Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1899-01-23
RELATING TO HYGIENE.

The habit OF sitting with legs
crossed has injurious consequences,
according to Leslie's Weekly. Re-
Gently, it says, an eminent physician
gave utterance to the opinion that
appendicitis is more common in this
country than in others because of the
Yankee custom that men have-and
men are more frequently sufferers
from the disease than women-of
habitually sitting with one leg thrown
over the other. This habit, the
physician was quoted as saying, re-
stricts the action of the digestive ap-
paratus, and especially the lower in
testine, and causes stagnation of the
contents and the stretching of the
opening of the vermiform appendix,
making it possible for distractions to
reach the latter, and thus giving rise
! to appendicitis. There is no other dis
ease, if we may judge from the at
tention given to it by current publ
cations, in which the general public
takes so much interest as in this one,
which is comparatively new to medi-
cal practice Probably much of the
popular interest is due to the fact
that only within few years what
i, may be called the literature of ap-
pendicitis has reached the reading
community.
The recent bequest, by the will OF
Prof. Baron, of sufficient funds to
found and maintain an orphan asylum
in which vegetarian principles were to
be incuIcated and observed, says the
Medical Record, has created con-
siderable discussion in Berlin, Ger
many. It seems that after the pro-
fessors bequest had been formally
accepted by the mayor Of the city, OBJ
jections were raised by members of
the council! which includes such
well-known physicians as Virchow,
Furbringer and Fraenkel. It was
commended that the authorities should
hesitate before subjecting it's orphan
wards to what must still be regarded
as an experiment in diet. While it is
quite possible that in many coun-
tries much more meat is consumed by
the individual than the requirements
of a healthy system demand, still 1T
would seem that in some climates the
manual laborer actually needs GER
tain proportion of such food in his
daily diet as is furnished by animal
muscle and fat AS an INDICATION
Of what may be accomplished in the
way of muscular effort on purely
vegetable diet, the winner of a recent
foot race in Berlin, who was a vege-
tartan, covered the distance of Is
| German miles in 14A hours without
showing any signs of marked fatigue.
This was also the case, according to
| La Medicine Moderne, with the five
other vegetarians who took part;
while Of the II non-vegetarians in
the contest, only one was able to
finish, and he came in far behind the
others and in bad form.
| These recommendations by DR..
Biggs, the bacteriologist, to the New
York board of health, have been &C
cepted by that body. 1. The use OF
states. slate pencils and sponges
shall be discontinued in all the puo-
lie schools. 2. According to require
ment, pupils shall be supplied with
pencils and penholders, each pupil to
retain those received in box pro-
vided for the purpose, such box to be
marked with the pupils name. Pen
ellis and penholders shall not be trans
, ferred from one pupil to another with
out suitable disinfection. 3. All school
property left in the school building
| by child suffering from any con-
| tagious disease, and all such property
found in a room occupied by a family
| ia which a case of infectious disease
has occurred, shall be taken by the
health department for disinfection or
destruction. 4. Books which are taken
home by pupils shall be covered reg
ularly each month with brown manila
paper. These regulations, says the
Sanitarium, would appear to be some
what stringent in character, but there
| is no doubt mediate scope exists for
more precautions than are at present
taken in our beard schools. Notff1ca-
/ ton has done much to minimize the
| spread of infectious disease, but 1t is
attention to details such as the fore
going that will eventually stamp it
out.
Physical endurance, says writer
in Harper's Bazaar, is often regarded
IS the great end and aim of all, but
physical endurance is only the result
Of mental action. The training OF the
body shows the exercise Of the brain
in every act. Will, judgment, thought,
are the moving forces of all these
special acts. 1t is the discipline OF
! these that measures the powers OF
endurance. Every one Is familiar
! with the fact that If muscle or a.
member is not exercised the result is
whitening away OF the muscle or the
part. The nervous mechanisms which
control the nutrition of the parts are
not called into action, and the In
struments Of the mind, owing to dis
use, become rusty and incapable OF
performing their part. The very place
in the order of existence is only main