Show I f 4 I I 11 t jl Fundamental I h Principles of n 1 H i Health II 1 I Ii i i IJ Ii i J t l. l 1 4 T i T 4 By Dy ALBERT ALBERTS 5 S. S GRAY CRAY M. M D D. D i I i Copyright 1914 by A. A S. S Cra Gray Cray THE QUESTION OF CURES In his hs Principles of Biology Herbert Herbert Her Her- bert Spencer wrote Early Ideas are not usually true truo ideas Undeveloped Intellect be it that of at an individual or that of at a race forms conclusions which require to be revised and re- re revised before they reach a tolerable correspondence with realities Were It otherwise there would be no discovery cry ery no Increase cf ct intelligence What we call progress of knowledge is the tho bringing of thoughts into harmony with things and it implies that the first thoughts are either wholly out of harmony with things or In very Incomplete Incomplete incomplete In In- complete harmony with them In this quotation is the key to the reply to the frequent query What has tho the spectrum got to do with my health and digestion There Thero is a close analogy between tho building up of at organic compounds out of tho the inor inorganic ganic under the Influence of ot light waves and the rebuilding of these same complicated compounds Into higher forms In our bodies under the Influence of the enzymes and by com corn what we can see of tho the operation of light on the vegetable kingdom we are able to secure some understanding of at what we wo cannot see in our own bodies Knowledge has value In exact proportion proportion proportion pro pro- portion to the benefit it confers directly direct direct- ly or Indirectly on the human race Every new scientific fact tact or principle generally grasped helps to an understanding understanding under under- understanding standing of natures nature's laws and when properly applied is sure euro to lead to increased health efficiency and prosperity prosperity prosperity pros pros- of the Individual and of the community For example But a few years ago the milkman might let any quantity of dirt fall Into the milk provided he strained It out again so sowe sowe sowe we could not see It It and might feed his cows any kind of ot slop that would not kill them We Ve did not care because because because be be- cause we did not understand the relations relations relations rela rela- of things But today because of the general knowledge of at bacteriology ana or sanitary science public opinion compels the milkman to keep dirt out of the milk mik and to give his cows good food rood The result of this is shown in the fact that there has been an enormous reduction in Infant infant infant in In- fant diseases and in the death rate of young children The reduction of at Infant mortality by preventive measures and the tho reduction reduction tion of epidemic diseases through preventive preventive pre pre- ton measures have produced a material ma ma- erial reduction in the general death rate This Tbs has led to the false rase conclusion conclusion conclusion sion that the length of human life le Is increasing It Is not Statistics show fewer deaths in the younger ages but point to an increase in the deaths after passing the age of forty years The greatest obstacle to progress along this line lies In the fact that wo have not yet grasped our relation to things We still harbor barbor a strong belef belief be be- belief lief lef in cures not and until they have been tested and weeded out by the slow painful ex experimentation veri of ot the whole human huma race extending over a generation or more are we willing to admit admi they are aro useless The reason for this is that about five eighty per percent percent percent cent of at all al cases of at illness get well wel of their own accord no matter what may maybe maybo maybo bo be done or not done for them and therefore any remedy provided it i is not directly harmful which Is used with wih sufficient constancy in any disease disease dis dig ease will wi score more than sixty per percent percent percent cent of cures Hence every new remedy remedy remedy rem rem- edy starts loaded with a margin of chances in its Is favor and in the ab absence absence ab- ab ab sence senco of ot comprehensive and aud reliable statistics to prove that more patients patents who took a certain remedy got well wel than than recovered as the result of not nol taking it it we are left up in Ju the air air The Tho truth Is buried under the misleading mislead mislead- tog ing statement that 70 to 90 per cent of the patients patents taking that particular ere were cured by it I. I This is the foundation of tho the deluge of halt half hal truths and errors behind the many may dietetic doctrines now in vogue Doctor and patient alike are aro victims of at costly errors and are terribly punished by nature by a universal shortening of life lo not in harmony with her require require ments We Wo have ha got to learn lear that It is tar far more important to furnish conditions which moto 1 health and development development develop develop- ment meat than It Is to make mako special err effort r to care for the sick or detective defective and that the first requisite to success in life le is Js to be a 4 good animal Illness Iness Is Js It r sImplY the tho result of ot lack of cores corres- correa nature nature The Tho principles ples underlying the laws law of light and plant life lo are the same 1 that underlie human life lo and until I wo we understand the them we aro are certain t tc get Into trouble continually |