TALKS ON HEALTH

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 168, 20 July 1935, Page 3

TALKS ON HEALTH

(By A FAMILY DOCTOR)

DIET AND TEETH It you are shown the skeleton of any animal, you can tell what, soil of food it lived on by an examination of its jaws and teeth. A sheep, for instance, has no teeth in front in the upper jaw, because the hard gum is quite effective enough for the chisel teeth of the lower jaw to act against in nibbling grass. The teeth of a lion are long and sharp for catching its prey and tea. mg the meat. A horse that feeds on hay and corn has no need of a long canine tooth, therefore nature wisely does away with it, and a space is left in the jaw in the pla*ee occupied in other animals by the eye-tooth. A whale that lives in the sea and derives its sustenance from the small particles of living matter floating free in the waters has no need of teeth for mastication, and so the jaw bone is bare of ivories. It may, then, be definitely established that there is precise relation of diet to teeth; granding teeth foi vegetarians, long, sharp teeth for meateaters. Teeth in the animal world are sometimes used for fighting, and then, of course, they have no relation to diet. 'l’he tusk of an elephant is the eyetooth of the upper jaw. The Case of Man So clear is the lesson to be learnt, from the shape, size, and structure of teeth, that it is worth while to examine the mouth of the animal known as Alan. Scientists call him Home Sapiens, which means Wise Man. Whether the title is deserved or not I must leave to you. When we come to examine the anatomy of the human apparatus for masticating food, we find three great outstanding tacts. Let us name these three facts, and then see what conclusion we can derive from them. J. 'The teeth are very hard. With the exception of metals, ivory is one of the hardest substances in nature. Think of an ivory billiard ball, which can stand such hard wear and tear. When you give 'Tom and Mary fishknives for a wedding present you insist on ivory handles because they will wear for a lifetime. Bone is hard, but not nearly so hard as ivory. Nature, ever wise, has manufactured by her marvellous alchemy this adamantine material wherewith to cover the teeth of her offspring. 2. The bone in which the teeth are so firmly set is of very powerful structure. Considering the exposed position of the lower jaw, it is very seldom broken; ii, takes a very hard punch to fracture t.Xj jaw. When Samson had to choose a bone from the skeleton of an ass to employ as a lethal weapon against the Philistines, he picked out the jaw-bone. He knew how stiong it was. and that he could batter in the skulls of h's enemies without finding his weapon broken in his hand. 3. The third fact is that the jaw muscles, for their size, are the strongest in the body. Everyone has heard of the grip of a bulldog. Some of you may have seen strong men on the music-hall stage lifting very heavy weights slung from an india-rubber mouthpiece held in the teeth. When the jaw-muscle is examined, it is found to contain strong fibrous bands to increase its power. As Clear as Daylight With these three facts in our minds, and knowing that nature adapts teeth to the diet she intends us to eat, we may exercise our ingenuity in devising a suitable diet. Do we need adamantine teeth set in an iron jaw and worked by powerful muscles to eat jelly and slops and soft pappy foods? Certainly not. It is as clear as daylight that we were intended to pat. things that need crunching. If foods had been our correct diet, we should have been given a mouth like that of a jelly-fish. A Rule of Nature A golden rule of nature’s, Io which 1 have often referred, is that any pa it of the body that is not used begins to die away. The arm of a blacksmith quickly wastes to nothing if he sprains bis wrist badly' and has to keep his arm in a sling for three weeks. 'This is called “ atrophy from disease.” The universal law applies to teeth. You may depend upon it, if the teeth are not used they will decay. You cannot gel away from the law that diet and teeth and teeth and diet go together. You will never find a race of people eating an abs»i i.tcly correct diet, who ioti.cn teeth, and you will, conversely, never observe that a race accustomed to a false, artificial and unnatural diet have perfect teeth. No; perfect diet goes with perfect teeth, and unnatural diet with soft, chalky, and decaying teeth. The mc'ancholv discovery that there is not a single man, woman, or child in the -count rv with a perfect set of teeth is a definite and incontrovertible proof that our d cl is at fault. A Danger S'gnal I’ain may be useful (hough unpleasanl. I’ain is a danger signal, inform ing the patient that something is wrong. Never neglect or desp : se pain. In those diseases where pain is not h strong feature the patient is in danger of neglecting the symptoms. In pleurisy the pain is sudden and acute, and the sufferer is made only too well aware that there is an inflainm ition in his side. He goes to bed or seeks advice at once. But in typhoid fever there is not much pain in the first few days, and a man may work with the fever on him. This exposes him to gieater danger. In earner, ton, it is a most unfortunate thing that the early stages are painless; silently and secretly the tumour glows, and even if the patient feels the lump he thinks nothing of it, as it is not painful. If every tcancer were painful from the very onset there would be fewer deaths from this dreadful scourge. Imaginary Pains But pain is often a mysterious symp-

tom, and although .1 have counselled you not tu neglect pain 1 do not forget that some pains are imaginary, and the best thing to do is Io igooie and neglect them. A pain may ex.st not as an indication of some tumour or definite infiaiiiniation, but as an isolated phenomenon of a nervous or imaginary naluie. Some people expec't a pain, hml< lor n pain, almosl hope for a pain, and Ihrn Mire enough il comes, and they go round to a neighbour Io get some sympathy. Such pains are imaginary and are l.esl treated bv a resolute drtei niiiiation to forget (hem. Such pains are accentuated when Ihe patent sits down do ng nothing, and are forgotten if his attention is oveupied with something »,-f interest. A | ain in a girl's back may be 100 bad tn allow her to work, but not had enough to prevent, her from going to a -lance.