Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-06-15
Health Talks by DR.. Brady
\ Dutch Treatment.

Everybody knows what Dutch courage is
The Dutch treat was an excellent innovati ton
drought
But this talk is not n dry one It's nhou,
"nur"sis That is "A little trouble which "a
great mnny children have and which causes
mothers lot OF work. even whom they talk.
pains /" take the little ones up at 10 or there
ahouts
DR. i. Bicrcns dc Ham assures us in Ned
"rlandsch Tijdschrift V. Gcnceskunde Amstcr-
dam that the important cause OF this annoy
Ing habit IS not kidney trouble" but too dccp
sleep. lie says the slumber OF children with
this very damp abiiction is so profound that Il,
l. below the threshold for the normal rousing
reflex for evacuation OF the bladder. lie ad-
mits that there may be some neuropa The fac
tor Involved in this exceptionally heavy slum-
h"r, but he assures us that his experience In
TWO large children's asylums has demonstrate tod
that the bed wcttinE is durable by preventing
the excessively sound sleep.
And how do You suppose Dc Ham accom-
plishcS that?
by a Dutch treatment. TO he sure. Hc pre-
scribcs nap for tho child IN the day time
This suiiices in mild ca SEES. The idea u.s. that
If the child sleeps little in the middI. OF
tho day. say after a midday dinner for two
hours. why he won't have TO pound his ear
so heavily at night.
Another suggestion this Dutch doctor gives
Is that the bcd-wctting child should he put 10
bed two hours earlier in the evening whct n or
no sleeps or And this is certainly "A help
full plan. as many harasscd mothers have
learned. The room need not be darkencd un-
Ill the usual sleeping time.
In the severe cases. in which the high hui
nudity Is REGULAR or invariablc feature the
child should be kept in bed all day long. in an
atmosphere of quiet and calm. The reposc is
often helpful in other respects De Ham de-
clarcs that these simple methods have proved
curative in practically all cases, exccpt only
actual mental detectives.
Auributing bed wctting to n "ncuropathlc"
hcrcdity Is too much like blaming Gran'pa for
ones INFUSED arteries II seems more reason
able and proves more practicable To ascribe
the trouble to ncuro muscular fatigue of
the urinary apparatus and the whole system.
brought about by excessive or excessively pro.
loNgcd play. by harsh and unjustinablc reprcs-
sion and forced quictude In school or the
child Is unfortunate enough 20 nc under the
thumb OF an old foEy teacher aud 10 undue
excitement in the cv"nnE-suCh as night
hawking At the movies or about tho street
as sadly neglected children are allowed
To do.
children with this diifcul,y should he re-
quireh TO follow very rigid clock work
schedule Of evacuation o: tho bladder at Ger
tain hours al! day. regularly sol times. and I,
is absolutely wrong for teachers or others 10
require any child TO obtain anyh0dy's permis-
sion consent to such a thing. Teachers
who abuse children under their control by in
siSting such thing clearly unfit 10
assume such responsibility. Unfortunately we
still have n sprinklnE Of such old foEics in
schools. cd-wctting is the least OF tho
troubles .Ich misunderstanding OF childhood
by poorly trained teachers causes.