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MEDICAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT. 
Hippocrates has said that “medicine 
is of all arts the most noble; but owing 
to the ignorance of those who practice 
it, and of those who inconsiderately 
form a judgment of these it is at pres- 
ent far behind all other arts.’ That 
was over two thousand years ago and 
medical science is still in many re- 
spects an unsolved riddle. However, 
its outlook is hopeful for a large 
amount of time and thought is being 
spent in its study. A goodly propor- 
tion of those who are not in the pro- 
fession are interested in its study and 
acquire no small proficiency in its 
knowledge. It is with a hope of for- 
warding this good work that this de- 
partment of medical science is opened. 
It invites reports of original research 
and of experiments and discoveries in 
ali departments of hygiene from all 
who are interested whether in the 
medical profession or not. 
It also invites questions on all sub- 
jects relating to the preservation and 
restoration of good health. 

MEDICAL FADS AND FALLACIES. 
We are living in an Athenian age 
with its mad rush after some hew 
thing. Every form of science is invad- 
ed with some fad or other, some new 
thing which often is doubtless some 
old thing raked up from the past and 
brought to the notice of a new cen- 
tury. Medical science is full of fads. 
Our tables are piled with papers and 
magazines devoted to health culture.” 
There is an eager reaching out toward 
something new and better, something 
that will enable us to live to the age 
of the patriarchs, or, what is a nobler 
aim, to free ourselves of the multitude 
of aches and pains that make life a 
piteous failure so that one may really 
live while we exist. In so far as the 
various fads tend to accomplish this 
object they are to be encouraged but 
many of them are but sorry fallacies. 
There is no surer way of detecting a 
fallacy among the various health cult- 
ure fads than by comparing the work 
- it outlines with the leadings of health’s 
'own iother Nature. For example: A 
recent fad is drinking water, more wa- 
26 
ter and more. Two tumblers of cold 
water on rising are recommended, sev- 
eral during the day and two or three 
more in the evening making about two 
quarts in the waking hours. This is to 
be kept up daily. The fad looks rea- 
sonable. A great amount of water cer- 
tainsly does go to feed the activities of 
the human body and yet just as cer- 
tainly Nature does not require us to 
drink two quarts of water daily. She 
even Shivers at the two glasses of cold 
water in the morning. The recom- 
mendation is evidently not hers. Nei- 
ther is it the recommendation of scijie ce 
When properly understood. It is true 
that water holds an important field in 
the human system. As an eminent 
physiologist has said, it is the medium 
through which the body is nourished. 
But it would be impossible to estimate 
with exactness by any known scientific 
methods just how much water must be 
taken as drink in order to fulfill the re- 
quirements of the human system. A 
large amount of water is taken in the 
various foods. They all contain water 
in proportions varying from  three- 
fourths to nine-tenths. Nature de- 
mands these foods and if they do not 
supply a sufficiency for the work she 
has in hand she invariably calls for 
more in some form or other. And it is 
safe to say that no one who wishes to 
be well and strong, useful and happy 
should refuse to respond promptly to 
all the calls of Nature. 
In fevers, it is true, water must be 
generously allowed. And it is also true 
that Nature demands it. In some ail- 
ments, aS constipation. headache, and 
that long train of disorders caused by 
a sluggish liver water may be a valu- 
able remedy but for the very reason 
that it is a remedy it may be discarded 
as a daily companion except as Nature 
asks for it. 
It would also seem, upon a second 
thought that the habitual use, the 
ferced use of a large quantity of water 
if contrary to Nature’s wishes might be 
not only foolish but injurious. Two 
quarts of water if taken at once would 
cause a distended stomach. If taken as 
recommended would give work to the 
stomach between meals and give it less 
of the needed rest. Surely Dame Na- 
