The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-01-27

DR.. Clendening will answer
questions of general interest
only, and then only through
his column.
ter disease and also a result of low
temperature combined with wet,
snowy weather.
Everyone who has it can tell
you all about the discomfort Of IL.
A part Of the foot. sometimes the
toe. sometimes the heel. after eX-
posture to cold, wet weather. be-
comes red. painful, throbbing and
tender to the touch. A person who
gets it once is likely to have il re-
cur in the winter time. year after
year, unless precautions are taken
TO keep the feet from being eX-
posed to wet. damp weather or at
least to prevent them from being
kept wet and damp without a
change of footwear after exposure.
1t belongs to the great group of
foot troubles which have to do
with the arteries and capillaries
u the foot. The circulation in the
foot is naturally the worst Of any
place in Tie body because the blood
mas to be brought back against
gravity from the ground to the
height of the heart.
Amy external condition, espe-
sally cold, combined with conStric-
ton of the leg above, tends to
make circulation difficulties in the
loot worse. Once adjusted TO get
ing out Of killer when exposed to
damp and cold, the blood vessels
Of the foot become permanently
iifficult TO adjust, and this is the
cause Of recurrent chilblain due to
repeated exposure on successive
winters
Trench Foot
During World War | an eI-
tremely troublesome condition was
called trench foot" This was due
to the soldiers standing in a cold,
wet trench With puttees tightly
wrapped around their legs. thus
impeding the circulation.
During the present war We
have a new condition somewhat
similar which has been described
by the English a. shelter leg
II occurs in people who sleep in
bomb shelters where the air is cold
and damp. While asleep in this
cold, damp atmosphere and with
the circulation at low ebb. there
is likely to appear this same SWELL
ing, tenderness, pain and dissbil-
ity.
The treatment Of chilblain and
this other condition is tundamvn-
tally the same as the treatment Of
circulatory disturbances Of the
foot Of any kind. In the first place,
every effort should be made in the
way of prevention, especially of
recurrent attacks. People who
have chilblsin should absolutely
refuse to go out on cold and snowy
days; they should refuse just as
much as if they had pneumonia
Methods OF Prevention
II necessity compels them TO go
out and the feet get cold and
damp, they should remove the
shoes and stockings Immediately,
warm and dry the feet and put on
fresh, dry. wooden stockings and
dry slippers. The susceptible per-
son who has to go to an Office can
keep dry wooden socks and slip
pers there, change when he goes
downtown and change back again
when he gets home. Any undue re-
strietions around the leg should be
dispensed with.
II the condition is already estab-
IShed, the use of foot blood vessel
exercises-alternately raising the
feet and lowering them, sitting on
the edge of the bed and spreading
out the toes, moving the feet up
and down and keeping them ele-
waited during the night--are all
designed to improve circulation.
Massage, which will make the YES
sells more resilient, will tend TO
prevent occurrences.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
J. L. B.: What are the different
types of diseased spleen? Does
pernicious anemia cause diseased
spleen or does diseased spleen
cause pernicious anemia7
Answer: The spleen is enlarged
IN infectious diseases such as
typhoid and malaria. also in GER
tain blood diseases such as splenic
anemis and leukemia. The spleen
Is affected in nearly any disease
which affects the liver. Pernicious
snemis has no relation to a dis
essed spleen. II is caused by an
atrophy Of the stomach wall which
fails to secrete a substance which
is stored in the liver, which sub
stance, from the liver to the blood
stream stimulates the bone mar
Tow.
-