Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-06
HYPNoTICS IN INFANCY.
Terrible Results Are Sure to Follow
Their Overuse.
Philadelphia Medical Journal.

rom tht IHHdueipuld heuical Souruai.
Throughout the entire year the busy ply
stefan is called upon to quiet crying infants.
Mothers, especially among the poor. who
have tried the different sedatives which are
so easily bought nowadays, finally consult
the doctor upon how best to quiet the baby,
who now hardly is still a moment In al
most all instances the child has been given
some anodyne, soothing syrup or other
opiate more or less regularly during a long
period of time before the physician sees it.
Its condition has by that time entirely
changed. It Is impossible to find the origi-
nal cause Of the crying, since the baby now
frets continually until a few more drops of
it's narcotic mixture are given. Then it
drops off into dull sleep, soon awaking, as
the drug wears off, to continue its shrill
crying. Very little questioning suffices to
elicit the history that some one, generally
the mother tired of hearing the constant
crying, has been in the habit of drugging
the child. If acute illness should develop
in such an infant the prognosis would at
best be very unfavorable. While infants
may need sedative rarely, when the cause
of the pain has been found and no other
remedy is possible, in most cases infants
cry from collie, due mainly to disturbance
In the stomach intestines. In such cases
a few of the old-fashioned, harmless prepa-
rations, such as calomel, sodamint, oleum
foeniculi. ETC.. together with correction of
any error in the child's diet, are sufficient
to overcome the condition.
In their anxiety to quiet the baby some
mothers fall into drugging it in ignorance
Of the harm they are causing. In other
cases the custom Is taught by parents
neighbors, friends or physicians. For 1t Is
a fact, unfortunately, that there are physi-
clans who advise paregoric for crying in
fantS, either without making an attempt to
seek the cause, or when no cause can be
found to explain the crying. The other
remedies In constant use, anodyneS, Sooth-
ing syrups and the like, also contain some
opium, and any of these soon cause the
habit. Habitually drugged infants fire.
quently develop marasmus, as the original
cause of the crying is usually some CASTRO
+ intestinal arrangement. AS this Is In no
manner affected by the narcotic 1t becomes
chronic. Gastro-inteStinal symptoms grow
more marked. the baby loses weight and
peculiar shrill, high-pttched cry is noted.
1t develops tremors Of the arms, hands or
fingers, which may become general. Finally
marasmus and death from malnutrition fol-
low.
This harmful practice fostered by the
druggists, the childs relatives and some
physicians, is widespread. The habit Is
most noticed by physicians during the sum-
mer months, when gastro-fntestinal dis
turbances are most prone to occur. The
mother tries for a time to combat illness
with home remedies. and when the harm IS
DONE the opiate having been given during
some weeks the really Ill infant is brought
to the hospital for treatment. Then, when
death occurs, as results in most of these
cases In very young infants, the hospital or
dispensary is blamed for not having saved
the childs life. Among all the evils to
which the infants of the lower classes are
subjected this is one OF the worst When
this Is superimposed upon an unclean, In
sufficient food, administered too frequently,
there Is no wonder that death soon inter-
yeneS