The Washington times., 1933-08-26
D BE TAKEN TO PROTECT CERTAIN TYPES OF SKIN IN SUMMER
Secrets OF
Health
By LOUIS E. BISCH. MD. Ph.D.
Prevention Of Disease Is the
WatchwOrd Of Today

Prevention Of Disease Is the
WatchwOrd Of Today
Although medical science has
made tremendous strides in re-
cent years in the diagnosis and
treatment of disease, the great
est work that is being done
concerns itself, in the last analy-
sis, with the prevention Of dis
ease rather than with its cure
after it has already been estab-
lished.
Many disorders that kill, and
heavily, can now be prevented
with certainty through the
simple process of immunization.
That u.s.. the blood chemistry OF
the healthy individual is altered
in a way-harmless, of course
which makes him reSistive to
infection.
Among such diseases may be
mentioned typhoid, typhus,
paratyphoid, diohtheria. small
pox and scarlet fever. In
whooping cough, tetanus, hy-
drophobia, preventive inocula-
tions likewise are helpful.
And then, to be sure, all
other disorders may be pre-
vented to greater or lesser de-
gree if the rules Of right living
are adhered to and excesSes
avoided.
Most people fall sick because
of carelessness or because they
overdo or overindulge. And the
best of it is-or shall l say
the worst-that usually they
know better. Doctors every
where are preaching the doc
trine that the life span can
readily be extended and that
with reasonable caution, and
barring accident, there Is no
valid reason why a person cam
not live to be eighty or even
a hundred.
Indeed. the number of CEN
tenarians is increasing stead
lily. According to the CEN
sus of 1910 the United States
listed over 5000 such indivld-
uals, male and female.
A special word should per-
haps be said in regard to men
tai hygiene, the term which
means preservation Of the
thinking and feeling mechan-
isms so that insanity and neu-
rotic states may be avoided
and old age enjoyed as the
best period of the entire life
span.
If any system of the body 10
treated in an off-hand manner
more than any other it is the
mind, or, if you will. the nerV-
Gus system in general.
It is true that nerves are
strong and resistive and that
they can stand almost untold
abuse. 1t is a question whether
any other organ of the body is
able to endure what the brain
can, and for months and years
at a stretch.
Nevertheless, the influence of
the mind upon the wellbeing of
the rest of the body is even
greater than generally Is sup
posed. If the mind is clear and
happy, all the organs and glands
are much more likely to func-
ton normally than if a differ
ent condition prevails. On the
other hand, if people will allow
themselves to worry, to be
harassed by doubt and to feel
discontented, the deleterious ef-
fects upon other organs may
not at once be apparent, but
sooner or later the evil results
do reveal themselves and then,
often, a chronic and incurable
disorder already has been estab-
liShed.
Particularly is this true Of
heart disease because so many
deaths are occurring these days
among prominent men who are
not practicing the common place
rules of mental hygiene. Heart
diseases are surely increasing!
1t would not be a bad idea if
we were to think of our heart
every time we allow worry to
get the best of us.
Let prevention, therefore, be
your watchword the same as ii
is for all medical men and
health authorities. who so con-
sistently and faithfully are Ia
boring to wipe out all disease.