The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-03-16

uELSUkIAEys 3VI An0NAlA(Gt- OtAASA sa~ ~eAST tors that have to do with the daily life habits may be of considerable impor- tance. The Eskimos eat great deal their. huts for long periods of time. Such habits of life certainly produce fat people. It is known also that cer- tain glandular disturbances may cause changes in the body structure, and some scientists have suggested that the hab- it's of the people may be such as to af- feet these glands particularly. These were the considerations that caused the Carnegie institution to make its inves- tigation.
 Some of the conclusions may be stated in simple language and have great interest for the average man. The special types of body structure or build that occur in certain geo. graphical sections may be due to the diet and circumstances of the people or to the fact that only people of the pre- dominating type of build tend to sur vive the rigorous conditions of living. At birth the chest girth of the child is about two-thirds of it's height and this diminishes approximately in the male to the age of 12 years, after which it rises until the boy is completely ma tured.
 During the first month of life the build tends to decrease because of the adjustment of the child to its living conditions. Then when the baby begins to cut teeth 1t may have another de- cline. In families which have a ten dency to slenderness there is little change as the members grow older, but if there is tendency to fleshiness, the persons are likely to become fatter and fatter up to the age of 50 years. Another interesting phase of the in- vestigation was the determination that certain diseases are inclined to be as- sociated with certain kinds of body structures. People who are of slender build are of the type that has tubercu- losis, pneumonia, nervousness or melan- cholia. On the other hand, the diseases associated with the fleshy are diabetes, kidney diseases and dropsy, apoplexy or brain hemorrhage, hardening of the arteries and the conditions that accom- pany it, and, particularly, diseases of the stomach and intestines.
 It is also of interest that fleshy par ents have on the average larger fami- lies than slender ones. The tendencies to the establishment of various types are accentuated because the, thin tend to marry the thin and the fat to select the fat.
 In connection with the investigations being made in the Carnegie institution it is interesting to consider also the se- ries of studies now being undertaken by investigators at the Presbyterian hospital in New York. They have be- come convinced that the general con- stitution of the man is important in re- lation to the diseases from which he may suffer. A series of studies is being made on patients from four points of view: the anatomy, including actual measurements of the body; physiology, including a study of the way in which the various organs work; the ability [ to resist infectious diseases; and the mental makeup of the patient. The New, York investigators have found that certain types of body structure, for in- stance, heaviness in relation to height, are more often associated with disease lof the gall-bladder than are others. They observed also that persons with a certain angle to the jaw more frequent ly have ulcer of the stomach than do those with a different angle. The find ings were not absolute; there were ex- captions; and yet they occurred with a surprising consistency.
 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Sweating Of Hands And Feet M. D. writes: T am troubled with excessive precipitation of the hands and feet, when moderately warm or when slightly nervous. My mother has the same trouble. Is is hereditary? What are the possible causes2 2"
 Answer-Excessiv sweating of the hands and feet and excessive sweating occurring elsewhere in the body is a symptom usually of irritability of the nervous system. It may be due to some fault inherent in the nervous sys- tenn or to some condition affecting the glands of internal secretion, as for ex- ample, the thyroid gland. The cure of the condition would necessitate discov- ering the exact cause in the individual case and directing treatment at that cause. The condition is hereditary only 50 far as a tendency to nerve irrita- biiity or special types of glandular dis turbances is hereditary.
 Death From Electric Shock W. J. l.. asks: ''Is it possible for a man to be shocked to death by an cleo tric current which is brought to our ranch at 2,300 volts and transferred to no volts for lighting purposes? It is alternating 60 cycle"
 Answer-Death from shock by a 110- electric current is not an uncommon ac- cident. It has been said that no cur rent at a pressure of more than 90 volts is really safe. Accidents are prone to occur when the skin is moist and the body is in contact with a good ground. Accidents have been reported particu- larly when the person was handling cleo tric bulbs, sockets, vibratOrs, massage devices, etc., while in the bathtub.
 When A Healing Wound Itches A. B. writes: ''What is the cause of the itching sensation so frequently felt in wounds that are healing?" Answer-Sensations of itching are due to stimulation of nerve ehdings in
 the skin. In a wound that is healing the inflammation causes a special sen- sitiveness of the nerve endings, so that contact with the dressings or the air or
 even increased circulation gives rise to sensations.
 | Arthrltis- Rheunia tism.
 $. W. asks: Please give me some
 information about arthritis, what forms
 there are and which, if any, are cur
 able; or if not curable are capable of
 being helped by treatment? Can you
 advise as to treatment and cause of
 that type which is accompanied by swollen and painful joints, great suffer ing, and a stiffness which renders stand
 ing and walking difficultT
 Answer: Arthritis (joint inflamma-
 tion involving joint surfaces or any
 of the tissues which go to make up