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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1962-07-19, Page 6• • M } • n • • • • • • • • • • • • • COM in 1 Arid Power 'Ot Suggestion A recent 'issue of Today's Hoalth, published at the head- quarters of the AmericanMedieal Association, contains an interest- itif;: account of the findings of a. University of Illinois medical team. i This brief account relates that Dr. George G. Jackson and asso- chiles at the university tested volunteers with an infectious cold secretion. These volunteers were divided into two groups— those who say they "get colds all the time" and those who don't. "Colds developed," the item Mid, "in 21 per cent of those who didn't often get colds and in 32 per cent of the `always -have -a- cold' group." 'Then" the account continues; "they used a noninfectious ma- terial, with only 1 per cent, of the noneold people getting any symptoms, compared tivith 24 per cent of those who feels colds pick on then." Commenting on the study, col- umnist Sydney J, Harris, in the Chicago Daily News, says: "What this strongly indicates Is that autosuggestion is the cause of 'having a cold' in many cases. If you believe you are likely to get one from sitting in a draft or walking through a puddle, you will get all the symptoms—even though the cold virus is not present in your body." • Army tests have indicated an- other side of this, too: soldiers have been drenched in water and exposed to drafts, with no colds developing, A few months ago Today's Health reported on a study by Dr. Harold Diehl, "one of the hest -known scientific studies of cold remedies." The study lasted five years and included thousands of students at the University of Minnesota, ac- cording to Godfrey Sperling Jr. In the Christian Science Monitor. Some of the students received one of the known remedies; some received only a sugar pill. None knew which he got. At the end of the study, Dr. Dices found that about as many sti:c.ants taking sugar pills as t:akine medicines repoeted that their colds left them in e ray or so, "in fact." revs the article, "the most a l'>, `... endorses were the ear pills!" The writer of the article then gives this explan.^.t:e : "This is what i? !a._\en as the placebo effect: at.ri":ting to a medicine the power:. you wish it pied. You buy a cold remedy where you buy all your drugs; it ds packaged like a drug; it looks Hike a drug, and it even tastes like a drug. You have an illness send its label says the medicine will help. Furthermore, you want it to, The placebo's power STARTLING—Teal Trains in- terprets the cloak-and-dagger 'took in dresses at o fashion tlhowi ng. PRIZE SPECIMEN — What's good fair the ostrich is good for the g a n d e r, The prize speciment at a famous South African farm, Oscar, is shown here posing with one of his own feathers, while Joey Geldenhues models summer bonnet made of ostrich feathers. is really your own power to de- ceive yourself," In that same issue there is an article by Bruce Bliven on "What We Know About Colds," Says the author: "There is some evi- dence which seems to suggest that psychology may be a factor in almost all colds. I know a public lecturer;' says Mr. Blevin, "who invariably came down with a cold whenever he had to make a speech. Once he had frankly faced up -to the fact that he didn't like public speaking buthad to go on with it, the symptoms dis- appeared." Blevin continues: "Whenever large numbers of people are given medicine—or even sugar pills—and are told that it will cure existing colds, or prevent future ones, the number of colds in that particular group of peo- ple is reduced, for a while, by about two-thirds, This fact has led to various triumphant an- nouncements in the press, from time to time, that 'a cure' for colds had been discovered — an- nouncements not verified by sub- seqent experiences." Mr. Harris cites an interesting case in point in his column: Preston Lecky, the psychol- ogist, once reported the case of a man and his wife who were bitten by their pet dog. The man became convinced that he was going to develop hydrophobia, but the woman was sure she wasn't. "In three days," Lecky said, "the man was sick .in bed, his throat muscles were becoming taut, and he complained of dif- ficulty in swallowing. His wife was up and well. At the end of five days, the man reported all the symptoms of hydrophobia, and a physician saw that he was actually on the verge of dying from a disease he didn't have. "Finally, on the eighth day, the doctor persuaded him that no- body with hydrophobia had ever lived more than six days. He jumped out of bed and soon was as well as before the dog had bitten him," Harris goes on to say that a person cannot be hypnotized against his will: "The subject must meet the hypnotist at least half way, must want to be put in a trance, Much of the 'sug- gestive power' of the hypnotist is based on auto suggestion in the patient, .. THE SCIENCE OF MEDICINE She had six sons and died in childbirth, The doctors of the period had a theory that to have a child was beneficial to a woman suffering from consump- tion. She was thirty-eight. — Somerset Maugbans a BUILT FOR TWO, OR MORE — "And baby makes three," ,could be the title of this bicycle built for two with side -car for baby, Mr. and Mrs Jim Cross, ,of Cardiff, Wales, solved the transportation problem when' then now 15 -month-old ,arrived, but expect another little "problem" late this year. RONICLES eetki+a .Claw For the first time that I re- member I am able to sit outside in comfort. Why? Because this year there have been no'mosqui- toes — not around here anyway -- and we are generally well supplied. I suppose the spring was too cold to hatch the larva or eggs, or whatever it is that produces young mosquitoes. And am I glad! We have a lovely shady spot at the back of the house and we are enjoying it to the full. When we came here five years ago it was a thick clump of ash trees which, para- doxically, Partner reduced, and yet enlarged, by transplanting small trees from the middle of the copse to the outside, It is from here I see so many birds. Yesterday I saw one I had not seen before, It was a red car- dinal. We had visitors at the time and one of them said — "Oh, look at that beautiful bird, It's bright red — whatever is it?" I was so glad it paid us a visit at that time because I had been boasting about the lovely birds we get around here. So see- ing was believing. But don't get the idea either Partner or I just sit out in the garden and watch the birds. Partner is busy with the lawn and garden most of the time but he does sit down to rest in the shade when he feels like it. And I made three pairs of pyjamas for my grandsons last week, using the sewing machine at night and saving the hand- work to do in the garden. One of the visitors we had last week was a lady from Yorkshire on her first visit to Canada. Our Ontario countryside impressed her as being so similar to Eng- land. Which I suppose is per- fectly true and yet we' seldom realize it. Peel and Halton, for instance, are very little different from Essex and Suffolk. And our inland lakes vary little from some of the lake districts in the British Isles. You know, I sometimes wander how this neighbourhood got along before we came here! That sounds awful, doesn't it? But don't misunderstand nee— I only mean because Partner gets so many odd calls for help, mainly I suppose, because he is country - born and bred and knows how to deal with odd situations. The other night a grass widow phoned about eleven o'clock because a raccoon had got into the garage and knocked the lid off her gar- bage can. Hearing a noise she had phoned the police. A young officer came up and decided it was a raccoon and not a burglar. But yet she wasn't satisfied until she had got in touch with Part- ner. The next day another neigh- bour— this time a man — asked Partner to go up and see what he could do to destroy a hornet's nest. . . And yesterday he was asked to call our Ditto home be- cause she was after a bird's nest in a tree near the house next door. However, the calls are not all one-sided. When we have minor electrical troubles we ask the advice of a neighbour who is well versed in the intricate prob- lems concerning electrical appli- ances. The same' applies to win- ter car -starting problems. In any neighbourhood there is always something that one person can do better than another. The thing is to know your neighbours. Even advice was to whom to call for a repair jab le very welcome to 'a stranger in a strange district. And of course among the women opportunities for neighbourliness are unliimited. But sometimes a "limit" has to be set. For in- stance it is great for a young mother to come to the resoue of ISSUE 26 — 1962 a neighbour by baby-sitting in an emergency but it should be expected ONLY in an emergen- cy, And it is only natural for pre-school children to congregate in one another's backyard. But that, too, should be kept within limits, Mother, for her own con- venience, shouldn't suggest to her little ones that they go and play in Billy's backyard. It may give -her an opportunity to get on with her work — but what about Billy's mother? No young m•oother can have a yard full of children without feeling she must keep an eye on them. And that is a situation that does develop, especially if Billy has an extra lot of things to play with in his backyard, including a sandpile and a slide. I know of one young mother who some - tines had as many as ten chil- dren around day after day. And of course she couldn't blame the children. It was the mothers who were at fault. Well, the foregoing was writ- ten Sunday morning. And then in the afternoon we had a storm. Real rain, no less — for over two hours. The best rain we have had this year. Now we shall see the garden stuff grow. 'I knew a storm was coming as Taffy wouldn't leave me for a minute. Even Ditto was uneasy, As for me I had my usual "thunder headache" Queer how some peo- ple — and animals — sense a storm more than others. It does not affect Partner in the least. But Taffy — we never had a dog so petrified of thunder as Taffy. I always feel so sorry for the poor little_ tike. Now Partner and I are going to don rubber boots, wander around outside and take a look at the garden. Consider the postage stamp. Its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing till. it gets there. Josh Billings. { Joe Hos it Mode BIG "Voir might say •I organized it and put it together," The speak- er was dance master "Killer Joe" Piro. His subject; The h•uily gully, a eonga - twist - square - danee sort of a step that is the newest rage from Harlem to Palm Beaoh. By way of dem- onstration, Piro flicked on a phonograph and began a sched- uled private lesson. Kicking, eorkserewing, teacher and pupil ruthlessly punished the floorboards of Piro's Manhattan walk-up studio, An hour tater, his black hair still as sleek as a newly Simonized Rolls-Royoe, Killer Joe told a visitor: "The hully gully unravels tensions, You are free to solo, free. to swing your hips." To the cognoscenti of the i popular dance world, it comes as no surprise that pint-size (5. feet 6 inches, 133 pounds) Piro should . have enriched civiliza- tion with the holly gully. Killer Joe, in fact, is something of a hip -swinging legend. An ex -jit- terbug ehamvpion, he ruled New York City's Palladium Ballroom as the mambo king,` later helped fire the pachaoga fad, still is many a working gal's idea of Valentino on a dance -hall floor, The 41 -year-old dancer's repu- tation is just as big in the jet - borne international set, His stu- dir clients — who pay $65 for se: lessons — include Eva Ga - 1 or ("cute"), the Duke of Bed - herd ("a live one"), and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor ("Duke has a nice soft move- ment"). Indeed, acting as a sort of patron St. Vitus 'as cafe -society shindigs, `Killer Joe is fast be- coming as popular a stimulant as vodka on the rocks. "People want someone to make them gay," he says. Piro made per- sonal appearance's at 30 balls and private parties last winter and so delighted guests at a re- cent charity hop in Paden Beach by dancing the twist with all comers that, along with his us- ual fee of $300, he got a diamond butterfly stickpin that he now flaunts in his narrow black tie. .(One prominent Nassau hostess, unable to present him in person at a party, stuck his silver- framed picture on the buffet table.) "It's wild," says Piro, his big brown eyes gleaming. "The Duchess - of Windsor introduces me at a ball as her dancing teacher, and someone else inter- rupts, saying: 'What do you mean? He's mine; too'." Killer Joe's early life was no ball.- Son of an impoverished Italian tailor, he took his teen-. age knocks in East Harlem, eventually began to cop $15 and $20 prizes at the Savoy Ball- room, proving -ground for the lindy hop. "I wasn't good-look- ing, so I had to learn to dance well — otherwise no dates," ex- plains Killer Joe. In 1940, he won the anival Harvest Moon jitterbug title, and °'tiering the early part of the war, his gyra- tions at the Stage Door Canteen were so wild 'that he won his nickname. Show-blz folks- reek- oned that, like a great bull- fighter, he should be seen to- day before he knocked himself out tomorrow, but good. Coast Guard tour in the Pa - oleic left Killer Joe with mater - la; he was, however, far frpm floored. He hooked on at the Palladium as emcee and dance master, started his own studio, and soon got tapped to teach other instructors the latest Latin American steps. When the twist became the torque of New York, Killer Joe could usually be spotted stomping at the Pepper- mint Lounge — for his own pleasure. He looked so good that gradually,. ,by word of mouth and gossip -columns, he made a name in high society as a twist roaster. He hasn't stopped ouetting on parquet floors since. Modern Etiquette By Anne Ashley Q. Is it correct, at a cocktail party, for the women to remove their bats? A. If they wish. And, of course, they may even• come without hats. Q. Is it proper to write a few lines of good wishes on the carr] that you enclose with a wedding gift? A. While not necessary, this is a quite proper and nice thing to do. LABOR OF LOVE — Busy at her knitting, Los Angeles housewife Mrs. Leonard W. Eaton shows why she is known as. Korea's "sweater girl." Over the past nine years, Mrs. Eaton has warmed the hearts and bodies of countless Korean war orphans by knitting almost 1,000 sweaters and "hundreds and hundreds" of caps, mit- tens, stockings and other clothing. Pomona Builds a City for the Sixties Pomona, Calif., 30 miles from Los Angeles, is undertaking a 10 year renais- sance of the city and surrounding Pomona Valley Heart of the plan is a nine - block -long pedestrian mall, shown in drawing, above, expected to be completed • by September, 1962. Construction involves building traffic underpasses, reldca- tion of railroad rights of way and establishing off-street parking districts, among other things. New buildings and shops will linethemall, which will be decorated with trees and fountain and will include recreation areas. Overall view of the new Pomona, below, shows a transportation center, which train is approaching, at right, and a civic center. The Pomona plan is unique in being financed and led by private enterprise, without relying on sfate or federal aid, The city grew from 35,000 in 1950 to 227,000 in 1961.and expects a half -million population by 1980,