Warning to Girls Who Chew Gum.
THE habit of chewing gum, so popular of late years, has been strongly condemned by physicians, and especially by hygienists because they so well understand the importance of correct habits. It is as disgusting to others as it is injurious to the chewers. The following is well named a warning; but we fear it will not be much heeded, as slaves to filthy habits are not easily induced to break their chains. It is from the St. Louis News of January 10th:-- Late last Saturday evening an incident occurred on Portland avenue that may serve as a warning to hundreds of young persons who have entered upon a career of wax-chewing. A girl named Lida Smith had been a chewer for nearly a year. She is eleven years old, rather bright and intelligent, and chewed about the same quantity of the material that was used by neighboring girls along the avenue. On Saturday evening she took her wax from her mouth, stuck it under the edge of the mantel until she could go to the kitchen to get a swallow of water, and on her return her parents were horrified to see her jaws moving rapidly. She was told to throw the wax from her mouth, and on investigation it was found that she was not chewing anything; still her jaws kept moving at a rapid rate. The parents sent for a physician, who came and attempted to hold the jaw in proper position, believing it to be only temporary, but he could not stop the regular movement. The child grew nervous, and the excitement only increased the action of the jaws. The physician put a tight bandage over her face and this partially relieved the movement, but then the twitching of the muscles extended all over her face. As a last resort a moderate dose of morphine was administered, and the little girl kept up incoherent mutterings, accompanied by a general disturbance of the muscles of the upper portion of the body, during the early portion of the night, and towards morning the little sufferer was restored to her normal condition. The physician says he never heard of such a case before, and thinks it was brought about by a spasmodic action of the muscles of the face, caused by overaction. The little girl after enduring a night of suffering is now restored, but nothing in the world could induce her again to chew wax.