettable incident. In other words, you ought to be jolly well ashamed of yourself if your patient has this added misery to put up with as well as his ' illness. What, is a bed-sore? You must i remember that every part of the body I depends on its blood supply for its • continued well-being. Good blood sup- i ply, good health. Poo blood supply, I poor health, ulceration, gangrene. ; Press your finger on the back of your hand and you will see a white spot ap pear; you have pressed the blood away from the spot. Raise your finger, and the blood quickly returns blotting out the white with the red. Now when an old man is lying on his back the skin is pressed between the mattress and his hard old bones that stick out because he is so thin. The skin cannot stand being robbed of irs blood supply, and it turns ugly colours; it dies, and a raw painful ulcer forms. How to Prevent Sores. It is very difficult to cure a bed-sore. It should be prevented. The helpless old man should not be allowed to lie in one position all the time. He must be turned on his side, propped with pillows; later, he must be turned on his other side, then on his back. If he is conscious and intelligent, he will understand if he is told to change his position now and then. The nurse regards it as an important part of her duty to examine the patient’s back every morning. Importance of Cleanliness. Cleanliness is, perhaps the most needful aim of the nurse in charge. The patient must never be allowed to be wet or dirty. The skin of the back is washed carefully with nice warm soap and water. It. is then gently dried, care being taken not to rub the skin sore with a rough towel but to lightly dab it dry. The skin is then hardened with methylated spirit—whisky if you like, only most people find another purpose for that commodity. It is the alcohol that hardens the skin. The nipples of an expectant mother may be bathed with eau-de-Cologne for the same reason. Finally, the back must be dusted with powder. Trials of a Nurse. But. my word, it is a back-aching job. If you want to give a nurse in the infirmary a really happy morning, turn her into a ward where there are eighteen or twenty old men all wanting their backs done, all grumbling like bears at being disturbed, while the sister tells the nurse not to be all day, as the backs must be done by seven o’clock or she will Lave to stay and finish instead of going to her well-earn-ed breakfast. When you next walk abroad, please buy a few roses and present them with a polite bow to the first nurse you meet, explaining that it »s a slight tribute for having done the patient’s backs so skilfully. She may think you are mad and call a police* man; but, on second thoughts, she will accept your flowers as a kindly tribute. Baby’s Milk. 1 The only real food for an infant is mothers milk. A moment’s thought i would convince you of it. The universe is so well arranged, the human, body is such a marvel, the eye, the ear, the brain and all the organs of the body are tsuch marvellous pieces of living mechanism that the demands of the growing infant could not be forgotten or arranged on an inferior plan. Of course, mother’s milk is the best, and do not be put off with something that is “just as good.” An inquiry was once carried out in a large town in France into the health of a thousand babies. The babies were divided into groups, those who had been nursed by their mothers, and those who had been brought up on some substitute. Tt was conclusively proved that the mothers* babies were much healthier than the chemist’s shop babies. I know quite well that there are mothers who cannot nurse their little ones. It is sad for the growing infant to be deprived of the one food which is necessary to give I it full vigour and health. The next best thing to mother’s milk is cow’s milk. Infants are such peculiar little mortals that it is not always possible to hit on the right kind of mixture to suit them. It is best to begin with a mixture of one part of the milk io three of water, and gradually decrease the water. If many undigested curds of milk are passed through the body the amount of milk should be slightly decreased. Consumptive Children. Year by year millions of chilrern are inspected in the schools and it invariably happens that a considerable proportion of them are found io be suffering from tuberculosis. Thus it will be seen that it is an important disease. It 1 is a disgrace that so many diseased children should be in our midst; let us all combine to do our best to reduce the number. We can all help. We cannot all contribute to the hospital fund, but we can do our best to keep the children healthy so that they will not require any treatment from the hospital. Let that be our share if we cannot give money. You must obtain an improvement by hook or by crook; we can do it if we all act together against the common enemy. I do not think there , is any great mystery about the exter- , urination of consumption—it is only common sense. The enemies to the consumption germs are. good, well-cooked food, and plenty of it, fresh air, sunshine, cleanliness in person and habitation, sound drainage, physical exercises which develop the chest and healthy parentage. The great friends and allies of consumption are. dark, dismal rooms, stuffy air and shut windows, • long hours and exhaustion, stooping, rounded shoulders, and bad food bad1 ly cooked. Saint Tea Pot You may have seen tables giving the food value of various articles of diet. • Milk is rich in fat, sugar and protein. Cheese is very rich in body-building material. Fresh fruit contains certaii precious chemicals that can transforn a man with scurvy to a man in sound , health. We do not rat enough fresh ; fruit. Brown bread is better for us than white. But what I am after i* this: What is the food value of the , contents of the tea-potf The answei is “Nil.” No rich blood can be , manufactured from the tea-pot; nc , sturdy bones can derive their strength from the teapot: no powerful muscles • an swell their size from the tea-pot.

You good people worship many false gods, ami the tea-pot is among those nearest and dearest io you. f see , plaster saints •in some or your houses, and I am glad you arc able to raise your thoughts from your hard lives to higher things occasionally. But I am not deceived. Saint Tea-pot is enshrined in your hearts. Tea can be a good friend, but to many of you it is an enemy. Anaemia is often a sign of tea-poisoning. There is nothing in tea to help the growing child. Tea will not strengthen the nerves. There lis too much tea taken. A stimulant leads to exhaustion, exhaustion leads to la fresh desire for a*stimulant; and so ibe vicious circle goes round.