The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1859-04-29

attempt to support them upon articles OF
food which contain little else than starch
or gum, neither of which are capable Of
of sustaining animal life. Others
confiuc them principally to the milk of the
COW, the excess of casein in which they arc
unable to digest; and TO these, other arti-
cles are added, which are either indigcstible
or innutrilious. Hence the large amount
Of sickness and mortality from disordered
stomach and bowels, and which are gener
ally attributed to teething, to worms, and
10 any and every other cause but the true
one, errors in diet, producing indigestion.
In the last July number Of the 1merican
Journal Of the Medical Sciences, there is
clever article on "natural and artificial
lacta,ion," by DR.. Cumming, brief ab
stract of the concluding portion Of which |
am tempted to publish for the information
Of young and doubling mothers. He says,
and sufficiently proves by the physio logical
and chemical argument. that nothing but
milk can with proprictv be used as the food
Of Infants and even this is apt to fail, and
to give rise to fatal mala,lies, unless it be
made to correspond very closely in its con-
s,itucnt elements, with human milk.
Cows milk differs from human milk in
some important particulars, as has been ac-
curately asccrtainel by chemical analysis
1t contains nearly three times AS much
cascn as human milk, but somewhat less
than twice as much butter; while human
milk contains nearly onc-third more sugar,
and little more water than cows milk.
Merely diuting cows milk by adding
water, with the addition of sugar, as is
commonly done, will not fit it for easy d,-
gestion by the infant stomach. There will
in this case always he an excess of casein,
and deficiency of butter. But the pro,
portions are materially changed by permit
ting cows milk to rest undisturbed until the
lighter PARTICLES rise toward the surface
and nearly the same result is obtained by
using only the milk last taken from the
COW.
DR.. Cumming proposes, therefore, to have
cows milk at rest for four or five hours
and then to remove the upper third par
for use; or to take only the latter half a
furnished by the COW. He then advises Il
to add for a child not more than ten day
old, two and half parts of water, and one
fourth part Of sugar. This combination
gives almost the exact proportions Of humat
milk at that early period of lac,uton. TIL
exact proportions given are-milk 1000
water 2643, sugar 243. The sugar an'
water are decreased as the child grow
,, elder, until at five moaths, the proportion
are-milk 1000, water 1000, sugar lO4
and at eighteen months, the proportion
are-milk 1000, water 500, sugar 63. I'll
child should take this food at temperaur
Of one hundred to one hundred and fou
degrees, and by suction. An eight ounc
-, vial, with a quill rolled in long strip
. Swiss muslin for stopper, is the best Al
rangement for cleanliness and convenicnc
Tubes having narrow passages caunot
readily cleansed.
- A child ten days old will take tlirty.tv
ounces daily, in eight meals of four ounc
each; and the meals should increase
! quantity and diminish in number, as tt
:, child grows older, SO that at three month
seven meals Of eight ounces each, may
!, taken. The milk should be given at reg
lar intervals, except that the child shou
>, be early accustomed to pass six to eig
4 hours at night without feeding. This re
T ularity Of feeding, with proper intervals,
70 in accordance with physiological law
ii digestion, applicable to all persons. namel
>, that the stomach should have time fully
digest its food before other food is taken
;, to it. A. j. MERRILL.
Elmscourt, March II, 1859.
in CRIME AND WHIsKEY.-The plea p
in, behalf Of the unfortunate prisoner Chri
k! mas, at Hilsboro' last week, was that
,r. was drunk. Two cases Of homicide are
'e- be tried at our Court next week, both