Science Siftings

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LII, Issue 37, 30 September 1925, Page 62

Science Siftings

(By Volt)

How to Exercise. " For preserving health and prolonging life exercise is as indispensable as breathing, eating, or sleeping. Properly performed, the right kind of exercise aerates the - blood, strengthens and regulates the heart, makes the circulation active, excretes the poisons formed in the body and gives tone and vitality to all the organs and tissues.

What is the most suitable form of exercise depends more or less on the surroundings, the occupation and the taste of the person concerned. The man or woman who is compelled to remain in the city is necessarily deprived of certain forms of exercise. that are easy for a person who can live in the country, and the man who is at his desk the'entire day usually cannot take the same kind of exercise as the man, equally hardworked perhaps, who is freer to alternate his hours of work and of relaxation. . Finally the exercise a man selects must be agreeable to him, for otherwise it probably will not do him any good.

• Exercise should always be taken in the open, or if not actually out of doors at least before an open window. That is the first and most important requisite. Moreover, the exercise should be such as to bring a large number ,of muscles into play at once and to move all the large joints, including the spine. It should not demand complicated movements that require much, skill. A person who is compelled to exercise indoors can easily devise a set of movements that will include swinging * the arms in various directions flexing and. extending the elbows; bending forward, backward, and sidewise with the hands on the hips, and raising first one leg and then the other, .twisting the body to the right and to the left while keeping the feet together, moving and twisting the head in every direction. The best exercise that a man can take is to walk briskly, holding his head erect, swinging his arms and breathing fully and. deeply. The distance he should walk is at least two miles a day, and four or five miles if possible; and if he can take the walk (not the stroll) with an agreeable companion,- so much the better, for then he will not be bored and the talking will make him breathe deeper. -«-

A Few Words About Blood Poisoning.

Blood poisoning is always a very serious matter. It may arise from other sources than abrasions; from a septic sore throat, for instance, or from infection anywhere in the body, provided the infection or the pus from it enters the blood stream. This is literally poisoning life at the font, and the result' is only determined by the degree of the poison and the amount of resisting power possessed by .the body invaded.

It is hot my object (says a writer in a Home-paper) to encourage neglect of small wounds and bruises, but it is my desire to allay J the great • amount of ■ apprehension and anxiety prevalent on the subject, especially among; the mothers;" V I ; believe that much needless mental suffering is resulting. These

minor injuries, should be properly cleansed, treated j with some disinfectant, and j possibly M bandaged with a soft, clean cloth, such- as J a strip of a clean handkerchief, if no sterile 4 bandage is at hand. '.-,.:'- : \ C l h

All ; skin injuries should be encouraged to bleed before any treatment, is given.- This cleanses'the wound from within outward. If signs of inflammation, such as swelling and tenderness about the wound, with redness/ heat, and pain, develop,, soak, the part for twenty minutes every three hours in hot boracic solution, and keep it wet between times with antiseptic lint. If the person is chilly or feverish, or has swollen glands, call a doctor at once. T '-■■*■■" '""