Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1906-11-08

The new knowledge as to the pow
erful therapeutic effects of light In the
case of superficial infections or atypi-
cal growths Is 80 recent that the medi-
cal profession has not yet had time to
realize the full significance of the
facts SO far published 1t has long
been known that light destroys prac-
tically all the bacteria in their yege-
tative stages anc that it is one Of our
best disinfectants, so that it was quite
logical to apply 1t therapeutically to
the bacteria which had invaded the
tissues. The success has been phe-
nomenal and has been duly recorded
in current literature. Hence the opin-
ion was universal that light was a
most benificent agent of which we
could not get too much, and the pro-
fession to a man has been advocating
excessive exposure to the suns rays
and the admission of great streams OF
Light into our living rooms, schools
and workshops, utterly oblivious of
the fact that il it can destroy bacillary
protoplasm it can do the same to the
cells of our bodies. In addition light
almost invariably hinders growth,
while darkness favors it both in plants
and animals. Even men tend to be
big in dark climates and little in the
light ones, with some exceptions.
Botanists have long recognized the
fact that the living growing cell al
ways functions in the dark, under the
bark, and that the protoplasm in the
leaf must resort to all sorts Of
schemes for protection from too IN
tense light. biologists also hay
shown that animals pass all their time
in the dark, or if they must expose
themselves to the suns rays they are
invariably protected by an opaque COW
ering of hair, feathers, or skin pig
mentation. 1t is only within a decade
that anthropologists have discovered
that the same law applies to man. It
is now proved that every part of the
world the native type of man, who is
adjusted to the climate, has an
amount of fermentation strictly in ac-
cordance with the amount of light to
which he is exposed. The degree of
heat is immaterial, for we find tina,
Arctic natives and those of the sub
tropics are equally augmented, the
former for protection from the re
Elected snow glare and the latter from
the direct rays. Only in dark cloudy
climates where there never is intense
light, do We find the blends at home
and in this cold northern part of Eu-
rope the blondness is an actual advar-
tage in conserving heat. White sur
faces radiate less than dark ones.
Consequently blondes are perfectly adj
justed to dark cold climates, and
when they migrate to lighter coun-
tries they are more or less damaged,
according. to the excess of light 20
which they are exposed. This fully
accounts for the fact that though
there has been succession of streams
of blond races flowing southwark ia
Europe. they do not permanently sur.
vive.
1t is now necessary to find out the
manner in which this extinction takes
place. Since America is peopled en-.
tirely by European types, many o.;
whom are far south of their natural
habitat, 1t is evident that the same
process of extinction is now going on
under our very eyes, but so slowly
that it has never been noticed. Al
thropologists have repeatedly called
attention to the fact that Americans
are becoming more and more brunei,
so as to approximate the compilations
of people of similar ATTITUDES in Ell.
rope. The ordinary explanation has
been in the direction of belief that
our children are becoming darker than
their parents. No one seems to have
noticed that the blends are suffering a
greater mortality than the brunets,
yet that is the real process. 1t has
already progressed considerably IN
our South, whose vigorous types of
white men are notably brunei. Amer.
lea then should be good field for the
study of this process of extinction.
The main result of excessive light
which is not of sufficient degree to
cause necrosis of protoplasm is some
kind of chemical breaking up which
renders it paretic. We see typical
Illustration In the low vitality of It's
sues damaged by the X-ray. Another
instance is the prolonged and often
incurable neurasthenia following sun
stroke. and 1t might be said that the
short suns rays are one of the fac
tors in some of these cases. though
thermic fever may be due to the dark
infra-red rays alone.
In the first few months of a tropical
residence the stimulation causes an in
creased feeling Of well-being ami
greater activity. so that new arrivals
are capable OF more work than at
home. With few exceptions they are
deceived as to the climate, and write
glowing descriptions OF it's excellence
There are many curious letters in ex.
istence written by these stimulated
men. who have subsequently been