The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-11-13
MURMURS THAT DO NOT
 SIGNIFY

Through an odd combination of circumstances knew as much when was a sophmoroe medical student as I'd ever know. The cir cumstances were CD had a brand new stethoscope, @ Grandma O,M. had but one lung left-on the basis or what she declared the great Dr. Shattuck of Boston had told hey when she was a slip of a gurrul, and (3 was stone deaf in one ear. So after thorough listen with my fine new stethoscope I broke it gently to the other members of the fam fly that I heard no breathing sounds at all. Grandma OM was vindicated, after years of tush-tush. There, now, I tell you, Ellen, that boy knows as much now as he'll ever know!"
 My difficulty was not that I had but one good ear-for with that ear, if there is reasonable quiet, I can hear rales and things which are hardly audible to ordinary ears I mean my hearing in that one ear is better than the average hearing of people with two good ears-that is. always provided there are no confusing noises in the environ ment.
 There are good many poor geeks walking around, oh, so care- fully lest they overexert themselves, under the morbid obsession that they have heart trouble when in fact they have nothing the matter with the heart or the circulation except the disturbances of function arising from fear or anxiety aris- ing from the suggestion or the bald assertion of some bumbling doctor that there is 'murmur" or that there is "a leaking valve Or that the heart is weak and the patient had better take things easy" and be careful to avoid all strain.
 As matter of fact a systolic murmur Abnormal sound with the normal sound made by contraction of ventricle) may be heard in the examination of the heart of a per- fectul healthy young adult in vari- ous pastures. in different phases of breathing or after exercise. So the mere hetring of a "murmur" does not necessarily signify that there Is anything the matter with the heart
 Then there are a good many more people who are barred from enjoy ing good health by the blood pres sure obsession. Some of these are just simple minded-they take ser- iously whatever morbid suggestion the nostrum mongers. diet of food specialists" and assorted near-doc- tors and queer-doctors who cater to the igonrant. And some are the wiseereas, who make it their mis- chievous business to find out just how many points high their blood pressure is and go on from there doctoring themselves.
 We'll, then, do mean to say that q person can or should do nothing about it if his or her blood pres sure is ? No, I don't. But if you ask me about 1t honestly and not just to see whether you think l know what I'm talking about, say, to wit and as follows
 NEVER MIND YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE, IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS.
 And don't let any one know I told you, but fl I were you I would not put much faith in a doctor who mumbled or muttered about a mur- mur or about blood pressure If he did not explain exactly what he thinks about 1t or what to do about It.
 QUESTIONS and ANSWERS
 Hernia
 Thank you a million for sending my husband to Dr. --- for in- jection theatment of hernia. He had about sixteen injections in all and was not much inconyenienced at any time, He Is SO happy to be cured with having to go to the hos- pital, He is more active now than he dared to be for several years past. Mrs, l.. s, WI
 Answer-Thank you, Ma am, Any reader who asks for 1t in writing (no clipping, pleaSe) and incloses stamped self addressed envelope may have the pamphlet on Hernia. MV gnAeial lists 0f nhVgiaiane are