The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1893-12-20


night after Christmas, and generally it is
noise that may we'll starte the ears of a
mother 1t is next to impossible to prevent
children from eating things on that day
that prove too much for the tender lit
tie stomachs Loving aunts, indulgent
grandmothers, needless fathers and often
ignorant mothers let the little ones, even
the baby, have things that no child or
grown person should eat. They say, "Oh,
a little won't hurt him." but when nearly
every one in the household has acted ON the
same principle the children have filled
themselves with indigestible stuff little
better than poison.
Christmas is day wherein nearly every
body gets more than is good for him, and
the food considered suitable for that day is
of the richest and most complicated and
indigestible kind. Grown people find
Christmas days feasting a serious mat
ter. How then can we expect little child
to live through it? A physician of note
once said more children die of overeating
than of starvation.
The most dreaded and dangerous form of
illness resulting from overeating is the
convulsion. The child may or may not
show signs of the coming illness. Its cheeks
may be very red, its lips white and pinched,
and the child cross and nervous. 1t may
go to sleep, but it will often cry out in
sleep and move about restlessly. The mus
cles often twitch and the eyes frequently
turn upward, but all these symptoms may
be present and yet the child will not have
a convulsion. Still they give sufficient cause
for alarm to demand good dose of strip
of rhubarb. or of magnesia or wine
glassful of Hunyadi mineral water, which
/ have used with good success with chill
dren.
Where there are symptoms like those
mentioned above, one has warning and
can combat the danger, but only too often
there is no sign of coming sickness until
the mother hears that one strange croak-
ing cry, and then it is often too late, and in
any case requires the most active and he
roic treatment to save the little sufferer
who lies rigid and without consciousness
The eyes are then turned upward, having
only the whites visible, the little teeth are
set tightly and the lips drawn back. After
awhile the commissions begin, and the poor
little muscles strain, and the child writhes
and twists, but is all the while unconscious
Sometimes bloody froth appears in the
mouth, the breath comes irregularly and
often seems to stop altogether-and some
times does.
There is something so unearthly in that
one terrible cry that precedes convulsion
that no mother ever heard it without trem-
) bling In an instant the doctor is sent for,
and women fly for remedies. The first
thing is to get the little sufferer into hot
bath up to the chin, the water to be as hot
as the mothers wrist can bear. 1t is easy
to say from 90 to 100 degrees Of heat, but
fnxV m of or nt ha
mothers wrist must be the guide In emer-
gencies.
The child should remain In the water 10
to 10 minutes, u little longer IL the convul-
sions do not relax somewhat Then 1t
should be taken from the water and laid in
awarmed shawl or wooden blanket, with
out stopping to dry or dress the little one.
and as soon as 1t can swallow give it an
emetic Of warm mustard or salt and water
Ia teaspoonful of either is enough), mixed
with cup of warm water Sirup of ipecac
is better still, if at hand, and can be given
in teaspoonful doses every 10 minutes until
the little stomach is freed from the cause of
irritation. AS soon as the child has vomit-
ed freely the commissions generally cease,
but some nervous children are apt to have
several in succession.
As soon as the vomiting has ceased, a dose
of castor oil, rhubarb or magnesia should
be given, the oil preferably, as it heals and
Gains the irritation and carries off the mat
ter which has caused all the danger and
trouble. Some physicians employ ether
and chloroform to quiet the commissions,
but all doctors agree that nothing can be
done for n child in commissions from the
Christmas feast but to rid 1t as quickly as
possible of the cause of its trouble, and the
hot bath and emetie are the first RENE
dies and can be administered safely while
awaiting the arrival of the doctor. None
but physicians should administer ether.
The wise mother will take care to include
among her Christmas purchases an ounce OF
strip of ipecac, two ounces of spiced sirur
of rhubarb and two ounces of castor oil
When she goes to bed at night, after the
great day has passed, she will have seer
that there is a plentiful supply of hot water
and that the mustard and salt are handy
and lastly she will visit each happy IL un
comfortable little sleeper and see how he o.
she looks and note whether the sleep Il
restless and the child flushed. Then sh,
may go to bed and sleep with one eye opeI
and both ears and all her senses on the alert
Afew such precautions would prevent man.
an early death, and a little more firmnes
in not allowing children to eat too mucl
sweets and rich food would avoid thes
dangers. KATHERINE LORD.