AMERICAN SIDELIGHTS

Hokitika Guardian, 29 May 1928, Page 3

AMERICAN SIDELIGHTS

ERA OF USELESS LEGS. -S.VN FRANCISCO, April 30. “Women are getting shorter and their legs are changing shape. Insanity in America has more than doubled in tho past thirty years. A cure for cancer will come. But any ‘cure’ advertised to-day Is worthless,” so declared Dr Charles Mayo, of tbe famous Mavo Brothel’s' clinic at Rochester, Minnesota, during a visit to Los Angeles, Southern California. The distinguished surgeon, who is well known in New Zealand and Australia. also said that automobile riding is causing people to lose use of their legs. In time, he said, legs will he shortened and become useless appendages. “The ladies’ legs,” he continued, “are really an interesting study nowadays. They’re losing their calves. Why. these high-heeled shoes they are wearing are completely changing the shape of their legs. “After watching them walking on

their high heels, I made an experiment some time ago. f took several thick cork blocks, strapped them under my own heels and tried walking on them—as the ladies do. I found it made my calves absolutely useless. In other words, the ladies, by using high-heeled shoes, arc gradually atrophying their calves. And you can see for yourself what it is doing to their legs.” Switching to the subject of insanity, Dr Mayo, who is probably the most eminent surgeon in America and comes of British stock, said: “It has more than doubled in thirty years. The best way to attack the problem is at tbe source—iininigation. The immigration Bill is the greatest measure Congress has passed in twenty years. Twenty-two per cent of the people in America belong in that class that will never be more than 12 years old mentally, no matter how long they live. “Sterilisation is one way we will combat insanity. We are not ready for wide sterilisation now. hut it will go fine in ten years. As for cancer, the cure will come, without doubt. What wc must have now is a blood tost for cancer. When we discover that—and we have not yet—it will he tho first great step. But any method of cancer cure that is advertised or published to-day we can say without hesitation is worthless and unproved.” JAZZ SISTERS CRITICISED.

American woman, with all her legal equality, does not have the power of the Roman woman, who had no rights at all on the Statute Books, according to Henry I. Adler, speaking in Chicago. “The modern woman.” continued Dr Adler, “has sacrificed every traditional ideal on the altar of commercial aristocracy, and is choking herself to death in the temples of commercial happiness with jazz cocktails and indecorous excitement.

“One wonders whether the readymade canned goods and the modern woman's idleness have such a miraculous tendency in unlocking and releasing the joys and contentments of her heart and soul as did the kitchen slavery and the meals in which the old-fashioned woman put much mental and physical effort to gratily the senses of her loved ones.

“And the price this modern woman pays? She is suffering from crippled, painful and agonising morbidity. Her perplexing mood and eruptive temper. her subconscious grief and queer discontent are rocking and shaking her entire being with such convulsive spasms and restlessness as were unknown to the integral and emotional soul of the old-fashioned woman. And the remedy? 1 know of none; but the only hope lies in the restriction or complete banishment of women from bbe commercial industries and restoring the distinctiveness* of (lie social croups and sexes.” XKY\ RADIO WAVE.

Production of a supersonic wave by moans of a miniature radio broadcasting apparatus and a quartz crystal, which cannot be heard by tho human car. lull which will penetrate the walls of a living cell, destroy all living matter within it, and not harm the outside walls, was announced at Princeton 'University, in New Jcr-

The wave, which oscillates twenty times faster than waves to which the human car is sensitive, is capable of rearranging tin* matter within the cells by setting them going in a kind of whirlpool action.

The final effect of the substances was tlie destruction of the blood corpuscles, which were broken into globules.

Captain W. H. Parker, of the White Star trans-Atlantic liner Homeric. says world storms are being caused by radio waves. He says lie lias noticed that radio waves increase the violence of storms on land and sea, and may bo blamed lor tbc Irequcncy of recent damaging tempests. Ho says the cold season on the Riviera has been attributed to fast moving radio waves.