The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-09-14
DO YOU NEED IRON OR DO
 YOU NEED VITAMINS?

For years I have had @ dandy time telling the confused layman that ordinary anemia cannot be cured with iron. It is wonder have been permitted to go on say ing that all these years. Bespeaks the passing of the power of the nostrum evil. But perhaps the ex- planation of the seeming heresy robs the kickback of the nostrum interests of most of the deadly force it might otherwise bring to bear. The explanation is quite sim- pie: ordinary anemia is caused by some such disease as incipient tu- berculosis, a silent or not very troublesome focus or infection, re- peated small bleedings which are perhaps occult or unnoticed, or the habit of taking various coaltar pain killers or "cold cures" which de- stroy red corpuscles. or occupa- tional or domestic exposures to some poison which destroys cor puscles. Obviously the only cure for the anemia is removal of or correction of the cause.
 Then here year or two ago l nearly upset my own apple cart by coming out unequivocally in favor of enormous doses of iron for ane- mia. even published tho recipe for a suitable iron medicine which any one who can read can l4,ix for himself. (No time to go into the details here-it is all described in the booklet Blood and Health, which will be mailed on request if you inclose ten cents coin AND a stamped envelope bearing your ad- dress. Omit the stamped envelope, the address or the conf and you will probably not receive the book let.) Each teaspoonful of Old Doc tor Brady's Home Made Iron Tonic, by gravy, contains, say, one-eighth as much iron as there is in the blood of healthy person. How come e?--a good many readers have asked, often in a manner implying that they will enjoy seeing me squirm. However, 1t is not yet time for me to go into my squirm.
 Frankly I have been astonished by the large number of readers who have assured me this home made blood tonic has done wonders for them. I hoped that 1t might hit ! a suitable case here and there, and I thought that it would not do any harm in any case even if 1t did no good. So I felt that Hippokrates would approve publishing the re- cipe, and I didn't care what anyone else might think about it.
 The experiment convinced me that there is more nutritional ane- mia than had estimated in this country. For it Is hardly conceiv- able that any form or dosage of iron would produce such results in ordinary secondary anemia. By nu- tritional anemia mean what phy- sicians call hypochromic anemia-- form of anemia described in pre- ceding articles.
 From this point to the'end of the chapter it is just or Doc Brady sounding off. give you my notion about it. Take it or leave 1t. be- lieve now that nutritional or hypo- chronic anemia is due to a pro- longed partial deficiency of vita mins.. Just which vitamins don't know, but perhaps chiefly vitamins G. B and c. I think the reason why certain readers obtained ex- traordinary benefit from the home made iron medicine is that they happened to get more liberal ra- tion of these vitamins than the average diet provides. It is my opinion that an adequate intake of vitamins is essential for the normal assimilation of iron. So--
 We'll, even now I haven't justified the enormous doses of iron, have I? Never mind. Better luck next time.
 Cracked Toes
 Opportunity to thank you for the formula for Wihtfleld's ointment for cracked toes. I had tried all sorts of fancy and expensive reme- dies. but the trouble grew progress siveiy worse, and after using Whit fields ointment for five nights 1t disappeared as if by magic. (L. S.) Answer-Which may or may not be evidence that the trouble is foot itch, athletes foot", ringworm, fungus, dermatophytosis, or what do yoT call 1t. Whitfieid's ointment is not bad remedy for simple cracking of the skin from macera- ton, in cases of excessive sweating of the feet. Then, too. 1t is an ex- RSIv A. Az. q =