The Coolidge examiner., 1935-07-05

upset over some
thing or you aren't hungry?
II isn't only the layman. but the
medical profession as a whole has
never paid any real attention 10
our bodies when they are well.
There have been libraries and H.
hrarics written on disease. but the
books written on what is normal
health are virtually non-existent.
The whole effort has been TO
study disease and then 10 cure it. II
has been a good way and has ac-
'eompLshed very great deal.
( II has in fact increased the span
Of our lie expectancy so that IL
now stands at approximately sixty
years But now that we are reach.
ing this ripe age, a number of the
medical profession are saying: I'm
stead Of waiting for a disease TO
manifest itself. let's see If we can't
prevent II. Let's see II we can't
keep people so healthy that they
won't ever be laid up with long
+ spells Of sickness We have cut
down enormously the death rate
from such contagious diseases as
dlphtheria. smallpox. rabies and
measles We have made progress
with diabetes and pernlcious ane-
mia. Now let's see II we can't pre-
vent the degeneratiye diseases that
break down the proper functioning
OF the organs of the body. or at
least keep them haring up until a
person is well along In years"
Obviously the first step I'm this
objective Is 10 make a study OF nor
mally healthy individuals so that
we can learn how n healthy body
reacts TO certain stimuli In the
hospital connected with the Uni
versIty Of Illinois Medical school.
we had recently for 4 continuous
period Of $50 days two men. one
thin and the other stocky. They
were both healthy and twenty-five
years OF age
We made many tests. We drew
blood from each every other day.
and sometimes twice daily. Stom-
ach analysis was done at frequent
intervals. All urine specimens were
saved and analyzed. Bastal meta
bolism was done daily. Ten differ
ent skin tests were made twice each
week.
The stocky, blocky type proved
stable sort OF fellow. He did not
vary from day to day. When put
into q hot room or into cold room
be was not uncomfortable. He
showed little II any metabolic
change as a result OF these climatic
environments. His urine was acid
I'm reaction. He seemed to have
little use for the alkalines In his
food. We gave him certain foods
to determine Just how stable he
could maintain his equilibrium Of
chemical reactions. He can be
summed up as a vegetable organ
ism. He was a digestive creature
lie gained 20 pounds. He never
did any type OF work but stayed In
( bed all the time. To eat and sleep
were his major functions In life.
He would read little beyond the
daily paper and he mapped between
I turning the pages. He was happy
and contented.
The tall man showed great varia-
tions in his body functions from
day TO day. His metabolism was un-
stable. His urine was always al
kallne. He was uncomfortable In
the hot room; he was excitable and
uneasy: his temperature went up.
His stomach stopped secreting acid
and his urine became concentrated.
He lost weight the day following
and did not get back TO normal
weight for ten days. His whole
water metabolism was upset. on
the other hand he Jared very well
I'm the cold room Changes In diet
produced considerable changes In
his metaboIism. His was a skin
and nervous organism, and he was
completely different from the stocky
man. He was always mp and about
and looking for something to do.
Then we made a study of a hay
fever, rnigraine headache and hive
group of patients, normal in other
respects. These we found belong to
the unstable types.
Their various reactions charted
upon paper look like profile of the
Rocky mountains. They change
more during the course of a day
than the stable type change after
having been given the same slim
ulating medicine. They are put to-
gether in a different manner and
react differently to things around
them.
We began these studies to gain
better understanding Of normal peo-
pIe. Much to our surprise we found
I 1he- normal range of variations to
be much. wider than we had previ-
nusJy supposed. We have still much