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An Extra Inch of Life
Being tall does not make you healthy, but is recognized as a symptom of good health. "The factors that explain the increasing height of the British, also explain improved public health and longevity", says the historian Dr.Reginald Floud.
Dr.Floud, provost of London Guildhall University, says: "We now have some very good evidence from Norway that the taller you are - up to a height of about 6ft 2in, the greater your expectation of life. The reasons probably have a lot to do with your nutritional status before birth and in the first years of life.
However, warm environments, lack of disease and love are also very important. When you take children who have been well cared for in institutions and put them with foster parents, they grow taller.
In the 19th century, aristocratic adolescent boys were 20 centimetres taller than slum children of the same age. The height differentials between classes are less obvious now, although people in social classes four and five are still shorter.
The average height of the British male is at present between 5ft 9in and 5ft 10in, Dr.Floud says. "Ideally, according to the Swedish evidence, men need to be taller, but no fatter than we are today. It is bad news to be short and overweight".
A number of studies have confirmed that short men are more prone to heart attacks. A study of physicians in America found that those measuring 5ft 7in or less were at significantly greater risk than those who were 6ft or over.
However, it is important to remember that heart disease does not appear to have a single cause. According to a study published last year in the Journal of the Royal College of Physicians, people with a large number of creases in their ear-lobes can be at higher risk.
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Listen up up: Ear Infections Can Harm Kids' Hearing
By Dr.Myles Druckman
One of the most common infections we see in children is an ear infection called otitis media, an infection of the middle ear. Children, especially young children, will not always complain about their ears. They can be irritable and feverish with no other apparent symptoms. Otitis media should be suspected with all kinds of symptoms in a small child, including a cough, sore throat, malaise, vomiting, insomnia, appetite loss, and unexplained fever.
Middle ear infections are common in children because the eustacian tube is immature and short in length and organisms can easily track up the tube to infect the middle ear. Infection and increased fluid in the middle ear behind the tympanic membrane can cause pain and discomfort.
The importance of monitoring for otitis media cannot be overstated. One of 
the major causes of hearing loss in children is otitis media infection. The infection can damage the tympanic membrane which can lead to deafness. Otitis media is a major cause of learning disabilities in children because of poor hearing at critical periods in a child's learning development.
Russians believe that covering the ears is vital to protect against infection, and they generally bundle their children up from September until early June. There is no concrete evidence to state that this staves off infection, but it does not hurt.
Antibiotics are the treatment of choice, though recurrent infections in childhood are quite common. The infection can become resistant to certain antibiotics requiring switching to stronger medications. For chronic, severe cases, tubes are inserted through the tympanic membrane to act as drainage.
Happily, most children outgrow their ear infections without permanent damage. So if your child seems ill, or if you have an earache, listen to this advice and consult your doctor.
