Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1873-08-12
Infant Poisoning.

The country is now Hooded with soothing
.ir,ps, all of which are said to be beneficial IN
their effects The terrible deathrates in all sec
lions of the land, but especially in the cities,
among infants and young children, renders the
subec, Of iutautilc remedies of very great i'm
portance, and it should engage the consldera-
ion of the public as 1t does, and indeed very
seriously, too, that OF physicians. Mothers and
purses are becoming more and more accustom-
ed 10 resort to the use of soothing slrups ibis
tendency is so grievous one that the atten-
lion Of those who have the care of young child
ren should be called to the subject and they
should closely examine the motives which lead
to its employment that they may understand
the immediate and remote effects which are
liable to accrue from its continued use.
The peculiar soothing nature OF this class OF
drugs is derived from opium. The reasons tor
the use of these remedies given by CORES
pondent writing on the subject, may be briefly
summed up as follows:
Mothers do not like to be disturbed (especl-
ally fashionable ones) by crying infants. From
this social class, down through the whole grade,
10 the poor women who are obliged to murder
their children in order to earn subsistence for
,nem and to the nurses who go about caring
t,r children with DO thought for the welfare OF
their charges, only influenced by pecunlary
considerations, the writer claims are admins
,vring uoStrums without regard to the terrible
results which are sure to follow. That nurses
10 many instances are culpable in this respect
there can be no doubt. That they are all so is
not true. AS class they are probably as re-
liable as the majority of hired help, aud when
they use soothing sirup, in most cases it is done
without the remotest idea Of its being deIeter-
aus 10 its effects But the general charge Of
rrimnaliry should not be made against any
mother, though, perhaps in isolated cases, it
may exist. We are inclined to believe that
sheer ignorance is the real cause; and though it
may be considered crimiDal to be ignorant upon
matters of this kind, there are many just ex-
cu>c> for it.
The soothing sirups are advertised in every
respectable paper 10 the country as perfectly
harmless Mothers who have reared children
in comparative good health, having used the
article very judiciously, pronounce the op-
position to its use all bosh. BY these, and
similar reasons are mothers wofully deceived.
The safe course to pursue is to act upon the
priuclpal-perhaps not always a correct one
that all widely advertised patent medicines are
essentially quack remedies, and should not be
used Probably soothing sirups, If administer
ed di>crccty, would produce no apparentlnJu
The greatest evil is the undue quantities gwen;
aud ii these Dostrums were all that were claim
cd for them, the eutire ignorance of the power
or effect Of given doses upon children OF differ
en ages habits, and constitutions cannot but
create error and bad results
This matter is an all-important one, and
very little investigation will convince the most
ob,use person that any medicines containing
oIiaes or narcotics should not be administered
10 lutauts except in extreme cases. Medical
authoritv is scttlea on this pOnt and know too
we'll the long train of evils that result from the
Use of such remedies. Will all who hold the
health and life of children in their hands
profit by these facts, and not wait for bitter ex-
n"rience to demonstrate their TRUTH Wash.
TL,oooc7o