Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1904-02-05
POPULAR MEDICAL osLusloNa
An Old Family Physician Tell. ef
Some of His Experience.

~h Sio Family Fhysician Tells ef
Some of His Experiences.
tradition and superstition, 1t Is said
die hard, and even In this twentieth
century the age of education and pro.
gress, 1t Is surprising what erroneous
and delusive IDEAS prevail regarding
medical matters, says doctor In the
London Tit Bits.
In some OF the more common all
ments of children Il doctor hears at
times peculiar views expressed. Many
patients are quite under the impression
that II Is for their chidren's welfare
that the should contract while Young
snch diseases as measles. whooping
cough and chicken pox. or glasspox.
ana they will even 20 SO far as To ex.
pose them To Infection, SO as 10, as
they express 1t. get it over and done
with"
! As matter of fact there is no rea-
son or necessity why any child should
suffer from any one OF these diseases.
Happy Is the family that escapes them,
for then there is chance OF the young
stefs growing up healthy men and wo-
men and useful members OF society.
Most erroneous ideas prevail as 10
the effect OF these complaints of child.
hood. | have often heard II said. "Oh,
It's only measles" or chicken pox, as
the case may be. quite obllvlous to af-
Ter effects. Any one who would take
the trouble To read health statistics
would soon be convinced that measles
especially is not to Ire trihed with. And
yet medical men as II rule mud reek-
less disregard for isolation, and la
many cases not eve;. the preeaution of
calling in the family doctor, the result
being naturally that the dseas Sc
spreads AT its own sweet will and often
works havoc.
In the treatment OF this complaint,
again, delusions and erroneous Ideas
exist among Il large number of the
community. Tradition. so 1t appears to
me, Is more prevalent with regard to
measles than almost any other chill
dren's disease
remedy that has been handed
down from mother to daughter for |
don't know how many generations is
saffron. Now, what effect saffron has
upon this particular fever no doctor
knows. Certainly there is no peculiar
element In Its composition that makes
it necessity. When one remembers
that saffron Is merely dye-principal-
ly used commercially In that role-and
that 1t possesses no medicinal value.
one fails TO understand why It Is so
universally used. The only thing to
be said In Its favor Is that, while being
useless. it is harmless
favorite addition to saffron Is
brandy; but rs saffron Is harmless.
brandy, on the other hand, especially
with babies and young children, is DOS
itiyely injurious. and should never be
gwen except under medical advice.
Children are always thirsty in their
feverish ailments. Yet how seldom the
mother thinks Of giving her child water
10 drink. 1t is nearly always milk
another popular deluson Milk is an
excellent food. but it does not ouench
thlrst In fact. it increases 1t. Give
the child cold boiled water and it will
become quiet and less fretful.
\ very popular error is that spirits
Keep the cold out. As matter of fact
they do just the opposite. Alcohol in
creases the action of the skin, opens
the pores and makes the individual
more liable to contract chllls and colds
oiteh with serious results. A glass OF
hot milk is far better and much cheap.
er and purer.