MEDICAL NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1274, 21 July 1914, Page 4

MEDICAL NOTES.

THE MYSTERIOUS THYROID. Tee ‘'uyre-'i glam!, v-ikh ’5 -.-mated About the lovr-r pa.'. 0' tho throat, is stilt v. medical r.vstery. Practically nothing is know” as to its uses, and very little about the cause of disease in it. Goitre is a non-malignant enlargement of the thjroid gland. The swelling - may he no more than a mere thickening, or it may grow into a mass weighing several pounds. It is common in mountainous district-; and where there is rmgnesktn lime* stone in the soil and drinking water. Operation may be necessary, but goitre will usually yield to treatment, and is rarely fatal. Malignant disease of the thyroid gland is often associated with overstrain or sudden shock. Here operation is generally necessary, and is a very serious matter indeed. In some mysterious way removal ot thyroid gland affects the mental powers, and the unfortunate person who has his thyroid removed is in great danger of losing his wits, more particularly his memory.

THE BEST EXERCISE. It is extremely easy to overexercise oneself if unused to physical exertion ; hard exercise suddenly taken by one unfit for it throws an unaccustomed strain on the heart, which may permanently weaken its walls or dilate its cavities, thereby injuring the whole organ. By lar the best general exercise tor the average person is walking—not strolling, but real hard walking. Four or five mile walks at a pace of four miles an hour with a few longer ones if possible at a slower pace, do wonders for a man’s health. When walking for exercise, wear shoes, flannel trousers, a vest, a loose flannel shirt, and a light loose coat; if the weather is cold a warm woollen sweater is a useful extra. In addition to this, exercise with light dumbbells or clubs is useful; do nut, however, have these as heavy as those recommended iu the usual text book on the subject. They are generally about double the necessary weight. Light gymnasium work is also good, and, ol course, it possible, outdoor games.

THE NATURE OF ACNE. This disease consists in the plugging ot the openings of the little sebaceous lubes which occur thickly in our skin by a comedo or blackhead. This plug oi cork prevents the escape ot the secretion of the sebaceous gland, which accordingly accumulates and causes a swelling. By means of pressure the comedo can be squeezed but, and a coil of yellow sebaceous matter squeezed out after it. A certain proportion of these swellings and comedones suppurate, and so little abscesses containing pus or mattei are formed. The comedo or plug is composed partly of grease, partly of acne germs (bacillus acr.es), partly of horny matter. D.. by further development of this horny matter that the black colouring at the summit is produced ; as occurs in other horny growths arEmg trom the Ain. The blackne s is definitely net due to di r t. In addition to the presence ot the germs peculiar to the disease, the chief other conditions are bad leding, beC hygienic conditions, anaemia, greasiness of the skin and flabby skin.