, 1935-09-05

and Of Hygeia, the Health Magazine
When the germ Of vhooping cough infects the
child, 1t begins to have q persistent Troublesome
cough. sometimes with irritation Of the lungs. This
cough Is worse at night and occurs In spells-some-
times so severe that the face turns blue and the
coughing spell ends in vomiting.
The organism or germ can be found when the child
coughs on a plate containing a suitable culture medium.
The plate is given to the parent or nurse. who viii
expose 1t five inches In front Of the patients mouth
for Is seconds during q natural spell Of coughing.
These plates are then returned to the laboratory,
where the germs are permitted TO grow in an incu-
bator. In rs per cent Of cases the germs OF whoop-
ing cough can be found on the plates.
When q child has whooping cough 1t should be put
to bed and isolated from members OF the family who
have not had the disease. Moreover. the child should
be kept away from other people for five weeks from
the day the symptoms appear.
The patient should be placed In q sunny bedroom.
well ventilated. with temperature between IS and
10 degrees Fahrenheit. In favorable weather the
patient should be kept In front OF an open window
during the day; In bad weather, the patient should
be kept away from drafts.
To prevent catching cold. the child should be suit
ably protected with light, yet warm. bed clothing.
Sometimes a binder such as is worn by babies is
wrapped around the abdomen to support the muscles
0uAAu6 IN cpcALS OF coughing.
In the ordinary cases Of whooping cough. the child
Is not very sick and may be allowed out of bed on
the third or fourth day after the whooping begins.
II, however. the spells Of coughing occur more often
than 80 times in "a hours, or II the child has a rec
ord Of much trouble with the lungs. it is better to
keep it in bed until 1t is fully convalescent.
1t has been found that children with whooping
cough do well II they spend q considerable amount
OF time in the sunlight and In the warm air. but
people should always protect their children by max
ing sure that the child with whooping cough Is not
allowed to be exposed to drafts.
Due to persistent vomiting. children with whoop-
ing cough sometimes lose q great deal Of weight. 1t
Is. therefore. necessary to watch the diet closely
giving small amounts Of exceedingly nutritious foods
at frequent intervals.
Large amounts OF food should be avoided. since
they cause more irritation and more vomiting. The
best time for the small feelings Is 10 to IS minutes
after a coughing spell. A diet containing milk. eggs,
butter, fish, chicken, meat and vegetable soup is bet
ter than one with an excess Of potatoes, bread, starch
foods, or sweet pastries.
Dry, crumbly foods should be avoided. Fresh
orange juice drinks are helpful In this as in other
infectious diseases.
Nowadays there are available special vaccines for
whooping cough which seem to be good In many
cases, and q number OF physicians have reported
successful results with the blood OF convalescent
patients which Is injected into the muscles OF the
one who Is sick.
There are many excellent drugs which aid In quiet
ing the child and In relieving 1t from the difficult
cough. These drugs, however. are strong enough so
that they should be given only under direction Of a
doctor.