Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-06-14
WHY YOUR BABY CRIES.
EMINENT PHYSICIANS REGARD.
ING THE CAUSE.
fearful Influence of Pins, Collie, Hunger
and Thirst-Effect of Mourning At
tire on Babies-Reguiar Habits.
Although all babies are not crybabies,


! Crying and babies go together just as
ham and eggs do, liver and bacon, hooks
and eyes, shoes and stockings, bread and
butter. The angelic baby whose wings de-
crease as his legs increase is tine only ami
| NAL that wastes his vitality in promiscuous
| yelling. And yet there is philosophy in the
| tuneless music of infancy not generally
understood by the world at large. Although
involuntary, a well organized baby will
show as much intelligence in his crying as
his parents may in thinking.
Being the anchor of its mother, no one
should know more about the subject than
mothers; but unfortunately no medical or
professional women with children could be
induced to express an opinion as to why a
naby cries.
OF the fifteen women doctors seen only
three had babies of their own, one had an
urgent case to attend and begged to be ex-
cuSed, the other was in a hurry to catch a
train, and the third remarked, with mas
culine emphasis that she had no time to
bother with reporters.
The following opinions, most cheerfully
expressed by some of the representative
members of the New York Medical society,
will be read with both interest and pleas
ure by every mother and lover of baby.
SUFFERING OFTEN THE CAUSE.
DR.. Janeway-Babies crying are babies
speaking. 1t is their protest against pain,
i'll usage or neglect. But one mother
knows more about the causes than 10000
doctors.
DR.. j. W. Dowling-A baby does not cry
aImlessly. If there is pin in his flesh, if
his stomach is full of wind, if he has indi-
gestion, cold feet or a headache he will cry
long and loud. He will cry, too if he is
hungry, thirsty, sleepy, angry, hot or cold.
The colicky cry is loud, emphatic and i'm
pressive; it has a businesslike, imperative,
ring to it that calls for immediate and
remedial attention.
When the brain is affected the cry is
sharp and shrill, amounting to shrek at
times, and is indicative of intense and I'M
bearable pain. A cry of this sort is pos
itively Acquiring to the listeners, for there
Is no mistaking the pain felt by the little
one
Then there is the teething cry-a pitiful,
incessant, unremitting little whine that is
at times incisive and petulant, and accom-
panied by restlessness and ill temper The
hungry cry is a bawl, vehement, eager, ur-
gent and impatient
The sleepy cry is something of a wall,
but not fearful as rule. The child is fire.
quently sweet tempered, though iudiffer-
ent, generally nervous and heavy eyed.
The vicious cry, caused by restraint or dis
appointment, is noisy, clamorous, lusty
and rebelliouS; there is more volume of
voice than tears, the quality and size of
the tone depending upon the anger IF the
little one.
1t is good test of the condition of the
respiratory organs, and can be maintained
for hours by strong, healthy child. If it
has inherited the wiIlful, domineering
traits of parent or grandparent, it may
throw itself on the floor, kick, scream and
roll about for variety and keep up the howl
until the opponent yields or it has exhaust
ed its lung power.
thousands OF times pins are the cause of
1nfantile outbursts. No baby will cry if it
is well and happy. Crying is ademonstra-
ton of suffering, discomfort, neglect or
hereditary viciOusness.
HUNGER, THIRST AND FEAR.
DIR. Sumner A. Mason-A baby does most
of his crying because he is hungry. The
cry of thirst, while not frequent, is invari-
ably taken for grief, anger or sleepiness,
and the mother spends hours patting and
rocking the youngster, when tablespoon
full of cold water would make him perfect
ly happy. Aside from the cry caused by
hunger, thirst and teething, there are al.
most as many other cries as there are in
fantile disorders.
For instance, there is the exploratory
moan in pneumonia, and the husky cry
that follows the coughing; there is the
broken cry in Group, bronchitis and pleur-
lsy; the continuous cry of earache, the
shrill cry, accompanied by drawing up
of the legs, in stomach ache; the scream
ing, and wriggling of the hips in intestinal
pain, irritability of the bladder, the whin-
ing cry OF meningitis, when the baby faa-
cies bright light, and there is the silent
cry when the muscles of the face contract,
but some mechanical obstruction of the air |
passages occurs, and there is not enough |
strength to produce sound.
DR.. j. Lewis Smith-The instant child |
is born it cries This is a providential ex-
pansion of the lungs and not, as many sup |
pose, an indication of suffering or pain. If |
the babe does not cry, we slap it and chafe l
it until the cry that is to open the organs |
of respiration is heard. Well developed, |
well formed and healthy babies cry Justify |
at birth, while the weak child has feeble |
little cry. For the first few months, vary
ing with the bodily condition Of the babe, |
the cry is fearless, and it is not till the sec
ond year that the lachrynal or tear ducts |
are fully developed. After that there is a
copious shedding, and very slight cause
will lead to crying.
Children are net born without fear, and
at sight of strange person, object or an
baby of average intelligence will |
cry. A black dog. black cat or horse will
produce more disturbance in the mind of
a baby than white kitten, canary bird or
a white rabbit. Children are visibly at
tracted by any bright object; they never
tire Of looking at bright light: flowers
please them, and they are drawn to people
gayly or brightly dressed. A child refus-
ing to go TO relative in dark clothes
would not hesitate if the suit were changed
to a light color, with white, red or blue
York World,