The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1905-04-13
BE YOUR OWN DOCTOR
Regulate Habits by a Chart, Ad-
vises Boston Physician.
PILLS AND POWDER WILL THEN GO

DIR. r.. C. Cabot, Who Is Collecting
Statistics OF Habits OF Americans,
Tells ChicaGoans Needs of Each In
dividu2I Vary-Layman to Prevent
Disease by Working Out His Own
Method of Keeping Well.
Away with doctorsi Just look at
chart and keep well. The chartl say
how to live SO that pills and powders
never will be needed again. And doc
tor himself is boosting this plan, says
the Chicago Record-Herald.
He is Dr. Richard G. Cabot of Bos-
ton. He is compiling statistics on the
habits of $4,000 healthy Americans,
and when he finishes he will make up
q chart that will teach every one to be
his own physican-in the matter of
hygiene, at least. DR.. Cabot announced
his plans before the Chicago Medical
society the other night and asked the
help of local physicians in gathering
his statistics.
The reading Of this paper, the sub
ject of which was 1.-THE Individual
Factor In Hygiene" was the occasion
for vehement protest against certain
fads from which, it was charged,
Americans are getting their ideas of
hygiene.
II agree with DR.. Cabot" said ply
stefan who shouted out his sentiments
and then hurried away without giving
his name. There is too much Quackery
being disseminated over the country.
Some men would make us believe that
1t is good for us to fill our stomachs
full of hay and pretend to tell what Is
and what is not good for people merely
to make millionaires out of the pro-
moters of the stuff. Quacks prepare q
lot of medicines and advise the people
how to treat diseases and how to regu-
late their habits irrespective Of the
physical conditions of those who read
their ScreedS. This system Of fake by
giene is getting to be so widespread
that it constitutes a positive menace to
the country"
The speech was received with loud
applause. The position taken by Dr.
Cabot was that the habits of q person
must be regulated by the needs Of the
individual and that there was no set of
rules of hygiene that will apply to ALL
Men must choose. what Is good for
them by instinct and. experiment" he
said. ''There must be hygiene for the
Caucasian, the Monaghan and the Ma
lay There must be hygiene for San
Franciscans and for New Workers. The
text books of hygiene smack ludicrous-
" of the towns that produce them. We
recognize what the school boards do
uot-that young children need large
amount of running about, climbing,
yelling and other exercises for the
larger groups Of muscles rather than
the focused activities that 'wag the
tongue and wag the pen,' as Stanley
Hall says
1.-THE time is coming when the lay
man must prevent disease by working
out for himself his own method Of
keeping WELL While majority Of per-
sonS eat three meals a day, there is a
percentage of them that does without
breakfast. Others abjure lunch, while
some do without the evening meal
In each case the habit must conform
TO the needs of the person. Coffee may
injure some people and do others good,
and it is wrong to lay down general
rule that coffee is injurious to every
one It will soon come to be more or
less presumptUous for us to prescribe
the way in which the educated layman
is to live.
"When l have compiled the statistics
OF the actual habits of $4,000 healthy
American people, to which work in
tend to give my life, 1 expect to make
a chart that will aid people materially
In settling on their habits 1t will
show what has been found to be good
for the banker and the farmer, the
carpenter and the person who takes
little exercise and does little work"