Year: 1879

seat, leo them to 1t. Without opening
their lips, they went through the indenti-
cal performance rising and reseating
themselves, each one in his turn, like two
gymnasts repeating an exercise.


Hot Weather.


A hot temperature has made its initial
visit, so mothersIof little ones must guard
them against its morbid influences. The
mocous membrane of the food canal sym-
pathizes strongly with the skin. Expos
ure to extremes of heat or cold Of the one
is felt more or less directly by the other
Hot temperatures do more harm than
cold. Clothing enables children to en-
dure the cold aud keep the inner organs
III healthy state. So we will direct our
thoughts to the influences of excessive
heat. In hot seaaons of the year the di-
gestiye forces are less able than in cold to
execute their special duty. Even milk
passes through the gastric sack in an un-
dlgested state, enters and irritates the
mucous'surface of the intestines. If the
heat continues long and strong, it may
create disturbance in the inner wards
that a mothers love or a physicians skill
are quite unable to control. Hot skin,
restlessness by night and dullness by day
are early indications of coming trouble
excessive activity of the bowels, expelling
their contents with more or less rapid
ity and pain. The mother may try
some things that are said to be good for
diarrhea. But if she does not succeed,
she should send for her medical attend
ant, who ought to come at once and try
to cure what the mother did not prevent,
and may have caused. He ought to stop
the riot in the stomach and compel all
things to move down in their wonted
way. Vomiting is an indication of dis
ease--usually irritation of the gastric
lining. Apply a mustard plaster over
the gastric region. Give the child few
bits Of ice, and greatly lessen the amount
and richness of the food. If the child
sucks-it never nurses give it two
teaspoons of barley water; then let it
suck: OF let the mother nurse, one quarter
part as much as usual, and not oftener
than every other hour. If the child has
been weaned and has fed on cows milk,
first give it four teaspoons or more OF
cool barley water, and then give one
quarter part Of its usual ration.


A coffee made of oats is useful in dis
turbance of the food canal. Scorch the
oats, grind them, pour upon them cold
water, boil the mixture for twenty MN
utes, strain and sweeten, and add a mite
of salt. We have found this useful
remedy even IN cholera infantum.


The curds Of cows milk are harder
than those Of human mothers, and so less
digestible. But mingle we'll in warm
milk small amount of finely pulverized
starch-ten grains to a pint and the
milk will form softer, more porous curds
and more easily dlgestible. Warm milk
digests more easily than cold. If 1t can
be obtained, give a feeble child, whose
stomach cannot do its proper duty, as
soon as it is drawn, while the natural
warmth remains and the cream globules
are still floating in the mass, the first
milkings Of healthy, we'll fed, sweet
tempered and kindly treated COW. Civ
ing water, very warm, a halt hour or
more after moderate feeding of cows
milk, will do much towards digesting it.
Warm barley water, also, given before
sucking or feeding, will aid the digestive
forces of the stomach. Avoid cathart;cs.
If curds are disturbing the alimentary
canal, give one teaspoonful of warm cas-
tor oil in barley water or other mucilage.
If the excretlons of the bowels be acid
and offensive, give borax solution. one
teaspoonful, made by dissolving ten
grains Of borax in ten teaspoonfuls Of
soft water. Give it after each motion of
the bowels. Increase the dose if neces-
sary.


Acidity of the bowels usually arises
from indigestion that may be removed by
giving pepsin and bismuth, two to four
grains each, after each feeding. If the
child's mouth is apthous and the anal
region is excoriated, give borax solution,
two grains after each motion, but not
oftener than once in two hours.


If the child still worsens from the in
fluence Of the disease and has become ex-
hausted, give the wine Of iron In tea
spoon doses composed of the wine of iron,
ten drachms, and syrup Of orange, four
drachms. Repeat it every third hour. il
needed. If mucus and blood appear in
the stools, give warm castor oil in warm
barley water-one-quarter teaspoon to a
tablespoon after each motion. Add par
agoric, if needed to lessen pain, or check
frequent motions.


Avoid charcoal and every other sub
stance that does not dissolve, or does not
digest. Such medicines do much more
harm than good. Avoid calomel. In
place of it, give minute doses of ipecac--
quarter grain or less. Give it in glycer.
inc, or milk, one tablespoon. In any
stage Of the malady, if the skin be hot
and dry, the child restless and in pain
from fatulency, give it warm blanket
bath. A few drops ~ four to ten-ot
spirits Of turpentine in one teaspoon OF
warm castor oil will give great relief to a
child suffering from fatulency or collie
If the child be exhausted by the disease
or is likely to he, give beet and oats cof.
fee, separately, or combined. If its stom.
ach will not bear it, give it by enema, q
tablespoon every other hour. Avoid
opium in all its forms, paragoric, lauda-
mum, morphine, if you can. Bad cases
make it right, to do little harm
to secure a greater good. Paragoric
is the best form of opium fol
children. The camphor in it often lends
it great efficiency. We have found chic.
raj hydrate, in minute doses, very useful
It lessons the restlessness of the child, and
often induces quiet sleep. As a child
is convalescing, causes seemingly small
may do much harm. The inner lining o1
the food canal is readily disturbed BY
rx,i.ace Tom f1,xoa 81.