The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1941-08-30

DR.. Clendenlng VIII answer
questions Of general interest
only, and then only through
his column.
get monotonous to some of our
readers. In that connection l like
the story of the overdressed lady
who came into the toy shop, and
after looking around, said impa-
tiently: "The toys are all so old"
And the old toy maker replied:
"Yes, madam, but the children are
newt"
Yes, happily and thankfully, we
have a 'new crop each year. When
they are old enough to go to school,
they begin more or less suddenly
definitely new kind Of existence.
They are physically and psyche
logically no longer entirely pro-
tected by the home circle. They
begin TO make their adjustments
in a wider field of human relation
ship. Psychologically, they are
likely to get hurt, and physically
they have got to get toughened.
Danger of Infection
The greatest danger TO which
they are exposed, however, is that
of infection. 1t is perfect nonsense
for any parents to suppose that
they are going to keep their child
away from germs. The moment
the child enters the world, he be-
gins to fight germs.
Nature has provided him with q
mechanism which develops anti
bodies to the germs in the blood,
This is just as much a part of his
physiology as his digestion and
just as necessary. AS long as he
stays in the home circle, he will
develop immunity to the germs
that are in that circle, and will be
perfectly safe in that environ.
ment. He may make some outside
contacts with playmates and catch
measles and chicken-pox, which on
the whole, think, is good thing.
Measles
1t will be noticed in the reports
If our army camps that measles
is the most prevalent disease. It
was in World War |. In the Medi-
cal Corps when we saw a new
draft coming in, if they came from
the city we did not worry. The
boys in the city had lived in close
contact with other boys and had
developed an immunity, one way
or another, to the contagious dis
eases.
'' The farm boys, although they
looked far more healthy and strong
than the city boys, began to come
down as soon as they reached camp
with the measles and mumps and
scarlet fever and chicken pox-
They had lived on the farm with
out great variety of human con-
facts, which means they had lived
without great variety of germ
contacts and had developed few
natural immunities.
Sure to Meet Germs
When child goes out from the
home circle into close contact with
other children, who come from all
parts of the city and from many
different homes, he is bound to
meet some new germs.
The most dangerous of these is
diphtheria, and since it is possible
to immunize the child against
diphtheria before he goes to school,
this is one of the prerequisites of
school preparation.
Besides immunization the most
important thing in preparing a
child for school is to be sure of eye
sight and hearing. Not many de-
mands are made on these senses in
the home circle, and of course, in
school very particular demands
are Immediately made on them.
That is why school boards make a
particular effort to assess the
acuteness of vision and hearing in
the students.
A child may have gone clear
through the first few years of life
with its immediate relatives with
half or a quarter of the normal
amount Of hearing or vision. Many
backward children are brought up
to normal by an adjustment of
these matters.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
D. F.: as coffee good for the
heart or not?".
Answer: Coffee increases the
blood flow through various or
gans. Thus, it keeps you awake
because it increases the blood flow
through the brain, and it increases
the excretion Of urine because il
increases the blood flow through
he kidneys. 1t also increases the
blood flow through the heart, and
N people over middle age; it is
therefore a good heart tonic. 1t
ioes no harm to the heart.
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