Page 6bxx EUGENE REGISTERGuard, Wednesday, May 23, 1962
To Your Health
: 'Morton's
Toe' Is
Painful
By DR. JOSEPH G. M0LNER
Dear Doctor Molner: What
about "Morton'a Toe"? I drive
a truck and sometimes the
...pain is so severe that I can
"hardly apply the brake.
I had a pair of arch sup-
ports fitted the doctor
. ' .claims my metatarsal arches
cause this burning pain under
f).my third and fourth toes, es
. pecially on my right foot, and
"that pressing on the brake
"Started the trouble.
After seven months I still
n pet pains every day. Is surgery
the only cure? C.B.
. T.Morton's Toe (or Morton's
"Disease) is named after the
'surgeon, Thomas G. Morton,
vho first described this trou
ble painful foot usually in-
- voiving the base of the fourth
"toe.
: ;'The cause: Apparently a re
laxed or faulty arch, along with
' a callus on the ball of the foot,
"puts excess pressure on that
Joint and perhaps pinches or
irritates a nerve there.
'""Narrow shoes, and, if present,
i plantar wart (wart on the
plantar part of the foot, or the
'Sole) aggravate things.
It's not surprising that press
ing the brake with such a dam
aged foot is agonizing; I would
'doubt, though, that braking
'Started the trouble.
" "The first efforts to alleviate
rite trouble includes shoes built
up with padding to support the
irrch. A metatarsal bar on the
til do sole sometimes helps. Ex
orcises and massage to strength
en foot muscles, and hot ap
plications to ease muscle spasm
jliay bo beneficial.
m, But when these are not
enough, it sometimes is found
.that the pain is basically due
-to a neuroma, or tumor of the
. nerve in that part of the foot,
-and surgical removal of the
.tumor is the obvious recourse.
...Since C. B. is still in pain
'after seven months with the
..special shoes, I certainly think
his next visit should be to an
orthopedist a bone specialist.
He may or may not find surgery
advisable, but there's no rca--son
why C. B. should have to
continue suffering.
Morton's Toe occurs in both
men and women, but more often
in women, perhaps due to their
footwear, which doesn't give as
much support as men's. Besides,
you know the reputation wo
men have for cramming their
feet into shoes a size too short
or too narrow. The trouble
usually doesn't occur until after
age 30.)
t IB62, Field Enterprises, Inc.
Ask Andy
Barnacles Are Crustaceans
Andy tends a complete, 20
volume set of the World Book
Encyclopedia to Amelia Con
ley, age 12, of Ashland, Ky.
and to Gay De Ho, age 12, of
Phoenix, Ariz., for their ques
tions: a a
What are barnacles?
These little shellfish were
discovered centuries ago,
when the first boats put out
to sea. They are still cement
ing their stony houses to the
undersides of our ocean-going
ships, to piers and even to the
backs of whales, deep sea tur
tles and other living marine
animals. But science did not
learn the truth about them
until about a hundred years
ago.
The ocean is home to some
800 different barnacles and as
adults they never venture
forth from their stony shells.
They are crustaceans, cousins
of the lobsters and shrimps
and in some ways resemble
the insects.
We are used to the idea
that a grubby caterpillar can
become a glamorous butter
fly. The barnacle also devel
ops through four distinct
stages. But science was slow
to discover this fact because
the strange little shellfish
spends its youth swimming in
the vast ocean and its early
stages do not resemble the
adult stage any more than a
caterpillar resembles a butter
fly. The shell of the adult bar
nacle is usually dome-shaped
with a hole in the top which
can be closed by a hinged
trap door. The smaller varie
ties are a quarter-inch wide
and greyish white. The larger
varieties are two Inches wide
and colored purple, red, blue
or yellow. The stony house is
firmly cemented to a ship or
floating log, to a whale or
other marine animal, to the
underwater posts of a pier or
to a rock on the floor of the
sea.
A small forest of fringed
legs pokes out from the trap
door, trawling for scraps of
food. Algae and small sea
dwellers are caught and
stuffed into the barnacle's
mouth inside the shell. An
adult barnacle is usually both
male and female and the
eggs, millions of them, are
produced and fertilized inside
the shell. The eggs hatch and
swim away as tiny larvae
which look like water fleas.
Each has one eye and six legs.
It eats and molts three times
in the first week.
After the fourth molt, the
barnacle changes its shape. It
now has twelve legs, two eyes
and two feelers and its fat
round body grows almost as
big as a marble. Now it is
ready to settle down. It holds
onto a surface with its feelers
and one of these feelers pro
duces a sticky cement to keep
it anchored. Then the barna
cle builds its shell from limy
chemicals extracted from the
water. For the rest of its life
it remains inside the shell,
standing on its head.
The hard shell of the barn
acle remains cemented where
it was built long after the
barnacle has died. This a
great problem to marine ani-
i
mals and ocean-going liners.
A fair-sized ship is cluttered
with about 30 tons of barn
acle shells after a year of
ocean travel. These crusty
shells must be scraped away,
for they slow down a ship and
force it to use extra fuel.
Andy sends a Hammond's
International World Globe to
Robert ScottBuccleuch, age
10, of Peterborough, Ont., for
his question:
How cold is absolute zero?
Temperature measures heat
and, as heat is lost, the tem
perature falls, When all the
heat is lost, we reach the
colder than cold temperature
of absolute zero. No sub
stance can get any colder
than this. On the centigrade
scale, absolute zero is equal to
minus 273.18 degrees, on the
Fahrenheit scale it is equal to
minus 459.72 degrees.
Experts working with tem
perature use the Kelin for ab
solute temcprature scale. The
0 degrees at the bottom of
this scale is absolute zero, the
temperature at which every
substance has lost absolutely
all of its heat and can get no
colder.
Andy awards each dav a rf
full act ol the World Book K
Encyclopedia lor tba flrat H
question be aelecta to answer Hi
When a second question Is
snswered a large world globe
or atlas Is awarded Questions li
sre accepted from teen-age $
or lesa-thsn-teen-age readers &
They should be addressed to 3
the Register-Guard. 175 High :'j
St., Eugene Andy prefers t
that questions be written on ?
postcards, rather than In let. Q
ter form. R
MR. DITHERS, I WAN?)
one gooo reason r
whv voo i L-i I CAK1 1
vjon't erirv (GIVE VOU A
GIVE ME a fS. -HUNDRED
i GIVE ME ONE GOOO I"..."
Treason --just one )
w GOOO REASON i '
9 Z& .u2pr
I
' 11 ill!
'Hill BECAUSE
I'M SUCH
(A CHEAP-)
Moving Maple
World's most widely traveled
Hem of air cargo is a gavel
wielded by president of an in
ternational air transport associ
ation. Carved from a block of
Canadian maple, it has been
used in annual meetings on six
continents and has been ship
ped a total of 140,000 miles.
Northwest Indians Plan to Hold
Final Potlatch Ritual in 1962
Six dozen -and
the others were for
ten and eiaht.
That's 24 dozen.
IjCgg88"' . ,7- It's right on "V
Another neuiVfl n. 17 f' r wag. Lets
rusnmpr-for WtTS, "lucu": "?". '9
He thinks M-in Vw fwiner anoiueo .
Ahere iti!f Y&WTk
It's kind of m XJgSSN At SO a
cute with WJirTrriiil dozen that's
i The trees I'ffl fffrf I &rg
V a"d all.- fyi! li J i little bit
lUhg are pe
lKaali?l
I'VE HEARD ABOUT A
WONDERFUL REST
ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF
TOWN, LARRY.. .RUN BY P
DR. SINDOOI THINK WE
5H0ULD TAKE r
EISA THERE j
STOP SAYING THAT ELSA'sl . ,
MENTALLY ILLALLSHE Jv ,' ,l
NEEDS IS AECT,jaa - ' '
I TOOK THE LIBERTY OF CALLING Pffidfr
DR.SINDOO.' HE SAID HE'D STOP jfjm
BY THIS AFTERNOON TO INTERVIEW f ; j' Xuf
ELSA...T0 DETERMINE WHETHER i , 1D-rh
OR NOT HE'D ACCEPT HER AS A . J-f
wrH0 '
Gone but unmourncd is the
potlatch, the American Indian
custom which carried "keeping
up with the Joneses" to fantas
tic extremes.
Reports from British Colum
bia say that at a last big pot-
lach, or winter festival, will be
held by West Coast Indians in
the late autumn of 1062. It will
commemorate a distinctive fea
ture of aboriginal social life in
the Pacific Northwest.
In the old days, clan chiefs
were expected to give periodic
potlatchcs, as a mark of pres.
tige, to distribute gifts to guests,
the National Geographic Society
says. Rivalry among the hosts
grew so great that they often
stripped themselves of all
wealth canoes, cedar-bark blan
kets, furs and food.
Dancing, Singing and Feasting
The winter festivals assumed
elaborate pageantry. Hooded
men impersonated legendary
animals. Brilliant costumes were
worn for the dancing, singing
and feasting.
Competition and increasing
extravagance robbed the pot
latch of its onetime gaiety.
"The actions of each dancer
were scrutinized with great
care, and any little mistake
noted and remembered," said a
historic report by the Smith
sonian Institution's Bureau of
American Ethnology. "The
strain upon a dancer was conse
quently so great that, if a fine
dancer died soon after the
feast, it was said, 'The people's
looks have killed him'."
The word potlatch is a corrup
tion of the Nootka word, pat
shatl, or "giving."
Potlatchcs of the Pacific
Northwest, having no religious
significance, were held on occa
sions such as the assumption of
chieftainship, the naming of a
child, building of a new home,
or erection of a totem pole.
The custom was practiced by
many affluent tribes, including
the Tlingit, Haida, Kwakiutl,
Bcllacoola and Nootka. These
Indians were among the most
aristocratic of American aborigi
nes. They set great store on
family status, wealth and pos
session of slaves. Not infrequent
ly, slaves were sacrificed at pot
latch ceremonies.
The tribesmen's talent for art
found expression in fine wood
carvings, stonework, blanket
weaving, native copper, and,
later, in silver.
Required Long Planning
Because it took time to accu
mulate the necessary beautiful
objects and food, a spectacular
potlatch might be announced
three years in advance. Small,
impromptu potlatches were
sometimes given to save face
when a family had suffered a
slight or imagined indignity.
With the decline of Indian
cultural life among Northwest
tribes in the 19th century, pot-
latches became more infrequent.
The United States government
discouraged them because chiefs
began to get into bitter disputes
and minor warfare. Indian lead
ers were known to commit sui
cide rather than face the shame
of being unable to repay pot
latch debts.
By the beginning of the 20th
century, the potlatch was prac
ticed regularly by only a few
isolated clans in remote valleys,
National Geographic reported.
(000 MORHIHt, itTSUal , MAY I HVi MY KEY, Ft EASE?
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1 my wing, then rr nuisr
I NAVE BEEN HER MU5BAND '
1 WHO WENT OUT AN HOUR 1
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i I STEPS DOWN THE HALL,
1 THAT WOULD PROBABLY
Bt TO KOOM Zl.
CAST U KB AN
ACTOR TO COWS
TO HCTAtS X CAIW
toe Ft or -rue
WOMEN ANP MA
THE MFNKELLIU
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1 WHAT TM OTH4E HAPPSN4 IN THIS COM-
i
PC, BUT ItW
WA40N To LISTSN
TO MOSS Of THK
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. HONAU WAHMON0SR.
HE-RLS A NICE
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PLAV WIF,
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ITS LOAD ED.'.'
rr
I
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Ai VK Bl'NE STALK FSOM THE HALL.KtVtAVT
l.ICH CntH SUPS OUT ANOTHER WAV ANO AN
ANCISNr KITUAL BEGINS...
mm
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BUT,
GITS AKJV SMART
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WHAT VO
YOU THINK
ABOUT THINS,
BEETLE? ,
wJatJ
THINS3J
5-:s
THINSS f T PONT
f IN 1 IWPEPSTANPI
- W FROM THE PAPER JLL
HOW CAN YOU BE SURE A ) PATTERNS. I MAKE
KEY IS GONNA WORK. THREE OP AH. MOSBIE i
GRINDER, UNLESS YOU GOT V-ONE OP THEM WILL PIT.'
a I nru Ti-i TDv IT Ik. A s
I V
1 'criffA
EXCEPT THIS OlD XI WONDER WHATS
MOOEL.'-yoU COULDN KEEPIN' BIRDIE ?
OPEN THE LOCK IT FITS 1 -HE SAID HE D BE
WITH A PAPER-CLIP.'. BACK IN AN HOUR.
Vol)
(EITHER? 1
SEEMS TO ME THIS
IS A SORT OF A POOR
LOCATION, MR. IOPAR'
5l) I
9l t TjrVr V I
77 HILL IS y
'Ktl A ROUGH j,
Y
KIM.
VOURE WRONG, MY
FRIEND-I PICKED
VeRY CAKEfULLY.
1
a :l nn
5 ; uu
S-2S
I'M APRAIO I FCCX3ET IT COP.' ... SO IF . GOT ON6
cant be much I vex.' ce Just vouve anv about that
HELP IN THIS PEBFECT FOR V QUESTIONS, IELEPH ANT
KINO OF A PEOJECT I'VE" S ASK'EM.X OUT
CESEABCHV.HAO IN MIND FOB V ( THECE.' T
yK LONG TIAE;... r ""j ly-sr
I CAN SEE HOW VOL)
SHOOT KOULO HAVE PUT A
MOUSES BRAIN IN
ITS HEAD ALL RIGHT.,
i... BUT HOW 010 VOU CRAW
THAT BIG OL ELEPHANTS
B8AIN INTO THAT LITTLE '
OL MOUSES HEAO? rrCl
F012 THAT LieaP. A
TUKTLe coulp
5 LXH AT CUTCl'.v)
OUT OUR WAY
DO sod Y
, ( TrlliOK TflATS )
MAJOR HOOPLE
L-va
( Dc
RyM
i
Ocuhat
An
Trig
f:eRJ?!' ill
a
-"T '. - t i AM-N-H, TH' PELiaMTFUL- V,VOO FOOL, THAT'S
i'V.f NESS OPTW SEES NUMMIN' ) NO SEES MUW 1
-'"-t A ANP-m' gieps siwoin' is J miw e; sips
' '-' ' jX -i WM"T MAKES 6 .OV SiHKSIW-IT'SA
AJ KJv I T'OIT AWAV FROM TOWN" 1 LOCOMOTIVE CMOS-
I t J V SO RESTFUL, SUCH y WM' AW WMISTLIW.'
WiY,.. seet soowps.' VOU CAM'T HE;
irl' U ff S AMV OF WATURB
cf fil I I V 1 3 V WiTMATE-
-
j'vr.r.
EGAa,CLV06.,X'MIN AWLFMWl
-OOK A TOAF-FIC TICKET A FELLOW
.VAS 6iNEN FOB SPEEDING AND
SAiD I WAS APEBSOMAL FRlE:NTJ
5F JUDGE COOFEV AND COULD SET
IT COOLED DON'T KNOW WHAT
CAVE OVEd MS -IWOULD4'T
KNOW 3UDSE COOC Ey PROM A
FEiJS'AS thEPMECD.'
YOU SOT M3LWSELF CAU6HT.
IN A TliSHT TRAN50M AN
YOO LOOK- BAD FM
D,?S YOU COULDN'T 1
6ET TO 3UD&B COOFBV
UNLESS YOU WERE A II
SH AYlNS I TV TO
HAVE MiM CHILL A TICKET
AN' HE'LL HAVE YOU IN
TH' Smokehouse j t7
-1
39
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