!TIC Union CoN1,446 IotaId of health APRIL 197 5 1,111:!!!JAILVLI L � .LLL � I LI ILLI 11!...! LLI LL,L.,Lp!!!!„!LIL LLL!!!ILILI!!!ILL � LL � L � I SMALLPDX Point of No Return Message from Dr. H. Mahler Director-General of the World Health Organization for WORLD HEALTH DAY, 1975 World Health Day 1975 marks both the begin- ning of the end in our campaign to eradicate small- pox from the earth, and—in a larger sense—the be- ginning of a new era for the World Health Organiza- tion itself. The eradication of • smallpox will represent one of the historic milestones in medicine, but—more than that—this first global eradication of a major disease provides an outstanding example of the con- structive results nations can achieve when they work together toward the common cause of better health for all. When the WHO smallpox eradication pro- gramme began just eight years ago, 30 countries were endemic and many reported importations of the virus. Now, entire continents have been swept clean of this dread infection, and the population still at risk is but a minute fraction of that over which it held sway just a decade ago. In achieving these extraordinary results, the public health services of many nations have been strengthened—national reporting systems for the communicable diseases have been improved, better techniques for immunization have been developed and communicable disease control services have evolved. However, much remains to be done before we can feel assured that smallpox has indeed been vanquished. In the remaining endemic areas, we must identify the few, final chains of transmission and break them. Then programmes of intensive surveillance must be continued for two years to ensure that there are no hidden foci of smallpox lurking anywhere. Finally, international commissions 2 must investigate and verify that the disease has indeed been eliminated. Until that point is reached, case detection and reporting systems must stay alert; containment systems must remain quick and strong. Only then can we feel absolutely confident—at last—of total victory over a disease that has devastated man since time began. Then, the resources developed to overcome smallpox can be focused fully on other major health problems that besiege us. However, when these future battles are entered, health services will be all the stronger: armed as they are with weapons shaped in the hot forge of the smallpox campaign. Surely, the experience gained in overcoming smallpox must provide the basis for a more skilled and concerted attack against other communicable diseases. We can only dream of the great strides which could be made if the peoples of the world would together apply resources and energy to other common health problems as they have in the small- pox campaign—but dream we must. For as victory over variola becomes certain, we are at the "point of no return". It is the begin- ning of the end for smallpox, which can never re- turn to ravage the earth as in centuries past. But it is also the beginning of a new era for WHO, which —having shown what can be done to eliminate disease when all nations join together in a unified, co-ordinated effort--can now attack more effectively the multitude of other major health problems still confronting us. HERALD OF 1113ALTH EDITOR: E. A. Hetke, M.A. MEDICAL CONSULTANTS: M. Meher-Homji, B.D.S. I. R. Bazliel, Ex-Maj.. I.M.S. Elizabeth J. Hiscox, M.D. G. T. Werner, M.D. C. A., Ninan, F.I.C.S, A SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST PUBLI- CATION issued monthly by the ORIENTAL WATCHMAN PUBLISHING HOUSE, P. O. Box 35, Poona 411001, India. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: 1 yr. Rs 15.25; 2 yrs. Rs. 29.85; 3 yrs. Rs. 44:00; Foreign postage, Rs. 4.20 per year. Foreign: Malaysia, $19.00; Sri Lanka, Rs. 25.00. 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NON-RECEIPT OF MAGAZINE: In- quire at local post office before informing us. If possible, send magazine wrapper when writing regarding non-receipt. EXPIRY NOTICE: X on wrapper of magazine indicates subscription has expired. Owned by the Oriental Watchman Publishing House, Post Box 35, Poona 411001, and printed and published by V. Raju at and for the Oriental Watchman Publishing House, Post Box 35, Poona 411001.— 3667-75. .••••••• PHOTO CREDITS Cover: Colour transparency by N. S. Olaniya. 2, 7, 18, 21, 22, 25—V. S. Powar; 8, 26- 2. S. Moses; 10—Brahm Dev; 13—Review Pictures; 14—WHO; 17—L, R. Schultz. herald nal health Vol. 52, No. 4 � April 1975 ARTICLES Smallpox : Point of No Return � H. Mahler 2 Goodbye to Smallpox � 4 Dysmenorrhoea � Erwin A. Crawford, M.D. 6 Loafer's Heart or Athlete's Heart �Ernst Jokl, M.D. 8 Dentures Adventures John 0. Neufeld, D.M.D., M.S., F.A.C.D. 10 Victory Now in Sight � Jonathan Kelly 14 An Easy Road to Better Health �Omar L. Wagoner 16 What makes a Drug Addict? � Harold Shryock, M.D. 20 FEATURES Just Briefly � 3 Clippings and Comments ... 4 Guide to Healthful Living ... 18 Around the Home � 19 The Doctor Advises � 23 For Juniors � 25 Medicine Today �27 Jess It briefly... NIBBLING HAZARDS By means of X ray it is now possible to determine the empty- ing time of the stomach after a regular meal. Experiments have shown that a breakfast of cereal and cream, bread and butter, cooked fruit, and an egg, can be digested and the stomach empty in four hours. A few days after this was demonstrated by X ray the same meal was repeated but with various other foods eaten two hours later. These were the results: Food taken two hours after breakfast: An ice-cream cone A peanut-butter sandwich A piece of pumpkin pie, a glass of milk A banana Undigested food lies in the stomach, sours, and adversely affects the entire system. Sour stomachs make sour personalities. Results: A residue at six hours A residue at nine hours Much residue at nine hours A residue at eight hours APRIL 1975 � 3 CLIPPINGS =JD COMMENTS Though China covers a vast 9,597,915 square kilometres, only 12 per cent of the land is culti- vated. - Italy is to become the first country in the world with a na- tionwide network of pollution monitors to keep a check on the amount of waste in the country's atmosphere. The monitors will be set up in such a way that they will keep an especially close check on the level of sulphur di- oxide in the atmosphere. Ostrich eggshells serve as con- tainers for precious drinking water for Bushmen in Africa's Kalahari Desert. When the shells break, the fragments are made in- to ornaments. Jupiter is unique in the solar system. With more than twice the mass of all the other planets com- bined, it has more than 1,000 times the volume of the Earth. If Mars were placed on the face of Jupiter, it would look like a 25 paise piece on a dinner plate. Alcoholic beverage advertisers will have it a little rougher in the Irish Republic after a new code for television advertising goes in- to effect. The code seeks to de- glamorize alcohol and offset pub- blic pressures to drink. Advertise- ments for whiskey, gin, vodka, and other "hard" liquor will no longer be broadcast. Beer, wine, and "aperitifs" will still be publicized only if they aren't linked to sports, "physical prowess," or sex appeal. The word "variola" was first used to describe smallpox over a thou- sand years ago It was in the year 570 A.D. that the Bishop of Avenches, in Switzer- land, wrote a report about an epidemic in France and Italy. He made the first use of the word "variola" to describe the patients' appearance as "spotted". A great physician of the Islamic world wrote the first medical report about smallpox It was in a tenth century report entitled "A Treatise on the Small- pox" that the infection was first described by Abu-Bakr Mohammed Ibn Zakariyya Ar-Razi, known as Rhazes. A Persian, Rhazes not only discussed smallpox in this paper, he also distinguished it from measles. However, hundreds of years passed before his work was read and later accepted by physicians in Europe. , Plagues that have scourged man- kind The diseases that have caused the greatest slaughter of mankind throughout history were smallpox, bubonic plague (Black Death), cholera and yellow fever, each of them capable of being transmitted by travellers and seafarers around the globe. The first battle against smallpox was initially spurred by a beautiful woman whose loveliness it had destroyed The lovely woman was Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, wife of an eighteenth century English Ambas- sador to Turkey. She barely surviv- ed the smallpox attack that struck her at the age of 26 and marred her beauty. Later, living with her hus- GOODBYE TO band in Turkey, she noticed a method used there to prevent the disease—for which, then as now, no effective treatment has ever been found. On her return to England she urged the adoption of this preven- tive, called variolation. The first primitive method of fight- ing the disease—variolation—is of unknown origin Variolation was employed in an- cient India, and under the Tcheou Dynasty of China when there were outbreaks of so-called "taitu" dis- ease. The method involves taking material from the pox or pustule of a sick person and scratching it into the skin of people who are not yet ill. The recipients usually develop only a mild illness—but they can infect others and their ill- ness is not mild. Provided a person survives this first crude technique of immunization, variolation pre- vented him getting the disease in a more serious form. This method of protection was employed in Europe until early in nineteenth century and in remote populations of Ethiopia and Afghanistan—was, until recent- ly, widely prevalent. Smallpox was the first disease to be made preventable by a modern method of immunization Among those who took a parti- cular interest in Lady Mary Wort- ley Montagu's experiences in Tur- key was a young English doctor named Edward Jenner. He also made the crucial observation that milkmaids did not seem to get the deadly smallpox if they had first caught the relatively harmless cow- pox from their animals. Jenner dared to wonder: could it be that material from a cowpox pustule might somehow prevent smallpox? He tried the experiment in 1796, 4 � HERALD OF HEALTH SMALLPDX when he inoculated material from the pustule on the hand of a dairy- maid into the arm of a little boy of eight. About seven weeks later, he inoculated the boy with matter from a smallpox pustule and, as was expected, the boy did not con- tract the disease. He called the first material variola vaccine, in other words, the smallpox of cows. Jenner's discovery rapidly became widely known A copy of Jenner's report so excited Dr. Benjamin Waterhouse of Boston, Harvard's first Professor of the Theory and Practice of Physic, that in the year 1800 he asked an English colleague to send him a supply of vaccine. A ship eventually brought him a bottle with a glass stopper containing threads of cotton that had been soaked in pustule matter and then dried. Waterhouse promptly vaccinated seven of his own 13 children, with results ex- actly as described by Jenner. Later, one of the vaccinated children, a boy of 12, was inoculated with fresh smallpox matter and even left in a room with a smallpox patient. The boy remained well, and Water- house had inadvertently proved that a smallpox vaccine could safely travel overseas. The discovery was of such importance that President Jef- ferson personally assisted in obtain- ing widespread distribution of the vaccine throughout the United States. The principle of immunization against other diseases was in- spired by Jenner's discovery For decades, the smallpox mate- rial was the only vaccine known to the world of medicine. Not until the 1880s did Louis Pasteur of France discover a vaccine against the animal disease anthrax and, HISTORICAL BACKGROUND soon afterwards, a vaccine against rabies. As he acknowledged, his in- vestigations were inspired by Jenner and the principle of inoculating an organism (virus or bacteria) to pro- duce an innocuous infection which would subsequently protect against the much more severe natural dis- ease. Smallpox vaccine now became avail- able in dried form In 1894, Dr. Chambon and Dr. St. Yves Menard, at the Institute de Vaccine in Paris, dried vaccine in a vacuum-bell jar and used hot air to complete the evaporation process. Today, a freeze-dried vaccine has proved invaluable in the World Health Organization campaign to eradicate the disease. Because dried vaccine is more stable than liquid vaccine, there are obvious advan- tages in hot countries with poor communcation and storage facili- ties. International concern about small- pox came comparatively late on the scene Only in 1926, at the insistence of a Japanese delegate to an Interna- tional Sanitary Conference, was the disease made internationally notifi- able, as bubonic plague, cholera and yellow fever had already been. But before long, smallpox became the disease for which an international certificate of vaccination was virtu- ally universally required from tra- vellers around the world. A revolutionary method of vacci- nation was first tried in 1968 A bifurcated needle, with double points, proved highly efficient in giving mass inoculations. It im- proved the rate of successful im- munizations and required only a COURTESY WHO fraction of the amount of vaccine when compared with the single- pointed needle. With the bifurcated needle, a vaccinator can give pro- tection against smallpox to over 1000 persons a day. A "strategy for surveillance" made its appearance on the medical scene Most national health services started off the theory that the for- mula to beat smallpox was simply to vaccinate everybody. But present- ly it became clear that, while mass vaccination plays an important role in slowing down smallpox transmis- sion, the strategy must be one of surveillance and containment to break the chains of transmission from one person to another. Teams of health workers therefore maintain a continuing search for outbreaks of smallpox, and take fast and effi- cient steps to isolate and contain them. Smallpox would be the first disease to be eliminated by man This year, smallpox is expected to disappear from the earth as the World Health Organization finishes its mopping-up operations in the eradication programme begun in 1967. At that time, the disease ra- vaged 30 nations of the world and was imported by travellers into many others. In 1974 it was being stamped out in the last three coun- tries. But the surveillance teams will continue to search for any hid- den outbreaks and will be ready to pounce should any be found during the next two years. An enemy of mankind throughout the ages, small- pox is at last being controlled and wiped out by a well-co-ordinated in- ternational effort. To page 24 APRIL 1975 � 5 ONCE A MONTH CRAMPS DYSMENORRHOEA by ERWIN A. CRAWFORD. M.D. e NE OF THE most common gynecological complaints in women is painful menstruation. It is a symptom complex rather than a disease process. Primary dysmenorrcea usually appears one or two years after menstruation begins. The first few menstrual periods are not associated with ovulation (the production of an egg), and are called anovulatory periods. With this type of menstrual cycle, pregnancy will not occur, and the periods are not as painful. When ovulation does occur, the ovary, during the last two weeks of the menstrual month, develops a special hormone called progesterone, and it is under the influence of this hormone that fluids are retained in the body. Many women during this part of the month are able to detect a significant weight gain. The basic complaint of dysmenorrhoea is pain. If you pick five adolescent girls with menstrual discom- fort, about three will have cramps, while the other two will complain of pelvic ache and discomfort. Cramplike pain in the lower abdomen. which comes and goes like a labour pain, may be sharp and griping. Sometimes at its peak it is almost unbearable, in fact, some women have found their actual labour pains no harder to bear than their previous severe menstrual cramps. Nausea and diarrhoea occasionally accompany this type of hard cramp. The steady, dull ache in the pelvis is accompanied by a bearing-down feeling over the bladder area and extending down the legs. If these were the only symptoms, the percentage of cures would be much greater with our modem treat- ments. However, many of these patients complain of any combination of abdominal distention, painful breasts, nausea and vomiting, premenstrual tension, depression, irritability. Some of these symptoms may precede the actual bleeding by seven to ten days. How- ever, the usual pain comes on 24 to 48 hours prior to the menstrual flow and persists for a varying time beyond the start of bleeding. Usually the severe cramps disappear within 12 hours. 6 What causes painful menstruation? With such a wide range of symptoms it is under- standable that no one specific causative factor explains all the variations. However, we lean toward the thought that the high-pressure age in which we live contributes to the symptom complex of the modern adolescent girl. Modem treatments have little to add to the bygone methods of rest, massage, hot baths, and remedial ex- ercises. The mechanism of pain may be varied. A mechanism that has been blamed for a long time is cervical obstruction. Normally the opening in the cervix of an adolescent girl Is about the size of the lead in a pencil, while the same opening, after the birth of the first child, is nearer the size of the whole pencil. This may explain why so many women have relatively little trouble with cramps once they have had a baby delivered through the birth canal. Occasionally the cause is associated with a womb that is not fully developed. This may reflect a poor nutritional state or deficient stimulation or use of the hormones made in the ovary (estrogen and progeste- rone). If there is an imbalance of these two hormones, the contractions normally noted inside the uterus are increased in number and strength. When progesterone is not made, there is little or no pain. As menstrua- tion is about to begin, the small coiled arterioles go into spasm, producing a lack of oxygen to the uterine muscle, causing pain much like that experienced in a leg cramp or the heart muscle during a coronary attack. There is a growing belief that links this type of pain with constitutional and psychogenic factors, and it is well recognized that the individual tolerance of pain varies widely. It is likely that the depression and irritability noted at the time of the period are due to the action of progesterone. This is a well-known culprit that con- stricts blood vessels and causes retention of water and HERALD OF HEALTH each month are unable to determine which comes first —the pain or the psychogenic response. Meena sat in the physician's office, pain written all over her. Never in her nineteen years had she suf- fered agonies like this. What could be the matter? Physical examination gave absolutely no clue; she was a healthy young woman with no organic reason for her severe dysmenorrhoea. A little tactful exploration of another sort was indicated. Casual chitchat revealed a good relationship to her parents and no great prob- lems in school or work. But gentle conversation regard- ing her social life was different. A very recent serious break with her fiance had threatened Meena's engage- ment. Emotional turmoil writhed its way into her womb and cried out in her pain. And as quickly as her dysmenorrhcea came, it left, once the rift with that very special young man was healed. Simple treatment salt in the tissues. If there is oedema (swelling) and is- chemia (lack of blood) in the brain cortex, this may then be the explanation of the increased sensitivity. Attitude important Certainly, the attitude of the woman toward this monthly visitor is important. To the woman who is afraid she might be pregnant, the onset of the men- strual period is a "friend," and it is rarely painful. But to the woman who looks on it as the "curse," the onset is painful, and any treatment is relatively un- successful. Some investigators who say that the cause is psychogenic (all in the mind) are unable to explain why the well-adjusted woman receives benefit from specific medication but none from placebos (fake medi- cine). It well may be that the apprehension of dysmeno- orrhcea is the result and not the cause. Those who believe that the psychic trauma is the cause of the pain The simple treatment of dysmenorrhcea should be tempered with the thought that the symptoms are of short duration, and the woman should be educated into what is normal. It should be stressed that discom- fort is usual and normal. Many well-adjusted women can be given "verbal an- algesia" (reassurance as to why pain occurs) and obtain some relief of pain when they better understand them- selves. As they improve their posture, exercise judici- ously instead of going to bed, and avoid fatigue, they will note improvement from month to month. When combined with a low carbohydrate diet, a low salt diet, and either a laxative or a diuretic to remove the excess fluid retained in the body at menstrual time, very little other medication will be needed. And as for the discomfort that may, with some, remain even with faithful attention to these measures, take cheer. Really, the symptoms don't last so very long. When you understand the significance, a "nor- mal" amount of discomfort can be borne with patient equanimity. The average woman during her menstrual life may expect only about 360 periods (about 13 a year), and more than one third of these are painless. Subtract from this number 10 to 12 for each pregnancy (18 if the baby is nursed at the breast), and the remainder are not hard to face. In this space age, time passes rapidly, and so does each menstrual period. They be- come almost a habit so that when this monthly visitor no longer comes, many women feel that they have lost a "friend." The continuing adherence to the suggestions given above should steadily decrease your discomfort and increase your appreciation of your gift of femininity. *** APRIL 1975 � 7 LOAFER'S HEART DO YOU HAVE a "loafer's heart?" Chances are too good that you do—if you exercise too little and eat too much! The realization that exercise is good for the heart is relatively new; before 1930 many experts actually thought it to be a potential source of damage. Why this concept which we now know to be so wrong? There were three reasons: (1) many athletes have large hearts, and large hearts, re- gardless of the cause, were thought to be bad hearts: (2) exhaustion, common after maximum physical exertion, was mistakenly thought to be invariably an indication of acute heart trouble; and (3) infrequent but invariably dramatic fatal col- lapses during physical activity were erroneously considered to be the result of "heart strain." Let's consider these three obser- vations and discover what they really teach regarding the effect of exercise on the heart. But first, a bit of historical background. Where the idea came from More than one hundred years ago Prof. Karl von Rokitansky, of Vienna, did a great many autopsies in which he noticed excessively large hearts in patients who died from chronic heart disease, predom- or ATHLETE'S HEART inantly from high blood pressure (hypertension). When he weighed such hearts they were three to four times as heavy as a normal one. He dubbed such a heart c. bovinum, or "ox heart." We now know that such abnormal enlargements may also occur when the left chamber or ventricle does not empty com- pletely (obstructive cardiomyopa- thy). When it was discovered early in the 1900's that athletes also had large hearts, physicians jumped to the conclusion that intensive physi- cal training may lead to the devel- opment of c. bovinum. Thus it is easy to understand why exercise was held in disrepute—who wants to have an enlarged heart and drop dead? This theory, of course, gave credence to the semimythological stories of fatal collapse due to phy- sical exertion, such as that of the "runner of Marathon," who re- portedly died on the market square of Athens in the year 490 B.C. by ERNST JOKL, M.D. after bringing the news of the de- feat of the Persian invaders by the heroic Greek armies. Such yarns in- variably appealed to the imagina- tion of the man in the street. Strangely, they continue to appeal today, and not alone to him. In 1957, one of the most respected American medical journals pub- lished an article containing a highly imaginative elaboration of the com- pletely unsubstantiated assertion that marathon runners "take such fierce pride in their endurance that they drive themselves to a point of collapse and death." What about heart size? Because athletes. have been im- plicated and since it is easier to control their diet, exercise, sleep and other daily habits than those of other people, they have been ex- tensively studied. During the 1928 Olympic games in Amsterdam, Profs. F. J. J. Buy- tendijk of Holland and Herbert Herxheimer of Berlin made the first really scientific study of the size of the athletes' hearts. Chest X-rays of the participants showed that the enlarged hearts occurred almost ex- clusively in competitors in the en- durance events— long-distance run- ning, cycling, and swimming. Be- cause of detailed studies that have been carried on since 1928 to learn the effects of exercise on the heart, we now know the differences be- tween Rokitansky's abnormal c. bovinum and the top-shape large athlete's heart and the heart of the average sedentary person that weighs around 12 ounces: C. bovinum Reduces physical fitness Weighs more than, 1,000 grammes (34 ounces) Becomes progressively worse Results in early death Athlete's heart Improves physical fitness Weighs less than 500 grammes (17 8 � HERALD OF HEALTH ounces) Growth stops parallel with a given level of physical endurance Results in superior cardiac health and longer life expectancy Heart size in an athlete is mean- ingful only as it is compared to body size. For example, the 1971 woman champion of the 1,500 metre race of Germany, an endurance event, has a heart that, in propor- tion to her size, is twice as large as those of the two male discus throwing competitors yin relation to their size. Yet she weighed a mere 112 pounds, while each of them weighed just under 300 pounds. In fact, to be successful in en- durance events it is a distinct ad- vantage for an athlete to inherit a large heart. Swedish girl swim- ming champions had hearts con- siderably larger than those of un- trained girls. Four years after dis- continuing training their hearts were still large, though somewhat smaller than they had been at their peak. Athletes' hearts may shrink Walter Ruett, one of the world's best-known long-distance cyclists, had X-rays taken during the twenties and again twelve years after he retired. They revealed that there was a considerable reduction in the size of his heart after he stopped his cycling. Five young athletes were studied before and after twenty-one days of bed rest. Dur- ing the brief period of inactivity their heart; became noticeably smaller. It took sixty days of daily training to re-establish their pre- experiment heart volume. Exercise and life expectancy Prof. Martti Karvonen of Finland compared groups of skiers with physically inactive city dwellers in Finland and found that the skiers lived from five to seven years longer. His research team compared the heart condition of 61 former champion long distance skiers, ages 49 to 78 years, with that of the APRIL 1975 sedentary city folk. The amount of heart disease in the ex-athletes was distinctly less. When Dr. Paul Dudley White of Harvard University studied a group of men who had been football play- ers when students and were now more than 60 years old, he found that those who had continued to lead an active life were healthier and lived longer than those who had become careless in their habits. What about other coronary risk factors? Are there any other factors that may cancel the beneficial aspects of exercise on the heart? Indeed, and the most common of these are here- dity and smoking. On the other hand, some known coronary risk factors do not always cause trouble, such as high cholesterol readings in an outstanding girl athlete, her mother, and grandparents, all of whom are fit and not fat, and whose physical performance capacities are conspicuously high. A routine electrocardiogram (EKG) of an in- ternationally renowned soccer play- er, recorded during a routine annual medical exam, was found to be abnormal. It was not, however, as- sociated with any impairment of his ability to perform. A similar EKG from a person with chest pain would inevitably have warranted a diagnosis of heart attack. Both the soccer player and girl athlete re- mained active and enjoyed good health for a number of years after their conditions were first dis- covered. But what about collapse after ex- ercise? Collapse after physical exertion, which is mistakenly blamed on the heart, is the result of either a con- dition called effort migraine; pri- mary loss of consciousness; collapse upon standing erect; or sudden over- whelming loss of muscle power, sometimes called "powerless at- tacks." During the 1968 Olympic games at Mexico city they occurred with unprecedented frequency; the altitude was evidently a major fac- tor. Study of the athletes involved showed that none of them collapsed because of any heart problem and none of them developed heart disease. Exercise and sudden death from heart disease Unexpected sudden death of athletes due to heart disease is a rare event. It can occur in young persons as well as older ones. Dr. J. T. McClellan and I studied the causes of 100 deaths during exercise. We found that the trouble had de- veloped "silently," without giving any warning symptoms and without causing loss of physical fitness. Autopsies showed that the most frequent cause of death was plug- ging of the small arteries which feed the heart muscle (coronary atheros- clerosis), with degenerative change in the muscle of the heart. Other causes of death were birth defects of the coronary arteries, inflamma- tion of the heart muscle (myocard- itis), tumours of the heart, and de- fective heart valves. All of these persons had heart trouble to begin with. Don't be afraid to exercise So we now know that exercise is good for your heart. The large hearts of athletes are desirable; they supply the nourishment and oxygen that the working muscles must have. The exhaustion which sometimes follows maximum exer- tion is not a matter of heart failure. And the rare deaths of athletes dur- ing exercise were due to previously existing and undetected heart dis- ease. It is apparent, then, that if your heart is normal, even the most strenuous exercise will not cause your death. � *** 9 not in harmony; we see the broken-down mouth and may miss the beautiful personality of the in- dividual. Our faces express our friendliness, sin- cerity, integrity, warmth, personal identity, and attitudes. The teeth either detract from or enhance the face, for the shape of the lower third of the face is affected when natural teeth are lost, and decayed and broken-down teeth reveal miserable neglect. Prosthodontics not only attempts to restore function and speech but actually rebuilds a person's MODERN PROSTHODONTIC SCIENCE CAN HELP RESTORE YOUR MOUTH WITH BEAUTIFUL, NATURAL-LOOKING TEETH FOR A WINNING SMILE AND AT THE SAME TIME ASSURE REASONABLE COMFORT! DENTURES ADVENTURES y OUR MOUTH is not an island. It affects your personality, your self-image, your hap- piness, and your health. Nowadays everything is geared toward youth, virility, and femininity. Advertising has almost convinced us that the use of dentures in its highest form rehabilitates much more than merely a man's mouth. It straightens his backbone, helps him throw back his shoulders, permits him to face the future with confidence, and have a twinkle in his eye as well. Looking at a face is much like looking at a room. When everything is harmonious and neat your first impression is one of beauty. Now, if a torn or wrinkled newspaper is on the floor, what is the first thing you see? Right! The newspaper. And you miss the beauty of the room. The same principle holds true if the mouth and face are 10 by JOHN 0. NEUFELD, D.M.D., M.S., F.A.C.D portrait for physical comfort and mental well-being. Too often this inner satisfaction is lost when the teeth are lost. However, dental science is accom- plishing miracles in replacing natural teeth with artificial substitutes that may be undetected by the most scrutinizing eye. The use of the dentures is and has been for the past twenty years increasing at a fantastic rate. George Washington probably never dreamed that nearly two centuries after he obtained his, arti- ficial teeth would look so natural that they could not be detected. His teeth were an awkward-look- ing lot, resembling neither his original ones nor HERALD OF HEALTH anyone else's in size, shape, or form. They were held in place with complicated spiral springs which had a way of getting out of order at the most inconvenient times. Granted that today's dentures are a vast im- provement over Mr. Washington's teeth, none are so good as your natural teeth that have the roots socketed into the bone almost three-fourths inch. Artificial teeth, instead, sit on top of the bone, with only a thin and often very tender mucous membrane between the hard denture and sharp or rough bone that supports it. This is why dentures are considered to be only about one tenth as effi- cient as natural teeth. Really they are merely a crutch to help chew and enjoy your food once your own teeth have bidden you farewell. In spite of living in this modern era, man still clings to a few old-fashioned myths that are very misleading. Some are that to preserve one's teeth he must give up all sweets; denture replace- ments are as good as natural teeth and, at best, even better; it is less expensive to have teeth removed and replaced than to exercise preventive methods; and that dental difficulties are settled for life with dentures. Too often putting in artificial teeth does not end the tooth problem. In fact, in many cases the dentures begin the problem of searching for com- fort, which may prove most elusive. Many indi- viduals have a small fortune tied up in the bags of dentures they carry around. One uncomfortable user arrived in the office carrying his 35 sets, claim- ing that none of them was constructed correctly. The dentures were blamed for malfunction, but the real reason for the failures was an uncorrected medical problem. Visit your dentist regularly Because continual changes take place in our mouths, dentists suggest yearly checkups, even for individuals with partial or complete dentures. Poorly fitted dentures destroy the supporting tissue much faster than do well--fitted replacements. If your natural teeth had a tendency to collect a lot of tartar and you had to have your dentist re- move it occasionally, you will have similar problems APRIL 1975 with your dentures. Your dentist will clean, smooth and polish them so that they are easier to keep spick and span. The dentist is responsible for guarding the health of the tongue, palate, cheeks, gums, pharynx, and floor of the mouth as well as the teeth. He may detect hidden or incipient problems, for there are a number of diseases of the body as a whole, as well as certain cancers, that appear first as changes in the mouth, of which the person is un- aware. Conversely, many uncomfortable dentures may not be the fault of the denture, but the dis- comfort or inability to tolerate them may be due to high blood pressure, diseases of the blood or endocrine glands such as diabetes, nutritional defi- ciencies, and many other problems. Most important of all reasons for denture wearers to see their dentist regularly is early de- tection of cancer. Mouth cancer frequently begins as a white patch in the mouth. An ulcer or sore that won't heal in a week, a foul odour, or new growth may be the warning that you are flirting with cancer. About 95 per cent of mouth cancers are curable if detected early. It is easy to under- stand how a lung or stomach cancer can remain hidden, but there is no excuse for cancer to exist in the mouth, because it obviously can be detected and treated at an early stage. Immediate dentures A healthy tooth is a working tooth. If some of the teeth have been extracted, they should be replaced by either a fixed bridge or a removable partial denture, as recommended by your dentist. This prevents the rest of the teeth from shifting and keeps the work load distributed to the whole mouth. If all of your upper teeth or both upper and lower teeth must be extracted, it is no longer neces- sary except in rare instances to go toothless for months waiting for the gums to heal. The immediate technique makes it possible to replace your extract- ed teeth within minutes with dentures that were pre- pared for you prior to extraction. In this manner the dentist can duplicate or even improve upon the appearance of the natural teeth. 11 One of the biggest causes of discomfort and misunderstanding following immediate denture insertion is that the gums will progressively change over the next 12 to 18 months. Regardless of how well they are originally constructed, dentures be- come loose. They are not a permanent fixture, any more than are your glasses. The dentist may have to temporarily reline or shim up your dentures to accommodate changes in the gums. At the end of this severe adjustment period, a new impression is made for the regular reline and the denture is com- pletely rebuilt for comfort and appearance. At times it is more desirable to use the original immediate denture as a treatment denture and later on, in- stead of doing the regular reline, prepare a new denture. In this way the first denture can be used as a spare, in case of emergency, breakage, or loss. Mrs. Brown was visiting some friends in San Diego. As she tucked herself into bed one evening her dentures, which had seen many, many years of service, bothered her. So she slipped them out and placed them on the rug under the bed. Morning arrived, but the dentures had disappeared. Cha- grined and embarrassed, the toothless guest faced her friends with her tale of woe. Then, to the sur- prise of all, in pranced Rover, the family dog, smil- ing through both his and hers. Relining or balancing the occlusion of den- tures is one of the most delicate of procedures, and we see more dentures ruined by poorly done relines than for any other reason. Because of this we strong- ly advise against do-it-yourself kits. This kind of reline is one of the fastest methods known for des- troying good denture-supporting tissue in the mouth. New dentures, instead of relines, are recom- mended if changes in appearance are desired. Your dentist can also duplicate the original immediate denture as a spare to be used when regular relines need to be made and the dentist needs to keep your dentures for a few days. Professional treatment only The desire to save money is most tempting when quack technicians or dentists offer to make dentures at a bargain basement price in shoddy dental laboratories. You should realize that when you allow anyone to work in your mouth who is not trained or qualified and has no clinical experi- ence in differentiating between healthy and diseased tissue or knowledge of the value of X ray and its 12 interpretations, you are running the risk of injury to your mouth and the possibility of some problem such as cancer. How to enjoy your dentures It's most likely you'll never grow another set of teeth! So you need to learn how to enjoy your dentures. A good mental attitude is your biggest asset. Some people fret and stew about their teeth, just as they do about eyeglasses, shoes, and what have you. Give the dentures a fair chance. Wear them! If sore spots develop ask your dentist to make the needed adjustments. Your mouth was never intended to support dentures. Most denture patients are unaware that the tissues of the mouth are directly affected by their general health. The amount and type of saliva, the texture and resistance of the mouth tissues, the ease with which injury to the mouth can occur, and the length of the healing period are all influenced by your general health. Many common disorders such as high blood pressure, ulcerS in the digestive system, and nervous conditions can create problems for denture wearers. Overindulgence in alcoholic beverages, excessive refined foods because they're easy to chew, or poor nutritional habits also can bring on undesirable conditions in the mouth. Loss of weight will make changes in the ridges, and any extended illness will usually affect the tissues of the mouth and hence the fit of your dentures. Tips for wearers When you first begin wearing dentures, fla- vours may not be sensed well, so take small bites of food and don't hurry. Follow the trick of placing half of each mouthful on the right side and the other half on the left. This distributes the pressure and helps stabilize the dentures. When biting into a sandwich or the like, don't pull as you did with your natural teeth. This is the wrong way to bite with dentures. As you are biting, push in on the teeth with the sandwich and twist. This provides the correct leverage to keep the den- tures in place. A lady denture wearer of fifteen years, when informed of this inward pushing pressure, at long HERALD OF HEALTH last learned how to eat corn on the cob, apples, and other hard foods that she had not been able to manage before. This inward pressure tends to more tightly seat both upper and lower dentures. Remember that where too much tissue destruction has taken place in the mouth, some foods may be off limits. A sneeze, a cough, or any sudden blast of air can send your dentures flying! This quick upsurge of air lifts the soft palate and shuttles the blast of air behind the upper denture. So be on the alert for this or tie them in well. Not very often do five water skiers glide a- breast, and Bill was having the time of his life. What fun ! —until a sharp spray of water suddenly struck his open mouth and flushed out his upper denture. Dropping rope and skiis, Bill dove for his "china clippers," but never got close enough to capture them. As the dentures rocked downward they seemed to be waving farewell. When Bill got home he greeted his family : "Look, Mom—no teeth. Only one cavity!" The birthday party was a gay one—especially APRIL 1975 when Grandpa blew out all 83 candles. Requiring a lot of wind for the task, Grandpa took a deep breath and let go—so did his dentures! They took off and landed on the soft gooey cake, burying themselves in the seven-minute icing. The soft land- ing strip, fortunately prevented any breakage—but who wants a piece of cake! Denture hygiene Should you wear your dentures at night or leave them in a cleaning solution by your bed? If your gum tissue is healthy, you may keep your dentures in at night. Approximately 75 per cent of people with dentures wear them at night. But surveys show that among those who do there are more complaints of irritated and inflamed tissues in the mouth. Particular attention to keeping your mouth clean and massaging the gums will help prevent such conditions. Your oral hygiene combined with denture care is very important. Twice a day brush the gums for 5 to 10 minutes with a soft gum brush to mass- age and improve the circulation. At the same time brush the tongue. Bad breath often comes from food decaying on the tongue. Your breath can be kept sweet if dentures and tissues are kept clean. Dentures themselves have no odour. While brushing your dentures, hold them securely above a towel or a basin of water as a safety precaution so they will not crack if dropped. Brush and clean your dentures with the same de- tergent you use for washing dishes. A good night- soaking solution to keep tartar off the dentures (not metal partials) is two teaspoons of bleach in a glass of water. When any form of bleach is used to dissolve tartar, a soda solution should be used to neutralize the bleach before wearing the dentures. After soaking, brush them clean. You can enjoy your dentures You may never learn to enjoy your dentures until you act as though they are your natural teeth. Don't feel sorry for yourself or grieve about the loss of your natural teeth. Try to improve and learn additional ways of handling them success- fully. Though your natural teeth are gone, be glad you don't have to face the world toothless. Den- tures improve your appearance, your personality, your speech, and your chewing ability. In fact, they can give you a new lease on life—as well as add years to your beautiful smile. � *** 13 VICTORY NOW by JONATHAN KELLY Victory is now in sight in the World Health Organization's campaign to vanquish smallpox from the earth. With the present tempo of progress, the last case of smallpox should occur sometime this year (1975), freeing our planet, once and for all, from man's most feared and devastating disease. As no other disease, smallpox, across the cen- turies, has inflicted untold suffering and death around the globe among rich and poor alike, in every country and in every climate. Until the dis- covery of mankind's first vaccine, nothing could be done to prevent it and even today there is no cure. The discovery of the vaccine, in 1796, was lauded both then and now as one of medicine's most important discoveries. And even then physi- cians with vision recognized in the vaccine the pro- mise that some day smallpox might be eradicated. But for generations the promise remained only a hope. Not only was the vaccine difficult to pre- serve and transport, but a mechanism to organize and to co-ordinate the necessary global attack on smallpox did not exist. Millions continued to suffer and die. However, with time and after millions of vaccinations, smallpox began to retreat — from Australasia, from Europe and from North America. In the 1950s, eradication campaigns in the Americas managed to eliminate the disease from all but one country — Brazil — but this country alone was half a continent. In Asia and Africa, vaccination programmes held the disease partially in check, but epidemics continued to sweep both continents. Finally, the World Health Assembly decided that the time had come to marshal the necessary human and material resources for a worldwide campaign against this disease which for so long had menaced all peoples around the globe. With the World Health Organization serving as the co-ordi- nator and controller, a Grand Alliance was joined. That was in 1967, when smallpox was endemic in 30 countries and was imported by travellers into a dozen others. During the ensuing seven years, more and more links in the deadly chain of disease transmission were broken, until in 1975 smallpox remained in only three countries : Bangladesh, Ethiopia and India. At the outset, most national health services proceeded on the theory that the formula for over- coming smallpox was, quite simply, to vaccinate everyone. Gradually, however, it was recognized that while mass vaccination plays an important role, a more efficient eradication strategy is summed 14 up in the slogan of surveillance and containment. By this is meant continuing search for outbreaks of smallpox — followed by fast and effective steps to isolate and contain them. Smallpox, or variola, is an unusual disease. Only man can harbour, and then relay, its deadly virus. If he does not relay it, the perilous chain of transmission is severed and the outbreak comes to an end. Among some remote or nomadic popula- tions, the chain of transmission may sometimes be broken spontaneously when patients fail to trans- mit the infection to others. But in more crowded areas a barrier of vaccinated persons must be created to stop its spread. This is done by surveil- lance and containment teams of health workers. Good vaccine and a simple and effective way to administer it are essential to the success of any eradication effort. But when the WHO programme began, almost none of the vaccines in use was potent and stable. In many areas, liquid vaccine was in use — a form which could not withstand tropical temperatures for more than a day. The World Health Organization provided equipment and con- sultants to help the countries produce a freeze- dried form of the vaccine which could be kept for a month or more at high temperatures and still re- main effective. During the first years of the pro- gramme, large quantities of vaccine were provided by the developed countries — USSR, United States HERALD OF HEALTH of America, Canada and many others. But, steadily, vaccine production increased in the developing coun- tries themselves, and now more than 80% of all the vaccine they use is locally produced. The vaccine is regularly tested by international centres and all of it meets accepted standards. Vaccination techniques in 1967 were almost as much of a problem as the vaccine. In Asia, use was made of a primitive device called the rotary lancet, which caused infection and severe reactions. In other areas, the vaccine was scratched into the skin, but often such vaccination attempts were in- effective. WHO introduced first the jet injector and later the inexpensive bifurcated, or forked, needle. This needle proved to be as revolutionary an ad- vance as was the safety pin in its day. Today, a vaccinator using this needle can give much more reliable protection to many more persons in a day than ever before — while using much less vaccine than with the older techniques. When the programme started, the endemic areas were divided into four strategic regions: South America, Indonesia, Africa and Asia. South America became free of smallpox when the disease was eradicated by Brazil in 1971. Indonesia accomplished its eradication task in 1972, by which time variola had also been eliminated from most of Africa and Asia. About this time, investigators began to discover in Africa cases of a strange infection. It closely re- sembled smallpox, but the infected persons did not spread the disease to others. Curiously, most of its victims seemed to live in places having large populations of monkeys, or where monkeys were consumed as food. And so for a while, scientists wondered if monkeys might prove to be a non- human reservoir of variola. They were understand- ably alarmed, for if monkeys harboured small- pox, how then could the disease ever be eliminated? Fortunately, WHO reference centres and collabo- rating laboratories, studying the viruses isolated from the sick, concluded that the mystery ailment posed no threat to the eradication of smallpox, being a human variety of monkeypox, a relatively innocent malady. Only 18 cases in all have been found, the most recent reported from Zaire in August 1974. In 1972 with evidence that monkeys were not a problem, the eradication campaign embarked on its final phase — with programmes in every part of every one of the seven countries that remained endemic. During 1973, the list of endemic countries was reduced to four and in 1974 to only three. In- APRIL 1975 creasingly, more cases of smallpox were reported as more health workers concentrated more inten- sively on the shrinking strongholds of the disease, and pushed the virus back into its final refuges. By now there was a clear tone of confidence that this age-old killer could be vanquished from the whole world, and of confidence that indeed it would be. Progress against smallpox was by no means easy, or even steady. For various reasons, flareups occurred in different places from time to time. Even in Europe, where there had been no serious out- break since World War II, 1972 saw a sudden out- break in Yugoslavia with 175 cases — of whom 35 died. Yet the long-range trend speaks for itself : in 1974 fewer than one-tenth the number of in- fections were reported than were estimated to have occurred just a few short years ago when WHO launched this historic campaign. Even within the few countries that are to be- come the final victors over variola, the disease has already been confined to relatively small areas. Often these areas are particularly deficient in transporta- tion, communication or health facilities : their in- habitants sometimes are resistant to the notion that smallpox can be prevented by some strange pricking on the arm — or even that it should be prevented. The Indian state of Bihar is one such area where the final disease pockets are now being eliminated, to be followed by strict surveillance to detect and contain any possible outbreak in the future. But there is, unquestionably now, the exhi- larating feeling that the world is about to be freed of a germ that has ravaged the human race for all of mankind's history. Already, in many areas, the resources deve- loped to overcome smallpox have been turned against other serious health problems — tubercu- losis, tetanus and measles, among others. But now, when health services enter the struggle against these other diseases, they are all the better armed and alert for the experience and strength they have gained in overcoming variola. With this triumph, man will look out upon the world and see it for the first time freed of a major disease by his own difficult, but patient effort. He can begin to dream of other health victories he is capable of winning now. Certainly, seeing what he has done, there is no escaping the many other challenges that beckon him to prove again what he can do to advance the common cause of better health for all. � *** 15 I S NOT THIS the fast I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily : and thy right- eousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward." The Bible. Included in the teaching of a sacred book, the Bible, are God's great psychological laws. In the Isaiah passage quoted above, God seems to be say- ing, Show your love to others and you will receive benefits. By the very act of doing good, our minds comprehend the great mystery of God's love and life's ultimate purpose.... and the empathy we feel for the downtrodden members of humanity will endow our physical bodies with new energy that will help take away emotional and psychosomatic illnesses and help to cure even our physical ail- ments. The curse of the modern-day religions is not poverty and deprivation but "fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness." It seems to be a belief of some that they become righteous simply by attend- ing to their respective worship services and practis- ing religious ceremonies. But we do not become righteous solely by going to worship regularly, or by practising religious ceremonies even though such practices are commanded in the Scriptures. True religion requires that we exercise the principles of justice, mercy, and humility. This includes love for our fellow man. This love can be shown by minister- ing to the material needs of the unfortunate, the povfrty stricken, the afflicted, and those who carry heavy burdens. Out of the tragedies that come upon our fellow man, we may receive a blessing. Spiritual Significance We do not grasp the spiritual significance of giving, fasting, and observance of holy days if we do these things merely to earn salvation. To be sure, being a devout person does include practising the rites and ceremonies of religion, but it is in the life lived before our fellow men that the pre- sence or absence of true religion is manifested. True fasting is not just a matter of abstaining from food; it includes the sharing of our food with the hungry. Those who minister to the needs of the down- trodden are promised rich material blessings even in this life: "Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again" (Luke 6: 38). Fur- thermore, we receive the love and gratitude of those unfortunate ones who are helped. Because of these blessings and because we are doing the will of God we are being spiritually nourished. But more than this, there is an additional bless- ing. Doing good to others in the spirit of true reli- gion will cause our health to improve. In other words, God says that when we contribute to the well-being of others, a beneficial reaction takes place in our physical bodies. Thus our physical be- ing is intimately related to what we do for our fel- low men. Modern psychological research attests the above statements. God has indeed placed this basic psychological law within our brain and glands. The only requirement is that the good deed be motivat- ed by sincere, heartfelt love and sympathy for the unfortunate ones. In the lower part of our brains, we find two mechanisms, the hypothalamus and the limbic system. These mechanisms control the emotional by OMAR L. WAGONER AN EASY ROAD TO BETTER side of our lives. When we think gloomy, angry, unkind, or selfish thoughts, the neurons in this area of the brain fire nervous impulses to the pituitary gland that lies just below the brain, causing it to produce a hormone called STL. When too much STL circulates in the blood, it causes the adrenal glands, located slightly above the kidneys to pro- duce too much of the hormone DOC and other substances called the proinflammatory corticoids. These substances were designed by God to equip the body to defend itself against disease. They cause the blood pressure to rise; the heart to beat faster. Blood vessels contract in the internal organs and expand in the muscles. Inflammation may be set up by these substances in any part of the body, especially in the sinuses, throat, lymph nodes, and intestine. If we have an infection or toxin in the body, these substances help to trap the offending organisms and destroy them. But when the outpouring of these hormones is caused simply by negative thinking, their effect is harmful to body, mind, and soul. We ache and hurt all over; we feel too hot or too cold; our stomach distends with gas; we feel exhausted, dis- couraged, and depressed. Long-continued emotional states of a negative nature will eventually cause psychosomatic disease and can finally result in al- most any form of illness. On the other hand, when our hearts are filled with love, tenderness, and sympathy, the hypotha- lamus and limbic system send forth impulses that cause the pituitary gland to secrete ACTH, which, in turn, causes the adrenals to secrete cortisone and other substances called A-C corticoids. These sub- stances tend to cause the blood pressure and heart rate to return to normal. The internal organs are supplied with additional blood to improve their work of digestion, elimination, and assimilation; any inflammation in the body 'begins to subside and gradually clears up. The person tends to have a feeling of peace, relaxation, and optimism. Long- continued emotional states of a positive nature result from welfare work properly motivated. The body will be strengthened as a result and be aided in its efforts to repair itself . HEALTH A Psychological Law It was Dr. Hans Selye, of the University of Montreal, who discovered this great psychological law. He found that animals fed on high-salt diets and placed in a stressful environment produced large quantities of DOC and the P-C corticoids. These animals died much sooner than those fed on a low-salt diet in a nonstressful environment. The experimental group showed symptoms of stress and all the negative emotions and quickly developed disease, heart attacks, and strokes. He concluded that the effect of unkind feelings and selfishness upon human beings could be similar. Thus when the Lord Jesus said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive," He was speaking a great psychological law—a natural law that He had placed in our bodies. Solomon stated the same truth when he said, "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine." We cannot estimate the value of a warm, kindly atmosphere of love, but those men and women who do welfare work in the proper spirit seem to carry with them a soft and gentle atmosphere. Even their countenance radiates and expresses the peace that swells in the soul. This atmosphere will benefit not only their own health but also the health of all who come in contact with them. To page 26 ASK A CHILD what part of his body enables him to hear and he will say, "My ears," touching the external features attached to the sides of his head. But the truth is that what we call the ear is only a minor part of the sense organ for hearing. There are three distinct parts to the ear: 1) the EXTERNAL EAR is made up of the projection on the side of the head which serves as a funnel to direct the sound waves into the ear canal. This canal is a little more than 2.5 cm. in length and ends blindly, at its depth, at the tympanic membrane (eardrum): 2) the MIDDLE EAR is the air-fil- led cavity located just beyond the tympanic membrane and is con- nected through the auditory tube (called the eustashian tube) with the back part of the pharynx. Thus the tympanic membrane has air on both sides and can vibrate freely when sound waves strike its external surface; 3) The INTERNAL EAR is really the essential organ of hearing, for in it the energy of the vibrations produced by the sound waves is converted to nervous impulses which, in turn, are carried to the brain. The internal ear includes the cochlea, the essential organ for hearing, and the semicircular canals which function as the sense organ for equilibrium. Possible injury to the tympanic membrane constitutes one of the first dangers to be avoided in the care of the ears. Any ob- 18 ARS ject introduced into the ears for cleaning out wax is a dangerous practice, and that is why some- one humorously said that noth- ing smaller than a person's el- bow should ever be put in the ear! If you are troubled with ear wax, it is wise to have a quali- fied person remove it to safe- guard against injury to the tympanic membrane. The ear is a delicate organ and an earache can be caused by various reasons. One form of earache is caused by an inflam- mation and swelling of the deli- cate skin lining the canal of the external ear. Another cause of earache is pressure on or injury to the ear- drum. This may come from severe pressure, from actual in- fection of the eardrum, or as a part of an infection of the mid- dle ear (otitis media). Otitis media is usually caused by germs that have spread from the nose or throat through the auditory tube to the ear. As a rule, it is a common cold that gets the germs started on this path, either due to forcibly blow- ing the nose or through a throat infection. This infection is usually ac- companied by fever and chills, the ear feeling full, and there may be partial or complete deafness. There is a great danger that the eardrum will rupture, and with- out proper medical care, per- manent damage may result to the eardrum. There is also the possibility of an infection to spread into the mastoid cells be- hind the ear. A doctor must be consulted in this situation. If you are confronted with an earache without infection, here are some suggestions that you can try at home: 1. At the first twinges of pain, apply to the ear a hot-water bottle or some other source of steady heat. 2. Consult a doctor if attacks of earache are frequent or if any attack lasts more than a few hours. 3. Temporary relief from pain may be obtained by drop- ping 2-3 drops of warmed medicated ear drops or olive or salad oil into the affected ear. 4. A nasal decongestant spray or nose drops used four times a day for two or three days will aid drainage and aeration of the nose and auditory tubes. HERALD OF HEALTH 0 3 it+ •11 aujo TRAVEL A fun travelling game for the whole family is to watch the billboards and other signs and see who can find all the letters of the alphabet in order first. Even guessing what colour the next car is going to be can be fun and points can be kept for each player. * The stomach is normally emptied in four hours. If food is taken between meals, it puts such a burden on the stomach that it has to double its efforts and con- sequently doubles the time for complete evacuation. This is a major cause for dyspepsia. There is a saying that goes like this: "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach." Well, it could be said that the reason for a man's bad disposition is be- But, before you plan such a cause of his stomach! scheme, think! Is it good for a child (or anyone for that matter) � * * * to be eating continually from morn till night? No, it is not. The � Subscribers � of � Herald � of food we eat, how and when—is Health have responded to this one of the most vital things we regular feature, "Around the do in our everyday life. And yet Home." One writes that she we give so little thought to it. � would like to share some of her Overeating and eating at the tasty dishes with the rest of the wrong time are two violations of readers. We welcome such re- good eating habits. The functions cipes. We prefer that the recipes of the body are based upon be vegetarian since we here at rhythmic action. For example, the Herald of Health are vegetarians! heart beats regularly, also the pro- � This same homemaker also cess of respiration is carried on in included in her letter a few house- the same manner, without our hold hints that she has found giving thought to it. The digestive helpful. Here are two: organs undergo this same rhyth- � To aviod foam in the oil while mic action by way of peristaltic frying such things as murukku or contractions. � The � contracting appalams, just add a little tame- movement aids in the digestion rind—and presto! no foam. and absorption of food as well as � While boiling eggs, just add a in the elimination of wastes. Ir- little common salt, and this will regularity in eating disturbs this prevent the eggs from breaking. rhythm and is one cause of indigestion and constipation. � P. Kingsley, Madras If gummed labels or stamps get stuck together, place a piece of thin paper over them, then iron. They will come apart easily and the gum will be intact. * * * Hot vinegar is useful for a festered finger. Dip as hot as possible, and you will find that the finger will soon discharge, and the pain will be eased. Soak a piece of cloth in vine- gar and place across the fore- head for relief of nervous head- ache. Tired aching feet can be pleas- antly relieved by sponging with pure vinegar. * * * Wheat products, such as flour and breads, both leavened and unleavened, are not rich in the essential amino acid, lysine. A report from the Central Food Technological Research Institute, of Mysore, shows that adding small amount of lysine (0.3 per cent or less) to flour from which leavened or unleavened bread is prepared, greatly improves the quality and utilization of wheat protein. They suggest that in developing countries where whole-wheat products are the staple food, fortification with lysine would be a benefit. VACATION TRAVELLING IS OFTEN a trial. Now that the holiday season has come, many are making decisions where to go, when to go, and how to go. The high cost of petrol may force some to forfeit a longer trip. They will vacation closer to their homes. Whatever the case, no doubt some travel- ling will be involved. Travelling with children can be quite an experience. What to eat and how to pass the tedious time are the main concerns. These problems usually fall on mother's shoulders. What to eat usually turns out to be the easiest problem to solve since a few snack foods can be brought right along in the car, train or bus. Giving the restless child something to eat is an easy way of keeping him quiet and occupied. APRIL 1975 � 19 WHAT MAKES A DRUG ADDICT? S OME PEOPLE claim to be able to spot drug addicts on the street or in a crowd just by their supposed unusual facial expression and general appearance. I doubt if this spotting can be accurate. Anyway, addicts, for the most, were perfectly normal people before some combination of cir- cumstances plus the drug to which they are now addicted set them apart as different � different be- cause they have become dependent on the use of a drug. And even now their conduct is reasonably normal provided they have been taking their usual doses of the drug provided they feel certain they will have no difficulty in obtaining the next few doses. The heroin addict, for example, may have good reason to worry about how he will obtain his next dose of the drug. To obtain the drug in the amounts he requires may cost as much as Rs. 100 per day. Usually he knows where he can get the drug, but getting the money with which to purchase it may not be easy. In most cases the heroin addict does not have the personal abilities to earn by honourable means the money it takes to support his habit. So, short of experiencing a cure, he has no recourse but to obtain the money day by day in ways that are dis- honest or indecent. Thus it is that heroin addicts are usually involved in shoplifting, burglary, pros- titution, procuring or drug-peddling. Obtaining money in sufficient quantities and then obtaining the drug becomes the addict's way of life. His first thought as he wakens in the morning pertains to his need for the drug. His last thought at night centres around his plans for securing another dose when he awakens. Addicts realize their plight and regret that they have become dependent to the extent that they are helpless without the drug. But any good intentions they may have for quitting their addic- tion are quickly dispelled by the ever-present dread of the suffering they will pass through should they fail to get the next dose on time. With heroin, the symptoms of withdrawal begin after about eight hours of privation and continue to be progressively more severe for the 20 next three days. The symptoms begin mildly with a running nose and unnatural watering of the eyes. Gooseflesh then appears, along with profuse per- spiration. Later muscle twitchings and severe muscle cramps are added. The victim cannot sleep, partly because of his irritability and partly because of vomiting and diarrhoea. One would suppose that anyone who finds himself in such a plight would be energetic in warning others against the use of habit-forming drugs lest they, too, should become addicted. On the contrary, however, the addict actually becomes ingenious in tricking • others into sharing his ex- perience with drugs. The reasons for his aggressive "proselyting" are partly psychological and partly monetary. By persuading others to share his way of life, he partly assuages his self-condemnation and humiliation for belonging to an unpopular minority. Then, if he can serve as the agent through whom new addicts obtain their supply, he can thus get the money with which to provide his own needs. In this article I am concerned not so much with describing the horrors of addiction as with discovering the answer to the question, What makes an addict? What makes a person vulnerable to drug dependence in the first place? The fundamental conditions that set the stage for addiction vary from case to case. Also, the particular pattern of drug dependence is different with one kind of drug from what it is with another. So, before we find our answer to the question, What causes addiction? we must first mention the four categories of drug that are habit-forming: 1. Narcotics. The principle examples of the narcotics are heroin, codeine, and morphine. Mor- phine is valuable as a pain-killer and is used exten- sively, on doctors' orders, for the relief of suffering from accidents and from the tissue destruction caused by cancer, and in connection with illnesses requiring surgery. Morphine is not dangerous when used expressly as the physician directs. Codeine is also frequently prescribed by physicians for the relief of pain in certain respiratory ailments. Heroin, like the other narcotics, is derived from the opium HERALD OF HEALTH poppy. It has no important use in medical practice, but it is the favourite member of the narcotic group for smuggling and use by addicts. 2. Sedatives. Sedatives have the effect of relieving tension and promoting calmness. The sedative drugs prescribed commonly by physicians are the barbiturates and the tranquillizers. Alcohol is a definite sedative, but its effects and its influence on the personality of the user are beyond the scope of the present article. 3. Stimulants. The chief items in this group are the amphetamines. These have very limited med- icinal value. Their use is forbidden by law except by a physician's prescription. There is an enormous black-market distribution, however, as "pep pills." 4. Hallucinogens. LSD and marijuana are the popular examples here. They have no value in treating those who are sick. In recent years they have become popular among drug users because of their influence on the perceptive functions of the brain. Their effect is to distort the sensory experiences so that things are seen and heard differently from normal. In order to understand how a person may form a compelling habit which forces him against APRIL 1975 by HAROLD SHRYOCK, M.D. his better judgment to continue taking a drug, we will now consider the two kinds of "drug depend- ence." By drug dependence we refer to the condition of brain or body by which a drug becomes "neces- sary" in order for the individual to "carry on." Psychological drug dependence develops when a drug has such an effect as to enable the drug user to sidestep his problems of personality. When a drug provides an escape from unpleasant reality, when it relieves a person of his feeling of inferiority, when it replaces emotional tensions and anxiety by calmness, when it relieves depression and fatigue, or when it provides unusual preceptions and atti- tudes that seem to raise a person out of a world of stern reality into a sphere of colourful (though false) creativity, then we have a circumstance which, if coupled with pre-existing personality problems, virtually compels the one who has tried the drug once to use it again. Persons of stable, mature attitudes who face their existing problems courageously are not easily vulnerable to dependence on drugs. They do not feel the need of a crutch. They spurn the thought of tampering with their established self-reliance. But those who already feel inadequate, those who have not yet tasted success, those who fear they may not attain their goals in life, those who feel crowded out by competition, and those who feel that life has become humdrum, become such easy victims of drug dependence that a single experience with a drug which provides an artificial shelter from the storm of their unpleasant attitudes may establish a compelling habit. The element of psychological drug dependence operates in all four of the catego- ries of habit-forming drugs listed above. Physiological drug dependence is a condition that develops after a user of narcotics or sedatives has become accustomed to the effects of his drug. It involves a physical dependence in which the body, not the brain, rebels against being deprived of the drug. Here we have the symptoms which appear when certain organs of the body function abnormally as when vomiting and diarrhcea appear among the withdrawal symptoms of heroin addic- tion. Physiological drug dependence is associated with the continued use of narcotics and sedatives, 21 not necessarily with the use of the stimulants and the hallucinogens. It is the combination of psycho- logical and physiological drug dependence that makes it so nearly impossible to rehabilitate the person who uses narcotics or sedatives. However, psychological drug dependence alone, if deep-rooted in an inadequate or immature personality, may be almost impossible to break. Even though a person who is using stimulants r hallucinogens may not experience symptoms of hysical torture when he is deprived of his drug, the same factors in his personal circumstances which made him vulnerable in the first place may easily orce him to continue his use of the drug which as seemed to ease his problems. Here are some of ordinary persons, following ordinary pursuits, who may be vulnerable to drug abuse: the young man, just out of college, who s that no one wants to hire him; the housewife mother who becomes vexed with the contin- g disagreements among her children; the t � -- port-driver who has to drive long hours in order to meet his schedule; the college student with a major in political science who becomes disillusioned and disgusted with the conditions of society both in his own country and in the world at large. These would not all be susceptible to the in- fluence of the same drug, for their problems are different. If the unemployed college graduate is so unwise as to try one shot of heroin, he will dis- cover that his troubles are forgotten while under the influence. The distraught housewife is an easy candidate for dependence on a tranquillizer. The transport-driver can please his employer and make his schedule by recourse to the stimulating influence of "pep pills" before he realizes that tolerance for the amphetamines builds up quickly and that the consequences may include damage to his heart, psychological depression, suicidal compulsions, and actual insanity. The disillusioned college student 22 can sharply curtail his chances for actual success by foolishly trying one "trip" with LSD. Now that we have considered the causes of addiction, let us raise the question that is even more important : How can a person be spared from becoming an addict? First and obviously, if a person never samples one of the drugs that cause dependency, he will never become addicted. In the experience of every addict, there was a first time. If there is never a first time, there cannot be a second or third. As parents deal with their children, helping them to prepare for successful living, they should take occasion to explain the dangers of experimen- tation with any agent which is said to have an in- fluence on one's moods or thoughts. The child should be informed that such drugs may be administered in drinks or in smokes as well as in tablets, capsules, powders, sugar cubes, or syringes. Recalling the two kinds of drug dependence mentioned earlier, it should be noted that it is psychological dependence that develops first and that operates in all cases of drug abuse. Physio- logical dependence, when it occurs, comes later— after a person has used a drug long enough so that his body rebels when deprived. This means that if psychological dependence can be forestalled, addiction cannot develop. The second precaution, therefore, in avoiding the possibility of addiction, consists in solving in advance, those problems of personality which set the stage for psychological dependence on drug. What are the personality problems which, allowed to go unsolved, set the stage for drug de- pendence? There are many kinds, of course. But, in a word, they are the circumstances of life which cause a person to feel inadequate, despised, un- wanted, unloved, rejected, or thwarted. When a person feels thus, it is easy for him to escape from his unhappiness by recourse to drugs. Once he has tried this way out of his dilemma, he is no longer in control of his own destiny. The ability to solve problems of personality in a wholesome manner begins in early childhood. Then it is that parents have a moulding influence on the lives of their children. Parents who are them- selves well adjusted can set the examples of confi- dence. By manifesting love for and trust in the child they provide the assurance of personal worth which the child craves. By being companionable with the child they influence him day by day to overlook the momentary slights and disappoint- ments in favour of life's long-range goals. � *** HERALD OF HEALTH The Doctor Advises This counselling service is open to regular subscribers only. In reply to questions, no attempt will be made to treat disease or to take the place of a regular physician. Questions to which personal answers are desired must be accompanied by self-addressed and stamped envelopes. Anony- M.3111 questions will not be attended to. Address all correspondence to: The Doctor Advises, Post Dos 3 5 , Poona 411 0 0 1. STOMACH ULCER I have had stomach problems for forty-six years. I have had many X-rays, and each time my doctor tells me I have an ulcer about the size of a pea. Naturally, by now I know what is good and what is bad for my stomach. I do not smoke or drink, use, very little coffee or spices. I use cooked wheat instead of prepared breakfast cereals, but I do have a weakness for cakes and pies which I eat often with ice-cream. Sometimes I can go about two months without pain, and then it will return suddenly, regardless of what I eat. Otherwise I am very strong and healthy. I go hiking, and jog several times weekly. My stomach seems to function bet- ter when I am on a mountain climbing trip. Why can't I get rid of this ulcer permanently? Sometimes I am afraid it will turn into cancer. You will need to remember that even when an ulcer is controlled, the tendency for it to return is always there. That is, today one may heal up, but another will always appear if the things that brought it on in the first place are repeated. It is good that you do not smoke, nor drink tea, coffee, or cola beverages, or eat spicy foods. You would do better to use only whole-grain cereals, whether home cooked or ready prepared, and these should be free from added refined sugar, honey, or syrup of any kind. In fact, if you will greatly limit sugar in all forms from your diet, you will probably do much better. Then, too, your eating habits can be just as important as what you eat. Eat slowly, taking time to chew and enjoy your food. Eat in a pleasant environment and in a happy mood. Are you a worrier? Constant stress that is not rightly handled is a powerful ulcer-former. We all face genuine problems. The best thing to do is to study them honestly and try to pinpoint the kernel. Sometimes this suggests a solution. Those that seem beyond our comprehension or remedy we can trust to God, and then insist on using our mental energy in positive ways. APRIL 1975 The fact that you feel better when you hike a lot is good evidence that you are more relaxed when you are physically active and in a natural en- vironment. Keep it up!! Stomach ulcers do not usually develop into cancer. However, you should by all means, keep under the continual observation of your physician. EYE PROBLEM What could ba causing white spots and flashes of tight in front of my eyes? I do not have glaucoma or diabetes. Your problem is one that cannot be answered specifically without a thorough health inventory and physical examination. The best we can do is make general comments. The spots before your eyes could be caused by a variety of conditions, most of which pertain to your general health. Many people see flashes when they sit up or stand up. This is not serious—if you get up more slowly, it will not occur. It is also possible that you may have a variety of migraine which has only this symptom without the headache. You might be wise to see your physician. ENCEPHALITIS Can you please tell me something about en- cephalitis or sleeping sickness? Can chemicals cause it? Is there any cure or help? Encephalitis is a broad term, meaning inflamma- tion of the brain. It can be caused by many different factors, but it is unusual for chemicals to cause it unless they are placed directly on the brain or on its covering, the meninges. This, of course, does not usually happen. The commonest causes of encephalitis are viruses. There are, perhaps, a hundred or more capable of producing encephalitis under natural con- dition and many others that can do so in the re- search laboratory. In this country the commonest 23 causes are the equine encephalitis viruses, of which we have three kinds, all carried by mosquitoes. They are called equine because they often involve horses. In places they may involve birds and get into wild flocks and also into domestic flocks. Some scientists believe that the virus is capable of "hibera- tion" or "wintering over" in certain reptiles and snakes. The term sleeping sickness is applied to many different illnesses and has many different causes. Generally, however, when we talk of sleeping sick- ness we mean Africa's sleeping sickness. This is an entirely different kind of encephalitis. It is caused by a little parasite called a trypanosome, which is carried by a tsetse fly. It is, of course, no problem to us here in India because we have no tsetse flies and no trypanosomes. FIBROID TUMOUR I have a fibroid tumour and have been spotting blood for about ten months. My doctor says I need surgery. Please explain what a fibroid tumour is. Would this be a minor or major operation? A fibroid is a tumour of the uterus or womb. It is made of muscular tissue and is almost a!- ways benign or non-malignant. Fibroid tumours are not uncommon; many women have them. Some have only a single tumour, while other women have many. These tumours may cause spotting of blood, sometimes even "flooding." Many physicians be- lieve that if there is only one fibroid, and it is caus- ing no trouble, it is safe to delay surgery indefinitely. Other physicians believe that because occasionally a fibroid tumour will in some way alter itself and grow without restraint they should always be re- moved. Usually the surgeon will remove the en- tire uterus, because as long as it is there it can produce more fibroids. This surgery is considered major, but if all goes well, it is usually without major complication. *** BURSITIS What can a person do as a home treatment for bursitis? What causes it? A bursa is a sac of delicate tissue that lies between a tendon and a bone, usually near a joint. It produces a natural lubricant. Bursitis is an irrrita- tion of this delicate sac, although it is not always possible to determine the cause of the irritation. Home treatment depends upon whether it is acute, subacute, or chronic. Intermittent cold, in the form of ice packs, or ice cubes wrapped in plastic, re- lieves the pain in some persons. This should be done for perhaps ten to twenty minutes out of every hour or two. Others find applications of heating pad or moist heat, as in fomentations or terry towels wrung out of very hot water and placed on a dry towel over the painful area, more helpful. Rest to the joint is important at first, but after the acute stage it should be gently exercised. Generally speaking, it is well to consult one's phy- sician if he has bursitis. There are other measures available to him. � *** GOODBYE TO SMALLPDX From page 5 Ten Facts About Smallpox 1. Smallpox is a deadly, virus- caused infection that produces fever, skin rash, pocks and scabs. Those of its victims who survive are left with scars which last for life, and some- times blindness. 2. The infection spreads by means of secretions from the victim's nose and mouth and from the pocks and scabs. 3. A smallpox patient falls ill be- tween seven and seventeen days after receiving the virus 24 and can transmit the illness to � 7. others for about a month after the appearance of the skin rash. 4. No cure is known for smallpox, � 8. but it can be prevented by vaccination, which is a simple and virtually painless medical procedure. � 9. 5. In 1967, when the World Health Organization triggered an international campaign to eradicate the disease, small- pox was endemic to thirty countries and was reported in twelve more. � 10. 6. At the start of the WHO small- pox eradication campaign, there were estimated to be more than two-and-a-half-mil- lion cases a year. In 1974, the total had fallen to less than one-tenth of this figure. By the end of 1974, smallpox persisted in only three coun- tries of the world, and is now being stamped out there. One of the mightiest weapons in the war against smallpox is a vaccine that remains stable and patent, even in hot cli- mates, because it is freeze- dried rather than in liquid form. As smallpox is being wiped out, tremendous resources of human ability, energy and money are being released to focus on other great health problems of mankind. � *** HERALD OF HEALTH Who would have thought an ordinary lunch could be so interesting! by ELISABETH B. GOODMAN 11 HISTORY IN YOUR LUNCH What do you have in your lunch today?" Manjula asked. Savita peered into her lunch box. "My very favourites!" she exclaimed. "Peanut butter sandwich, potato crisps, a tomato, and a banana!" Neither Savita nor Manjula knew that once upon a time there were no such foods as peanut butter and margarine. There were no potato crisps. The girls would not have dared to touch a tomato—they were thought to be poisonous! The "oldest" food in Savita's lunch box was the bread in her sandwich. Tiny, dry wheat kernels, some 6,000 years old, have been found. For thousands of years bread was made in the shape of flat cakes. Then one day, in ancient Egypt, as the story goes, a lazy slave left some dough in a pan on top of a warm clay oven. Some seeds called spores from a yeast plant accidentally dropped into the dough. To the slave's astonishment the dough swelled to twice its size. He popped the pan into the oven and when the dough was baked he held in his hands the first real loaf of yeast bread. Bread was so popular that the men who built the pyramids received three loaves a day as part of their pay. But Savita would not have enjoyed eating bread made in ancient Egypt. The cooks kneaded the dough with their bare feet! The first known public bakery opened 171 years before Christ was born, in the city of Rome. The baker sold wheat bread, sweetened with honey, much like the bread in Savita's sandwich." Hundreds of years later, in the late 1860s, the country of France was fighting a war. Food was scarce. The ruler of France, Napoleon III, offered a prize to APRIL. 1975 anyone who could invent a substitute for butter. The prize was won by a chemist who mixed together beef oleo oil, milk, water and a vegetable dye. He ended up with almost the same sort of margarine that Savita's mother-spread on her bread. Twenty years after Hippolyte Mege-Mouries in- vented margarine, a doctor in St. Louis, U.S.A., was looking for a food high in protein which his patients could easily digest. He hit on peanuts as the solution to his problem and started grinding them up in his meat grinder, adding a little salt. The Earl's brainstorm Why are two pieces of bread with food in the middle r-a lled a "sandwich"? The story is that once there was a nobleman who disliked being interrupted for meals when he was busy. He asked his servants to bring him food that he could eat while he worked. He was the Earl of Sandwich, and he frequently dined on two thick slices of bread with a slab of meat or cheese in the middle—"A sandwich," his friends laughed, and the name stuck. Forty years before the St. Louis doctor started grinding peanuts, a fussy old gentleman went for his holiday to Moon's Lake House at Saratoga Springs, New York. He complained a good deal about the food. Three times he sent back his potatoes to Cook George Crum, saying they were thick and soggy. Cook Crum was angry. "I'll fix that old rascal," he muttered. He shaved a potato into paper-thin slices and dropped them into deep, hot fat. Then he sent a plate- ful to the customer. To Cook Crum's surprise the old gentleman loved them and told his friends about them. Now potato wafers are readily available. "Poisonous" Tomatoes If Savita had lived in the days before the Battles of Panipat she would have called her tomato a love 25 apple. She would have admired the beautiful red fruit in her parents' flower garden. "Don't touch the love apples, Savita," her mother might have said. "They are poisonous!" ' Thomas Jefferson an early president of America, was one of the first Americans to eat tomatoes. He saw them eaten in France, and in 1789 he planted some in his vegetable garden. But it was not until the early 1800s that tomatoes began to be used for food. One day in 1820 a man living in Salem, New Jersey, stood on the steps. of the courthouse and ate tomato after tomato after tomato to prove they wouldn't kill him. By the end of America's Civil War in 1865 they were finally accepted as a vegetable. Bananas Bananas were used in ancient China for food and to heal wounds. Their leaves have been used for wrap- pings. The fibrous leaves of some kinds of bananas are used to roof houses and to make mats and baskets. In India they were sometimes called "fruit of the wise men," for some Indian wise men were thought to eat nothing but bananas. Bananas were rare in Britain in the early days. Shiploads from the Canary Islands first arrived in 1901 at Bristol. When refrigeration came into use in the early 1900s it was possible to transport bananas from the tropics to the British Isles in quantity, well preserved in the cool storage areas of ships. Everyone was soon able to buy the delicious fruit with the thick yellow skin. As Savita slowly ate her lunch, she never guessed how much history was stored in her lunch box. What do you find in yours! � *** AN EASY ROAD From page 17 It is said of John D. Rockefeller that he was old at 52, broken in health, and ready to die. The veins in his arms were hard, like lead pipes. For 30 years he had driven himself to satisfy his lust 26 for material wealth. He had used every means at his disposal to gain that wealth and destroy his competitors. Now that he could truly be called the wealthiest man in the United States he was ready to die and leave it all. About to come face to face with eternity, John D. greatly feared his encounter. Perhaps if he would use his money for the needs of others and build great institutions that would be a blessing to mankind, God might forgive and forget. He became kindly and benevolent, giving away millions for the uplift of his fellow man. Because of this and other healthful practices, his health greatly improved. He was far happier than he had been during his money-making days. When he died at the ripe old age of 96, it is said that the veins in his arms were as soft as a baby's. In this life we have before us two open doors. We may become unloving and unconcerned about the pi-oblems of our fellow men. We can become selfish and interested only in serving self, thereby reaping unhappiness and tension, bad health set in an environment of barrenness and loneliness. Or we can open the door to a life filled with love, empathy, and tenderness, resulting in a full and abundant life of service. "Beloved," wrote John, "I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." This wish may be achieved partly by doing good to others. � *** t*001!4S,Stt*I*6.1,0tXkl$44.1:ttt444(44.*544) The publishers of this magazine insure their motorcars and property with NATIONAL INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED (Regd. Office: 3, Middleton Street, Calcutta-700 016) DIVISION IV — CODE NO: 590 INDU HOUSE, N. MORARJEE MARG, BALLARD ESTATE, BOMBAY-400 038. Telephone: 264022 Telegrams: "GURNEM" They transact all kinds of Fire, Motor, Marine and Miscellaneous Insurances. HERALD OF HEALTH NEW DEVICE FOR EYE EXAMINATION A new Soviet device, the portable OR-2 oph- thalmoscope, enables the eye to be examined in both dark and brightly-lit rooms without having to dilate the pupil with drugs. The device lights up the back of the eye more efficiently and allows the ob- server to detect even slight changes in the retina, the optic nerve and the blood vessels behind the retina. Special attachments permit the device to be used also for studying the optical, refractive pro- perties of the eye and detecting tumours, detach- ment of the retina and other harmful changes in the conjunctiva of the eye. A slit attachment makes the device particularly convenient for use on small chil- dren and the seriously ill. —Soviet Features REVERSIBLE STERILIZATION Reversible sterilization of women under age 30 is in the clinical study stage. The procedure: A removable polyethylene device designed to function as an intratubal "splint" is introduced via the fimbriated end of the oviduct and retained in the tube by hemostatic clips or nonabsorbable sutures. The device can be introduced by laparos- copy, minilaparotomy, or culdoscopy. In early trials, no pregnancy has occurred, but proof of reversibility awaits a request for removal of the device. (Dr. Patrick C. Steptoe,' Oldham and District General Hospital, Lancashire, England.) —RN magazine BLOOD TEST FOR LUNG CANCER INSULIN FROM A "GUN" Diabetics, who have to give themselves a daily shot of insulin, need no longer fear the needle. An injection "pistol", developed (West Germany) is childishly simple to use. The injection is carried out automatically. The patient only has to gauge the necessary depth of the shot and the amount of life-saving insulin re- quired, then operate the apparatus; which has only one trigger and can be manipulated by one hand with ease. The gun is equipped with a metre which shows that the injection has taken place. And diabetes sufferers can hope for further developments to help them fight their condition from the research labs of Ulm University. Professor Friedrich Pfeifier has developed an artificial pan- creas which automatically registers the blood- sugar level and controls it via measuring equip- ment and a mini-computer. The first implantation of the artificial pancreas should be made in a few years time. � —German Features APRIL 1975 Doctors have long suspected that lung cancer may be the result of genetic factors. Now, Charles R. Shaw, M.D., chief of medical genetics at M.D. Anderson Hospital, in Houston, U.S.A., has come up with a blood test he believes wilt show that about half the population has an inherited vulner- ability to the disease. Dr. Shaw cites an enzyme arylhydrocarbonhydroxylase (AHH) as a primary cause of lung cancer. AHH, he explains, trans- forms cancer producing chemicals found in tobacco smoke and polluted air into their active form with- in the lungs. Dr. Shaw and his colleagues discovered, through tests, that the level of AHH is higher in individuals with lung cancer than in those who do not have the disease. The team of scientists also determined that the enzyme levels tend to run high in members of the same family. "There are obviously a great many other factors that contri- bute to lung cancer,- Dr. Shaw says, "but the person with a demonstrated high level of AHH is about twenty times more likely to develop the dis- ease than someone with a low level." —Today's Health 27 arre3amocnsa6n.inculml curolcru.Gus: 10.75q23-Li. Editor Oriental Watchman Publishing House Post Box 35 Poona 411001 I am sending a money order/ cheque for � Please sign the gift as from me. My address is, $2_11T 6-t4cr � r, 504-in6zwir, P_ p619 corri- ofarrefoth6-1) oirr )611 Ou ugr 1, AliiiruGrff Clurra � " 4-i)ary9" 615>tu , � ,4psuri- e.45 $limsC6-rr gyOuriAshir ! Of all the gifts that you can give to your friend none is greater than a way to help him live well and live long. Here's where our health magazines come in. Why not give your friend a gift that will keep on giving? They are available in five leading languages. PRIBVIS acrwarilan(moseq). .aJ3.109610(615 @COMCDOCICO3COSORMY)&900o ailejouvro ca fl tamoangi. 03TOCLI6V0 01M0002)1 Writ e(bou),sa6ruxulml6c000cx, QaalM3Q2) CCIII050013o mg:1MM ! ty76)e..13...D.r topo a5s'oo omen. eof25.7 VS3, Ze.?„,t5s° Z3,133 ens '6310-e) C6,7c7n lonpz.) •.5.0L6 z°13! 2.);,63,577' A monthly journal to keep you informed on how to live a healthier, happier life. Every family needs this magazine. Many doctors are subscribers; you should be one too! Please send a gift subscription of � to the following