Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1893-12-22

n ~, !" viz sound tha,
gleets the %s,nr,lrl
ears of the mo,t,r,,,a
night after Christmas, and generals :, :''e
noise that may we'll sturtle the ears - u
mother. 1t is next to impossible to nr." Il
children from eating things on t,,,t , ,a'
that prove too much for the fonda, :"
tie stomachs. Loving aunts. indnio ~
gr1ndmOthers, needless fathers md IS, 81
Ignorant mothers let the little ones "ne.
the baby, have things that no ch;,1 s
grown person should Eat. They say "nM
IL little won't hurt him." but when nv. WILL
every one in the household has acted "n',ls
sam" principle the children have G,,,n
themselves with indigestiblc stuH i;,,I'
better than poison. "'H
Christmas is a day wherein nearly .,..
body gets more than is good for him ~,
the food considered suitable for that dow ~
OF the richest and most complicated .,I
indigestible kind. Grown peonlc GmI
a Christmas days feasting a %serions mat
ter. How then can We expect a little chilli
to live through it? \ physician of nn,a
once said more children die of ovor.,,;n
than of starvation.
The most dreaded and dangerous form ~
illness resulting from '. ieatinp /. ,la
~convnlsion. The child may or NAV No,
show signs OF the coming illness. Its cheeks
may be very red, it's lips white and pjncbcI
ana the child cross and nervous, It. nav
80 to sleep, but it will often cry ont ~
sleep and move about restlesslv, The mnsl
Giles often twitch and the eyes f,pouen,Ir
turn upward, but all these sympton,s nav
Ike present and yet the child will not have
a convulsion. Still they give sufficient ca,,se
for alarm to demand IL good dose of sir,,n
OF rhubarb, or of magnesia. or n VIM,
glassful of Hunyadi mineral water which
l have used with good success with cbil'
dren. VIII
Where there are symptoms like tboso
mentioned above, one has n warnino .nJ
can combat the danger, but only too off, ON
there is no sign of coming sickness mil
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 s,f fer.,
who lies rigid and without consciousness
The eyes are then turned upward. havinv
only the whites visible, the little teeth ar.
set tightly and the lips drawn back. After
awhile the commissions begin, and the poor
little muscles strain, and the child writhca
and twists, but is MI the while unconscious.
Sometimes bloody froth appears in the
mouth, the breath comes irrpg,.larly and
often seems to stop altogether-and some
times does.
There is something so unearthly in tl,ay
one terrible cry that precedes a convulsjon
that no mother ever heard it without trcm.
bling. In an instant the doctor is sent for.
anu women fly for remedies. The first
thing is to get the little sufferer into a bot
bath up to the chin, the water to be as hot
as the mothers wrist can bear. 1t is easy
to say from so to 100 degrees of heat, but
few have Il thermometer at hand. 50 the
mothers wrist must be the guide in inner.
gencies.
The child should remain in the water 10
TO 10 minutes, II little longer if the cOnvul-
slons do not relax somewhat. Then it
should he taken from the water and laid in
IL warmed shawl or wooden blanket, with
out stopping to dry or dress the little one,
ana us soon as 1t can swallow give it an
emetlc OF warm mustard or salt and water
"a teaspoonful of either is enough), mixed
with u cup of warm water. Sirup of ipecac
is better still, if ut 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 asthe vomiting has ceased. a dose
or 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 chlorofo"m to quiet the commissions,
put all doctors agree that nothing can be
done for a child in commissions from the
Christmas feast but to rid it as quickly as
possible OF the cause of its trouble, and the
hot bath and emetic are the first rene
dies and cal De 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
sirnp OF ipecsc, two ounces of spiced sirnp
OF rlilbarb and two ounces of castor oil.
When she goes to bed Mt night, after the
great day has passed, she will have seen
that there is IL plentiful supply of hot water,
anu that the mustard and salt are handy,
and lastly she will visit each happy if un-
comfortable little sleeper and see how he or
she looks and note whether the sleep is
restless and the child flushed. Then she
may go to bed and sleep with one eye open
ana both ears and all her senses on the alert.
A few such precautions would prevent many
an early death, and a little more firmness
in not allowing children to eat too much
sweets III rich food would avoid these
dangers. KATHERINE LORD.