Home treatment for children..
v* £ , i < e X :.W,/V 0^ „ * » . «* 0° **o« ^% «bV* •v*^ *.lliilro ^V*V "Iff; <a**V ^ .v^^fc"- ^. <<o ^ sfa&ir. ^> <^.v **!%£'*:« HOME Treatment for Children WITH Lessons on Moral Training. CONTAINING Valuable Homoeopathic Remedies for Diseases, Accidents. Etc., to which Infants and Children are Subject, with Full Directions to Nurses for the Care of the Sick, Diet, Etc., Etc. REVISED BY S. P. HEDGES, M. D. Formerly Professor of Anatomy, Hahnemann Medical College; Chicago, a Professor of Theory and Practice of Medicine in Chicago Homoeopathic College; also Physician in Chief to the Chicago Nursery and Half Orphan Asylum for the last twelve years. CHICAGO. BLAKELY, MARSH & CO., Printers, ifiS «Sr 157 DEARBORN S». ?K 5 COPYRIGHTED 1881, BY M. W. TRIPPJB. GREETING TO MOTHERS. Mothers, here and everywhere ! We cordially offer to you in this volume the ounce of prevention which will save the pound of cure. Its every page and line is backed by the best and latest medical authorities. It is intended as a guide in the care of infants and children, and the treatment of their diseases. Medical science is constantly changing, old remedies are giving place to new. Our seasons are undergoing a continuous change, and as a natural consequence, new diseases appear, while the old assume different types. It is not therefore safe to rely too implicitly on old, unrevised medical works, in so important a matter as restoring the equilibrium of health. " It is the stitch in time that saves nine," the timely remedy, that prevents the fatal disease. We therefore strongly urge you to at least become familiar with those infantile or other diseases that make most rapid headway, so that in case of a sudden emergency, or the unavoidable delay in obtaining a physician, you can yourself act temporarily. These pages are prepared expressly to aid you in this direction. They are also no less a guide in the wide domain of moral training during that most susceptible period of human life — in- fancy and childhood — when the mental nature is as indelibly stamped as the physical, with health or disease MANAGEMENT OF INFANTS. The newly-born infant (after breathing has been fully established, and the navel cord tied) should be washed without delay in warm water — neither too hot nor too cold. An abundance of soft linen towels ( old linen is the best ), soft sponges, and fine soap (white Castile is preferable) should be provided. Sometimes the pecu- liar substance with which the child is covered, cannot be removed merely by soap-water; in these cases the parts may be smeared with fresh lard, butter, or the yolk of an egg, and then washed off. The face should be washed first, and with a different sponge from the rest of the body, and great care taken to prevent any of the soap from getting into the eyes. "By failing to observe these simple directions, an ophthalmia of an exceedingly painful character is often induced." Do not expose the entire body at once to the air when it is covered with soap and water, thus subjecting it to chilliness. Cut the string that ties the navel cord, so that the ends are only about an inch long. Then wind a strip of old, soft linen (one-half inch wide and six inches long) around the cord until it is completely covered, keeping it in place by a piece of thread. The belly-band of fine, soft, firm flannel (four inches in width and eigh- 6 MANAGEMENT OF CHILDREN. teen inches long) should be placed over this. Secure it with small safety pins. Do not make it tight, but just tight enough to hold the navel cord in place. The 11 burnt rag" sometimes used over the cord, is useless. It should be allowed to decay and drop off without assistance. It is a great mistake to suppose that the infant should be bandaged tightly about its lungs and bowels. The lungs are congested at birth, and need all the expansion they can get. The bowels should be left entirely free, for the same reason, since the breath- ing power comes largely from the abdominal muscles. If you would have a healthy child let the .dress be free or loose, from the shoulders down. Do not pin the diaper too tightly about the waist, nor in such a manner as to spread the legs apart unnaturally. It weakens the hips, and often produces deformity in walking. After it is dressed wrap it warmly in a soft flannel blanket, and lay it in a quiet place for rest. A pillow makes a good bed. It will probably sleep for several hours. Do not try to feed it or dose it with soothing syrup or oil. After the fatigue of birth, its first need is rest. But if it cries, and cannot be pacified any other way, it maybe given the mother's breast. It will not get much, but this first fluid has a cathartic effect, and is very desirable on that account to remove from the bowels their ante-natal secretions. Sometimes there is no fluid at all in the mother's breasts for two or three MANAGEMENT OF CHILDREN. 7 days. In such cases ' ' nurses are lewitched to give the child a teaspoonful of molasses and water or some nause- ous dose to move the bowels," but no medicine is needed. A little sweetened water, or milk and water — a few drops at a time — may be given. The nurse you employ during confinement should be made thoroughly ac- quainted beforehand with your instructions regarding the infant, and should be pledged to their faithful per- formance. Above all things, warn her against dosing the child with medicine. Make her understand that it is not medicine the child needs — but nature, and the carrying out of natural laws. Instil into her mind the fact that she is acting under orders — that she is employed to carry out the physician's instructions, and not to set up a reign of her own whimsical notions concerning the care of newly-born children. It is most important to both mother and child that she is in every way reliable. If she belongs to the class who traffic in family secrets, retailing them from patron to patron, she is not qualified for her responsible position, and should not be employed. She should not belong to the class who remorselessly trot a child up and down on the knee under pretence of soothing it, or cannot be content to let the infant rest undisturbed, after its wants are attended to. A fidgety nurse will be quite certain to produce restless- ness in the infant. Dr. Guernsey writes that "after taking its food, the child naturally in the earlier periods MANAGEMENT OF CHILDREN. of its life feels an inclination to sleep. In this it should be indulged, for if tossed about and purposely kept awake, it will almost surely suffer from indigestion. I have often seen the nurse, after having fed the child, place it on her knees and trot it with an energy as if its life depended upon having the contents of its stomach well churned, and have heartily wished, that immediately after dinner she could be placed on some machine, where she might receive a practical lesson in the beauties of trotting." As soon as the flow of the mother's milk is regulated, the child will require no other food. The supply of breast milk usually comes on the third day. In the meantime a good substitute for mother's milk is prepared by ad- ding one part of fresh cream to ten of water, with a teaspoon of loaf sugar to every gill. The water should be heated, and poured on the milk or cream. Its tem- perature should be that of warm milk, or mother's milk, and always the same, at 96° or 98°, and it should be freshly prepared every time it is required for use. Small thermometers are almost indispensable for this purpose. Put the infant to the breast before it is fed, in order to hasten the coming of the milk. Do not feed it more than a gill at a time. The stomach of an infant is not a large affair — holding a little more than a tablespoonful — and yet mothers and nurses are afflicted with a mania for overfeeding and crowding that delicate MANAGEMENT OF CHILDREN. 9 stomach, to the derangement of the whole system. Never attempt to soothe the crying of a child with the breast, unless you wish to inflict on it much suffering. Crying does not always arise from hunger ; indeed, it is frequently caused by an overloaded stomach ; and to put the bottle or breast to an infant's lips under such circumstances, only aggravates the distress. We can- not urge too strongly an avoidance of all such mistaken kindness. It is far more injurious to attempt over-feed- ing when the stomach is already congested from full- ness in cases where resort is had to artificial diet, than where breast milk alone is used. It is like adding fuel to the flame. Many a little one is sent to the other world through this culpable ignorance on the part of those who have them in charge. Cases of chronic dys- pepsia appearing in after years, have often been traced to this cause. It is injurious to feed an infant and then put it to sleep, immediately after a hard fit of crying. The brain is excited, and when food is taken under that condition, followed by sleep, congestion is likely to occur. The child should be soothed and rested until the excitement subsides, and then only a portion of the regular amount of food be given. After ten or fifteen minutes he can be put to sleep with more refreshing results. The rule for nursing, from the time of birth for the first six weeks, is at intervals of two hours during the 10 MANAGEMENT OF CHILDREN. day, and four hours during the night. Dr. Shipman, of the Chicago Foundling's Home, recommends no nurs- ing during the night. Others limit the time to the hours between nine or eleven o'clock at night, to four or six o'clock in the morning. It is very certain that fre- quent nursing through the night is an injury to both the child and the mother. After the first six weeks, the day interval for nursing should be lengthened to three hours. If these periods, after being once estab- lished, are strictly observed, the annoyance caused by the child's crying for the breast, will be avoided. Infants frequently cry for a spoonful or two of cool (not cold) water, while the attendant persists in giving warm milk or medicine. When the child cries inces- santly for food and yet is never appeased, it indicates — not hunger — but an irritated stomach. If indigestion is the cause, this can readily be learned from the char- acter of its passages, which are like curds or chopped eggs. In any event, rest for the over-crowded stomach is demanded. If a spoonful or two of cool water in a clean feeding bottle be given the child in answer to its cries, it will be found both grateful and helpful, — tend- ing to allay irritation and heat. On the other hand, mothers often make the mistake of supposing that the child is fed if it has been put to the breast with proper regularity; until, through the suf- fering of the infant it is discovered that the milk is too MANAGEMENT OF CHILDREN. 11 poor in quality, or that there is too small a supply to afford the needed nourishment. Watch the infant to see if it swallows ; frequently they tug at the breast for half an hour and stop from fatigue, the mother sup- posing it is satisfied. When an infant keeps the lips moving as though tasting something, and wastes away through inanition, it is produced by a lack of proper as- similation. This, if not soon remedied, will run into that fatal disease, marasmus, which is a wasting of the tissues. When a change is made to other milk, it should not be too rich at first, i. e., too large a proportion of milk to the water, but very gradually increased, as the child is found to thrive. Though not generally recommended, we have known of cases where pepsin, without acid, has been success- fully administered for indigestion when the child was a few months old. A quantity about as large as two grains of wheat, is put into an ordinary feeding bottle. A half-teaspoonful of limewater, added to cow's milk, sometimes regulates digestion. Artificial foods ( except cows' milk ) should only be tried as a last resort. The mouth of the infant should be washed with cool ( not cold ) water, every time after feeding. It prevents the Thrush. Do this with a thin, soft bit of muslin, wrapped loosely around the finger — an old handkerchief is good. Should there appear on the roof of the mouth, 12 MANAGEMENT OF CHILDREN. or tongue, a white lining, put into the water a very lit- tle borax and honey, or sugar, to remove the unpleas- ant taste. The Bath. Give the child a warm bath — about blood heat — every morning, and follow this by rubbing the body all over with the hand. If the child is too delicate to submit to bathing every morning, lengthen the period to every alternate morning. The use of soap, except upon those portions of the body where it is positively needed, is not recommended. Its alkali, if in excess, will make the skin dry and rough. The addition of a tablespoon- ful or two of rock salt to the water is beneficial if the child is sickly, but when it is strong and robust, this is not needed. Wrap the child in a soft, warm blanket, as it comes dripping from the bath, to avoid taking cold, and only expose that portion of the body which is being wiped dry with soft, thick towels. If a bath of the above description cannot be taken, a sponge bath may be substituted. Cold-water baths are apt to shock the system too much to be of benefit. The infant should nurse after, not before bathing. After the bath use Lubin's baby powder freely, applying it with a puff of swan's down; but in the creases of flesh — especially with fleshy infants — make the application with the finger. One day's neglect of these little matters often causes MANAGEMENT OF CHILDREN. 13 serious trouble. Sometimes from too frequent urinating, the parts become chafed, and in that event, dispense with the powder and rub gently with the fingers, browned flour over the chafed parts. If, however, as is often the case, the parts look red and inflamed, bathe them in sweet cream, or even milk; it is cooling, and draws out the heat. Occasionally, wash off the cream with tepid water, dry with soft towel, and rub on the browned flour. Great care should be exercised in handling young infants to prevent the tender body from becoming crooked in any manner. It is not well to lean the child forward with one hand pressing against the delicate lungs, or to hold it in the lap in a bent position. When the infant is taken up let it lie out straight in the arms, or be care- fully supported against the person. In any case, do , not keep it too long a time in one position. There is great danger of curvature of the spine or some deformity resulting from undue pressure on the lungs, or from allowing too much drooping of the head and neck. A newly-born baby is the most delicate of all mechanisms, and should be treated with corresponding care . Lying flat on the bed is recommended instead of too much car- rying in the arms, or too much nursing in the lap. It will thus learn sooner to kick about with legs and arms, and obtain the exercise needful to its growth. It can be gradually accustomed to lying on the floor (when 14 MANAGEMENT OF CHILDREN. protection can be had from cold currents), and thus learn to roll and creep after its playthings. Sleeping Arrangements. As authorities disagree on the subject of whether an infant should or should not sleep with its mother, we will present both sides of the question. There are many things to be considered, and the matter must largely be referred to personal judgment. Some authorities maintain that the infant has not vitality enough to keep itself warm apart from the mother, while others are of the opinion that very few mothers can endure the drain upon their strength of allowing an infant to lie upon the arm, or close by the side during the night. The child thrives better, they contend, to sleep alone, tucked snugly in its crib. In either case, there are some hints to be given, which ap- peal to common sense in the matter. Never cover an infant with too much weight of bedclothes. The cov- ering should be proportioned to the season, of course, but it should always be light as well as warm. Never permit an infant to breathe the impure air inside the bedclothes where the bodily exhalations are constantly escaping. Arrange the covering carefully about the neck and shoulders so that the lungs may breathe only the pure outside air. The old-fashioned, solid-topped cradle is to be avoided on account of shutting off the MANAGEMENT OF CHILDREN. 15 free currents of air so necessary to breathe during sleep. The Bed. Whatever is used for the bed, make it high enough to be beyond reach from the cold currents blowing on the floor. It is an excellent plan in putting the infant to rest at night, to loosen all its clothes, and bands, and gently rub its back, stomach, and limbs, especially its back. This takes out the tired feeling, refreshes, and starts the circulation, and if it is not in pain, insures it a good night's sleep. The omission of this simple duty explains why so many babies are never quieted until they are taken up in the night and walked with. The Wet Nurse. If from any cause the mother cannot nurse her child, a healthy wet nurse is the best substitute. The per- centage of mortality among infants who are brought up on breast milk is much less than in the use of artificial foods. If it becomes indispensable to have a wet nurse, the greatest care should be exercised in the selection. Her health, her temperament, her habits and moral character, should all be taken into consideration ; for every particular regarding her has its influence on the child she nurses. Stimulants of all kinds are extremely injurious. The age of the breast milk should be about the same as that of the mother, as the milk undergoes 16 MANAGEMENT OF CHILDREN. constant change from the child's birth to the close of the nursing period. If a choice is to be made between a nurse whose child is living and one who has lost her infant, take the latter, — other things being equal. The danger of deserting her charge, should anything befall her own child, is thus avoided, and she will be more apt to give her undivided attention to the nursling. Her age should not be under twenty, nor over twenty- eight ; the richest milk is yielded during this period. One with brown or black hair is preferable to a light or red-haired woman — the light hair taking precedence of the red. The milk of the light or auburn-haired woman, though more abundant, is not so rich in qual- ity as that of her darker-haired sisters ; consequently does not furnish so much nourishment. Red-haired women are to be avoided, on account of their temper. The diet of the nurse should be directed by the mother ; but beer or other malted diinks are to be shunned. Above all things, see that the nurse you employ, during confinement or afterward, does not secretly ad- minister sleeping potions in the shape of cordials, soothing syrups, etc. They are especially to be con- demned. They contain opium to a greater or less ex- tent, and fatally injure the health when they fall short of inflicting mortality. This practice is a vice which — strange as the statement may seem— is in vogue among nine nurses out of ten. MANAGEMENT OP CHILDREN. 1? When the nurse takes the baby out for an airing in its carriage, can she be trusted to choose healthful local- ities, or does she visit some alley to see her friends, and thus bring the infant in contact with impure atmos- pheres which cause sickness? ^ Do not veil the child too closely from the air, and thus cause it to breathe over again its own exhalations. The veil should always be thin, and loosely adjusted. Of course, in warm weather, none is required. Do not use green mosquito netting over carriages or cribs. It is colored with arsenic, and you thereby subject your child to the contagion of poisoned air. Pure Air— Sunlight. Dr. Hunt, a prominent physician of New York, after an experience among hospitals and in a large city practice, said that if three requirements of health could be faith- fully observed, no one would ever need to take medicine. These three essentials were: Plenty of sunlight, Plenty of out-door air, and Plenty of cleanliness — or proper bathing. If this trinity principle of bodily wealth, which is health, could be put into golden text on every brain, the world would be speedily revolutionized. Keep your dwelling house constantly supplied with 18 MANAGEMENT OF CHILDREN. fresh air. , Wage active war on bad odors, and confined rooms without ventilation. Dread them as you would a death trap, — for the death that lurks in them is a far more dangerous foe than any open danger. Never sleep in a small, close bedroom. During sleep, the body is in a negative, receptive condition, and absorbs poisoned atmospheres more readily and in larger quantities than during the waking hours, when all its faculties are alert. Perfect ventilation in the sleeping apartment is an ab- solute necessity of health. Growing children and those suffering from illness are more sensitive to these condi- tions than many others, and hence, if the mother's love for her child is practical instead of merely theoretical, she will secure for it the conditions of health. One of the most important needs of life at all times — in health or disease — is a constant supply of fresh air during sleep. The common objection against " night air " is answered by the fact that no other air has yet been discovered to exist at night, except "night air." It is wise therefore to inhale it in its purity rather than loaded with impurities. Many an ailment has been cured by no other remedy than a " change of air." Many an infant sufferer has been called back to life from the ravages of cholera infantum or other ills, by taking it out on the lake, muffled up warmly to ward off cold, but freely exposed to the currents of pure and bracing air from the uncontaminated waters. MANAGEMENT OF CHILDREN. 19 In a close bedroom, sleep is heavy, and the sleeper awakes in the morning unrefreshed. The windows in the sleeping apartments should be so arranged during the entire year as to produce an outward and inward current, thus evacuating the impure, and supplying the pure air. This can be done by lowering the upper sash and raising the lower. The two air currents are essential to ventilation, and ventilation in a sleeping-room is as necessary to keep children well as to provide them with their daily bread. The chemistry of sunlight is also an important factor in the laws of life. When epidemics prevail, the shady side of the street suffers more than the sunny side. In the St. Petersburg hospitals the percentage of cure in well-lighted rooms was discovered to be four times greater than in dark, unventilated apartments. Among those Alpine valleys where the direct rays of the sun do not penetrate, "cretonism or a state of idiocy," accom- panied with large goitre, prevails. "Rickets, deformi- ties, crookedness and swelling of the bones, are common among children who are kept in dark alleys, cellar^!, factories, and mines." The tadpole cannot develop into a frog in the dark, nor propagate its species. Flowers droop deprived of sunlight, and human flowers are no less sensitive. Never exclude the light from a sick room. When the weather permits, infants and children 20 MANAGEMENT OP CHILDREN. should be kept in the open air and sunlight as much as possible. Of course, during the extreme heat of the season it is necessary to be shielded somewhat from the too direct rays of the sun. The shade of a tree is some- times all that is necessary. The established rule should be to take the infant out every pleasant day during the entire year. In winter the chosen hour should be mid-day; in summer, the morning is the best time for an airing. Artificial Feeding- In case the bottle must be substituted for the breast, as often happens, the greatest care must be exercised. Cow's milk with enough boiling water added to bring it to blood heat, and the addition of a little sugar, is very ' generally conceded to be the best artificial food. If this disagrees with the stomach, the following preparation is advised:— Boil an ounce of sugar of milk in three gills of water for a few minutes, and add to it three gills of milk. The food prepared from grated carrot ( see arti- cle on Atrophy ) has been the salvation of many infant lives. But cow's milk is the best substitute for human milk, and it is sometimes an advantage to mingle the milk of several cows, instead of using that from one only. The morning's milking has less fat and casein than that obtained at night, and is therefore the best. Beware of too great a dilution of the milk, thus robbing the child MANAGEMENT OF CHILDREN. 21 of its nutriment. One-fourtli water, or at the most one- third, is all that is admissible, and this must be discon- tinued in a few months. If the child is brought up on cow's milk, it requires no other food, until at least a few teeth have made their appearance ; usually from the sixth to the ninth month. The use of ; ' sugar-teats " is very injurious. They produce inflammatory action, and interfere with digestion. When it is desirable to render cow's milk more diges- tible, to suit the stomach of the infant, half a teaspoon- ful of powdered gum Arabic to a cup of milk, or the same quantity of limewater, is advised. The indiges- tion, of course, can be determined from the character of the stools, which are unchanged curds, or ' ' chopped stools." Avoid the use of starchy foods. Starch must be mixed with the saliva before it can be digested. But the saliva of the infant dribbles away, and it has no teeth to use in the mixing process ; therefore the mass remains undigested. "It is easy to understand then, how boiled rice, gruel, arrowroot, baked flour, rice or other starch foods, scraping and scratching along the delicate, sensitive bowels, might readily produce all the ills to which infantile fksh is heir." 22 MANAGEMENT OP CHILDREN. The following table shows the difference between human milk and cow's milk : — HUMAN. COW. GOAT. PROPERTIES. Casein (cheese) M5 *•« 4.02 Butter 5.20 3.13 3.33 Sn„ar 634 4.77 5.28 Safine Matters 0.45 0.60 0.58 Water *f*_ ^_ , 868° 100.00 100.00 100.00 The conclusion to be drawn from this comparison is that the more closely we can imitate human milk, in artifi- cial feeding,for the newly-born infant, the less disturbance is likely to take place in the delicate digestive organs. Cream, slightly sweetened, and reduced to the thinness of human milk by a sufficient quantity of warm water, makes a successful imitation, and one that experience has proven is most apt to agree with the infant. As the cream consists mainly of the fatty portions of the milk, this mixture lessens the casein (which is the indi- gestible portion), and increases the nutritive or butter properties. If cream can not always be obtained, the top of the milk should be used. It should be freshly prepared every time it is needed, adding the warm water to make it of the proper warmth, instead of heating the mixture afterward. One part of milk, two of water, sweetened by a tea- spoonful of sugar to a gill, is about the proper proportion MANAGEMENT OF CHILDREN. 23 to be used at first. Or, four spoonsful of boiling water poured upon one of sweet cream, adding a very little loaf sugar. The quantity of milk should be gradually increased as the infant is found to thrive. After the sixth or eighth week the following mode of preparing the food is recommended: — Teaspoonful of sugar of milk boiled for fifteen minutes in half a tea-cupful of water, after which add tea-cupful of fresh milk. It should be used at once. A glass fruit jar is the best receptacle for milk. For the first three weeks the quantity re- quired at each meal will be six or eight tablespoonsful ; after that it should be gradually increased. At four months, or about that period, the water should only constitute one-third of the food given, and from that time forward the proportion of milk should be grad- ually increased, until no dilution is necessary. After five months, the broth from animal food may be given once a day in very small quantities. When the milk is rejected some of the infants' foods now on the market have been found to answer ; or a little of Cox's gelatine dissolved in four ounces of water and milk, or a teaspoon of cooked corn-starch or arrow- root dissolved in milk and water instead of the gelatine, will render it digestible. Dr. Duncan recommends an egg drink during teeth- ing, which consists of six ounces of boiling water cooled to blood heat, into which is stirred the white of an egg 24 MANAGEMENT OF CHILDREN. and a little salt. Later, as the doses are increased, the yolk of the egg is also added. In case of great delicacy of constitution in the child, the mixture recommended elsewhere in these pages (one part of rich cream to ten of water and teaspoon of sugar to every gill) can be used. The feeding bottle should be thoroughly cleansed every time after being used. If there is the least ten- dency to a tainted or sour smell, it should be soaked in soda water. A sweet feeding bottle is of great impor- tance. Have a second one ready if necessary, and keep the one last used, including the tube of course, soaked in soda water until needed. Be sure to rinse in fresh water before using it. The following diet from six to twelve months has been recommended by excellent authority : — At seven o'clock a coffee-cupful of artificial food; at half-past ten a coffee-cupful of milk ; (add teaspoonful of limewater if the milk cannot be assimilated without); at two o'clock a tea-cupful of milk, into which has been beaten the yolk of one egg ; at half-past five, a coffee-cupful of arti- ficial food; at ten o'clock p. m., coffee-cupful of milk. Or vary the above with a dessert spoonful of pearl barley jelly dissolved in warm milk for the first meal of the day. Or, two of the five meals may consist of milk thickened with flour porridge or a teaspoonful of boiled flour. A small teacupful of beef tea may sometimes be given as a variation. MANAGEMENT OF CHILDBEN. 25 In case of constipation, a teaspoonful of oatmeal may be used instead of the farinaceous foods mentioned ; but farinaceous diet should never be given to exceed twice a day. The barley jelly is made by boiling pearl barley for six hours, afterward straining it and allowing it to cool. The diet from twelve to eighteen months may be sug- ested as follows : — A cup of bread and milk on first awakening in the morning; the milk should be new, and the bread stale. Or, the yolk of a lightly-boiled egg, cup of new milk, and slice of thin bread and butter. The meal in the middle of the forenoon may consist of a cup of milk and slice of bread and butter, and at half-past one o'clock a cupful of beef tea and bread with a tablespoonful of light, farinaceous food, or a baked potato and beef gravy, with a cup of milk. At five o'clock, a cup of bread and milk as in the morning. If an additional cup of milk is required at ten r m., it should be given. Some children do and some do not require more than three good meals a day, or four of the kind described. In case the three-meal system is adopted, three-quar- ters of a pint of milk into which Weave's food lias been mixed, is suggested as the first meal at 8 a. m. At one o'clock the following is good :— Add to three-quarters of a pint of milk the yolk of an egg well-beaten, and a teaspoon of Hour and line oatmeal beaten up in four 26 MANAGEMENT OF CHILDREN. tablespoonfuls of cold water ; boil until it thickens. At half-past five o'clock repeat the diet of the morning meal. If the egg is found to disagree with a child it should, of course, be discontinued. Biliousness or constipation may be often relieved by rubbing the hand gently over the region of the liver. From two years old and upward the diet may include meat once a day, and well-cooked or preserved fruit. The occasional substitution of cocoa for milk is some- times a wholesome change. Regularity in eating and sleeping are very essential habits. Nature soon adapts herself to systematic treat- ment, and responds with healthful action, while she punishes irregularity with suffering. For instance, the headaches so often complained of among women are many times the result of constipation ; and constipation can be corrected, in nine cases out of ten, by simply observing regular hours for movements. You may choose any hour of the day you like, but make that hour regular, and if persisted in, the cure is sure to be wrought without the aid of medicine. Some of our best physicians have recommended this course to their patients, with the most satisfactory results. Directions Regarding Medicines. As a general rule, a dose is one drop of tincture, or two pilules. Or, if the patient is a very young infant, give a half or third of this quantity. It may be divided MANAGEMENT OF CHILDREN. 27 by mixing with it two or three spoonsful of water, and giving one spoonful to a dose. In acute attacks, where the violence of the disorder requires it, the remedies may be given every fifteen, twenty, or thirty minutes; otherwise, every two, or three, or four hours. As soon as the malady abates, the rem- edies should be given gradually less frequently until they are no longer required. The pilules may be placed on the tongue and thus taken dry, but it is best to dissolve them in filtered or soft water. In tinctures, wet the cork betore removing it, and then place the mouth of the bottle against the middle of the cork. This mode will allow the drops to form easily and accurately. The twenty-four chief remedies used by the best re- ceived authority, are as follows: ABBREVIATION. ATTENUATION. Aconitum Napellus . .Aeon 3 X. Arnica Montana Arn " Arsenicum Album Ars " Belladonna Bell " Bryonia Bry " Calcarea Carbonica Calc. C 5 Calcarea Phosphorata Calc. P 3 X. Cbamomilla Matt icana Cham " China Officinalis Cbin " Cina Anthelmintica Cin " Coffea Cruda Coff " Drosea Rotundifolia Dros " Gelseminum Semper virens Gels " Hepar SulphurusCalcareuin Hep. S 3 X. Ipecacuanba Ipec " Mercurius bolubilis Merc. S 6 Nux Vomica Nux V. 3 X. Phospborus Pbos 3 Pulsatilla Nigricans Puis 3 X. Rhus Toxicodendron Rhus " Silicea Sil 6 Spongia Marina Tosta Spong 3 X. Sulphur Sulpb " Veratrum Album Verat •. " '•is MANAGEMENT OF CHILDREN. The attenuation of the pilules of some of these rem- edies must be a little modified by the experienced phar- macist. Arnica, Rhus Toxicodendron, and Calendula should be kept in the strong tincture, for their use in case of accidents. Camphor should be kept separate from other medicines. Medicines should be alternated where it cannot be decided which of two remedies is the best. In all cases, chills are followed by fever. Do not wait, therefore, until the fever is already upon the patient, but forestall it by giving Aconite, — the fever remedy. It will greatly modify the attack, and render cure more rapid. DISEASES OP EARLY INFANCY- Swelling of Infants' Breasts. This is due to a natural secretion, which should be left to nature to absorb. Nurses, however, sometimes attempt to correct natural law, and squeeze the breasts to eject the fluid, thereby producing inflammation and suppuration. Give Aeon., if there is much inflammation. For slight redness, — Arnica. If of an erysipelas nature, — Bell. For suppuration, — Hejpar S. Dose, every four hours. The swelling can be reduced in most cases by cover- ing the breasts with lint dipped in sweet oil. If this treatment is not effective, try bathing in warm brandy and water, and give internally Cham, and Bell. alternately, morning and evening. Dose, one globule. If further treatment is required, apply a bread and milk poultice until the gathering breaks, giving one globule of Mercury and Hepar, every alternate even- ing. Swelling, or Elongation of the Head. This sometimes occurs at birth, owing to the softness of the cranial bones, — especially after difficult labor. If it does not disappear in two or three days, or if the (29) 30 KED GUM. NETTLE RASH. swelling is very unusual, wash it with Arnica tincture and water — six drops to a teacupful. Red G-um. It may be either red or white. It comes in blotches, elevated in the center, and sometimes covers the entire body, though appearing generally on the neck, arms, and face. It is the result of improper food and bad ventilation. If the tongue is white, with vomiting and indigestion — Ant. Crud. Or, if with diarrhoea tendency, —Puis. Chamomilla, however, is generally used, and is most effective. Hygienic conditions are indispensable to the patient, and if not observed, remedies are useless. Chil- dren should not live in too hot rooms. Give them plenty of fresh air and wholesome food, and the nettle rash with kindred blood poisons, cannot exist Nettle Rash. A burning, smarting eruption, coming on usually at night. When the cause is a chill, with fever, give Aoon- itum. With excessive irritation, and when occurring in damp weather, — Dulcamara. When caused by too much pastry and fat — Pulsatilla; or by eating shell-fish or almonds, — Antimonium Crud. If the spots are like flea bites, with purple colored swelling, use Rhus. Tox. CHAFING OF INFANTS. — THRUSH. 31 Chafing and Soreness of Infants. Wash and carefully dry the parts two or three times a day. Saturate them with Calendula lotion ( teaspoon- ful to a tumbler of water), or, if the case is severe, a lotion may be used composed of Tinct. of Hydrastis, one part, Glycerine, live parts, and water, live parts. A powder made of equal p irts of Lycopodium and Ox- ide of zinc, or Fuller's Earth, is recommended. The treatment used in scrofulous children should be Cole. Carb. China, is the remedy given to infants. If there is much raw soreness — Mereurius Sol. With chronic itching, — Sulphur. When attack does not easily yield to treatments — Lycopodium. Thrush or Sore Month. The mouth is covered with little white specks or patches, extending to the tongue, gums and palate. It is caused by improper food, bad air, or lack of cleanli- ness. Borax or Mercurius given three times a day, are the usual remedies given. If the patches are dark colored, the breath foul, ac- companied by excessive diarrhoea and weakness, give Arsenicum. Diarrhea, running saliva, foul breath, indicate Mer- curius Sol. It should be given on first appearance of the white specks. If accompanied with eruption, give Sulphur. If the patient does not rest, and the aphthae bleed profusely, Borax is indicated. 32 INFLAMMATION OP THE MOUTH. — CANKER. The mouth should be washed with a solution of Borax made of ten grains to an ounce of water,, several times a day. Cleanse the mouth before using the lotion, with a linen rag and warm water. Proper food is the chief thing to be thought of. If Thrush cannot be cured easily, the infant should be weaned, or a change of breast milk given. Cow's milk, with water, also sugar-of-milk, if the child is weaned, are wholesome foods. Open air and well ventilated rooms, especially sleep- ing apartments, are very necessary. Inflammation of the Mouth. The lining membrane of the mouth is ulcerated, red, and dry ; the tongue slightly swollen, also the gums and palate. The breath is foul; these symptoms may some- times be accompanied with salivation. Kail Chloricum is the chief remedy. Dose, three times a day. If mercury has been used in Allopathic doses, this remedy is of especial value. If there is cling- ing mucus, redness of a dark hue, and the lips and tongue show ulceration, Hydrastis is indicated. In slight attacks, with watery saliva, use Mercurius Sol. 3X. "Wet the mouth often with Barley-water or solution of one teaspoonful of glycerine to large wine glass of water. Mouth Canker. This kind of poisonous ulceration occurs in underfed subjects, or those whose living apartments are filled RUPTURED NAVEL. — HYDROCEPHALUS. 33 with impure air. Mercurius, given three or four times per day, is in a majority of cases, a specific for the disease. Mur.-Ac. ranks next to Mercurius. Sul- phur is given in chronic cases. Ruptured Navel. Apply a piece of flat sheet lead or ivory, covered with a pliable leather, or a round piece of cork with con- vex surface and covered with leather, retained in place by bandaging — not too tightly. One or two months of this treatment is usually enough. Nux Vomica at night and Sulphur in the morning are advised. Hyd.roceph.alus or Water in the Head. In this disease there is a great disproportion between the size of the head and face. There is usually emacia- tion and constipation. ' ' Infants suck well, yet do not grow." The head is hot, and there is pulsation in the anterior fontanelle. The expression is dull and aged, and there is a continual inclination to lie down. Bell., given in the early stage, followed by or alternated with Calc.-Carb. or Merc- Sol. 6. Throat swelling and inactive kidneys, indicate Apis. Convulsions and head symptoms, — Bell. With prostration and abdominal glands enlarged with non- nutrition, — Arsen.-Iod. With scrofulous subjects, en- larged joints, etc., — Calc.-Carb. For weak circulation, suppressed urine, and if born of drunken parents, — Digitalis. For flabby condition, abdomen enlarged, and 34 CONVULSIONS OR FITS. paleness, — Ferrum-Iod. Head rapidly enlarging, — Helleborus. Inherited syphilitic taint, — Mercurius S. 6. If covered with eruptive sores, or dry skin, — Sul- phur. Open-air exercise, nourishing diet and cod-liver oil are recommended as additional measures. Infantile Convulsions or Fits. Use Camphor immediately, either by inhalation or in serting the linger, with a drop of the tincture, between- the lips. Bell, and Cham, are the next most effective remedies. If with fever, or caused by fright, Aconitum. Flushed face, brightness of eyes, the body rigid, — Bell. From suppressed eruptions, — Bryonia. "Depression of fontanelles" — Camphor. ("For infants, one or two drops on a little sugar. ") Irritability and twitching in sleep, — Hyoscyamus. Face swollen and purple, snoring, constipation of kidneys and bowels,- Opium. A succession of convulsions,- Veratrum Viride. A hot bath is of great service in these cases — prolonging it for five or ten minutes. The mother should not nurse her child when her blood is over-heated, or she is under violent excitement. Fatal results some- times follow. If a tendency to convulsions is discovered, adding a teaspoonful of limewater to a feeding bottle of milk, often prevents further progress of disease. COLD IN THE HEAD — SNUFFLES. 35 Sleeplessness- If with a feverish condition, give Aoonitum. If with a hot and throbbing head, crying without cause, or ab- normal visions, give Bell. "When caused by excitement of an agreeable nature, Coffea. From nervous friction in sensitives, — Hyoscyamus. When caused by grieving and depression, — Ignatia. Indigestion or constipated bowels, — Nux Vomica. From over-eating or indigestion, — Pals. Abnormal visions, — Opium. Bathing the head with cold water or gently drawing the hands over the forehead and then downward along the sides of the face, is very soothing. Cold in the Head or Snuffles. Camphor should be given at the commencement of this disorder. For infants a few drops of the tincture held in a spoon to the nostrils every twenty minutes, allows the remedy to take effect by inhalation. Aoonitum is always the remedy for febrile indications. For watery discharge, — Arsenicum. Profuse flow from the eyes, — Euphrasia. " Running cold" or where the discharge resembles pus, — Mercurius Sol. 6. "Stuffy cold," — Nux Vomica. A warm bath on retiring, with drinking freely of cold water, promotes cure. The Preventions for cold, are exercise in the open air daily, sponging the body quickly in cold water and rubbing with the hands afterward until a glow is pro- duced; proper clothing, and living in rooms well-venti- lated, and not over-heated. DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM. Simple Diarrhoea. Simple Diarrhcea, with straining, and blood-streaked stools, indicates Ipecacunha. Bilious discharges with frequent vomiting — Iris. For excessive straining and bloody evacuations — Mer- curius- Corr. For greenish-white stools, with mucous and watery straining, thirst, nausea, — Mercurius Dulcis. For retching without vomiting, rolling of the head, restlessness, sudden and foetid discharges, better at night, worse in the morning, — Podophyllum. Cow's milk is the best substitute for the breast — in some cases with limewater added, a tablespoonful to about six ounces. Cold milk and limewater is often sufficient to arrest painless attacks of diarrhoea. When it is severe, how- ever, muttonbroth, whey, barley water or beef 'tea takes the place of milk food. With tendency to "failure of pulse"and "collapse," brandy in doses of ten to twenty drops in milk or lime- water, is administered every hour or half hour. (36) CHRONIC DIARRHCEA IN CHILDREN. 37 Chronic Diarrhoea in Infants or Yonng Children. 