1. health and fitness

HOW TO RELAX
Old Age
SCARLET FEVER
I
THE NATIONAL HEALTH JOURNAL
JANUARY 1953
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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
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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
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Simply roll up your LIFE AND
HEALTH in a square of brown paper,
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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.
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After any illness, it is always wise to
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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—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.
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Indications
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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.
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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.
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