TALKS ON HEALTH

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 204, 31 August 1935, Page 3

TALKS ON HEALTH

(Ry A FAMILY DOCTOR).

The Usefulness of Cranks. All cranks have their uses; they start people talking and thinking. Generally, L am afraid, b.rcre is rather more taUing than thinking. The man who lives on nuts would probably ruin tire Empire if he persuaded everyone Io his way of thinning and eating, but he serves to remind us that biks contain oil which is of dellnite nutritive value, and that they' should not be despised as an article of .food. Oils or fats form one of the live great essentials in diet. There are the animal oils, like cod-liver oil, bacon fat and others, and the vegetable oils, like nut-oil olive-oil and others. The oils help to maintain the temperature of the body. We will thank the nutarian of reminding us of the value of nuts, and we will then pass him by as a crank. The Cold. Tub. 'The man who breaks the ice oa the pond every day during winter and then dives in for a swim may be quite healthy and strong. If we all did it, the only people who would really benefit would be the undertakers. Tuey highly recommend the habits and customs of the ice-breakers. But the cold plunge through the ice may be the means of suggesting to our minds that a cold bath in the morning is beneficial to most people, especially in the summer. Every young man who is not actually an invalid ought to have a cold plunge every morning of his life. The rub down, exercise, the stimulus to the circulation, to say nothing of the moral courage in getting out of the warm bed into a bath are all of value. Start in the summer, and keep your skin fresh and sweet all the year round with the daily bath. Why does a crowd smell unpleasant- Ask of the winds, or rather of the baths. We will therefore, make our bow to the icebreakers and pass on our way. The Vegetarian. The vegetarian needs more than a passing glance. Tt is a remarkable thing that many of the ponderous animals which belong to the same class as a man does (the mammals) are vegetarians. An elephant can build up its enormous bulk vyith vegetable diet alone. Our friend the horse is a vegetarian. The most violent opponent of vegetarianism has to confess that a horse needs no meat. The horse would be very much surprised if his master said that he did not hold with a pure ly vegetable diet and filled the manger with cat’s meat. Uf course, you may say that an animal is not a man. You may say that there is a lot of difference between me and an elephant, and no resemblance at ajl between you and a donkey. But, really, when one makes, a scientific comparison between met “ and animals, when one compares skin with skin, bone with bone, muscle with muscle, and nerve with nerve, then is no chemical difference. No one could tell the difference between a shaving off an elephant’s bone and one off a human bone. So that we will grant this at the outset, that it is possible to maintain flesh and blood on a diet which excludes meat entirely. Some races of men feed entirely on vege table foods, and are able to withstand great physical strain. Teeth and Diet. You will remember that the teeth of an animal arc always adapted to its diet. The next time you go to a museum (and 1 sincerely, hope you win bo the next wet Saturday) 1 want you to look at the skeleton of a lion or a tiger and note the sharp-pointed teeth The tiger could not get on withom those canine teeth; he uses them to catch deer and tear their flesh. Now go to the other case and look at tlu skeleton of a sheep, cow, or horse. You will see that there are no sharp teeth, the canine teeth have gone in accordance with t'he law of nature that ne useless structure is preserved. If inch did not use their eyes for thousands of year the eyes would disappear. Look at that stuffed kangaroo; he docs no< use his front legs lor galloping along, and f*o they remain quite 2'iiall ami ua developed. But he springs along, when at full speed, on his hind legs, and sec how powerfully they are developed Any structure in an animal frame Idin' is used develops, and anything left un used dies awey. “Tiger or Sheep’s Teeth. Coming back to teeth, we see how the pointed teeth that would bo uselesl for cropping grass have gone in herbivorous beasts. A lion would be verj much annoyed if he had to catch antelopes vvibh the teeth of a sheep; and the poor old sheep would be dreadfully upset if you asked her to crop grasi. with the teeth of a tiger. Teeth amt diet, you see, are related. Now for the final test. Walk over to the case where a human skeleton is shown. Forget that it is‘horrible; look at it with the ideas of a scientific professor. It may be that Maria wants her tea, but tell her she shall have her tea when she has decided whether she has the teeth of a tiger or a sheep. You will not settle the problem. Stare at the teeth of the human skeleton and tell me. whetiier you think they are nost like the tiger's teeth or tihc sheep’s teeth. Our Own Case. You wilt see two prominenl teeth in the middle; on each side of those two more teeth with the ruling edge of a chisel; these four teeth are called rut ling teeth or incisors. On each side of these again an* our friends Imo canine teeth. Two things you must note about them. First of all, you must see that they are there, they exist, they arc provided by nature, some of the herbivorous animals. Do you not think, therefore, that we are not intended to eat entirely of vegetable food? In the course of ages we have not lost our canine teeth. But tire second thing you will note is that our canine teeth are not developed to anything like the extent of tire tiger’s. Probably, therefore, we arc not meant to eat as a tiger does. Suppose, then, ’ we have come to the conclusion that

we should have a mixed diet—neither tigerish nor sheepish. The Problem Solved. You may now say Lg Maria, “My dear, you should now have your tea, and, in accordance with the scientific knowledge we have acquired by our visit to the museum, I shall provide you with a sandwich of mustard and cress, which you will nibble with your front teeth like a rabbit c*r a sheep. You shall then have a ham sandwich, which you will cat with your canines, but you shall have no tva at all unless you consent to chew all your food, animal, vegetable, or mineral, with your bac]< teeth or molars. Moreover, on the way home you will buy a toothbrush and some tooth powder, or else you will soon have no- tveth at all, and by a well-known law of nature, people with no teeth are not allowed Io have any food. We will, therefore, make our bow to the vegetarian and decline to go with him all the way, but we thank him for reminding us that we ea(, too much meat, and that we should be quite healthy and not so lazy if we ate less fle.-di and more fruit and vegetables and breath