SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AS A

RENDEZVOUS

"BON SONTE-THAT'S US!" JOHN WILLIAM SHUMAN, M. D., F. A. C. P., LOS ANGELES, CAL.

HE attractions and beauties of Southern California are,-who can describe them? The subject is a boundless one, something akin to "The World War," only phases can be touched upon by any one writer. In a place where one can visit in a very few hours, some of the Pacific ocean's delightful beaches and the Mojave desert's charming oasis, thickly populated fertile valleys and rugged snowpeaked mountains ("The Alps of America") old Spanish Christian missions, and Hollywood's "sheiks" in action, via highways unequaled elsewhere in length, breadth and smoothness-no mortal can more than hint at Nature's beauties of such a district.

SEA-and stream-fishing, fowl-and animal

shooting, foot-and baseball, tennis and golf, swimming and riding are only a few of the sports which can be done the year around by the "shut-in-doing-day-labor" professional man. These sports give him something to look forward to on the morrow-not merely pleasant memories of a sport-fest long past. The man who keeps in training is more physically and mentally fit than he who takes his athletics and vacations every now and then. This part of the United States is an all the year-around work and playground.

"Do you have to work in Southern California?" is a question which has been asked quite often and to which the reply is, "Work! I'll say harder than ever before in Eastern life, and it is a pleasure! No one wants to live and not work."

In 1920 during a month's visit in Los Angeles and thereabouts, the impression was had that it was a "Quackdom" as far as the

Add to that long blast, the fact that all those things and many more can be done each and every day of the year, even then one has not a fair conception of Southern California; "Mais, mon Dieu, ille tres jolie et magnificant!"Just won't be described in words!

Call it "Southern California," "Climate," "Fairyland," "Sucker's Kingdom," or what not (names don't mean very much, anyhow), it is a mighty comfortable corner of this terrestial globe in which to be alive.

Written expressly for the Medical Herald, upon reTest of the Executive Secretary of The All Year Club of Southern California.

treatment of the sick was concerned. A shorter visit in 1921 did not change this idea. Now after two years "on duty" the truth is: The medical profession of the sunny end of California, is not unlike that elsewhere in this busy world of ours, except in a few particulars. IN THE older or Eastern states, there are

three types of Medicos-the excellent, the medium and the punk! The middle class predominates, with a few of the first class and too many of the low grade type. The tail-enders. include charlatans, quacks, crooks and grafters -in other words, rotten eggs.

In the country of "The Angels" the three classes measure up about like this: Many of the excellent, a few of the moderate, and entirely too blamed many of the third or lowscale class. There are no apologies for the latter being at all, except that they, like "The poor, are with us always." The law of demand and supply is always working and may in a way, account for them. In a new town or country, the quota of "bad men" is always high. Their exploits are usually first noticed. They often last when good deeds are forgotten. As the population grows, right becomes might. To the staff of "native sons" comes pathology (in mind, body or both) from every county and hamlet in the Union seeking "A Cure." This gives the honest physician a glorious opportunity to study and care for disease. This opportunity is not being wasted.

modious hospitals have been opened, more are under const uction and almost all of the older ones have added or are now adding "wings" to increase their efficient care of the "sick and wounded."

The early lack of proper hospital facilities made it possible for many small and inefficient hospitals to spring up and function, which in turn lowered the general standard of medical and surgical work. The shortages of good physicians (the sick and their friends came West but left their regular physicians at home in the East), made wonderful opportunities for the "leg-pullers" and "joint snappers." HERE is a story told of the 1918 influenza

epidemic period: An Eastern M. D. drove to Los Angeles in his car, put up at a hotel and filled his pill box with acetylsalcylic

FOR

a time the medical and hospital situat.ons in "Wellville" were far behind the demand. At present hospital facilities are very much better. The: e was a time when the hospitalization of a patient was difficult on account of lack of beds. Three years ago a ve y competent surgeon from the Mid-West, seriously considered bringing his old farmhouse-operating unit up-to-date for use in Los Angeles. It is easier to get suffering folks into hospitals now, for several new, large and com

(aspirin) tablets. In the nights (he slept during the days), he made house visits. That is, he would drive along the residential streets and stop wherever a porch light was on, ring the front door bell, and say to the answered, "I am Dr. Blank, did you call me?" The answer was invariably, "No, we did not call you but we called Dr. Somebody several hours ago. He is evidently so busy that he has forgotten Won't you please come in and see our sick ones?" He would then go in and make a

us.

ing so much golf during the day at the California Country Club that his feet were sore and he talked about his game at night."

One is reminded of "the blind men visiting the elephant" when he reads accounts written by individuals who have visited only a month or so in the City of Delight. One has to live and work in a land in order to get a real understanding of its assets and liabilities. CALIFORNIA is all right! Most of its people are going, and must go through a period of adjustment which will make them all right, too.

When we realize that most of the inhabitants of this paradise have uprooted and transplanted themselves from a climate where rain, mud and snow, excessive heat and cold, thunder and lightning, cyclones, slumped prices, nagging husbands and wives, diligent sheriffs and other minions of the law abound, to a clime where gasoline is only sixteen cents a gallon, but taxes a dollar a day; where the front tires on an automobile do 22,000 miles and the rubber is still good, but motorcycle tops ticket a fellow every other day; where three crops of alfalfa grow a year, but water king; where the climate is semi-tropical, but an overcoat is useful; where sunshine and balmy air cure all human ills, but cultism. treats mind, body and soul-the strangest truth of all is, that the truth about Southern California has all the fiction that has been, is now, or ever will be written about it, left at the hitching-post!

Suite 820, 2007 Wilshire Boulevard.

THE IMPORTANCE OF FATS IN INFANT FEEDING

C. S. MERRIMAN, M. D.,

PEDIATRIST, KANSAS CITY, Mo.

F AN infant is to thrive and develop proper

Ily it must have all the and

in proper proportions, whether it be fed from the breast, from the bottle or from the table. I wish to point out some of the ill effects of the deficiency of the fats, without detracting from the importance of the carbohydrates, proteids or other ingredients of the food.

I regard this important because of the great tendency to leave fats out of the food, either thoughtlessly or from lack of knowledge of their importance. Some mothers deprive their babes of the proper amount of fat by not eating a sufficient quantity of proteid matter, such as meats, eggs, etc.; while a vast majority of bottle-fed babies are deprived of a sufficient quantity of fat, by being fed on such foods as condensed milk, and various other infant

preparations; also by diluting cow's milk too much or by sterilization; and later when feeding from the table by being deprived of the proper amount of cream, butter, fat meats, and gravies. The first named foods are far below the standard in fats. Children who are robbed of these elements of their food are far below par in many respects. First, they are almost sure to have rickets, the bones will be small, ossification does not take place properly in any of the bones. I believe that the small amount of this element is the sole cause of this disease.

Dr. J. W. Mayhew, Lincoln, Nebr.
Dr. John E. Summers, Omaha, Nebr.
Dr. Donald Macrea, Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Charles W. Green, Ph.D., Columbia, Mo.
Dr. E. H. Skinner, Kansas City, Mo.
Dr. John M. Bell, St. Joseph, Mo.
Dr. T. G. Orr, Kansas City, Mo.
Dr. P. T. Bohan, Kansas City, Mo.

Dr. Granville N. Ryan, Des Moines, Iowa. It is announced that the next session will be held jointly in Council Bluffs and Omaha, with hotel headquarters at the Fontenelle, Omaha. The date will probably be September 15, 16 and 17. On Wednesday and Friday the sessions will be held in Omaha, and Thursday will be Clinic day in Council Bluffs, in charge of Dr. Donald Macrea.

of fats in the food will cure rickets. These children will also cut their teeth hard and late, their nervous systems are not properly developed, hence are more liable to spasms, croup and kindred troubles. They are very prone to have eczema, papules, pustules and similar skin diseases. I have seen many babes who have had eczema of the face, and some cases with it all over the body, and babies whose scalps were full of pustules, all because they had been fed on food with a low per cent of fat. I have seen these same babes cured by supplying this ingredient and very little other treatment. Some children will develop keratitis from the same cause. With this kind of a diet the child will become constipated and the constipation will cause still more trouble.

Let us see what part fat plays in the general body nutrition and development. By its combustion it develops heat and energy. While this is true, the proteids, in addition to this same function, are the great tissue builders of

Reprinted by request.