The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-03-23
THE HUMAN HIDE IS QUITE 1MPERvIoUs

l | whenevr any allusion is made in this column to the fact, the fortunate fact that nothing can be absorbed through the unbroken skin, num- erous correspondents offer authoritative testi- mony to the contrary. and often these friends become bit annoyed when l fail to acknow- | ledge my error
 This question of the power of the skin to ab- sorb poisons, medicines foods or other sub. | stances Is not one of opinion at all If 1t were a mere difference of opinion any physicians opinion would be as good as my own ana wee | versa. But 1t Is a question of physiology. If unbroken or unlnjured human skin will absorb | anything 1t should be easy enough to prove 1t | by actual test on the skin of q volunteer sub | ject. I'm ready to undergo any test any com petent medical or other scientific person or l persons may elect to make with any medicine drug, food, chemical or poison that purports | to be absorbed through the skin. Of course l shall insist on having complete control of the ! air breath and the food or drink take dur ing the course of the test. If am wrong m | my conviction that the skin cannot absorb l right, we'll laugh 1t off,
 ! All this authoritative testimony that our | friends shower on us Isn't worth q tinkers dam as scientific evidence. It Is merely the assump- | ton or assertion of some doctor, chemist or coroner or health officer that some victim has been poisoned by the absorption of shoe dye or mercury salve or dope or anlin or benZol sol vent through his skin. If any of these bozos really believes any such substance is absorbed through the skin let him apply 1t to my skin and see if he cant subdue me for while. There is just one slightly disturbing note In the great chorus of protest against my teach ing about this. That Is the name of Prof Louis Kahlenberg of the University of Wisconsin I've never been able to get the whole story, but anyway score of the professors former stud ents have assured me that he is q wizard, for he does or can make the human skin absorb boric acld, by means of mere soaking of the feet in warm boric acid solution for few mn- utes. l don't want to quarrel with Professor Kahlenberg, for am sure he must be Q great guy, the affectonate way all his old students speak of him, but just the same I'd like to bet
 alA l.at .,.f. fa., hands that he can't make my feet absorb boric acid when my feet are free from blisters, cracks. ingrowing nails, and other lesions or breaks of the skin.
 Recent news item submitted as testimony by some reader. tells of the mysterious death of a young medical research man. The item says Medical Examiner Timothy J. Leary has found that syanide. probably absorbed from . solution with which he experimented" caused the young doctors death. We are rather re- lieved to note that the medical examiner does not insist that the cyanide was absorbed through the skin. So that's all right. Cyanide is still poisonous by inhalation or by ingestion, call my bluff I'm going bthely along with the comforting assurance that my skin will never absorb anything as long as 1t is whole
 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
 Magnetism
 Has "cIectro- magnetism" any curative prop critics. The question is prompted by the claims for the -- ------,, Ca gadset1 which purports to to 
 clectro-m agnetism" and is urged by the con- cern an effective treatment for arthritis asthma, constipation, diabetes, heart trouble nervous disorders. rheumatism. high blood pressure, varicose veins, etc O. c. G.)
 in regard to the Induction of electro magnetism into the system as means of strik- Ing at the cause of chronic ailments and elim- mating from the system toxic poison (L. B.
 Answer-My dear brother and sister, if you two gul!ible children knew anything about electricity, much less physiology or hygiene. you would see the humor in all this modern revival of the famous old electric belt swindle that the hired man used to delight in. The gad- get is so fraudulent that it has been excluded from the U S. mails. not that the mails are denied to plenty of worse humbugs.
 Public School Physiology
 Our physi0logoly class Is having deal of argument as to whether 1t Is true that one should take fruits and vegetables from tin cans after opened. Is 1t dangerous to leave them in the cans? Miss F. A. s.)
 Answer-This question comes often from the physiology" class that I suspect some stale education department syllabus must put some such funny notion in the prescribed course of instruction. Anyhow any food that is ht to eat when canned will keep as well in the tin after k has been opened as 1t would in any other containcr. No poison comes from the tin.
 Copyright John r. pille Col