The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-12-15
oDONTOCHIRURGIoPHoBIA

Don't go way mad - that's only half the letters of the alphabet. It means morbid, irrational or unrea- sonable fear of the dentist or fear of dental surgery.
 T am very nervous person"
 writes a reader. and have
 dread of going to the dentist.
 Every time l make an appoint
 ment l cant think of anything
 else and get so scared and upset
 over it that just can't keep the
 appointment. I have your book
 let No. Is but 1t doesn't help me
 any. What can you recommend to
 enable me to have the dental
 treatment l need?"
 For first visit to the dentist have it understood that you are coming for examination only or perhaps for what the dentist calls prophylaXis-cleaning, sealing, pol ishing-which is comparable with having your nails manicured or your hair dressed, so far as discon- fort is concerned.
 Not that I am not as fond of comfort as any one nor that I can endure when there is any possible and reasonably safe way to avoid it. But l have learned ao contemplate an appointment with the dentist With a good deal of satisfaction. because want to keep fit and live as long as l can. and I know, if I know anything about how to keep well, that whatever treatment the dentist may give me will help me to keep well and live long. feel that way even though I expect the treat ment may hurt some.
 The readers panic over visit to her dentist is clearly a phobia. morbid, irrational, unreasonable dread or fear. Perhaps it is based on some painful experience the reader herself had with crude dentist when she was child. or on the highly colored reports of other people who have fallen into the clutches of dental quacks.
 If the treatment or surgery is likely to be at all painful the den- tist today can use local anesthetics and carry out the treatment or op- eration quite painlessly, and safely too.
 If the patient is obsessed with that twenty-one letter trouble which l have been at great pains to spell out above, the family physician can give the patient a dose or two Of ore of the barbiturateS I shall not tell you which one) before the patient visits the dentists, and this will take the terror out of the seance. Of if the dentist is really qualified to call himself Doctor there is no good reason why he should not give his patient this preliminary sedative when the pa tient dreads the treatment or oper- ation like that.
 QUESTION and ANSWERS
 SystOlic Heart Murmur
 Please explain what "Systolic heart murmur of the apex" is and give the symptoms and seriousness of this ailment. CL. B.
 Answer-Murmu is a sound heard over the heart or blood vessels. and it has no specific significance. Sys- tolic means the contraction or beat ing of the heart. Apex means the tip or point of the heart in the lower part of the left chest, the base of the heart being in the up- per part of chest. If you quote something you read, better leave such reading to the doctor. If you quote what some doctor said, bet ter change doctors.
 Age Spots
 Please tell me If age spots can be removed from the backs of the hands. CMrs. G. R)
 Answer--Yes, by skilfuI electro dessication or by skilful freezing win solidified carbon dioxide-only a physician can safely employ eith- CT method.
 No Apology Intended
 l was sorry to see your apology to the killers who call hunting sport. (Mrs. M. END
 Answer - Ma'am. you are seeing things which are not there. I never apologized to hunters or killers. l apologized for nly wrong use of the adjective sadistic. Delete that one word and I'll say again everything said about the killing Of harmless creatures for sport"
 Copyright 1945. John F. Dille Co.,