'Tis handy, at once, to his sweet mouth to glide; When done with, drops gently down by his side; 'Tis fix'd, like an anchor, while the babe sleeps. And the mother, with joy, her still vigil keeps.

67. A child who is teething dribbles, and thereby wets his chest, which frequently causes him to catch cold; what had better be done?

Have in readiness to put on several flannel dribbling bibs, so that they may be changed as often as they become wet; or, if he dribble very much, the oiled silk dribbling-bibs, instead of the flannel ones, may be used, and which may be procured at any baby-linen ware house.

68. Do you approve of giving a child, during teething, much fruit?

No; unless it be a few ripe strawberries or raspberries, or a roasted apple, or the juice of five or six grapes—taking care that he does not swallow either the seeds or the skin—or the insides of ripe gooseberries, or an orange. Such fruits, if the bowels be in a costive state, will be particularly useful.

All stone fruit, raw apples or pears, ought to be carefully avoided, as they not only disorder the stomach and the bowels,—causing convulsions, gripings, &c.,—but they have the effect of weakening the bowels, and thus of engendering worms.

69. Is a child, during teething, more subject to disease, and, if so, to what complaints, and in what manner may they be prevented?

The teeth are a fruitful source of suffering and of disease; and are, with truth, styled "our first and our last plagues." Dentition is the most important period of a child's life, and is the exciting cause of many infantile diseases; during this period, therefore, he requires constant and careful watching. When we consider how the teeth elongate and enlarge in his gums, pressing on the nerves and on the surrounding parts, and thus how frequently they produce pain, irritation, and inflammation; when we further contemplate what sympathy there is in the nervous system, and how susceptible the young are to pain, no surprise can be felt, at the immense disturbance, and the consequent suffering and danger frequently experienced by children while cutting their first set of teeth. The complaints or the diseases induced by dentition are numberless, affecting almost every organ of the body,—the brain, occasioning convulsions, water on the brain, &c.; the lungs, producing congestion, inflammation, cough, &c.; the stomach, exciting sickness, flatulence, acidity, &c,; the bowels, inducing griping, at one time costiveness, and at another time purging; the skin, causing "breakings-out."

To prevent these diseases, means ought to be used to invigorate a child's constitution by plain, wholesome food, as recommended under the article of diet; by exercise and fresh air; [Footnote: The young of animals seldom suffer from cutting their teeth—and what is the reason? Because they live in the open air, and take plenty of exercise; while children are frequently cooped up in close rooms, and are not allowed the free use of their limbs. The value of fresh air is well exemplified in the Registrar-General's Report for 1843; he says that in 1,000,000 deaths, from all diseases, 616 occur in the town from teething while 120 only take place in the country from the same cause.] by allowing him, weather permitting, to be out of doors a great part of every day; by lancing the gums when they get red, hot, and swollen; by attention to the bowels, and if he suffer more than usual, by keeping them rather in a relaxed state by any simple aperient, such as either castor oil, or magnesia and rhubarb, &c.; and, let me add, by attention to his temper: many children are made feverish and ill by petting and spoiling them. On this subject I cannot do better than refer you to an excellent little work entitled Abbot's Mother of Home, wherein the author proves the great importance of early training.

70. Have the goodness to describe the symptoms and the treatment of Painful Dentition?

Painful dentition may be divided into two forms—(1) the Mild; and (2) the Severe. In the mild form the child is peevish and fretful, and puts his fingers, and everything within reach, to his mouth, he likes to have his gums rubbed, and takes the breast with avidity, indeed it seems a greater comfort to him than ever. There is generally a considerable flow of saliva, and he has frequently a more loose state of bowels than is his wont.

Now, with regard to the more severe form of painful dentition—The gums are red, swollen, and hot, and he cannot without expressing pain bear to have them touched, hence, if he be at the breast, he is constantly loosing the nipple. There is dryness of the mouth, although before there had been a great flow of saliva. He is feverish, restless, and starts in his sleep. His face is flashed. His head is heavy and hot. He is sometimes convulsed. [Footnote: See answer to Question 63.] He is frequently violently griped and purged, and suffers severely from flatulence. He is predisposed to many and severe diseases.

The treatment, of the mild form, consists of friction, of the gum with the finger, with a little "soothing syrup," as recommended by Sir Charles Locock, [Footnote: Soothing syrup—Some of them probably contain opiates, but a perfectly safe and useful one is a little Nitrate of Potass in syrup of Roses—one scruple to half an ounce.—Communicated by Sir Charles Locock to the Author. This 'soothing syrup' is not intended to be given us a mixture but to be used as an application to rub the gums with. It may be well to state that it is a perfectly harmless remedy even if a little of it were swallowed by mistake.] a tepid bath of about 92 degrees Fahrenheit, every night at bed time, attention to diet and to bowels, fresh air and exercise. For the mild form, the above plan will usually be all that is required. If he dribble, and the bowels be relaxed, so much the better. The flow of saliva and the increased action of the bowels afford relief, and therefore must not be interfered with. In the mild form, lancing of the gums is not desirable. The gums ought not to be lanced, unless the teeth be near at hand, and unless the gums be red, hot, and swollen.

In the severe form a medical man should be consulted early, as more energetic remedies will be demanded; that is to say, the gums will require to be freely lanced, warm baths to be used, and medicines to be given, to ward off mischief from the head, from the chest, and from the stomach.

If you are living in the town, and your baby suffers much from teething, take him into the country. It is wonderful what change of air to the country will often do, in relieving a child who is painfully cutting his teeth. The number of deaths in London, from teething, is frightful; it is in the country comparatively trifling.

71. Should an infant be purged during teething or indeed, during any other time, do you approve of either absorbent or astringent medicines to restrain it?

Certainly not. I should look upon, the relaxation as an effort of nature to relieve itself. A child is never purged without a cause; that cause, in the generality of instances, is the presence of either some undigested food, or acidity, or depraved motions, that want a vent.

The better plan is, in such a case, to give a dose of aperient medicine, such as either castor oil, or magnesia and rhubarb; and thus work it off. IF WE LOCK UP THE BOWELS, WE CONFINE THE ENEMY, AND THUS PRODUCE MISCHIEF. [Footnote: I should put this in capitals, it is so important and is often mistaken.—C. Locock.] If he be purged more than usual, attention should be paid to the diet—if it be absolutely necessary to give him artificial food while suckling—and care must be taken not to overload the stomach.

72. A child is subject to a slight cough during dentition—called by nurses "tooth-cough"—which a parent would not consider of sufficient importance to consult a doctor about: pray tell me, is there any objection to a mother giving her child a small quantity either of syrup of white poppies, or of paregoric, to ease it?

A cough is an effort of nature to bring up any secretion from the lining membrane of the lungs, or from the bronchial tubes, hence it ought not to be interfered with. I have known the administration of syrup of white poppies, or of paregoric, to stop the cough, and thereby to prevent the expulsion of the phlegm, and thus to produce either inflammation of the lungs, or bronchitis. Moreover, both paregoric and syrup of white poppies are, for a young child, dangerous medicines (unless administered by a judicious medical man), and ought never to be given by a mother.

In the month of April 1844, I was sent for, in great haste, to an infant, aged seventeen months, who was labouring under convulsions and extreme drowsiness, from the injudicious administration of paregoric, which had been given to him to ease a cough. By the prompt administration of an emetic he was saved.

73. A child, who is teething, is subject to a "breaking-out," more especially behind the ears—which is most disfiguring, and frequently very annoying what would you recommend?

I would apply no external application to cure it, as I should look upon it as an effort of the constitution to relieve itself, and should expect, if the "breaking-out" were repelled, that either convulsions, or bronchitis, or inflammation of the lungs, or water on the brain, would be the consequence. The only plan I should adopt would be, to be more careful in his diet, to give him less meat (if he be old enough to eat animal food), and to give him, once or twice a week, a few doses of mild aperient medicine, and, if the irritation from the "breaking-out" be great, to bathe it, occasionally, either with a little warm milk and water, or with rose water.

EXERCISE.

74. Do you recommend exercise in the open air for a baby? and if so, how soon after birth?

I am a great advocate for his having exercise in the open air. "The infant in arms makes known its desire for fresh air, by restlessness, it cries, for it cannot speak its wants, is taken abroad and is quiet."

The age at which he ought to commence taking exercise will, of course, depend upon the season and upon the weather. If it be summer, and the weather be fine, he should he carried in the open air, a week or a fortnight after birth, but if it be winter, he ought not on any account to be taken out under the month, and not even then, unless the weather be mild for the season, and it be the middle of the day. At the end of two months he should breathe the open air more frequently. And after the expiration of three months, he ought to be carried out every day, even if it be wet under foot, provided it be fine above, and the wind be neither in an easterly nor in a north-easterly direction. By doing so we shall make him strong and hearty, and give the skin that mottled appearance which is so characteristic of health. He must, of course, be well clothed.

I cannot help expressing my disapprobation of the practice of smothering up an infant's face with a handkerchief, with a veil or with any other covering, when he is taken out into the air. If his face be so muffled up, he may as well remain at home, as under such circumstances, it is impossible for him to receive any benefit from the invigorating effects of the fresh air.

75. Can you devise any method to induce a babe himself to take exercise?

He must be encouraged to use muscular exertion, and, for this purpose, he ought to be frequently laid either upon a rug, or carpet, or the floor. He will then stretch his limbs and kick about with perfect glee. It is a pretty sight, to see a little fellow kicking and sprawling on the floor. He crows with delight and thoroughly enjoys himself. It strengthens his back, it enables him to stretch his limbs, and to use his muscles, and is one of the best kinds of exercise a very young child can take. While going through his performances his diaper, if he wear one, should be unfastened, in order that he might go through his exercises untrammelled. By adopting the above plan, the babe quietly enjoys himself—his brain is not over excited by it; this is an important consideration, for both mothers and nurses are apt to rouse, and excite very young children to their manifest detriment. A babe requires rest, and not excitement. How wrong it is, then, for either a mother or a nurse to be exciting and rousing a new born babe. It is most injurious and weakening to his brain. In the early period of his existence his time ought to be almost entirely spent in sleeping and in sucking!

76. Do you approve of tossing an infant much about?

I have seen, a child tossed nearly to the ceiling! Can anything be more cruel or absurd! Violent tossing of a young babe ought never to be allowed, it only frightens him, and has been known to bring on convulsions. He should be gently moved up and down (not tossed), such exercises causes a proper circulation of the blood, promotes digestion, and soothes to sleep. He must always be kept quiet immediately after taking the breast, if he be tossed directly afterwards, it interferes with his digestion, and is likely to produce sickness.

SLEEP

77. Ought the infant's sleeping apartment to be kept warm?

The lying-in room is generally kept too warm, its heat being, in many instances, more that of an oven than of a room. Such a place is most unhealthy, and is fraught with danger both to the mother and the baby. We are not, of course, to run into an opposite extreme, but are to keep the chamber at a moderate and comfortable temperature. The door ought occasionally to be left ajar, in order the more effectually to change the air and thus to make it more pure and sweet.

A new born babe, then, ought to be kept comfortably warm, but not very warm. It is folly in the extreme to attempt to harden a very young child either by allowing him, in the winter time, to be in a bedroom without a fire, or by dipping him in cold water, or by keeping him with scant clothing on his bed. The temperature of a bedroom, in the winter time, should be, as nearly as possible, at 60 deg. Fahr. Although the room should be comfortably warm, it ought from time to time to be properly ventilated. An unventilated room soon becomes foul, and, therefore, unhealthy. How many in this world, both children and adults, are "poisoned with their own breaths!"

An infant should not be allowed to look at the glare either of a fire or of a lighted candle, as the glare tends to weaken the sight, and sometimes brings on an inflammation of the eyes. In speaking to, and in noticing a baby, you ought always to stand before, and not behind him, or it might make him squint.

78. Ought a babe to lie alone from the first?

Certainly not: at first—say, for the first few months—he requires the warmth of another person's body, especially in the winter; but care must be taken not to overlay him, as many infants, from carelessness in this particular, have lost their lives. After the first few months he had better lie alone, on a horse-hair mattress.

79. Do you approve of rocking an infant to sleep?

I do not. If the rules of health be observed, he will sleep both soundly and sweetly without rocking; if they be not, the rocking might cause him to fall into a feverish, disturbed slumber, but not into a refreshing, calm sleep. Besides, if you once take to that habit, he will not go to sleep without it.

80. Then don't you approve of a rocking-chair, and of rockers to the cradle?

Certainly not: a rocking-chair, or rockers to the cradle, may be useful to a lazy nurse or mother, and may induce a child to sleep, but that restlessly, when he does not need sleep, or when he is wet and uncomfortable, and requires "changing;" but will not cause him to have that sweet and gentle and exquisite slumber so characteristic of a baby who has no artificial appliances to make him sleep. No! rockers are perfectly unnecessary, and the sooner they are banished the nursery the better will it be for the infant community. I do not know a more wearisome and monotonous sound than the everlasting rockings to and fro in some nurseries, they are often accompanied by a dolorous lullaby from the nurse, which adds much to the misery and depressing influence of the performance.

81. While the infant is asleep, do you advise the head of the crib to be covered with a handkerchief, to shade his eyes from the light, and, if it be summer time, to keep off the flies?

If the head of the crib be covered, the babe cannot breathe freely, the air within the crib becomes contaminated, and thus the lungs cannot properly perform their functions. If his sleep is to be refreshing, he must breathe pure air. I do not even approve of a head to a crib. A child is frequently allowed to sleep on a bed with the curtains drawn completely close, as though it were dangerous for a breath of air to blow upon him [Footnote: I have somewhere read that if a cage containing a canary, be suspended at night within a bed where a person is sleeping, and the curtains be drawn closely around, that the bird will, in the morning, in all probability, be found dead!] This practice is most injurious. An infant must have the full benefit of the air of the room, indeed, the bed room door ought to be frequently left ajar, so that the air of the apartment may be changed, taking care, of course, not to expose him to a draught. If the flies, while he is asleep, annoy him, let a net veil be thrown over his face, as he can readily breathe through net, but not through a handkerchief.

82. Have you any suggestions to offer as to the way a babe should be dressed when he is put down to sleep?

Whenever he be put down to sleep, be more than usually particular that his dress be loose in every part, be careful that there be neither strings nor bands, to cramp him. Let him, then, during repose, be more than ordinarily free and unrestrained—

"If, whilst in cradled rest your infant sleeps. Your watchful eyes unceasing vigil keeps Lest cramping bonds his pliant limbs constrain, And cause defects that manhood may retain."

83. Is it a good sign for a young child to sleep much?

A babe who sleeps a great deal thrives much more than one who does not. I have known many children, who were born [Footnote: It may be interesting to a mother to know the average weight of new born infants. There is a paper on the subject in the Medical Circular (April 10, 1861) and which has been abridged in Braithwaite's Retrospect of Medicine (July and December 1861). The following are extracts—"Dr. E. von Siebold presents a table of the weights of 3000 infants (1586 male and 1414 female) weighed immediately after birth. From this table (for which we have not space) it results that by far the greater number of the children, 2215 weighed between 6 and 8 lbs. From 5 3/4 to 6 lbs. the number rose from 99 to 268, and from 8 to 8 1/4 lbs. they fell from 226 to 67, and never rose again at any weight to 100. From 8 3/4 to 9 1/2 lbs. they sank from 61 to 8, rising however at 9 1/2 lbs. to 21. Only six weighed 10 lbs., one 10 3/4 lbs. and two 11 lbs. The author has never but once met with a child weighing 11 lbs. The most frequent weight in the 3000 was 7 lbs, numbering 426. It is a remarkable fact, that until the weight of 7 lbs the female infants exceeded the males in number, the latter thenceforward predominating.

From these statements, and those of various other authors here quoted, the conclusion may be drawn that the normal weight of a mature new born infant is not less than six nor more than 8 lbs., the average weight being 6 1/2 or 7 lbs., the smaller number referring to female and the higher to male infants."] small and delicate, but who slept the greatest part of their time, become strong and healthy. On the other hand, I have known those who were born large and strong, yet who slept but little, become weak and unhealthy.

The common practice of a nurse allowing a baby to sleep upon her lap is a bad one, and ought never to be countenanced. He sleeps cooler, more comfortably, and soundly in his crib.

The younger an infant is the more he generally sleeps, so that during the early months he is seldom awake, and then only to take the breast.

84. How is it that much sleep causes a young child to thrive so well?

If there be pain in any part of the body, or if any of the functions be not properly performed, he sleeps but little. On the contrary, if there be exemption from pain, and if there be a due performance of all the functions, he sleeps a great deal, and thus the body becomes refreshed and invigorated.

85. As much sleep is of such advantage, if an infant sleep but little, would you advise composing medicine to be given to him?

Certainly not. The practice of giving composing medicine to a young child cannot he too strongly reprobated. If he does not sleep enough, the mother ought to ascertain if the bowels be in a proper state, whether they be sufficiently opened, that the motions be of a good colour—namely, a bright yellow, inclining to orange colour—and free from slime or from bad smell. An occasional dose of rhubarb and magnesia is frequently the best composing medicine he can take.

86. We often hear of coroner's inquests upon infants who have been found dead in bed—accidentally overlaid what is usually the cause?

Suffocation, produced either by ignorance, or by carelessness. From ignorance in mothers, in their not knowing the common laws of life, and the vital importance of free and unrestricted respiration, not only when babies are up and about, but when they are in bed and asleep. From carelessness, in their allowing young and thoughtless servants to have the charge of infants at night, more especially as young girls are usually heavy sleepers, and are thus too much overpowered with sleep to attend to their necessary duties.

A foolish mother sometimes goes to sleep while allowing her child to continue sucking. The unconscious babe, after a tune, looses the nipple, and buries his head in the bed-clothes. She awakes in the morning, finding, to her horror, a corpse by her side, with his nose flattened, and a frothy fluid, tinged with, blood, exuding from his lips. A mother ought, therefore, never to go to sleep until her child have finished sucking.

The following are a few rules to prevent an infant from being accidentally overlaid—(1.) Let your baby while asleep have plenty of room in the bed. (2.) Do not allow him to be too near to you; or if he he unavoidably near you (from the small size of the bed), let his face be turned to the opposite side. (3.) Let him lie fairly either on his side, or on his back. (4.) Be careful to ascertain that his mouth be not covered with the bed-clothes; and, (5.) Do not smother his face with clothes, as a plentiful supply of pure air is as necessary when he is awake, or even more so, than when he is asleep. (6.) Never let him lie low in the bed. (7.) Let there be no pillow near the one his head is resting on, lest he roll to it, and thus bury his head in it Remember, a young child has neither the strength nor the sense to get out of danger; and, if he unfortunately either turn on his face, or bury his head in a pillow that is near, the chances are that he will be suffocated, more especially as these accidents usually occur at night, when the mother, or the nurse, is fast asleep. (8.) Never intrust him at night to a young and thoughtless servant.

THE BLADDER AND THE BOWELS OF AN INFANT.

87. Have you any hints to offer respecting the bowels and the bladder of an infant during the first three months of his existence?

A mother ought daily to satisfy herself as to the state of the bladder and the bowels of her child. She herself should inspect the motions, and see that they are of a proper colour (bright-yellow, inclining to orange), and consistence (that of thick gruel), that they are neither slimy, nor curdled, nor green; if they should be either the one or the other, it is a proof that she herself has, in all probability, been imprudent in her diet, and that it will be necessary for the future that she be more careful both in what she eats and in what she drinks.

She ought, moreover, to satisfy herself that the urine does not smell strongly, that it does not stain the diapers, and that he makes a sufficient quantity.

A frequent cause of a child crying is, he is wet, and uncomfortable, and wants drying and changing, and the only way he has of informing his mother of the fact is by crying lustily, and thus telling her in most expressive language of her thoughtlessness and carelessness.

88. How soon may an infant dispense with diapers?

A babe of three months and upwards, ought to be held out, at least, a dozen times during the twenty-four hours; if such a plan were adopted, diapers might at the end of three months be dispensed with—a great desideratum-and he would be inducted into clean habits—a blessing to himself, and a comfort to all around, and a great saving of dresses and of furniture. "Teach your children to be clean. A dirty child is the mother's disgrace," [Footnote: Hints on Household Management, By Mrs C. L. Balfour.] Truer words were never written,—A DIRTY CHILD IS THE MOTHER'S DISGRACE.

AILMENTS, DISEASE, ETC.

89. A new born babe frequently has a collection of mucus in the air passages, causing him to wheeze: is it a dangerous symptom?

No, not if it occur immediately after birth; as soon as the bowels have been opened, it generally leaves him, or even before, if he give a good cry, which as soon as he is born he usually does. If there be any mucus either within or about the mouth, impeding breathing, it must with a soft handkerchief be removed.

90. Is it advisable, as soon as an infant is born, to give him medicine?

It is now proved that the giving of medicine to a babe immediately after birth is unnecessary, nay, that it is hurtful—that is, provided he be early put to the breast, as the mother's first milk is generally sufficient to open the bowels. Sir Charles Locock [Footnote: In a Letter to the Author.] makes the following sensible remarks on this subject:—"I used to limit any aperient to a new-born infant to those which had not the first milk, and who had wet nurses, whose milk was, of course, some weeks old, but for many years I have never allowed any aperient at all to any new born infant, and I am satisfied it is the safest and the wisest plan."

The advice of Sir Charles Locock—to give no aperient to a new-born infant—is most valuable, and ought to be strictly followed. By adopting his recommendation, much after misery might be averted. If a new born babe's bowels be costive, rather than give him an aperient, try the effect of a little moist sugar, dissolved in a little water, that is to say, dissolve half a tea-spoonful of pure unadulterated raw sugar in a tea-spoonful of warm water and administer it to him, if in four hours it should not operate, repeat the dose. Butter and raw sugar is a popular remedy, and is sometimes used by a nurse to open the bowels of a new born babe, and where there is costiveness, answers the purpose exceedingly well, and is far superior to castor oil. Try by all means to do, if possible, without a particle of opening medicine. If you once begin to give aperients, you will have frequently to repeat them. Opening physic leads to opening physic, until at length his stomach and bowels will become a physic shop! Let me, then, emphatically say, avoid, if possible, giving a new born babe a drop or a gram of opening medicine. If from the first you refrain from giving an aperient, he seldom requires one afterwards. It is the first step, in this as in all other things, that is so important to take.

If a new-born babe have not for twelve hours made water, the medical man ought to be informed of it, in order that he may inquire into the matter, and apply the proper remedies. Be particular in attending to these directions, or evil consequences will inevitably ensue.

91. Some persons say, that new-born female infants have milk in their bosoms, and that it is necessary to squeeze them, and apply plasters to disperse the milk.

The idea of there being real milk in a baby's breast is doubtful, the squeezing of the bosom is barbarous, and the application of plasters is useless. "Without actually saying," says Sir Charles Locock, "there is milk secreted in the breasts of infants, there is undoubtedly not rarely considerable swelling of the breasts both in female and male infants, and on squeezing them a serous fluid oozes out. I agree with you that the nurses should never be allowed to squeeze them, but be ordered to leave them alone." [Footnote: Letter to the Author.]

92. Have the goodness to mention the SLIGHT ailments which are not of sufficient importance to demand the assistance of a medical man?

I deem it well to make the distinction between serious and slight ailments, I am addressing a mother. With regard to serious ailments, I do not think myself justified, except in certain urgent cases, in instructing a parent to deal with them. It might be well to make a mother acquainted with the symptoms, but not with the treatment, in order that she might lose no time in calling in medical aid. This I hope to have the pleasure of doing in future Conversations.

Serious diseases, with a few exceptions, and which I will indicate in subsequent Conversations, ought never to be treated by a parent, not even in the early stages, for it is in the early stages that the most good can generally be done. It is utterly impossible for any one who is not trained to the medical profession to understand a serious disease in all its bearings, and thereby to treat it satisfactorily.

There are some exceptions to these remarks. It will be seen in future Conversations that Sir CHARLES LOCOCK considers that a mother ought to be made acquainted with the treatment of some of the more serious diseases, where delay in obtaining immediate medical assistance might be death. I bow to his superior judgment, and have supplied the deficiency in subsequent Conversations.

The ailments and the diseases of infants, such as may, in the absence of the doctor, be treated by a parent, are the following:—Chafings, Convulsions, Costivenesa, Flatulence, Gripings, Hiccup, Looseness of the Bowels (Diarrhoea), Dysentery, Nettle-rash, Red-gum, Stuffing of the Nose, Sickness, Thrush. In all these complaints I will tell you—What to do, and—What NOT to do.

93. What are the causes and the treatment of Chafing?

The want of water: inattention and want of cleanliness are the usual causes of chafing.

What to do.—The chafed parts ought to be well and thoroughly sponged with tepid rain water—allowing the water from a well-filled sponge to stream over them,—and, afterwards, they should be thoroughly, but tenderly, dried with a soft towel, and then be dusted, either with finely-powdered starch, made of wheaten flour, or with Violet Powder, or with finely-powdered Native Carbonate of Zinc, or they should be bathed with finely-powdered Fuller's-earth and tepid water.

If, in a few days, the parts be not healed discontinue the above treatment, and use the following application:—Beat up well together the whites of two eggs, then add, drop by drop, two table-spoonfuls of brandy. When well mixed, put it into a bottle and cork it up. Before using it let the excoriated parts be gently bathed with luke-warm rain water, and, with a soft napkin, be tenderly dried; then, by means of a camel's hair brush, apply the above liniment, having first shaken the bottle. But bear in mind, after all that can be said and done, that there is nothing in these cases like water—there is nothing like keeping the parts clean, and the only way of thoroughly effecting this object is by putting him every morning INTO his tub.

What NOT to do.—Do not apply white lead, as it is a poison. Do not be afraid of using plenty of water, as cleanliness is one of the most important items of the treatment.

94. What are the causes of Convulsions of an infant?

Stuffing him, in the early months of his existence, with food, the mother having plenty of breast milk the while, the constant physicking of child by his own mother, teething, hooping-cough, when attacking a very young baby.

I never knew a case of convulsions occur—say for the first four months—(except in very young infants labouring under hooping-cough), where children lived on the breast-milk alone, and where they were not frequently quacked by their mothers.

For the treatment of the convulsions from teething, see page 46.

What to do in a case of convulsions which has been caused by feeding an infant either with too much or with artificial food. Give him, every ten minutes, a tea-spoonful of ipecacuanha wine, until free vomiting be excited then put him into a warm bath (see Warm Baths), and when he comes out of it administer to him a tea-spoonful of castor oil, and repeat it every four hours, until the bowels be well opened.

What NOT to do—Do not for at least a month after the fit, give him artificial food, but keep him entirely to the breast. Do not apply leeches to the head.

What to do in a case of convulsions from hooping cough—There is nothing better than dashing cold water on the face, and immersing him in a warm bath of 98 degrees Fahr. If he be about his teeth, and they be plaguing him, let the gums be both freely and frequently lanced. Convulsions seldom occur in hooping-cough, unless the child be either very young or exceedingly delicate. Convulsions attending an attack of hooping-cough make it a serious complication, and requires the assiduous and skilful attention of a judicious medical man.

What NOT to do in such a case—Do not apply leeches, the babe requires additional strength, and not to be robbed of it, and do not attempt to treat the case yourself.

95. What are the best remedies for the Costiveness of an infant?

I strongly object to the frequent administration of opening medicine, as the repetition of it increases the mischief to a tenfold degree.

What to do.—If a babe, after the first few months, were held out, and if, at regular intervals, he were put upon his chair, costiveness would not so much prevail. It is wonderful how soon the bowels, in the generality of cases, by this simple plan, may be brought into a regular state. Besides, it inducts an infant into clean habits, I know many careful mothers who have accustomed their children, after the first three months, to do without diapers altogether. It causes at first a little trouble, but that trouble is amply repaid by the good consequences that ensue; among which must be named the dispensing with such encumbrances as diapers. Diapers frequently chafe, irritate, and gall the tender skin of a baby. But they cannot of course, at an early age be dispensed with, unless a mother have great judgment, sense, tact, and perseverance, to bring her little charge into the habit of having his bowels relieved and his bladder emptied every time he is either held out or put upon his chair.

Before giving an infant a particle of aperient medicine, try, if the bowels are costive, the effect of a little raw sugar and water, either half a tea-spoonful of raw sugar dissolved in a tea-spoonful or two of water, or give him, out of your fingers, half a tea-spoonful of raw sugar to eat. I mean by raw sugar, not the white, but the pure and unadulterated sugar, and which you can only procure from a respectable grocer. If you are wise, you will defer as long as you can giving an aperient. If you once begin, and continue it for a while, opening medicine becomes a dire necessity, and then woe betide the poor unfortunate child. Or, give a third of a tea-spoonful of honey, early in the morning, occasionally. Or administer a warm water enema—a tablespoonful, or more, by means of a 2 oz. India Rubber Enema Bottle.

What NOT to do.—There are two preparations of mercury I wish to warn you against administering of your own accord, viz.—(1) Calomel, and a milder preparation called (2) Grey-powder (mercury with chalk). It is a common practice in this country to give calomel, on account of the readiness with which it can be administered it being small in quantity, and nearly tasteless. Grey powder also, is, with many mothers, a favourite in the nursery. It is a medicine of immense power—either for good or for evil, in certain cases it is very valuable, but in others, and in the great majority, it is very detrimental. This practice, then, of a mother giving mercury, whether in the form either of calomel or of grey powder, cannot be too strongly reprobated, as the frequent administration either of the one or of the other weakens the body, predisposes it to cold, and frequently excites king's-evil—a disease too common in this country. Calomel and grey-powder, then, ought never to be administered unless ordered by a medical man.

Syrup of buckthorn and jalap are also frequently given, but they are griping medicines for a baby, and ought to be banished from the nursery.

The frequent repetition of opening medicines, then, in any shape or form, very much interferes with digestion, they must, therefore, be given as seldom as possible.

Let me, at the risk of wearying you, again urge the importance of your avoiding, as much as possible, giving a babe purgative medicines. They irritate beyond measure the tender bowels of an infant, and only make him more costive afterwards, they interfere with his digestion, and are liable to give him cold. A mother who is always, of her own accord, quacking her child with opening physic, is laying up for her unfortunate offspring a debilitated constitution—a miserable existence.

For further information on this important subject see the 3d edition of Counsel to a Mother (being the companion volume of Advice to a Mother), on the great importance of desisting from irritating, from injuring, and from making still more costive, the obstinate bowels of a costive child,—by the administration of opening medicine,—however gentle and well-selected the aperients might be. Oh, that the above advice could be heard, and be acted upon, through the length and the breadth of the land, how much misery and mischief would then be averted!

96. Are there any means of preventing the Costiveness of an infant?

If greater care were paid to the rules of health, such as attention to diet, exercise in the open air, thorough ablution of the whole body—more especially when he is being washed—causing the water, from a large and well-filled sponge, to stream over the lower part of his bowels; the regular habit of causing him, at stated periods, to be held out, whether he want or not, that he may solicit a stool. If all these rules were observed, costiveness would not so frequently prevail, and one of the miseries of the nursery would be done away with.

Some mothers are frequently dosing their poor unfortunate babes either with magnesia to cool them, or with castor oil to heal their bowels! Oh, the folly of such practices! The frequent repetition of magnesia, instead of cooling an infant, makes him feverish and irritable. The constant administration of castor oil, instead of healing the bowels, wounds them beyond measure. No! it would be a blessed thing if a babe could be brought up without giving ham a particle of opening medicine; his bowels would then act naturally and well: but then, as I have just now remarked, a mother, must be particular in attending to Nature's medicines—to fresh air, to exercise, to diet, to thorough ablution, &c. Until that time comes, poor unfortunate babies must be, occasionally, dosed with an aperient.

97. What are the causes of, and remedies for, Flatulence?

Flatulence most frequently occurs in those infants who live on artificial food, especially if they be over-fed. I therefore beg to refer you to the precautions I have given, when speaking of the importance of keeping a child for the first five or six months entirely to the breast; and, if that be not practicable, of the times of feeding, and of the best kinds of artificial food, and of those which are least likely to cause "wind."

What to do.—Notwithstanding these precautions, if the babe should still suffer, "One of the best and safest remedies for flatulence is Sal volatile,—a tea-spoonful of a solution of one drachm to an ounce and a half of water" [Footnote: Sir Charles Locock, in a Letter to the Author Since Sir Charles did me the honour of sending me, for publication, the above prescription for flatulence, a new "British Pharmacopoeia" has been published in which the sal volatile is much increased in strength it is therefore necessary to lessen the sal volatile in the above prescription one half—that is to say, a tea spoonful of the solution of half a drachm to an ounce and a half of water.] Or, a little dill or aniseed may be added to the food—half a tea-spoonful of dill water Or, take twelve drops of oil of dill, and two lumps of sugar, rub them well in a mortar together, then add, drop by drop, three table-spoonfuls of spring water, let it be preserved in a bottle for use. A tea-spoonful of this, first shaking the vial, may be added to each quantity of food. Or, three tea-spoonfuls of bruised caraway-seeds may be boiled for ten minutes in a tea-cupful of water, and then strained. One or two tea-spoonfuls of the caraway tea may be added to each quantity of his food, or a dose of rhubarb and magnesia may occasionally be given.

Opodeldoc, or warm olive oil, well rubbed, for a quarter of an hour at a time, by means of the warm hand, over the bowels, will frequently give relief. Turning the child over on his bowels, so that they may press on the nurses' lap, will often afford great comfort. A warm bath (where he is suffering severely) generally gives immediate ease in flatulence, it acts as a fomentation to the bowels. But after all, a dose of mild aperient medicine, when the babe is suffering severely, is often the best remedy for "wind."

Remember, at all times, prevention, whenever it be—and how frequently it is—possible, is better than cure.

What NOT to do—"Godfrey's Cordial," "Infants' Preservative," and "Dalby's Carminative," are sometimes given in flatulence, but as most of these quack medicines contain, in one form or another, either opium or poppy, and as opium and poppy are both dangerous remedies for children, ALL quack medicines must be banished the nursery.

Syrup of poppies is another remedy which is often given by a nurse to afford relief for flatulence; but let me urge upon you the importance for banishing it from the nursery. It has (when given by unprofessional persons) caused the untimely end of thousands of children. The medical journals and the newspapers teem with cases of deaths from mothers incautiously giving syrup of poppies to ease pain and to procure sleep.

98. What are the symptoms, the causes, and the treatment of "Gripings" of an infant?

The symptoms.—The child draws up his legs; screams violently; if put to the nipple to comfort him, he turns away from it and cries bitterly; he strains, as though he were having a stool; if he have a motion, it will be slimy, curdled, and perhaps green. If, in addition to the above symptoms, he pass a large quantity of watery fluid from his bowels, the case becomes one of watery gripes, and requires the immediate attention of a doctor.

The causes of "gripings" or "gripes" may proceed either from the infant or from the mother. If from the child, it is generally owing either to improper food or to over-feeding; if from the mother, it may be traced to her having taken either greens, or port, or tart beer, or sour porter, or pickles, or drastic purgatives.

What to do.—The treatment, of course, must depend upon the cause. If it arise from over-feeding, I would advise a dose of castor oil to be given, and warm fomentations to be applied to the bowels, and the mother, or the nurse, to be more careful for the future. If it proceed from improper food, a dose or two of magnesia and rhubarb in a little dill water, made palatable with simple syrup. [Footnote:

Take of—Powdered Turkey Rhubarb, half a scruple; Carbonate of Magnesia, one scruple; Simple Syrup, three drachms; Dill Water, eight drachms;

Make a Mixture, One or two tea-spoonfuls (according to the age of the child) to be taken every four boors, until relief be obtained—first shaking the bottle.) If it arise from a mother's imprudence in eating trash, or from her taking violent medicine, a warm bath, a warm bath, indeed, let the cause of "griping" be what it may, usually affords instant relief.

Another excellent remedy is the following—Soak a piece of new flannel, folded into two or three thicknesses, in warm water, wring it tolerably dry, and apply as hot as the child can comfortably bear it to the bowels, then wrap him in a warm, dry blanket, and keep him, for at least half an hour, enveloped in it. Under the above treatment, he will generally soon fall into a sweet sleep, and awake quite refreshed.

What NOT to do—Do not give opiates, astringents, chalk, or any quack medicine whatever.

If a child suffer from a mother's folly in her eating improper food, it will be cruel in the extreme for him a second time to be tormented from the same cause.

99. What occasions Hiccup, and what is its treatment?

Hiccup is of such a trifling nature as hardly to require interference. It may generally be traced to over feeding. Should it be severe, four or five grains of calcined magnesia, with a little syrup and aniseed water, and attention to feeding are all that will be necessary.

100. Will you describe the symptoms of Infantile Diarrhoea?

Infantile diarrhoea, or cholera infantum, is one of the most frequent and serious of infantile diseases, and carries off, during the year, more children than any other complaint whatever a knowledge of the symptoms, therefore, is quite necessary for a mother to know, in order that she may, at the proper tune, call in efficient medical aid.

It will be well, before describing the symptoms, to tell you how many motions a young infant ought to have a day, their colour, consistence, and smell. Well, then, he should have from three to six motions in the twenty four hours, the colour ought to be a bright yellow, inclining to orange, the consistence should be that of thick gruel; indeed, his motion, if healthy, ought to be somewhat of the colour (but a little more orange-tinted) and of the consistence of mustard made for the table; it should be nearly, if not quite, devoid of smell; it ought to have a faint and peculiar, but not a strong disagreeable odour. If it have a strong and disagreeable smell, the child is not well, and the case should be investigated, more especially if there be either curds or lumps in the motions; these latter symptoms denote that the food has not been properly digested.

Now, suppose a child should have a slight bowel complaint—that is to say, that he has six or eight motions during the twenty-four hours,—and that the stools are of a thinner consistence than what I have described,—provided, at the same time, that he be not griped, that he have no pain, and have not lost his desire for the breast:—What ought to be done?Nothing. A slight looseness of the bowels should never be interfered with,—it is often an effort of nature to relieve itself of some vitiated motion that wanted a vent—or to act as a diversion, by relieving the irritation of the gums. Even if he be not cutting his teeth, he may be "breeding" them—that is to say, the teeth may be forming in his gums, and may cause almost as much, irritation as though he were actually cutting them. Hence, you see the immense good a slight "looseness of the bowels" may cause. I think that I have now proved to you the danger of interfering in such a case, and that I have shown you, the folly and the mischief of at once giving astringents—such as Godfrey's Cordial, Dalby's Carminative, &c.—to relieve a slight relaxation.

A moderate "looseness of the bowels," then, is often a safety-valve, and you may, with as much propriety, close the safety-valve of a steam engine, as stop a moderate "looseness of the bowels!"

Now, if the infant, instead of having from three to six motions, should have more than double the latter number; if they be more watery; if they become slimy and green, or green in part and curdled; if they should have an unpleasant smell; if he be sick, cross, restless, fidgety, and poorly; if every time he have a motion he be griped and in pain, we should then say that he is labouring under Diarrhoea; then, it will be necessary to give a little medicine, which I will indicate in a subsequent Conversation.

Should there be both blood and slime mixed with the stool, the case becomes more serious; still, with proper care, relief can generally be quickly obtained. If the evacuations—instead of being stool—are merely blood and slime, and the child strain frequently and violently, endeavouring thus, but in vain, to relieve himself, crying at each effort, the case assumes the character of Dysentery. [Footnote: See Symptoms and Treatment of Dysentery.]

If there be a mixture of blood, slime, and stool from the bowels, the case would be called Dysenteric-diarrhoea. The latter case requires great skill and judgment on the part of a medical men, and great attention and implicit obedience from the mother and the nurse. I merely mention these diseases in order to warn you of their importance, and of the necessity of strictly attending to a doctor's orders.

101. What are the causes of Diarrhoea—"Looseness of the bowels?"

Improper food; overfeeding; teething; cold; the mother's milk from various causes disagreeing, namely, from her being out of health, from her eating unsuitable food, from her taking improper and drastic purgatives, or from her suckling her child when she is pregnant. Of course, if any of these causes are in operation, they ought, if possible, to be remedied, or medicine to the babe will be of little avail.

102. What is the treatment of Diarrhoea?

What to do.—If the case be slight, and has lasted two or three days (do not interfere by giving medicine at first), and if the cause, as it probably is, be some acidity or vitiated stool that wants a vent, and thus endeavours to obtain one by purging, the best treatment is, to assist nature by giving either a dose of castor oil, or a moderate one of rhubarb and magnesia, [Footnote: For a rhubarb and magnesia mixture prescription, see page 71 (note).] and thus to work off the enemy. After the enemy has been worked off, either by the castor oil, or by the magnesia and rhubarb, the purging will, in all probability, cease; but if the relaxation still continue, that is to say, for three or four days—then, if medical advice cannot be procured, the following mixture should be given:—

Take of—Aromatic Powder of Chalk and Opium, ten grains; Oil of Dill, five drops; Simple Syrup, three drachms; Water, nine drachms;

Make a Mixture, [Footnote: Let the mixture be made by a chemist.] Half a tea-spoonful to be given to an infant of six months and under, and one tea-spoonful to a child above that age, every four hours—first shaking the bottle.

If the babe be at the breast, he ought, for a few days, to be kept entirely to it. The mother should be most particular in her own diet.

What NOT to do.—The mother must neither take greens, nor cabbage, nor raw fruit, nor pastry, nor beer; indeed, while the diarrhoea of her babe continues, she had better abstain from wine, as well as from fermented liquors. The child, if at the breast, ought not, while the diarrhoea continues, to have any artificial food. He must neither be dosed with grey-powder (a favourite, but highly improper Remedy, in these cases), nor with any quack medicines, such as Dalby's Carminative or Godfrey's Cordial.

103. What are the symptoms of Dysentery?

Dysentery frequently arises from a neglected diarrhoea. It is more dangerous than diarrhoea, as it is of an inflammatory character; and as, unfortunately, it frequently attacks a delicate child, requires skilful handling; hence the care and experience required in treating a case of dysentery.

Well, then, what are the symptoms? The infant, in all probability, has had an attack of diarrhoea—bowel complaint as it is called—for several days; he having had a dozen or two of motions, many of them slimy and frothy, like "frog-spawn," during the twenty-four hours. Suddenly the character of the motion changes,—from being principally stool, it becomes almost entirely blood and mucus; he is dreadfully griped, which causes him to strain violently, as though his inside would come away every time he has a motion,—screaming and twisting about, evidently being in the greatest pain, drawing his legs up to his belly and writhing in agony. Sickness and vomiting are always present, which still more robs him of his little remaining strength, and prevents the repair of his system. Now, look at his face! It is the very picture of distress. Suppose he has been a plump, healthy little fellow, you will see his face, in a few days, become old-looking, care-worn, haggard, and pinched. Day and night the enemy tracks him (unless proper remedies be administered); no sleep, or if he sleep, he is, every few minutes, roused. It is heart-rending to have to attend a bad case of dysentery in a child,—the writhing, the screaming, the frequent vomiting, the pitiful look, the rapid wasting and exhaustion, make it more distressing to witness than almost any other disease a doctor attends.

104. Can anything be done to relieve such a case?

Yes. A judicious medical man will do a great deal. But, suppose that yon are not able to procure one, I will tell you what to do and what NOT to do.

What to do.—If the child be at the breast, keep him to it, and let him have nothing else for dysentery is frequently caused by improper feeding. If your milk be not good, or it be scanty, instantly procure a healthy wet-nurse. Lose not a moment; for in dysentery, moments are precious. But, suppose that you have no milk, and that no wet-nurse can be procured: what then? Feed him entirely on cow's milk—the milk of one healthy cow; let the milk be unboiled, and be fresh from the cow. Give it in small quantities at a time, and frequently, so that it may be retained on the stomach. If a table-spoonful of the milk make him sick, give him a dessert-spoonful; if a dessert-spoonful cause sickness, let him only have a tea-spoonful at a time, and let it be repeated every quarter of an hour. But, remember, in such a case the breast milk—the breast milk alone—is incomparably superior to any other milk or to any other food whatever.

If he be a year old, and weaned, then feed him, as above recommended, on the cow's milk. If there be extreme exhaustion and debility, let fifteen drops of brandy be added to each table-spoonful of new milk, and let it be given every half hour.

Now with regard to medicine. I approach this part of the treatment with some degree of reluctance,—for dysentery is a case requiring opium—and opium I never like a mother of her own accord to administer. But suppose a medical man cannot be procured in time, the mother must then prescribe, or the child will die! What then is to be done? Sir Charles Locock considers "that, in severe dysentery, especially where there is sickness, there is no remedy equal to pure Calomel, in a full dose without opium." [Footnote: Communicated by Sir Charles Locock to the Author.] Therefore, at the very onset of the disease, let from three to five grains (according to the age of the patient) of Calomel, mixed with an equal quantity of powdered white sugar, be put dry on the tongue. In three hours after let the following mixture be administered:—

Take of—Compound Powder of Ipecacuanha, five grains; Ipecacuanha Wine, one drachm; Simple Syrup, three drachms; Cinnamon Water, nine drachms;

To make a Mixture, A tea-spoonful to be given every three or four hours, first well shaking the bottle.

Supposing he cannot retain the mixture—the stomach rejecting it as soon as swallowed—what then? Give the opium, mixed with small doses of mercury with chalk and sugar, in the form of powder, and put one of the powders dry on the tongue, every three hours:—

Take of—Powdered Opium, half a grain; Mercury with chalk, nine grains; Sugar of Milk, twenty-four grains;

Mix well in a mortar, and divide into twelve powders.

Now, suppose the dysentery has for several days persisted, and that, during that time, nothing but mucus and blood—that no real stool—has come from the bowels, then a combination of castor oil and opium [Footnote: My friend, the late Dr Baly, who had made dysentery his particular study, considered the combination of opium and castor oil very valuable in dysentery.] ought, instead of the medicine recommended above, to be given:—

Take of—Mucilage of Gum Acacia, three drachms; Simple Syrup, three drachms; Tincture of Opium, ten drops (not minims); Castor Oil, two drachms; Cinnamon water, four drachms:

Make a Mixture. A tea spoonful to be taken every four hours, first well shaking the bottle.

A warm bath, at the commencement of the disease, is very efficacious; but it must be given at the commencement. If he has had dysentery for a day or two, he will be too weak to have a warm bath; then, instead of the bath, try the following:—Wrap him in a blanket, which has been previously wrung out of hot water; over which envelope him in a dry blanket. Keep him in this hot, damp blanket for half an hour; then take him out, put on his nightgown and place him in bed, which has been, if it be winter time, previously warmed. The above "blanket treatment" will frequently give great relief, and will sometimes cause him to fall into a sweet sleep. A flannel bag, filled with hot powdered table salt, made hot in the oven, applied to the bowels, will afford much comfort.

What NOT to do.—Do not give aperients unless it be, as before advised, the castor oil guarded with the opium; do not stuff him with artificial food; do not fail to send for a judicious and an experienced medical man; for, remember, it requires a skilful doctor to treat a case of dysentery, more especially in a child.

105. What are the symptoms, the causes and the treatment of Nettle-rash?

Nettle-rash consists of several irregular, raised wheals, red at the base, and white on the summit, on different parts of the body; but it seldom attacks the face. It is not contagious, and it may occur at all ages and many times. It comes and goes, remaining only a short time in a place. It puts on very much the appearance of the child having been stung by nettles—hence its name. It produces great heat, itching, and irritation, sometimes to such a degree as to make him feverish, sick, and fretful. He is generally worse when he is warm in bed, or when the surface of his body is suddenly exposed to the air. Rubbing the skin, too, always aggravates the itching and the tingling, and brings out a fresh crop.

The cause of nettle-rash may commonly be traced to improper feeding; although, occasionally, it proceeds from teething.

What to do.—It is a complaint of no danger, and readily gives way to a mild aperient, and to attention to diet. There is nothing better to relieve the irritation of the skin than a warm bath. If it be a severe attack of nettle-rash, by all means call in a medical man.

What NOT to do.—Do not apply cold applications to his skin, and do not wash him (while the rash is out) in quite cold water. Do not allow him to be in a draught, but let him be in a well-ventilated room. If he be old enough to eat meat, keep it from him for a few days, and let him live on milk and farinaceous diet. Avoid strong purgatives, and calomel, and grey-powder.

106. What are the symptoms and the treatment of Red-gum?

Red-gum, tooth-rash, red-gown, is usually owing to irritation from teething; not always from the cutting but from the evolution—the "breeding," of the teeth. It is also sometimes owing to unhealthy stools irritating the bowels, and showing itself, by sympathy, on the skin. Red-gum consists of several small papulae, or pimples, about the size of pins' heads, and may be known from measles—the only disease for which it is at all likely to be mistaken—by its being unattended by symptoms of cold, such as sneezing, running, and redness of the eyes, &c., and by the patches not assuming a crescentic—half-moon shape; red-gum, in short, may readily he known by the child's health being unaffected, unless, indeed, there be a great crop of pimples; then there will be slight feverishness.

What to do.—Little need be done. If there be a good deal of irritation, a mild aperient should be given. The child ought to be kept moderately, but not very warm.

What NOT to do.—Draughts of air, or cold should be carefully avoided; as, by sending the eruption suddenly in, either convulsions or disordered bowels might be produced. Do not dose him with grey-powder.

107. How would you prevent "Stuffing of the nose" in a new-born babe?

Rubbing a little tallow on the bridge of the nose is the old-fashioned remedy, and answers the purpose. It ought to be applied every evening just before putting him to bed. If the "stuffing" be severe, dip a sponge in hot water, as hot as he can comfortably bear; ascertain that it be not too hot, by previously applying it to your own face, and then put it for a few minutes to the bridge of his nose. As soon as the hard mucus is within reach, it should be carefully removed.

108. Do you consider sickness injurious to an infant?

Many thriving babies are, after taking the breast, frequently sick; still we cannot look upon sickness otherwise than as an index of either a disordered or of an overloaded stomach. If the child be sick, and yet be thriving, it is a proof that he overloads his stomach. A mother, then, must not allow him to suck so much, at a time. She should, until he retain all he takes, lessen the quantity of milk. If he be sick and does not thrive, the mother should notice if the milk he throws up has a sour smell; if it have, she must first of all look to her own health; she ought to ascertain if her own stomach be out of order; for if such be the case, it is impossible for her to make good milk. She should observe whether in the morning her own tongue be furred and dry; whether she have a disagreeable taste in her mouth, or pains at her stomach, or heart-burn, or flatulence. If she have all, or any of these symptoms, the mystery is explained why he is sick and does not thrive. She ought then to seek advice, and a medical man will soon put her stomach into good order; and, by so doing, will, at the same time, benefit her child.

But if the mother be in the enjoyment of good health, she must then look to the babe himself, and ascertain if he be cutting his teeth; if the gums require lancing; if the secretions from the bowels be proper both in quantity and in quality; and, if he have had artificial food—it being absolutely necessary to give such food—whether it agree with him.

What to do.—In the first place, if the gums be red, hot, and swollen, let them be lanced; in the second, if the secretion from the bowels be either unhealthy or scanty, give him a dose of aperient medicine, such as caster oil, or the following:—Take two or three grains of powdered Turkey rhubarb, three grains of pure carbonate of magnesia, and one grain of aromatic powder—Mix. The powder to be taken at bed-time, mixed in a tea-spoonful of sugar and water, and which should, if necessary, be repeated the following night. In the third place, if the food he be taking does not agree with him, change it (vide answer to question 33). Give it in smaller quantities at a time, and not so frequently; or what will be better still, if it be possible, keep him, for a while, entirely to the breast.

What NOT to do.—Do not let him overload his stomach either with breast milk, or with artificial food. Let the mother avoid, until his sickness be relieved, greens, cabbage, and all other green vegetables.

109. What are the causes, the symptoms, the prevention, and the cure of Thrush?

The thrush is a frequent disease of an infant, and is often brought on either by stuffing or by giving him improper food. A child brought up entirely, for the first three or four months, on the breast, seldom suffers from this complaint. The thrush consists of several irregular, roundish, white specks on the lips, the tongue, the inside and the angles of the mouth, giving the parts affected the appearance of curds and whey having been smeared upon them. The mouth is hot and painful, and he is afraid to suck; the moment the nipple is put to his mouth he begins to cry. The thrush, sometimes, although but rarely, runs through the whole of the alimentary canal. It should be borne in mind that nearly every child, who is sucking, has his or her tongue white or "frosted," as it is sometimes called. The thrush may be mild or very severe.

Now with regard to what to do.—As the thrush is generally owing to improper and to artificial feeding, if the child be at the breast, keep him, for a time, entirely to it. Do not let him be always sucking, as that will not only fret his month, but will likewise irritate and make sore the mother's nipple.

If he be not at the breast, but has been weaned, then keep him for a few days entirely to a milk diet—to the milk of ONE cow—either boiled, if it be hot weather, to keep it sweet; or unboiled, in cool weather—fresh as it comes from the cow, mixed with warm water.

The best medicine is the old-fashioned one of Borax, a combination of powdered lump-sugar and borax being a good one for the purpose: the powdered lump-sugar increases the efficacy, and the cleansing properties of the borax; it tends, moreover, to make it more palatable.—

Take of—Borax, half a drachm; Lump Sugar, two scruples;

To be well mixed together, and made into twelve powders. One of the powders to be put dry on the tongue every four hours.

The best local remedy is Honey of Borax, which ought to be smeared frequently, by means of the finger, on the parts affected.

Thorough ventilation of the apartment must be observed; and great cleanliness of the vessels containing the milk should be insisted upon.

In a bad case of thrush, change of air to the country is most desirable; the effect is sometimes, in such cases, truly magical.

If the thrush be brought on either by too much or by improper food; in the first case of course, a mother must lessen the quantity; and, in the second, she should be more careful in her selection.

What NOT to do.—Do not use either a calf's teat or wash leather for the feeding-bottle; fortunately, since the invention of India-rubber teats, they are now nearly exploded; they were, in olden times, fruitful causes of thrush. Do not mind the trouble of ascertaining that the cooking-vessels connected with the baby's food are perfectly clean and sweet. Do not leave the purity and the goodness of the cow's milk (it being absolutely necessary to feed him on artificial food) to be judged either by the milk-man, or by the nurse, but taste and prove it yourself. Do not keep the milk in a warm place, but either in the dairy or in the cellar; and, if it be summer time, let the jug holding the milk be put in a crock containing lumps of ice. Do not use milk that has been milked longer than twelve hours, but if practicable, have it milked direct from the cow, and use it immediately—let it be really and truly fresh and genuine milk.

When the disease is severe, it may require more active treatment—such as a dose of calomel; which medicine must never be given unless it be either under the direction of a medical man, or unless it be in an extreme case,—such as dysentery; [Footnote: See the Treatment of Dysentery.] therefore, the mother had better seek advice.

In a severe case of thrush, where the complaint has been brought on by artificial feeding—the babe not having the advantage of the mother's milk—it is really surprising how rapidly a wet-nurse—if the case has not been too long deferred—will effect a cure, where all other means have been tried and have failed. The effect has been truly magical! In a severe case of thrush pure air and thorough ventilation are essential to recovery.

110. Is anything to be learned from the cry of an infant?

A babe can only express his wants and his necessities by a cry; he can only tell his aches and his pains by a cry; it is the only language of babyhood; it is the most ancient of all languages; it is the language known by our earliest progenitors; it is, if listened to aright, a very expressive language, although it is only but the language of a cry—

"Soft infancy, that nothing canst but cry."—Shakspeare.

There is, then, a language in the cry of an infant, which to a mother is the most interesting of all languages, and which a thoughtful medical man can well interpret. The cry of a child, to an experienced doctor, is, each and all, a distract sound, and is as expressive as the notes of the gamut. The cry of passion, for instance, is a furious cry; the cry of sleepiness is a drowsy cry; the cry of grief is a sobbing cry; the cry of an infant when roused from sleep is a shrill cry; the cry of hunger is very characteristic,—it is unaccompanied with tears, and is a wailing cry; the cry of teething is a fretful cry; the cry of pain tells to the practised ear the part of pain; the cry of ear-ache is short, sharp, piercing, and decisive, the head being moved about from side to side, and the little hand being often put up to the affected side of the head; the cry of bowel-ache is also expressive,—the cry is not so piercing as from ear-ache, and is an interrupted, straining cry, accompanied with a drawing-up of the legs to the belly; the cry of bronchitis is a gruff and phlegmatic cry; the cry of inflammation of the lungs is more a moan than a cry; the cry of croup is hoarse, and rough, and ringing, and is so characteristic that it may truly be called "the croupy cry;" the cry of inflammation of the membranes of the brain is a piercing shriek—a danger signal—most painful to hear; the cry of a child recovering from a severe illness is a cross, and wayward, and tearful cry; he may truly be said to be in a quarrelsome mood; he bursts out, without rhyme or reason, into a passionate flood of tears—into "a tempest of tears:" tears are always, in a severe illness, to be looked upon as a good omen, as a

"The tears that heal and bless"—H. Bonar.

Tears, when a child is dangerously ill, are rarely, if ever, seen; a cry, at night, for light—a frequent cause of a babe crying—is a restless cry:—

"An infant—crying in the night; An infant crying for the light: And with no language hat a cry."—Tennyson.

111. If an infant be delicate, have you any objection to his having either veal or mutton broth, to strengthen him?

Broths seldom agree with a babe at the breast I have known them produce sickness, disorder the bowels, and create fever. I recommend you, therefore, not to make the attempt.

Although broth and beef-tea, when taken by the mouth, will seldom agree with an infant at the breast, yet, when used as an enema, and in small quantities, so that they may be retained, I have frequently found them to be of great benefit, they have in some instances appeared to have snatched delicate children from the brink of the grave.

112. My baby's ankles are very weak: what do you advise to strengthen them?

If his ankles be weak, let them every morning be bathed, after the completion of his morning's ablution, for fire minutes each time, with bay-salt and water, a small handful of bay-salt dissolved in a quart of rain water (with the chill of the water off in the winter, and of its proper temperature in the summer time); then let them be dried; after the drying, let the ankles he well rubbed with the following liniment:—

Take of—Oil of Rosemary, three drachms; Liniment of Camphor, thirteen drachms:

To make a Liniment

Do not let him be put on his feet early; but allow him to crawl, and sprawl, and kick about the floor, until his body and his ankles become strong.

Do not, on any account, without having competent advice on the subject, use iron instruments, or mechanical supports of any kind: the ankles are generally, by such artificial supports, made worse, in consequence of the pressure causing a further dwindling away and enfeebling of the ligaments of the ankles, already wasted and weakened.

Let him wear shoes with straps over the insteps to keep them on, and not boots: boots will only, by wasting the ligaments, increase the weakness of the ankles.

113. Sometimes there is a difficulty in restraining the bleeding of leech bites. What is the best method?

The difficulty in these cases generally arises from the improper method of performing it. For example—a mother endeavours to stop the haemorrhage by loading the part with rag; the more the bites discharge, the more rag she applies. At the same time, the child probably is in a room with a, large fire, with two or three candles, with the doors closed, and with perhaps a dozen people in the apartment, whom the mother has, in her fright, sent for. This practice is strongly reprehensible.

If the bleeding cannot be stopped,—in the first place, the fire most be extinguished, the door and windows should be thrown open, and the room ought to be cleared of persons, with the exception of one, or, at the most, two; and every rag should be removed. "Stopping of leech bites.—The simplest and most certain way, till the proper assistance is obtained, is the pressure of the finger, with nothing intervening. It cannot bleed through that." [Footnote: Sir Charles Locock, in a Letter to the Author.]

Many babies, by excessive loss of blood from leech bites, have lost their lives from a mother not knowing how to act, and also from the medical man either living at a distance, or not being at hand. Fortunately for the infantile community, leeches are now very seldom ordered by doctors.

114. Supposing a baby to be poorly, have you any advice to give to his mother as to her own management?

She must endeavour to calm her feelings or her milk will be disordered, and she will thus materially increase his illness. If he be labouring under any inflammatory disorder, she ought to refrain from the taking of beer, wine, and spirits, and from all stimulating food; otherwise, she will feed his disease.

Before concluding the first part of my subject—the Management of Infancy—let me again urge upon you the importance—the paramount importance—if you wish your babe to be strong and hearty,—of giving him as little opening physic as possible. The best physic for him is Nature's physic—fresh air, and exercise, and simplicity of living. A mother who is herself always drugging her child, can only do good to two persons—the doctor and the druggist!

If an infant from his birth be properly managed,—if he have an abundance of fresh air for his lungs,—if he have plenty of exercise for his muscles (by allowing him to kick and sprawl on the floor),—if he have a good swilling and sousing of water for his skin,—if, during the early months of his life, he have nothing but the mother's milk for his stomach,—he will require very little medicine—the less the better! He does not want his stomach to be made into a doctor's shop! The grand thing is not to take every opportunity of administering physic, but of using every means of with-holding it! And if physic be necessary, not to doctor him yourself, unless it be in extreme and urgent cases (which in preceding and succeeding Conversations I either have or will indicate), but to employ an experienced medical man. A babe who is always, without rhyme or reason, being physicked, is sure to be puny, delicate, and unhealthy, and is ready at any moment to drop into an untimely grave!

I will maintain that a healthy child never requires drugging with opening physic, and that costiveness is brought on by bad management. Aperient medicines to a healthy child are so much poison! Let me impress the above remarks on every mother's mind; for it is a subject of vital importance. Never, then, give a purgative to a healthy child; for, if he be properly managed, he will never require one. If you once begin to give aperients, you will find a difficulty discontinuing them. Finally, I will only say with Punch,—"Don't"

CONCLUDING REMARKS ON INFANCY.

115. In concluding the first part of our subject—Infancy—I beg to remark: there are four things essentially necessary to a babe's well-doing, namely, (1) plenty of water for his skin; (2) plenty of fresh genuine milk mixed with water for his stomach (of course, giving him ONLY his mother's milk during the first six, eight, or nine months of his existence); (3) plenty of pure air for his lungs; (4) plenty of sleep for his brain: these are the four grand essentials for an infant; without an abundance of one and all of them, perfect health is utterly impossible! Perfect health! the greatest earthly blessing, and more to be coveted than ought else beside! There is not a more charming sight in the universe than the beaming face of a perfectly healthy babe,—

"His are the joys of nature, his the smile, The cherub smile, of innocence and health."—Knox.



PART II.

CHILDHOOD.

The child is father of the man.—WORDSWORTH. Bairns are blessings—SHAKESPEARE. These are MY jewels!—CORNELLA.

ABLUTION.

116. At twelve months old, do you still recommend a child to be PUT IN HIS TUB to be washed?

Certainly I do, as I have previously recommended at page 6, in order that his skin may be well and thoroughly cleansed. If it be summer time, the water should be used cold; if it be winter, a dash of warm must be added, so that it may be of the temperature of new milk: but do not, on any account use very warm water. The head must be washed (but not dried) before he be placed in a tub, then, putting him in the tub (containing the necessary quantity of water, and washing him as previously recommended), [Footnote: See Infancy-Ablution, page 6.] a large sponge should be filled with the water and squeezed over his head, so that the water may stream over the whole surface of his body. A jugful of water should, just before taking him out of his bath, be poured over and down his loins; all this ought rapidly to be done, and he must be quickly dried with soft towels, and then expeditiously dressed. For the washing of your child I would recommend you to use Castile soap in preference to any other; it is more pure, and less irritating, and hence does not injure the texture of the skin. Take care that the soap does not get into his eyes, or it might produce irritation and smarting.

117. Some mothers object to a child's STANDING in the water.

If the head be wetted before he be placed in the tub, and if he be washed as above directed, there can be no valid objection to it. He must not be allowed to remain in his tab more than five minutes.

118. Does not washing the child's head, every morning, make him more liable to catch cold, and does it not tend to weaken his sight?

It does neither the one nor the other; on the contrary, it prevents cold, and strengthens his sight; it cleanses his scalp, prevents scurf, and, by that means, causes a more beautiful bead of hair. The head, after each washing, ought, with a soft brush, to be well brushed, but should not be combed. The brushing causes a healthy circulation of the scalp; but combing the hair makes the head scurfy, and pulls out the hair by the roots.

119. If the head, notwithstanding the washing, be scurfy, what should be done?

After the head has been well dried, let a little cocoa-nut oil be well rubbed, for five minutes each time, into the roots of the hair, and, afterwards, let the head be well brushed, but not combed. The fine-tooth comb will cause a greater accumulation of scurf, and will scratch and injure the scalp.

120. Do you recommend a child to be washed IN HIS TUB every night and morning?

No; once a day is quite sufficient; in the morning in preference to the evening; unless he be poorly, then, evening instead of morning; as, immediately after he has been washed and dried, he can be put to bed.

121. Ought a child to be placed in his tub whilst he is in a state of perspiration?

Not whilst he is perspiring violently, or the perspiration might he checked suddenly, and ill consequences would ensue; nor ought he to be put in his tub when he is cold, or his blood would be chilled, and would be sent from the skin to some internal vital part, and thus would be likely to light up inflammation—probably of the lungs. His skin, when he is placed in his bath, ought to be moderately and comfortably warm; neither too hot nor too cold.

122. When the child is a year old, do you recommend cold or warm water to be used?

If it be winter, a little warm water ought to be added, so as to raise the temperature to that of new milk. As the summer advances, less and less warm water is required, so that, at length, none is needed.

123. If a child be delicate, do you recommend anything to be added to the water which may tend to brace and strengthen him?

Either a handful of table-salt, or half a handful of bay-salt, or of Tidman's sea-salt, should be previously dissolved in a quart jug of cold water; then, just before taking the child out of his morning bath, let the above be poured over and down the back and loins of the child—holding the jug, while pouring its contents on the back, a foot distant from the child, in order that it might act as a kind of douche bath.

124. Do you recommend the child, after he has been dried with the towel, to be rubbed with the hand?

I do; as friction encourages the cutaneous circulation, and causes the skin to perform its functions properly, thus preventing the perspiration (which is one of the impurities of the body) from being sent inwardly either to the lungs or to other parts. The back, the chest, the bowels, and the limbs are the parts that ought to be well rubbed.

CLOTHING

125. Have you any remarks to make on the clothing of a child?

Children, boys and girls, especially if they be delicate, ought always to wear high dresses up to their necks. The exposure of the upper part of the chest (if the child be weakly) is dangerous. It is in the upper part of the lungs, in the region of the collar bones, that consumption first shows itself. The clothing of a child, more especially about the chest, should be large and full in every part, and be free from tight strings, so that the circulation of the blood may not be impeded, and that there may be plenty of room for the fall development of the rapidly-growing body.

His frock, or tonic, ought to be of woollen material—warm, light, and porous, in order that the perspiration may rapidly evaporate. The practice of some mothers in allowing their children to wear tight bands round their waists, and tight clothes, is truly reprehensible.

Tight bands or tight belts around the waist of a child are very injurious to health; they crib in the chest, and thus interfere with the rising and the falling of the ribs—so essential to breathing. Tight hats ought never to be worn; by interfering with the circulation they cause headaches. Nature delights in freedom, and resents interference!

126. What parts of the body in particular ought to be kept warm?

The chest, the bowels, and the feet, should be kept comfortably warm. We must guard against an opposite extreme, and not keep them too hot. The head alone should be kept cool, on which account I do not approve either of night or of day caps.

127. What are the best kinds of hat for a child?

The best covering for the head, when he is out and about, is a loose-fitting straw hat, which will allow the perspiration to escape. It should have a broad rim, to screen the eyes. A sun-shade, that is to say, a sea-side hat—a hat made of cotton—with a wide brim to keep off the sun, is also an excellent hat for a child; it is very light, and allows a free escape of the perspiration. It can be bought, ready made, at a baby-linen warehouse.

A knitted or crocheted woollen hat, with woollen rosettes to keep the ears warm, and which may be procured at any baby-linen warehouse, makes a nice and comfortable winter's hat for a child. It is also a good hat for him to wear while performing a long journey. The colour chosen is generally scarlet and white, which, in cold weather, gives it a warm and comfortable appearance.

It is an abominable practice to cover a child's head with beaver or with felt, or with any thick impervious material It is a well-ascertained fact, that beaver and silk hats cause men to suffer from headache, and to lose their hair—the reason being, that the perspiration cannot possibly escape through them. Now, if the perspiration cannot escape, dangerous, or at all events injurious, consequences must ensue, as it is well known that the skin is a breathing apparatus, and that it will not with impunity bear interference.

Neither a child nor any one else should be permitted to be in the glare of the son without his hat. If he be allowed, he is likely to have a sun-stroke, which might either at once kill him, or might make him an idiot for the remainder of his life; which latter would be the worse alternative of the two.

128. Have you, any remarks to make on keeping a child's hands and legs warm when in the winter time he it carried out?

When a child either walks or is carried out in wintry weather, be sure and see that both his hands and legs are well protected from the cold. There is nothing for this purpose like woollen gloves, and woollen stockings coming up over the knees.

129. Do you approve of a child wearing a flannel nightgown?

He frequently throws the clothes off him, and has occasion to be taken up in the night, and if he have not a flannel gown on, is likely to catch cold; on which account I recommend it to be worn. The usual calico night-gown should be worn under it.

130. Do you advise a child to be LIGHTLY clad, in order that he may be hardened thereby?

I should fear that such a plan, instead of hardening, would be likely to produce a contrary effect. It is an ascertained fact that more children of the poor, who are thus lightly clad, die, than of those who are properly defended from the cold. Again, what holds good with a young plant is equally applicable to a young child; and we all know that it is ridiculous to think of unnecessarily exposing a tender plant to harden it. If it were thus exposed, it would wither and die.

131. If a child be delicate, if he have a cold body, or a languid circulation, or if he be predisposed to inflammation of the lungs, do you approve of his wearing flannel instead of linen shirts?

I do; as flannel tends to keep the body at an equal temperature, thus obviating the effects of the sudden changes of the weather, and promotes by gentle friction the cutaneous circulation, thus warming the cold body, and giving an impetus to the languid circulation, and preventing an undue quantity of blood from being sent to the lungs, either to light up or to feed inflammation Fine flannel, of course, ought to be worn, which should be changed as frequently as the usual shirts.

If a child have had an attack either of bronchitis or of inflammation of the lungs, or if he have just recovered from scarlet fever, by all means, if he have not previously worn flannel, instantly let him begin to do so, and let him, next to the skin, wear a flannel waistcoat. This is important advice, and ought not to be disregarded.

Scarlet flannel is now much used instead of white flannel; and as scarlet flannel has a more comfortable appearance, and does not shrink so much in washing, it may be substituted for the white.

132. Have you any remarks to make on the shoes and stockings of a child? and on the right way of cutting the toe-nails?

He ought, daring the winter, to wear lamb's wool stockings that will reach above the knees, and thick calico drawers that will reach a few inches below the knees; as it is of the utmost importance to keep the lower extremities comfortably warm. It is really painful to see how many mothers expose the bare legs of their little ones to the frosty air, even in the depths of winter.

Be sure and see that the boots and shoes of your child be sound and whole; for if they be not so, they will let in the damp, and if the damp, disease and perhaps death. "If the poor would take better care of their children's feet half the infantile mortality would disappear. It only costs twopence to put a piece of thick felt or cork into the bottom of a boot or shoe, and the difference is often between that and a doctors bill, with, perhaps, the undertaker's besides."—Daily Telegraph,

Garters ought not to be worn, as they impede the circulation, waste the muscles, and interfere with walking. The stocking may be secured in its place by means of a loop and tape, which should be fastened to a part of the dress.