The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-04-24
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TUES ,AY MOI MING. APRIL3&, is0V


The Care 81 Children with reference -
vensing the Fatality sfSesries Eevs.. al,
That the scarlet fever il one Of the most .A.S'
diseases 70 children which prsvaa..s. ns.rts can
sss,sSv Anvthtms. then, which can guard the
n. m. onsa from its fatal effects wiiI % gsaoiy
embraced and cheerfuiiy reeoIsso 70 ..
Z. a.. Inc throat and second. the AR passA&es
"a ,"sss. when general disease OF any kind
- rvssi we'd into the system, u locates upon
the weakest 81 shs .kip and ~.
in@ membrane OF the throat, air passages aud
lunrs being COT tinuation or part OF the skin,
II necessarily attacks these. 1fany part Of this
and throw 1t on by what phyeiciAns call d~s.
0uamation, the membrane ulceratee In patches
ard the child dies The membrane lining the
throat 10 almost always the frst point Of at
in children. and less able to Withstand the dis.
ease. Any thing, then, which 10 calculated to
Strengthen and tougher this membrane, or the
membrane lining tho air passages and lungs, Is
calculated TO enable the child 70 Withstand tho
attack of SCARLET fever.
To do this We must commence when the cniid
il first born. The drink--the very trst drink ~
receives into its mouth, unless II ~ ITS motners
milk, should be cold water. Its food should De
entirely drawn from its mother's breast, II
possible; il not, it should be composed OF
healthy, fresh cows milk, one-third water.
sweetened with pure white sugar. The child
should also be suffered to drink all the cold VIA
ter it will take The sprue, red gum ana chill
dren's sore month causes debility Ut the men,
hranes Of the throat and air passages, ana rem
ders them more liable TO die from scarlet FEVER.
Gold water freely and frequently given 10
one Of the best proven tives OF aud remedies for
those infan tile diseases.
The next best means Of strengtheing and
toughening those membranes 10 by frequent
washings Of the neck, throat and breast with
cold water, occasionally using soap. and
wiping and rubbing the parts dry. This
should be done morning and evsning-and ii
two or three times more day the better
These washinEs should never be done with
warm water after the child 10 n few days old
1t should always be cold water, aud the mo re
friction used in drying the skin after the
washing the better.
The third best means Of accomplishing this
object is BY the dress. The chest should be
lightly clothed with flannel, and the neck. top
of :he chest and head he entirely exposed to
the air in warm weather, and when in ths
house in winter. The arms and legs should
never 60 uncovered. This causes the blood to
recede from them, gather in too large guam
titles around the throat and chest, producing
unnatural enlargement OF the glands, and
other tissues there, and causing a correspond
ing debility and liability to disease.
The next best means OF strengthening these
membranes in children is free exposure to the
air, and by inducing them to exercise their lungs
and throat by giggling, laughing, Growing,
crying and every other means possible
Laughing and crying are very beneficial to
children. A child that spends one day with
out the one or the other cannot be healthy.
At any rate, their indulgence in these practices
strengthens and toughens the organs most ne
cessary to be strengthened, to guard them
against the fatal influence Of scarlet fever.
The way to give children exercise and air,
whether they are five days or five years old. is
To take them, into the open air-not to let the
air blow on them, but take them into it and
have the pure air of heaven all around them.
When thus exercised or exposed, their feet. legs
and arms should be warmly clad, but their
head, face, neck and shoulders exposed freely
to the air. You cannot, or should not, prevent
the cold air from being breathed into their
lungs. This is absolutely necessary to
strengthen them. II you, at the same time, let
The air of the same temperature nave free access
to the skin Of the chest, neck and throat, you
prevent their taking cold.
The simple means which we have now emu
merated can be applied and used by every
mother and nurse. II they are used and ap-
piled as directed above by all the mothers and
nurses in our land, they will prevent the scar
let fever from becoming fatal in thousands of
cases where IL otherwise would. These means
are as applicable to one part of the country as
10 another, and to rural districts a. well as to
cities. This fatal disease prevails in all these
localities, without reference to class or cir
cumstance of life, and these preventive means
should be resorted to by all.