The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-04-28

his column.
what is generally designated I'M
der that head is matter for pri-
vate instruction between .parent
and child or, IN loco PARENTS, by
teacher or family physician.
1t has undertaken to give advice
to expectant mothers, under the
conviction that expectant mothers
need such advice and also that the
printing of such matter cannot in
terfere with the private preroga-
tive of the parent, because we as
sumo that anyone who has reached
the age where he is able to read
a newspaper is aware Of the fact
that the first nine months of every
human beings life are spent in
side the body of the mother.
However, we try to be accurate
about our information. At the
present time the lust to inform
the public about matters medical
and scientific has so infected the
writing fraternity that anyone,
from those whose qualifications
are merely that they are editors
of liberal weekly to leg men for
gag magazines, may at any mo-
ment feel the divine call to become
a therapeutic exegist.
Untrue Statement
Gull a particularly choice bit
from a distinguished contempo-
rary's "Yes-No" column:
During pregnancy women gain
approximately three times the
weight of their babies at birth.
YES: The gain is from II to 25
pounds, while average babies at
birth weigh from to ga pounds.
The excess weight is usually lost
by the mother almost entirely
within three months after birth"
This must have been written by
some obstetrician who prepared
for his life work by sedulously
avoiding the vicinity of maternity
wards or delivery rooms; perhaps
by one of those expectant fathers
whose susceptibilities are so deli
cate that he has to seek the seclu-
sion that the local bar grants dur
ing the ordeal.
have no quarrel with the state
ment that the mother gains ap-
proximately three times the
weigh: of the baby during preg-
nancy. My criticism is that she
loses this extra weight within
three months" after the baby is
born.
How Weight Is Lost
Know then, o Master Of the
Popular Medical Exposition, that
she loses about third of it before
the baby is born. The baby before
birth lives an aquatic existence,
swimming around in a bag Of
liquid known as the amniotic fluid.
This bag breaks just before the
baby is born known in grandma's
phrase as "the coming Of the wa
ters") and the amniotic fluid es-
capes. There is about three quarts
to a gallon Of this fluid land it is
quite heavy, so the weight is ap-
proximately 6 TO s pounds.
Then there is the placents, or
after-birth, which follows the baby
into the outer world approximately
Is minutes later, and which re-
lieves the mother of at least an
other . or 8 pounds.
Then the womb itself, which Is
several times its normal size, I'M
dergoes a process of shrinkage
technically called involution) so
that within two weeks Of birth it
has lost a pound or two.
If the mother has any more ex-
ira weight after that, she has to
work to get rid of it, and it takes
more than three months usually.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
B. S.:-Would you kindly tell
me whether one-half teaspoonful
of lemon juice and one-half tea
spoonful of salt, mixed and then
rubbed on teeth to remove stains
is injurious to the enamel? 1t re-
moves stains beautifully, but l am
afraid 1t may remove enamel also.
Answer: There is no danger Of
removing enamel with the mix
ture you mention.