The Ypsilanti daily press., 1944-11-14

questions Ol bCHNAaA IHNNANN
only, and then only through
his column.
includes Syria, Iran, Egypt, Tur-
key, Iraq, Arabia and Ethiopia.
They have some peculiar dis
eases over there. at least peculiar
to a doctor who has been practic-
ing in the United States. But our
medical officers assigned to duty
in those regions have been in
structed in Tropical Diseases and
have made some very valuable in
vestigations on their own.
A chronic condition which af-
fects some of the men seems to be
due to prolonged residence in this
climate. 1t is partly the effect of
heat and humidity, although other
imponderable factors may also
enter into the causation.
Blood Thinner
Hhe old saying that "the blood
gets thinned out in the tropics" is
literally true. The red blood cell
count which in our climate is nor
mally around five million per cubic
millimeter falls to three million.
This is not due to an actual de-
crease of the red cells, but to an
increase of the plasma or fluid con-
tent Of the blood. In the'etfort to
get rid of body heat, the super
fetal capillary vessels of the skin
dilate more or less continuously
and permanently and in order to
fill this enormous capillary bed the
body compensates by making more
blood plasma. The blood pressure
also falls permanently for the
same reason.
There results a change in the
blood and vessels of the brain
which causes peculiar personality
changes. The individuals become
very irritable, and also surpris-
ingly forgetful. There are stories
OF men starting out on errands to
see somebody and forgetting who
they were going to see and what
they we're going to see him about.
il is a rule in the Near East that
YOU must write everything down
in a notebook if you are going to
remember it for five minutes. They
imagine insults and quarrel over
The most trivial matters. Inability
% concentrate on a mental problem
very marked.
Chances Of Recovery
Fortunately the outlook for com
plete recovery for such cases is
extremely good. A few weeks or
months in a temperate climate
works miracles in personality ad-
justment. The old rule that the
colonial" should return home at
least once every two years for q
prolonged rest is sound one. But
in the meantime we must be
sympathetic with some of our re-
turnees who have been through the
experience, and exposed to such
unfamiliar climatic conditions.
There also results lowered re-
sistance to infection, particularly
respiratory infection. Strange to
say, colds are more common in the
tropics than in our own climate.
But this has long been familiar to
American physicians in Panama,
as | learned once when privileged
to visit some hospitals in the Canal
Zone.
OF strictly tropical or local dis.
eases there is not much to fear.
The Egyptian sand fly fever is an
acute although prostrating illness
and there is no chance that it will
be carried back here. The various
dysenteries known as Delhi
Tummy" and "Gippy Tummy,"
ETC., are also acute and run def
mite course. There is little or no
chance that they will be implanted
in a country with modern sewage
and sanitary facilities.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
A. B. C.:-What are the symp-
toms and cure Of alcoholic neuri-
It's !?
Answer: The symptoms are
pains and in the advanced stage
paralysis. Cure is by abstaining
from alcoholic beverages and use
Of concentrated Vitamin B.