The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1889-09-28
ANTIQUATED NONSENSE.
No Other Term Will Describe
Some Popular Beliefs.
People who Are Content With Ideas
Originated Centuries Ago Aged
Medical Theories Exploded -
Some Practical Health
Hints.

The savage is always child, and so
are millions as well clothed, housed
and policed as ourselves-slaves to
their passions, prejudices and SUPER
stitions. These are all fetch worship
ers to u greater or less extent. Of all
people that doctors have to deal with
they are the hardest to treat that have
some superstition or other in regard to
diseases or medicines. Some of these
superstitions, almost all of them, in
fact. are the remains of bygone medical
theories or methods of practice.
''Stuff cold and starve a fever" is a
superstition very frequently met with.
Until fifty years ago doctors never had
an idea that fever patient should be
fed; they were well starved, and if
they recovered they had to thank their
strong constitutions. But even at this
day, when every doctor knows that
feeding is the most important part of
the treatment in a case of fever, peo-
pie still believe that it is death war
rant to feed a person with fever. With
the starving of fever patients may be
placed the belief that persons with
fever, measles and some other diseases
should have only warm drinks. OF
course such a person should not have
ice-water, but man that will allow
only warm drinks and Cruel to such
patients deserves to be roasted for
awhile. Let him have measles once
and he will change his views.
There are good many queer ideas
afloat in regard to bathing. One man
can take cold bath every morning in
the year and feel better for it; conse-
quently he thinks every person should
take a cold bath on getting out of bed
Some people can't stand this, and there
is no use trying to force the body to
withstand a severe shock. The cold
bath crank thinks his children should
be trained to do what he does. 1t is
foolhardy to try to ''harden" children
in this way. If young child likes a
cold bath it is all right, but to put a
struggling and screaming child into
water that makes it's teeth chatter and
its surface turn blue is cruelty. 1t is
cruel, too, to make children go about
in winter with thinly-clad legs, thin
stockings and knee-breeches, or short
breeches and short stockings. For one
child that can be hardened in this way
ten will have the foundations laid for
weak constitutions.
The proper way to harden child is
to give it plenty of pure air. pure and
wholesome food, plenty of playtime, as
little brain work as possible, and plenty
of sleep, training it to regular habits
of life. OF course the proper time to
begin to train child is to begin with
its ancestors, pat there are some diff
culties in the way of doing this. Still,
as every child is presumably an an
cestor of future children, we can train
the ancestors of those future children,
giving them sound bodies, sound
minds, and even tempers.
The notion that person should not
eat before going to bed is another fet-
ich. Why shouldn't people eat before
going to bed if they are hungryP Some
will say that digestion stops during
sleep. 1t does nothing of the kind; it
is slower during sleep, but there is no
hurry about the matter. People start
out ip life, as babies, by eating and
then going to sleep. The truth is, eat
ing just before going to bed is one of
the best means of treating insomnia
that l have ever tried. We Americans
are always so much in haste that dur.
ing the day we do not give our food
proper time to be digested; and if any
thing l should say that our digestive Or
gans have better opportunity for do
ing good work during sleep than at
any other time.
You hear a great many people say
when there is measles around: ''Well,
every child must have measles, and
mine may as well have it now as any
other time" No child is under any
obligations to have any disease, especi-
ally one that may kill it, or leave it an
invalid for life, as measles may.
One OF the ways that people have of
being silly is to be eternally taking
medicine for one thing or another.
A great many people think that
there is something peculiar about
the spring months that makes
it necessary for them to take
medicine, blood sirups, Indian reme-
dies and other things. Now, every
one that has any thing 70 do with In
dians knows that they have no knowl-
edge of herbs and plants. Any old
negro woman in the South can dis
count the best "Indian doctor" that |
ever lived in the knowledge of "yarbs
an roots" Some think that home-
made preparation of plant is more
efficacious than a drugstore prepara-
ton, which is as foolish us thinking |
that piece OF sugar-cane is better
than sugar to sweeten coffee. It's very |
unwise for person to be always try |
ing to patch up his blood. and ninety
nine times in hundred When one