Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-05-03
NURSERY COOKERY. :
GENERAL CARE OF CHILDREN IN
ILLNESS.
CONTINUED from last week.)
By Christine Terhune Herrick.

BY Christine Terhune Herrick.
When a child is i'll with scarlet fever or
measles, the chief danger to others ia
from infection from the germs scattered
during desquamation. The principal
risk to the patient is from chill that
would mean a check in the eruption, or
a development of some of the dangerous
sequalae of these diseases. To prevent
chances of infection, which is especial
~ serious in measles or in scarlet fever,
too much care cannot be taken. Curtains
should, come down and carpets come up
as soon as the disease positively de-
clares itself. The furniture should be
reduced to its smallest dimensions,-a
bed for the child. a cot for the mother or
nurse, table upon which to keep medi-
cines, another at the head of the bed for
the child's feed or toys. The nurse should
wear wash dress, and is safe in pro-
tecting her hair with cap. The cloth
ing the child wears and the bed linen
should be thrown into disinfecting So
luton and allowed to steep in this COW
cred for long enough to destroy all germs
before it is sent to the laundry A disin-
fectant should also be mixed with the
water with which the floor is wiped up.
When possible the attendant should eat
her meals in an adjoining room. but she
should not go into any other part of the
house without changing at least the out
err clothing she wears while in the sick
room.
Happily the time has gone by when ev-
erything that had been used in an in
fictitious disease had to be burned. The
carbolic spray can disinfect clothing,
| etc, as well as can sulphur fumigation,
and is Infinitely less unpleasant.
Against the risk of the child's catching
cold, every precaution must be taken.
have known of a case of nephritis fol-
| lowing scarlet fever for which the only
| cause that could be guessed was chill
that must have come from the floor of the
room in which the sick child lay having
been wiped up with wet cloth one day
when he was supposed to be fairly con-
valescent. I have also known long-con.
tinued deafness coming after measles
because the patient sat five minutes in q
draft between the door and the window
on one of the hottest days Of the year
Both children were in the last stage.
of the disease and were thought to b,
past all danger As a matter of course
even more attention should be showed
when the disease is at its height. Espe
cial care must be exercised when th'
child is submitted to, home mad,
Turkish bath. This is given by putting
him in cane-seated chair placed owe
a pail of boiling water, and envelopini
child, chair and pail in blankets. NJ
less precaution is necessary II the pa
tient is given sweat in bed by mean
of hot water bags placed upon him an
heavy coverings heaped upon him
When such expedients are resorted /
in order to bring out the eruption or sup
plement the action of the kidneys, tn
danger of q subsequent chill is mos
, serious.
Never should the mother allow her
self to lose heart or become discourage
about the little patient. This is niue
easier to preach than to practice, br
hard though it may be, the mothe
should always strive for cheerfulnes
. In these days. when we are learnir
more and more the power of psychici
l conditions, who can say how much ei
. feet the attendants attitude of min
may have upon the sick person? To hel
3 the mother keep UP courage, there is II
a knowledge that a child's recuperati,
|. forces are so great that he may appa
e emily be at deaths door one day, and
up and playing the next. The phys
2 clans dictumis backed by wide and wi,
observation when he says, Never d
spair of child's life until the breath
actually out of his body"
a ITO be continued next week.)