The Wilmington morning star., 1940-05-18
Medical Care
HY LOGAN CLENDENING, M. D.

what is tne cause OIL tralllS
nerves?
Investigations by a psychologist,
DR.. George H. Mount, have given
quite a definite answer to this ques-
ton. Doctor Mount constructed an
apparatus which would m a k q
continuous record of the pulse rate,
the blood pressure and the muscu-
lar tone of automobile drivers. It
was almost possible in reading
these records to locate the bumps,
the bad paving, the narrow bridges
and the sharp curves that had been
followed.
Doctor Mount found there were
two types of strain-one, the steady
strain caused by mental i%rritants.
and, two, sudden shocks which put
the drivers pulse way up. When a
passing car cut in ahead of the test
car, the drivers pulse jumped to
lis. The steady strain was due to
noises, loose windows, improper
ventilation, poor sitting posture.
Two sets of drivers were tested.
One group vas instructed to go
through a city and mot spare the
horses'-try to get ahead OF other
cars, cut the traffic signals. The
other group was told to obey all
traffic laws, consider the h er
cars and not make any deliberate
effort to cover ground speedily.
The speedy group made a run on
an average of % minutes while the
la%W-abiding group averaged 81
minutes. This microscopic saving
of four minutes was accomplished
at the risk of nervous upset be-
cause the speeders had a pulse
rate of liz after the run, while the
~law-abiders had a pulse rate of 30.
The nervous irritation due to
steady strain can be cut down at
very small cost. A wrench and a
roll of friction tape will do wonders
towards making any a quieter.
Ventilation in modern cars Is
taken car of by air c~nditioning.
In older cars the right way to ven-
tilate in a sedan, for instance, is to
open the rear small quarter VIM
doWs about three eighths of an
inch, open the right door window
not less than half or more than an
inch. This way will insure COM
plete change of air in the car every
few minutes and there will be no
draft.
In heavy downtown traffic the
drivers pulse reaches, on the aver.
age, ITO. If he allows himself to
try to get into competition with
more rapid cars, he suffers nerve
shock after nerve shock. The
speeder who is determined to get
ahead saves very little time and
does so at the regular damage to
his nerves and patience and endur-
ance.
The Use of Iodine
In Treating Goiter
How long should iodine be used
in the treatment of g%oiter?
1t takes very little iodine to pre-.
vent simple goiter. People who use
iodized salt continuously are max
ing a mistake Iodine need be given
only for a short time during the
spring and fall in order to reduce
the simple golfers which occur in
goitrous localities.
Iodine is a tWo-edged sword In
the treatment of goiter. 1t should
be used very carefully, and we
have a number of records of ex-
tremely severe reactions. These
consist of fever, eruptions on the
skin, a condition of runny nose and
even jaundice. When any of these
symptoms occur in a goiter victim
who has been taking iodine, the
iodine should be stopped.
This is not to say that iodine is
not a useful remedy in goiter. 1t is.
But it is no remedy for amateurs
to experiment with. 1t should be
given under the supervision of a
physician who sees the patient at
least once or twice a week and is
able to regulate the dosage.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
C. R.: "What is it that causes q
persons face to burn and get all
flushed, especially in the winter,
and sometimes bring a headache?
What could be done to prevent this
burning?"