The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-04-20
so GROWTH IS PAINLESS?

so GROWTH IS PAINLESS?
 A super-corporation that charges
 all the traffic will bear for it's serv-
 ices devises ingenious ways to dis
 pose of the excess profits-other than turning the excess profits back to the patrons who paid in the money. For instance a good chunk of this velvet goes ostensibly to promote public health .but at the same time the "health" promotion adds much to the corporations dig nity and prestige-in fact it is the finest kind of advertising for the
 business.
 Children do not suffer pain just
 because Nature (sic) is making
 their bones longer and their mus
 cles stronger. It doesn't hurt to grow, the corporation tells the
 world, at cost of thousands of dollars of customers money.
 There is good sense and scien-
 tific truth in that. But shouldn't
 it be taught rather in the primary
 or elementary schools than in ex-
 pensive and more or less exclusive
 periodicals?
 Yes, sir-re, the corporation ram
 bles one--for there is whole page
 of spacesto be filled somehow, and
 the suave old gentleman who com
 poses these pieces is quite fond of
 language-yes, indeedy, my dear
 morons, what you poor ignorant
 folk call growing pains" come
 from definite causes.
 oh, you won't understand, but
 we'll fiatter you by mentioning a
 few of the definite causes of
 "growing pains" Are you listen
 ing? They are improper nourish-
 ment, muscular fatigue following
 overexertion, exposure to cold or
 indictment weather when not suit
 ably clother.
 That's enough. It belongs in the
 Haw-H Corner.
 Can you conceive anything less
 definite than improper nourish- ment"? I can't. Just what might proper nourishment be, wonder? Muscular fatigue following over-
 exertion is a conceivable state, bu. exceedingly rare in children of the growing pain age. Of all the vague,Y indefinite and
 ridiculous fancies none can com pare with Exposure to cold or in element weather when not suitably clothed"
 When is young person Suitably clothed"? The corporations ad- writer would find it difficule to get a consensus of medical opinion about that. And I doubt if any doctor or health authority will commit himself upon the clemency of the weather or indicate at what point the weather ceases to be element and becomes indictment, or precisely what "exposure to cold" means in such context.
 Further along in his dissertation the erudite author of the corpora- tion's publicity stuff does refer to
 "rheumatic Infection" as a cause of "growing pains" Had the whole piece dealt with that cause 1t might have been of some benefit to pub l lie health. There is no such state as rheumatic infection" recogniz- ed by medical science. But infec- tion of the tonsils by certain type of strain of streptococcus is THE CAUSE of so-called growing pains'' in most instances, and re- moval of the infected tonsil or sterilization or disinfection Of the septic focus in 1t, as by dlatnermy | treatment, is the best treatment we have for such case, likewise 1t IS | the way to prevent serious arthritis and possible valvular heart disease. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Okay for BrOmidrOsis | read your article about for maIdehyde for foul OdOr from the feet. tried it with happy results. Also I find teaspOOnfuI to the bathtubful of water used regular Ily is even better for body odor. (G. L.)
 Answer-I cannot advise the use of formaldehyde except on the hands or feet, the lining of shoes | or the stockings. For excessive sweating or for malodorous sweat l ing of the feet it is the sovereign care. 7 Send a stamped envelope remedy, but must be handled with .. bearing your address and ask for instruction for control of excessive sweating.
 Growing Pains
 Is is fkuc that 'sIeg aches" or e s<~..<ssa,ss.<- s.niu.s.ss 4ssflfpofR vpuaFqnE