The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-10-30
GRINDING THE TEETH IN SLEEP

Sometimes children who grit or grind their | teeth in sleep really have round worms (As- | caris lumbricodes). Drs Keller, Casparis and | Leathers recently studied 107 white children | and 60 negro children, in whose feces ascaris | eggs were found (by microscope, the eggs of worms being Invisible to the naked eye) and | in no less than 32 per cent of the white pa- tients and 25 per cent of the negro patients with round worms the doctors ecited his tory of gritting or grinding the teeth in sleep.
 This would probably be sufficient to vince any ignorant person that worms are the cause of gritting or grinding the teeth in sleep. But why is it that two thirds of the white children with worms and three fourths of the negro children with worms never ground their teeth in sleep so far as their parents knew? The doctors selected another list of children, | 54 white and 69 negro children, in whose feces no worm eggs were found, which fairly proves | they had worms. But these children in Ten nessee seem perverse and unreasonable In eleven per cent of the white children without worms and in 16 per cent of the negro children without worms. the parents noticed grtting grinding of the teeth in sleep
 At that I'll bet a ray of intelligence against a bottle of Dr Somebody's Unfailing Worm Solvent that the harpies in Tennessee are just as certain what grinding of the teeth spells as are the ignorant old women anywhere else.
 One writes me from Michigan that her a bottle of Old Dr Somebody's Vanisher for Worms. and she actually saw little white specks in the feces which she claims eggs from worms, and the boy never again ground his teeth The most remarkable eye sight record-she saw what ordinary folk
 
 yarn seriously.
 Another ignorant person writes anonymous ly that my little sister ground her teeth in sleep and mother said it was worms and gave her Grandma Greens Notorious powders'- formerly called worm" powders but now called condition" powders-owng. perhaps to cantankerousness on the part of federal au- thorities who object to too raw lying on the label This had excellent results iE few days" Whatever that may mean. At last anal ysis Grandmother Olives humbug powders consisted largely of rhubarb and soda Physic and alkali. Not bad for some of the trihng dis turbances which busybodies and harpies nonchaiantiy diagnose worms" but not worth a picayune If the child really has worms and the disturbance is actually caused by the worms
 I don't know what causes grinding of the teeth In sleep. A medical friend sends me his idea about it. He thinks 1t Is often due to ex- cessively acid urine and irritation of the uri- nary tract. Alkalis such as common soda should be given to decrease the acidity of the urine. The child should have less meat and more vegetables and fruits.
 All the popular so-called worm medicines" are not worth hoot if worms are actually giving is too dangerous to be administered to child unless under medical direction.
 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Substitute for Oranges
 Is the yitamin content of grapefruit juice the same that of orange juice? Docs h alter the vitamin to let either juice stand several days fruit juice be substituted for orange juice fin the diet? (Nfrs A. J. WI
 Answer--Practically the same though per haps oranges contain a mite more vitamin to the pound. Standing for some time, or heating. tends to destroy vitamins. For some folks grapefruit or its terrible juice may be substi- tuted for orange, but I'd like to catch anybody trying to work such lousy trick on me- Any Medical College win Do (Composite of too many inquirics). Tn your article on the treatment of exOphthalmic goit- CT you told of the value of "scicntific rest" do not understand what scientific rest means GA lot of obviously intelligent readers)
 Answer-Well, right in the same breath ex- pained that ONLY physician understands how to give patient the benefit of scientific. physiologic. metabolic. therapeutic rest. If you feel you should understand it thoroughly you might try course in some medical school
 Meat and Eggs
 few days ago we had meat for dinner
 (EncouragIng sign of returning prosperity. Afterwards discovered that q blow fly had laid q number of eggs on tise meat. In ease we ate any. what would he the eAect2 Whnt would le the hest remedy to discharge them? (L. c. B.)
 Answer-No appreciabie effect Very little nourishment in such small eggs. No remedy necessary