Evening star., 1902-05-22
AVOID THESE MANNERIsMS.
Blinking Your. Eyes or Blowing Your
Nose May Hasten Your Death.

From the London Express.
If you blink rapidly, or breathe through
your mouth, or pick your teeth, stop and
reflect, for life is shortened by such little
mannerisms. Nervous people are especially
prone to such trifling habits, which, If once
contracted. have serious effect. Weak
sight lung diseases and possibilities of
even worse dangers lurk behind such SIM
pie acts, and eminent physician declares
that many fatal cases of consumption are
directly traceable to some mere manner
ism.
Breathing through the mouth will not in
inself kill one, but it is a most unwise prac-
tice, for the lungs are not properly in
flated with air. The lower half of those
valuable organs falls almost entirely into
disuse Persons who breathe through the
mouth during the daytime invariably con-
tinue the practice when asleep. AS result
the lung tissues are weakened and less able
to Withstand disease. The body gets about
half the amount of oxygen it requires.
Moreover, any stray disease germs float
ing about are sure to find lodgment in the
sleeper's mouth: The body Is not thor
oughly refreshed and when one wakes in
the morning with that tired feeling. it can
usually be traced to the habit of sleeping
with the mouth open. If the habit Is
strongly contracted, heroic measures are
necessary. One man who was warned of
the danger found that he could not keep
his mouth shut in any other way, so he
tied his jaws firmly together before re-
tirirg each night. Frequently there is real
inability to breathe through the nose COM
fortably because of some local trouble, in
which case specialist should be seen.
How many people moisten their lips with
their tongue? 1t is a trifllng action from
some standpoints, but it may bring can
GER The lips become drier and drier If the
mannerisms become a habit, and the nerves
more and more sensitive. Eventually the
lips become permanently cracked, which Is
painful and annoying in itself Should cam
Ger be hereditary the subject has an excel
lent chance of contracting It
Blinking the eyes rapidly means partial
loss of sight. if the habit is allowed to
grow. Ordinarily, person. Is entitled to
about twenty blnks a minute; but a ner-
vous blinker will sometimes pile up the
record to over 200 hlinks minute Nat
ural blinking holsters and clears the eye.
Such abnormal use of the lids, however,
reslllts.i in unnecessary development of the
eyelid muscles. Besides, 1t involves coun-
ter irritation, which acts on the optic nerve
and renders the sight daily more weak and
irritable. The unldcky individual who finds
through excessive blinking Should keep his
eyes closed for at least ten minutes out of
every hour. The lids should also be bathed
in warm water, XhsEs the habit has been
long contracted y Af4aimpossible to read
pain. #s%
Picking the teeth Stems simple and
harmless way of caring for them Eight
persons out of ten do it. But any dentist
will warn you agsinststhe practice, for it
means quick decay ofythe enamel Some
nervous people pick their teeth continually
when they have nothing else to do AS a
result the life ofna, second set of teeth is
shortened by six or seven years. and there
is more bodily pain in1store for the owner
thereof. Dentists bills will pile up, and
you will wish that toothpicks had been left
alone. Carefully brushing the teeth is a far
better way Of preserving them.