HOW TO RELAX Old Age SCARLET FEVER I THE NATIONAL HEALTH JOURNAL JANUARY 1953 FOR HUSBAMS ADD WIUES By Harold Shryock, M.D. In this excellent treatise of personal relationships in the home, both the physiological and the psychological factors that disturb conjugal harmony are discussed with professional skill. Courtship, honeymoon, merging of personalities, intellectual and emotional adjustments, sane attitudes toward sex, and many other vital aspects of wholesome Christian living are presented with keen insight. Price, $2.7.1 OEVILTIll told 1100EUSING matmal that has beer' palostaklog,ly prepared by competent medical authorities for the guiaance of the borne nurse. Approvea techniques are outlined in treating both common and. acute ailments, and in cooperating with the f amihi physician in the prevention and cure of diseases, both ooncootapoos and communicable. Also contains devotional studies on health. Price, 5.00 0 It 11E AU By Lyle C. Shepard, N1/4.D. nontechoical laripage for the Work wail Care A.5 laymao. Doubtless it-written is the most comprehensive explaoatioo of A. practical treatise heart disease s.iniptoins and heart care that has been, printed re. ceotly. Suctercrs ith heart ailments or those who care for heart Mid this book. of invaluable id.Cloth, S1.00 patients W 1.11. raver, 1.50 PRICES HIGHER IN CANADA ADD SALES TAX WHERE NECESSARY REVIEW AND HERALD PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION Washington 12, D.C. HEALTH Vol. 68, No. 1 January, 1953 J. DeWITT FOX, M.D., L.M.C.C., Editor MARY CASTOR, Assistant to the Editor D. A. DELAFIELD, Assistant Editor T. K. MARTIN, Art Editor C. E. WENIGER, Ph.D., Editorial Consultant Consulting Editors: A. HARE, M.D., F.A.C.P.; WALTER E. MACPHERSON, M.D., F.A.C.P. M.D., F.A.C.P.; THEODORE R. FLAIZ, M.D.; J. WAYNE MCFARLAND, M.D. ROBERT HAROLD M. WALTON, Contributing Editors: D. Lois Busiserr, R.N. • M. WEBSTER PRINCE, D.D.S., F.A.C.D. M.D. • JOHN F. EisowNsoesosa, M.D., F.A.C.S. • CARL J. LARSEN, M.D. HORACE A. HALL, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.I.C.S. LEROY E. COOLIDGE. M.D., F.A.C.S. . ROGER W. BARNES, M.D., F.A.C.S. • BELLE WOOD COMSTOCK, M.D. • DANIEL H. KRESS, M.D. Claim B. COURVILLE, M.D. • LUCILLE J. GOTHAM, B.A. • GEORGE T. HARDING, M.D., F.A.C.P. E. HAROLD SHRYOCK, M.D. • HENRY W. VOLLMER, M.D., F.A.C.S. Braille Edition, Life & Health: C. W. DEGERING, MANAGING EDITOR ARLIE L. MOON, Page FEATURE ARTICLES WILTON L. HALVERSON, M.D. 8 Health South of the Border H. 0. SWARTOUT, M.D. 10 Scarlet Fever BEULAH FRANCE, R.N. 12 Baby's First Teeth GRACE PAUL, A.S.C.P. 14 Drama and a Blood Count Don't Let Old Age Scare You ROBERT V. SELIGER, M.D. 16 How to Relax EDMUND JACOBSON, M.D. 18 Wings of Health DEAR EDITOR: I'm writing this while waiting to have my little boy's tonsils out. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had time to read your interesting article "For Your Nerves." [May, 1952, editorial.] You see, I live in the country. When my husband and I bought the farm ten years ago, I gave up my city job. I weighed 110 pounds (5 feet 3 inches) and felt at least 40 years younger. I weigh 86 pounds now. Here's why— I get up at 5 A.M., make fires in the space heater and cooking range with kindling wood and coal. From then until • seven I poke and stir the heater to get the house warm enough to dress the babies, and the old stove hot enough to cook breakfast. (It's hot enough to cook my face first.) I dress the four children. cook breakfast, get my husband and eldest child off to school (on a bus). I feed the three little fellows (aged 5, 4, and 2%). Then I go to the barn where there are 2 cows to milk, 3 calves, a flock of chickens, 8 hogs, and a pony to feed, besides 3 cats (Turn to page 4) THE JANUARY COVER FOR BOYS AND GIRLS FOR MOTHERS EASY COUNTRY LIVING? 24 Family Physician 20 Mother's Counselor 22 Dietitian Says 26 January Food Bargains 26 Homemaker Hints 28 Philosophy of Life 15 Sunflower Seeds? 29 Old Age 16 Home Treatments 33 How to Relax 18 MENTAL HYGIENE J. R. HANNA, Advertising Manager R. J. CHRISTIAN, Circulation Manager J. M. JACKSON, Associate Circulation Manager LIFE AND HEALTH, copyrighted 1952 by the Re, iew and Herald Publishing Association, Washington 12, D.C., U.S.A. All rights reserved. Title registered in U.S. Patent Office. Published monthly by the Review and Herald Publishing Association, Washington 12, D.C. Entered as second-class matter June 24, 1904, at the post office at Washington, D.C., under the Act of March 3, 1879. Acceptance for mailing at special rate postage provided for in Section 538, Act of October 2. 1917, and authorized June 24, 1904. Member of A.B.C. JANUARY, 1953 SUBSCRIPTION PRICES, U.S. CURRENCY U.S. and possessions, Canada, Mexico, Philippines, and Pan-American Union, I year, 52.7, 2 years, $5.25; 3 years, $7.50. Add 35c a cc.tr elsewhere. All subscriptions must be paid for in advance. Single copy, 25 cents, U.S. CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Send to LIFE AND HEALTH, Washington 12, D.C., at feast 30 days prior to the date of the issue with which it is to take effect. Send old address with the new, enclosing if possible your address label. Photo by Josef Scaylea, From Shostal Whether she is adorned in the light yellows and greens of spring, the deep greens of summer, the rich warm reds, yellows, and browns of autumn, or the cool blues and whites of winter,. Mother Nature is always beautiful. Our cover shows the Myron D. Hill family on a snow picnic in the Cascade Mountains, on the trail to the Denny Creek Government Campgrounds. Snoqualmie National Forest, forty miles east of Seattle, Washington. 3 Readers' Pulse LIFE'S PATCH QUILT DEAR EDITOR: (Continued from page 3) and 4 dogs (friends wanted their dogs to have a good home in the country). All the water comes from a well, and has to be drawn by hand and carried to the house and barn, which usually means about 60 to 75 bucketfuls each day. With all the chores done, I come back to the house, wash the dishes (taking care of the small fry all the time), bring in water to heat for washing (I wash 3 or 4 washer loads every morning, except it's usually 5 or 6 on Mondays), cook lunch, feed the babies, get the youngest down for a nap, and wash dishes. By now it's at least 1 P.M. Then I make the beds, sweep the floors, and try to put the house in order after a fashion, bring in clothes, being careful not to let the fire go out, and do what I can for the babies. Then I must get a day's supply of wood and coal and split the kindling. Our 8-year-old daughter gets home from school, and we do the chores at the barn again, come back to the house and get supper, wash the dishes, bathe the babies, and put them to bed. By now it's eight thirty or nine o'clock. Then I do the ironing and mending. I almost always get to bed by twelve o'clock. Repeat the next day, the next, and the next, etc. The fields and woods are here, I guess. I'm sure the barn is. There are plenty of trees, but the lawn is covered with broken toys, rubbish, piles of wood, and coal— and in the summer, weeds. What did you say about relaxed and easy living? I only wish I had time to really clean the house (too small for a family of 6), to pick up some of the rubbish in the yard, to plant a garden and maybe a flower, to play with the kiddies instead of saying, "I'm so busy, dear." Soon they'll be grown up, and what will they remember about their mother? I've had one vacation in these 10 years. I went to keep house for my aunt when she returned from the hospital. I stayed a week (she lives in the city). She had gas heat (no wood and coal and no messy ashes), an electric stove, and hot and cold water. I almost lost that everlasting ache between my shoulders and back. You won't believe it, but while I waited on my aunt, cooked, and kept house, I read 5 fulllength books and some magazines and went to bed every night before ten o'clock. So maybe you'd better look into country living before you say it's a never-ending vacation with just enough work for healthful exercise. You know, some of those city people came out here to spend a restful week end, and after working 8 hours a day for 5 days a week, their poor overworked nerves couldn't take the shock when I fainted and fell right in the well! Print this if you like, but don't use my " name. Someone might think I'm complaining. Mrs. X Roanoke, Alabama As you welcome opinions from readers, it seems almost a must to drop one more your way. Varying criticisms can be constructive if put into the patch quilt of life. The magazine and its coverage of interesting and helpful subjects written by understanding and well-trained specialists is a source of comfort and pride to me. . . . From my point of view your paper is just right—no glare, but fine and firm enough to print well and wear well too in the useful life of a magazine of this character. Your type is clear and readable, attractive, and in keeping with the work you cover. I think the make-up of a magazine has much to do with the effect of well-considered articles. And there is no careless work in the pressroom. Just one of the many helpful departments you have is the biographical sketches of contributors. These are especially interesting after one has read the articles. And now, after years of admiring the neatness of your constantly improving and attractive magazine, I see the write-up on your art editor. I have something to cherish in the year's collection of good reading and the personal touch of biography. MRS. MABEL WATSON Loma, Montana BEST READING TO KNOW EACH OTHER BETTER The road to understanding is the road to agreement. If our friends overseas could follow our way of thinking—if we could follow theirs —our disagreements just wouldn't happen. Is that harmony impossible to reach? Not at all! You yourself could help—and a million you's could help tremendously, and make a telling impression on a million friends overseas (who would tell their friends)! How can you do it? Send your copy Of LIFE AND HEALTH, after you have read it, every month to someone overseas. Or if you don't know the name and address of anyone in another country, send your LIFE AND HEALTH to a United States Information Center, and it will be placed in the hands you want to have it. LIFE AND HEALTH Call reach the heart of the world, for the whole world is sick. Simply roll up your LIFE AND HEALTH in a square of brown paper, leaving the ends open, and mark it "PRINTED MATTER." It will cost you only 1%c for each 2 ounces. ADDRESS YOUR Life and Health TO DEAR EDITOR: THE UNITED STATES INFORMATION It was with great interest that I read your wonderful article about Senator Nixon. [October, 1952.] That is the best article I have read in a long time. When I finished reading it I felt that I practically knew him myself. Keep up the good work. LIFE & HEALTH is the best reading magazine I have seen. CENTER IN THE COUNTRY YOU'D LIKE AUDREY CARDEY Washington, D.C. MENTAL EASE DEAR EDITOR: After reading a few copies of your enlightening magazine, I am most enthusiastic about the articles I find. A few days after I found that I had gallstones, I read an item entitled "Do You Need Your Gallbladder?" [October, 1951.] After reading this item I was put at ease concerning gallbladder surgery. IT TO GO TO— In care of the American Embassy in— Ankara, Turkey Athens, Greece Djakarta, Indonesia New Delhi, India The Hague, The Netherlands London, England Manila, The Philippines Mexico City, Mexico Montevideo, Uruguay Paris, France Rangoon, Burma Rome, Italy Buenos Aires, Argentina Cairo, Egypt Stockholm, Sweden Warsaw, Poland BLANCHE STOUT National City, California COVER COLLECTORS DEAR EDITOR: We like your LIFE & HEALTH magazine very much. We have been taking it for only a short time. We really like the cover pictures for our collection. In care of the American Legation in— Bern, Switzerland Budapest, Hungary In care of the American Consulate General in— Batavia, Java (Indonesia) Sydney, Australia MISSES VIRGINIA WALKER AND CAROLYN ROPER * Oh, my aching back!—ED. 4 Mineral Bluff, Georgia smis'm - moseCommis'essmimc:am LIFE & HEALTH Live to Be 100 This may be a million dollars' worth of advice for a quarter—the price of LIFE & HEALTH magazine. If you want to live to be 100, "take it easy!" This was the consensus gathered from doctors attending the American Medical Association convention in Chicago in 1952. Rest, the doctors said, is the best prescription for living a rich and full life. Get at least eight hours of sleep a night—every night. Don't do anything in excess; that includes eating, working, and playing. Get married! Married folk live longer than bachelor folk. This, the doctors think, is because they live more regular lives, due to the fact that they are better adjusted generally. Don't worry! Worry cuts down your life span. Enjoy life! Whatever you do, do it in moderation, and not to excess. Of course if your ancestors were longlived, that helps. People with long-lived ancestors tend to live longer, it appears. lent of one-tenth of a mother," said Dr. Spitz, "and this was not enough." The result of this lack of love was retarded mental and physical development. One 15-month-old girl had not developed beyond the 3-month level. She was frightened and wild-eyed when the doctors approached her. Dr. Spitz found that 30 per cent of the motherless children died in their first year of life; 21 little ones who survived their time in the foundling home were already so scarred by life that they could only be classed as idiots. Love-starved, they were crippled in the battle for life. Surgeon's Hands Many of us have almost taken for granted that a great surgeon's fingers are long, slender, tapering, and artistic. But actually, according to Dr. William Travis Gibb, of George Washington University Medical School, the surgeon's hands are more often strong and muscular, frequently broad and blunt. Actually they have to be. Otherwise he wouldn't have the strength to carry out long and laborious operations. And as most physicians know, orthopedic surgeons are almost in a category with carpenters when it comes to the size and strength of their hands. To those of you who think you cannot undertake a hobby because "I can never do anything with my hands," Dr. Gibb corrects the misconception that people are born with or without the manual dexterity. Says he, "Anyone who can tie his tie and button his clothes can do anything with his hands he wants to." Dr. Gibb has long championed hobbies as good relaxation therapy for our modern times. Writing in the Medical Annals of the District of Columbia, he says, "In the practice of medicine we have all too often seen what happens to a man who devotes himself entirely to his own work to the exclusion of all outside interests." Men who devote themselves to the sole object of making money will wind up with ulcers and high blood pressure by the time they or their families are ready to enjoy the fruits of their labors, Dr. Gibb warns, and cites a striking example of good balance in heavy responsibility in the life of Winston Churchill, who leads a full life, yet is a good enough brick mason to have been a member of the union. He is also one of the world's most famous amateur painters as well as the world's most highly paid writer. * * * ?lea ilload U EKG-HEART'S TRACING VARICOSE VEINS BY C. H. WOLOHON, M.D. BY RAYMOND SCHUESSLER The story of the electrocardiograph and what it has meant in heart disease. You know you have varicose veins —but what to do? Here's how to treat and relieve them. DIPHTHERIA THE OVERACTIVE MIND Milk and Love for Babies BY H. 0. SWARTOUT, M.D. BY H. E. ANDREN, M.D. Mother love is just as essential for healthy growth as mother's milk, says Psychoanalyst Rene A. Spitz, of New York. Baby does not live by milk alone, but also needs the tender loving care of a mother, for normal mental development. In a Latin American foundling home Dr. Spitz did research on 91 infants, who had plenty of good food, clothing, light, and air, and had toys lavished on them. Competent nurses fed and bathed them regularly. Only one thing was lacking: a mother. The nurses could not stop and play with the children as they would have liked to, and "each infant had the equiva- Man turned the tables on diphtheria. But he must still beware its deadly thrusts. Think only happy, cheerful, uplifting, kind thoughts—for a relaxed, efficient mind. JANUARY, 7953 HOW TO STOP SMOKING BY C. R. ANDERSON, M.D. Tired of untasting taste buds? under-par mental reactions? fear of lung cancer? It's time for your declaration of independence! REGULAR FEATURES FAMILY PHYSICIAN CHILDREN'S PAGE READERS' PULSE 5 NEW HEALTH for the NEW YEAR IT won't be long before Father Time will he ringing out the old year and turning a nice clean calendar sheet for us. But just how will he find us feeling on January 1? Peppy and energetic, confident and ready for the New Year and whatever it holds? Or will we be recovering from the "night before," feeling tired, dragged out, and woebegone? Will this January, like many of the midwinter months before it, find us catching colds, sniffling for days with sinusitis or barking with a chronic cough? Will the aches and pains of our joints be growing a little worse? Or will we be just plain old—tired all the time? With resolution time here again, sit down in a quiet corner and analyze your living pattern. Take yourself apart, see where you have been cutting corners on your health, and discover where you can improve. Ask yourself: Have I been eating an adequate diet? Do I skip or skimp on breakfast? Have I been neglecting my outdoor exercise? Do I walk a mile a day? Have I been getting enough sleep? How about my indiscretions? Am I eating too much, smoking, drinking? Am I using stimulants such as coffee, tea, or drugs, which make me nervous and jittery? These may keep me going, but what are they doing to my nervous system? Am I passing up the real fun in life while chaining myself to the daily grind? Do I take time to look up and look out at the world objectively? Or am I always bound down to the wot k load of the day, seldom finding time to really enjoy life? Am I neglecting my family life for the office or work? Do I take time out to play with the children enough, and see to it that they feel happy and secure? How long has it been since I took one of the kiddies on my lap and read him a story, quietly relaxing myself as I did it? Am I letting TV and other outside interests crucify conversation and happy home gatherings? These are simple questions for you to ponder as you sit there in a quiet den or at the kitchen table. Other thoughts will come to your mind that fit your own situation. You know, we Americans are on the go so much that we don't take time to sit down and ask ourselves: Just where am I going? Am I really in that big a rush to the grave? 6 Certainly the pell-mell pace we live today is shortening life and hastening us into the hands of the undertaker. If you'd like to face the new year with new health, then here are a few tips. If practiced, they will make you feel fit in '53. 1. Eat well. Begin the day with a bountiful breakfast, not just a sweet roll and a hot drink. And three squares a day, not haphazard eating habits, will make you ready for the new year. 2. Keep a wet whistle. Drink eight to ten glasses of water daily. If a virus is around, keep well hydrated by drinking plenty of water. If you have the bug, drown him out with fluids aplenty. 3. Air-condition yourself. Breathe deeply, and flush out your lungs. Sleep and work in well-ventilated rooms. Sleep with windows open, though avoid backpiercing drafts. Don't worlt in close rooms, where you must rebreathe secondhand air. Oxygen, like water, is one of life's indispensables, and if you'd feel alert—breathe deeply. 4. Keep limber. Remember, limber legs last longer. A walk of a mile a day will take a few minutes extra time, but it will add not minutes but years to your life. 3. Pound a pillow. Rest and relaxation are rejuvenators. During sleep the body repairs itself, reverses its chemical processes, and builds you up by recharging the battery of nervous energy. For a sparkle in your eye and a spring in your step of a morning—eight hours of sound sleep are a must. 6. Stand tall. To feel confident, a straight, erect posture does more than anything else—it makes for inner security. Look at the chap who stands tall, and you see the figure of success. When you straighten up from a slump, you take the squeeze off abdominal organs. Avoid overfatigue, the commonest cause of poor posture. 7. Take time. Don't let hurry and worry make you a civilized suicide case. Take time to live, and remember, it takes time to be healthy. Time to eat, time to sleep, time to exercise, time to relax, time to enjoy yourself with your family and friends, time for a hobby, and time for your meditation with God. Yes, take time out for yourself, your family, and your God, and you'll actually add efficiency to your day. 8. Be a moderate modern. Avoid excesses of overeating and overfatigue. Delete tea, coffee, drugs, tobacco, and liquor from your daily program, and you'll feel much better. 9. Balance your life—work, play, love, and worship. These are the four spokes in the well-balanced life. Make sure you are balancing these factors every day. 10. Visit your doctor. Take time for a visit to your dentist for a midyear mouth checkup, and visit your physician for a complete physical examination at least once a year. A good idea is to call your doctor for an appointment on your birthday each year. Once you have the birthday physical examination habit, he will catch minor ills while they are still small and easily corrected. These ten tips, put into practice, will give you new health for the New Year. Yours for a happy and healthy New Year, 1 „41.4,t(L-e( LIFE & HEALTH HOREB Out onttiL toti coholism, drug addiction, and psychological sex problems. At present he is chief psychiatrist at the Neuropsychiatric Institute of Baltimore. Married and the father of two children, Dr. Seliger enjoys his Baltimore home, but takes occasional jaunts into New York for dinner at Sardi's or the Hampshire House. * * often shell out a few seeds and eat them. Little did she know then that they would ever become a popular food. She studied dietetics at Madison College, in Tennessee; and at the College of Medical Evangelists School of Nutrition, Loma Linda, California, where she received her B.S. in nutrition. One of her class assignments was to study the nutritional possibilities of sunflower seeds, and her article is the result. Edmund Jacobson, M.D. ("How to Relax," page 18), is director of the Laboratory for Clinical Physiology in Chicago. Dr. Jacobson is a man of many degrees, having received his Ph.D. at Harvard, his M.D. from the University of Chicago. Since his internship and postgraduate studies he has been connected with various hospitals in Chicago, and is an assistant professor of physiology at the University of Chicago. His well-known book You Must Relax came into prominence some years ago, and the principles of relaxation that he endorsed at that time are still good today. So we are passing them along to our LIFE & HEALTH readers, knowing that in these tense times relaxation is what we all need most. * * * Robert V. Seliger, M.D. ("Don't Let Old Age Scare You," page 16), a veteran LIFE & HEALTH contributor, is a Baltimore psychiatrist who for twenty years has been associated with Johns Hopkins Hospital and Medical School. A prolific writer, Dr. Seliger has written hundreds of scientific articles, books, and articles for popular magazines. He was born in New York, but received his M.D. degree from the University of Maryland. Since 1927 he has been in the private practice of psychiatry, specializing in alJANUARY. 1953 Stella C. Peterson, R.N. (Home Treatments column, page 33), is in charge of the physiotherapy department at the Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital, in Illinois. Born in Superior, Wisconsin, Miss Peterson taught in rural public schools before taking up nursing. She took her nurses' training at Madison Sanitarium and Hospital, in Madison, Tennessee. She later became a registered physiotherapist, after taking studies at the College of Medical Evangelists School of Physical Therapy, Loma Linda, California. She also has a B.S. degree in nursing education from Washington Missionary College. Last March Miss Peterson was fortunate in getting a scholarship to take special work at the Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Bellevue Medical Center, New York City. Miss Peterson is interested in travel, and holds membership in the Chicago Geographic Society. She is also an ornothologist, and enjoys bird study in the early mornings around the quiet Hinsdale Sanitarium on the outskirts of Chicago. She also collects ferns, and is taking up color photography to make her vacation trips more enjoyable. For some months now she has been conducting our column Home Treatments, with the aim of encouraging the LIFE & HEALTH reader to give helpful treatments for the sick in the home. * * * Ruth McElheny ("Seeds? Sunflower Seeds?" page 29) is a therapeutic dietitian at the Washington Sanitarium and Hospital, Washington, D.C. Born in Rushford, New York, Miss McElheny spent her early years on the farm, where she watched sunflowers grow from plump little seeds to giant plants. Many times she looked up into their yellow faces nodding in the sun. As they were cut and gathered for silage she would * * * Madge Haines Morrill, M.A. ("Wings of Health," page 24), is a teacher and an author. She has conducted the Wings of Health Club for eleven years, and counts the membership of the club well over sixteen thousand with members in many countries. The hundreds of letters she has received from boys and girls tell of their interest in health and temperance through the activities of the club. Mrs. Morrill has written eight books, most of them for children. One of the books was translated into several foreign languages, and also transcribed into Braille for the blind. Her latest book, Fun and Health, off the press in October, is a story of a lonely orphan boy who wishes he had a dog, and of how members of a Wings of Health Club help him find happiness. After twelve years in the classroom and still teaching, Mrs. Morrill says it is more fascinating to be with a group of lively children all day than to sit and pound a typewriter, so the books and magazine articles are written "in between times." Her first interest in medical lines came as a child when she rode with her mother, a missionary nurse, in a horse-drawn buggy to visit the sick natives on a Caribbean island. Through the years of her (Turn, to page 23) 7 Reek South of the go wItTon L. HALUERSOD, M.D. Here's what happens when a big brother lends a hand. HAT we here in the United States take for granted our neighbors to the south are having to develop and work hard to achieve. When you go to your kitchen sink, turn on the faucet, and get crystal-clear, germ-free water, you hardly give it a second thought. When you eat fresh fruit and vegetables free from any danger of intestinal infection, you take that as just another advantage of living in America, if you think about it at all. But not so in many other lands where diseases are a tremendous drain on life and living and where sanitation engineers, health educators, nurses, and public health doctors are making herculean efforts to control them. For example, in some of the Inter-American countries intestinal infestations are so widespread that one expert says, "Actually about one half of the food eaten by the people benefits them; the other half is consumed by the worms which live in their intestinal tracts." So today efforts are being exerted not only to improve the diet of these peoples but to help them construct facilities to dispose properly of human excrement, and prevent these ravaging hookworm and roundworm infestations. When the people have these infestations, anemia and lowered resistance to other diseases are bound to follow. Under the cooperative program of health improvement fostered by the United States Congress through the Institute of Inter-American Affairs and the Latin-American nations, more than thirty-eight thousand outdoor toilets have been constructed in rural areas. In each country a Servicio is established. A Servicio is a cooperative agency of government usually under the Ministry of Health of the host country. The program for the year is planned jointly by the minister of health for the host country and the representative of the Institute of Inter-American Affairs. It may include developing water supplies and sewage disposal facilities; building public laundries, baths, and slaughterhouses; planning hospital and health center programs; and constructing hospitals and health centers. Once the program is agreed on, it is put into effect by the Servicio as rapidly as conditions permit. Although the health program beginning in 1942 was a war program, the United States Congress decided that it was so effective in strengthening U.S. 8 HEALTH SURVEY TEAM Dr. Wilton L. Halverson, director, department of public health of the State of California, recently headed a health survey team for the Institute of Inter-American Affairs, Latin-American regional office of the Technical Cooperation Administration. The duty of the team was to bring back a report of the health work carried on jointly by the United States and her neighbor nations south of the border. This health program, carried out through the Institute of Inter-American Affairs, has been in operation for the past ten years. In 1942 the cooperative plan was formed as a result of the meeting of foreign ministers of the American Republics in Rio de Janeiro. It provided for the development of health, agriculture, and education programs to strengthen these nations and to make the good-neighbor policy really work. The United States Congress initially appropriated $25,000,000 for the purpose, and seventeen Latin-American countries participated. Maj. Gen. George C. Dunham, M.C., U.S. Army, negotiated the original agreements between the institute and the various countries, and rapidly got the program under way. And now back from inspection tour, Dr. Halverson gives to LIFE AND HEALTH readers his report. The following public health experts compiled the facts reported in this article. DR. WILTON L. HALVERSON, director of public health, State of California. EDNA BRANDT, R.N., of the U.S. Public Health Service. DR. JOHN BOURKE, hospital administrator, New York City. RICHARD POSTON, engineer, U.S. Public Health Service. MISS JOAN KLEBBA, statistician, Institute of InterAmerican Affairs. EARL BRADSHER, public administrator, New York City. DR. GEORGE STRODE, public health administrator, Rockefeller Foundation. DR. GEORGE FOSTER, cultural anthropologist, Smithsonian Institution. relationships with Latin-American countries that it should be continued after the war. During the ten years it has operated, more than one hundred million dollars has been used, of which less than half came from the United States. Although the United States furnished practically all the money early in the proLIFE & HEALTH gram, in recent years the Latin-American governments have been bearing most of the cost. In 1951 the United States supplied about three million dollars, and the seventeen Latin-American countries supplied more than four times this amount. An important aspect of the health survey related to cultural factors. The survey team included a qualified cultural anthropologist, Dr. George Foster, of the Smithsonian Institution, and as the team went into the various countries, they learned the viewpoint of the common people about the various disease and health problems and what the curanderos (witch doctors) do about prevention and treatment of disease. Each member of the team came away with the fundamental belief that back of the ill-health of these countries is the very low economic status of many of the countries, for when there is not enough food to keep a baby or for that matter a mother or father from almost actual starvation, there is not a great deal of interest in what we Americans regard as public health. After ten years of health activity, operating directly or indirectly through the efforts of the Servicios of the seventeen Latin-American governments, there are approximately 150 hospitals and health centers, 12 schools of nursing, 4 graduate schools of sanitary engineering, and 3 graduate schools of public health. As might be expected, the demand for public health workers is even greater in Latin America than in this country, so these schools will be of great value. To further strengthen the health program, 1,302 men and women from Latin America have been brought to the United States to receive postgraduate training in medicine and public health specialities. Water is a perplexing problem in the Latin-American countries. In many areas, because there is no water supply, bathing and laundering are omitted. Or the water supply is so foul that to use it for bathing or laundering is hazardous. To meet the problem partially, the authorities have built bathhouses and public laundries in many cities. These public laundries are not equipped with automatic washing machines such as the American housewife enjoys; instead, they have batteries of cement tubs, each equipped with a cold-water faucet. The women wash by hand. I saw one of these laundries dedicated in Quito, Ecuador, and not five minutes had elapsed after this ceremony before each of the 150 tubs was in use by women with large bundles of clothes. Interestingly enough, the women wash with their babies strapped to their backs. To control specific diseases, the Servicios have turned their attention to malaria, hookworm, yellow fever, smallpox, typhus fever, yaws, mal de los pintos (a skin disease), and onchocerciasis (a disease producing nodules on the head). Various programs are being developed to control these diseases. In malaria, for example, spraying the inside of houses with DDT is usually the most effective method in tropical areas. Mal de los pintos and yaws respond to injections of penicillin; typhus is being controlled by DDT and powdering of the clothing with an insecticide. Since economy is important in the mass treatment of disease, the health authorities are constantly searching for the most practical and inexpensive methods. These severe diseases have (Turn to page 27) JANUARY, 1953 Photos Courtesy Institute of Inter-American Agairs A DOCTOR examining a patient in the free clinic that is part of a cooperative program of Bolivia and the United States of America. NO LONGER do the housewives of Quito, Ecuador, have to wash in open streams, for they have this well-equipped public laundry now. A VISITING NURSE gently reprimands a small patient for failing to take her pills. Such nurses are a great help to Bolivia's people. 9 H. 0. SWARTOUT, M.D., Dr.P.H. Health Officer of San Luis Obispo County, California If you know what scarlet fever can do to your child, and why, you will be prepared to protect him from its effects. U may be one of the people who are wondering whether there is such a thing as scarlet fever any more. In some places it has been dropped from the list of reportable diseases. At least the name has been dropped, or made secondary to something else. But a closer look proves that it is indeed still there, almost hidden in a group of ailments included under the long and unfamiliar phrase "hemolytic streptococcal infections," or the similar but shorter title "streptococcal infections." Now, this phrase has to be explained if it is to mean anything to anybody who is not familiar with the words used by doctors and workers in clinical laboratories. A streptococcus (plural, streptococci) is a special type of disease germ. Each of the individual germs is round, but they grow in strings, or chains. And the word hemolytic is made up of two parts. The first part means "blood." The second means "dissolving." Anything that is said to be hemolytic, therefore, has a dissolving effect on blood cells, especially the red ones; and in many cases the dissolving action makes the red color fade. This is what happens when hemolytic streptococci get a chance to work on red blood cells. Streptococci can cause several different kinds of infection. They are to blame in nearly all the severe cases of tonsillitis. They cause erysipelas. They are present, and are probably the chief offenders, in carbuncles and many abscesses. Sometimes they work near the surface of the skin or of the membranes lining many of the body organs. Sometimes they burrow deep. Sometimes they even enter the blood stream and float along in the current, alert to make trouble wherever they can. But there is one other bad characteristic that many hemolytic streptococci have. As they grow and mul- Y 10 tiply they produce poisons, called toxins, which circulate throughout the body and give rise to many irritating or damaging effects. One of these is a red rash on the skin, looking like a deep blush. If one touches the reddened skin, it feels rough, somewhat like moderately fine sandpaper, though not so hard or harsh. Now, after all this talk, we can get back to scarlet fever. It is a hemolytic streptococcal infection, but that is not all. In this type of infection the germs work on and near the surface of the membrane lining the throat, causing intense soreness and angry redness, accompanied by general feverishness. They may also burrow deep enough to cause inflammation of the glands of the neck. Occasionally these germs get into the blood stream. If they do, and are carried to the heart, they may damage its lining and valves. Such damage may develop into rheumatic heart disease, or they may damage the kidneys, causing an inflammation that doctors call tis. It may even be unnecessary for the germs themselves to reach the kidneys. Toxins carried in the blood stream may be able to do the damage. Furthermore, such kidney damage may come as late as three weeks after the first fever and sore throat developed, long after the infected person seems to have become entirely well. The streptococci causing scarlet fever are outstanding in their ability to produce a toxin that causes a blushlike skin rash. It is the color of this rash, which anybody can see, and the fever accompanying the infection, which can hardly be overlooked, that long ago gave rise to the old name scarlet fever. You may be wondering why any public health authority anywhere would want to throw away this good old name and replace it with a three-word expression much less familiar and harder to understand. LIFE & HEALTH The point is that in many cases of infection with exactly the same type of germ some have skin rash and others none at all. Yet all are contagious, and all can lead to heart or kidney damage. If we try to single out the cases with a skin rash, which alone could be called scarlet fever, and apply quarantine or other control measures to them only, we are ignoring many cases of hemolytic streptococcal infection that are just as dangerous as those we could call scarlet fever. It is best for public safety to have all cases of hemolytic streptococcal infection made reportable and to use the same control measures with all, even though this does mean throwing away the name scarlet fever or at least paying less attention to it than we once did. What is likely to happen about the name, of course, is that although the words scarlet fever are more and more being put on the official retired list, most of us will keep on using the old name a long time anyhow. But whatever we call it, the condition still has to be reckoned with. It causes fever and sore throat as surely as it ever did. It still may damage the heart or the kidneys. It is still contagious. It may even prove fatal, though not often, especially in places with a mild climate. After the rash fades the skin peels, just as it always did. The flakes of skin that peel off, however, do not carry the infection to other people, contrary to an old idea. Our hopes for a vaccine that can prevent scarlet fever have not been very well realized. The best vac- cine yet prepared has to be given in several successive doses, and it causes about as much misery as an attack of the disease. It is not surprising that very little use is now made of this vaccine. Years ago it was found that some of the sulfa compounds were quite effective in fighting the germs that cause scarlet fever. They have helped many patients win their fight. If given in moderate amounts to children exposed to the disease, they have been found able to protect a large proportion of such children against catching it. More recently, penicillin and some of its relatives have proved to be very useful remedies. They generally are effective against nearly all streptococcal infections. So with these two classes of remedies, or better, with a combination of both, scarlet fever has become a much smaller danger to life and health than it used to be. But if your child is exposed to scarlet fever, it is still something to think seriously about. Exposure doesn't mean that he is sure to catch the disease, of course. In our time the chances of escaping infection are at least as good as four out of five. But even at that, it is worth while to have a doctor prescribe a suitable course of sulfa as a preventive measure. The doses do not have to be large, and they do not have to be taken for very many days, so the chances of harm from the remedy are not great. Taking sulfa as a preventive measure, however, is not always practical. You may (Turn to page 21) H. la. Lambert DURING YOUR CHILD'S ILLNESS with scarlet fever, keep him quiet, even after his period of distress, for the sake of his future health. JANUARY, 1953 11 Lillian Kapman YOUR BABY'S precious little seed pearls grow straight and strong because you have given him the food that makes healthy, white teeth. Raby's kst Zed/ By BEULAH FIUME, OUR baby's first teeth are like the flowers of spring. You know they are going to peep out someday. And when that day arrives how happy you are! They began to grow several months before your baby was born. Your diet during pregnancy helped build them. The quart of milk you did not want, yet took; the cheese, eggs, fresh fruits, and vegetables that your doctor insisted on, all helped to give a good start to those tiny pearls you are now so proud of. Can first teeth safely be simply admired, or do they need help to grow? They most certainly call for food to make them strong and healthy. Milk provides important minerals. Cod-liver oil or some substitute the doctor will order furnishes necessary vitamin D. Orange juice and tomato juice give essential vitamin C. Without plenty of vitamin C every day, baby's gums would become soft and spongy, and his teeth would not be tightly held in place. Fruits, vegetables, and, before long, protein foods Y 12 R.D. will supply other elements needed for daily dental development. Then, too, chewing on pieces of hard food that cannot crumble and choke the baby or on a teething ring will aid the teeth in their comingthrough process and relieve touchy, painful gums as well. Does teething make a baby sick? Most doctors say it does not. They claim that if baby feels really ill, especially if his temperature rises, then something other than teething is probably the trouble. So don't let your baby suffer without proper care. Of course he may fret, rub his gums, and refuse to eat a time or two, but if the thermometer shows that he is feverish, tell your doctor. The first teeth, like the second ones, need help to protect them against their greatest enemy, decay. A wholesome diet does much to safeguard against it. But germs get into the mouth in spite of everything you can do. Just watch how a baby tastes and sucks everything; the entrance of germs is unavoidable. LIFE & HEALTH Your baby's teeth can be lovely or marred for life, depending on the way you care for the first ones. Any sickness, even a slight one, may affect baby's teeth, for the blood that flows through the infected part of the body also flows through the gums, where the teeth are growing. It can carry germs to them. So after every illness take your child to the dentist for a careful checkup. When should a baby first see the dentist? It is generally agreed that age two is a good time to start. By your taking him when he feels well and his teeth are in good condition, he will not experience any fear. When the dentist examines the baby's teeth and finds nothing wrong, the little one does not 'dread the next visit. Three times a year there should be a dental checkup on the first teeth. When any tiny cavity is discovered, before it has developed to real size, it can be filled without pain. And thus the first teeth will be preserved. A half century ago first teeth were not properly cared for. That is why we see so many middleaged people with false teeth, toothless spaces, or teeth that overlap or protrude. If the first teeth are neglected, they decay. Then the second teeth that later take their place do not have the aid they should re- ceive from the first teeth. The space left by the first teeth may close up and not leave enough room in the jaw for the attractive, even upper and lower sets that should be well established in every teen-age boy and girl. My grandmother used to tie a string around our aching teeth, tie the string to a doorknob, and slam the door shut. "It's only a first tooth," she would say. "It's of no importance." But we now know how false and wrong that idea was. Once a first tooth is out, there may have to be a wait of several years before the space will be filled by the permanent one that finally takes its place. When modern dentists find that a first tooth has been neglected so badly it must be extracted, they protect the space by fitting a little metal cap over each of, the two teeth beside the space. They join the two metal caps with a strong metal bar. The bar holds the two teeth apart and keeps the space wide open, so that when the permanent tooth comes through it will have plenty of room and will not crowd the jaw or overlap the other teeth. Are some babies' teeth soft and others' hard? Dental opinion is that there is no such thing as soft teeth. Some first teeth decay more quickly than others, but that is because of diet, heredity, or illness, not because they were made without sufficient strength. When does a baby usually begin to cut teeth? The first teeth generally put in an appearance between the fifth and the tenth month. Diet and heredity help decide whether teeth shall be cut late or early. If your baby gains normally, eats and sleeps well, uses his muscles for exercise, cries only enough to let you know he's yours, and has regular, healthy bowel movements, you need not be concerned if he fails to cut his first tooth, until he is well past six months of age. The four center teeth appear first. The two in the upper jaw may steal a march on the two in the lower jaw, or vice versa. All four seldom come through at once! Most people think teeth grow out through the gums from their roots. But oddly enough a baby's first teeth grow "backward." The body of the teeth shows through the gums before the roots are fully formed. About two months after the first two uppers and two lowers (Turn to page 31) . Devaney SPARKLING WHITE TEETH, bright eyes, and a clear skin are the birthright of every adult. Right living and right eating will give them to your children. JANUARY, 1953 13 Dr" aild a BLOODt4 COUNT The medical technologist in your clinical laboratory stands ready to protect your health. By GRACE PAUL Medical Technologist (A.S.C.P.) OME patients get a false sense of security from a normal blood count, and occasionally are like the young woman who said, "Well, my blood count is normal, so all these pains in my back must be imaginary." She had forgotten a serious fall four years before, when she sat down where the chair wasn't. At the time she felt stiff and sore but was able to keep moving. When she finally mentioned the fall, the doctor's job was easy. There are other people with far more serious ailments who stop going to the doctor because of a normal blood count. Actually, the blood count is ordered to rule out certain inflammatory conditions that would make it difficult for the doctor to make a diagnosis. The number of white blood cells present in the blood is an indication of how the body is responding to whatever is causing the pain. If there is an infection present, the number of "soldier boy" white cells, called neutrophilic polymorphonuclears, is increased. If the patient has good resistance, the total number of white blood cells is greater than in a patient who does not have good resistance. The amount of hemoglobin and the number of red blood cells are decreased if a person is anemic, and the cells take on bizarre shapes and vary greatly in size if a person is markedly anemic. When the technologist does a blood count she usually counts the total number of white blood cells and the percentage of each kind, the total number of red blood cells, and the amount of hemoglobin. The doctor correlates the report with what he has learned, and knows he can eliminate some of the possible causes of the patient's difficulties. If the physician suspects Meisel, From Monkmeyer appendicitis, he can be reaWHAT WILL your blood count reveal? It may tell a lot, it may tell a little. Though sonably certain from the rea real guide to your physician, it won't tell him everything about you, the patient. S 14 LIFE & HEALTH sults of the blood count whether the pain was due to an inflamed appendix. If he suspects malaria, he can be certain only when the parasites are visible, for even the best of technologists miss parasites in some stages of their development. The trained technologist, such as the medical technologist registered by the American Society of Clinical Pathologists, can increase the value of a blood count considerably by giving the doctor a scientific description of any unusual cells and informing him as to the relative number of immature cells. There is no field in which it is more important to have the work of an experienced technologist than in blood counting. Even some of the counts that look normal so far as numbers go are actually suggestive of certain pathological conditions. Doctors almost always order a blood count when a person has a severe sore throat, for the possible causes of the inflammation or swelling must be determined. Several years ago a young man was sent to a laboratory for a blood count, and everything seemed just about normal on the report. After work hours that night the medical technologist made her usual check of the smears counted by students and nonregistered technologists. When she checked the young man's blood smear, she instantly recognized cells strongly suggestive of a disease called infectious mononucleosis. On the record they had been reported as normal cells. Fortunately a specimen had been taken for serum testing, and with it she was able to run further tests and be sure of her analysis before admitting to the doctor that a misleading report had been allowed to leave the laboratory. The further tests confirmed her suspicions, and she telephoned the clinical pathologist, who in turn called the physician. All the patient needed to do was rest and gargle frequently. In a few days he was as good as new, and probably in better health than if the doctor had continued to treat the throat for an infection to which he apparently had no resistance. In another case the diagnosis was not made so quickly. A businessman who had had intermittent chills for two weeks was sent to a laboratory where the technologist had a reputation for finding malaria parasites when others missed them. Although she did not find parasites after a careful count, she had an idea. She reported to the pathologist that there was a condition present very commonly found in undulant fever. The pathologist learned from the physician that the patient had not been tested for undulant fever, and subsequent tests gave strong evidence of its presence. The technologist knows the meaning of what she sees, and her report gives a correct word picture of the patient's condition. Medical technologists registered by the American Society of Clinical Pathologists spend one year in a recognized training school in a laboratory where she gains a varied experience. This year of training gives the practical finish to the learning obtained in two, three, or four years of college, producing a qualified, dependable scientific worker. Experience with many types of cases pays off. A child with a diagnosis of acute leukemia was sent to a laboratory to have the (Turn to page 34) JANUARY, 1953 PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE WHERE SHALL I FIND SECURITY? By D. A. DELAFIELD Universal insecurity is reflected in the fact that in 1939 there were five major secret police forces in the world, and ten years later the number had increased to thirty-nine secret police agencies in thirtysix countries. What is true of the state is true of the average individual. In order to protect himself from dangers without and within, he carries life insurance and health insurance, invests in stocks, bonds, and property, strives for an education, and engages in numerous social activities. People seek security in church attendance. The adversity of our times has stirred the instinct to worship God and find shelter beneath the everlasting arms. Religion has made new gains. Three out of every five Americans are members of some religious body. The total number of adherents in the United States is 88,673,005. About 22,000,000 were added to the churches during the 1940's. This growth is continuing in the early 1950's. People are looking for inspiration, assurance, and security in the spiritual life—something that materialism does not afford. If we have made provision for our material security in the days to come—and we should—let us also make provision for our spiritual security by exercising faith in God. The new year stretches before us. We do not know what joys and sorrows it may bring. But beyond the clouds God stands in the unknown realm of life, keeping watch over those who trust Him. He bids us make provision for more than our temporal needs. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." When disaster strikes we come face to face with those indestructible things we call spiritual values. There is nothing left but faith—nothing left but God. When we have God, do we not possess the greatest treasure? True security may be found in Him. He is a refuge and fortress to which we may flee for shelter when the storms of life beat upon us. 15 ROBERT U. SELIGER, M.D. Fellow of the American Geriatrics Society Do you feel old and unhappy? Do an unselfish act for someone else! tists have never found one! Gerontology, the study ON'T let old age scare you. Instead of being of the aging process, is a relatively new but increasshoved aside into loneliness and futility, the ingly important science. Another word that we're goolder citizen has rapidly become a Very ing to hear a lot more of is geriatrics, the diseases of Important Person in the United States toold age. In the not-too-distant future the older person day. So important, in fact, that State and national will be seeing his geriatrician just as the child his conferences are being held to consider his interests. pediatrician or the expectant mother her obstetrician. The aim is to enable him to make full and happy use The reason we're not further advanced in geriatrics of his golden years. is that we as a nation have always thought of ourselves Of course one of the reasons behind this new as young. Our prolonged accent on youth through emphasis on age is purely statistical. If you're sixtymagazines, advertisements, and radio has blinded us five or over, you are one out of every twelve people to the realities. We find that we have never fitted ourin the country. In 1900 you would have been only selves for the later years, and are hurrying to. do so. one out of twenty-five, but by 1975 you will be one We made a beginning toward a happy golden age out of every nine. in social security, old age pensions, and retirement Aside from the weight of numbers plus lowered plans. But economic security is only one of the reimmigration and smaller families, the older person has also become important because people live longer. Medical and scientific discoveries have wiped out so many diseases and brought more under control that the sixty-five-year-old may now confidently expect more than thirteen years added to his life. But what about adding life to his years? When is a person really old? Forced retirement at sixty-five implies that that is old age. Yet there are companies that will not employ a woman over thirty-five or a man over forty-five. And we've all heard the person who says, "I was born old." We may feel old when we've passed the twenties, the thirties, when our first grandchild is born, or when we are retired. Or we may be like the woman of eighty who when asked how it felt to be old replied, "I don't know. I'm not old yet." Religious Film Association You may have your personal LOOK on the bright side of the ledger. With advancing years come greater accuracy in your judgment, greater enjoyment. You have the capacity to do more for others than before. definition for old age—but scien- D 16 LIFE & HEALTH II. A. Rr,berts SMILE and bring a bit of cheer into the world. Put yourself out to make your loved ones happy. Make everybody glad they're lucky enough to have you around. quirements for a full life. As Federal Security Administrator Oscar R. Ewing said at the First National Conference on Aging: "This is a country where it's wonderful to be young. It must become a country where it is also wonderful to be old." What does it take to enjoy a wonderful old age? Delegates to the Second International Gerontological Congress at St. Louis in September, 1951, agreed that the calendar years can be only labels, not the determining factors of age, and that the creative faculty is not only ageless but a dominating impulse in life. Forced retirement at sixty-five means that you must look for new ways of creating if you are to be happy. According to a recent Northwestern National Life Insurance Company poll, seventy-six policyholders wanted to continue working after sixty-five. They didn't want their living standards greatly lowered, but chiefly they didn't want to feel useless, bored, and lonely. Recognizing this need, more and more communities in the United States have set up educational centers so that older people may acquire skills for new and fascinating careers. Last year a friend of mine sold his restaurant business and retired. After a few months of boredom he enrolled in an adult education course in wood carving, a hobby he had been pursuing at odd moments. He enjoyed himself so much that one day, on an impulse, he applied to an airplane company for a job carving models. "I'm working full time for defense," he told me the other day. "And I still can't get over it—getting JANUARY, 1953 paid for something I would gladly do just for fun." Women who have spent their lives as homemakers are not likely to have developed money-making hobbies. A woman in our town, when faced with the bleak prospect of lonely widowhood and little money, took a gardening course. She began because one of her friends was taking it and the course was free. The two of them wound up with a garden maintenance business of their own. It is called the Red Wagon Garden Service, and they are doing fine! Any geriatrician will tell you that more people rust out than wear out. Not long ago on a New York bound plane I sat next to a jaunty little lady who might have been on a visit to her grandchildren. Taking a sheaf of notes from a smart handbag, she studied them carefully. "I must be letter perfect," she announced proudly. "I'm a guest speaker at the convention." She went on to inform me that after her husband's death she became so depressed and lethargic that she decided to go back to work. Formerly an expert saleswoman and corset fitter, she found a job with a growing company. Now after a year she was being sent to teach its representatives. Obviously this enthusiastic woman found her golden years bright indeed. But many people need vocational guidance to help them discover what kind of job they are best fitted for. One of the first centers for vocational guidance was opened in California almost thirty years ago by Dr. Lillian Martin. At sixty-five she became an old(Turn to page 30) age psychologist and vocational 17 NOW TO RELAX EDMUIlD JACOB5011, M.D. Are you all tied up in knots as you meet people and do your work? Rome wasn't built in a clay, but you can improve. F SOMEONE greatly interested in you were suddenly to ask, "Are you a tense person?" would you be able to reply? I doubt it. Yet this question covers many important matters that you should know about yourself ; for if you are unduly tense, you are probably wearing yourself out to a greater extent than if you were habitually relaxed, just as an automobile improperly cared for has a shorter life and gives more trouble from time to time than one properly cared for. That is not all. Tense persons are in many respects under a handicap as compared with others who go through their daily affairs in a relaxed manner. They "take things hard," so to speak, using up their energies faster and probably becoming fatigued too readily. To a certain extent you can be relaxed even while you are in action. This simply means that you use what muscles you need to accomplish a particular act but that you do not at that instant use other muscles not so needed. For instance, the child beginning at the piano may screw up his face unnecessarily, whereas an advanced pupil would perform calmly. Screwing up the face does not aid in playing the piano, but if kept up continuously, it is likely to lead toward fatigue. Relaxed piano playing lacks this and other unnecessary tensions. Relaxed living is likewise without unnecessary tensions. The average person has much to gain from practic- LIE FLAT on your back and fully relax, forgetting the whole working, striving world. Remain quiet for about five minutes. 18 ing relaxation. He should be able to improve himself in various games and sports, singing and speaking. He should succeed in saving energy at his daily tasks and should become at least a little more efficient. But that is not all. In my opinion there is increasing evidence that unnecessary tenseness in muscles and nerves accounts not alone for much of the avoidable wear and tear in our daily lives but also for the occurrence of certain disorders and diseases. This includes various states of "bad nerves" and so-called nervous breakdowns, certain digestive upsets, and constipation resulting from a spastic colon, from which so many Americans suffer. Learning to live in a relaxed manner may help us to stem the increasing tide of deaths from coronary heart disease—a mortality rate that is troubling insurance statisticians. There are reasons for believing also that learning to relax may do much to avert high blood pressure in many instances. Furthermore, there are various disorders involving fatigue that doubtless can be averted or at least somewhat relieved insofar as one practices at relaxation. Relaxation as we know it today is the negative of being nervous. In other words, it is impossible to be nervous or tense at any time or at any place when you are relaxed. One word of warning. If you are ailing, rather than seek a panacea or self-healing in this or in any other WITH YOUR EYES still closed pull your hand up stiffly to your shoulder. Then let your hand fall limp, and relax completely. LIFE & HEALTH contact with each other, with your body, or with any object, even such as a handkerchief. Close your eyes and lie so for about five minutes, striving to relax so far as you know how and as you have done before reading this article. Thereafter, while your eyes remain closed, bend your left arm at the elbow, bringing your hand nearer and nearer your shoulder. As you do this, increase the tension in the arm from moment to moment. This is to give you a working idea, however vague, of what occurs when your arm muscles are in action. After you reach a maximum—which should take little more A. Devaney than one minute—continue to bend NEVER let yourself be satisfied with things as they are if they are all wrong. You sometimes have to work at your life—put a little effort into straightening it out. your arm, but a little less than before. Gradually decrease this—some educational or medical method, you should of course more—and then a little more—and more. This illusfollow the advice of your doctor. Nevertheless, you trates what happens when you relax. Continue this can go ahead in your attempt to learn more about relaxuntil the arm falls limply to the couch or bed. But do ation, confident that if you do so understandingly, you not stop there, for the arm is still somewhat tense may be helped someday if your doctor tells you that even if you do not realize it. Therefore try to continue what you need is rest, and advises you to relax. the relaxation further and further, past the point Accordingly, there are a few things that I should where the arm seems perfectly limp. Then you are like to suggest for a beginning toward the development likely finally to reach a stage of limpness greater than of habits of relaxation. You will of course bear in mind what you would have reached had you not gone through that such development is a serious and important matthis process of bending. ter and, like Rome, cannot be built in a day. RepetiYou are to bend once, and then, unbending fully, tion and daily practice will add up to greater and are to continue to maintain this limp condition in your greater ability to relax. If you seriously intend to beleft arm for at least five minutes before you bend come more relaxed, read You Must Relax (McGraw-Hill a second time. Throughout this interval you are to keep Company, New York). the left arm quiet in the sense of limpness, but you are For a beginning, then, find a bed or a fairly comnot to hold it still, for that would be tenseness not fortable couch that provides plenty of arm room on relaxation. each side. Get away from the children and visitors. When you let your arm unbend, or when you let Lock the door and see that no one disturbs you for an it fall on the couch, do not make the mistake of moving hour, answering no doorbells or telephone calls. Lie your hand to the couch, for this is not relaxing, yet on your back, not crossing your legs but letting your it is what most persons do when requested to relax arms lie at your sides, with your fingers making no (Turn to page 25) the arm. The arm should drop JANUARY, 1953 19 We do not diagnose or treat disease by mail, but answer general health questions. Enclose stamped, addressed envelope. Address: Family Physician, LIFE Cr HEALTH, Washington 12, D.C. Colds and Vitamin Bl What is the proper dosage of vitamin B1 to prevent one from taking colds? So far as we know, no work has been done that establishes a definite dosage of vitamin B1 as a preventive agent in the treatment of colds. The free use of this vitamin seems to have a deterrent effect on the frequency of colds during the winter months especially. We have had patients who have used as high as 300 milligrams a day with excellent results. With others the results have been less assuring. It is our opinion that a fairly generous use of vitamin B1 or, in fact, the whole vitamin B complex, along with vitamin C, may be more valuable in lessening one's susceptibility to colds. complex tablet or capsule and one Parke Davis Panteric capsule with each meal. This will help in his food assimilation. He may need some iron preparation, but a doctor closer at hand should attend to that. He will get the essential minerals in his diet if he has plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits. go the iec , Year By BERTHA D. MARTIN Little New Year with the elfish smile, Can you not let me sleep awhile? Standing so early by my bed, Pulling the covers, nudging my head. You shattered the night with whistle and bell; * * * Go back to sleep for a little spell. What do you have there, little New Year, Anemia in Boy Clutched in your hands so chubby and dear? My five-year-old son's blood count is only fifty. We have good food, and I prepare nourishing meals, but he is a rather poor eater. Please advise. It is possible that you are trying to feed your son too much, and that some of his food is so rich that the little he gets prevents his having enough of the essential foods. It is important that he get plenty of protein food. The part of milk that contains protein is the skimmed milk, and since his appetite will not let him take a sufficient amount of the highcalorie diet you are giving him, it would be wise to give him skimmed milk or remove the cream from the top of the bottle. Do not give any sugar on his cereal. I wouldn't urge him to eat. If he has skimmed milk, he will have a better appetite. He should have a vitamin B Warm bright sunshine, gay spring flowers, Fresh new mornings and work-filled hours, 20 come white and sometimes shrunken for no apparent reason. We know of no cure, but we have observed over periods of years several persons who carry on with very little distress. They take careful precautions to see that their hands and feet are never chilled, always wearing appropriate clothing to keep the members adequately protected. They avoid compressing bands. They use a suitable ointment or oil on their hands, which they rub daily. Also they find bathing with warm water helpful. Sometimes they may resort to other means of artificial heat. With careful attention to these items, many persons have carried on for years with relatively little distress. On general principles, we would assume that a good supply of vitamins in the diet is essential, although no specific effect of vitamins has been pointed out. A lot of laughter, a little pain, And a broken dream that will mend again. Little New Year, you have far to go, On through the summer into the snow; But you will travel with eager stride, Truth in your heart and love by your side. So you must hurry? all right, my sweet, I'll get up and give you something to eat. 11111,--"W ,M1,—,....^V ,1101..^Ir 11,—...".11.0,--"•". ...41.11,11 --A111.111,..J....._-/IS-1111J1..A.--A111•111u11116.411._ Raynaud's Disease My physician tells me I have Raynaud's disease. .Do you know of any cure or help? In Raynaud's disease there is a diminished circulation in the extremities, particularly the fingers. They be- * * * Soft Water Harmful? After boiling our city water for a month in the same teakettle, I find that a crust forms on the bottom and sides, showing the hardness of this water. Many people are putting water softeners in their homes, and they drink the water. Will this softened water injure the body? The softening process commonly removes calcium carbonate and other inert inorganic matter, or forms compounds that keep the calcium in solution. Such water should be safe to drink and have no harmful effects. Some believe that excessive calcium can cause kidney stones. Certain glandular activities may influence the deposition of minerals in the kidneys. Everyone should drink six to eight glasses of water daily to promote free kidney action. LIFE & HEALTH EVERYBODY NEEDS VITAMINS EVERY DAY IN THE YEAR Scarlet Fever (Continued from page 11) NUTRIFAX not know your child has been exposed. In fact, this is true in a majority of cases. The first clue you are likely to Nothing duplicates this have that scarlet fever germs are attacking may be the fever and sore most complete, balanced throat, with perhaps vomiting spells. massively potent A day or two later the rash begins to show, which is rather definite eviVITAMIN-MINERAL dence to anybody who knows what the Diet Supplement rash looks like. The earlier treatment is begun, the sooner distress is over Yes—thanks to 22 years of research, with ; even more important, the less Thompson scientists are now able to likely the child will be to suffer heart provide all this truly remarkable health or kidney damage. protection in one small tablet. For the sake of other children a No other product, even at three times child who shows signs that scarlet the cost, gives you the same complete fever may be coming on should be range and rich potencies as NUTRIFAX. kept in a room by himself. And it is a good idea to let the health officer 18 VITAMI NS! Including B„, Folic know about the situation. His advice Acid, and the entire B complex plus A, and service may be of much help. C, D, E, K, and P. Now, one final word of warning. 11 MINERALS! Including copper, It has been found that physical exphosphorus, iron, iodine, fluorine, and ercise greatly increases the danger to manganese. the kidneys. Keep the child with scarlet fever quiet. And since kidney damCompare the Potency— age may occur as late as three weeks Compare the Price after the illness starts, this means 180 tablets only $7 to keep him quiet three or four weeks. 42 tablets only $2 It is hard to keep a naturally active At all good health food countchild quiet when he feels almost well ers. If not available from a local dealer, order direct by again, but it is important to do so. mail. We pay postage. No C.O.D.'s—please. Plan something to occupy his time that will keep him from engaging in WM. T. THOMPSON CO. play that calls for physical exertion, "Every vitamin for every need" and you may save him and yourself St. Louis 3, Mo. much trouble later on. Los Angeles 27, Calif. Though the old name may have to move over to make way for the new, we cannot say good-by yet to scarlet fever. In many communities it is as common as ever. But if it should come your way, you don't have to worry GET FOOT COMFORT WITH much. Just see that you put into practice what your family physician suggests about dealing with the disease; and although it may be quite a nuiMake walking a pleasure! Try sance, it is not likely to be much of a these famous feather-lite, California-made Foot Balancers. They menace. Here's a quick and easy way to get your needed Vitamin A! Drink EVEREADY Carrot Juice! Vitamin A (Carotene) is abundantly present in this golden, solid-laden EVEREADY Carrot Juice. It's there in all three forms — Alpha, Gamma and the valuable Beta type which yields twice as much Vitamin A as either of the other two! Because it is made from specially selected carrots, allowed to mature until midwinter, EVEREADY Carrot Juice is measurably richer in Carotene. * For free pamphlet of recipes and vitamin facts, write Dole Sales Co., 215 Market Street, San Francisco 6, Calif. Get EVEREADY Carrot Juice at your health food store and grocer's. Owe a friend a favor? Send him a subscription to FEEt-ACHil BURNSeffhoid i give amazing foot comfort! Worn in shoes. Recommended by doctors and nurses. Sold in shoe stores and shoe departments. For men, women, children. Demand BURNS CUBOIDS! a. LS 4w * * Aonsaisto A malt. MOICAL For Name of Your Dealer Wr le Assoasnoe rUSIKATIONS BURNS CUBOID CO., SANTA ANA, CALIF. First Aid A total of 1,093,069 Red Cross firstaid certificates were issued during the last fiscal year—the largest number since the early days of World War II. In June alone 461,497 were issued— more than the total for the entire previous year. JANUARY, 1953 Happiness The puppy says, "Happiness is in my tail. I'm always chasing it, but can never catch it." The old dog says, "You are right. Happiness is in your tail, little puppy. But my experience tells me that if you'll turn around and go ahead, happiness will follow you the rest of your life." People who worry over getting happiness are running around in circles, just like the puppy after his tail. Niblack WHEAT GERM, is chockfull of the kind of food energy that makes you feel better — enjoy life more! Use as ready-toeat cereal, or in making candies and baked goods. Remarkably rich in vitamins, minerals and protein. r — — — SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY OFFER. E FREE Folder with 26 Recipes for Wheat Germ E 2 packages (16 oz. each) of Niblack's Wheat Germ. $1.00 Name Address Town NIBLACK FOODS State 2 Magnolia Street Rochester. New York 21 Questions for this department should be addressed: Mother's Counselor, LIFE & HEALTH, Washington 12, D.C. Enclose stamped, addressed envelope for reply. Constipation Plus Bed-wetting My little boy is constipated. Once in a while he has quite a good bowel movement without medicine, but he is as bad as ever the next day. He is six, and has been constipated since a tiny baby. I give him vegetables and fruits and whatever I think will help him. He also wets the bed. I would greatly appreciate it if you would help me with this problem. I wonder whether you may not be transmitting your anxiety about his constipation to your little boy. This is easy to do. When a mother shows anxiety or irritation about constipation, bed-wetting, or any other habit, the child tends to become anxious and nervous. This nervousness tightens the bowels, slowing them up, and affects the bladder, making the bedwetting worse. If it should be a matter of eating, nervousness may make a child lose his appetite. Whatever the problem, it is made much worse by the child's nervous tension. This tension does much more harm than the original habit. The fact that your boy has a bowel movement by himself once in a while suggests that the bowel would be able to take care of itself if given a chance. It is not necessary that his bowels move every day. Try just forgetting about it. He won't die or even get sick. Nothing does so much harm as the conflict and tension. Try putting your little boy on the toilet at a regular time daily, but don't keep him there too long. If his bowels do not move in ten or fifteen minutes, say, "Well, I guess your bowels don't want to move today. We shall wait until tomorrow," and smile about it. Do this each morning. Some of these times his bowels will move. Or they may even move at some irregular time, but that is all right. 22 Do everything you can to overcome the nervous tension your little boy must have. Practically always it is nervous tension that helps to cause bed-wetting as well. Be happy with your child, and see how well nature herself will respond to such treatment. Disobedience in Children I have two boys, four years old and eleven, who just will not mind. I understand that it is wrong to correct them, so I simply send them to their room or something of that nature. The other day the teacher at school paddled the older boy, and he was well behaved the rest of the day. I feel it is important that your sons be dealt with very firmly. The chances are they will not mind until they have one or two rather severe physical punishments. When they find out that those who have authority over them will enforce their request for obedience, they will become happy, obedient children. SMOKING HAZARD The danger in smoking not only involves your pocketbook but your own life and that of others. For not only is smoking today causing burns in clothing, tablecloths, and on furniture, but insurance underwriters say that virtually 33 per cent of all fires in the U.S. are caused by smoking. And forest conflagrations often rise from the carelessly disposed cigarette or burning match. There is something wrong if the punishment has to be continually repeated. Chastisement, if done correctly, rarely needs to be repeated more than a time or two. The right kind of punishment should settle the matter of obedience for all time. It must be given without any sign of irritation but with firmness. I shall quote from one of the new psychiatric books, entitled Psychiatry in a Troubled World, by William C. Menninger. "The child must learn that the failure to live up to expected behavior will result in loss, exclusion, or directly resulting pain." Whose Fault? Dr. Paul Popenoe, an outstanding writer and lecturer on family relations, says that even more important than an attitude of love toward the child is what the child sees of affectionate demonstration and kindly consideration between father and mother. "The young man who thinks the world owes him a living will be the old man who blames the world for his failure." There never should be any disagreement or argument between the parents before the child if they wish to have success in raising the family. LIFE & HEALTH 110[111S o'o Out (2o nitiLion ).• (Continued from page 7) teaching she has taken a special interest in health education for children. Her husband. who is also a teacher, always holds the red pencil over the pages of a manuscript. They live on their ranch in California, near the schools in which they teach, and their hobby is superintending the activities of a large dairy. Mrs. Morrill directs the feeding of the calves. "just to be sure they have the right formula of minerals and vitamins." Frank Linwood Bailey ("A Walk in the Woods," page 30) is a Plymouth, Massachusetts, optometrist and a lover of the woods. Born in Portland, Maine, he grew up in the little town of South Harpswell, farther down on Casco Bay. A graduate of Westbrook Seninary, where he was captain of the track team, he later entered the University of Maine, and graduated with the degree in pharmacy and chemistry Ph.C. Later taking graduate work at the Klein School of Optics, Boston, and the Philadelphia Optical College, he received the degree of Opt.D. Married and the father of two children and grandfather of three, he says his hobbies are hunting, fishing, and bird study, plus writing poetry. An ardent lover of the great outdoors, he spends almost every Wednesday in the woods. But a recent rainy Wednesday prevented his usual custom, so he sat down and wrote "A Walk in the Woods." Pictured with Dr. Bailey in the accompanying illustration is one of his grandsons, Ross Bailey, to whom he is telling a fish story while sitting on the steps of their mountain cabin. JANUARY, 1953 Make Meal-Planning with Worthington Foods Here are some of the many Worthington Foods that make it so easy to plan hearty, nourishing meals of ever-changing variety. They give you a choice of delicious, wholesome, appetizing foods for every occasion. Each product is different in taste and in caloric value. But all are nutritious and easy to prepare in many different ways. And it's so easy to keep these popular foods on hand. Just stack them in your cupboard; they're ready to cook and serve any time. Economical, too—not an ounce of waste in any product! CHOPLETS—Meatless fillets made from wheat protein, packed in mushroom broth containing brewer's yeast for added flavor and food value. KEL-JEL—A delicious gelatin mix containing no animal products. Each 3-ounce packet makes a pint or more of smooth, clear gelatin for desserts or salads. Six flavors. VEGA-LINKS—A well-balanced protein food in popular form, containing wheat gluten, soya, hydrolyzed vegetable proteins, potato meal, and flavorings. PROAST—A tasty, high-protein loaf product, now made better than ever by a new process. NUMETE—is another loaf product of all higher fat content, less protein. VEELETS—Delicious bite-size pieces of wheat protein. Tender and juicy. Easily prepared. BREADING MEAL—A wholesome mix of toasted bread crumbs, potato meal, soya meal, vegetable seasonings. Also ideal in loaves and patties. ASPNEO ADDS ZEST TO FRIED FOODS SAVED GOODS MEAT LOAVES d many, other 23 Wings of Health Amity MADGE HAINES MORRILL, M.A1;,..p A CLUB FOR BOYS AND GIRLS MUSCLES AND A SKATING PARTY ID you see that man and woman doing those tumbling stunts on D television last evening?" asked Ted as muscle up into a knot. "And the other kind of muscles are those that a person can't control himself, like the stomach muscle, which keeps working even while one is sleeping or when one is thinking about something else. But I don't know the names." "The muscles are classified into two groups," said Aunt Harriet, "the voluntary and the involuntary." Ted laughed and remarked, "My stomach muscle is the involuntary he walked up to the group of boys who were adjusting the straps on their ice skates at the edge of the frozen pond. "Yes, I did," answered Allen. "If I had muscles like that man, I could skate around this pond like a flash of light. I never knew before that people could have such well-coordinated and trained muscles as that." The other boys in the group were listening intently, and the girls ********************* stopped to listen in on the interesting talk. CHEW! CHEW! CHEW! "It takes a lot of practice," Ted said with assurance. He stood up and By NATHANIEL KRUM said, "Right now I want to give my Now Johnny wouldn't chew his food, muscles a good workout here on the ice—come on, boys, let's race the girls But gulped it down so quick around the pond." His tummy ached and ached and ached, Even after the skating party was And Johnny got so sick. over and the boys and girls were eating popcorn and apples at Allen's home But Mary chewed and chewed and around the big fireplace, Ted was still chewed, talking about the "muscle" man and She ground her food so well woman he had seen on television. He Her tummy never hurt a bit, kept making remarks about the skill And Mary's feeling swell! they had in their tumbling acts. Allen said finally, "I guess Ted ******* ************* won't be satisfied until he has a lecture on muscles. I'm going to call my Aunt Harriet, who is visiting us, and have kind—it works, and then gets hungry her give Ted and the rest of us a while I am playing and my mind is lesson on muscles." on other things besides food." Aunt Harriet, who was a nurse, was "That is right," Aunt Harriet comsmiling as she came into the room. mented, "and your heart is another of "Might as well make yourselves com- the involuntary kind. It keeps on beatfortable," she told the children as they ing and working even when your mind sat down on the floor to listen. "It is thinking about skating." seems that Ted wants to know some"My leg and arm bones would not thing about muscles. First, I'd better be much good if I didn't have musask a few questions and find out how cles," Ted said. "How many muscles much you know about muscles, so I do we use when we walk ?" won't be telling you something you "A person uses about three hundred already know." muscles at every step he takes," Aunt Ted said, "I know there are two dif- Harriet answered. "There are almost ferent kinds of muscles. I learned that eight hundred muscles in the body. in our health class at school. The one "A muscle is made up of many, kind are like the muscles in my arm," many small fibers. Some of the fibers and he bent his arm and drew the are as small as hairs. These small 24 muscle fibers are packed together like small strands in a huge cable; and packed together side by side, they make up a large muscle. For instance, those large muscles on your arms are known as biceps, and each muscle contains about 260,000 fibers." "What can one do to be sure he has good muscles?" Ted asked courteously. "Exercise," answered Aunt Harriet. "That is one of the first rules for good muscles. A muscle that is not used becomes limp and incapable of function. The more you use your muscles, the stronger they become. "Rest periods are as important as exercise. The right amount of sleep each night and correct eating habits of foods that are healthful and beneficial are also important to health and strength." Allen said, "I read in a health magazine that those people in the tumbling team never smoke or drink." Aunt Harriet nodded and smiled. "Many people who have the most perfect control of their body muscles are those who never touch tobacco or alcohol. Some of the most skilled athletes have no harmful habits." "I think it would be good for all of us to take regular exercise every day, don't you ?" Allen asked Aunt Harriet. "Yes, indeed. Regular exercise is much better than a hit-or-miss plan. One can't take all his exercise on a week end and be limp as a jellyfish the rest of the week and ever expect to excel. You club members must remember to get some rough and tumble, or at least outdoor games and exercise every day that the weather permits. Remember, Ted, that watching people do tumbling acts on television is not going to help your muscles. And don't spend time listening to the radio or watching television when you should be outdoors playing games or helping your father with chores. Those chores represent good muscle training." Aunt Harriet turned to the girls with the remark, "Home duties are good muscle builders and trainers. Helping your mothers with the housework is a very fine type of exercise. "But always remember this, boys and girls," Aunt Harriet said: "Being a cheerful loser or at least not a proud, not a boastful winner, is even more essential for a good, wholesome life than only physical power. A friendly comradeship is what young people need and enjoy." Allen said, "Thank you, Aunt Harriet, for your advice. Better come and join us again a week from now, when we plan to have another skating party. You might see us with stronger muscles by then." LIFE & HEALTH How to Relax (Continued from page 19) limply of its own weight. This requires no assistance or action on your part but only inaction. Relaxation is always easy. If it seems to require effort, you are failing. When you relax the result is inevitably agreeable and restful. If your left arm becomes well relaxed, let it remain in that condition for a half hour or more. Keep your eyes closed, and so rest as fully as possible. More likely after five or ten minutes of practice you will feel like doing something, which reaction means that you are not yet relaxed. Thereupon you may bend increasingly and then decreasingly as before, in order to get the sense of direction toward relaxation. Having done so, proceed once more to lie relaxed for a period. It is well to understand that bending the arm is not properly speaking a relaxation exercise. There is no such thing as an exercise that promotes relaxation. You are to bend your arm not to induce relaxation but as a step toward learning to recognize tension. The beginner in learning to relax commonly makes the mistake of tensing some muscle in order to effect relaxation, thereby defeating his own purpose. When you next attempt to relax, devote the hour to your right arm and practice as before. It is well to reserve an hour each day for relaxation. If convenient, before luncheon or dinner is an excellent time, but after a meal will do. In hour number three bend your left leg at the knee, proceeding otherwise as described for the left arm. In hour number four do similarly with the right leg. In hour number five arch your back, and then let go. Hour number six may be devoted to pulling the abdominal muscles in (pulling your stomach in, as some say incorrectly), and letting go. At the beginning of hour seven bend your head back and hold it for a minute or more. Do this repeatedly before you let go. As you relax your neck, your head should become loose and limp, so that anyone giving it a gentle push could move it readily on your shoulders. In hour eight wrinkle your forehead and hold it so for a few seconds or minutes, then let go, till it has no feeling at all. A few persons do not succeed in wrinkling their foreheads, and they will do better to omit this practice. Next, in hour nine you come to the frown that is seen conspicuously in many persons. After you have frowned several times and have maintained it JANUARY, 1953 —always these and the other tensions described above with eyes closed—let this part go as you have the others previously. See if by persistent daily practice at forehead and brow you can in time do something toward diminishing wrinkling and frowning. Whenever you engage in practice at relaxing any part—for example, your leg or brow—you are to relax at the same time in all other parts that have received practice previously. Time will tell what you can do in this manner, which is of course only a start toward learning to relax. But it may be well worth your while to begin. If you meet with even a moderate degree of success in this important matter, perhaps you will become so interested that you will read a more detailed account of how to relax. • Rely on CERAPLEX A FOOD SUPPLEMENT OF EXCEPTIONAL MERIT Its organic base of wheat, alfalfa, parsley, watercress, rice, yeast, and kelp supplies, in part, a NATURAL FORM of essential food factors necessary for the maintenance of maximum nutritional health. These are fortified to insure full potency of all 25 vitamins and minerals. Write for Free Illustrated Folder. 2 Months' Supply, $6.45 At your favorite healthfood store or from EMENEL COMPANY Loma Linda, California Cough Medicine Can Kill! A warning against using old medicines that have been sitting in your medicine closet is this story, which comes from Santa Monica Hospital on the recent death of a woman who drank some 4-year-old cough syrup. Evaporation had caused a heavy concentration of strychnine in it. The woman, Miss Gertrude Koehler, 37, of 339 North Spazier, Burbank, California, complained of feeling ill at a West Los Angeles home, and was taken immediately to the hospital. She told attendants that earlier she had taken the cough syrup to relieve a cold. The prescription called for a harmless amount of strychnine. However, hospital attendants said that since the filling of the prescription, evaporation had concentrated the poisonous alkaloid out of proportion to the other ingredients in the prescription. After any illness, it is always wise to discard all old medicines, and not to use them for a succeeding illness, unless specifically ordered by your doctor.—ED. Enjoy carefree relaxation under the Florida sun . . . Cool lake breezes . . . Peace of mind—away from clamoring resort crowds. Walker Memorial Sanitarium offers you the modern facilities of its departments of Dietetics, Surgery, Maternity, Laboratory, X-ray. Write for illustrated booklet "L" WALKER MEMORIAL SAMTARHIM & HOSPITAL -Ovan k Part. 77ceri,6 HONEY AND HEALTH Honey is a very valuable source of energy. This is largely due to a sugar called levulose. Some physicians advocate the use of honey when there is an accumulation of fluid in the body, since honey has the ability to attract water. In certain instances body fluid has been reduced by taking two teaspoonfuls of honey at each meal. Honey i a "most valuable potential energy creator for the human system." This natural sugar is absorbed slowly, so that it does not make a sudden rise in blood sugar (hyperglycemia). This allows certain types of patients intolerant to sugars to use honey when they could not use those that are more readily absorbed. (Reference: Bodog F. Beck, M.D., and D. C. Jarvis, M.D.) Lev-U-Dcx 100% Pure Raw Virgin Honey is high in levulose 48.6. . . . Send $5.00 for 5 lb. size postpaid. No C.O.D.', please. SUN FED HONEY COMPANY Bee Ridge 3, Florida 25 If you have a question or problem regarding food or diet, address: The Dietitian, LIFE & HEALTH, Washington 12, D.C. Enclose stamped, addressed envelope for reply. Arthritis Diet A friend of mine has arthritis. Can she expect any benefit from a diet? Through the years several prominent physicians have tried special diets in the treatment of arthritis, and they have reported some degree of success in certain cases. There is today no definitely recognized diet procedure that by itself is known to cure or relieve arthritis. However, as you doubtless are aware, some newly developed pharmaceutical products are being used with encouraging results in some cases. Many physicians are enthusiastic about their use. At the 1952 National Dietetic Convention in Cleveland it was reported that patients taking cortisone should have a diet low in sodium. This means that regular table salt should be restricted in foods and in cooking; also regular baking powder and soda must be eliminated from the diet, because they contain much sodium. There are a special sodium-free table salt and a sodium-free baking powder on the market. They are sold by health food stores and pharmacists. It was further suggested at the convention that the diet should be adequate in high-quality protein and calories. The following menus are merely suggestive of one way of interpreting such a diet order. Breakfast Orange juice Shredded-wheat with sliced banana and milk Two poached eggs on low-salt wholewheat toast with low-salt butter Postum made with milk and sweetened with honey Dinner Low-salt cottage cheese soufflé with fresh mushrooms Large baked potato with 2 pats of low-salt butter 2.6 Baked carrots and onions seasoned with low-salt butter Sliced tomatoes with avocado if available and cucumbers seasoned with lemon juice Milk to drink Low-salt whole-wheat bread with lowsalt butter Melon for dessert or a ripe pear Supper Low-salt succotash with salt-free beans and corn seasoned with low-salt butter and a little cream Low-salt whole-wheat bread and low-salt butter Large fruit salad with unsalted almonds Milk and low-salt macaroons With these menus the special sodium-free salt may be used and enWVVA/WV/VW1V C C JANUARY FOOD BARGAINS These foods should be at the top of your shopping list. They are mentioned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as most plentiful and hence most thrifty buys at this season. They represent normal seasonal availabilities. FRUITS VEGETABLES Apples Cranberries Grapefruit Oranges Winter pears Dried prunes Raisins Tangerines Dried beans Cabbage Carrots Celery Lettuce Onions Canned and dried peas Irish potatoes Sweet potatoes Sauerkraut Spinach PROTEIN FOODS Dried beans Cottage cheese, cream cheese Eggs Tree nuts Peanut butter OTHERS Corn products Honey Molasses Oat products C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C joyed on baked potato, eggs, and other foods as desired. There are different kinds of arthritis and varying degrees of involvement. It has been said that ninety per cent of individuals over forty have some abnormal joint condition. Many never know that they do not have a normal bony structure unless they happen to have an X-ray examination. Among those who are thoroughly healthy but much overweight are some who have sore joints because of the weight on the joints. They will often be heard to say, "My feet are just killing me." A diet program consisting of a low-calorie diet adequate in all food essentials except the calories, carried out under a physician's supervision, has been known to give relief to many of these sufferers. You have all seen the gnarled joints of those who have worked too hard at some period in life. Whether adequate nutrition could have prevented the damage we do not know. The hardworking person certainly needs an abundance of all nutrients and by some means plenty of the elements known to aid in keeping bones strong, such as calcium, phosphorus, vitamin C (ascorbic acid), vitamin D, and the B complex vitamins. I recall attending a lecture in Toronto some years ago at which an eminent Canadian physician showed X-rays and gave detailed case histories of arthritic victims who were benefited by the use of wheat germ. About that same time a group of dietitians decided that a therapeutic amount of wheat germ would be four tablespoonfuls daily as a minimum quantity to use. Wheat germ is pleasant to the taste, and when the naturaloil-containing form is available you will find it superior in flavor. Incidentally, maintaining perfect posture in both sitting and standing has been reported as particularly beneficial to arthritics. Those who live in damp, dark environments are apt to have joint trouLIFE & HEALTH ble. Windows should not be heavily draped or covered with plastic material that will keep out the ultraviolet light. An abundance of sunshine or a substitute such as ultraviolet light treatments or vitamin-D-containing foods or capsules is known to be necessary for the normal growth and maintenance of strong bones. A Dr. Reed advanced the sunshine-vitamin, vitamin D, therapy for the treatment of arthritis. He administered vitamin D in very high units. There is danger in overdosage of vitamin D, and it should be used only under a physician's supervision. A very fine sun-lamp bulb that will screw into any ordinary light socket is sold by drugstores for a little less than nine dollars. Quite a few health seekers have these bulbs in the bathroom, so that they can have a sun bath while shaving or tubbing. Dr. Ralph Pemberton, of Boston, uses a special diet for his arthritic patients, cutting sugars and starches. He frequently cuts the total food intake by one third or more, doing this tempo* * )1- * * * *** * * * * * * * * * * * Don't be so sensitive. Not once in 100,000 times does another intend to hurt you. * * * *** ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * rarily, with brilliant results. In his observation he noted an increase of creatinin in the arthritic individual, which was interpreted by the great exponent of vegetarianism, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, as an indication that meats of all sorts should be eliminated from the arthritic diet. Dr. Pemberton made elaborate case reports showing improvement in many cases. Unfortunately, some who have tried to repeat the work have not had the same encouraging results. There have been brief reports of benefit by arthritics using a bloodbuilding program, including a diet rich in iron. Others have had a measure of success with their arthritic patients by using procedures to improve bowel function. Even allergists have reported cases of arthritis seemingly aggravated by an allergy. Physicians who have tried these plans and failed to obtain results usually say that the doctor noting improvement by some particular diet therapy must have been very particular in the selection of his patients. The physician of today decides about diet and therapy in general after taking a complete history and making a very complete medical examination. JANUARY, 1953 Health South of the Border (Continued from page 9) been the problem of the Institute of Inter-American Affairs, and they are being conquered in cooperation with the Latin-American governments. The Latin-American governments and people are coming to realize that they can get rid of these dreaded diseases and know the meaning of good health. Thanks to our public health workers, many are now enjoying health, which they never knew before. Latin-American government officials appreciate the work of the Servicios, and to give the health program "roots" in the various countries, they attempt to develop and encourage leadership among the national doctors, nurses, engineers, and other health workers. In Brazil the director of the Servicio is a Brazilian doctor, and other countries will follow the pattern of depending on their own men to carry on the health program. One thing that must be remembered, however, is that the U.S. program must not be forced on the peoples of other countries. We must remember that the United States started slow in its health program, and it cannot expect neighbor countries to do the job overnight. The United States should simply assist in finding ways to grow adequate food and develop a simple health and sanitation program. If it does this wisely, the Asiatic peoples will have greater confidence in Americans and their interest. In the United States we have to a marked degree conquered diseases of childhood and poor sanitation, and are now pointing our efforts to reduce the diseases of later life. But in many of the countries that some may consider undeveloped and primitive, the tremendous number of infant deaths is almost accepted as normal or a natural part of infancy, as it was considered here fifty years ago. The United States has learned how to prevent most infant deaths, but has not learned how to prevent many diseases of old age or how to prevent the disease and disability that increase so rapidly after fifty. And while the people of the United States face the challenge of conquering the diseases of middle and old age, they can be proud of joining hands with their neighbor nations to help them conquer the diseases of their little children, to give them bread to eat and cleaner places to live in. In improving the health of the world, the United States is simply taking its rightful place as big brother and helper in gaining better understanding between nations. 6 FOR LOW SALT DIETS Cellu Vegetables—packed without any salt or seasoning. Write for circular and name of dealer. ELL i PURPOSEFULLY PREPARED Dietary goods U CHICAGO DIETETIC SUPPLY HOUSE Inc. 1750 Wast Van Buren Strome Chicago 12. Illinois You Need PEP I P!S[Nw NOT just a vitamin tablet NOT just NOT a food supplement just a mineral wafer BUT an amazing combination of concentrated "LIVE" foods. Excellent for a "quick lift" or as a tasty, low. calorie "pickup" for between-meal hunger. Deep sea help Whets, Germ Brewers yeast Phosphorous Cason Spinach Soy milk iron Dandelion Egg calcium, etc. DELICIOUS F000HSE:RTFIS NON-FATTENING , I KEVO-LH5, 900 Foothill Blvd., Azusa, Calif. Enclosed find: ) 10c for 4 Kevo-Etts and mailing / $1.35 for 112 Kevo-Etts. postpaid I ) $2.59 for 224 Kevo-Etts, postpaid I NAME I ADDRESS I CITY L 27 When writing, please enclose stamped, addressed envelope for reply. Address: Home Editor, LIFE & HEALTH, Washington 12, D.C. A very happy new year to all 'of our readers ! May this new year bring you everything that is good for you. May we homemakers have more sympathy, compassion, forbearance, and longsuffering (and don't we all need these often !). Meet a New Friend. This year I'd like you to meet some homemakers in different States, and this month I introduce to you Mrs. Gladys Cunning, of Moberly, Missouri, and share with you a letter she has written me. The Cunnings are in the refrigeration business, as you may guess from the letter. I receive most friendly, helpful letters from Mrs. Cunning. DEAR MRS. KEELER : How fleeting time is ! I've hardly become efficient at writing 1952, and in just a little while we will have to write 1953. At this time I think of all my wonderful friends scattered in all directions and on several continents. Wouldn't it be nice if I could span the miles quickly and drop in for a little chat with you? I could express my new year's wishes for you, visit a while, and meet your little grandson. But central Missouri is far from the Finger Lakes country, so I'll just write part of what I want to say. I hope that 1953 holds many good things for you. This winter finds us still busy at the store. Last summer's refrigeration sales and service were good, but it is surprising how much refrigeration is needed even in this cold weather. Of course, right now heating is demanding more attention. The two services tie together nicely for us. Did I tell you that I have a brandnew gas range? I like it right well, for it does good work and is easily kept clean. Every part of it can be washed and dried just like a dish. It has an electric lighter on each burner and on the oven. That does away with pilot light or matches. In case the power fails for a time it still can be 28 lighted with a match. The back is quite high, and the fluorescent light illuminates the whole top of the range. While sitting here at the kitchen table I can look through the glass oven door into the electrically lighted interior and watch my blackberry cobbler baking. We are enjoying the long winter evenings, and are getting caught up 00111•JJ116-AlugaI1/0.41/JR•JuiNbaJ1J11166.11J16 Starlings By EDGAR DANIEL KRAMER Across the snow The starlings go As lightly as a feather; With chirping clear And hearts of cheer They mock the wintry weather. Though cold winds blow, They flout all woe, As well as what comes after; And hearkening The songs they sing, My sad heart fills with laughter. on some of the reading we didn't get done last summer. I like the winter evenings even better than the summer evenings, since we work at the store all day. It is good to get home, have our supper (we still call it supper), then relax in robes to read, sew, or even play a game or two. I'm just now getting my appliquéd iris quilt completed. The flowers there aren't as pretty as the ones I have in the garden each spring, but they look good to me in winter when snow and ice cover everything outside. Our supper tonight was good—a spaghetti dish. You might call it Italian spaghetti, but I make it from my own recipe without naming it. It is a quickly prepared dish, and saves dishwashing. Want to hear about it? Into my pressure cooker I empty a jar of tomatoes, three cups of coarsely diced celery, one large onion diced, one cup of diced mushrooms either fresh or canned, and a half can of chopped meat substitute. I add two teaspoons of salt and a cup of water, adjust the lid, and cook for fifteen minutes at fifteen pounds pressure. On each plate I put a mound of spaghetti that has been cooked in salted water, and over it pour a generous amount of the vegetable mixture. This is the quantity I cook for my husband and me. The recipe can be enlarged as needed. If I have any left, I mix the remaining spaghetti and vegetables and put them in the refrigerator until wanted for another meal, perhaps lunch. My east kitchen window and the south bedroom windows are full of blooming African violets. They are so cheery that they repay me lavishly for the little work and care they demand. I wish you could see my Christmas cactus. It has been blooming since Thanksgiving. Right now it is a beautiful sight. Last year I had blooms until spring, and I hope it does that well again. One of my amaryllis plants is in bloom, and the others are beginning to let their buds peep through. I tried to keep some of my plants down at the store, but had to give up the idea, for the men work with sulphur dioxide quite often, and that is death to plants. Almost death to humans, too, when it gets into their breathing organs. They aren't using it in the new refrigerators. The cobbler is done now. Come on over and have supper with us. Love, GLADYS CUNNING LIFE & HEALTH SEEDS? SUNFLOWER SEEDS? By RUTH MC ELHENY OOKING out of your frosty kitchen L window over mounds of snow, you see brave little birds flying from weed to weed eating the seeds. The quiet stillness is interrupted as a noisy blue jay notices the drooping full head of last year's sunflower. Happily he has found a feast all his own. As you have watched God's creatures, have you wondered how the birds could live when the ground is covered with snow? All they can get are seeds and berries that are above the blanket of white. Seeds aside from the cereals have had little consideration as to their probable food values. Only recently have sunflower seeds come to the forefront. Nutritionists have been awakened to their value in the diet. Even the agricultural experiment station of the University of Illinois has given them study. Homemakers, when you desire an oil for household use you usually want one that is practically colorless, having a good flavor, little odor—an oil well adapted to cooking as well as for salad dressings. Did you know that sunflower seeds are one half oil of just such quality? Commercially it has been used in shortening, oleomargarine, salad dressing, and as a cooking oil. After watching the eagerness of birds in eating sunflower seeds, you would expect to find some essential elements in them to promote growth and health. In order for a seed to promote growth it must contain protein. You will be surprised to know that the other half of the seed, after the fat has been removed, is high-quality protein. You will be pleased to know that this protein is easy to digest. In your magazines you have probably seen stress placed on calcium and phosphorus, not only for growing children, but for pregnant and nursing mothers. Some of you may have a dislike for milk and would like to find something that would help meet the nutritional needs without milk. Sunflower seeds by weight contain about five times as much calcium as whole milk and more than twice as much phosphorus as eggs. Today everyone has an interest in and some knowledge of vitamins. You remember vitamin A, essential for good eyesight, and the vitamin B-complex family, the promoters of healthy nerves and good appetite. The sunflower seed contains all these healthpromoting factors. After noting the commercial value JANUARY, 1953 of sunflower seed oil, you will be interested in learning how the meal has been used. An experimental station tried using the pulp in the preparation of meatlike products. You will have to watch to learn the outcome. Experimenters have made cakes of superior volume in laboratory kitchens of flour made from sunflower seed. Because of a slight gray color, they use only 10 per cent of sunflower seed flour with white flour. It is available to you at your nearest health food store. Children are fond of nuts. Have you ever tried roasting sunflower seeds as you would peanuts? You will be delighted with their rich nutty flavor. Roasting destroys some of the vitamins but gives variation. Raw seeds may be used in such breads as graham, raisin, oatmeal, or in crisp cookies calling for nuts. Here is a recipe you will want to try. et RELIEF From Arthritic. Rheumatic Pain with Neat meat Effective help for neuritis, colds, and "flu" with THERMOPHORE "fomentations." FACTORY PRICE Money-back Guarantee Pain-soothing heat "at the snap of a switch" gives you quick relaxation and relief from soreness. The Battle Creek THERMOPHORE replaces messy old-style hot packs and wet towels with quick, convenient, moist-heat fomentations. USED BY FAMOUS SANITARIUMS... Oatmeal Sunflower Bread 2 cups boiling water teaspoon salt 1 cake yeast 2 cups rolled oats cup lukewarm water 1 tablespoon butter cup molasses 1 cup raisins # cup sunflower seeds About 5 cups flour Combine boiling water, salt, and rolled oats and let them stand for one hour. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add to the rolled oats mixture the remaining ingredients. Knead in enough flour to make a smooth dough. Let it set in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning remove the dough from the refrigerator, knead it down, and form into loaves. Let those rise again, and bake. A professional appliance, yet safely, easily used at home. Satisfied users testify to the effectiveness of the THERMOPHORE when moist heat is desired. Included are a 27" x 13" electric unit (uses AC or DC current), two washable covers, a safety thermostat, a switch, and a 10' cord. Write Today for Literature THERMOPHORE Battle Creek Equipment Co. Dept. L-13, Battle Creek, Michigan A splendid location in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles. 555 delightful rooms, all with all modern hotel facilities. Wonderful Food 1R150 The Grill The Coffee Shop Garage Adjoining AT THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING You will find the shelled seeds inexpensive at your health food store. Next time you are in town get a few and see what you can do with them. If you have a flower or vegetable garden, try growing some. They are beautiful in blossom, and you can harvest your own seeds in the fall. Leave a head or two for the birds. In your own home try sunflower seeds in your favorite recipes. See how flavorful they are. You will be not only creating new flavors but increasing nutritional value. DOWNTOWN AT PERSHING SQUARE JOHN T. LOCHHEAD — M. E. MALTIIY. MANAGING OWNERS 29 Old Age (Continued front page 17) guidance expert, and continued so until her death, at ninety-two. Florida has its Retirement Research Division. In New York the State labor commissioner appointed a technical expert for specialized counseling and placement of older people. Indeed, most States now have such services, and private groups such as the Forty-Plus Clubs form effective agencies. Those of us who either cannot or do not wish to work still want friends and some worth-while activity. New York City's William Hodson Community Center, with a membership of 750 men and women all over sixty, conducts a thriving purposeful-activity program. Weaving, sewing, wood carving, painting, leatherwork, bring not only friends and happiness to Hodson's members but romance as well. The directors feel justly proud of the dramatic decrease in medical care and the elimination of mental care for its busy members. Among other outstanding successes in recreation centers are Philadelphia's Golden Age Clubs and Minneapolis' Purposeful Activity Program. In many communities the older people are setting up their own organizations. You may have heard of the Grandmothers' Clubs. This is no babysitting affair but a federation of wideawake women with many interests and hobbies. Happy living must also take into account where and how you live. In this day of tiny city apartments and small homes, few families have room for grandparents. Besides, many people would prefer to lead their own lives than be coddled or pushed aside by their children. One solution to the housing problem is offered by residence clubs for older people. They are going concerns in California, Florida, New Jersey, and New York. A life membership in these clubs includes meals; a room or an apartment, and use of the infirmary. We need many more of them. We also need specially designed housing for retired pedple —inexpensive houses and apartments designed for a minimum of housekeeping and accident hazards. This is a field that should offer a rewarding enterprise for older people themselves. Whether you wish to live in a furnished room, a house, an apartment, or with your children, the choice of location is so important that it requires a lot of consideration. We must remember that as we become older we become more individualistic, and must carefully study not only our resources but our preferences as well. 30 Needless to say, it is hard to enjoy life without health. According to Metropolitan Life Insurance statistics, the older person's greatest health enemies are heart disease and cancer. Both may be warded off by regular, periodic medical examinations. Your physician will detect the early signs and tell you what to do about them. He will also check you for anemia and high blood pressure, and emphasize the importance of a vitamin-rich diet WaA in the Woods By FRANK LINWOOD BAILEY I want to make you see the woods In the way they look to me, As Nature shows her different moods In leaf and shrub and tree. Come, let us wander here and there Where trees are green with life, And catch the peace that lingers there Away from care and strife. If I could only make you feel, By putting into words, That what you read is something real— Perhaps the song of birds— Or maybe you might sense again, Through these my humble lines, That spicy odor, clean as rain— The scent of spruce and pines. And now, in fancy, let me take You to some sylvan spring, Where you may kneel, your thirst to slake From Nature's offering. No other drink is so complete, And none can match its worth, Because it comes so clean and sweet Direct from God's green earth. If I have made you feel and see The things I've tried to do, 'Tis then I know you walked with me And I have walked with you. in order to prolong your pep and keep you from becoming overweight. For those of us who are handicapped by a chronic illness, the first problem is learning to live as normal a life as possible. John Milton, author of Paradise Lost, was blind. Robert Louis Stevenson had tuberculosis. A young veteran of World War II carries on one of the biggest one-man philanthropic organizations in the country—from his hospital bed in Reading, Pennsylvania. These people outwitted their handicaps by forgetting them in service to others. Useful activity, pleasant surroundings, friends, economic security, and health are outer aspects of the one essential ingredient for your golden years. Happiness comes from the inside out. It begins with being on good terms with yourself. The decision to be happy or miserable rests with each one of us at any period or condition of life. Abraham Lincoln said, "It is difficult to make a man miserable while he feels he is worthy of himself and claims kindred to the great God who made him." This question of the way we think and feel is so important that psychiatrists and gerontologists agree that the symptoms of age are mental and emotional rather than physical. Let's look at these enemies that would spoil our golden years, and see what routs them. 1. Reject self-centeredness, withdrawal into a morbid, tiny world of self, where nothing else matters. Trouble is that we are apt to relapse into apathy, and find that nothing matters, period. We can't expect others to be interested in us unless we go out of our way to be interested in them. We must make constant deposits into the reserve fund of friendship by seeking out new people and ways of being useful to them. 2. Reject a disillusioned, bitter attitude toward life and people. It's always cleaning time for the dusty attic of your old resentments, failures, disappointments, or alibis of physical disabilities. Refurnish the attic with enthusiasm for interests, hobbies, people. Polish the new furniture with a sense of humor that is able to give a nod at your own foibles and pettiness. 3. Reject self-pity by concentrating upon assets rather than liabilities. We can all make quite a list of things and people to be grateful for. 4. Reject mourning over things past, missed opportunities, and loved ones departed. No life is without such loss, and our sorrows teach us compassion for others. One of the greatest gifts that age has to give to the world is this compassionate understanding of grief in all its forms. 5. Reject depression and fears of becoming a burden. You won't have the time or the inclination to become depressed if you're constructively busy and thinking of others and helping them. Just as there are enemies to reject, there are friends of the golden years to welcome and cherish. These are the years of opportunity to use our wisdom in influencing and guiding others. It's the time to take an active interest in our national and civic affairs, to raise our voice in letters of protest or acclaim to Congressmen, Senators, and local politicians. It's the time to LIFE & HEALTH get good and mad and write letters to in his upper jaw and ten in his lower the editor, to tell our radio programs jaw. what's right or wrong with them—not Care for these twenty first teeth to in a carping, petty sense but as part the very best of your ability. They of our lifetime duty to our fellow man. are essential aids to perfect sound It's the time to become acquainted teeth. And always remember that in with the great thoughts of mankind years to come your child will be either as expressed in art, literature, music, gladdened or saddened by the impresand the Bible. And it's the time of all sion he makes when he smiles. He is others to reactivate our religious utterly at your mercy now. Dentists faith. say that the first ten to fifteen years We need more heroes among our decide whether a person will have elders—more Bernard Baruchs, Gen- teeth that will be a cause of pride and eral MacArthurs, Grandma Moseses, joy or a cause of humiliation. It is ever so important that each Sister Kennys, and George Bernard Shaws. We can't all be gleaming plan- and every one of these first teeth be ets, but we can in our own way become kept in baby's mouth until nature desmall, shining stars. Make no mistake cides to remove them. And it is just about it—a happy old age is a personal as important that they be kept in good condition. Decay in first teeth can send achievement. Consciously or unconsciously, we poisons through the little child's body are preparing our entire lives for the as easily as can decay in the permayears ahead. Whether or not they are nent ones. Furthermore, a neglected spot in a golden years depends on this preparation. Instead of fearing old age, let's first tooth may affect the second tooth welcome the challenge, and say with that is forming in its place. When you stop to think of how much it will Henry van Dyke: mean to your child to have good-look"I shall grow old, but never lose ing teeth that are strong and sturdy, life's zest, Because the road's last turn will be the best." lt Rh******.**•********** * * * (Continued from page 13) Nothing is apparently more helpless, yet really more invincible, than the soul that feels its nothingness, and relies wholly on the merits of the Saviour. —E. G. WHITE. appear, four more teeth come through, one on each side of the first two in the upper jaw and one on each side of the first two in the lower jaw. These teeth also have roots that have not yet been completed. When the first eight teeth are in place you and your baby get a rest from teething for a few months, as a rule. Don't let it worry you when your new daughter or son sprouts only those first eight teeth, then, provokingly, doesn't get any more in a hurry. The other teeth will appear in due time. The next tooth will probably wait until after baby's first birthday. It may even wait until he is sixteen months old. The teeth that finally do show up next will be his first four molars, or grinding teeth. They will be situated toward the back of his jaw, leaving a space between the old teeth and the new teeth. After that, before he is two years old, you may expect those four open spaces to be filled. Perhaps baby will celebrate his second birthday by bringing forth his second set of molars, which will grow behind the first molars he cut. Then he will have twenty baby teeth—ten you surely will not permit his appearance to be marred by your neglect. Arouse interest in daily care of the teeth as early as you can in the child himself. Just as soon as your baby is able to stand on a stool in the bathroom, let him try to handle his own little toothbrush. Put on the brush some nice-tasting dental cream. Certain brands containing artificial fluorides have been found to reduce dental decay wonderfully when used by tiny tots. This protection works best when used from the earliest age. Your dentist will be able to tell you which dental cream to buy. Do not expect your toddler to give his teeth a proper cleansing. It will be up to you to see that every crease and crevice is reached by the brush. But let your little fellow continue to assume as much responsibility as he is willing to. During the first five or six years of life you pave the way not only for lifelong teeth of sturdy beauty but also for lifelong habits of cleanliness that help to assure good health. Baby's First Teeth JANUARY, 1953 ,,,,.... 0.174t.:.1, •,---4-:_.. 11 11111,, 'IV\ 'ri. E il I I r ; 711 q9 41$ 1 r :, Il .1 , . In the HEART of DETROIT Tau.449. C<Aati Palk First thing to do in Detroit is check in at Hotel Tuller! You'll enjoy every minute. Newly modernized. Beautifully decorated. Within walking distance of all downtown stores, theatres and business activities ... yet, you enjoy the evergreen atmosphere of Grand Circus Park .. . The Tuller Dining Room or Cafeteria for excellent food modestly priced. 800 ROOMS $ from .50 U Harry E. Paulsen, tn. TELLER SUBSCRIBE TO SIAM FOR YOUR FAMILY'S SAKE! 52.75 a Year-25c Sinole Copy Beautifully Located in a Suburb of Our Nation's Capital HIS modern general hospital maintains therapeutic standards aimed at bringing new strength and vigor to body, mind, and spirit of each medical, surgical. and obstetrical case admitted. EUGENE LELAND MEMORIAL HOSPITAL Riverdale, Maryland 31 Bookkeepers • • • Bakers • • • and Busy Dressmakers • • • .iimerkalesibrAllolling- 07hefrgeeres! YES, ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE ARE GIVING BLOOD SO THAT OUR WOUNDED MAY LIVE! • Today, the blood of a Boston bookkeeper may be flowing through the veins of a wounded kid from a Kansas farm ... the blood of a pretty Southern housewife may have saved the life of a grizzled leatherneck. For, blood is blood, a God-given miracle for which there is no substitute . . . and when a man's life hangs in the balance and blood is needed, there is nothing else to take its place! Right now the need for blood is urgent. In hospitals —at home and overseas— 32 many men require four and six transfusions during delicate operations. And the blood must be there—when it's needed. So give the most precious gift of all—your blood! Be assured that giving blood is neither difficult nor distressing. And what a thrill there is in knowing that you've performed a really unselfish act! So call your local American Red Cross today and make an appointment. And tell your friends and neighbors about your experience. Let them share the wonderful feeling Americans get when they roll up their sleeves—and give blood, * Tat-WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT PINT OF BLOOD YOU WERE GOING TO GIVE? vat/ Perirlimm'evi Pe/Coss Today. * LIFE & HEALTH 3. Safety pins. 4. Piece of oiled silk if desired. HYDROTHERAPY-HEATING COMPRESSES By STELLA C. PETERSON, R.N. Y APPLICATIONS of heat to the skin the blood vessels are dilated, and blood is brought to the surface. Thereby congestion is relieved. When you wish to maintain such an effect of withdrawing the blood, apply a heating compress between treatments or overnight. A heating compress is a cold compress applied to a part and covered with dry flannel to prevent circulation of air and to cause an accumulation of body heat. The cold compress soon warms up, and so has the effect of a mild application of heat. If the compress dries out before being removed, it has a mild effect of withdrawing the blood. If you cover the cold pack with oiled silk, you prevent this drying and allow sweating to occur. This will cause muscle relaxation. When you remove the compress, rub the part with cold water. You may use heating compresses for the throat in sore throat or tonsillitis, for the chest in colds, pneumonia, whooping cough, croup, and similar illnesses. Apply the heating compress to knee, ankle, foot, hand, or wrist in joint difficulties, or to the abdomen in constipation, certain types of indigestion, and insomnia. B Articles Necessary for Heating Compress to the Throat 1. Old cotton cloth of two thicknesses about three inches wide and long enough to wrap about the neck twice. 2. Piece of flannel (single or double, depending on weight of material) about four inches wide and long enough to wrap about the neck twice. 3. Safety pins. 4. A piece of bandage (to put over top of head to hold compress up under lower part of ear). Procedure 1. Wring cotton cloth from cold water and apply around the neck. JANUARY, 1953 2. Cover well with flannel, fit snugly but not tightly enough to be uncomfortable. 3. Pin securely—use bandage over head, from ear to ear, to hold compress in place in cases of tonsillitis. 4. Rub the neck with a cloth wrung out of cold water immediately after removing the compress in the morning. Procedure 1. Place dry flannel on bed and lay on top of it the cotton cloth wrung nearly dry of cold water. 2. Have the patient lie back on the bandage, with lower edge below hipbones. 3. Pull each end of the wet cotton cloth tightly over abdomen. 4. Cover quickly and snugly with both ends of flannel and secure with safety pins. 5. Pin darts at each side to make bandage fit. 6. If you use oiled silk, place it inside of flannel. Precautions 1. Wash area with cold water on removing bandage. 2. When the patient fails to warm up the bandage, place the wet cotton cloth over the abdomen only. 3. You may use a hot-water bottle outside the flannel over stomach area. Indications 1. Slow digestion. 2. Constipation. 3. Insomnia. DESIGNED TO GIVE YOU 20% MORE JUICE Precautions Considerable water may be left in the throat compress when it is first applied, but it should not drip, and it should be dry by morning. Indications 1. Pharyngitis. 2. Acute laryngitis. 3. Tonsillitis and quinsy. 4. Inflammation of eustachian tubes (the tubes leading from the throat to the middle ear). Articles Necessary for Moist Abdominal Binder 1. Old cotton cloth of two thicknesses eight or nine inches wide and long enough to wrap one and a half times about the body. 2. Piece of flannel about twelve inches wide and of same length as cotton material. AND BETTER FOOD. SHREDDING Be sure that your body gets the right amounts of minerals and other elements needed for your daily activiRres. The easiest way to get these requirements is with fresh, concentrated juice and better food shredding with the K&K Juicer-Shredder Combination. The K&K Juicer is hydraulic and guaranteed to give you 20% more pulp-free juice than any other juicer! And the K&K Shredder works more efficiently and faster to give you better food shredding for tastier, easier-todigest soups, salads and desserts. Quick, efficient and easily operated. • hydraulic juicer unit delivers 3000 lbs. pr • shredder uses V. hp guaranteed 110 volt motor • stainless steel shredder • life time service warranty' • priced low! FREE... /bob > oboffil ▪g Send for free folder givin complete details! No obligation 1 Send to — Knuth Engineering Company_Kir I 2617 North St. Louis produci. Chicago 47, Illinois Name Address - City Zone State 33 Drama and a Blood Count (Continued from page 15) tion that didn't cause anemia. The literature showed nothing. The second child died, and the father gave permission for a postmortem examination. He didn't tell that another child at home was similarly afflicted, and the pathologist made no attempt to hurry the examination of tissues removed. Even before the funeral the father visited the laboratory to ask the results of the tests. When he pressed the pathologist the doctor admitted that he suspected lead poisoning. The bereaved father could think of no way the child could have got lead. The pathologist dismissed him courteously, yet the father stood quietly in the laboratory as though he still wanted to talk. The medical technologist, simply to be friendly and sympathetic, asked also burned battery boxes, and told of other homes where children were suffering from abdominal pains. Prompt medication saved the lives of all the other children in the neighborhood. And a brotherly city provided stoves and wood for povertystricken homes. Other cities have faced the problem since, and usually the trouble is first discovered by some medical technologist doing a blood count. The services of an A.S.C.P. registered medical technologist will bring to you a thorough study of your blood. Your physician will study her report. If it is normal, he may ask for further investigation until he finds the cause of your health difficulty. Although a good blood count is assuring, just remember that it doesn't reveal everything that may happen within the human body. Because of this your physician often will ask for other studies to help establish a true diagnosis of your illness. diagnosis verified and the kind of leukemia determined. An experienced technologist took the child's blood count. She got extra slides for special stains, because she was curious. She stained the slides while the patient was still in the waiting room. To her surprise she saw cells that she associated with pneumonia following whooping cough. Well-trained technologists do not give opinions, but they can ask questions. This technologist hurried to the waiting robin. "Is the baby feeling worse?" she asked. "Yes, she doesn't have any pep, and she's hot," the mother answered. "When she had whooping cough, she didn't seem to feel bad at all, but now—" F'N'Twrrwirlarw."1"swwirMnrili The mother continued talking, but the technologist was not listening. She tie Qui Vive was giving her report to the physician, including the fact that the cells were By DAWN FLANERY PARKER suggestive of those occurring in pneuWhen age comes creeping on apace monia following whooping cough. Her Nutrition Don't ever be resigned, interest in her work and her quick But work and fight real hard to keep Red Cross Canteen Service increased action brought a happy ending to the From aging in your mind. the number of certificates issued by story. Although every technologist ob- * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * some 600 per cent last year, with 9,000 members a month serving a total of serves such dramatic blood count results, still hematology is not so dra- him a few questions about the plans 787,700 hours. In addition, a nationmatic as many, other phases of lab- for the funeral, and the father burst wide Red Cross registry of nutritionoratory work. out, "I think they ought to wait. My ists was established so that qualified Occasionally the blood count solves other little boy has the same thing, volunteers will be available to meet important mysteries and leads to the and the doctors don't know what's daily as well as emergency needs in correction of practices injurious to wrong. I don't want to bring him to the community. health. Lead poisoning is one of the the hospital, but we're downright cold conditions in which much information out there hovering around the open can be gained from a blood count, be- fire with just one battery box burncause there is a fine stippling of the ing." red blood cells if lead has been ab"What did you say you burned?" sorb* Unfortunately other metals asked the technologist, forgetting she The products cause a similar reaction, and there is was supposed to be calm in all situaa slightly similar condition in severe tions. advertised in anemias. "Battery boxes. They give us the In a number of cities during the discards at a junk shop. They smell LIFE AND HEALTH depression years technologists ob- awful, but they provide a little heat." served more than the usual number "Battery boxes are lined with lead !" of stippled red blood cells among pov- The technologist recalled aloud some are: erty-stricken people. In Tulsa a child of the things she'd learned in chemwas admitted to a hospital because of istry. Her voice was loud with exciteabdominal pains. Stippled red blood ment, but her reaction was mild comcells were reported, but no apparent pared with that of the pathologist, cause could be found. The child died, who literally bounced out of his office. "So you burn battery boxes," he and the parents refused a postmortem examination. A second child was ad- said, looking at the man with the mitted with similar pain. Again stip- gleam that comes into a scientist's pled red blood cells were reported, and eyes when he has made a discovery. "Yes, doctor," came the calm reply. the doctor asked the technologist to check her stain. She did ; in fact, she "Do you think that could have had made up a special stain, and in it the anything to do with • the children's dots showed more clearly. Doctors as- getting sick?" The pathologist merely explained sured her that these dots were due to malnutrition ; so the medical tech- that the fuel had caused the first nologist searched the literature for child's death. The man explained that records of stippled cells in malnutri- the parents of the other dead child 34 LIFE & HEALTH are the starting points of great ACHIEVEMENTS u think of these ? (1) Daily strive to preserve physical, mental, and spiritual health. (2) Plan for suitable recreation and needed sleep. (3) Eat simply and freely of nature's protective foods. (4) When in doubt about health consult a physician. ( 5 ) Share the good things of life with your fellow men. SANITARIUM AND HOSPITAL Takoma Park, Washington 12, D.C. FIVE GREAT FOR CHILDREN .2 1411 111 I 2 EDTIME STORIES By ARTHUR S. MAXWELL 1,920 pages, 377 stories, 1,104 acter-building stories. 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