HEALTH NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 58, 2 December 1907, Page 3

HEALTH NOTES.

VARICOSE VEINS. (By H. H. Riddle, M.B. Camb., in tho "Daily Mail.") 4 Varicose veins are usually noticed aV small bluish'lumps-about the calf or ankle.At first thoy ■ may not be permanent, but later on they will get • larger and be always visible, particularly after the patient has been standing or walking. ■ If the condition is far advanced the leg may become swollen and pit on pressure with tho finger; r • : Leg- ulcers' and eczema, may be caused by the defective circulation now present. Treatment' must be .directed towards removing the cause of the varicosity. The general health and circulation must be improved, by tonics, and 1 the damaged walls of the vein must bo.-supported.' Operation for removal of tho diseased vein is usually best in cases where there .is much pain, or whore ulceration or haemorrhage, is apt .to occur." • • If operation, is not necossary much relief can be got from an elastic bandage: This should be applied from the anklo upwards to the highest point affected. It should bo put on before getting out of bed in tho morning, so that tho not be over full of blood. . It should not be removed until in bed again at night. Patients with varicose veins should never stand still; walk as'much as necessary, and then,. without standing about, sit down at once, resting the logs on a chair when possible . It is often helpful to sleep with, tho foot of tho bed slightly- raised to aid the return flow of blood' to- the.body. NIGHT TERRORS. s True night terrors, may. occur in a child who' has gone to bed in apparently perfect health, and has slept peacefully for some hours. Then suddenly the/child will wake with' a terrified scream and a fixed delusion that something horrible and menacing is in his room.' - Sometimes aftor tho initial ,cry tho child will be found'crouching in a corner of the ' room in an agony of real fright. . If gently put back to bed and talked to soothingly by mother or .nurse, the little patient will frequently fall asleep in a few moments, and in tho morning may not rel member his fright at all. / These attacks sometimes are caused by gastro-intestinal disturbance, and in all cases the : diet should be carefully looked into. . dr mucous membrane growths at the back of the throat or nose may also be factors. In many, cases, however, no can be found} and the trouble must be laid to the highly nervous temperamont of the child. . ■ * Tho commonest age is at'about the time the second or. permanent. teeth appear.' Never scold children for crying out at night when it is .obviously a case of "night torIrors" A dim light _ should be left in tho bedroom so that familiar objects may immediately be recognised on waking, for the longer the child's, terror remains after waking the greater, impression it makes on his mind, so that subsequent attacks are apt to' occur. , WHY THE HAIR TURNS WHITE. • The whitening of tho hair is really a degenerating of tho colouring matter which may effect all the hairs equally or-'may be limited .in distribution. • When it occurs in advanced years the condition must bo looked on as a natural one, . and as only a part of the general wearing ' out that is taking place in all tho tissues of the body. When it occurs prematurely it usually involves tufts of hair only. These early, cases are considered to be 'due to a hereditary tendency, or psychic shocks such as fear or worry, or to nervous disease. Though many people scoff at the possibility it is a well-established fact that hair chn really "turn white in a single night." In these rare cases there 4 has always been somo terrific shock to the nervous system. This sudden greying is supposed by some observers to bo due to the sudden formation of air bubbles in the shafts of the hair. Under the microscope tho hairs will show i partial or complete loss of hair pigment. No internal medicines have any 'actual effect, in tho way of reproducing lost colour in the hair. Tonic, treatment, with ij view "to building up the general bodily health and preventing waste of. vitality, will ofton retard the loss of colour. Iron tonics with plenty of fresh air and suitable exercise are sometimes of use in bringing, back the colour to hair that has suddenly turned whito through shock. ' NETTLE-RASH. ' Nettle-rash or hives are characterised by the sudden appearance on tho skin of pinkish elevations accompanied by intense itching. The wheals may last from a few minutes to several hcurs, disappear, and then bo succeeded by others. .Thoy are usually found on the skin, but sometime? may effect tho mucous membrane of the throat or larynx, in which latter caso very- alarming and dangerous suffocative attacks' may occur. .Ordinarily an attack lasts but a few days, but; in some cases the disease may persist for years. . Nettle-rash is caused by disturbance of tho digestive tract, tho irritating article of diet ■ varying in different individuals. The most common articles to produce hives are: Lobsters, crabs, mussels, pork sausage, nuts, oatmeal and strawberries. In eases seen oarly, an emetic frequently will cure by getting rid of tho offending substance. In chronic cases every effort must be made to discover the cause, and to .regulate the patient's diet.- / in obstinate cases a few weeks on a milk diet is very efficacious. Cooling lotions applied to tho wheals will often allay the intense, irritation.