The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-04-16
EXPERIMENTAL MATERIAL URGENTLY
REQUIRED TO SETTLE A CONTROVERSY

If I were to call for volunteers am conn
dent thousand men, women and children
would offer themselves tomorrow morning 70
undergo experiments to prove whether expo
sure to cold, wet, sudden changes, drafts ana
dampness in the everyday meaning OF these
conditions, causes any illness or impalrs neath
in any way Indeed, without any call at all sew
eral score of readers have volunteered Tor just
such experiments whenever may notify them
want them. But, alas, we can't get any Tor
raider that way, for the old-timers who annu-
ally or semi-annually warn the public to De-
ware Of such exposure crafty decline to de-
fine the illness they imply people contract from
such cause. They know their pork and beans,
these eminent physicians and prominent health
commissioners They're satisfied with the con-
troversy as she is. They stand all kinds OF PROD.
ding and guying from low bred writers about
this diffidence of theirs but not Tor anything
would one of the old guard be go simple as to
commit himself In a definition or even a de-
scription of the illness he calls the common
cold"
Another interesting little controversy that
bids fair to go on until the old timers are all
retired or dead is the one about govt. It doesn't
do a bit of good for me to shout myself hoarse
telling the public there is no such ailment for
my shouting is weak, ephemeral thing, com!
pared with the thousand and one ponderous
medical works and the imposing array of dis
tinguished physicians that expatiate learnedly
on the subject. They leave no doubt in the
happen occasionally. They imply that in olden
time at any rate, all the best families had some
govt; 1t was the correct thing. for it meant
and that he did no honest work. But, alas you
can't produce govt that way now. So even If
thousands of earnest volunteers were to live
high under my sponsorship for a year or SOL
doubt we could convince the old foges in the
medical profession that they're all wrong about
it. They intend to go to their graves believing
in govt no matter how many honest doctors
confess they've never encountered genuine
case of 1t.
The idea I had in mind for this talk was to
call for a thousand volunteers to undergo a lit
She hi
I was going to propose that thousand men
who are heavily in debt to society-say long
term inmates of state and federal prisons
voluntarily expose themselves to choice col
lection of rabid dogs. Only Is per cent of per-
sons bitten by rabid dogs develop any illness in
consequence, according to good authorities. I'd
place and give every bitten immediate
first aid-iodin swabbing and prophylactic
dose of tetanus antitoxin. believe the tenn
porary indignation and annoyance of the man
SO bitten would be the sum of his sufferings
But if my conception should prove all wrong
and several Of the men bitten actually devel-
oped rabies-well, that would settle the con-
troversy neatly enough.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Eliminating Poor Material
Please advise whether It is worth while to
examine high school students by listening to
the heart, taking the pulse and measuring the
their fitness for activities in athletics such as
basketball, track work, ETC. These tests cost
much for the clasS-abOut 20 cents for each
scholar. CIV. CO.
Answer-Such tests by physician should be
required in every instance. Much unfit material
may be eliminated by such tests. 1t is a mistake
to permit any boy to enter upon athletic train
ing for any contest unless he has been found
fairly it So the prospective athletes are schol-
airs in your school?
Pterygium :.
Fifty, wear glasses for near work. eyes I'M
famed looking and feel as though there were
lint ON them. Physician gave me astringent
drops and said something about a couple Of
stitches which didn't like. (Mrs r. A. ~
Answer-The little operation is a minor one
done under local anesthesia, with no more dis
comfort or risk than you would undergo for
the filling of a cavity in a tooth.
Infantile Paralysis
Is there obtainable from the state depart
ment OF health or elsewhere a serum for infan-
tile paralysis? &C. K.)
Answer--rhe most effective serum is that of
the fresh blood from donor who has had In
fantIe paralysis and recovered from the imme-
diate Illness.
Copyright John f. Ollie Co..