The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-04-13


 provided by authorities through the z
 medical advice or diaSnosis which on seeing the patient will be answered by note to that effect. This depart Inent is especially prepared for The North American Newspaper Alliance, z with the co-operation of Hyseia. All I
 questions shouId be accompanied by dress all inquiries to: o:S"Popuiar Health
 Service. The AAge-Heraid." (Copyriwht, 1sz4, by North American
 Newspaper Alliance for The Age-Heraid.l An adequate diet involves eating of enough food to provide energy for the daily work. It must include certaifl amount of the clements known as pro tein, carbohydrates, fats and the inor- ganic salts. Furthermore, as result of recent investigations, we know that there must be enough of the essential yitamins which give the food properties that are essential for growth. Finally, the food must have sufficient bulk to satisfy appetite and encourage action of the digestive organs.
 Tn edesire to eat is fundamental. Indeed, the psychologists have argued repeatedly as to which of the human urges was strongest, that of sex or that of hunger, and the novelists have built many a story about these two motives, The antidotes to, the desire to eat is the development of feeling of fullness or satisfaction. This feeling, which con- trasts with the sensation of hunger, is concerned with the. clements of food only so far as it relates to their ten. dency to remain long, in the stomach.
 Many years ago a physician at Fort Mackinac, Dr. William Beaumont, was able to observe digestion in the stomaci, of soldier, Alexis St. Martin, who. had been wounded in such manner that the opening permitted observation di- rectly into the stomach while the ci. gestion of food was going on. Since that time many. other investigators have studied these problems both in animals and in man..
 The results, show that some foods make greater demands than others on the digestive organs. Some remain for long periods and others only for little while within the stomach; some cause the stomach to secrete large amounts of digestive juices and others require but little. Furthermore, full stomach empties rather slowly, whereas empti- ness of the stomach brings about hun ger 'contractions." It is known that the protein foods require more digestive l juice than do those which are chiefly carbohydrate. Bread passes from the stomach within an hour and half, whereas a combination of bread and meat will require two or three times as long before it passes from the stomach. The degree to which food brings about feeling of fullness or satisfaction of appetite depends on the rate at which it leaves the stomach. According to this criterion, meats keep the sensa- tion of appetite satisfied longest. After | meats, fats and such mixtures of fat and protein as are represented by cheese, induce feeling of satiety. The substances remaining for the shortest interyals-in the stomach are cereals and starchy foods. Ai 'A | Of course, the choice of diet must take into account all, of these factors and in addition thes ability of the .ii- gestive tract of the individual con cerned to take care properly; of the food that is eaten. The experiences of the individual will help him frequently to determine what food t substances. best meet his needs as to the provision of satisfaction of appetite and ease of di- gestion.
 Bakers, Itch =, - .
 The most common condition called i itch Is scabies, caused by a parasite that invades the skin. There afe,' how ever; many other forms of itch. that are especially associated with various trades or that may be dependent on continued contact with such substances as tar products, lime, sugar or various drugs. Thus physicians are called on to treat grocers' itch, basket makers itch, pIas- terers' itch and bakers itch. In, Great Britain the Amalgamated Union of Op- erative Bakers, Confectioners and Al lied Workers called on the ministry of health to study that form of skin irri. tation that seemed to affect bakers par ticularly, and Dr. Allan e. Parsons prepared report on the subject.
 Usually the inflammation is confined to the hands, especially the back of the hands; but when the irritating sub stance is a dust the disease is more likely to be spread over the body. There are 10000 bakeries in England and Wales and machines are used in about one-fourth of these.
 When the bakers were asked to sMg- gest the cause for; their skin irritation the answer mcluqed almost every ln- gredient that enters into the process of baking bread. The medical officers, therefore, endeavored to run the cause down, eliminating each ingredient so far as possible. ? f
 The chief measures of prevention of bakers itch, involve the. replacement of hand work by machinery. : This is de sirable not only from the standpointSof | oAr uasls hut al