Evening star., 1894-12-15
OPIATES FOR CHILDREN,
Present Danger and Subsequent Evil
of QuietinG a Child With Drugs.

From the st. Louis Republic.
Love Of stimulants is inherent in very
few children, but is a case inculcated dur
ing infancy; and not alone by nurses but
by mothers, who, through ignorance or in
difference, run terrible future risks for
sake of a little present quiet. 1t is in the
medicine that the harm lies. No matter
what the ailment may be, the remedies are
near kin, drops, cordials, paregoric or
laudanum, given with the intention not SO
much to cure as to soothe the child and in
duce sleep.
The prime factor of all these compounds
is opium. Now, opium itself is wonderful
medicine, but skilled practitioner hesi-
tates to give 1t to child because it's re-
suits are impossible to foresee. While 10
drops of laudanum scarcely affects one
child 1t might, and often has, killed an
other.
Paregoric is laudanum and camphor, with
two other ingredients, and while not so
dangerous, yet it possesses great posSibili-
ties for evil. Drops and cordials are much
like paregoric, only stronger, and soothing
sirups also contain opium in some form.
l do not imply that these medicines
should never be used for children. On the
contrary, paregoric, especially, is essen
TALLY a child's remedy. But 1t takes
mighty sensible mother or nurse to tell
when it is necessary to be taken. To put a
childs crying down to hunger or illness is
a tradition of the nursery that has sur
vived many better theory, and bids fair
to outlaSt many more. A little discipline,
rightly applied, often effects a rapid and
lasting cure for unexplainable tears. Ba-
bies, as a general thing, do not need medi-
cines other than pure air, cleanliness and
nutritious food.
The only time when mother is really
excusable for drugging a child is when
one sleepless night has followed another
for weeks. Few babies sleep we'll until
their second year, and when a mother has
no one to believe her, and, moreover, has
both hands full of work through the day,
1t Is no wonder she acts against her better
Judgment Though did she but know it a
harmless nerve sedative will serve the pur-
pose far better. Bromide of potassium put
up in few grain powders dissolved one In
a wine glass of water and given the child
good, healthy sleep. If the dose is too
large the child will become languid and
break out in pimples. but no harm will
come of 1t. After a couple days treatment
stop giving IT, but put the child to bed at
the same hour in cool, dark room and
very likely he will fall asleep from force
of habit.
Habit is the keynote of successful train
ing for children. Regular hours for meals,
regular bed hours, regular exercise. A
regular bed hour strictly adhered to will
do more to encourage sleep than medicine
A warm bath on retiring and a dark cool
room are better soporifics than opiates
Opium taken in any form produces the
same results. A little stimulates and seems
to impart great vitality and brain power
The nerves are not raSped by little thin ~
and the system seems invigorated. A mod
crate dose to those unaccustomed to it's
use is almost certain death, while to those
habituated to it spasms, commissions and
like complaints result. Children given
opiates continually become stupid, stolid
and sickly, dull in lessons and uninterest-
ing in conversation. A taste for liquor
seems to follow as a matter of course, and
the result In many cases is just what is
seen every day. No terms are strong
enough to inveigh against this practice
that has sarped the strength and life Of
many a child and killed off many more
whose deaths have been attributed to
spaSms and teethng complaints.