Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1867-08-28


rounds, / called at the house OF one of my
patrons, the following conversation ensued,
and hoping it will b Of interest to some of
your readers / take the liberty to communi-
cate it TO the puoilc through your valuable
paper:
been an nxiously looking for you these last two
or three days, because one Of our neighbors
had q sick child, for which she wished to con.
sni. you; but it died this morning The chli-
knowledge, during the last forty eight hours,
at least four or fiye death cases occurred in
this nefghborhood." "What died they of 70
'They died all Of summer complaint. They
suffered much from severe diarrhea, and some
with vomiting, too The teething takes great
many Of the peor children away in this man
ner asepea my dear
against the Creator which Adam used when
the Lord made search for his iniquity; he said:
sThe woman which thou gavest me to be with
teeth which the God Of Nature is about to
give the child made 1t 80 sick that 1t died.
Would IL not be shocking cruelty of the
Creator to make the teeth, which the child
must necessarily have for it's future existence,
the cause OF its destruction l admit that
NatHre, in her evolutions and developments,
is sometimes stormy, explosive and may
be destructive; yet those cases are rare at least
not so frequent as is generally thought, and
which we are pleased 10 adopt, in order TO
have soothing cloak for our own error, ig-
ing is always accompanied with greater ac-
uvity Of the vital process, particularly in the
Jaws, and OF course with liability to congestion
OF blood to the head; this in its progression
may cause fever, and This again may devel.
op inf1amation Of the brain or its in nvolucrums;
the consequence OF such congestive states may
De accumulation OF water in the head. or in the
various cavities Of the brain. To meet such
extremes, Nature often causes q diarrhea, to
act derivatory from the brain, which through
neglect may destroy the life Of the little suffer.
er. Other consequences of denti.ion may he
convulsion, even lockjaw. but such cases are
extremely rare. The most frequent cause of
fatal diarrha and cholera lnfantun is the in.
judicions nourishment OF infants. A babe
unless it is supplied with its complete set OF
teeth, to enable 1t to chew and masticate, and
Thus pre- are the nutrments for digestion. The
food of the adult is first masticated and under
admixture OF the saliva, partly decomposed,
then con veyed into the stomach, when it IS con.
vere into homogeneous pulse, which we
call chyme, then in the intestines under the
admixture OF the bile and the salivary secre.
tion Of the large abdominal saliva gland it is
con nverted INTO chyle, which through thous-
ands or millions OF follicles and glands passes
10 the milkduct, which carries it under the
name of milky Juice into the blood, from which
ell parts OF the body are supplied with their
peculiar restorativss. All this circumstantal
and tortuous process ia not necessary in infan-
tile digestion; milk being already introduced,
which 10 its larger part may be readily alb
sorbed; therefore the stomach ana the whole
digestive apparatus may be properly compar.
soon as 1t comes in contact with It. The cor.
rectness OF this theory is plausible from the
fact that healthy mother, absent from her
child TOR an unusual length OF time, may re-
lieve her breast by drawing cup full OF milk
from each breast, which IS generally done
with great readiness. Two such cupfuils
child OF three or four months Of age, ch otls
meals gets at least pint of milk. no ", 1t calls
for Its meals at least 4, S, or times a day, the
lowest estimate consequently would be two
two quarts OF milk in vessel before your
eyes, and you will certainly think it a quanti-
ty too much for child to consume in one day,
especially when your purse should be con.
cerned, and if the child must be raised without
the mothers breast ycu will think you must
give him something substantial, as tea
and, and crackers, &c: The consequences in
engorgement of the lympnatic vessels and
glands, scroiula with all It's ruinous and fatal
consequences. The more frequent evils OF
such an tmprudent treatment of children Is
ch holera infantum, intestinal consumption, or
falai diarrhoea. When the diarrhoea OF an in
fant in its commencementis is accompanied with
fBud, offensive odor, you may rest assured
are so inconsiderate and light-minded that
they allow q babe to eat anything for which
it stretches forth its little begging hand, they
would take 1t to the table and allow it to put
in it's mouth that comes within its
reach they will boast Of the heariness ofsuch
child that eats anything; nay, the women even
ad wise each other to take the baby to the table
and give 1t taste of everything they eat;
that makes, they say, hearty child. The con-
sequences of such mprudence will bring,
sooner or later, the sorest grief and distress to
the parents. There are, however, other causes
OF diarrhoea In infants, as for instance, cold
Suffice 1t to state that the summer-heat MAKES
the children perspire most freely, and when
the perspiralion is suddenly checked. the
mucuous membranes Of the alimentary canal
assume the Office of eliminating those wastes,
which should be thrown off through the skin
The variety OF causes of diarrnoea being un-
known to the mother, she orten resorts to the
most conflicting remedies, and having thus
experimental with every kind Of patent medl-
cines for some time In vain, they send for the
doctor, who, on his arrival, finds the child in
state beyond recovery; SO they soothe at
least their conscience with the illusion to have
done everything that could be DONE and if pos.
sibie, charge the medical profession with in
ability to cure