The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-11-21
THE WEAK HEART COMPLEX

boy eight years old. AS incnes tall, weigh ing 5G pounds-which is the normal height Tor q boy of that age. and pound or two to the rood in weight--was exposed to so-called school medical inspection or health examina- tion He brought home one of those deadly report forms on which the anxious parents found recorded in the blank space after the printed word Heart the written word Murmur.
 Now I contend in the name of health, that the so-caled health or educational autnoritles who sanction or promote this school medical inspection business are doing harm. Al the same time recognize that properly conduct ed periodic physical examination or ALL ths pupils in any grade school or high school IS q valuable thing for the health of the few pupils who are found suffering with a remediapie de- feet or disease do not peneve tne expense tl'e, should be charged against the public lunns The cost of such, medical service should be paid by those who ask for t or accept It, Just as provisions, clothing or shelter IS.
 For instance, the physical examlnaton ol any large class of high school pupils VIII usu- ally reveal one ortwo in hundred wno hasc incIpient pulmonary tuberculosis. The examina- ton includes not only the regular chest exam ination but also carefully applied skin tubef- culin tests, and finally x-ray pictures or M tns lungs of all pupils who react positively to the tuberculin test. This is expensive work. ana " is unjust ito saddle the expense on the conmu. nity, unless the pupils parents are indigenr ana dependent on the public relief agencies for sup port. <, ...a word "murmur' attended q circus witn ms mother cannon was to be fired In the course of the performance The boy told his mother, as she writes, that he couldn't stand the noise because his heart was hurting Mosner h pue osd msa feel his heart pounding wildly. She says any sort of gun or loud noise excites him so. Other boys of his age thrill at the bang of gun. But he can't stand 1t. He gets plenty of sleep, om q screened open air porch. Ills appetite is all right He is quite active boy. Butt
 scious. Iii His parents are evidently Wiling to take the childs weak heart for granted Some obscure doctor imagined he heard 4 "muAnur" when he listened for moment 'o
 Any physician who perietrates such trick is too incompetent to serve even as q scnooi medical inspector If he believes the poy mas his duty as q physcian to say so. When he resorts to this notorious hedging trick of the quacks he merely inoculates few people with the weak theart complex. If this boy actually has heart disease, his abnormal sensitiyity to loud noises has nothing whatever to do with 1t.
 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Don't Be So Particular our only child Is . years old girl She keeps asking for brother or s4ster We read recent. a c;iiId by means of acid or alkali (drs J. P.) Answer-Thats the bunk Your daughter should have a brother or sister, even if science can't predict which 1t shall be-
 Coffee l How much coffee would you advise for girl of 20? Does the dr-nkiIIg of lot of coffee cause backache? (sIiss W. C.)
 Answer--Never more than three cups day. | don't know about backache, but excessive coffee drinking causes nervous tremor, insom- mia, loss of appetite. irritability. sallow com plexion, high blood pressure and premature old age.
 Valisefuf of Germs
 Friend borrowed yai:se and took 1t away l with her and kept it . year while sine wns | patient in tuberculosis sanatOrium. She Ilas now returned the salse. Is t safe for me tu | use it ngaii2
 1An5wer-C Certainly it is safe. There is no l reason to imagine tuberculosis is ever carried ! by any such object or by clothing