Capsules

P: Dogtrotting regularly for the morning train and brisk walking to appointments keep the heart and lungs in trim for emergencies, reported Philadelphia's Dr. Burgess L. Gordon. "It's the habit of taking things easy most of the time and then placing a sudden strain on the body in an emergency that is dangerous."

P: A bandage that does not stick to wounds, so that it peels off painlessly and bloodlessly, was announced by Bauer & Black. Called Telfa, it has a perforated plastic layer next to the skin.

P: The A.M.A. complained that advertisers are increasingly making exaggerated claims for the safety of continuous vaporizers that spread poison to kill insects and other pests, and reiterated a warning: lindane, the chemical commonly used in these gadgets, "is retained in the brain and liver and may cause serious and lasting damage to the central nervous system." Exempted from the charge: hand-operated aerosol bombs.

P: Adelaide's Lament in Guys and Dolls sings of "psychosomatic symptoms difficult to endure" ("In other words, just from waiting around for that plain little band of gold / A person can develop a cold"). But Manhattan's Dr. Bret Ratner disagrees with Adelaide. The psychosomatic approach to allergies, he complains, has become so popular that the family doctor has a hard time deciding whether to refer cases to a psychiatrist or an allergist. Allergist Ratner plumps for the allergist. Says he: "If the psychiatric factors are treated exclusively, there can be little hope for lasting help."

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