Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1916-11-02


%turna1ce in Il baby is known as weight
disturbance. In this condition there is
no digestive disturbance. The mother
notes that the Laby does not vomit and
never has dIarrhoca. He seems reason
aDly comfortable n happy, does not
cry unduly and sleeps very we'll. The
Deserving mother noLes that her baby
is not growing just as he should. IEe
weekly Weighing shows that he Is not
gaming III weight. She also notices that
he Is conSlipated and tnat his STOOLS
are grayisn in color. They fall from the
diaper. His digestion is all right.
II he is a breast fed baby, there is a
possibility that he is not getting enough
food. thai he is hungrr and i'll nour-
ished. If this is the cause OF his trou-
BILE, he will be hungry all the time. will
Ii he is bottle fed and, in some in
stances, breast fed. the reason for his
trouble is that he is getting more fat
than he can assimilate. Examination
OF LIS stool shows an excess of fat. The
treatment is to give him a milk mixture
that contains less fat.
lf, in addition to a stationary weight,
the baby has diarrhoea, the condition
has passed from weight disturbance to
the next step in nutritional disturbances,
namely, dyspepsia. Probably his term
Is not we'll chosen, since in most minds
IT is associated with tomach indiges-
ton. In dyspepsia there is impaired
tolerance of fats and also impaired toll
erance of sugars. The sugars and fats
which are not utilized are split into
low, fatty acids. and these irrltate the
mucous membrane and bring on diar-
rhoea.
Tho baby with a dyspeptic diarrhoea
Is restless and has colicky pains. 1t
may vomit. Fever is sometimes pres
gn1 moro frpnnnnt1U n jS nhcpnt While
the child does not seem to be thriving,
he is not definitely sick. The bowel
movements may he green from unox-
idized bile, or gray from fat crystals
and soaps, or foamy and brown from
fermentins sugar, especially II malt
sugar is given. They have a sour door.
Treatment--The baby with dys-
reptic diarrhoea should take a dose of
oil and go without food for II hours.
Water in small quantities should be
frequently given. Then give very light
oiet for Il few days.
one suggestion is that 10 ounces Of
albumin milk CHoos or some other good
tri maltese be given in six feelings in
the "a hours. This is a little less han
two ounces at a feeding. This is in
creased at the rate of four ounces a
Gay for three days. At the end of this
time, II the diarrhoea Is mild. the child
Won Jt Ittity W 81 DICN ol iIllh.
The fault with the original diet was
that 1t contained more fat and more
sugar than the child could assimilate.
Therefore, in changing the child back
to 4 diet Of modified milk there Shout
be a decrease in the amount Of fat and
sugar or cereal as compared with the
diet in use whenrthe ickness occurred.
The services of a physician should
be had in all severe cases of dyspeptic
diarrhoea, but the mother and nurse
should know the basic Of the
trouble if they are to in%telllgently carry
out directions.
The third type of nutritional dis
turbance in a baby the Germans term
alimentary decomposition. In this dis
ease there is marked loss of weight
In fact. thesolder name for this trouble
was marasmus, which indicated that
the children wasted away. Fever is
present, as are vomiting n diarrhoea.
~Alimentary decomposition is q later and
a more serious stage of the condition
which, when milder. is called dyspepsia.
In fact. If the baby has a mild fever,
and while not gaining in weight, is los
ing but little, we say tie case is one of
dyspepsia. If there is considerable
wasting, we say that the case is one
Of alimentary decomposition.
The basic trouble in a~limentary de-
composition is intolerance of fats and
carbohydrates or starches and sugars.
The treatment. therefore, consists in
careful feeding, with a view to sus-
tanning weight and strength and at the
same time keeping the fats and sugars
dow to quantities and percentages
which the child can digest.
A physician or a trained nurse, or
both, should man the ship. These cases
do not get we'll when left to the care of
persons unskilled in feeding babies.
Babies suffering from alimentary de-
composition. or marasmus, are very
much affected by the heat. They are
very subject to infections of different
kinds. Among the infections likely to
occur-in fact, the one that is most
likely to occur-is infection with the
~dysentery bacillus.
The fourth division of this classified
ton is alimentary i~ntoXication, sum-
mer complaint. or cholera infantum.
The baby with weight disturbance
scarcely seems to be sick. but i'm
presses n merely AS not thriving.
With dyspepsia the impression given
Is thai the child is a little out Of sorts,
though not much sick. With marasmus
the impression given is that the child
Is wasting away-some acutely sick
All cause the mother uneasiness and
fear. and rightly SO. The child with
cholera infantum is sick; there is never
q doubt on that point. There are vomit-
ing. ~diarrhoea, fever, rapid breathing,
n aciaosis. There may be convul-
sions. The eyes are sunken.
The first indication Is to give the
child water. A warm bath or a hot
bath is excellent. Tea or water sweet
ened with %saccharin can be given by
the mouth. Water can be given by
enema. No food of any sort should be
given for ~ or "a hours.
The feeding OF babies suffering from
summer complaint is a matter for the