TALKS ON HEALTH.

Putaruru Press, Volume IV, Issue 150, 16 September 1926, Page 2

TALKS ON HEALTH.

(By a Family Doctor). SCIENTIFIC MEDICINE I should like to teach you to respect what is called scientific medicine. You must not. think that the science of medicine is nothing but long Latin names, bald-headed professors, and test tube;. The work that is done in chemical laboratories, pathological museums, an i ''scientific institutions is of definite val :o sweeten brine, and prevent it spoiling ing powder in small quantities w... boraiory may almost revolutionise oar lives. . • . . < • Looking for the Secret. The most fascinating story in Ill’s line is the -story of ■ malaria. Malaria has been known for thousands of years, and it is only in the last few decades that it has been scudiqd scientifically. The result of the labours of’the filediCal men has been l to convert malarial’deathtraps-. into flourishing towns. Khartun), in the Soudan, which used to be, ribly infected, with malaria in General Gordon’s tifiic,’ is now 1 a Lc&lthy where white -men may live almost immune from malaria. The Story of Malaria. The word malaria means “bad air/* and the old idea was' that the 1 air somehow affected the patient. It is wellknown that the risk was greater, in the evening when the sun had gone down, and that was attributed to the dampness. For centuries clever men' tried id discover the sc’ere't of malaria, but they had no proper instruments, no microscopes, no scientific apparatus. Then came the day when the .Governments of all. civilised countries appreciated the point that - they lost more soldiers from disease than from the weapons,; and they, decided, to employ doctors to investigate disease. Well, thp. doctors began absolutely in the dark, and they determined to probe the secrets of Nature and find out what the real mystery of malaria was.., On the Track After prolonged study and research and patient application, they turned the' lens of a powerful microscope on the blood taken froiii patients suffering from malaria, and they found eiiribus little bodies that attacked the red bloodcorpuscles. ..You k»o£r that floating about in the blood are millions and. mil-, lions of tiny round discs. They serve to rarry fresh air (oxygen) from Jie' lungs to all parts' of -tHe body.- The germ of malaria picks:out these red tiisps and grows inside , them,, ultimately destroying, them .entirely. In every man suffering from malaria these li.tlc bodies were found eating’ up the fed discs, : andpon the other hand; they were: never found in healthy, people. The.se tiny germs then seemed to be the cause of malaria. Thus the medical detectives were put on tlie track’ bf 'the evil-doer. The Villain of the Piece ? The Demon of Malaria was beginning to shiver in his’shoes. The next jib in t was to discover how the gerilis : got 'into the'*’blood.*:. Were they .breathed :into, the lungs, with the . dajnp . air of the. eventide? Were they takca in with the food or with tainted., milk ? Well, one day an A’rifiy surgeon working in the north of Africa was annoyed by a bite from -a mosquito, and he looked down at. his arm, where he saw the mosquit 0,, and the thought suddenly struck him that, these little insect pesrs might introduce the' poisonous germs into the system. At once research was begun. Mosquitoes were captured and examined under the microscope,, and sure enough some peculiar'little bodies were fouiid living inside the s.’omach of the mosquito’. The wonderful secret was out. In the great city of Rome, for hundreds of . yca.rs, statesmen, councillors, generals, and kinds liad been bitten by insects and had suffered from-ague, arid yet the little : mosquito had never been

suspected. Ho' had been playing the part of the villain of the piece with impunity. Getting at Grips. The next step was to study the manners, habits and customs of the mosquito. They breed in damp places, and that is why marshy districts arc malarious. When the secret was discovered la doctor volunteered to sleep in ' a'tmarsliy district provided he was given l a dry hut and mosquito-proof curtains. Ho did so, and the experiment was completely successful; he was protected from mosquitoes -and therefore, did .not contract malaria. The eggs of mosquitoes hatch out in writer; without water they cannot live—a puddle is enough. One plan- adopted to destroy --tibe 'mosquitoes was to put a layer of oil on the top of the ponds- and pools; then when the young mosquitoes came up to breathe arid leave the Water to fly into the air they were caught in the oil. The order, went forth thrit all lakes, ponds, puddles and marshes werq to be drained. In a limited area this Was easy, arid the 'result most gratifying. Malaria, disappeared- , ib io-uFor tffe Complexion. A puffincss of the eyes may result frpm disease . of the kidneys;; a. swelling of the ankles may be the result of heart disease; delirium of the brain may owe its origin to an abscess of the fopt. All parts are connected. It follows that spots on the face may indicate disorder in some other part of the body. A diet of sweets, pickles, and strong tea, for instance, is not desirable, Meals .should be taken at regular times and well masticated,. The simpler the diet the better. Constipation must be treated by copious draughts of water. Outdoor - -exercise, sleep in the fresh air, and a moderate exposure to. the sunlight fill conduce to healthy complexions." ' I hiust not’ guarantee that I can give everyone tlie complexion of a; peach in a fortnight—this is not an advertisement. : But if .you persevere and take pains over your general health as'Well as over your skin, I think I mriy say you will be pleased with the result at. the end of month; -