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XIII 



Health and Disease 



No topic is of greater or more immediate concern than that of bodily 

 or mental health. Everyone wants to live to a ripe old age and none 

 wish to be considered as eligible for admission to an institution for the 

 mentally-ill. Death seems to be a certainty for all of us, however and mil- 

 lions in our present population are destined for institutional care. The 

 problem seems to be to avoid or cure serious illnesses and so postpone con- 

 finement or death. The articles in this section are all thought-provoking, 

 timely, and helpful. 



There are many kinds of diseases and the causes are equally varied. The 

 bacterial diseases such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, diphtheria and scarlet 

 fever are well-known. Poliomyelitis or infantile paralysis, smallpox, 

 mumps, and rabies are the result of infection by tiny particles known as 

 the viruses. Syphilis is due to the action of a spirochaete, a one-celled or- 

 ganism. Amebic dysentery is caused by a tiny, one-celled animal. Diabetes 

 and goitre are due to the malfunction of the pancreatic and thyroid glands 

 respectively. Pellagra, rickets and beri-beri are the result of vitamin de- 

 ficiencies. Trichinosis is due to the effects of a pork roundworm. Then 

 there are those diseases which are due to none of these but are inherited 

 such as some kinds of feeblemindedness, hemophilia or excessive bleeding, 

 and Huntington's chorea. 



The conquest of disease is an inspiring chapter and more honor should 

 be paid to the research workers in all branches of science who discover 

 the causes and cures. Too often these men and women are forgotten and 

 the public is prone to think that university scientists are never engaged 

 upon anything of practical importance. 



Penicillin, streptomycin and the sulfa drugs are three of the powerful 

 weapons with which we are combatting disease germs. Although people 

 still die of bacterial diseases, the number has been reduced dramatically. 

 Vitamin therapy is being used successfully in pellagra and rickets, among 

 others. Thyroxin and insulin help those suffering from thyroid troubles 

 and lack of natural insulin. All along the line new drugs are appearing 

 which cut severely into the numbers of deaths from the above causes. 

 However, as these foes have been beaten back to a respectful distance, the 

 degenerative diseases such as arteriosclerosis, and heart troubles are noticed 



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