TALKS ON HEALTH

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 165, 15 July 1939, Page 3

TALKS ON HEALTH

CONSIDERATION FOR THE DOCTOR. T want to tell you about a few little drops of oil that make things work 1 smoothly for doctor and patient. If you want a doctor to call, be sure and send for him early in the morning. I ; quite understand that an urgent case must be attended to at any time of the night or day. But the less urgent i cases, of which there are a great number, do not need the doctor's immediate attendance. It is rather disheartening when a doctor does a long 1 round to sec a dozen patients, and then finds when he gets home that ihcrc is a message for him to sec someone whose door he passed on his rounds. It means that he has to do the whole journey over again for the one patient, and that is a groat hardship for a busy man. Full Information. Then I should like to impress on you ' that you should give the doctor some guide as to the nature of the case. You cannot make a diagnosis yourself, of course, but you can at least tell the doctor that it is a case of a deep cut. or a broken leg, or a fit, ■ or a feverish attack, or a toothache. The doctor can bring something with him if he knows, but he may have to . go home again to fetch what he wants if he is not prepared for the particular kind of case he is summoned to. When you call on a doctor for the first time try and give him all the information he can want to help him I to a complete understanding of the case. Let him know it there is anything of importance in the family, such as consumption, or fits, or lunacy, or any facts which might have I any bearing on your case. Then tell 'him what bad illnesses you have had in your life. You may think that your I present trouble has nothing 1o do with | your former illnesses, but the doctor may think otherwise. Pedal Dexterity. i II must not be forgotten that some 'unfortunate beings have been born without hands, and they can use their . | feet and toes with marvellous agility, i A Japanese artist panted beautiful , | pictures with his feet, holding the ; brush between hi.s big toe and his J second toe. Our cousins, the apes, have four hands instead of two feet and two hands. One of the most striking differences between the anatomy of the ape and of man is that the ape has a big toe like a thumb; the big toe can be bent round a branch in the opposite way to the toes, name Quadrumana, given to these animals, means four-handed. I do not iwish to imply that we could play the piano with our feet if we tried; our (big toes are not thumbs. Our left i hands, poor things, are much neglectled, and we should be wise to educate iour children to practice exercises with i their left hands. A C hild’s Breathing. ! At the back of the throat large tonsils may be seen. Enlarged tonsils 'are the precursors of many ills The manner of the child's breathing should |be noted. Some children always (breathe with the mouth open, and are suffocated if they arc compelled to keep the mouth shut. If. therefore, the nose is not freely open for the [passage of air, and the breathing is all ■ (done through the mouth, consult a I doctor. Hemorrhoids. I If you suffer from hemorrhoids try i I the following; - ; 1. Get up ten minutes earlier than | usual and go through some simple [exercises. Bend up and down and I 'from side to side, pressing the hands I [well into the sides—that has the effect i of rubbing and massaging the liver. ’ Drink a large tumblerful of water ; ion an empty stomach. That has the' I effect of washing out the stomach and 'cleansing it as good start for the day. I’ [You wash your face—why not your [ • inside? Water is valuable inside as [well as outside. 3. Eat your breakfast very slowly; • avoid bacon that is too fat. and avoid !

greasy things, such as fish done in oil. 4. Regular habits. The human | organism appreciates time-keeping. 5. Reduce the quantity of food ! taken by one-third. Only one meat ' [meal a day. ! < 6. Attention to teeth. , I • 7. Avoidance of alcohol. 1 8. The dietary should include plenty ; of fresh fruit. Out of Focus. If one eye is of normal vision and ; the other is short-sighted, the eyes will be constantly irritated. The eyes should work together in harmony, but this is impossible when they are differently focused. If you look through a pair of field-glasses and deliberately put one glass out of focus while you keep the other correct, you will soon find that it is fidgeting to the eye. and ■ they will begin to blink, to ache, and to water. You will clearly understand [that it, is useless 1o smear the oint- : Imcnt on the lids if the fault li» c the • lens of the eye. Cutting a Corn. Il is dangerous to make a corn bleed ; when you cut if; it should be pared \ ery carefully. There is always a . chance of getting some infection in the small wound if blood is drawn. The foot must always be washed first, land the knife that is used should be ' surgically clean. It must not be the ; knife that you use for cutting wood. A Hint for the Hair. A hint on the preservation of the i [hair. Take up one or two of the - (hairs on the back of your forearm and ; ipull them gently, and you will see the i ‘area of the skin around the roots of 1 [the hair is turned white. The tension • you pull on the skin prevents the i | blood circulating in the tiny little 1 I blood-vessels at the roots. Now your

land you deprive it of all the life ;f I you rob it of its blood supply -and the moral is that when you do your hair at night you must not put it in tight curlers, as you drag on its roots and damage the growth. Tight curlers are not to be allowed any more that tight garters or tight corsets, or tight neckbands. Whitewash and Geraniums. I have now got a craze for whitewash and geraniums. You know that people cannot be healthy unless they have bright homes. Whitewash and geraniums. You must have light in your rooms to give you health and cheerfulness; the light can be reflected from wall to wall if only the surface is white; dirt and blackness absorb the raysrays; white reflects them and brightens the back alleys, and backyards. Whitewash and geraniums. Have you ever noticed how dark the room seems when the white tablecloth is removed? If a ray of light, can be reflected off three walls it does the work of three rays. And flowers! Do let us have a little brightness! Father's face wants washing, mother's face is pale with overwork, the children’s faces arc anaemic from want of fresh air. but a geranium’s face is rosy and red with health. Whitewash and geraniums. Please have the outside of the house whitewashed to look nice and‘clean, and then put your geraniums in the windows. I have got whitewash and geraniums on the brain. My wife just looked in as I was writing this and asked me what I would like for supper, and I said, “Whitewash and geraniums’’. But never mind, I know I am right, and T want to walk down your street gay with .whitewash and geraniums.