The daily gazette., 1881-08-31
for the Health Of Chllarsn

Caring for the Health Of Childrenl
The st. Johns Guild, which 10 aoing
so much good BY the excursions for sick
children on the "FloatiDg Hospital = has
prepared printed address TO be deliver
cd personally TO every mother who
takes child on one of these trips TO
the Seaside Nursery during the remain
der of the summer, with q view of d.
minishing The great mortality among
infants. A few Of the most striking
points Of advice contained In the circu-
lar, as to cleanliness and healthful
treatment, are as follows:
II you wish to have healthy and
good child you must bathe the baby
twice day. There is perhaps no cross
and irritable man or woman who goes
without daily bath bat would be better
If it were regularly taken. Your infant
will be SO much more quiet with daily
baths as to fully pay you tor time any
trouble In giving them. 1t will grow
up stronger and will be more likely TO
have cleanly and genteel instincts all
through lite. Begin with water that is
moderately warm and change gradually.
very gradually, to cooler water, but not
to cold water. A cool bath will be more
strengthening than If you keep TO the
warm water, provided the child is not
too delicate to stand it. DO not be in
too great hurry to get 10 the cool bsth.
Reaction comes only when the child Is
we'll, strong and old enough to generate
animal heat. A handful of salt may be
thrown into the bath. Dry the child
quickly and gently aud dust the skin
with starch powder that has no scent
In it.
Clothing for Infants should be light
and warm. Through the earlier years
say for three years-a child needs plenty
of warmth. Let the feet, abdomen and
chest always be healtbfully warm. Do
not overdo this, however, with heavy
garments that will keep the child In a
vapor bath of perspiration. The flannel
clothing, as well as other dress OF the
child must be frequently changed to
promote health. All the clothing must
be loose enough to give fair play of the
vital organs.
1t is asserted that every year three
thousand children die in New York who
need not die If proper care were taken of
our children. High heated terms have
much to do with these deaths. Every
hour that young child Is exposed to q
temperature above eighty five or eighty
eight degrees In crowded neighborhood
IL is robbed of vitality. High heat acts
injuriously on its blood, nerve and mus
Gle cells, and also on tie digestive system
OF the child and the milk of q nursing
mother. High heat does more-it de-
composes all organic refuse and dirt In
houses aud about them and poisons air,
water, food, clothing, bedding, carpets,
etc. Hence the need Of frequent excur-
sions for children, and of cleanliness al
home.
Be clean In everything pertaining ia
your rooms or you will poison the child
you love, not enough to kill it perhaps,
but sufficient to impair vitality and
make 1t harder for the child to live. II
neiehbors will not keep elean-and es.
pecially If there be foul odors that come
into your rooms-complain to the Board
of Health, No. 3O1 Mott street. Keer
the child clean or it will poison ITSELF
All discharges from the body are poison
ous-those from the skin as we'll as 9TH
ers' An unpleasant smell that Is per
ceived about many persons and in theil
apartments is known as the 0dor hu
manus, or human odor--that is, th,
smell of dead, foul, poisonous matter
exhaled through the skin and neve
| washed from the body.
Neither milk or drinking water shoHl'
| be allowed to stand In open vessels wher,
| it might become contaminated by tn,
germs of disease or from foul or infected
air from sinks, drains, cesspools or othe
sources. Both milk and water readil.
absorb the germs Of great variety o
diseases, as for Instance, diarrhoea, dys
entery, typhoid fever, diphtheria, etc.