davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1926-06-24
Medical Sermonettes
By w. E. LEONARD. M. D.

EC-~<>-s<>-s-C>-s-<>-s >-s-<>-~<>-s-<>ss
&c. 1927. by Western Newspaper Union.)
~Why, then, do you walk as II you
had swallowed ramrod?" Old Epic
tetus was undoubtedly ridiculing
proud nobleman, and had no thought
of modern posture training. Man was
made in, or grew up into by evolution,
he should retain it at all times.
In walking or sitting all the organs
of the body are best served and kept
in trim by strafghtness. All this is
commonplace enough in the new train
ing of youth, but cannot be too often
emphasized for all ages. A bowed
position is sure to cramp some organ,
notably the largest gland of the body,
the liver, which next to the stomach
Is the most abused by our careessness.
| would make a special plea for that
faithful bile-producer which occupies
very important location in the north
east quadrant of the abdomen. If the
body is not held straight and upright,
and the lungs regularly filed to their
utmost with life-giving air, this poor
servant of the whole economy is
cramped and becomes stagnant and in
sufficient in its action. One of the
most common ailments, both from
surgical and medical standpoint, is a
sluggish liver" mainly because we
do not allow 1t room to function.
Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1926-06-24
; Medical Sermonettes
By w. E. LEONARD, M. D.

sy<~s.<>-s<>.s-<>.s.<>.s >s'< >-s.<> <>'s<>"s'<>a
10. 1927. by Western Newspaper Union)
deceive not thy physician, confes-
sor nor lawyer" wrote the wise and
sanity George Herbert three centuries
ago; and 1t needs reiteration today as
much as 1t did then. Granting that
the religious and legal implication OF
his proverb is true, the first, or medi-
cal, thesis is highly important. II you
expect an honest conclusion from your
doctor, be honest with him, give him
all the information he seeks. 1t means
great harm or danger to you If you
allow him to build up line of treat
ment upon wrong statement. The
premises must be sound, else his con-
clusions will be false.
No evasions, no quibbling, no half
truths, but the time-honored the
truth, the whole truth, and nothing
but the truth, SO help you God" will
suffice to protect you and enable him
to reach a proper decision. Remem-
Der that, as with shrewd cross-exam-
lining lawyer, you will contradict your
self if you attempt to cover up any,
thing, and that the doctor has pieced
such problems together before and
may detect the flaws in your recital.
The revelations of the doctors con-
sulting room are as sacred and should
be as genuine as those of the confes-
sional. There is no real safety for
you otherwise If you wish to obtain
results.
Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1926-06-24
Medical Sermonettes
By w. E. LEONARD, M. D.
.<>-e<>-e<>.s<>.s<> (>.s.<>.s.(>e-<s-c:
l@ 1927. by Western Newspap per Union

NC, lSLf, py western newspaper OnlOn.l
"Masticate your food thoroughly
1etcherize"; that is, chew each mouth
full before taking another, allowing
thirty minutes to each meal Try 1t for
one meal only You will find that the
flavor of the food Is much finer and
more thoroughly enjoyed. that diges-
tion proceeds more easily because a
complete mixture with the juices of
the mouth prepares the food mass for
further contact with other digestive
fluids lower down, and. hest of all you
are not, almost unwittingly. overload
ing your stomach with more than you
really need. Dogs always bolt their
food and are always constipated, while
cats, who are dainty and leisurely eat
ers, and cows, who chew the cud,
never have any such difficulty. Why
not initiate more closely our domestic
friendsl While greater variety In
food is necessary to us than TO ami
mails, we can assimilate and use
almost any nourishing article, pro-
vided we start it down the grand
canal' (prima via, in the old Latin)
properly. Our teeth are put there for
that purpose and it pays to use them
on all occasions.
Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1926-06-24
Medical Sermonettes
By w. E. LEONARD, M. D.

.CsC-~<>~<>.-<>-~ >-~<>e.S>s-<>-s<>e-S:
20. 1927. by Western Newspaper Union.l
Thomas Bailey Aldrich wrote:
What probing deep
Has ever solved the mystery Of sleep?
Nor is there yet any full explana-
ton of its cause or its usual accOmpa-
niments, dreams. We know the bless
edness of it and agree entirely with
Keats when he sang:
o magic sleep! comfortable bird,
That broedest Ger the troubled sea OF
the mind
Till 1t Is hushed and smooth! o un-
confined
Restraint! Imprisoned liberty! Great
key
To golden palaces.
But what sleep may bring of mental
balm or woe we cannot foretell. The
heavenly smile Of the sleeping infant
may seem only an incipient collie,
while the deeper sleep of the adult
may bring one @knows~not- what horrid@
visions and nightmares. There is no
adequate way of telling how one may
spend the unconscious hours, nor any
method of anticipating the rest that
sleep should bring-except by bringing
to the retiring hour a calm and even
state of mind or body. Such prepara-
tion is most often possible by so con-
Quoting the whole business of the day
as to lead up to the tranquility Of
day well spent in every sense.
Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1926-06-24
Medical Sermonettes
BIZ w. z. LEONARD, M. D.

ks>-s>-s'>S"Ss-<>~s <>'s<>~s-><e">~~~~>ex
&C. 1927. by Western Newspaper Union.l
Early to bed and early to rise
Makes a man healthy. wealthy and
wise.
Some of these sayings that have
come down from the earlier genera
tions and from other times, are really
now quite obsolete Ask millions of
toilers in the factories and on the
land IL this has come true to them,
even after years of such toll. Per-
sistent industry and regular method.
ical labor are essential to any kind
of success. We all know it and admit
it. Leaving off the wealth and wis
dom, or taking them for granted as
invariable results, what about the
healthfulness of early rising, practiced
year in and year out? Does 1t pay
never to lengthen or shorten the
hours In the treadmill? / think not,
most decidedly. 'All work and no
play makes Jack a dull boy" even If
old, is true saying. The necessary
eight hours of undisturbed sleep do
not have to be taken with the chick
ems i'm order to be healthful. Even
late hour or late sleep in the morn.
ing is no heinous sin against nature.
Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1926-06-24
Medical Sermonettes
By w. E. LEONARD, M. D.


Diseases are a tax on i'll pleasures"
This proverbial condemnation of high
living needs only repetition to bring
it home to the sinner. Everyone
knows it is true, but seldom thinks
of it in time to avoid the results.
The pleasures of taste, of gaming,
of indulgence of any kind to an ex-
treme, are as sure to bring their full
reward, being quite 'as sure as death
and taxes" Both principal and inter-
est are always demanded sooner or
later, and the final payment is often
painful and without any days of grace
or respite on the part of grim nature.
A certain religious cult enjoins upon
its followers the habit of shutting
out the world" for a few moments at
any time when the impressions of the
senses rush in too tumultuously and
threaten to crowd out all good things.
The habit is an excellent one for any,
one to cultivate, especially if 1t in
wolves a periodic taking of stock"
as to where our habits of living and
our daily actions may be leading us.
Only by keeping tab can we anticipate
suffering and disaster.
Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1926-06-24
Medical Sermonettes
Bv w. E. LEONARD, M. d.
ro.o~o~o~c-.o.o.o..<
y 1927. by Western Newspaper Union,

- 1927. by western Newspaper Uniont
by the foolishness of preaching to
save them that believe" So the great
apostle to the Gentiles himself q Cor.
!, 2D estimates the value OF many
words and much talk to influence
men to do right.
So 1t is in matters of right living,
medically speaking. Only by saying
the same things over and over again
can the attention of the careless ones
be gained The simplest precepts are
the ones to be fastened in mind by
frequent repetition. Moderate eating
and drinking, exercise, plenty OF sleep,
and mental state free from worry
and gloom are these important pre-
cepts, best hammered iuto the con-
sciousness early in life. If these be-
come second nature, by reason of their
timely reiteration, their practice be.
comes as automatic as walking or
other involuntary actions.
All the current literature of hygiene
and correct living are but paraphrases
of these fundamental aXioms, varied
by different ways of saying the same
old things.
Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1926-06-24
Medical Sermonettes
By w. E. LEONARD, M. D.


20, 1927, by Western Newspaper Union.1
"Wash and be Clean" The skin or
outer covering of the body contains
literally millions Of minute glands
sweat, sebacious, etc.-whose function
is to carry off from the body those
waste materials that are not elimi-
mated by other organs. If all these
little openings are not kept clear of
dirt and their own secretions by fire.
quent washing, the skin becomes
choked up and its sewer work is un-
justly shifted to the lungs or the kid
neys, mainly the latter, and some ac-
tually serious disease may result. This
does not imply daily cold or even
warm baths, but does mean sufficient
cleansing of the skin to allow it to
do it's duty. A fair trial of bathing,
much oftener than the traditional Sat
urday night, will train anyone to en-
joy the very feeling of being clean.
which will entirely offset the trouble
of doing it each day or two. There is
also the knowledge that no one will be
offended by coming too close to your
body.
Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1926-06-24
Medical Sermonettes
BY w. E. LEONARD, M. D.

e3cs<>-~Csc.~c.~ .~<>~c><>sC-~c
O0. 1927. by Western Newspaper Union.)
""Tis nothing when you are used
to it." No one could have better pro-
claimed the tyranny of habit than does
the caustic old Dean Swift in this
proverb. Habit grows by what it feeds
on and subtly chains it's victim long
need of watching for the first signs
of the chains. The simple act Of
wrong eating, oft repeated, becomes
more and more difficult to overcome.
Not only habits Of the table but all
sins against right living grow upon
one insidiously until 1t requires great
determination and will power to throw
them off. Generally the awakening
comes only after nature begins to cry
out in pain and suffering, and even
then one warning is seldom sufficient,
but the sinner experiences several
strong hints before he turns right
about and reforms. 1t is far easier to
be wise beforehand and to proceed
moderately at all times, and thus
avoid the extremes that lead to suffer-
ing and disaster. Many illustrations
could be given, recognizable by all.
Perhaps the most common is the habit
of too rapid eating, which grows upon
most of us before we become aware of
it. With very few exceptions, as the
years go by, it leads to all manner of
dyspepsia, ulcers Of the stomach or in
testines, or even worse.
Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1926-06-24
Medical Sermonettes
By w. E. LEONARD, M. D.

E:c-s<>s->-e<>s->.e >.e-<>.s<>-s-<>s-<>-s.3
(0. 1927. by Western Newspaper Union.)
'.The royal crown cures not the
headache" Probably when the wise
George Herbert wrote this proyerb,
three hundred years ago, he was max
ing an obvious reference to the COM
mon humanity of kings and knew
nothing about patent medicines. No
nation on earth uses so many drugs
and in such variety as America. We
seem to have no fOrtitude whatever.
but when pain comes on, fly to the
nearest drug store, ask for something
"to drive away that awful pain" and
swallow whatever the clerk may hand
out to US, never asking what 1t is, who
made it, or what it contains. Nearly
all headache nostrums" contain some
form of opium, or powerful coal-tar
products, which latter violently act
to shock the circulating blood into
fected. If continually relied upon,
they tend to form a drug habit, or at
least to make digestion and other
functions await their stimulus. No
measure of immediate relief is worth
the price of such indulgence. In acute
pain, slipping cup of very hot mild
soda water, rest for a short time in a
recumbent position, or hot applica-
tions, moist or dry, to the affected
part, are much safer and leave no bad
effects. Patent and proprietary medi-
cines should always be let severely
alone, even though the druggists perish
from the earth.
Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1926-06-24
Medical Sermonettes
BY w. E. LEONARD, M. D.

ES-e<>-s-<>-s-<>-s->-s -s-C>-s->-s-C-s-<>-s-<>ss
(0. 1927. by Western Newspaper Union.s
"Heaviness in the heart of man max
eth it stop; but good word maketh
1t glad" This homely proverb, COM
ing down from centuries of Jewish ira.
Iition, has very apt application to
every physician. The man who walks
into the sick-roOm with a solemn
speech and bearing of an undertaken
Is as much out of place as that same
undertaken before the patient is ac-
tually dead. Dignity and serious mien
In trying situation are essential to
invite confidence, but the extreme atti-
tude Of great and oppressive danger
Is simply quackery and charlatanism,
even though made use of by the pro-
fessor himself. Men who act thus In
the sick-room do 1t to impress and
deceive and often accomplish their
purpose, especially with the unthink-
ing. A smile and a truthful word of
encouragement, when possible, are
worth more than the medicine pre-
scribed in the chamber of suffering
and disease.
Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1926-06-24
Medical Sermonettes
By w. E. LEONARD, M. D.


(@. 1927. by Western Newspaper Union.)
''Every man hath his hobby-horse."
This homely old saying has its prac-
tical application to everyone's life.
Just as the children get recreation and
exercise from mounting and vigorous
ly riding q mere Framework represent
ing horse, so the grown-up may add
to his life and happiness by having
some pursuit, not at all connected
with his daily occupation, which
serves to change entirely his mental
channels, brings into play quite an
other set of muscles, and rests all the
machinery with which he carries on
his daily work. No rational hobby is
without merit, however foolish it may
seem to the onlooker.
An old physician, who always fell
asleep at the grand opera, where his
children insisted upon taking him, and
who took no recreation whatever from
the routine of daily practice, was
asked what he would do in the next
world. where there was presumably no
SuIH thluS do oiShiieSS. ne Eeplieu,
regretfulIy: 81 shall be lost entirely,
for / don't know anything else"
Another very old practitioner came
to listless old age because he had
never striven along any line but med
icine, and in his last days warned his
young associates against arriving
where he had, without any other re-
source. Any old age may become as
empty for lack of variety of mental
or physical employment.
Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1926-06-24
Medical Sermonettes
BY w. E. LEONARD, M. D.

>'s'<>'e'<>
TO- 1927. by Western Newspaper Union.)
"Laugh and grow fat" Probably
generally true, but why then such
lank, thin men as Mark Twain, Arte-
mus Ward, Bill Nye and many more
who have amused and even convulsed
the American people-by contrast with
Irwin Cobb and certain fat ones In
the movies? 1t may be that profess
sional humorists are evenly divided
between the fat and the lean. The
truth that needs to be remembered is
that good spirits and gay humor are
always aids to digestion, and that the
contrary state of mind may even para
lyze, and always hinders, such proc
esses. Jolly people are almost always
fond of eating and prefer large guam
titles of food. They certainly put the
thin ones to shame at the table. The
"lean and hungry Cassius" may live
a little longer than Sir John Faistaff,
but the observer does not envy the
former, nor usually initiate him.
Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1926-06-24
Medical Sermonettes
By w. E. LEONARD, M. D.

es<>'e"<-s'<>'s<'s'< >'e'< <~>-s'~>'s'>"e'>>.
t@ 1927. by Western Newspaper Union.l
"Be sure you are right, then go
ahead" Old David Crockett's motto
is of extreme value in all medical mat
ters. The great difficulty is to knew
when you are right, amid the conflict
ing opinions of medical men, The
sensible and intelligent patient should
know that medicine is not an exact
science, but an art, practiced by hu-
man and therefore falIible men and
women He should never risk his life
and happiness upon the opinion of one
person alone, nor rely solely upon one
human Judgment. 1t is too common
habit of all medical men to be dog
matte and arrogant in their opinions
1t is extremely difficult for them to be
Judicial and impersonal in an opinion
about disease. Selfish and mere pro
fessional notions are very apt to creep
in and unconsciOusly bias their conclu-
sions. Many frightened patient has
left the doctors office with the SEN
tence Of death hanging over him, from
heart disease, let's say, and rallied to
outlive the condemning physician.
Many an ulcer of the stomach" has
recovered without an operation, al.
though the pronouncement has been
otherwise. The moral for the every
day man is: Get more than one opin.
ion and use your own common sense.
Nor is this intended to belittle the
knowledge and learning of any truly
conscientious physician in whom you
may have confidence.
Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1926-06-24
Medical Sermonettes
BY w. E. LEONARD, M. D.


t@. 1927. by Western Newspaper Union,
''Times change and we change with
them" This common saying is cred
tied to poem of one Matthias Bor-
bonius, who lived some time in the
dim past, and who was evidently
shrewd observer of men and their
ways, for no axiom is more full of
wisdom. But it is not often applied
to medical matters, as ii can be most
aptly. To one looking back over a
few decades of medical experience,
nothing is more evident than the fire.
quent changes in the habits of the pro-
fession itself and of the people they
minister to. There is larger dust
heap Of discarded ideas and practices
in the background than there is of
solid accomplishment in the cure OF
disease along the way. Experimental
practice is like the millinery shop of
little backward village away off In
the wilds, full of shopworn hats which
cannot be disposed of at any price,
except to the yokels who know no bet
ter. Yet the up-to-date physician is
not necessarily the one who only keeps
up with the latest fads in drugs and
methods, and has no fixed regard for
the things tried and true. There is
a middle ground for the doctor as well
as for the public. Because of the
many experiments and mistakes Of the
doctors with both drugs and the sur
geon's knife, the mechanical and drug
less cults flourish, at least in America,
and the doctors wonder why they lam
guish and are well-nigh forgotten.
Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1926-06-24
Medical SermOnettes
BY w. E. LEONARD, M. D.

sI>s'>~s~<>-se~>-s~<>~s >'s<>~s'<>ses<>'e<S>s
(9. 1927. by Western Newspaper Union.)
"a merry heart doeth good like a
medicine; but broken spirit drieth
the bones."-Proverbs. This sage and
very ancient advice is meant for all,
both doctor and patient. Many
faIsehood told by the doctor to keep
up his patients courage is likely to be
forgiven at the final reckoning. Moth
ing so buoys the patient as cheer
full mind and hopeful outlook. Some
go so far as to believe that sucn an
attitude may even drive death itself
away.
Depression of mind and a melan-
choly view Of things will always work
harm to the internal economy, sooner
or later. The ancients used to lay
such states to an insufficient flow
of bile. Maybe they were right, for
every doctor knows that bile does
not flow as freely nor the internal
machinery function as well when the
spirits are low. There are plenty
of "dried bones" to be seen in the eX-
treme stages of mental cases. The
moral is-don't do it, but keep a sane
and hopeful stand, no matter what
happens. 1t pays in health and brings
immediate dividends. even in threaten
ing situations.
Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1926-06-24
Medical Sermonettes
By w. E. LEONARD, M. D.

1>-s>-s'<>~ssS-s<>-e- e-S>-s.<>'s~<>s'S~S>>e
o9. 1927. by Western Newspaper Union.D
''Diet cures more than the lancet"
This must have become a saying when
bleeding was the fashion for every
garded as a cure-all. In these days OF
all manner of schemes of eating this,
that and the other thing for health, 1t
may not be inappropriate to speak Of
the virtue of diet, for the whole SUBJ
ject is widely and variously exploited.
One man cures everything by the
eating of uncooked food only, another
would have no meat whatever taken
into the system, while third would
have all grains and fruits eaten with
their jackets or coverings, whether
cooked or uncooked, ad infinitum.
score of food journals come out week
Iy from New York, while many
smaller city from there to San Fran
cisco has a more or less popular or
gan boosting some form of diet for
health"
All this is confusing to the average
man, and to the physicians as we'll.
for the curative line of eating for each
special case, requiring change OF
diet, lies only In individual choice ac-
cording to ones tastes and needs. No
one list will suit everyone or cure all
ailments. The whole matter should be
carefully gone over with a sensible
physician not a faddist, with enough
knowledge of life chemistry to find
out what elements are lacking In each
special case-no easy or offhand task.
Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1926-06-24
Medical SermOnetteS


fdil d also
Evening star., 1926-10-05
PARK AT ST. LOUIS
IS NOT BIG ENOUGH

BY the Associated Press.
ST. LOUIS. October 5.-Thousands
of persons who travelled many miles
TO see the Cardinals and Yankees
play the third game of the world
series seemed doomed to disappoint-
ment today Tere was not nearly
enough space to go around at Sports
mans Park. Many of those arriving
without tickets declared that they had
"a friend who would get the precious
pasteboards for them.
Grover Cleveland Alexander for
mayor" was a sign displayed in a
window during the Cardinal home
coming celebration last night. The
matter Of Alexander's legal residence
in Nebraska was evidently regarded
only as a technicality. :
Base Ball Commissioner X. NJ.
Lands spent his first two hours in st.
Louis in marveling at the demonstra-
ton given the triumphant Cardinals
and refusing numerous requests of
individuals and organizations to pre-
sent gifts to the players on the field.
He refused score. permitting only
the official presents of the reception
committee.
The Cardinals were made the favor
ties in betting. with no New York
money in sight in st. Louis, where TO
be against the Cardinals in treason.
odds of to and to 3 were being
offered on IIofnsbys men to win the
series. according to those supposed to
know the situation.
Miller Huggins. former Cardinal
manager. who heads the invading
Yankee host, declared on his arrival:
I'm going to have a good time in St
Louis" He did I OF say how.
john 4. HeydIer, president of the
National League, was enthusiastic
over the wild demonstration ac-
corded the Cardinals. and declared
that it would prove a great stimulant
to the players on the field.
If the Cardinals win i'm the series.
their victory will 20 down as another
instnce of beginners" luck" Triumph
has frequently gone to a team max
ing its world series debut. conspicu
Gus examples being the Athletics in
1910. Braves in 1914, Reds in 1919.
Cleveland in 1920 and Senators in
1924.
None OF the Yankee long range
guns has hit any distant targets so
far. All of the 10 New York bingles
in the opening two games were
singles, whereas the Cardinals in
cluded three doubles and two home
runs in their l5 hits.
Figure hounds estimate that it cost
the clubs. officials and long distance
fans something like a half million
dollars In travelling expenses alone to
Louis.