The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-05-31

slippery mud banks or concealed
tree trunks or swapping turtles,
or poison ivy or snakes. 1t is a
great improvement all right and
don't want to be a kill joy but
without precautions there is dan
ger Of nasal infections and con-
sequent ear infections from pro-
longed and under water swimming
pool aquatics.
1t may come as a complete sur
prise to you but if you think about
It little you'll see that it is true
that human beings were never
meant for an underwater exist
ence. This is not entirely TO say
that they are not fishes, because
lots of warm-blooded and air
breathing animals spend a lot of
time under water. But such, like
the hippopotamus and the por-
poise and the manatee and the
pelican, were canny enough to get
1t fixed up with Mother Nature
that water doesn't enter their
noses or ears.
The pelican, for instance, has no
external opening to the nose at
all, so that when their beaks are
closed, as they are when diving, no
water gets into the upper respira-
tory passages.
If you go up real close to
hippopotamus Il get this second
hand) you will find that while he
has very large nostrils he has a
membrane that he can close over
them and the nose and throat spe-
cialists to the hippopotami tell me
he does close them whenever he
submerges. So also manatees,
seals and alligators. Although the
porpoise spends his entire life in
the water its nasal mucous men,
brane is little better adapted than
mans TO contact with sea water,
so it has merged its two nostrils
into one and has a membrane that
covers this opening which it can
close voluntarily when it sub
merges.
1t is not only the possibility Of
bacterial infection of the nose
from contamination of swimming
pools-most Of them, so far as l
can judge are kept clean and n.y.
genic-but the chemical reaction
of the mucous membrane of the
nose is changed by submersion and
this leads to susceptibility to in
fections and colds.
Fabricant has shown that the
normal reaction Of the nose is acid.
If it is changed to alkaline it is less
resistant to infection and, as q
matter Of confirmation, the nasal
secretion when there is a cold or
sinus infection, is alkaline.
Mucous Membrane of Nose
Again the mucous membrane Of
the nose is constantly covered with
a blanket Of mucous which is also
protective and which sea water
especially but also fresh water
strips off without courtesy. This
blanket Of mucous is somewhat
higher in salt than blood and
lymph and tissue so DR.. Martin H.
Fischer has found that a salt So
luton somewhat more .hypertonie
than normal salt solution is a bet
ter nasal irrigator and protector
of infection. He recommends q
hypertonic Ringers solution a.
best Of all (Ringer's solution
sodium chloride, potassium chic
ride, calcium chloride, sodium BIZ
carbonate, monosodium phosphate
and dextrose-any druggist can
make it up.)
The youngster who is going In
for prolonged diving and under
water swimming should try to pro-
tect the external nose openings
from the entrance of water. Also
the external ears. Anyone with
a perforated ear drum should not
be swimming at all. A slightly
acid ointment (such as Epsomoin
ointment with ephedrine) applied
to the inside Of the nose before
and after swimming may help %
avert trouble. w.