TALKS ON HEALTH

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 186, 10 August 1935, Page 3

TALKS ON HEALTH

(By A FAMILY DOCTOR)

WATER ON THE KNEE (By a Family Doctor) The knee-joint is one of the most vulnerable in the body; it is verv easily twisted or sprained. Every' joint is lined by a special membrane which secrets an oil fluid to lubricate the bearings of the joint. When a severe injury is received this membrane is inflamed and begins to pour out its fluid secretion in too great a quantity; just as the membrane lining the nose secretes mucus in large quantities when it is inflamed, as in the ordinary cold in the head. The collection of the secretion in the knee-joint is generally known as water on the knee. Thn whole joint is swollen; the little pits and depressions around the knee are obliterated in the swelling, and if there is any doubt about the swelling it can easily be seen bv Comparing the injured knee with the sound knee. Bert Essential When once the fluid has formed, there is only one thing to do, and that is to rest. If you walk about on a knee filled with “water” you run a giavc risk of permanently injuring the mechanism of the joint. The reason why there are so many men going about with weak knees which are put out or twisted by a trivial injury is that, when they had their first accident, hev had not the sense to give the knee a chance to recover. It is quite a different matter when you are dealing with an elbow, which can be rested in a sling while you are walking about. Every step you take irritates the inflamed knee and delays recovery. The two large bones whien meet at the knee-joint arc united together by strong bands called ligaments. These bands are stretched when the knee-joint is distended with fluid, and if this stretching is allowed to persist for very long the bands or ligaments Dc‘coine permanently stretched, and then when the swelling has gone down they are left lax and flabby. Housemaid's Knee When the knee is swollen it is important to make out whether the fluid is really inside the joint or outside. For instance, in the well-known complaint, housemaid’s knee, there is a collection of fluid in a little pouch situated outside the actual joint-cavity. This is not such a serious matter, although it may be very painful. As usual, prevention is better than cure. The inflammation may bo prevented bv using something soft to kneel on, and by refraining from kneeling at the first sign of the slightest inflammation. It saves time in tne end; if you go on irritating the inflamed swelling over the knee it will get worse, and may turn to an abscess. Sometimes a small piece of bone from a rheumatic joint gets loose within the joint and gives no end of trouble. The' piece of bone gets caught in between the two bones that form the joint, and gives rise to great pain and inflammation. An operation has to be performed to remove the foreign body. Ulcers of the Tongue I have been asked Jo say something on the subject of ulcers of the tongue. The smallest ulcers, which may occur in large numbers, and are quite shallow, are due to indigestion. They often occur on the lips as well as the tongue and should be treated with a mouthwash of borac or verv weak carbolic. A careful diet and a dose of salts will remedy the disorder of the .stomach. An ulcer may be found at the side of the tongue, lying immediately against a sharp decayed tooth. This variety of ulcer will never heal unless .the tooth is removed or filed down. Every time the tongue moves the ulcer is rubbed against the ragged edge of the tooth, and the ul'cer is effectually prevented from healing. Danger of Cancer We know very little about cancer and its causes, but we do know that longcontinued irritation will form a chronic ulcer which may assume a cancerous nature if it is nut speedily cured. Cancerous ulcer of the, tongue is quite common, ami is found niiArh more often in men than in women. It, has been thought that in some cases the constant irritation of a clay pipe may have something to do with the appearance of the cancer on the tongue or lip. An Unhealthy Mouth In many cases the ulceration uf the tongue is part of the general unhealthy condition of the mouth; the tonsils, the throat, the gums, and the teeth all present an unhealthy appearance; the care and hygiene of the mouth is much neglected. And once the mouth gets into an unwholesome stale it is difficult to get right again. Ulceration of the tungue may be very painful, and in order to give the longue a chance to get well a most careful diet must be ordered. AU forms of hot or irritating fund ur condiments are forbidden. s<» mustard or pepper, no curries ui giugc, beer or pickles. No hard crusts with sharp edges to scratch the delicate skin that is Irving to form over the ulcers. Septic teeth and foul slumps must be drawn, and a simple muuth-wash must be frequently used. Su you see there are different kinds of ulcer of the tongue. One is a local Vondil ion ol the mouth and is due lo neglect, another is really dependent on the cond iion of the stomach, and attention is directed not so mii'-li to the tongue it-adf a- lo the, digestive organs. Miners’ Nystagmus There is an affection of the eyes known as miners’ nystagmus. Nystagmus is characterised by a rapi'l, jerky movement of the eyeballs froni side to side, or sometimes up ami down. There are many diseases with which this condition of the eyes is associated. Sometimes this incessant jerking is the result of a defect in the visidn, and a pair of glasses may help lo cure it. In other 'cases a general disease of the nervous system is present. But the complaint. is pa rtii-ula rlv (-0111111011 among coalminers. It comes on in ap-

pareuily licultliv mrn, and many have been permaueiit lx im-apaeilaivil from following their employment through Uns (-omplaint. I'or years the actual cause was hidden, but through Hie re >eandies of a doctor who lived and worked among miners for mauv years, a good deal has been learned about it. I The most, important result, of I he, doctor’s inquiries is the discovery that the better the light with which the miner v. oiks (he less likely is he to sutler from uy st agmiis.