Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1900-04-13
NURSERY COOKERY.
GENERAL CARE OF CHILDREN IN
ILLNESS.
BY Christine Terhune Herrick.


assumes the dignity of a calamity when
a child is seriously i'll. There are times
when his very life may depend upon the
proinptness with which he will take
medicine. will submit to treatment or
conform to rules.
A mother of the old school. whose chill
dren had early learned the law of I'M
plicit obedience. wondered a little at a
certain proviso that always accompa-
MED the doctors directions for remedies
to be given to her small girl, who was
suffering from an attack of measles
attended with throat complications.
Doctor" finally asked the mother,
with a trife VI irritation. why do you
invariably say, Give her so and So if she
will take ito OF course she will take 1t
if I tell her to do So"
at is by no means a matter of course
in most cases. madam" returned the
physician. "Your child may have been
unusually well trained, but ] can as
sure you that the majority of children
have their own way to an extent that
makes it tremendously difficult to induce
them to take unpalatable medicine. Only
last week I had as patient little boy
who was in dangerous condition from
bowel trouble. He not only absolutely
refused the remedy wished to give him.
but actually fought against it so fiercely
that his mother and nurse were obliged to
hold him down in the bed while poured
the medicine down his throat I really
believe that the harm he did himself by
his struggles offset any benefit he gained
from the medicine"
This may have been an extreme case,
hut there are others almost as fragrant.
Contrast with this the testimony of an
ether person. now "A woman grown, who
In her childhood used to have to submit
TO generous doses of castor oil. given in
the old harbarous fashion. mixed with
hot milk.
1.-The mere sight and smell of II turned
my stomach" she says: when I saw
my mother coming towards the bed with
that cup of doom in her hand | used to
shut my eyes and pray. with all the fer
vor of my childish soul, that might die
before it reached me. But it never oc-
CURED to me that I could possibly re-
fuse to take it,"
Even with the most obedient children
1t is better sometimes as measure of
consideration, to vary the simple COM
mands by little gentle diplomacy that
may bring a trif1e of diversion into the
monotonous succession of dosing | re-
call well one genial physician. always
4 remarkably successful in his treatment
of children who would go through the
, form of presenting a tablet to each per
son i'm the room. winding up the perform
| ance with the small patient who was to
he benefited by the dose, drawing the
| u / IL, ri no h..
with which the groWn-ups took their
| medicine and that which would be dis
played by the small boy when his turn
eame.-comparisons greatly to the ad-
vantage of the Junior. Mere triviality
no doubt bu, after long siege i'm a sick
/ room even trflcs assume the importance
of events.
Diplomacy of the same order must be
practiced when it is necessary to coax a
Child to take food. The sense of duty
that induces an adult to eat. because if
he does not his strength will fail. is
lacking in child. He has not the grasp
on the perspective that sustains one in
pr esent discomfort with the thought of
| future good. To the child the immedi-
ate discomfort is everything. Mention
has already been made in these papers of
the desirability of having a pleasing va
riety in order to tempt the weak appetite
of the patient. but while this is much, it
is not enough. Nothing i'm the way of
dainty appointments should be wanting
on the invalid's tray. His milk should
be given to HIM in "A pretty cup or glass,
and this should be changed from time to
time if he seems to weary of the one de-
voted to this purpose. recolect one
invalid who would willingly drink pep
tonized milk from red glass. although
he turned from it in distaste when ii was
offered to him in a clear lumber. An
other person this one a grown woman
suffered from utter lack of appetite for
days until she took fancy that she
could eat if her tray We're furnished with
a gold handled knife ana fork that were
among the family heirlooms. The knife
and fork were brought and the invalid
straigtWay turned in and ate her food
with enjoyment. Sick people are hardly
sane in every point. and the least little
thing will make or mar meal.
So let the tray be all that there is of
daintiness in its appointments. 50 fan
as napcry. china, glass and silver are
concerned. Brighten it further by lay
ing a flower or two on the napkin or be-
side the plate. Hunt up amusing stories
to tell the little invalid while he eats, -
that he will take one mOuthful after an
other. almost unconsciously. or. for a
change, a play may be made of the
meal. The morses cut up on the plate
may be small chickens or minnoWs. oi
little birds about To fall a prey to the fox
or to the fish or bird hawk. Each vie
tim makes remark as he is about to bt
devoured or there is gulf to be filled
, and each spoonful has its especial place
in stopping the chasm. or the milk is a
/ stream that must be swallowed in order
to make the way clear for the hero I,
pursue the wicked giant. or to open the
, path for the heroine into fairy land Tn,
facility in making up such table tall
grows with practice, and certain helpful