Word: habited
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1960-1969
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Magnesia & Matzo. According to the few doctors who have studied the subject, the craving for laundry starch is an offshoot of the clay-eating habit still prevalent among some Southern Negroes. Those who migrate North sometimes receive packages of clay (known as "Mississippi Mud" in Los Angeles) mailed by friends back home, but most switch to laundry starch, which is easier to obtain and apparently satisfies the same hunger...
Inexpensive Psychiatry. Argo representatives say that their laundry product contains nothing but cornstarch, a common thickener for soups and desserts. (They also say the starch-eating habit is "rare.") According to medical opinion, eating large amounts of laundry starch often brings on anemia by blocking the body's absorption of iron. Some doctors state that overeating laundry starch may also cause a deficiency of folic acid, which in pregnant women may lead to premature births or bleeding near delivery time...
Whether starch gobbling results from a physical need or a cultural habit is a minor medical mystery. According to Manhattan Internist Harry Roselle, who sees many cases at St. Luke's Hospital, Negro women nibble starch in times of stress as a form of "inexpensive psychiatry." Many Negroes believe that starch prevents nausea during pregnancy. Indeed, some doctors agree that starch probably does soothe "morning sickness," though probably only for psychological reasons. Unfortunately, the other effects...
...rookies like Davis, life at the Andover training camp can be pretty lonely. The older, established players tend to be cliquey, partly from habit and familiarity, and partly to perpetuate their established positions. None of the rookies, however, find anybody not friendly. It's just business. Some of the linemen, for example, could not say who their defensive coach was. "We were never introduced, so I just call him 'coach,' says Melvin Witt, a 6-3, 265-pound tackle from Arlington State in Texas...
...carbon monoxide, aldehydes and phenols contained in cigarette smoke are also pernicious-and are not stopped by filters. Moreover, some tars and nicotine still get through the Strickman filter. According to Dr. Stewart, "full protection can only come through giving up cigarettes altogether or not taking up the habit in the first place...