Q — I am a married woman with a six-year-old child, and it troubles my mind that his saliva runs from his mouth during sleep. What is the way to cure him?

B. B., Sidon

A — The running of saliva, or "drooling," from the mouth during sleep has several causes. They are most often local, such as irritation or congestion of the gums owing to the coming through of molars or teeth. The cause of the mouth's falling open during sleep may also be an adenoid growth blocking the passage of breath through his nose. Some doctors believe that the presence of worms in his intestines may be another cause of this condition. Its removal depends on discovering the cause and having it treated by specialist physicians. Take your son first to the dentist, then have his stool examined at the laboratory, and treat him on that basis.

Q — I have a son of thirteen, but his body is no taller or bigger than a seven-year-old's, and this abnormal state worries me. Is there a treatment?

T. R., Latakia

A — I am sorry, my dear questioner, that my help to you is limited. All I can sincerely advise you is to consult a physician who specializes in the pituitary glands, for it is not natural for your son to be of this size, and he may need the hormones of these glands to resume his growth. It is well to hurry to the doctor while he is at this age, especially if there are people of small stature in your family, for this condition is hereditary.

Q — I am a married woman with four children. I suffer from varices in my legs and feet; is there a treatment for this troublesome ailment?

S. T., Beirut

A — Varices, called "varicose-vein disease," are a lengthy medical subject that belongs to the doctor. All I can help you with is to offer some counsels. Raise your legs when you sleep, at night or by day, by placing a pillow under the mattress so that the feet lie higher than the hips. You may also use crepe bandages; ask the pharmacist to give them to you and to inform you how they

Q — I am a student, sixteen years old. My height is 150 cm and my weight 52 kilograms. What is the treatment to reduce my weight so that I become moderately plump?

H. S., Broummana

A — In light of the figures you mention, I see no pressing need to reduce your weight. The agreed measure — the normal weight relative to height — is bounded by the number of centimeters over one hundred. Since your height is 150 cm, your natural weight should stand at around fifty kilos. You are 52, and that is no great excess, especially since you are sixteen, which is the age of growth; hence there is no need to prescribe any "treatment," as you put it. But if you have a disposition to plumpness, cut down your intake of starchy and fatty foods.

this monthly corner, The Woman's Voice offers the best solutions to the beauty, health, social, and emotional problems that our women and girls suffer.

Dear reader: your magazine welcomes every question that comes within this field, and refers whatever defies solution to those with special competence. Write to us at: Agrippa Street — P.O. Box 3940 — Beirut.

Q — I am a young woman of twenty. I suffer from acne and blackheads together on my face; what is the treatment for them?

M. T., Beirut

A — Acne and blackheads spring from a single source, traceable to excessive oily secretions. Before treatment, you must cut down on fatty foods and foods cooked in Hama samn, on chocolate, ice cream, and nuts of every kind, and take more vegetables and fruit — that on the side of health precaution. As for treatment: squeeze out the blackheads with your fingertips after disinfecting them with alcohol, applying compresses of lukewarm water to ease their extraction; then anoint your face twice a day — after washing it well with lukewarm water and soap and drying it — with a solution composed of equal quantities of white spirit, acetone, and ether. Have the pharmacist prepare this solution for you, and apply it away from any flame, for some of these substances catch fire quickly.