TALKS ON HEALTH

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 282, 27 November 1937, Page 3

TALKS ON HEALTH

THE PUBLIC CONSCIENCE (BY A FAMILY DOCTOR) All our progress in making this world more comfortable to live in is the result, broadly speaking, of two forces. One is the fresh and original ,s discovery of one genius or a small o group of men, and the other is the earnestness with which the new disn covery is embraced by the mass of the b people. One man discovered oxygen, h the vital principle of fresh air, the o rejuvenating gas of the atmosphere 1. we breathe, the marvellous elixir of e life that is sucked into the lungs and s carried thence all over the body by the blood to give health and vigour to every organ. But the mass of the r people taxe no interest in the discov- ” ery. Best parlours are stuffy, bedrooms nasty, some places of entertainment are black holes of Calcutta, and the worst of all are the J churches and places of worship. What - has been called the public conscience .’ has never been roused by the scienLille discoveries grouped under the 1 heading of heredity. No interest is taken in such a boring subject as the welfare of the offspring. Phenomena ot Heredity. e Some of the observed phenomena of r- heredity appear to be contradictory. .1 We all know that some of the laws . are absolutely rigid and unalterable. 1 For instance, the offspring of negro _■ parents is always black; tne baby of / a black father and mother does not 1 turn out to be a Chinaman; the black » skin produces a black skin with the certainty of the law of gravity that ’ brings a stone back to earth when it 1 is thrown in the air. On the other I hand a musical brain does not always j produce a musical brain. When a deaf ; mute marries a deaf mute you can- : not prophesy that the offspring will ■ be a deaf mute. A man who has six i fingers may have four children, two I having six lingers and two the normal I number. And if the child with nor- • mal lingers grows up and has chil- . dren, one or more of these last oft- ■ spring may have six fingers, showing that we may pass on to the next ■ generation characteristics that we do not actually possess ourselves, but which we hold latent within us. Influence of Environment Moreover, we must not confuse "heredity” with "environment.” A young couple may have their first child when they are very poor. Born healthy, the baby is brought up in mean streets, and is suckled by the milk of a woman who is overworked and underfed. When the second child is born a stroke of luck may have come along—the mean streets have been left behind and country lanes have been substituted; roses are seen in the cheeks of the mother; the sweet breezes of the woods scented with violets, gently brush the brow of the sleeping babe, when poor little Number One had to breathe the smutty and foetid atmosphere of the town, redolent with the odour of drains and dead cats; Number One may be weakly and Number Two may be strong—same father and mother, but different surroundings. A Question for Young Men When ail the scientific observations on heredity, studied in man, animals and insects, have been tabulated we do feci very strongly that the man in the street ougnt not to be allowed to ignore the subject. Ignorance in this matter is criminal. "Life father like son” is a good rule for guidance. The struggle during the next thousand years is going to be the attempt to inuuce men noc to get venereal disease, or, if they do get it, not to infect their wives and children. At present the outlook seems almost hopeless. The men of the present day openly declare that nothing on eartn will induce them to avoid venereal disease. The venereal wards in the hospitals are packed. Love of offspring* is not so highly developed in man as it is in wild beasts, and the homes for children born with venereal diseases are very busy. The demon of venereal disease is a clever fellow, and he derives enormous strength from the whole-hearted support given to him by his many devotees. The question that the young man of to-day must put to himself is, "Do I love my future wife and my unborn children too dearly to run the risk of getting venereal disease, or am I so determined to have a ‘good time’ and ‘enjoy life’ that I don't care if my babies are born blind?” We must wait and see what answer he will give in actions. Care of a Patient’s Mouth A nurse must keep a patient's mouth, nose and throat clean. If these parts are not kept clean the air is fouled before it reaches the lungs. If the patient's breath is unpleasant when it comes out, you may be sure it is very unpleasant when it goes down into the lungs. With a piece of rag or cotton-wool on the end of a match, the teeth must be cleaned, especially where the teeth join the gums. A little boracic or very weak carbolic (1 part in 60 of water) may be used. A tongue much furred may be cleaned by gently scraping with an ivory paper-knife. Be Sensible You know you sometimes strongly oppose the suggestion that an abscess should be opened with a knife. You say you hate the knife. But surely you hate abscesses more? How much better to burn the matter from the abscess than to have it inside your body. But you try to wheedle me. You say, “Leave it till to-morrow,” or “Can I not poultice it?” And from sheer cowardice you run the risk of the poison getting up your arm and into your general system. As soon as an abscess if formed it ought to be freely opened. It relieves the hot feeling and the burning and tension. If I can persuade you to consent to the only sensible treatment you are grateful in the end.