The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-01-09

disease, diagnosis or ue1sSnss
 win be answered by pr. Srady M
 a Stamped self addressed envelope
 Is encIosed. Letterc should be brief, and written in ink. No reply can
 ha made to queries not contornls
 ing to instructions. Address Dr.
 William Brady, National NeWss
 paper Service, 320 West Madison
 Street. Chicago III. PREVENTION or PNEUMONIA
 Apparently the great majority of physicians and health authorities still believe that exposure to wet and cold, insufncient clothing, drafts and the like is the cause or Q cause of various respiratory diseases. from coryza, to pneumonia. And hum dred million wiseacres know 1t is so = otherwise they wouldn't be wise acres.
 A century ago ALL physicians be- lieved pneumonia and other resptfa- tory disease were caused by expos ure to wet and cold, insufficient clothing, drafts and the like. They knew nothing about disease germs then. Later when the specific germs of various diseases had been dAscov- cred and proved to be the actual ! cause of the disease, physicians had to modify their belief so that they would not be too far out of line with the newer knowledge. TheF developed the neat theory of low cred resistance"-now it seemed that exposure to wet and cold, in- sufficient clothing, drafts and the like lowered resistance" and thus permitted the germs to "gaGn a foothold." It was highly satis- factory explanation and the doctors got by with it for many years. Some of them still dish 1t out when ever they speak or write for the public on the subject.
 But after all, nobody has ever offered convincing evidence that ev- eryday exposure to cold wet, drafts, wet feet, change of weather has any preciable effect on an individua.'s s immunity against any known di- sease. I say immunity. We know what we're talking about when we talk about immunity. NOBODY knows what resistance" means = in reference to health or illness. All such conceptions of lowered re- sistance" are purely theoretical, and Iidle because nobody can determine whether any individuals has resist ance" or not.
 The overwhelming weight Of ex. perience, that is, the experience Of persons who have been subjected to exposure, severe exposure--Such as that of Arctic explorers, soldiers in the field in winter campaigns, woodsmen, hunters, surveyors sail ors,-should convince any one with Ian open mind that there IS no health hazard in exposure to cold and wet, no harm in 1t other than the discomfort and possible frost- lite one may suffer. These people who know what exposure is are unanimous about 1t - they have NOT taken "co:d" - as the obstin- ate old women call 1t - for sucf exposure as long as they have been isolated from civilization, far from personal contact with Tom, Dick and Harry, beyond cough, sneeze or con- versational spray range of the scoundrel who purports to have g slight cold" . e.ga s3't
 As a medical student and Q stu dent of hygiene I have 8 few ideas about the prevention of pneumonis I'll offer them presently and yor may take 'em or leave 'em. So fal as accepted medical prophylaxis 1: concerned, the use of suitable masks by physicians and nurses at' tending the pneumonia patient plus ordinary soap and water cleanliness and care in handling utensils al,t k in d:sposing of sputum, and req sonable isolation of the patient comprise the technique of the bes physicians.