American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1881-03-19
The Care Of Sick Children.

end she deSired.-Er1seSt IngerS0lt, IN
ST. Nicholas.
The Care Of Sick Children.
/ When healthy child is awakened 10
the morning by vomiting it is tolerably
certain to be the victim of some erup-
tive disease before nightfall. Measles
comes on, like severe cold, with
sneezing, etc. The rash is of a dull
red, and usually appears first about the
forehead and neck. Scarlet fever is
usually accompanied by sore throat,
more or less severe as the case is mild
or the reverse. The rash is bright
red, and generally is seen first on the
chest. Chicken-pox is attended with
fever; the spots are small separate pim-
Piles. sometimes covering the whole
body, which after time become little
pustules filled with matter. 1t is al
ways well to give an ailing child a warm
bath. If there is rash coming it will
help to throw it out, and in any case
the effect will be soothing and grateful.
1t should not remain in the water more
than q few minutes, and when taken
out be wrapped in a blanket and quickly
dried with warm towels. Typhoid
fever is preceded by great languor.
headache and drowsiness, followed by
delirium.
In fevers the two principal points to
which all efforts are directed are to
lower the temperature and sustain the
strength. German physicians recon-
mend that the whole body be sponged
with ice cold water and cold baths be
given, but this violent treatment has
not foun6 favor in this country. Many
doctors prescribe sponging with cool or
tepid water several times a day. The
night-dress should be removed, and the
little sufferer covered with a blanket
Only small portion of the body should
be wetted at once, and dried as quickly
as possible. Battling the hands and
face frequently Is very refreshing and
will sometimes induce sleep. 1t is
often matter of no small difficulty to
persuade a sick child to take the requi-
site amount of nourishment, and every
device must be made use of to over
come its reluctance. If the child is not
too ill to notice, it will take liquid
more readily if it is put in small cup
or pretty mug. Beef tea should be
made as strong as possible by boiling the
beef in bottle, and thus extracting the
juice pure. 1t should be given cold,
iced, or even frozen and broken into
little humps. 1t may be made into q
thin white soup by adding little
boiled milk thickened with arrowroot.
The white of an egg beaten and added
to mug of milk increases its nourish-
ing properties. If stimulant is ordered,
wine whey may be given. 1t is made
by pouring a wineglass of sherry or
Madeira into q pint of boiling milk and
stirring it for moment until the curds
and whey separate, when it must be
oku hot 2
child has q convulsion it should be
placed in warm bath with towel
wrung out of cold water on its head,
and after remaining there about five
minutes lifted out and dried in u blank
ct 1t should be kept as quiet as posi-
BILE until the doctor comes. In no case
does more depend upon early treatment
than in that scourge of childhood, Group.
The ordinary spasmodic Group, though
alarming, is seldom fatal il taken in
time; but if neglected it may terminate
in observation-disclosures or true Group,
from which recovery is much more
doubtful.
The first thing to he done is to pro-
duce vomiting as speedily as possible.
To a child under year old half a tea
spoonful of ipecac may be given and
repeated within twenty minutes. The
dose may be increased to a teaspoonful
and q half for q child between two and
three, and to two teaspoonfuls for one
of five or six. If there is no ipecac In
the house tablespoonful of mustard
should be mixed in a tumbler of warm
water. and doses given beginning
with tablespoonful until vomiting
is established. The little sufferer
should be put into a warm bath to relax
the muscles, and unless relief IL oh
tanned physician should be sent for at
once. Hall a teaspoonful of powdered
alum in dessertspoonful of molasses
| is highly recommended by some author
| tiles, and may be tried il the doctor
cannot be found. The dose may be re-
peated in q short time.
In diseases of the chesta child should
be raised by pillows into half sitting
position, as this makes it more easy for
| it to breathe. Great attention should
be paid to the ventilation and con-
slant supply of fresh air introduced,
| taking care that there is no exposure
| to draft, and that q uniform tempera-
ture is maintained. When the brain is
affected the room must be darkened
and kept perfectly quiet. The child
never should be suddenly aroused, but
spoken to gently and soothingly. If it
| makes a great resistance to taking med
icine the doctor should be informed. as
the excitement produced may do more
| harm than the medicine would do good.
A sick child never should be left alone
for more than a few minutes at a time,
yet it should be carefully guarded from
! excitement and noise, and other chill
dren should be kept away from it.
| Birds should be removed from the
room; their loud shrill noise is very an
moving to weak nerves. AS much care
is needed during convalescence as in
| the height of the illness, and sometimes
even more is necessary. Each disease
has its peculiar dangers, which demand
After measles there is a liability to
cold. causing Inflammation of the
lungs. The eyes are still weak, and a
child should not be allowed to use them
long at once, or to read or work by gas
light. In convalescence from scarlet
fever, sudden changes of temperature
| that might cause chill are especially
to be avoided. In recovering from
diphtheria and typhoid fever great at
tention should be paid to the diet. All
danger is not over for some weeks. In
the latter disease the glands ulcerate
internally; they usually heal, but i'm
proper food may cause unhealthy ac-
ton; Inflammation follows, the ulcer
perforates the bowels and death
ensues. Hence no new article of diet
should be given without the doctors
leave. nor should the child be permitted
to use any violent exertion.-Elizabeth
n. Scovu, in Christian Union.
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