Book 2, 2012
Still a rainy day and still on holidays so have time to look at another of my quirky collection.

This one is Modern Medical Counsellor, compiled by Hubert O. Swartout in collaboration with thirty-one leading medical specialists - a revised edition published in 1962. (I was ten years old)  It is 992 pages long.

It begins with sixteen pages of colour plates of illustrations of skin rashes and diseases; cancer of the breast,tongue and lip; appearances of diseases of the eye, skin rashes in specific diseases and so on - all appropriately gruesome.

The highlight of this edition is the addition, in the middle of the book, on bright yellow pages, advice on 'Survival in Atomic Bombing'.  On the last of these pages is a poster of a group of concerned people (doctor, nurse, ambulance man).  The caption reads - Prepare now for Defence in Time of Atomic War.

Some terrific advice in a chapter titled "Growing Old Gracefully' is indeed apt for a person who is reaching the age of sixty this year. (Me)

"for association with younger people as well as with one's own age helps to kep a person young in spirit.  Whenever it is possible to keep such a custom alive, all elderly people at least should strive to do so." (Love all my younger friends.)

"Many of the signs of age cannot be hidden, and nobody should try to put on a false front of youthfulness. The 'flapper' grandmother, depending on girlish clothes, dyed hair, the art of the beautician, and coquettish ways to bolster her personality usually succeeds only in making herself pitiful or ridiculous.  The "foxy' grandfather with as youthful a style and similar hair dye, gaudy ties and socks, and amorous looks at the girls, does no better.  Both of them fool nobody but themselves."  (Oh dear - I can almost hear Hubert's sniff of disapproval and see his little mealy mouth saying this.  Hubert - I'll try to stay away from acting coquettish!!!)

The infectious disease chapter includes poliomyelitus - a disease we were still fearful of in the early sixties.  I remember being given the vaccine (a drop of syrup on a spoon) in high school - so after 1965.  This author notes -"Dr Jonas Salk has perfected a vaccine which gives promise of much value in preventing infantile paralysis, and even better vaccines may eventually be devised." (We were all vaccinated against smallpox in the sixties too - and I believe that no case has been recorded of smallpox since the seventies because of this world wide campaign.)

Love the advice for treatment of the bubonic plague.
 1. Keep the patient in bed.
2. Control the fever by means of cool sponges and cool enemas.  (Watch out my kids if you ever catch the plague.  I'm right up on the treatment now.)

After the general index comes an index of symptoms: here's one-
Semiconsciousness, with rigid body and closed eyes, refusing to talk, and no jerky movements............  HYSTERIA!!!!! (Then again the patient could be just plain drunk.)
And another-
Shrivelling and atrophy of skin of female genitals, with a narrowing of the vaginal opening................
Kraurosis vulvae (Gonna watch out for this one.)
And my favourite so far-
Red and watery eyes............
Acute alcoholism!! (What the???)

Nowadays, I guess, folks with any symptoms can Google them.  I wonder what diagnosis on-line sites give for the above symptoms.  Please let me know if you find out.