Chapter IV: Part 4

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 pork, 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.

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 teaspoonfuls (according to the age of the
child) to be taken every four hours, 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 Hiccough, and what is its treatment?_

Hiccough 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 Diarrhœa—“Looseness of the bowels?”_

It will be well, before doing so, to tell you how many motions a young infant ought to have a day, their color, consistence, and smell. Well, then, he should have from three to six motions in the twenty-four hours; the color 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 color (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 odor. If it has 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 is not griped, that he has no pain, and has 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, etc.—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 has a motion he be griped and in pain, we should then say that he is laboring under diarrhœa; 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, endeavoring thus, but in vain, to relieve himself, crying at each effort, the case assumes the character of dysentery. 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 diarrhœa. This latter case requires great skill and judgment on the part of a medical man, 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 diarrhœa—“Looseness of the bowels?”_

Improper food; over-feeding; 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 Diarrhœa?_

_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 endeavors 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, and thus to work off the enemy. For a rhubarb and magnesia mixture prescription, see question 98.

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—Compound Powdered Chalk with Opium, ten grains;
Oil of Dill, five drops;
Simple Syrup, three drachms;
Water, nine drachms;

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

The baby ought, for a few days, to be kept _entirely_ to the breast. 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 diarrhœa 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 diarrhœa continues, to have any artificial food. He must neither be dosed with gray powder (a favorite 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 diarrhœa. It is more dangerous than diarrhœa, as it is of an inflammatory character; and as, unfortunately, it frequently attacks a delicate child, requires skillful 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 diarrhœa—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 you 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 tablespoonful of the milk make him sick, give him a dessertspoonful; if a dessertspoonful cause sickness, let him only have a teaspoonful 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 tablespoonful 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.” 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 Ipecacuanha Powder, five grains;
Ipecacuanha Wine, half a drachm;
Simple Syrup, three drachms;
Cinnamon Water, nine drachms:

To make a Mixture. A teaspoonful to be given every three or four
hours, first _well_ shaking the bottle. Let this mixture, or any other
medicine I may prescribe, be always made by a respectable chemist.

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 ought, instead of the medicine recommended above, to be given. 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.

Take of—Mixture of 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 teaspoonful 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 envelop him in a _dry_ blanket. Keep him in this hot, damp blanket for half an hour; then take him out, put on his night-gown 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 skillful 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 gray 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 papulæ, 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, etc., and by the patches _not_ assuming a crescentic, half-moon shape; red-gum, in short, may readily be 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 gray 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 retains 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 has, 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 the child.

But if the mother be in the enjoyment of good health, she must then look to the babe herself, 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 are red, hot, and swollen, let them be lanced; in the second, if the secretions from the bowels are either unhealthy or scanty, give him a dose of aperient medicine, such as castor 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 bedtime, mixed in a teaspoonful 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 awhile, 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 him 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 into 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 mouth, 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.

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—Biborate of Soda, 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 milkman 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_; therefore, the mother had better seek advice. See the Treatment of Dysentery.

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?_

There is a language in the cry of an infant which a thoughtful medical man can well interpret. The cry of hunger, for instance, is very characteristic,—it is unaccompanied with tears, and is a wailing cry; the cry of teething is a fretful cry; the cry of earache 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 earache, 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,” moreover, he breathes as though he breathed through muslin; 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; tears are always, in a severe illness, to be looked upon as a good omen, as a sign of amendment: 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 but a cry.”

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 to 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 babe’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 five 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 taken off in the winter, and of its proper temperature in the summer time); then let them be dried; after the drying, let the ankles be 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 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 endeavors to stop the hemorrhage 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 must 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.” [Sir Charles Locock, in a _Letter_ to the Author.]

Many babies have lost their lives by excessive loss of blood from leech-bites, 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 endeavor to calm her feelings, or her milk will be disordered, and she will thus materially increase his illness. If he be laboring 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 has an abundance of fresh air for his lungs,—if he has plenty of exercise for his muscles (by allowing him to kick and sprawl on the floor),—if he has a good swilling and sousing of water for his skin,—if, during the _early_ months of his life, he has 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 withholding 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!

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 an infant’s well-doing, namely, (1) plenty of water for the skin; (2) plenty of milk for the stomach; (3) plenty of fresh air for the lungs; (4) plenty of sleep for the brain: these are the four grand essentials for a babe; without an abundance of each and all of them, perfect health is utterly impossible!

CHILDHOOD.

_Household treasures! household treasures!
Are they jewels rich and rare;
Or gems of rarest workmanship;
Or gold and silver ware?
Ask the mother as she gazes
On her little ones at play:
Household treasures! household treasures!
Happy children—ye are they._
J. E. CARPENTER.

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 19, 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 his tub; then, putting him in the tub containing the necessary quantity of water, and washing him as previously recommended (See Infancy—Ablution), a large sponge should be filled with the water and squeezed over the head, so that the water may stream over the whole surface of the body. A jugful of cold 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 the tub 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 the sight; it cleanses the scalp, prevents scurf, and, by that means, causes a more beautiful head of hair. The head, after each washing, ought to be well brushed with a soft brush, but should not be combed. The brushing causes a healthy circulation of the scalp.

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

After the head has been well dried, let a little cocoanut oil be well rubbed, for five minutes each time, into the roots of the hair, and, afterward, 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 while he is in a state of perspiration?_

Not while he is perspiring _violently_, or the perspiration might be 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 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, twelve inches 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 full development of the rapidly growing body.

His frock or tunic ought to be of woolen 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 brim, to screen the eyes. A sunshade, 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 woolen hat, with woolen 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 color 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 either with beaver or with felt, or with any thick, impervious material. It is a well-ascertained fact, that both 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 sun 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 is 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 woolen gloves, and woolen stockings coming up over the knees.

129. _Do you approve of a child wearing a flannel night-gown?_

He frequently throws the clothes off him, and has occasion to be taken up in the night, and if he has 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 has 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 has had an attack either of bronchitis or of inflammation of the lungs, or if he has just recovered from scarlet fever, by all means, if he has 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 for the white be substituted.

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, during the winter, to wear lambs’ 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. “Tender little children are exposed to the bitterest weather, with their legs bared in a manner that would inevitably injure the health of strong adults.”

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.

Let me urge upon you the importance of not allowing your child to wear _tight_ shoes; they cripple the feet, causing the joints of the toes, which ought to have free play, and which should assist in walking, to be, in a manner, useless; they produce corns and bunions, and interfere with the proper circulation of the foot. A shoe ought to be made according to the shape of the foot—rights and lefts are therefore desirable. The toe-part of the shoe must be made broad, so as to allow plenty of room for the toes to expand, and that one toe cannot overlap another. Be sure, then, that there be no pinching and no pressure. In the article of shoes you ought to be particular and liberal; pay attention to having nicely fitting ones, and let them be made of soft leather, and throw them on one side the moment they are too small. It is poor economy, indeed, because a pair of shoes be not worn out, to run the risk of incurring the above evil consequences.

_Shoes are far preferable to boots_; boots weaken instead of strengthen the ankle. The ankle and instep require free play, and ought not to be hampered by boots. Moreover, boots, by undue pressure, decidedly waste away the ligaments of the ankle. Boots act on the ankles in a similar way that stays do on the waist—they do mischief by pressure. Boots waste away the ligaments of the ankle; stays waste away the muscles of the back and chest: and thus, in both cases, do irreparable mischief.

A shoe for a child ought to be made with a narrow strap over the instep, and with button and button-hole: if it be not made in this way, the shoe will not keep on the foot.

It is a grievous state of things that in this nineteenth century there are very few shoemakers in England who know how to make a shoe! The shoe is made not to fit the real foot, but a fashionable imaginary one!

Let me strongly urge you to be particular that the sock or stocking fits nicely—that it is neither too small nor too large; if it be too small, it binds up the toes unmercifully, and makes one toe to ride over the other, and thus renders the toes perfectly useless in walking; if it be too large, it is necessary to lap a portion of the sock or stocking either under or over the toes, which thus presses unduly upon them, and gives pain and annoyance. It should be borne in mind that if the toes have full play, they, as it were, grasp the ground, and greatly assist in locomotion—which, of course, if they are cramped up, they cannot possibly do. Be careful, too, that the toe-part of the sock or stocking be not pointed; let it be made square, in order to give room to the toes. “At this helpless period of life the delicately feeble, outspreading toes, are wedged into a narrow-toed stocking, often so short as to double in the toes, diminishing the length of the rapidly-growing foot! It is next, perhaps, tightly laced into a boot of less interior dimensions than itself; when the poor little creature is left to sprawl about with a limping, stumping gait, thus learning to walk as it best can, under circumstances the most cruel and torturing imaginable.”

It is impossible for either a stocking or a shoe to fit nicely, unless the toe-nails be kept in proper order. Now, in cutting the toe-nails there is, as in everything else, a right and a wrong way. The _right_ way of cutting a toe-nail is to cut it straight—in a straight line. The _wrong_ way is to cut the corners of the nail—to round the nail, as it is called. This cutting the corners of the nails often makes work for the surgeon, as I myself can testify; it frequently produces “growing-in” of the nail, which sometimes necessitates the removal of either the nail or of a portion of it.

133. _At what time of the year should a child leave off his winter clothing?_

A mother ought not to leave off her children’s winter clothing until the spring be far advanced; it is far better to be on the safe side, and to allow the winter clothes to be worn until the end of May. The old adage is very good, and should be borne in mind:

“Button to chin
Till May be in;
Ne’er cast a clout
Till May be out.”

134. _Have you any general remarks to make on the present fashion of dressing children?_

The present fashion is absurd. Children are frequently dressed like mountebanks, with feathers and furbelows and finery: the boys go bare-legged; the little girls are dressed like women, with their stuck-out petticoats, crinolines, and low dresses! Their poor little waists are drawn in tight, so that they can scarcely breathe; their dresses are very low and short, the consequence is, that a great part of the chest is exposed to our variable climate; their legs are bare down to their thin socks, or, if they be clothed, they are only covered with gossamer drawers; while their feet are incased in tight shoes of paper thickness! Dress! dress! dress! is made with them at a tender age, and, when first impressions are the strongest, a most important consideration. They are thus rendered vain and frivolous, and are taught to consider dress “as the one thing needful.” And if they live to be women—which the present fashion is likely frequently to prevent—what are they? Silly, simpering, delicate, lackadaisical nonentities,—dress being their amusement, their occupation, their conversation, their everything, their thoughts by day and their dreams by night! Let children be dressed as children, not as men and women. Let them be taught that dress is quite a secondary consideration. Let health, and not fashion, be the first, and we shall have, with God’s blessing, blooming children, who will, in time, be the pride and strength of dear old England! Oh that the time may come, and may not be far distant, “That our sons may grow up as the young plants, and that our daughters may be as the polished corners of the temple.”

DIET.

135. _At_ TWELVE _months old, have you any objection to a child having any other food besides that you mentioned in answer to the 34th question_?

There is no objection to his _occasionally_ having for dinner either a mealy, _mashed_ potato and gravy, or a few crumbs of bread and gravy. Rice-pudding or batter-pudding may, for a change, be given; but remember, the food recommended in a former Conversation is what, until he be eighteen months old, must be principally taken. During the early months of infancy—say, for the first six or seven—if artificial food be given at all, it should be administered by means of a feeding-bottle. After that time, either a spoon or a nursing-boat will be preferable. As he becomes older, the food ought to be made more solid.

136. _At_ EIGHTEEN _months old, have you any objection to a child having meat_?