Democratic messenger., 1893-12-23

u Etttt~ thr startled
ears of the mother the
night after Christmas, and generally il i "A
noise that may wei! starilc the ears Of IA
mother Ii i next "a impossible 10 prevent
children from eating things on that day
that prove too much for the tender lit
tie stomachs. Lowing aunt-. indulgcnt
gran,lmotherS. 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.
little won't hurt Kim, hut when nearly
every one in the household has acted on the
same principle the children have filled
themselves with indit,estible stun little
better than poison.
Christmas is a day wherein nearly every
body gets more than i e""i for him. and
the food considered suitable FOR HAT ,lay is
of the richest ard most complicated and
indigcSiibic Kind. Grown people find
Christmas day frasting "A serious mat
ter. How then can We expect Il little child
TO live through iiy y physician of note
once said more children lic nf ovcrcaiing
than of starvation.
The most dreaded aud dangerous form Of
illness resulting from ovrrcatIng is the
CONFUSION. The child may ar may not
show signs Of the coming Illness Its cheeks
may bc very r,si. lis lips white and pinchcd,
and the child cross and nervous. IL may
20 tn sleep. but il will often cry out in
sleep and move about rcsilcssly The mus
cles often twiich and the eyes frequcntl,
turn upward, hut all these symptoms ma,
be present and yet the child will not hay,
n conyulsion. Still they give sufficient caus,
for alarm to demand Il good dose Of sirIp
of rhubarb. or Of ma.ncsa. or "a wine
glassful of lIunyaii mineral water. which
have used with good success with chill
dren.
Where there are symptoms like those
mentioned above. one has Il warming and
can combat the danger. hut 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 Ia save the little sufferer,
who lies rigid and without consciousness.
The eyes arr then turned upward having
only the whites visible. the little teeth are
set tightly aud the lips drawn hack. After
awhile the commissions hcgin, and the poor
little muscles strain, and the child writhes
and twists l,ut j. all the while unconscious.
Sometimes blonsiy frnth appears in tho
mouth. the breath comes irrrgularly and
often seems Ia stop altogether and some
times does.
There il something ~ uncarthly in thnt
onc terrible crN that prvc,si,> a cnnvulsion
that no moi her ever heard il without trem-
bling Ia an instant the ,ioc;or j. sent for
and women ily for remedies. The first
thing j. to get lll, little sufferer into hot
lsath up to the chin. the water TO bc as hot
a. the mothers wrist can ls-ar n il easy
to say frum 80 t. ls1 drgns.> of heat, but
few have a ihermomrtrr AT hand. 81 the
mothers wrist must L. the guide ia emer-
grncie~.
Ths child should ryInain in the water 10
Ca u ninuis-~. a little longer il the convul-
siou> ID nni relax somewhat Then IL
should h. taken from ia. water and laid in
y warmed shawl nr ws.plrn blanket. with
oui stopping "a dry or dress the little one.
and a. >sHpn a. il can swallow give it an
emeiic af warm mustard or salt aud water
IA tea~Is-snful of either j. cnoushD. mixed
with cup oi warm water. Sirup of ipccac
l. lstter STILL il at hand. and can be given
In teaSIasonful doses every 10 minutes until
the little stomach J. irs,'d from he cause of
irritation. ~ S,ou a. the child has yomit-
al freely the commissions generally cease,
hut some nervous children are apt To have
several in succession.
A. soon a. the vomiting has ceased "A dose
Of castor oil. rhuhirh or magnc>ia should
he given. the oil preferably. a. it heals and
calms the irritation AMI carries oil the mat
ter which has c;us,t! all the danger and
trouble. Some physicians employ ether
and chloruform Ia quiet the commissions.
but all doctors agree that nothing can he
done for a child in commissions from the
Christmas feast but to rid il ~ quickly as
possible of the caI>e Of it, trouble. and the
hot bath and cmeiic are the first RENE
dies aud can bc administered safely while
awaiting the arrival of the doctor. None
but physicians should administer ether.
The wisc mother will take care to include
among her Christmas purchases an ounce Of
sirup OF ipecac, two ounces Of Spiced sirup
of rhubarb and two ounces of castor oil.
When she goes Ia bed at night after the
great day has passed. She will have seen
that there is plentiful supply of hot water,
and that the mustard and salt are handy,
and lastly she will visit each happy if uil-
comfortable little sleeper aud see how he or
she looks and note whether the sleep is
restless and the child flushed. Then she
may 20 to bed and sleep with enc eye open
and both ears and MI her >enscs ON the alert.
| A few such prccaui ions would prevent many
an early death, and u little more firmncss
in not allowing children TO eat too much
sweets and rich food would avoid these
dangers. KATHERINE LORD.