504 
PREVENTION OF DISEASE 
is extremely dangerous to permit quacks to tamper with such 
a delicate organ as the ear. At the present stage of our scien¬ 
tific information, very little can be done to cure deafness. By 
writing to the American Medical Association, Chicago, Ill., you 
can secure much information about alleged cures for deafness 
as well as about patent medicines and mechanical contrivances. 
Woman’s fashions during the past few years gave a won¬ 
derful stimulus to the exploiters of “ obesity cures.” The 
desire to be slender — often far beyond what is compatible 
with good health — caused thousands of women to waste 
their money on so-called reduction treatments that were 
either dangerous or worthless or both. 
Thyroid extract was the basis of many of the “ fat reduc¬ 
ers ” first put on the market, and this drug is still somewhat 
in use. We are all beginning to realize that this is a danger¬ 
ous drug, so that other things have had to be substituted. 
A very common sea-algae, the kelp (Fucus vesiculosus), 
has been used in many of the fat-reducing preparations. 
It is difficult to find out why this plant is so popular because 
in some localities farmers have used it as food for their hogs 
in the belief that it makes them fat. Overeating and too little 
exercise are the chief causes of obesity. Remove the causes 
and stop buying fakes. 
Between the ages of twelve and eighteen usually, nearly 
all children have pimples, especially on the face. There 
is no remedy that will prevent them. The same can be 
said about the tendency of those of light complexion to 
sun-burn or freckle, only here there is no age limit. Cater¬ 
ing to the ignorance and pride of girls especially, fakers 
advertise numerous cosmetic preparations for the skin, hair, 
etc. Many of these have been analyzed by the chemists 
of the government and found to consist of borax, starch, 
epsom salts, soap, and other common substances which 
cost from one to three cents a bottle and for which the 
user pays fifty cents a bottle. 
