Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-04-10
BABY STRICKEN WITH
WHOOPING COUGH
Second of Letters in Contest
Tells of Experience With
Infant
To fbe Editor OF womon's PAGE:


Dear Madam-My first baby was nine
weeks old when my husband and ] discov-
cred he had whooping cough. We were
boarding at the time and had very few
facilities indeed for meeting such an emerg-
ency, and to move into a home of our
own with the baby in such a condition was
out of the question. Added to this unfor-
tunate state of affairs, was young and In
experienced and had very little knowledge
Of sickness of any kind. AS the cough grew
more severe and / watched in agony the
frail little form racked with one violent
struggle after another, my misery was I'M
speakable.
The physician in attendance gave me a
prescription and instructed me to keep hot
f1annels saturated in lard and turpentine
on the chld's chest and back, impressing
me with the fact that the baby's chances for
recovery depended far more upon the con-
stant hot applications than on the medi-
cine, and particularly was the temperature
of the room to be watched at all times in
order that the little fellow might not be-
come chilled while the hot fannels were
being applied.
Now, my only means of heating the lard
was to stand on n chair and hold the re-
ceptacle over the gas Jet j heated also
the small hannels TO be dipped in the not
lard and turpentine over the Jet AS
patiently and constantly waited on my
baby my panic Of fear gave way to Vl'ai
determination TO save MS ille anu epoAN
him as much suffering as possible. MY en-
tire time and thought for weeks were given
to the little fellow, and gradually tne
danger passed Then 1 felt repaid IN the
superlative degree for my days and nights
of care.
I have often thought that IL had been
careless or Indifferent in the performance
of my duty at that critical time instead
of making every effort to carry out I'M
plicitly the doctors directions concerning
those hot applications. my baby. now a
robust boy eleven years old would surely
have slipped out into the shadows.
(Mrs.) j.. L. ].
TN THE clothing of an infant it is i'm.
/ portant to avoid overheating Infants
are often kept In depressed and weakened
condition by too much clothing. This Is
especially true in the summer season Az
the same time, the child should be dressed
warmly enough so that he will not become
chilled. II the baby Is warmly dressed MS
feet and hands will at all times be warm
If too warmly dressed he will perspire.
Because of the constant demand for IN
creased space for expansion by growth the
clothing of the child requires special plan
ming A very slight but persistent con-
striction or compression of any part may
seriously injure the soft. yielding tissues
which form the body of the growing child
Lung expa nson is a fair gauge of vital
capacity, and it follows that the wearing
| of any garment which interferes with a
| full and complete movement of the dia'
phragm and the chest walls limits by that
| much, the vital capacity.
Tight shoes are generally accredited with
all the harm they are capable of doing. but
| the injury to the plastic little foot from
wearing tight stockings is more apt to bt
| overlooked. Stockings shrink with washing
| so that while the babys feet are increas
| ing the stockings are diminishing in size
| Besides being uncomfortable. stocking:
| which have become too narrow, or toe
| short. may cause the toes to overlap, crowd
ing the middle ones in way that forces
| them to curve upward: later in life thi.
| position has become fixed and the toes ar
always rubbing against the shoe. causing
| corns or deformity.