HEALTH NOTES

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 580, 5 February 1929, Page 12

HEALTH NOTES

LIFE IN THE OPEN HINTS TO HOLIDAY-MAKERS

(.Contributed by the Department Health.) w The spirit of holiday-making h everywhere. Tired city dwells, picturing idyllic scenes—by f of river, or bush, with a blue sky o v«,. head and undiluted sunshine. grasp the opportunity of realising the joy of life out of doors, and pl an to crowd into a few days many pi eaßUr . able experiences denied them in tha routine of life. This is as it should he. but some forethought is neces _ sary to secure the maximum of health and happiness from the long-looked for vacation. Sunlight, for iustauce we know to be one of Nature’s mo« beneficent agents, hut injudicious son bathing may be not only harmful bm actually dangerous. A famous merit cal man has said with regard to sun light treatment that a blister i s . major blunder of technique a healthily-tanned skin cannot be aT quired in a few days, and sea bather, should refrain from too sudden and reckless exposure of the body on hot beaches. Little children especially should wear shady hats. To prevent sunburning and protect the face cold cream, simple talc powder, or even ordinary flour may be used. To relieve the pain of sunburn, If acquired, a solution of bicarbonate of soda (one teaspoonful to the pint of warm water) is useful, followed by a sooth, ing application, cold cream, etc. Calamine lotion is also a good application for acute sunburn.

EXERCISE AND BATHING Again, we all know that exercise m the open air is an aid to health, hot here again excess is harmful. ’ The essence of a holiday is relaxation. The same brain controls the muscles and the mind, and excessive bodily fatigue is not an antidote to mental and nervous overwork. It Is unscientific and harmful for those of mature years to Indulge in violent athletic exercise without proper training. A 20-aile tramp with muscles flabby with disuse means exhaustion without benefit to compensate. People suffering from weak hearts should exercise moderation in outdoor bathing, as the exertion added to chill may be serious. Cramps attack the strongest swimmers without w arning. Hence, swimming far out beyond reach of help is unwise. Leave off before you are exhausted. Even the most ardant holiday-maker is better for a sound sleep at night. Remember that a badly-pitched tent may be stuffier than a shut-up house.

Every tent should have a drain dug round it to carry off water after rain, and the tent ropes must be slackened each night to allow for shrinkage from moisture. Waterproof ground-sheets are invaluable to rest on by day or to put beneath the mattress at night The use of judiciously suspended mosquito netting gives peace and security at night where insect pests abound. The irritation of mosquito bites may be allayed by bathing with weak ammonia or sodium bicarbonate solution. lodine may be applied subsequently to prevent the development of infected sores. Sandflies do not readily bite a mud-covered surface —fortunately for bare-legged children disporting in the creek beds. DIET AND CLOTHING The diet of campers is necessarily simplified, but it should contain a liberal supply of fresh vegetables and fruit and a minimum of tinned food. One fact not sufficiently known is that milk should not be added to tea before putting in a thermos flask, as by this means a good medium is provided for the growth of bacteria, which may be present in the milk. Milk should be carried separately and kept cool. Water from wayside streams mayor may not be safe, according to Its source. It is safer to boil it —as is fortunately done in the popular pastime of tea-making. Meat for campers may be kept fresh and uncontaminated by flies in an improvised safe of butter muslin stretched over iron hoops and hung from a tree in a cool place. Butter may be kept cool in an unglazed pottery dish with wet muslin over it. > ' When packing remember that though we hope for summer ia ‘he holidays we sometimes meet winter, and warm clothing cannot be left out of the bag. SIMPLE REMEDIES Shoes are important. No one even on holiday can be ha-ipy with sore feet. For little children sand shoes are good at the seaside. Shoes for tramping must have thick soles and broad low heels, and must not cramp the toes. They should be worn witb thick stockings, preferably undarned. Stockings should be soaped before u» and the feet dusted with boracic pow der. Regular daily bathing of the feet is advisable. If blisters fora they should be let out by tunnelling under the edge with a sterilised needle. Fine strips of adhesive tine oxide plaster should be evenly applied in lattice-work pattern over the affected parts. Campers should carry simple firstaid requisites, e.g., a few bandages, some common antiseptic, as lysol or boracic acid; tincture of iodine is g eD " erally useful. Friar’s balsam is net only beneficial for use iu sore throats (a few drops every few hours on loa* sugar), but makes an excellent external protective covering for cuts. In conclusion, good campers do no deface the landscape with debris, sue as old tins, waste paper, decayed veg table and animal matter. Such forms a breeding-ground for flies M may form a fertile source of infeetioa In any case, it is an eyesore. A tru lover of Nature will always leave scene as beautiful as he found it