Chapter III: Part 3

Although the lancing of the gums, to make it intelligible to a non-professional person, requires a long description, it is, in point of fact, a simple affair, is soon performed, and gives but little pain.

63. _If teething cause convulsions, what ought to be done?_

The first thing to be done (after sending for a medical man) is to freely dash cold water upon the face, and to sponge the head with cold water, and as soon as warm water can be procured, to put him into a warm bath of 98 degrees Fahrenheit. For the precautions to be used in putting a child into a warm bath, see the answer to question on “Warm baths.”

No family where there are young children, should be without Fahrenheit’s thermometer. If a thermometer be not at hand, you must plunge your own elbow into the water: a comfortable heat for your elbow will be the proper heat for the infant. He must remain in the bath for a quarter of an hour, or until the fit be at an end. The body must, after coming out of the bath, be wiped with warm and dry and coarse towels; he ought then to be placed in a warm blanket. The gums must be lanced, and cold water should be applied to the head. An enema, composed of table salt, of olive oil, and warm oatmeal gruel—in the proportion of one tablespoonful of salt, of one of oil, and a teacupful of gruel—ought then to be administered, and should, until the bowels have been well opened, be repeated every quarter of an hour; as soon as he comes to himself a dose of aperient medicine ought to be given.

64. _A nurse is in the habit of giving a child who is teething either coral or ivory to bite—do you approve of the plan?_

I think it a bad practice to give him any hard, unyielding substance, as it tends to harden the gums, and by so doing causes the teeth to come through with greater difficulty. I have found softer substances, such as either a piece of wax-taper, or an india-rubber ring, or a piece of the best bridle-leather, or a crust of bread, of great service. If a piece of crust be given as a gum-stick, he must, while biting it, be well watched, or by accident he might loosen a large piece of it, which might choke him. The pressure of any of these excites a more rapid absorption of the gum, and thus causes the tooth to come through more easily and quickly.

65. _Have you any objection to my baby, when he is cutting his teeth, sucking his thumb?_

Certainly not; the thumb is the best gum-stick in the world—it is convenient, it is handy (in every sense of the word), it is of the right size, and of the proper consistence—neither too hard nor too soft; there is no danger, as of some artificial gum-sticks, of its being swallowed, and thus of its choking the child. The sucking of the thumb causes the salivary glands to pour out their contents, and thus not only to moisten the dry mouth, but assists the digestion; the pressure of the thumb eases, while the teeth are “breeding,” the pain and irritation of the gums, and helps, when the teeth are sufficiently advanced, to bring them through the gums. Sucking of the thumb will often make a cross infant contented and happy, and will frequently induce a restless babe to fall into a sweet refreshing sleep. Truly may the thumb be called a baby’s comfort. By all means, then, let your child suck his thumb whenever he likes, and as long as he chooses to do so.

There is a charming, bewitching little picture of a babe sucking his thumb in Kingsley’s _Water Babies_, which I cordially commend to your favorable notice and study.

66. _But if an infant be allowed to suck his thumb, will it not be likely to become a habit, and stick to him for years—until, indeed, he become a big boy?_

After he has cut the whole of his first set of teeth, that is to say, when he is about two years and a half old, he might, if it be likely to become a habit, be readily cured by the following method, namely, by making a paste of aloes and water and smearing it upon his thumb. One or two dressings will suffice, as after just tasting the bitter aloes he will take a disgust to his former enjoyment, and the habit will at once be broken.

Many persons, I know, have an objection to children sucking their thumbs, as, for instance—

“Perhaps it’s as well to keep children from plums,
And from pears in the season, and sucking their thumbs.”

My reply is—

P’rhaps ’tis as well to keep children from pears;
The pain they might cause is oft followed by tears;
’Tis certainly well to keep them from plums;
But certainly not from sucking their thumbs!
If a babe suck his thumb
’Tis an ease to his gum;
A comfort; a boon; a calmer of grief;
A friend in his need, affording relief;
A solace; a good; a soother of pain;
A composer to sleep; a charm; and a gain;
’Tis handy at once to his sweet mouth to glide;
When done with, drops gently down by his side;
’Tis fixed 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 warehouse.

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 fruits, _raw_ apples, or pears ought to be carefully avoided, as they not only disorder the stomach and the bowels—causing convulsions, gripings, etc.—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, etc.; the _lungs_, producing congestion, inflammation, cough, etc.; the _stomach_, exciting sickness, flatulence, acidity, etc.; 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; 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, etc.; 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 Abbott’s _Mother at Home_, wherein the author proves the great importance of _early_ training. 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.

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 flushed. His head is heavy and hot. He is sometimes convulsed. (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 gums with the finger; with a little “soothing syrup,” as recommended by Sir Charles Locock; a tepid bath of about 92 degrees Fahrenheit, every night at bedtime; attention to diet and bowels; fresh air and exercise. “‘Soothing Syrup.’ Some of them probably contain opiates, but a perfectly safe and useful one is a little nitrate of potassa in syrup of roses—one scruple to half an ounce.”—Communicated by Sir Charles Locock to the Author. 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. [“I should put this in capitals, it is so important and so 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 if there is 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 laboring 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 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 be 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 northeasterly direction; by doing so we shall make him strong and hearty, and give the skin that mettled 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 baby 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 untrammeled. 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 up 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 exercise 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_ afterward, 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 bed-room without a fire, or by dipping him in _cold_ water, or by keeping him with scant clothing on his bed. The temperature of a bed-room, in the winter time, should be, as nearly as possible, at 60° 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 baby 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! 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. 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!

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, while in cradled rest your infant sleeps,
Your watchful eye unceasing vigils 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 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. 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_ and which has been abridged in _Braithwaite’s Retrospect of Medicine_. 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 5¾ to 6 lbs. the number rose from 99 to 268; and from 8 to 8¼ lbs. they fell from 226 to 67, and never rose again at any weight to 100. From 8¾ to 9½ lbs. they sank from 61 to 8, rising, however, at 9½ lbs. to 21. Only six weighed 10 lbs., one 10¾ lbs., and two 11 lbs. The author has never but once met with a child weighing 11¾ 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 6 nor more than 8 lbs., the average weight being 6½ or 7 lbs., the smaller number referring to female and the higher to male infants.”

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 be 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 color—namely, a bright yellow, inclining to orange color—and free from slime or from had 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 time, looses the nipple, and buries his head in the bedclothes. She awakes in the morning, finding, to her horror, a corpse by her side! A mother ought, therefore, never to go to sleep until her child has 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 bed. (2.) Do not allow him to be too near to you; or if he be unavoidably near to 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 bedclothes; 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, giddy, 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 color (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 napkins, and that he make 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 napkins?_

A baby three months and upward, ought to be held out at least a dozen times during the twenty-four hours; if such a plan were adopted, napkins 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.” 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 makes the following sensible remarks on the 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.”

This 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 teaspoonful of pure unadulterated _raw_ sugar in a teaspoonful 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 grain of opening medicine. If from the first you refrain from giving an aperient, he seldom requires one afterward. It is the _first_ step that is so important to take in this as in all other things.

If a new-born babe has _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.”

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, Costiveness, Flatulence, Gripings, Hiccup, Looseness of the Bowels (Diarrhœa), 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, afterward, 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 tablespoonfuls 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 lukewarm 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 in 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 a 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 laboring 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 61.

_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 teaspoonful 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 teaspoonful 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. In convulsions from hooping-cough I have found cod-liver oil a valuable medicine. Convulsions seldom occur in hooping-cough, unless the child be either very young or exceedingly delicate. In either case cod-liver oil is likely to be serviceable, as it helps to sustain and support him in his extremity.

Convulsions attending an attack of hooping-cough make it a _serious_ complication, and requires the assiduous and skillful 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 incumbrances 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 has great judgment, sense, tact, and perseverance, to bring her little charge into the habit of having the bowels relieved and the 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 teaspoonful of raw sugar dissolved in a teaspoonful or two of water, or give him, out of your fingers, half a teaspoonful 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 awhile, opening medicine becomes a dire necessity, and then woe-betide the poor unfortunate child!

It might sometimes be necessary to give opening medicine, but the less frequently the better. The following, when it becomes absolutely necessary to give an aperient, are some of the best, simple, and safe that can be administered by a mother to her baby. I give you several, as it might be well, from time to time, to vary them: (1.) One or two teaspoonfuls of fluid magnesia, made palatable by the addition of a little sugar, may be chosen; or (2.) The popular remedy of syrup of rhubarb and castor oil:

Take of—Syrup of Rhubarb,
Castor Oil, of each half an ounce:

To make a Mixture. A teaspoonful to be taken early in the morning,
first well shaking the bottle.

It might be well again to state, that the bottle must be _violently_ shaken _just_ before administering the mixture, or the oil will not mix with the syrup; or (3.) A teaspoonful of syrup of rhubarb, without the admixture of the castor oil may be given early in the morning occasionally; or (4.) A teaspoonful of equal parts, say half an ounce of each, of fluid magnesia and of syrup of rhubarb, may be taken for a change. Another safe and palatable aperient for an infant is (5.) Syrup of senna, from a half to a whole teaspoonful being the dose. Castor oil is another medicine prescribed for a baby’s costiveness, and, being a safe one, may occasionally be used. Care should be taken to have the castor oil freshly drawn, and of the best quality. (6.) Syrup of red roses and castor oil (of each equal parts), being a good, elegant, and pleasant way of giving it:

Take of—Syrup of Red Roses,
Castor Oil, of each six drachms:

To make a Mixture. A teaspoonful to be taken occasionally, first well
shaking the bottle, and to be repeated every four hours, until the
bowels be relieved.

(7.) An excellent remedy for the costiveness of a baby is a soap suppository, the application of which will be found a safe, speedy, and certain method of opening the bowels. It is made by paring a piece of white curd-soap round; it should be of the size, in circumference, of a cedar pencil, and it must be in length about two inches. This should be administered by dipping it in a little warm sweet oil, and should then be gently introduced up the bowel in the same manner as you would an enema pipe, allowing about a quarter of an inch to remain in view. It must then be left alone, and in a minute or two the soap suppository will be expelled, and instantly the bowels will be comfortably and effectually relieved. When a child is two or three years old and upwards a dip-candle suppository is superior to a soap suppository.

If it be _absolutely_ necessary to give opening medicine, it will be well to alternate the use of them—that is to say, to give at one time the syrup of senna, at another the fluid magnesia sweetened, and a third to administer the soap suppository dipped in oil, but waiting at least two days between, the bowels being costive all the time, before resorting to an aperient. Bear in mind, and let it make a strong impression upon you, that the less the bowels of an infant are irritated by opening medicine, the aperient being ever so simple and well-selected, the better will it be for him both now and for the future.

When the infant is five or six months old, either oatmeal milk gruel, or Robinson’s Patent Groat Gruel made with new milk, occasionally given in lieu of the usual food, will often open the bowels, and will thus supersede the necessity of administering an aperient.

Castor oil, or Dr. Merriman’s Purgative Liniment, well rubbed every morning, for ten minutes at a time, over the region of the bowels, will frequently prevent costiveness, and thus will do away with the need—which is a great consideration—of giving an aperient.

Take of—Tincture of aloes, half an ounce;
Soap liniment, one ounce:

Make a liniment.

_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.) gray powder (mercury with chalk). It is a common practice in this country to give calomel, on account of the readiness with which it may be administered, it being small in quantity and nearly tasteless. Gray powder, also, is, with many mothers, a favorite 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 gray powder, cannot be too strongly reprobated, as the frequent administration either of 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 gray 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 afterward; 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.

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 babies either with magnesia to cool them, or with castor oil to heal the 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 baby could be brought up without giving him 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, etc. 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 are 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 four or five 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 teaspoonful of a solution of one drachm to an ounce and a half of water.” Or, a little dill or aniseed may be added to the food—half a teaspoonful 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 tablespoonfuls of spring water; let it be preserved in a bottle for use. A teaspoonful of this, first shaking the vial, may be added to each quantity of food. Or, three teaspoonfuls of bruised caraway seeds may be boiled for ten minutes in a teacupful of water, and then strained. One or two teaspoonfuls of the caraway-tea may be added to each quantity of his food, or a dose of rhubarb and magnesia may be occasionally 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 nurse’s 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 of 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 the bowels, the case becomes one of _watery gripes_, and requires the immediate attention of a medical man.