fully as curable. Hence there is need for
prompt recognition.
The condition indicated is called
‘““dementia praecox,’ or insanity of youth,
and is much more common than is usually
recognized. Sometimes a youth who has
been social, jolly, industrious, and a
leader in school life, gradually becomes
melancholy or sulky, keeps to himself,
is quarrelsome, and is neglectful of his
studies, shows himself careless in his
personal appearance, and seems to be a
completely changed personality, as in-
deed he is. This may be a very slow
development, and only one or two of the
ordinary symptoms may appear, but it
can always be seen in retrospect. The
desire to be alone and the brooding are
perhaps the more common developments
that call attention to the changes in per-
sonality. Such cases should be referred
to a specialist at the earliest possible
time, and the treatment is rarely satis-
factory except where institutional care is
possible. In a fair percentage of cases
recovery will take place under modern
treatment, but treatment should be
prompt, because cases taken early have a
much better chance of full recovery. If
recovery is not prompt, cases do much
better under the skilled and special treat-
ment in highly specialized hospitals,
private or state.
With the regular and often strenuous
mental efforts necessary to maintain
scholarship at high-grade schools, regular
exercise is often neglected. Fortunately
in many colleges a certain amount of
exercise is required, and the gymnasium
is a part of the regular routine, unless
replaced by games in the open. No
physical toughness can be developed
without regular use of the muscles, and
regularity of exercise is much more im-
portant than the quantity. A little every
day keeps the body in much better condi-
tion than a large amount taken occa-
sionally.
Exercise does more than just move the
muscles and keep them elastic and tough.
It stimulates all parts of the body, and
makes mental work easier. There always
ought to be a suitable balance between
the physical and the mental efforts, so
that both may be kept at the maximum.
In college life another factor, which has
not been much in evidence heretofore,
becomes important. The combination of
many things we call “morale” is a sus-
taining factor in all difficult and trying
problems. It sustains our men in
exhausting military life, and especially in
defeat. It is a combination of spiritual,
mental, and physical forces working in
harmony that produce morale. Basically
it is probable that the spiritual power, as
expressed in religion, is the most power-
August — 1944
ful sustaining force in most lives. Hence a
cultivation of the spiritual qualities in
college life is very important, and ample
provisions need to be made for this de-
velopment. In most large educational
institutions opportunities for such spiritual
development are available in the campus
life or in near-by churches. And it
should be encouraged in every way, for
nothing stimulates and sustains the indi-
vidual more than a sound morale.
The mutual attraction of boys and girls
at this age is strong and perfectly normal.
All youth, however, ought to be properly
instructed in the purpose of sex and of
normal reproduction, and in the danger
of loose living and venereal diseases.
Fortunately these subjects are no longer
taboo, and often are approached in early
life by studies in biology and physiology.
It is no easy task to guide childhood to
a successful, vital, strong, and enduring
adulthood. It demands the best of all of
us. The prize, however, is so great that
it is well worth the price to see our chil-
dren grow into strong, self-reliant, able,
Christian citizenship and all that it
stands for. This is one of life’s rewards.
THE DOCTOR REPLIES to HEALTH QUERIES
This information given to the readers of THE WATCHMAN
MAGAZINE is supplied by Owen S. Parrett, M. D., a physician
and writer of wide experience. Questions should be addressed
to the doctor in care of this magazine.
Please give cause of soft ulcers of stomach. Can they
be cured by operation or by medical treatment?
Ulcers are perhaps less common among over-
weights and the well nourished than among
underweights and thin patients. Two types of
operations are commonly resorted to; namely,
removal of the lower third of the stomach or the
making of a new opening in the stomach and
Joining this opening to a loop of small intestine.
The first operation is quite radical but more cer-
tain of cure; the latter may cure, but new ulcers
may form at the new opening. Medical treat-
ment should always be tried out first, since either
operation is quite a serious procedure but
sometimes necessary in cases resisting medical
care. A leading surgeon ranking among the
highest in America recently stated that no ulcer
could be permanently cured by any means, if the
person treated used tobacco. Since this condition
may prove very serious, no habit of eating, drink-
ing, or smoking should be allowed to stand in the
way of recovery. Ten days of milk diet (a glass
and a half every two hours, with four ounces of
grapefruit juice one-half hour before every other
feeding) is a good starter, to be followed by a
bland diet of toast, gruels, pureed green and
yellow vegetables,® some eggs, and much milk,
together with fruits and fruit juices, avoiding the
fruits and vegetables at the same meal. Avoid
processed foods. Supply bulkage but not too
much roughage. Avoid all worry and nerve
strain; secure much sleep, and sun bathing if
possible.
A baby five months old has eczema which seems to
break out with the use of fruit juice. What can be done?
This problem may be far from simple as it
represents an allergy which may show either hay
fever, asthma, or eczema in some of the ancestors.
Fruits and juices are so essential in normal diet as
to be worth a real effort to develop a tolerance.
You might try vitamin C for a time, using about
ten milligrams daily to begin with and gradually
working up to fifty milligrams; and then try sub-
acid fruits such as peaches or pears cooked with-
out much sugar; then try grapefruit, pineapple,
or lemon juice, rather than orange juice. Cool
baths and sun bathing may be used to toughen the
baby’s skin; and an ointment of half Lassar’s
paste and half vaseline mixed together may allay
the irritation somewhat. Don’t be too easily
discouraged. Look out for eggs and certain other
foods such as oatmeal, which sometimes produce
allergy in certain individuals. As the child gets
older this difficulty will probably tend to dis-
appear. Soy milk might be tried out for a time as
a substitute for cow’s milk.
What can be done for an enlarged and leaking heart?
Is the condition serious?
A leaking valve that has existed for sufficient
time to be chronic can seldom be cured. Many
persons with slight leaks in the heart valves may
live normal lives and remain quite active in every
way. Even though the leak may be quite bad,
if the heart muscle is in good condition, and the
patient lives carefully with proper diet, exercise,
and rest, life may be prolonged indefinitely. If
the heart is very much too large, the leak may
become serious; but many patients are able to
live for years with this condition, if they can be
advised as to their daily regime by experts
familiar with heart conditions.
The Law that Has Not
Been Repealed
(Continued from page 7)
the law.” 1 John 3:4. When Adam and Eve
partook of fruit from the forbidden tree, they
took that which did not belong to them. Hence
they stole. The only hope of salvation to them
and to us came through the promise of a Saviour
who was to die for them. The faithful in Old
Testament times showed their faith in this coming
Saviour by the sacrifice of animals, as indicated
in the typical law. (1 Peter 1: 19; John 1: 29, 36;
1 Corinthians 5:7.) The gospel was thus
preached unto Abraham, and he believed.
(Galatians 3: 8; John 8:56.) The gospel was
preached to Israel in the wilderness as well as
unto us. (Hebrews 3: 17-19; 4:1, 2.) Moses be-
lieved in Christ and wrote of Him. (John 5: 46;
Luke 24:27; Hebrews 11:24-26.) All the
prophets taught salvation only through the
blood of Christ. (Acts 10: 43.)
PAGE. 11