Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-11-14
Commissions in Children.

Commissions are hardly a disease,
since they generally accompany some
other complaint already mentioned.
But they are often tile herald that an.
nounces serious trouble, the child hav.
ing been, perhaps, only slightly ailing,
possibly only fretful, which has been
accounted for by the fact of teething,
when without further warning the lit
tie one is seized with a CONFUSION.
Then, if ever, does the mother need
self-control or knowledge. The thing
to be accomplished as soon as possible
and with the least possible disturbance
of the patient, is to entirely strip the
child of clothing and immerse all but
the face In as warn water as can be
borne without scalding, adding to the
bath little mustard. When the rigid
limbs relax, lift from the bath and
wrap in soft, warm blanket, keeping
the child perfectly quiet, either laying
it down or holding it straight out
across the lap. Do not be alarmed il
it sleeps for some time, so long as the
breathing is regular, the limbs fexi-
BILE. 1t will probably be frightened
when first waking, speak quietly,
softly, and handle gently. Don't press
the child convulsively TO you. weeping
and exclaiming; babe of six months
only, will gaze at its mothers tear
stained face with a wonder and ankle
t. that does not add to the quieting of
the over-strained nervous system.
The causes of commissions are so
varied, it's not practicable to give
medicinal treatment here. Place the
case in your family physicians care
and for several days keep the little
one very quiet If in the summer,
avoid the hot sun while giving plenty
of outdoor air. If there is indigestion
give only the simplest food.
Some infants are born with q ten
dency to go into commissions at the
least provocation; they have a brain
and nervous system all hyp@mic, they
are unusually bright; as a rule they
sleep but little, waken very easily and
are startled by loud or unusual noises.
Mother, if you have one of these
dainty, mercurial infants, don't be
driven by threats, inuendOes or re-
quests into treating it as so and so
does her great, fat phlegmatic baby.
You can't accustOm such a baby to
sleep through a cyclone, not even
small one, until it is several months
old, neither would it be safe to put it
to bed in the dark, and let it cry itself
to sleep. More children than the world
knows of have died from this fanatical
idea, that it's all nonsense child be-
ing afraid of the dark. There are
adults who have never overcome their
fear of dark. 1t is false idea that
a child will not be hurt by crying itself
to sleep. 1t may cause severe illness,
may even produce imbecility, often
does produce hernia, especially with
male infants. 1t all depends on cir
cumstances; a mother is hard-hearted
indeed, who can stand the long-con-
tinued sobbing from this cause. l
have mentioned hernia as one of the
possible results. This trouble is much
more common among infants than is
generally supposed Is your little boy
fretful one, often crying as if in pain
for hours, the bowels inclined to ir-
regularity? examine very carefully for
evidences of rupture. In some cases
the wearing of a well-titting pad has
transformed peevish, fretful babe in
to merry little rogue; again the early
use of a perfectly-ftting truss may
make a complete cure.-GOod House
keeping.