The health question box

Stomach Warmer Q. Is the use of the stomach warmer bene­ficial in indigestion? A. The application of heat to the stomach is one of the oldest and, aside from diet, one of the best remedies for various gastric discom­forts. A hundred years ago tin cans made con­cave to fit the body were to be found in almost every tin shop, and their use was continued until the manufacture of rubber hot-water bags was begun some fifty or sixty years ago. The writer well remembers an old-fashioned schoolmaster from Canada who came under his care many years ago, bringing with him a huge stomach heater of the sort described.  Two hundred years before the invention of the tin stomach warmer, the warming stone was in common use, and was described in a medical work published in 1640 as "An Excellent Help really found out for cold, aged and sick Peo­ ple-and fo r the Poor, who may borrow the heating of this stone at a neighbor's fire, if his Charity be not altogether cold; for it will damnif...

Cascara Q. Is cascara a harmless laxative? A. One of the most unfortunate results of chronic constipation is its by-product of drug habits. There are many substances, of course, course, that bring about action of the bowels that bring about action of the bowels with much promptitude, and with such evident relief that the sufferer resorts to the same remedy on the next occasion, without stopping to inquire whether the drug might not be as dangerous as the disease. The chances are he does not stop to consider the matter one way or another, but falls an easy victim to the habit of drug taking. One of the most vicious of these vile sub stances is cascara, which contains irritating poisons, among them a substance known as an­ thracin,  which is extremely poisonous, and which may, if used for some time, produce colitis. At one time the writer discussed this matter of constipation and the drug habit with an eminent European physician, and the dis­ tinguished scientist said: ...

The Opium Habit Q. Can the opium habit be cured without drugs? A. The opium habit and other drug habits are very seldom cured by the use of drugs. Any method to be successful must restore the pa­tient's nerve tone and build up his vital resistance and remove the causes of the suffering for the alleviation of which the drug is employed. This can be done without drugs.

Cod Liver Oil Q. Is cod liver oil necessary in the treat­ment of consumption or any other disease? . A. Cod liver oil is a time honored remedy the value of which has been overrated . Sweet cream, st e rili ze d butter, olive oil, oil of almonds, and other vegetable oils are in every way su­perior to cod liver oil.

Dangerous Patent Medicines Q. Are patent medicines harmful? A. Hundreds of deaths occur annually as the result of patent medicines. Thousands become addicted to alcohol and other drug habits by the use of remedies containing these poisons.

Castor Oil Q. Is the frequent use of castor oil harm­ful? A. The frequent or habitual use of castor oil gives rise to colitis and produces very obstinate constipation. The same is true of other medicinal laxatives. Castor oil is rarely useful and cannot be used habitually without in the end doing much harm. Paraffin oil or paraffin in some form and the free use of bran or agar-agar are safe and efficient means which when properly employed obviate the necessity for the use of castor oil or other laxatives in nearly all cases.

Veronal Q. Is veronal harmless drug? A. No indeed, it is not a harmless drug. It disturbs digestion and disturbs the nerves and is a foreign body which must be eliminated by the kidneys, which are thus compelled to do un necessary work.

Strychnia Q. Is strychnia a good tonic? A. No. There is no drug which can properly be called a good tonic. Strychnia has for gen­erations been the popular tonic. Countless thous­ands have been deceived by its delusive effects. Erroneou s conceptions were responsible for the false confidence reposed in this powerful nerve excitant. Modern studies of nutrition have clearly demonstrated the futility of attempting to find any substitute for the vital energy generated by healthy cells acting under the influence of nor­ mal or physiologic stimuli. The apparent in­ crease in vigor which follows a dose of strychnia is not due to an actual addition to the sum of the bodily energies, but is simply the result of a forced expenditure of energy which is already depleted to the point of danger. Strychnia, and other similar drugs, are simply devices for getting energy out of a man which he cannot afford to spare, and which he ought to keep.

Tonics Q. Are tonics beneficial? A. The neurasthenic is constantly told that his nutrition is defective, that he needs building up. He seeks to accomplish this by means of tonics of various kinds, in most of which strych­nia is the dominant element. This "building up" is purely factitious, for it is only through the use of natural ph y siologiagencies that tissue building , can be accelerated or improved. Tonics make the patient feel better without making him better. They have been aptly termed "nerve foolers." They produce a false sense of vigor and energy, which results in the further drain­ing of the patient ' s already depleted stores of energy and vitality.

Aspirin Q. Is aspirin a harmless drug? A. By no means. All drugs are more or less harmful. The growing practice of dosing with aspirin whenever one may feel a twinge of pain, which may be attributed to rheumatism or neuralgia is greatly to be deplored. Rheu­matism or neuralgia are usually due to some error in one's habits of living. Aspirin only con­ ceals the difficulty without removing its cause. Increased bowel activity, the disuse of meat, tea and coffee, warm bath at night, more exercise in the open air-these are measures which will in most cases cause quick disappearance of painful symptoms and will leave no unpleasant effects be hind. A hot fomentation or hot water bag over the seat of pain will very likely afford relief. Do not dope! All drugs are unfriendly to the tissues and do more or less harm when freely used. Some drugs are highly injurious in even very minute doses. Aspirin is less injurious than morphine but not harmless.

The Body Heals Itself Q. What is the process of cure? A. Said Dietl , pupil of the famous Ger­m a n p ath o l og is t, R okitanski: "Nature alone can c ur e; thi s i s the hi g hest law of practical medi­ c ine , and the one to which we must adhere. . . N ature creates and maintains; she must there­ fo re be able to cure. " Th e he a ling power is in the blood ; it is the b l oo d th a t heal s , o r rather, the creative power w hi c h f o rm e d the body in the first place, and w h ich repairs th e dama g e done b y the w ear and tear o f life . It is this same power which re­ s t ores disordered functions and repairs damaged tiss u e. P h ys i c i a n s do not and cannot heal. Med i cines, b aths , and other so - called remedial measu r es are pow erless to heal. All that phy sicians and remedi es can do is to aid in remov­ ing causes of d i se a se a nd suppl y ing favorable conditio n s. Phys i o lo g ical measures, such as water, electricity, massage, exerci...

The Wassermann Test Q. What is the nature of this test and is it reliable? A . The Wassermann test is employed to de­termine whether a person is suffering from syphilitic infection. The test consists of obtaining a portion of the patient's blood and subjecting this to certain laboratory tests . When c a refully d o ne the test is found to be r e m a rk a bly reliabl e . In certain cases the spinal fluid is us e d for m a king the test instead of the blood. It is important to know that a "positive" Wasserm ann rea c tion i s no evidence of immorality o r v icious conduct. Sy philis has become so wide­ sp read that the disease may be quite easily con t ra c ted by accidental contact with the infection, e ither di r ectly or indirectly. The disease is in m a n y ca ses inherited.

Mineral Waters Q. Why are mineral waters harmful? Are they not Nature's healing remedies? A. Laxative mineral waters are harmful, be­cause they irritate the mucous membrane and in time produce intestinal catarrh. They also expose the liver and kidneys to the harmful ef­fects of overwork. Mineral waters are no more natural healing agencies than are minerals them­selves. No one would think of recommending iron pyrites or limestone as a healing agent; neither are the great salt beds or alkali deposits regarded as natural healing agents. Mineral waters are simply rain water which has been contaminated by coming in contact with various mineral substances while percolating through the earth. To call mineral waters "Nature's healing remedy" is a great misapplication of terms, and is an error which grows out of a misapprehension of what a natural healing agent is. Nature's healing remedies consist in those forces or agencies which are essential for the maintenan...

Hard Water Q. Does the body appropriate for bones and teeth the lime or calcium carbonate from ordinary hard water? A. We know of no evidence that the mineral constituents of hard water can serve as food or nutriment to the body. In the foodstuffs the lime exists in an organized form in which it is prepared for assimilation. The lime found in hard water is an ordinary inorganic mineral compound. The best sources of lime are oat­ meal, graham bread, bran, milk and vegetables, especially "greens." Potatoes, sugar, rice, fine flour bread, meats, butter, lard and other fats, contain practically no lime . Milk and bran are very rich in lime, also turnip "gr eens" and spin­ach. These same foods are rich in iron. Lime and iron are usually associated in foodstuffs.

Lithia Water Q. Do you recommend lithia water in case of inflammation of the bladder? A. Yes; lithia water is good, but not better than ordinary water.   In general, water should be freely used in case of inflammation of the bladder for the purpose of diluting the urine. It is immaterial whether the water contains a little lithia or not. Ordinary lithia water contains such a small amount of lithia that at least a barrel full would be required for an ordinary dose of this drug. It is immaterial, however, whether the proportion of lithia is large or small, as it has been clearly shown by modern investigations that lithia has no value whatever as a remedy for uric acid conditions, or diseases of the kidneys and bladder.

Water Drinking in Dropsy Q. If a person is dropsical, or if water collects in any part of the body, should he refrain from drinking water or any kind of liquids? A. It is not necessary for one to refrain from drinking water in dropsy. The dropsy is not diminished by lessening the amount of water taken by the mouth.

Varicocele Q. Can varicocele be cured by natural methods? A. Varicocele is curable by a slight opera­tion. Radical relief cannot be obtained in any other way.

Diphtheria Carriers Q. Is there any means by which persons who have had diphtheria and still harbor the germs in their throats may be cured so that they will not be a menace to those with whom they associate? A. Yes; a simple remedy has recently been suggested. Lactic acid forming germs are an­tagonistic to all forms of disease producing germs outside the body as well as in the body. Moffit suggests the use of fresh buttermilk as a gargle in patients who have had diphtheria but in whose throats cultures of the diphtheria bacillus were present after all other manifesta­tions of the disease had disappeared, The plain buttermilk was used five or six times a day and from his experience with nine cases, Moffit be­lieved that the diphtheria organisms will be dis­placed entirely within three days, while pure cul­tures of the lactic acid bacillus will be found on the swab. This is in harmony with a suggestion recently made to use cultures of the bacillus bulgaricus for the same p...

Vaccination Against Typhoid Fever Q. Has the new method of vaccination against typhoid fever proved successful? A. The method of vaccination against ty­phoid fever perfected by Dr. Wright of Lon­don, has now been very extensively used in the army of the United States and other countries and is found to be highly successful. The method is harmless and the protection is said to last for at least three years.

Precautions Against Typhoid Q. What precautions are necessary in eat­ing in a house which contains typhoid fever? A . Everything eaten in such a house should be thoroughly sterilized by boiling or exposure to the heat of a hot oven before eating. There is still more danger if there is any communica­tion, either direct or indirect, with the fever patient. It should also be remembered that flies are a common means of conveying typhoid fever infection. Hence precautions should be taken to exclude flies from the fever patient and also from contact with all eatables.