Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/72

 54 Conducted by ELIZABETH SLOAN CHESSER, M.B. This important section of Every Woman's Encyclopedia is conducted by this prominent lady doctor, who will give sound medical advice with regard to all ailments from childhood to old age. When completed this section will form a complete reference Hbrary in which will be found the best treatment for every human ill. Such subjects as the following will be fully dealt with : Home Nursing Infant's Diseases Adult's Diseases Homely Cures Consumption Health Hints Hospitals Health Resorts First Aid Common Medical Blunders The Medicine Chest Simple Remedies, etc., etc. MEDICAID COMMOM>^EH.SE Gsmmonsense^ not Drugs^ the Panacea for Most Ills — Rational Living as the Cure for Dyspepsia — Faddism an Evil, since Concentration o£ the Mind on an Organ Affects the Health of that Organ — Find out the Cause of Indisposition and alter Method in Living npHE value of sound physical and mental health ^ can hardly be overestimated. All desire good iiealth, because health means power, enjoyment, and, in a sense, happiness. The vast majority of people fail to acquire it because they lack one thing — commonsense. The world is filled with women who blame Providence for their own hygienic folly, who rely upon drugs to alleviate the symptoms of disorganised health, when the only commonsense thing to do is to find out the cause of ill -health and deal with that. The cultivation of medical commonsense would reduce martyrs to headache by one half, would cure the nerves of hundreds of people who make life unhappy for themselves and every- body else they come in contact with. By study- ing and applying a few commonsense rules of health in the home a great many infectious ailments, from cold in the head to typhoid fever, would be prevented. Causes of Illness The most essential thing in curing ill-health is to find out the cause. It is the first principle of medical commonsense. The sufferer from head- ache, sleeplessness, or dyspepsia will never regain perfect health until she finds out the reason why she is ill and deals with that. Is she eating too much, too often, or too fast ? These are the commonest causes of dyspepsia. They will produce indigestion, liver attacks, headache, or sleeplessness. Is she suffering from defective eyesight or nerve strain ? They will cause intense headache or prevent sleep. The cure is not medicine of any sort, but rational living, regulated diet, eyeglasses, or more methodical arrangement of the day's work. But before one can find out the cause of disease, one must know something about the ordinary laws of health. This knowledge can be simply and easily acquired by anyone who cultivates commonsense at the same time. In this health department we shall deal as time goes on with the simple physiology of the digestive organs, respiratory organs, and nervous system. We shall describe how digestive de- rangements can be prevented by anyone who knows something about the process of digestion and applies that knowledge in a commonsense way. We shall demonstrate how foolish it is to expect the stomach to take on the digestive duties of the mouth, and how pain and sickness must inevitably follow if we are too lazy to chew our food. In the same way medical commonsense provides that we must live in properly ventilated rooms and breathe pure air night and day ; thus we can escape colds and catarrhal affections oi the air passage. Above all, medical common- sense recognises the absolute necessity for clean- liness. Clean homes, clean clothing, clean food, clean habits of body and mind ensure health. By such measures we prevent the growth ol germs in the home which are responsible for a great deal of ill-health. The woman who cul- tivates medical commonsense knows that a certain amount of muscular exercise and activity is necessary to health. She realises that fresh air and outdoor exercise make for improved digestion and even affect the capacity and activity of the brain. She understands that regular rest, also, must be obtained by anyone who desires to keep fit and in good condition. Even a steam-engine cannot work continuously without suffering, and the human body is a finely balanced combination of vital forces and systems which must have regular periods of rest if it is not to break down. The heart rests between each beat ; the mind rests during sleep. Perfect health means the proper regulation of activity and rest. The person who overworks and has too little rest may not suffer for it in the present, but Nature will exact her payment in the end. In the same way over-eating and