The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-04-09
THE COLDS OF ST KILDA

The inhabitants of st Kilda says an editorial
writer in the Atlanta Constitutions believed that
strangers landing on the island caused the COLDS
which invariably followed the arrival of a
ship. Neither DR. johnson nor Boswell could
ferret out the reason for the predlcament In
which st Kildans found themselves, situation
so serious that at TIME they thought OF in
terdicting the landing of strangers. fortunate
w. shortly after Boswell recorded the coinci-
dence of ships and colds an English pastor
solved the mystery. Here is his explanation
Tie cause is a natural one. The situation
of st KiIda renders northeast Wind neces;
sary before stranger can land. me wlno'
not the stranger, occasions an epidemic cold
Now wouldn't that please some of those old
fogies who hold jobs health commissioners
around this wiseacre country? The mystery OF
the thing, to my mind, is that DR. Johnson
muffed it am not at all astonished that a pas
tor and especially an English one, hoped right
in where Johnson feared to tread, and gave
the commoners the rights of 1t.
Whatever colds were in those days.
Today everybody knows what a cold or
1.-The common cold" is, yet nobody with any
professional standing has the courage to de-
fine it,
In spite of everything, though, l think we
have advanced intellectually since DR. Johnson $
day, for even the health commissioners who
still issue bulletins about the cause and pre-
vention of colds now concede that when the
disease is epidemic it is due to infection from
some one else who has 1t, be he friend or
stranger. The old timers no longer have the te-
merity to tell the dumb public that northeast
winds cause epidemics. That line of buncombe
shotgun quarantine against yellow fever
If the pastor who solved the mystery OF the
colds Of st Kilda were living today what
grand customer he would be for the various
cough drops, gargies, lozenges, antiseptics and
grip cures that catch the sucker by handing
him a picture of the victim in the very act OF
contracting a bad cold In downpour OF rain or
a swirl of snow This line seems to knock over
the heavy trade as well as ever. at least in the
big population centers.
Our friend IN. A. HI who sent the clipping
about the colds of st Kida complains that his
box of clippings is so full that he can't find
the one he wants, and asks II haven't book
rible books perpetrated nowadays and there
are times when l feel pretty vindictive. but
hope shall never go to that extreme. Why not
arrange your clippings in file, with your own
index of subjects?
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Salve for Sweaty Feet
A year ago my husband got recipe from
you for sweaty and cracking feet. IL proved u
wonderful renef. He has run out of the salye
and has lost the recipe. Mrs H. o.
Answer-Send stamped envelope bearing
your address and ask for instructions for Care
of the Feet.
Castor Oil Did 1t
Two applications daily for two months Re-
moved year old wart from right side Oh race.
No mark left. (E. HI
Answer-Touchng the wart or warts with
castor oil once or twice daily for week or
two will apparently remove them in many in
remember that warts come and go without APP
parent reason whether any particular remedy
is used not.
Never Feed u Bellyache.
few wears ago 1 read an article In your
column about the importance OF not putting
anything I'm the st0machc when young person
has pain there Later i was faced with just
such an emergency. While ON visit TO another
city my son aged awoke from n sound sleep
ut night with severe pain In his stomach. 1
gave him nothing but an enema. few
hours afterward called the doctor, who picked
him up I'm blanket and rushed him 10 the
hospital, and they operated Immediately and
found q gangren0us appendix Tie surgeon
said that had I given the boy laxative he
might have had perltonitis. ! have always In.
tended 10 write ana thank you. Oh. b. b.
Answer-It Is a sound rule never to give any
kind of physic or cathartic In the presence OF
a bellyache In my judgment not even an
enema should be used In such an emergency
unless the physician advises II. Depend on heat
pain ..t
Copyright John +. Ollie Col