The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1942-10-28

questions OF Etitlal liAcltot
only, and then only through
his column.
ing water that came of the gla-
cIers and snow capped mountain
tops. Modern medical research
showed that the cause was not
something that was, but some
thing that wasn't IN the drinking
water. The something that wasn't
there was iodine.
We in North America were very
complacent about Switzerland
until it was noticed we had quite
a large goiter region of our own.
1t extended from the Great Lakes
country west along the northern
border Of the United States and
the southern border of Canada.
Like Switzerland. the surface soil
of this region was laid down by
the old glacier ice-cap.
at I.ls .Ae. selves are
merely glacier lakes. The glacial
sol, spread over and covered all
the soil laid down originally as
ocean bottom; ocean bottom land
is rich in iodine from the dead kelp
and algae that absorbed so much
iodine from the ocean water when
they were alive.
This top glacial soil gives no
iodine to the vegetables that grow
in it, to milk, to the sources Of
drinking water.
Iodine and Golfer
The relation Of iodine to goiter
Is very close The body needs q
small but constant amount of
iodine for its functions. All Of
this iodine goes first to the thy
roid gland, and enters into its Sc
erection in a definite amount. II
iodine is diminished in drinking
water and food, the gland in
creases the number Of its cells in
order 10 extract as much as pos
siole from the blood as it flows
past. More cells means enlarged
thyroid, which is what goiter is,
Well, it would seem normal and
natural that this could be helped
by adding iodine to the food in
goiter regions. The procedure was
tried and it worked. Adding just
a little iodized salt to the food OF
school children cut down the goiter
incidence to almost zero.
Campaign On Again
Twenty years 40 mis- cam
paign was started. Then people
began to forget. A goiterless gen.
GRAFTON grew up. Authorities be-
came lax. All Of a sudden a year
or two ago, public health officials
woke to find that goiter was on the
increase again: the rate rose in
Michigan from 30 in 1887 to 4.6
in 1888 per 100000 population.
So the iodized salt campaign is
on again. 1t only takes a little.
The salt used is sodium iodide,
which can hardly be distinguished
from table salt. Three grains a
day for ten consecutive days in
the spring and fall are enough. Do
not try to take any more.
The states where this should be
done are Michigan, Northern
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Hi
nois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, the
Dakotas, Montana, Washington
POSSIBLY Wyoming, Idaho, Ne
vada arI California;, and Quebec
Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan
Alberta and British Columbia.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
VI. n. S..-Please write some
information about multiple sclero.
sis. Is heat good for it? What
kind Of heat-lying in the sun:
Are mineral baths valuablei
Should a person who is insecure
on the feet force herself to wals
and exercise?
Answer: Multiple sclerosis is
a condition Of the nervous system
in which plaques, or spots, form
in the spinal cord and brain. The
muscles are affected, depending
on where the spots form. The
spots tend TO come and go, so that
periods Of improvement occur.
Heat and baths Of any kind-in-
GLIDING lying in the sun - are
helpful. a person who is insecure
on the feet needs rest, not exer-
else.