The Mississippi enterprise. (Jackson, Miss.) 1938-current, 1943-01-02
Civilian Health
In War Time
BY Felix ]. Underwood, M. D.

believe that in some ways the
war has improved our hearing.
We are not as deaf as we used to
be. Nowadays when people talk
to us about warf effort and man.
power and morale we listen, be-
cause we know that what they
have to say is directed at us, as
Well as the other fellow.
Since the favorite string to my
bow these days is Health for Vic
tory want to make sure that this
group isn't still little hard of he
airing on the subject of physical
fitness for themselves. For when
President Roosevelt said, the need
for conservation of health and ply
steal fitness is greater than at any
time in the nations history, he
meant the conservation of your
health, as well as the health of
men under arms, and the men
at the machines.
The contribution of health to-
ward victory in modern warfare
cannot be exaggerated, for good
health is the human stuff of which
victory is made. We are not spe-
aking here of maintaining the good
health of our soldiers and sailors.
The army and navy looks after
that, and we know that every eff
fort is being made to keep COM
batants in the best of health. The
resources of modern medicine and
modern public health have made it
possible to protect their health
status with a success not possible
in any earlier war.
Scarcely less important is the
protection of health of manpower
in the vital industries. Here, too,
Federal and state governments
have stepped in to supplement
what industry was already doing.
But the health and staying power
of the citizen army, which includes
us all, is no less vita to our war
effort. And the responsibility for
achieving this physical and mental
health for our citizen population
is up to the citizens themselves.
The days when we are accepta-
bic if we can take the ordinary
stress and strain of life are gone.
expected of us today, and tomorr-
ow, are unusual industry and en-
durance. unusual poise and self
reliance, unusual courage and calm
unusual sense of humor and lows
OF living, all of which demand un-
usual health and physical fitness.
How arfe we to achieve this col
lective robustness? The rules are
very simple. Some of them are
/. things that we do anyway. Others
we've been meaning to get around
to someday. Actually what we've
asked to do in the interest of ply
steal fitness is to practice the Thu
ngs we need to do to live efficien-
thy and happily.
For instance, rule number one
has to do with the food we eat.
Every one of us who is working
at anything like peak efficiency
is getting just about what the nu-
tritionists say we should get in
nee tway of food. The key foods
that we are urged to include in
our daily diet are milk, butter,
cheese, eggs, meat or fish, fruit,
green vegetables and the yellow
ones, beans and peas, whole or
grain or enriched cereals and bread.
These seem 60 me to be the foods
we Mississippians like anyway.
We are urged to eat plenty of
them.
Rule two on our program has
to do with rest and relaxation. 7
saw a movie short, the other day
that had to do with a young wor-
ker in an airplane factory. This
young man fell out at his machine
delaying production in a vital in
dustry because he had been keep
ing late hours, been out dancing
every night. I don't think any of
us go dancing every night but we
don't always get enough sleep.
We're apt to forget that regularly
is what counts most.
Lost sleep is lost for all etern-
ity; you can't catch up on lost
sleep. The best system is to try
to keep to a regular schedule; try
to go to bed on time and get up
on time, And take it easy for
little while after meals.
Rule number three has to do
with play which is just as neces-
sary to well balanced person as
rest. Play constitutes whatever
we like to do to give our minds
and bodies rest from the job
The case for recreation for a
stabilizer has been proved by eek
perience. Figures show that man,
after a certain number of work.
ing hours, loses his efficiency.
Prolonged, uninterrupted work has
been seen to result in less out
put than hours broken with a brea-
thing spell from time to time.
Some of us take our recreation
in sports involving physical exer-
else. Others in less strenuous ways
such as reading, visiting with fri
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