Who's afraid

of the doctor?

E HEARD of a story the

other day about the hypo-

chondriac who arranged
to have his tombstone bear the
words, “I told you there was
something wrong with me!”

Well, we’re not addressing
this article to him — or to any-
one else who runs constantly
to doctors with complaints that
may seem real to him but re-
quire more reassurance than
pills or potions.

We're talking to the opposite

type of person who, from one
year to the next, never man-

ages to get around to see his

doctor, who neglects warning
symptoms, who has an_ un-
reasoning fear of seeking me-
dical advice.

Why are some people like
that? Perhaps it is because they
associate “doctor” in their mind
with sickness, operations, hos-
pitals, the death of a relative.
They remember Grandma’s dire
warning, “Beware of opera-
tions!” Or, “if you don’t stop
biting your nails, I'll take you
to the doctor.”

Some remember as a child
getting a painful injection right
after being told by Mother,
“Now, this won’t hurt a bit!”

These past experiences often
stick with people and cause un-
reasoning fears.

A very common human fail:
ing is to want to postpone hear-
ing any possible bad news. You
say to yourself, as you put off
seeing the doctor, “What I

don’t know won’t hurt me.” At
the same time you realize per-
fectly well that what you don’t
know may hurt you, if you
have unusual symptoms the
doctor should check on without
delay.

The trouble is that it’s not
always easy to overcome irra-
tional fears. But it often helps
to smother them with some
cold hard facts. Many illness
that used to be a fatal are now
preventable, curable or controll-
able. Many once-dangerous in-
fections are now handled by
antibotics. :

Much cancer, diabetes and
communicable disease like diph-

t

theria are no. longer the terror
they used to be. Surgery is
much safer, more comfortable
and more effective in spite of
Grandma’s fears.

Heart surgery for a few cer-
tain conditions is becoming in-
creasingly successful.
thesia has advanced remakably
in just a few years.

It helps to bear these facts in
mind when you get that uncer-
tain feeling about what the
doctor will do.

But the best and easiest way
to lick your fears is to get to
know your family doctor better,
Don’t think of him as last, des-
perate resource. A lot of serious
trouble can often be avoided if
you see your doctor soon
enough.

When unusual symptoms ap-
pear, don’t rush to the drug
store to buy latest highly ad-
vertised patent medicine. And
don’t try some medicine you
find in your medgine chest.
Phone your doctor and follow
his advice completely. This is
the path to confidence in your
doctor and to real peace of
mind.

—By the Health Insurance Plan
of greater New York.

Dont buy a lemon!

UMMER DAYS are the days

people like to travel. Are

you thinking of buying a
new car? Too much money? If
the urge to be mobile really
gets you then you may turn to
a used car.

Never rush to buy a _ used
car simply because of the
bright shine and sweet sound.
It pays to examine it scru-
pulously.

Beware of the bright =>
paint job, which may hide a
serious rust problem or ivcert
accident. You are safer to
choose a car that boasts ori-
ginal paint. :

One way to tell if the paint
job is new may be to examine
the inside of doors and the
trunk lid to see if the paint
color matches.

Look for paint bubbles in the
two most vulnerable rust spots
—around the headlights and on
rocker panels (the horizontal
strip below the doors).

Peel back a strip of the floor
mat by the driver’s seat;’melted
snow often settles there. Exam-
ine the undersides of bumpers,
which often rust quickest if
neglected.

You may be able to detect a
buckled body by putting your
head close to the side of the
car and peering along it. If you
spot ripples, along the body
panels, the car may have been
in a smash, Reject it.

‘Uneven tire wear is a sign
that wheels may be unbalanced

or out of alignment or that
steering linkage is worn. Bad
Wear may indicate the owner
didn’t care enough to have his
car serviced regularly.

The rubber cover on the ac-
celerator pedal will give an idea
of the car’s true mileage. For
example, if 20,000 miles is. in-
dicated on the spedometer but
the pedal rubber is badly worn,
beware. If the rubber is new
you might also wonder why.

Put your foot down hard on

‘the brake for a full minute. If

the pedal sinks slowly to the
floor you have unearthed a
leak in the hydraulic braking
system. This is very dangerous.

By pushing down hard on the
body over one of the wheels
you can test the shock absorb-
ers. When you remove your
weight the car should spring
back firmly. If the body trem-
bles and dips down again, a
shock absorber may be worn.
Do this over all the wheels.

Look under the hood. Check
for oil or water leaks, worn
hose, corroded battery, brittle
wiring. If the engine is beauti-
fully clean and the threads on
the engine bolts are bright,
Suspect that repairs have been
made. Ask why.

_ Smoke betrays worn piston
rings. Let the engine idle while
testing electrical equipment and

brakes. Then stamp on the ac-

celerator ‘quickly. If the exhaust
throws out clouds of blue
smoke, the engine is most like-
ly burning oil. Move on to an-
other car.

Road check the car, then take
it in to a service station and
ask the mechanic to check un-
derneath.

Of course a thorough check
of a used car should: include
more than is listed here. While
these hints may not guarantee
that you will end up with the
best-ever used car, they cer-
tainly will reduce your chances
of getting a lemon.

Anes- :

J.$. Wallace

Solitaire Diamond Ring set with six diamonds
on each shoulder. Over 3 carat in all. Hand
made all platinum mounting. Regular price
$4,750. Our price $3,150. J. McTamney & Co.

Wwe I WALKED in to McTamneys I ‘passed UP me
chance to save $1,600 and compromised by askiné
for a key for my 400 day clock. The salesmat
quoted $2.25 for one. When I pointed out two other places
sold new ones for 75 cents he gave a polite version % 50
What? And claimed their wholesale cost was $1.25. Evet }
true that was a nice margin; from my experience 28 4
Warner and Swasey turret lathe operator I could have ae
torted the cost of production was probably.5 cents.

Instead I went down Church Street to another paw™
broker, Donnellys. They produced one for 50 cents 2M
unwiapped a boxed clock to make sure the key fit, addy
that if my clock was different, they would be glad to ore
a key specially or refund my money.

I HEADED north to Queen St. again and east to Sherbourn®:
In the butcher shop there when I found bacon squares

(smoked jowls) were 25 cents a pound I took foul.
Twenty-five cents in a shop that buys from hand to mouth.

Thirty-nine cents in Dominion Stores where they buy by
the trainload.

Interested now in such wild variations in prices !
compared the pants I'd got at a Hobberlin sale for s2
and the ones I got through my daughter for $4. No di
ference I could detect.

ye KNOW from experience these are not freak ee
ples: recall what has been happening to sugar pris

in the last year or so. Or take these words from @
Canadian Press despatch:

“The Canadian potato industry remains plagued by pd
problem of fluctuating prices. R. E. Goodin, market oe
velopment specialist for the Ontario Department of A8™™
culture told the annual Canadian Potato Industry ee
ference yesterday. The persistent and serious problems id
sharply fluctuating prices and low levels of income 0 J é
grower remains, he said. Mr. Goodwin said potatoes We

selling in British Columbia last week at $128 a ton. ae
fall, when supplies were ample the price was less :
$30 a ton.

eaking

“We are operating in a jungle” — Alan Roe, SP
for Lever Bros

I know conditions are totally different under socialis™

can you tell me in 50 words or Jess, in what way?

yours zi

te . 2Gt,
I have here a copy of the vacation schedules -
tomorrow ,,,”

August 7, 1964—PACIFIC T

Le |

8
gipUNE—PO