Omaha daily bee., 1921-08-03
SUN CURE FOR RICKETS.

about ricketts,. but not so city people
Their children are prone to 1t. II
is said that the negroes in the West
Indies never have ricketts,, but when
they move to New York City, which
they do by the thousands, almos,
every one of their babies develop
ricketts,.
A very distinguished gentleman
recently wrote that every negro
baby in northern cities had rickets
in some degree. Maybe that over
stated the case, but no one denies
that among them the disease Is
prevalent. Another authority, whose
experience has been principally
with foreign-born attendants at
dispensaries in the east, says the
trouble is almost as prevalent
among Italian babies as it Is among
negroes.
Most people recognize outstand-
ing ricketts, at first glance. Bowlegs
square head. deep chest, beads
along the ribs near the breast bone,
and usually pot belly.
In New York they thought the
West Indian babies had 1t because
they could not get the foods they
got In Jamaica. The Italians were
said to have it because they could
not get Italian foods and they did
not know the food values of diff
ferent American foods.
Hess and Unger come along with
somewhat different story. They
have seen children with rickets who
were fed on every kind of food.
Some fed on pasteurized milk, some
on certified, others on raw liquid
milk, some on canned milk, and
some on milk powders.
While food was a factor, in their
opinion, it was not the only factor
and probably not the principal one.
They tried curing cases of ricketts,
by treating them with violet rays.
1t worked. Then they tried expo
sure in the sunlight. That worked.
The children were exposed to di-
rect sunlight pretty much as they
are in the treatment Of tubercular
bones and tubercular glands.
Starting with exposure of one
foot for five minutes a day. Then
the next day exposure Of another
extremity, and SO on by daily expo
sure until all the body and legs are
made brown and the exposures last
Babies months old were treated
by sticking them in the sunlight.
1t worked with them just as it did
with older children.
The treatment was given right in
New York City. where the sun does
not always. shine, but where 1t
shines enough to cure ricketts, when
the young ones are put where it can
get at them.
The effect is constitutional. For
arm and find the bone ricketts, was
cured not only in that arm but also
In the arm which was not exposed.
Since the cases were diagnosed
In the first place by X-rays and the
progress OF the cure was watched
by X-rays, there did not seem to be
any doubt about the results as far
as they went.
Rickets is a bone disease Of a
type which shows in an X-ray pic
ture like the nose on a mans face.
The customary treatment Of rick
cts is the administration Of cod
liver oil and phosphorus. In fact,
the New York City health depart
ment has gone as far as distributing
cod liver oil for negro babies to be
used early in babyhood as a pre-
ventive. But cod liver oil tastes
bad, is hard on the stomach, and is
expensive.
Sunlight does not taste bad, is not
hard on the stomach. and it is free.
Maybe the reason West indian me-
groes, southern negroes. and Ital-
lans have so much ricketts, in north
ern cities is not because they can
not get the foods they are accus-
toned to. What's lacking is SUM-
light in the accustomed doses.
Wife as o Doctor.
T. P. P. writes: did you ever
hear Of deep breathing as a pre-
ventive of dizziness? It works.
About two and half years ago, be-
ing then q little over go, I had to
stay at home two days because I
could not stand or walk. I have
had several attacks since. I had a
physical examination. The doctor
gave me clean bill Of health, but
reported very low blood pressure.
On a hint from my wife that the
trouble was probably due to poor
circulation, I took up deep breath
ing and found that I could avoid
an attack any time by starting up
my lung action vigorously. Since
then / have lost no more time from
business and my general health has
improved"
REPLY.
Deep breathing is a fine method
Of temporarily changing the distri-
button Of blood throughout the
body. Hope it may continue to give
you relief.
Remedy for Lumbago.
Mrs. J. c. w. writes: 1.-TWO days
ago. just after dressing for the day,
l stopped over to pick up a bundle
Of clothes. not heavy. and in the in
stant of stopping I felt my back
give way. causing pain. Since then
I cannot stoop or lift anything. I
cannot turn in bed except with
much caution. and on getting up
after sitting in one position awhile