The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1873-09-11
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Infant, POisOning.

The country is now flooded with soothing
ssgups, all of which are said to be benehcial IN
their effects. The terrible death-rates in all
sections Of The land, but especially in the Cities
among infants and young children, renders the
subject of infantile remedies Of very great I'M
portance, and it should engage the considera-
ton of the public as it. does and indeed very
seriously, too, that of physicians. Mothers and
nurses are becoming more and more accustomed
TO resort to the use Of soothing sirups. This
tendency is..so grievous a one that the attention
of those who have the care of young children
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. .,.lst..;zt.g
The peculiar soothing nature of this class OF
drugs is derived from opium. The reasons for
the use of these remedies given by a cores
pondent writing on the subject, may be briefly
summed up as follows: ,.,T. .rr.Ft. stst,:.
Mothers do not like to be disturbed {especi-
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 a subsistence for
them. and to.the nurses who 60 about caring
for the children with no thought Of the welfare
of their charges, only influenced by pecuniary
considerations, the writer claims are admins
tering nostrums without regard to the terrible
results which are sure to follow. That nurses
in many instances are culpable in this respect
there canbe no doubt. That they are all sois not
true. As class they are probably as reliable
as the majority of hired help, and when they
use soothing sirup, in most cases, it is done
without the remotest idea Of its being deleter-
Gus in It's effects. But the general charge of
,ho ba nnodp aooinct sanv
mother, through, perhaps, in isolated cases, it
may exise We are inclined 'to believe that
sheer ignorance is the real cause; and though
it NAV be considered criminal to be ignorant
upon matters of this kind, there are many just
excuses for it. ~ Z rdt s>it.n
These soothing sirups are advertised in every
respectable paper in 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
principle,-perhaps not always correct one
thstall widely advertised patent medicines are
are essentially euack remedies, and should not
Seused Probably soothing sirups, it admin
istered discreetly, produce no apparent injury.
The greatest evil il. the undue quantities given
and if these nostrulns were all that were claimed
for them. the entire ignorance of the power or
effect of given doses upon children of different
ages, habits, and constitutions cannot but Gre
ate error and bad results.
This matter is an all-important one, and
very little investigation will convince the most
ebtase person that any medicines containing
opiates or narcotics should not be administered
10 infants, except in extreme cases. Medical
authority Is settled on this point, and know too
yen lifelong train of evils that result from the
use of such remedies. Will all who value the
health and life of children in their hands profit
by these facts, and not wait for bitter expert
ence to demonstrate their truth