Mumps_.
The mumps, inflammation of the "parotid" gland, is commonly ushered in
with a slight feverish attack. After a short time, a swelling, of
stony hardness, is noticed before and under the ear, which swelling
extends along the neck towards the chin. This lump is exceedingly
painful, and continues painful and swollen for four or five days. At
the end of which time it gradually disappears, leaving not a trace
behind. The swelling of mumps never gathers. It may affect one or both
sides of the face. It seldom occurs but once in a lifetime. It is
contagious, and has been known to run through a whole family or
school; but it is not dangerous, unless, which is rarely the case, it
leaves the "parotid" gland, and migrates either to the head, to the
breast, or to the testicle.
242. _What is the treatment of Mumps_?
Foment the swelling, four or five times a day, with a flannel wrung
out of hot camomile and poppy-head decoction; [Footnote: Four
poppy-heads and four ounces of camomile blows to be boiled in four
pints of water for half an hour, and then strained to make the
decoction.] and apply, every night, a barm and oatmeal poultice to the
swollen gland or glands. Debar, for a few days, the little patient
from taking meat and broth, and let him live on bread and milk, light
puddings, and arrow-root. Keep him in a well-ventilated room, and shut
him out from the company of his brothers, his sisters, and young
companions. Give him a little mild, aperient medicine. Of course, if
there be the slightest symptom of migration to any other part or
parts, instantly call in a medical man.
243. _What is the treatment of a Boil_?
One of the best applications is a Burgundy-pitch plaster spread on a
soft piece of wash leather. Let a chemist spread a plaster, about the
size of the hand; and, from this piece, cut small plasters, the size
of a shilling or a florin (according to the dimensions of the boil),
which snip around and apply to the part. Put a fresh one on
daily. This plaster will soon cause the boil to break; when it does
break, squeeze out the contents--the core and the matter--and then
apply one of the plasters as before, which, until the boil be well,
renew every day.
The old-fashioned remedy for a boil--namely, common yellow soap and
brown-sugar, is a capital one for the purpose. It is made with equal
parts of brown sugar and of shredded yellow soap, and mixed by means
of a table-knife on a plate, with a few drops of water, until it be
all well blended together, and of the consistence of thick paste; it
should then be spread either on a piece of wash-leather, or on thick
linen, and applied to the boil, and kept in its place by means either
of a bandage or of a folded handkerchief; and should he removed once
or twice a day. This is an excellent application for a boil--soothing,
comforting, and drawing--and will soon effect a cure. A paste of honey
and flour, spread on linen rag, is another popular and good
application for a boil.
_If the boils should arise from the child being in a delicate state of
health_, give him cod-liver oil, meat once a day, and an abundance of
milk and farinaceous food. Let him have plenty of fresh air,
exercise, and play.
_If the boil should arise from gross and improper feeding_, then keep
him for a time from meat, and let him live principally on a milk and
farinaceous diet.
_If the child be fat and gross_, cod-liver oil would he improper; a
mild aperient, such as rhubarb and magnesia, would then be the best
medicine.
244. _What are the symptoms of Ear-ache_?
A young child screaming shrilly, violently, and continuously, is
oftentimes owing to ear-ache; carefully, therefore, examine each ear,
and ascertain if there be any discharge; if there be, the mystery is
explained.
Screaming from ear-ache may be distinguished from the screaming from
bowel-ache by the former (ear-ache) being more continuous--indeed,
being one continued scream, and from the child putting his hand to his
head; while, in the latter (bowel-ache), the pain is more of a coming
and of a going character, and he draws up his legs to his
bowels. Again, in the former (ear-ache), the secretions from the
bowels are natural; while, in the latter (bowel-ache), the secretions
from the bowels are usually depraved, and probably offensive. But a
careful examination of the ear will generally at once decide the
nature of the case.
213. _What is the best remedy for Ear-ache_?
Apply to the ear a small flannel bag, filled with hot salt--as hot as
can be comfortably borne, or foment the ear with a flannel wrung out
of hot camomile and poppy head decoction. A roasted onion, inclosed in
muslin applied to the ear, is an old-fashioned and favourite remedy,
and may, if the bag of hot salt, or if the hot fomentation do not
relieve, be tried. Put into the ear, but not very far, a small piece
of cotton wool, moistened with warm olive oil. Taking care that the
wool is always removed before a fresh piece be substituted, as if it
be allowed to remain in any length of time, it may produce a discharge
from the ear. Avoid all _cold_ applications. If the ear-ache be
severe, keep the little fellow at home, in a room of equal
temperature, but well-ventilated, and give him, for a day or two, no
meat.
If a discharge from the ear should either accompany or follow the
ear-ache, _more especially if the discharge be offensive_, instantly
call in a medical man, or deafness for life may be the result.
A knitted or crotcheted hat, with woollen rosettes over the ears, is,
in the winter time, an excellent hat for a child subject to
ear-ache. The hat may be procured at any baby-linen warehouse.
246. _What are the causes and the treatment of discharges from the
Ear_?
Cold, measles, scarlet fever, healing up of "breakings out" behind the
ear; pellets of cotton wool, which had been put in the ear, and had
been forgotten to be removed, are the usual causes of discharges from
the ear. It generally commences with ear-ache.
The _treatment_ consists in keeping the parts clean, by syringing the
ear every morning with warm water, by attention to food--keeping the
child principally upon a milk and a farmaceous diet, and by change of
air--more especially to the coast. If change of air be not
practicable, great attention should be paid to ventilation. As I have
before advised, in all cases of discharge from the ear call in a
medical man, as a little judicious medicine is advisable--indeed,
essential; and it may be necessary to syringe the ear with lotions,
instead of with warm water; and, of course, it is only a doctor who
has actually seen the patient who can decide these matters, and what
is best to be done in each case.
247. _What is the treatment of a "stye" on the eye-lid_?
Bathe the eye frequently with warm milk and water, and apply, every
night at bedtime, a warm white-bread poultice.
No medicine is required; but, if the child be gross, keep him for a
few days from meat, and let him live on bread and milk and farinaceous
puddings.
248. _If a child have large bowels, what would you recommend as likely
to reduce their size_?
It ought to be borne in mind, that the bowels of a child are larger in
proportion than those of an adult. But, if they be actually larger
than they ought to be, let them be well rubbed for a quarter of an
hour at a time night and morning, with soap liniment, and then apply a
broad flannel belt. "A broad flannel belt worn night and day, firm but
not tight, is very serviceable." [Footnote: Sir Charles Locock, in a
_Letter_ to the Author.] The child ought to be prevented from drinking
as much as he has been in the habit of doing; let him be encouraged to
exercise himself well in the open air; and let strict regard be paid
to his diet.
249. _What are the best aperients for a child_?
If it be _actually_ necessary to give him opening medicine, one or two
tea-spoonfuls of Syrup of Senna, repeated, if necessary, in four
hours, will generally answer the purpose; or, for a change, one or two
tea-spoonfuls of Castor Oil may be substituted. Lenitive Electuary
(Compound Confection of Senna) is another excellent aperient for the
young, it being mild in its operation, and pleasant to take; a child
fancying it is nothing more than jam, and which it much resembles both
in appearance and in taste. The dose is half or one tea-spoonful
early in the morning occasionally. Senna is an admirable aperient for
a child, and is a safe one, which is more than can be said of many
others. It is worthy of note that "the taste of Senna may be concealed
by sweeting the infusion, [Footnote: Infusion of Senna may be procured
of any respectable druggist. It will take about one or two
table-spoonfuls, or even more, of the infusion (according to the age
of the child, and the obstinacy of the bowels), to act as an
aperient. Of course, you yourself will be able, from time to time, as
the need arises, to add the milk and the sugar, and thus to make it
palatable. It ought to be given warm, so as the more to resemble tea.]
adding milk, and drinking as ordinary tea, which, when thus prepared,
it much resembles" [Footnote: _Waring's Manual of Practical
Therapeutics._] Honey, too, is a nice aperient for a child--a
tea-spoonful ought to be given either by itself, or spread on a slice
of bread.
Some mothers are in the habit of giving their children jalap
gingerbread. I do not approve of it, as jalap is a drastic, griping
purgative; besides, jalap is very nasty to take--nothing will make it
palatable.
Fluid Magnesia--Solution of Carbonate of Magnesia--is a good aperient
for a child; and, as it has very little taste, is readily given, more
especially if made palatable by the addition either of a little syrup
or of brown sugar. The advantages which it has over the old solid form
are, that it is colourless and nearly tasteless, and never forms
concretions in the bowels, as the _solid_ magnesia, if persevered in
for any length of time, sometimes does. A child of two or three years
old may take one or two table-spoonfuls of the fluid; either by itself
or in his food, repeating it every four hours until the bowels be
open. When the child is old enough to drink the draught off
_immediately_, the addition of one or two tea-spoonfuls of Lemon Juice
to each dose of the Fluid Magnesia, makes a pleasant effervescing
draught, and increases its efficacy as an aperient.
Bran-bread [Footnote: One-part of bran to three parts of flour, mixed
together and made into bread.] and _treacle_ will frequently open the
bowels; and as treacle is wholesome, it may be substituted for butter
when the bowels are inclined to be costive. A roasted apple, eaten
with _raw_ sugar, is another excellent mild aperient for a child. Milk
gruel--that is to say, milk thickened with oatmeal--forms an excellent
food for him, and often keeps his bowels regular, and thus (_which is
a very important consideration_) supersedes the necessity of giving
him an aperient. An orange (taking care he does not eat the peel or
the pulp), or a fig after dinner, or a few Muscatel raisins, will
frequently regulate the bowels.
Stewed prunes is another admirable remedy for the costiveness of a
child. The manner of stewing them is as follows:--Put a pound of
prunes in a brown jar, add two table-spoonfuls of _raw_ sugar, then
cover the prunes and the sugar with cold water; place them in the
oven, and let them stew for four hours. A child should every morning
eat half a dozen or a dozen of them, until the bowels be relieved,
taking care that he does not swallow the stones. Stewed prunes may be
given in treacle--treacle increasing the aperient properties of the
prunes.
A suppository is a mild and ready way of opening the bowels of a
child. When he is two or three years old and upwards, a _Candle_
suppository is better than a _Soap_ suppository. The way of preparing
it is as follows:--Cut a piece of dip-tallow candle--the length of
three inches--and insert it as you would a clyster pipe, about two
inches up the fundament, allowing the remaining inch to be in sight,
and there let the suppository remain until the bowels be opened.
Another excellent method of opening a child's bowels is by means of an
enema of warm water,--from half a tea-cupful to a tea-cupful, or even
more, according to the age of the child. I cannot speak too highly of
this plan as a remedy for costiveness, as it entirely, in the
generality of cases, prevents the necessity of administering a
particle of aperient medicine by the mouth. The fact of its doing so
stamps it as a most valuable remedy--opening physic being, as a rule,
most objectionable, and injurious to a child's bowels. Bear this
fact--for it is a fact--in mind and let it be always remembered.
450. _What are the most frequent causes of Protrusion of the
lower-bowel_?
The too common and reprehensible practice of a parent administering
frequent aperients, especially calomel and jalap, to her
child. Another cause, is allowing him to remain for a quarter of an
hour or more at a time on his chair; this induces him to strain, and
to force the gut down.
251. _What are the remedies_?
If the protrusion of the bowel have been brought on by the abase of
aperients, abstain, for the future from giving them; but if medicine
be absolutely required, give the mildest--such as either Syrup of
Senna or Castor Oil--_and the less of those the better._
If the _external_ application of a purgative will have the desired
effects it will in such cases, be better than the _internal_
administration of aperients. Castor Oil used as a Liniment is a good
one for the purpose. Let the bowels be well rubbed, every night and
morning, for five minutes at a time with the oil.
A wet compress to the bowels will frequently open them, and will thus
do away with the necessity of giving an aperient--_a most important
consideration_. Fold a napkin in six thicknesses, soak it in _cold_
water, and apply it to the bowels; over which put either a thin
covering or sheet of gutta-percha, or a piece of oiled-silk; keep it
in its place with a broad flannel roller; and let it remain on the
bowels for three or four hours, or until they be opened.
Try what diet will do, as opening the bowels by a regulated diet is
far preferable to the giving of aperients. Let him have either
bran-bread or Robinson's Patent Groats, or Robinson's Pure Scotch
Oatmeal made into gruel with new milk, or Du Barry's Arabica
Revalenta, or a slice of Huntly and Palmer's lump gingerbread. Let him
eat stewed prunes, stewed rhubarb, roasted apples, strawberries,
raspberries, the inside of grapes and gooseberries, figs, &c. Give him
early every morning a draught of _cold_ water.
Let me, again, urge you _not_ to give aperients in these cases, or in
any case, unless you are absolutely compelled. By following my advice
you will save yourself an immense deal of trouble, and your child a
long catalogue of misery. Again, I say, look well into the matter, and
whenever it be practicable avoid purgatives.
Now, with regard to the best manner of returning the bowel, lay the
child upon the bed on his face and bowels, with his hips a little
raised; then smear lard on the forefinger of your right hand (taking
care that the nail be cut close), and gently with, your fore-finger
press the bowel into its proper place. Remember, if the above methods
be observed, you cannot do the slightest injury to the bowel; and the
sooner it be returned, the better it will be for the child; for if the
bowel be allowed to remain long down, it may slough or mortify, and
death may ensue. The nurse, every time he has a motion, must see that
the bowel does not come down, and if it does, she ought instantly to
return it. Moreover, the nurse should be careful _not_ to allow the
child to remain on his chair more than two or three minutes at a time.
Another excellent remedy for the protrusion of the lower bowel, is to
use every morning a cold salt and water sitz bath. There need not be
more than a depth of three inches of water in the bath; a small
handful of table salt should be dissolved in the water; a dash of warm
water in the winter time must be added, to take off the extreme chill;
and the child ought not to be allowed to sit in the bath for more than
one minute, or whilst the mother can count a hundred; taking care, the
while, to throw either a square of flannel or a small shawl over his
shoulders. The sitz bath ought to be continued for months, or until
the complaint be removed. I cannot speak in too high praise of these
baths.
252. _Do you advise me, every spring and fall, to give my child
brimstone to purify and sweeten his blood, and as a preventive
medicine_?
Certainly not; if you wish to take away his appetite, and to weaken
and depress him, give brimstone! Brimstone is not a remedy fit for a
child's stomach. The principal use and value of brimstone is as an
external application in itch, and as an internal remedy, mixed with
other laxatives, in piles--piles being a complaint of adults. In olden
times poor unfortunate children were dosed, every spring and fall,
with brimstone and treacle to sweeten their blood! Fortunately for the
present race, there is not so much of that folly practised, but still
there is room for improvement. To dose a _healthy_ child with physic
is the grossest absurdity. No, the less physic a delicate child has
the better it will be for him, but physic to a healthy child is
downright poison! And brimstone of all medicines! It is both weakening
and depressing to the system, and by opening the pores of the skin and
by relaxing the bowels, is likely to give cold, and thus to make a
healthy, a sickly child. Sweeten his blood! It is more likely to
weaken his blood, and thus to make his blood impure! Blood is not made
pure by drugs, but by Nature's medicine; by exercise, by pure air, by
wholesome diet, by sleep in a well-ventilated apartment, by regular
and thorough ablution. Brimstone a preventive medicine! Preventive
medicine--and brimstone especially in the guise of a preventive
medicine--is "a mockery, a delusion, and a snare."
253. _When a child is delicate, and his body, without any assignable
cause, is gradually wasting away, and the stomach rejects all food
that is taken, what plan can be adopted likely to support his
strength, and thus probably be the means of saving his life_?
I have seen, in such a case, great benefit to arise from half a
tea-cupful of either strong mutton-broth or of strong beef-tea, used
as an enema every four hours. [Footnote: An enema apparatus is an
important requisite in every nursery; it may be procured of any
respectable surgical instrument maker. The India-rubber Enema Bottle
is, for a child's use, a great improvement on the old syringe, as it
is not so likely to get out of order, and, moreover, is more easily
used.] It should be administered slowly, in order that it may remain
in the bowel. If the child be sinking, either a dessert-spoonful of
brandy, or half a wine-glassful of port wine, ought to be added to
each enema.
The above plan ought only to be adopted if there be _no_ diarrhoea. If
there be diarrhoea, an enema must _not_ be used. Then, provided there
be great wasting away, and extreme exhaustion, and other remedies
having failed, it would be advisable to give, by the mouth, _raw_ beef
of the finest quality, which ought to be taken from the hip bone, and
should be shredded very fine. All fat and skin must be carefully
removed. One or two tea-spoonfuls (according to the age of the child)
ought to be given every four hours. The giving of _raw_ meat to
children in exhaustive diseases, such as excessive long-standing
diarrhoea, was introduced into practice by a Russian physician, a
Professor Wiesse of St Petersburg. It certainly is, in these cases, a
most valuable remedy, and has frequently been the means of snatching
such patients from the jaws of death. Children usually take raw meat
with avidity and with a relish.
254. _If a child be naturally delicate, what plan would you recommend
to strengthen him_?
I should advise strict attention to the rules above mentioned, and
_change of air_--more especially, if it be possible, to the
coast. Change of air, sometimes, upon a delicate child, acts like
magic, and may restore him to health when all other means have
failed. If a girl be delicate, "carry her off to the farm, there to
undergo the discipline of new milk, brown bread, early hours, no
lessons, and romps in the hay-field."--_Blackwood_. This advice is, of
course, equally applicable for a delicate boy, as delicate boys and
delicate girls ought to be treated alike. Unfortunately in these very
enlightened days there is too great a distinction made in the
respective management and treatment of boys and girls.
The best medicines for a delicate child will be the wine of iron and
cod-liver oil. Give them combined in the manner I shall advise when
speaking of the treatment of Rickets.
In diseases of long standing, and that resist the usual remedies,
there is nothing like _change of air_. Hippocrates, the father of
medicine, says--
"In longis morbis solum mutare."
(In tedious diseases to change the place of residence.)
A child who, in the winter, is always catching cold, whose life during
half of the year is one continued catarrh, who is in consequence,
likely, if he grow up at all, to grow up a confirmed invalid, ought,
during the winter months, to seek another clime; and if the parents
can afford the expense, they should at the beginning of October, cause
him to bend his steps to the south of Europe--Mentone being as good a
place as they could probably fix upon.
255. _Do you approve of sea bathing for a delicate young child_?
No: he is frequently so frightened by it that the alarm would do him
more harm than the bathing would do him good. The better plan would be
to have him every morning well sponged, especially his back and loins,
with sea water; and to have him as much as possible carried on the
beach, in order that he may inhale the sea breezes. When he be older,
and is not frightened at being dipped, sea bathing will be very
beneficial to him. If bathing is to do good, either to an adult or to
a child, it must be anticipated with pleasure, and neither with dread
nor with distaste.
256. _What is the best method for administering medicine to a child_?
If he be old enough, appeal to his reason; for, if a mother endeavour
to deceive her child, and he detect her, he will for the future
suspect her. If he be too young to be reasoned with, then, if he will
not take his medicine, he must be compelled. Lay him across your
knees, let both his hands and his nose be tightly held, and then, by
means of the patent medicine-spoon, or, if that be not at hand, by
either a tea or a dessert-spoon, pour the medicine down his throat,
and he will be obliged to swallow it.
It may be said that this is a cruel procedure; but it is the only way
to compel an unruly child to take physic, and is much less cruel than
running the risk of his dying from the medicine not having been
administered. [Footnote: If any of my medical brethren should
perchance read these Conversations, I respectfully and earnestly
recommend them to take more pains in making medicines for children
pleasant and palatable. I am convinced that, in the generality of
instances, provided a little more care and thought were bestowed on
the subject, it may be done; and what an amount of both trouble and
annoyance it would save! It is really painful to witness the struggles
and cries of a child when _nauseous_ medicine is to be given; the
passion and excitement often do more harm than the medicine does
good.]
257. _Ought a sick child to be roused from his sleep to give him
physic, when it is time for him to take it_?
On no account, as sleep, being a natural restorative, must not be
interfered with. A mother cannot be too particular in administering
the medicine, at stated periods, whilst he is awake.
258. _Have you any remarks to make on the management of a sick-room,
and have you any directions to give on the nursing of a child_?
In sickness select a large and lofty room; if in the town, the back of
the house will be preferable--in order to keep the patient free from
noise and bustle--as a sick-chamber cannot be kept too quiet. Be sure
that there be a chimney in the room--as there ought to be in _every_
room in the house--and that it be not stopped, as it will help to
carry off the impure air of the apartment. Keep the chamber _well
ventilated_, by, from time to time, opening the window. The air of the
apartment cannot be too pure; therefore, let the evacuations from the
bowels be instantly removed, either to a distant part of the house, or
to an out-house or to the cellar, as it might be necessary to keep
them for the medical man's inspection.
Before using either the night-commode, or the _pot-de-chambre_, let a
little water, to the depth of one or two inches, be put in the pan, or
_pot_; in order to sweeten the motion, and to prevent the faecal
matter from adhering to the vessel.
Let there be frequent change of linen, as in sickness it is even more
necessary than in health, more especially if the complaint be
fever. In an attack of fever, clean sheets ought, every other day, to
be put on the bed; clean body-linen every day. A frequent change of
linen in sickness is most refreshing.
If the complaint be fever, a fire in the grate will not be
necessary. Should it be a case either of inflammation of the lungs or
of the chest, a small fire in the winter time is desirable, keeping
the temperature of the room as nearly as possible at 60 degrees
Fahrenheit. Bear in mind that a large fire in a sick-room cannot be
too strongly condemned; for if there be fever--and there are scarcely
any complaints without--a large fire only increases it. Small fires,
in cases either of inflammation of the lungs or of the chest, in the
winter time, encourage ventilation of the apartment, and thus carry
off impure air. If it be summer time, of course fires would be
improper. A thermometer is an indispensable requisite in a sick-room.
In fever, free and thorough ventilation is of vital importance, more
especially in scarlet fever; then a patient cannot have too much air;
in scarlet fever, for the first few days the windows, be it winter or
summer, must to the widest extent be opened. The fear of the patient
catching cold by doing so is one of the numerous prejudices and
baseless fears that haunt the nursery, and the sooner it is exploded
the better it will he for human life. The valances and bed-curtains
ought to be removed, and there should be as little furniture in the
room as possible.
If it be a case of measles, it will be necessary to adopt a different
course; then the windows ought not to be opened, but the door must
from time to time be left ajar. In a case of measles, if it be winter
time, a _small_ fire in the room will be necessary. In inflammation of
the lungs or of the chest, the windows should not be opened, but the
door ought occasionally to be left unfastened, in order to change the
air and to make it pure. Remember, then, that ventilation, either by
open window or by open door, is in all diseases most necessary.
Ventilation is one of the best friends a doctor has.
In fever, do not load the bed with clothes; in the summer a sheet is
sufficient, in winter a sheet and a blanket.
In fever, do not be afraid of allowing the patient plenty either of
cold water or of cold toast and water; Nature will tell him when he
has had enough. In measles, let the chill be taken off the toast and
water.
In _croup_, have always ready a plentiful supply of hot water, in case
a warm bath might he required.
In _child-crowing_, have always in the sick-room a supply of cold
water, ready at a moment's notice to dash upon the face.
In fever, do not let the little patient lie on the lap; he will rest
more comfortably on a horse-hair mattress in his crib or cot. If he
have pain in the bowels, the lap is most agreeable to him; the warmth
of the body, either of the mother or of the nurse, soothes him;
besides, if he be on the lap, he can be turned on his stomach and on
his bowels, which, often affords him great relief and comfort. If he
be much emaciated, when he is nursed, place a pillow upon the lap and
let him lie upon it.
In _head affections_, darken the room with a _green_ calico blind;
keep the chamber more than usually quiet; let what little talking is
necessary be carried on in whispers, but the less of that the better;
and in _head affections_, never allow smelling salts to be applied to
the nose, as they only increase the flow of blood to the head, and
consequently do harm.
It is often a good sign for a child, who is seriously ill, to suddenly
become cross. It is then he begins to feel his weakness and to give
vent to his feelings. "Children are almost always cross when
recovering from an illness, however patient they may have been during
its severest moments, and the phenomenon is not by any means confined
to children."--Geo. McDonald.
A sick child must _not_ be stuffed with _much_ food at a time. He will
take either a table-spoonful of new milk or a table-spoonful of
chicken broth every half hour with greater advantage than a tea-cupful
of either the one or the other every four hours, which large quantity
would very probably be rejected from his stomach, and may cause the
unfortunately treated child to die of starvation!
If a sick child be peevish, attract his attention either by a toy or
by an ornament; if he be cross, win him over to good humour by love,
affection, and caresses, but let it be done gently and without
noise. Do not let visitors see him; they will only excite, distract,
and irritate him, and help to consume the oxygen of the atmosphere,
and thus rob the air of its exhilarating health-giving qualities and
purity; a sick-room, therefore, is not a proper place, either for
visitors or for gossips.
In selecting a sick-nurse, let her be gentle, patient, cheerful,
quiet, and kind, but firm withal; she ought to be neither old nor
young: if she be old she is often garrulous and prejudiced, and thinks
too much of her trouble; if she he young, she is frequently
thoughtless and noisy; therefore choose a middle-aged woman. Do not
let there be in the sick-room more than, besides the mother, one
efficient nurse; a greater number can he of no service--they will only
be in each other's way, and will distract the patient.
Let stillness, especially if the head be the part affected, reign in a
sick-room. Creaking shoes [Footnote: Nurses at these times ought to
wear slippers, and not shoes. The best slippers in sick-rooms are
those manufactured by the North British Rubber Company, Edinburgh;
they enable nurses to walk in them about the room without causing the
slightest noise; indeed, they might truly be called "the noiseless
slipper," a great desideratum in such cases, more especially in all
head affections of children. If the above slippers cannot readily be
obtained, then list slippers--soles and all bring made of list--will
answer the purpose equally as well.] and rustling silk dresses ought
not to be worn in sick-chambers--they are quite out of place there. If
the child be asleep, or if he be dozing, perfect stillness must he
enjoined, not even a whisper should be heard:--
"In the sick-room be calm,
More gently and with care.
Lest any jar or sudden noise,
Come sharply unaware.
You cannot tell the harm.
The mischief it may bring,
To wake the sick one suddenly,
Besides the suffering.
The broken sleep excites
Fresh pain, increased distress;
The quiet slumber undisturb'd
Soothes pain and restlessness.
Sleep is the gift of God:
Oh! bear these words at heart,
'He giveth His beloved sleep,'
And gently do thy part."
[Footnote: _Household verses on Health and Happiness._ London: Jarrold
and Sons. A most delightful little volume.]
If there be other children, let them be removed to a distant part of
the house; or, if the disease be of an infectious nature, let them be
sent away from home altogether.
In all illnesses--and bear in mind the following is most important
advice--a child must be encouraged to try and make water, whether he
ask or not, at least four times during the twenty-four hours; and at
any other time, if he express the slightest inclination to do so. I
have known a little fellow to hold his water, to his great detriment,
for twelve hours, because either the mother bad in her trouble
forgotten to inquire, or the child himself was either too ill or too
indolent to make the attempt.
See that the medical man's directions are, to the very letter, carried
out. Do not fancy that you know better than he does, otherwise you
have no business to employ him. Let him, then, have your implicit
confidence and your exact obedience. What _you_ may consider to be a
trifling matter, may frequently be of the utmost importance, and may
sometimes decide whether the case shall end either in life or death!
_Lice_.--It is not very poetical, as many of the grim facts of
every-day life are not, but, unlike a great deal of poetry, it is
unfortunately too true that after a severe and dangerous illness,
especially after a bad attack of fever, a child's head frequently
becomes infested with vermin--with lice. It therefore behoves a mother
herself to thoroughly examine, by means of a fine-tooth comb,
[Footnote: Which fine-tooth comb ought not to be used at any other
time except for the purpose of examination, as the constant use of a
fine-tooth comb would scratch the scalp, and would encourage a
quantity of scurf to accumulate.] her child's head, in order to
satisfy her mind that there be no vermin there. As soon as he be well
enough, he ought to resume his regular ablutions--that is to say, that
he must go again regularly into his tub, and have his head every
morning thoroughly washed with soap and water. A mother ought to be
particular in seeing that the nurse washes the hair-brush at least
once every week; if she does not do so, the dirty brush which had
during the illness been used, might contain the "nits"--the eggs of
the lice--and would thus propagate the vermin, as they will, when on
the head of the child, soon hatch. If there be already lice on the
head, in addition to the regular washing every morning with the soap
and water, and after the head has been thoroughly dried, let the hair
be well and plentifully dressed with camphorated oil--the oil being
allowed to remain on until the next washing on the following
morning. Lice cannot live in oil (more especially if, as in
camphorated oil, camphor be dissolved in it), and as the camphorated
oil will not, in the slightest degree, injure the hair, it is the best
application that can be used. But as soon as the vermin have
disappeared, let the oil be discontinued, as the _natural oil_ of the
hair is, at other times, the only oil that is required on the head.
The "nit"--the egg of the louse--might be distinguished from scurf
(although to the _naked_ eye it is very much like it in appearance) by
the former fastening firmly on one of the hairs as a barnacle would on
a rock, and by it not being readily brushed off as scurf would, which
latter (scurf) is always loose.
259. _My child, in the summer time, is much tormented with fleas: what
are the best remedies_?
A small muslin bag, filled with camphor, placed in the cot or bed,
will drive fleas away. Each flea-bite should, from time to time, be
dressed by means of a camel's hair brush, with a drop or two of Spirit
of Camphor; an ounce bottle of which ought, for the purpose, to be
procured from a chemist. Camphor is also an excellent remedy to
prevent bugs from biting. Bugs and fleas have a horror of camphor; and
well they might, for it is death to them!
There is a famous remedy for the destruction of fleas manufactured in
France, entitled "_La Poudre Insecticide,_" which, although perfectly
harmless to the human economy, is utterly destructive to fleas. Bugs
are best destroyed either by Creosote or by oil of Turpentine: the
places they do love to congregate in should be well saturated by means
of a brush, with the creosote or with the oil of turpentine. A few
dressings will effectually destroy both them and their young ones.
260. _Is not the pulse a great sign either of health or of disease_?
It is, and every mother should have a general idea of what the pulse
of children of different ages should be both in health and in
disease. "Every person should know how to ascertain the state of the
pulse in health; then, by comparing it with what it is when he is
ailing, he may have some idea of the urgency of his case. Parents
should know the healthy pulse of each child, since now and then a
person is born with a peculiarly slow or fast pulse, and the very case
in hand may be of such peculiarity. An infant's pulse is 140, a child
of seven about 80, and from 20 to 60 years it is 70 beats a minute,
declining to 60 at fourscore. A healthful grown person beats 70 times
in a minute, declining to 60 at fourscore. At 60, if the pulse always
exceeds 70, there is a disease; the machine working itself out, there
is a fever or inflammation somewhere, and the body is feeding on
itself, as in consumption, when the pulse is quick."
261. _Suppose a child to have had an attack either of inflammation of
the lungs or of bronchitis, and to be much predisposed to a return:
what precautions would you take to prevent either the one or the other
for the future_?
I would recommend him to wear fine flannel instead of lawn shirts; to
wear good lamb's-wool stockings _above the knees_, and good, strong,
dry shoes to his feet; to live, weather permitting, a great part of
every day in the open air; to strengthen his system by good nourishing
food--by an abundance of both milk and meat (the former especially);
to send him, in the autumn, for a couple of months, to the sea-side;
to administer to him, from time to time, cod-liver oil; in short, to
think only of his health, and to let learning, until he be stronger,
be left alone. I also advise either table salt or bay salt, or
Tidman's Sea Salt, to be added to the water in which the child is
washed with in the morning, in a similar manner as recommended in
answer to a previous question.
262. _Then do you not advise such a child to be confined within
doors_?
If any inflammation be present, or if he have but just recovered from
one, it would be improper to send him into the open air, but not
otherwise, as the fresh air would be a likely means of strengthening
the lungs, and thereby of preventing an attack of inflammation for the
future. Besides, the more a child is coddled within doors, the more
likely will he be to catch cold, and to renew the inflammation. If the
weather be cold, yet neither wet nor damp, he ought to be sent out,
but let him be well clothed; and the nurse should have strict
injunctions _not_ to stand about entries or in any draughts--indeed,
not to stand about at all, but to keep walking about all the time she
is in the open air. Unless you have a trustworthy nurse, it will be
well for you either to accompany her in her walk with your child, or
merely to allow her to walk with him in the garden, as you can then
keep your eye upon both of them.
263. _If a child be either chicken-breasted, or if he be
narrow-chested, are there any means of expanding and of strengthening
his chest_?
Learning ought to be put out of the question, attention must be paid
to his health alone, or consumption will probably mark him as its own!
Let him live as much as possible in the open air; if it be country, so
much the better. Let him rise early in the morning, and let him go to
bed betimes; and if he be old enough to use the dumb-bells, or what is
better, an India-rubber chest-expander, he should do so daily. He
ought also to be encouraged to use two short sticks, similar to, but
heavier than, a policeman's staff, and to go, every morning, through
regular exercises with them. As soon as he is old enough, let him have
lessons from a drill-sergeant and from a dancing master. Let him be
made both to walk and to sit upright, and let him be kept as much as
possible upon a milk diet, [Footnote: Where milk does not agree, it may
generally be made to do so by the addition of one part of lime water
to seven parts of new milk. Moreover, the lime will be of service in
hardening his bones, and, in these cases, the bones require
hardening.] and give him as much as he can eat of fresh meat every
day. Cod liver oil, a tea-spoonful or a dessert-spoonful, according to
his age, twice a day, is serviceable in these cases. Stimulants ought
to be carefully avoided. In short, let every means be used to nourish,
to strengthen, and invigorate the system, without, at the same time,
creating fever. Such a child should be a child of nature, he ought
almost to live in the open air, and throw his books to the winds. Of
what use is learning without health? In such a case as this you
cannot have both.
264. _If a child be round-shouldered, or if either of his
shoulder-blades have "grown out," what had better be done_?
Many children have either round shoulders, or have their shoulder
blades grown out, or have their spines twisted, from growing too fast,
from being allowed to slouch in their gait, and from not having
sufficient nourishing food, such as meat and milk, to support them
while the rapid growth of childhood is going on.
If your child be affected as above described, nourish him well on milk
and on farinaceous food, and on meat once a day, but let milk be his
staple diet; he ought, during the twenty four hours, to take two or
three pints of new milk. He should almost live in the open air, and
must have plenty of play. If you can so contrive it, let him live in
the country. When tired, let him lie, for half an hour, two or three
times daily, flat on his back on the carpet. Let him rest at night on
a horse-hair mattress, and not on a feather bed.
Let him have every morning, if it be summer, a thorough cold water
ablution, if it be winter, let the water be made tepid. Let either two
handfuls of table salt or a handful of bay salt be dissolved in the
water. Let the salt and water stream well over his shoulders and down
his back and loins. Let him be well dried with a moderately coarse
towel, and then let his back be well rubbed, and his shoulders be
thrown back-exercising them much in the same manner as in skipping,
for five or ten minutes at a time. Skipping, by-the-by, is of great
use in these cases, whether the child be either a boy or a girl-using,
of course, the rope backwards, and not forwards.
Let books be utterly discarded until his shoulders have become strong,
and thus no longer round, and his shoulder-blades have become
straight. It is a painful sight to see a child stoop like an old man.
Let him have, twice daily, a tea-spoonful or a dessert-spoonful
(according to his age) of cod-liver oil, giving it him on a full and
not on an empty stomach.
When he is old enough, let the drill-sergeant give him regular
lessons, and let the dancing-master be put in requisition. Let him go
through regular gymnastic exercises, provided they are not of a
violent character.
But, bear in mind, let there be in these cases no mechanical
restraints--no shoulder-straps, no abominable stays. Make him straight
by natural means--by making him strong. Mechanical means would only,
by weakening and wasting the muscles, increase the mischief, and thus
the deformity. In this world of ours there is too much reliance placed
on artificial, and too little on natural means of cure.
265. _What are the causes of Bow Legs in a child; and what is the
treatment_?
Weakness of constitution, poor and insufficient nourishment, and
putting a child, more especially a fat and heavy one, on his legs too
early.
_Treatment._--Nourishing food, such as an abundance of milk, and, if
he be old enough, of meat; iron medicines; cod-liver-oil; thorough
ablution, every morning of the whole body; an abundance of exercise,
either on pony, or on donkey, or in carriage, but not, until his legs
be stronger, on foot. If they are much bowed, it will be necessary to
consult an experienced surgeon.
266. _If a child, while asleep, "wet his bed" is there any method of
preventing him from doing so_?
Let him be held out just before he himself goes to bed, and again when
the family retires to rest. If, at the time, he be asleep, he will
become so accustomed to it, that he will, without awaking, make water.
He ought to be made to lie on his side; for, if he be put on his back,
the urine will rest upon an irritable part of the bladder, and, if he
be inclined to wet his bed, he will not be able to avoid doing so. He
must not be allowed to drink much with his meals, especially with his
supper. Wetting the bed is an infirmity with some children--they
cannot help it. It is, therefore, cruel to scold and chastise them for
it. Occasionally, however, wetting the bed arises from idleness; in
which case, of course, a little wholesome correction might be
necessary.
Water-proof Bed-sheeting--one yard by three-quarters of a yard--will
effectually preserve the bed from being wetted, and ought always, on
these occasions, to be used.
A mother ought, every morning, to ascertain for herself, whether a
child have wet his bed; if he have, and if, unfortunately, the
water-proof cloth have not been used, the mattress, sheets, and
blankets must be instantly taken to the kitchen fire and be properly
dried. Inattention to the above has frequently caused a child to
suffer either from cold, from a fever, or from an inflammation; not
only so, but, if they be not dried, he is wallowing in filth and in an
offensive effluvium. If both mother and nurse were more attentive to
their duties--in frequently holding a child out, whether he ask or
not--a child wetting his bed would be the exception, and not, as it
frequently is, the rule. If a child be dirty, you may depend upon it,
the right persons to blame are the mother and the nurse, and not the
child!
267. _If a child should catch Small-pox, what are the best means to
prevent pitting_?
He ought to be desired neither to pick nor to rub the pustules. If he
be too young to attend to these directions, his hands must be secured
in bags (just large enough to hold them), which bags should he
fastened round the wrists. The nails must be cut very close.
Cream smeared, by means of a feather, frequently in the day, on the
pustules, affords great comfort and benefit. Tripe liquor (without
salt) has, for the same purpose, been strongly recommended. I myself,
in several cases, have tried it, and with the happiest results. It is
most soothing, comforting, and healing to the skin.
268. _Can you, tell me of any plan to prevent Chilblaine, or, if a
child be suffering from them, to cure them_?
_First, then, the way to prevent them._--Let a child, who is subject
to them, wear, in the winter time, a square piece of wash-leather over
the toes, a pair of warm lamb's-wool stockings, and good shoes; but,
above all, let him be encouraged to run about the house as much as
possible, especially before going to bed; and on no account allow him
either to warm has feet before the fire, or to bathe them in hot
water. If the feet be cold, and the child be too young to take
exercise, then let them be well rubbed with the warm hand. If adults
suffer from chilblains, I have found friction, night and morning, with
horse-hail flesh-gloves, the best means of preventing them.
_Secondly, the way to cure them._--If they be unbroken: the
old-fashioned remedy of onion and salt is one of the best of
remedies. Cut an onion in two; take one-half of it, dip it in table
salt and well rub, for two or three minutes, the chilblain with
it. The onion and salt is a famous remedy to relieve that intolerable
itching which sometimes accompanies chilblains: then let them be
covered with a piece of lint, over which a piece of wash-leather
should be placed.
_If they be broken_, let a piece of lint be spread with
spermaceti-cerate, and be applied, every morning, to the part, and let
a white-bread poultice be used every night.
269. _During the winter time my child's hands, legs, &c., chap very
much; what ought I to do_?
Let a tea-cupful of bran be tied up in a muslin bag, and be put, over
the night, into either a large water-can or jug of _rain_ water;
[Footnote: _Rain_ water ought _always_ to be used in the washing of a
child; pump water is likely to chap the skin, and to make it both
rough and irritable.] and let this water from the can or jug be the
water he is to be washed with on the following morning, and every
morning until the chaps be cured. As often as water is withdrawn,
either from the water-can or from the jog, let fresh rain water take
its place, in order that the bran may be constantly soaking in it. The
bran in the bag should be renewed about twice a week.
Take particular care to dry the skin well every time he be washed;
then, after each ablution, as well as every night at bed-time, rub a
piece of deer's suet over the parts affected: a few dressings will
perform a cure. The deer's suet may be bought at any of the shops
where venison is sold. Another excellent remedy is glycerine,
[Footnote: Glycerine prepared by Price's Patent Candle Company is by
far the best. Sometimes, if the child's skin be very irritable, the
glycerine requires diluting with water--say, two ounces of glycerine
to be mixed in a bottle with four ounces of rain water--the bottle to
be well shaken just before using it.] which should be smeared, by
means of the finger or by a camel's hair brush, on the parts affected,
two or three times a day. If the child be very young, it might be
necessary to dilute the glycerine with rose-water; fill a small bottle
one-third with glycerine, and fill up the remaining two-thuds of the
bottle with rose-water--shaking the bottle every time just before
using it. The best soap to use for chapped hands is the glycerine
soap: no other being required.
270. _What is the best remedy for Chapped Lips_?
Cold-cream (which may be procured of any respectable chemist) is an
excellent application for _chapped lips_. It ought, by means of the
finger, to be frequently smeared on the parts affected.
271. _Have the goodness to inform me of the different varieties of
Worms that infest a child's bowels_?
Principally three--1, The tape-worm; 2, the long round-worm; and 3,
the most frequent of all, the common thread or maw-worm. The tape-worm
infests the whole course of the bowels, both small and large: the long
round-worm, principally the small bowels, occasionally the stomach; it
sometimes crawls out of the child's mouth, causing alarm to the
mother; there is, of course, no danger in its doing so: the common
thread-worm or maw-worm infests the rectum or fundament.
272. _What are the causes of Worms_?
The causes of worms are: weak bowels; bad and improper food, such as
unripe, unsound, or uncooked fruit, and much green vegetables; pork,
especially underdone pork; [Footnote: One frequent, if not the most
frequent, cause of tape-worm is the eating of pork, more especially if
it be underdone. _Underdone_ pork is the most unwholesome food that
can he eaten, and is the most frequent cause of tape-worm
known. _Underdone_ beef also gives tape-worm; let the meat, therefore,
be well and properly cooked. These facts ought to be borne in mind, as
prevention is always better than cure.] an abundance of sweets; the
neglecting of giving salt in the food.
273. _What are the symptoms and the treatment of Worms_?
_The symptoms_ of worms are--emaciation; itching and picking of the
nose; a dark mark under the eyes; grating, during sleep, of the teeth;
starting in the sleep; foul breath; furred tongue; uncertain
appetite--sometimes voracious, at other times bad, the little patient
sitting down very hungry to his dinner, and before scarcely tasting a
mouthful, the appetite vanishing; large bowels; colicky pains of the
bowels; slimy motions; itching of the fundament. Tape-worm and
round-worm, more especially the former, are apt, in children, to
produce convulsions. Tape-worm is very weakening to the constitution,
and usually causes great emaciation and general ill-health; the
sooner, therefore, it is expelled from the bowels the better it will
be for the patient.
Many of the obscure diseases of children arise from worms. In all
doubtful cases, therefore, this fact should be borne in mind, in order
that a thorough investigation may be instituted.
With regard to _treatment_, a medical man ought, of course, to be
consulted. He will soon use means both to dislodge them, and to
prevent a future recurrence of them.
Let me caution a mother never to give her child patent medicines for
the destruction of worms. There is one favourite quack powder, which
is composed principally of large doses of calomel, and which is quite
as likely to destroy the patient as the worms! No, if your child have
worms, put him under the care of a judicious medical man, who will
soon expel them, without, at the same tune, injuring health or
constitution!
274. _How may worms be prevented from infesting a child's bowels_?
Worms generally infest _weak_ bowels; hence, the moment a child
becomes strong worms cease to exist. The reason why a child is so
subject to them is owing to the improper food which is usually given
to him. When he be stuffed with unsound and with unripe fruits, with
much sweets, with rich puddings, and with pastry, and when he is
oftentimes allowed to eat his meat _without_ salt, and to _bolt_ his
food without chewing it, is there any wonder that he should suffer
from worms? The way to prevent them is to avoid such things, and, at
the same time, to give him plenty of salt to his _fresh_ and
well-cooked meat. Salt strengthens and assists digestion, and is
absolutely necessary to the human economy. Salt is emphatically a worm
destroyer. The truth of this statement may be readily tested by
sprinkling a little salt on the common earth-worm. "What a comfort
and real requisite to human life is salt! It enters into the
constituents of the human blood, and to do without it is wholly
impossible."--_The Grocer_. To do without it is wholly impossible!
These are true words. Look well to it, therefore, ye mothers, and
beware of the consequences of neglecting such advice, and see for
yourselves that your children regularly eat salt with their food. If
they neglect eating salt with their food, they _must of necessity have
worms_, and worms that will eventually injure them, and make them
miserable. All food, then, should be "flavoured with salt;"
_flavoured_, that is to say, salt should be used in each and every
kind of food--_not in excess, but in moderation_.
275. _You have a great objection to the frequent administration of
aperient medicines to a child: can you advise any method to prevent
their use_?
Although we can scarcely call constipation a disease, yet it sometimes
leads to disease. The frequent giving of aperients only adds to the
stubbornness of the bowels.
I have generally found a draught, early every morning, of _cold_ pump
water, the eating either of Huntley and Palmer's loaf ginger-bread, or
of oatmeal gingerbread, a variety of animal and vegetable food, ripe
sound fruit, Muscatel raisins, a fig, or an orange after dinner, and,
when he be old enough, _coffee_ and milk instead of _tea_ and milk, to
have the desired effect, more especially if, for a time, aperients be
studiously avoided.
276. _Have you any remarks to make on Rickets_?
Rickets is owing to a want of a sufficient quantity of earthy matter
in the bones; hence the bones bend and twist, and lose their shape,
causing deformity. Rickets generally begins to show itself between the
first and second years of a child's life. Such children are generally
late in cutting their teeth, and when the teeth do come they are bad,
deficient of enamel, discoloured, and readily decay. A rickety child
is generally stunted in stature; he has a large head, with overhanging
forehead, or what nurses call a watery-head-shaped forehead. The
fontanelles, or openings of the head, as they are called, are a long
time in closing. A rickety child is usually talented; his brain seems
to thrive at the expense of his general health. His breast-bone
projects out, and the sides of his chest are flattened; hence he
becomes what is called chicken-breasted or pigeon-breasted; his spine
is usually twisted, so that he is quite awry, and, in a bad case, he
is hump-backed; the ribs, from the twisted spine, on one side bulge
out; he is round-shouldered; the long bones of his body, being soft,
bend; he is bow-legged, knock-kneed, and weak-ankled.
Rickets are of various degrees of intensity, the humpbacked being
among the worst There are many mild forms of rickets; weak ankles,
knocked-knees, bowed-legs, chicken-breasts, being among the latter
number. Many a child, who is not exactly hump-backed, is very
round-shouldered, which latter is also a mild species of rickets.
Show me a child that is rickety, and I can generally prove that it is
owing to poor living, more especially to poor milk. If milk were
always genuine, and if a child had an abundance of it, my belief is
that rickets would be a very rare disease. The importance of genuine
milk is of national importance. We cannot have a race of strong men
and women unless, as children, they have had a good and plentiful
supply of milk. It is utterly impossible. Milk might well be
considered one of the necessaries of a child's existence. Genuine,
fresh milk, then, is one of the grand preventatives, as well as one of
the best remedies, for rickets. Many a child would not now have to
swallow quantities Of cod-liver oil if previously he had imbibed
quantities of good genuine milk. An insufficient and a poor supply of
milk in childhood sows the seeds of many diseases, and death often
gathers the fruit. Can it be wondered at, when there is so much poor
and nasty milk in England, that rickets in one shape or another is so
prevalent?
When will mothers arouse from their slumbers, rub their eyes, and see
clearly the importance of the subject? When will they know that all
the symptoms of rickets I have just enumerated _usually_ proceed from
the want of nourishment, more especially from the want of genuine, and
of an abundance of, milk? There are, of, course, other means of
warding off rickets besides an abundance of nourishing food, such as
thorough ablution, plenty of air, exercise, play, and sunshine; but of
all these splendid remedies, nourishment stands at the top of the
list.
I do not mean to say that rickets _always_ proceeds from poorness of
living--from poor milk. It sometimes arises from scrofula, and is an
inheritance of one or of both the parents.
Rickety children, if not both carefully watched and managed,
frequently, when they become youths, die of consumption.
A mother, who has for some time neglected the advice I have just
given, will often find, to her grievous cost, that the mischief has,
past remedy, been done, and that it is now "too late!--too late!"
277. _How may a child be prevented from becoming rickety? or, if he be
rickety, how ought he to be treated_?
If a child be predisposed to be rickety, or if he be actually rickety,
attend to the following rules:--
Let him live well, on good nourishing diet, such as on tender
rump-steaks, cut very fine, and mixed with mashed potatoes, crumb of
bread, and with the gravy of the meat. Let him have, as I have before
advised, an abundance of good new milk--a quart or three pints during
every twenty-four hours. Let him have milk in every form--as milk
gruel, Du Barry's Arabica Revalenta made with milk, batter and rice
puddings, suet puddings, bread and milk, etc.
_To harden the bones_, let lime water be added to the milk (a
table-spoonful to each tea-cupful of milk.)
Let him have a good supply of fresh, pure, dry air. He must almost
live in the open air--the country, if practicable, in preference to
the town, and the coast in summer and autumn. Sea bathing and sea
breezes are often, in these cases, of inestimable value.
He ought not, at an early age, to be allowed to bear his weight upon
his legs. He must sleep on a horse-hair mattress, and not on a feather
bed. He should use every morning cold baths in the summer and tepid
baths in the winter, with bay salt (a handful) dissolved in the water.
Friction with the hand must, for half an hour at a time, every night
and morning, be sedulously applied to the back and to the limbs. It is
wonderful how much good in these cases friction does.
Strict attention ought to be paid to the rules of health as laid down
in these Conversations. Whatever is conducive to the general health is
preventive and curative of rickets.
Books, if he be old enough to read them, should be thrown aside;
health, and health alone, must be the one grand object.
The best medicines in these cases are a combination of cod-liver oil
and the wine of iron, given in the following manner:--Put a
tea-spoonful of wine of iron into a wine-glass, half fill the glass
with water, sweeten it with a lump or two of sugar, then let a
tea-spoonful of cod-liver oil swim on the top; let the child drink it
all down together, twice or three times a day. An hour after a meal is
the _best_ time to give the medicine, as both iron and cod-liver oil
sit better on a _full_ than on an _empty_ stomach. The child in a
short time will become fond of the above medicine, and will be sorry
when it is discontinued.
A case of rickets requires great patience and steady perseverance;
let, therefore, the above plan have a fair and long-continued trial,
and I can then promise that there will be every probability that great
benefit will be derived from it.
278. _If a child be subject to a scabby eruption about the mouth, what
is the best local application_?
Leave it to nature. Do not, on any account, apply any local
application to heal it; if you do, you may produce injury; you may
either bring on an attack of inflammation, or you may throw him into
convulsions. No! This "breaking-out" is frequently a safety-valve,
and must not therefore be needlessly interfered with. Should the
eruption be severe, reduce the child's diet; keep him from butter,
from gravy, and from fat meat, or, indeed, for a few days from meat
altogether; and give him mild aperient medicine; but, above all
things, do not quack him either with calomel or with grey-powder.
279. _Will you have the goodness to describe the eruption on the face
and on the head of a young child, called Milk-Crust or Running Scall_?
Milk-crust is a complaint of very young children--of those who are
cutting their teeth--and, as it is a nasty looking complaint, and
frequently gives a mother a great deal of trouble, of anxiety, and
annoyance, it will be well that you should know its symptoms, its
causes, and its probable duration.
_Symptoms_.--When a child is about nine months or a year old, small
pimples are apt to break out around the ears, on the forehead, and on
the head. These pimples at length become vesicles (that is to say,
they contain water), which run into one large one, break, and form a
nasty dirty-looking yellowish, and sometimes greenish, scab, which
scab is moist, indeed, sometimes quite wet, and gives out a
disagreeable odour, and which is sometimes so large on the head as
actually to form a skullcap, and so extensive on the face as to form a
mask. These, I am happy to say, are rare cases. The child's beauty
is, of, course, for a time completely destroyed, and not only his
beauty, but his good temper; for as the eruption causes great
irritation and itching, he is constantly clawing himself, and crying
with annoyance the great part of the day, and sometimes also of the
night--the eruption preventing him from sleeping. It is not
contagious, and soon after he has cut the whole of his first set of
teeth it will get well, provided it has not been improperly interfered
with.
_Causes_.--Irritation from teething; stuffing him with overmuch meat,
thus producing a humour, which Nature tries to get rid of by throwing
it out on the surface of the body; the safest place she could fix on
for the purpose; hence the folly and danger of giving medicines and
applying _external_ applications to drive the eruption in. "Diseased
nature oftentimes breaks forth in strange eruptions," and cures
herself in this way, if she be not too much interfered with, and if
the eruption be not driven in by injudicious treatment. I have known
in such cases disastrous consequences to follow over-officiousness and
meddlesomeness. Nature is trying all she can to drive the humour out,
while some wiseacres are doing all they can to drive the humour in.
_Duration_.--As milk-crust is a tedious affair, and will require a
variety of treatment, it will be necessary to consult an experienced
medical man; and although he will be able to afford great relief, the
child will not, in all probability, be quite free from the eruption
until he have cut the whole of his first set of teeth--until he be
upwards of two years and a half old--when, with judicious and careful
treatment, it will gradually disappear, and eventually leave not a
trace behind.
It will be far better to leave the case alone--to get well of
itself--rather than to try to cure the complaint either by outward
applications or by strong internal medicines; "the remedy is often
worse than the disease," of this I am quite convinced.
280. _Have you any advice to give me as to my conduct towards my
medical man_?
Give him your entire confidence. Be truthful and be candid with
him. Tell him the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the
truth. Have no reservations; give him, as near as you can, a plain,
unvarnished statement of the symptoms of the disease. Do not magnify,
and do not make too light of any of them. Be prepared to state the
exact time the child first showed symptoms of illness. If he have had
a shivering fit, however slight, do not fail to tell your medical man
of it. Note the state of the skin; if there be a "breaking-out"--be it
ever so trifling--let it be pointed out to him. Make yourself
acquainted with the quantity and with the appearance of the urine,
taking care to have a little of it saved, in case the doctor may wish
to see and examine it. Take notice of the state of the motions--their
number during the twenty-four hours, their colour, their smell, and
their consistence, keeping one for his inspection. Never leave any of
these questions to be answered by a servant; a mother is the proper
person to give the necessary and truthful answers, which answers
frequently decide the fate of the patient. Bear in mind, then, a
mother's untiring care and love, attention and truthfulness,
frequently decide whether, in a serious illness, the little fellow
shall live or die! Fearful responsibility!
A medical man has arduous duties to perform; smooth, therefore, his
path as much as you can, and you will be amply repaid by the increased
good he will be able to do your child. Strictly obey a doctor's
orders--in diet, in medicine, in everything. Never throw obstacles in
his way. Never omit any of his suggestions; for, depend upon it that
if he be a sensible man, directions, however slight, ought never to be
neglected; bear in mind, with a judicious medical man,
"That nothing walks with aimless feet."--_Tennyson_.
If the case be severe, requiring a second opinion, never of your own
accord call in a physician, without first consulting and advising with
your own medical man. It would be an act of great discourtesy to do
so. Inattention to the foregoing advice has frequently caused injury
to the patient, and heart-burnings and ill-will among doctors.
Speak, in the presence of your child, with respect and kindness of
your medical man, so that the former may look upon the latter as a
friend--as one who will strive, with God's blessing, to relieve his
pain and suffering. Remember the increased power of doing good the
doctor will have if the child be induced to like, instead of dislike,
him. Not only be careful that you yourself speak before your child,
respectfully and kindly of the medical man, but see that your
domestics do so likewise; and take care that they are never allowed to
frighten your child, as many silly servants do, by saying that they
will send for the doctor, who will either give him nasty medicine, or
will perform some cruel operation upon him. A nurse-maid should, then,
never for one moment be permitted to make a doctor an object of terror
or of dislike to a child.
Send, whenever it be practicable, for your doctor _early_ in the
morning, as he will then make his arrangements accordingly, and can by
daylight better ascertain the nature of the complaint, more especially
if it be a skin disease. It is utterly impossible for him to form a
correct opinion of the nature of a "breaking-out" either by gas or by
candle light. If the illness come on at night, particularly if it be
ushered in either with a severe shivering, or with any other urgent
symptom, no time should be lost, be it night or day, in sending for
him,
"A little fire is quietly trodden out,
Which, being sufier'd, rivers cannot quench."
_Shakespeare_.
WARM BATHS
281. _Have the goodness to mention the complaints of a child for which
warm baths are useful_.
1. Convulsions; 2. Pains in the bowels, known by, the child drawing up
his legs, screaming violently, etc.; 3. Restlessness from teething;
4. Flatulence. The warm bath acts as a fomentation to the stomach and
the bowels, and gives ease where the usual remedies do not rapidly
relieve.
282. _Will you mention the precautions, and the rules to be observed
in gutting a child info a warm bath_?
Carefully ascertain before he be immersed in the bath that the water
be neither too hot nor too cold. Carelessness, or over-anxiety to put
him in the water as quickly as possible, has frequently, from his
being immersed in the bath when the water was too hot, caused him
great pain and suffering. From 96 to 98 degrees of Fahrenheit is the
proper temperature of a warm bath. If it be necessary to add fresh
warm water, let him be either removed the while, or let it not be put
in when very hot; for if boiling water be added to increase the heat
of the bath, it naturally ascends, and may scald him. Again, let the
fresh water be put in at as great a distance from him as possible. The
usual time for him to remain in a bath is a quarter of an hour or
twenty minutes. Let the chest and the bowels be rubbed with the hand
while he is in the bath. Let him be immersed in the bath as high up as
the neck, taking care that he be the while supported under the
armpits, and that his head be also rested. As soon as he comes out of
the bath, he ought to be carefully but quickly rubbed dry; and if it
be necessary to keep up the action on the skin, he should be put to
bed, between the blankets; or if the desired relief has been obtained,
between the sheets, which ought to have been previously warmed, where,
most likely, he will fall into a sweet refreshing sleep.
WARM EXTERNAL APPLICATIONS.
283. _In case of a child suffering pain either in his stomach or in
his bowels, or in case he has a feverish cold, can you tell me of the
best way of applying heat to them_?
In pain either of the stomach or of the bowels, there is nothing
usually affords greater or speedier relief than the _external_
application of heat The following are four different methods of
applying heat:--1. A bag of hot salt--that is to say, powdered
table-salt--put either into the oven or into a frying-pan over the
fire, and thus made hot, and placed in a flannel bag, and then
applied, as the case may be, either to the stomach or to the
bowels. Hot salt is an excellent remedy for these pains. 2. An
india-robber hot-water bottle, [Footnote: Every house where there are
children ought to have one of these India-rubber hot-water bottles. It
may be procured at any respectable Vulcanised India-rubber warehouse.]
half filled with hot water--it need not be boiling--applied to the
stomach or to the bowels, will afford great comfort 3. Another and an
excellent remedy for these cases is a hot bran poultice. The way to
make it is as follows:--Stir bran into a Vessel containing either a
pint or a quart (according to size of poultice required) of boiling
water, until it be the consistence of a nice soft poultice, then put
into a flannel bag and apply it to the part affected. When cool, dip
it from time to time in _hot_ water. 4. In case a child has a feverish
cold, especially if it be attended, as it sometimes is, with pains in
the bowels, the following is a good external application.--Take a yard
of flannel, fold it in three widths, then dip it in very hot water,
wring it out tolerably dry, and apply it evenly and neatly round and
round the bowels; over this, and to keep it in its place, and to keep
in the moisture, put on a _dry_ flannel bandage, four yards long and
four inches wide. If it be put on at bed-time, it ought to remain on
all night. Where there are children, it is desirable to have the yard
of flannel and the flannel bandage in readiness, and then a mother
will be prepared for emergencies. Either the one or the other, then,
of the above applications will usually, in pains of the stomach and
bowels, afford great relief. There is one great advantage of the
_external_ application of heat--it can never do harm; if there be
inflammation, it will do good; if there be either cramps or spasms of
the stomach, it will be serviceable; if there be colic, it will be one
of the best remedies that can be used; if it be a feverish cold, by
throwing the child into a perspiration, it will be beneficial.
It is well for a mother to know how to make a white bread poultice;
and as the celebrated Abernethy was noted for his poultices, I will
give you his directions, and in his very words:--"Scald out a basin,
for you can never make a good poultice unless you have perfectly
boiling water, then, having put in some hot water, throw in coarsely
crumbled bread, and cover it with a plate. When the bread has soaked
up as much water as it will imbibe, drain off the remaining water, and
there will be left a light pulp. Spread it a third of an inch thick on
folded linen, and apply it when of the temperature of a warm bath. It
may be said that this poultice will be very inconvenient if there be
no lard in it, for it will soon get dry; but this is the very thing
you want, and it can easily be moistened by dropping warm water on it,
whilst a greasy poultice will be moist, but not wet."--_South's
Household Surgery_.
ACCIDENTS.
284. _Supposing a child to cut his finger, what is the best
application_?
There is nothing better than tying it up with rag in its blood, as
nothing is more healing than blood. Do not wash the blood away, but
apply the rag at once, taking care that no foreign substance be left
in the wound. If there be either glass or dirt in it, it will of
course be necessary to bathe the cut in warm water, to get rid of it
before the rag be applied. Some mothers use either salt or Fryar's
Balsam, or turpentine, to a fresh wound; these plans are cruel and
unnecessary, and frequently make the cut difficult to heal. If it
bleed immoderately, sponge the wound freely with cold water. If it be
a severe cut, surgical aid, of course, will be required.
285. _If a child receive a blow, causing a bruise, what had better be
done_?
Immediately smear a small lump of _fresh_ butter on the part affected,
and renew it every few minutes for two or three hours; this is an
old-fashioned, but a very good remedy. Olive oil may--if _fresh_
butter be not at hand--be used, or soak a piece of brown-paper in one
third of French brandy and two-thirds of water, and immediately apply
it to the part; when dry renew it. Either of these simple plans--the
butter plan is the best--will generally prevent both swelling and
disfiguration.
A "_Black Eye_."--If a child, or indeed any one else, receive a blow
over the eye, which is likely to cause a "black eye," there is no
remedy superior to, nor more likely to prevent one, than well
buttering the parts for two or three inches around the eye with fresh
butter, renewing it every few minutes for the space of an hour or two;
if such be well and perseveringly done, the disagreeable appearance of
a "black eye" will in all probability be prevented. A capital remedy
for a "black eye" is the Arnica Lotion,--
Take of--Tincture of Arnica, one ounce;
Water, seven ounces;
To make a Lotion. The eye to be bathed by means of a soft piece of
linen rag, with this lotion frequently; and, between times, let a
piece of linen rag, wetted in the lotion, be applied: to the eye, and
be fastened in its place by means of a bandage.
The white lily leaf, soaked in brandy, is another excellent remedy for
the bruises of a child. Gather the white lily blossoms when in full
bloom, and put them in a wide-mouthed bottle of brandy, cork the
bottle, and it will then always be ready for use. Apply a leaf to the
part affected, and bind it on either with a bandage or with a
handkerchief. The white lily root sliced is another valuable external
application for bruises.
286. _If a child fall upon his head and be stunned, what ought to be
done_?
If he fall upon his head and be stunned, he will look deadly pale,
very much as if he had fainted. He will in a few minutes, in all
probability, regain his consciousness. Sickness frequently
supervenes, which makes the case more serious, it being a proof that
injury, more or less severe, has been done to the brain; send,
therefore, instantly for a medical man.
In the meantime, loosen both his collar and neckerchief, lay him flat
on his back, sprinkle cold water upon his face, open the windows so as
to admit plenty of fresh air, and do not let people crowd round him,
nor shout at him, as some do, to make him speak.
While he is in an unconscious state, do not on any account whatever
allow a drop of blood to be taken from him, either by leeches or from
the arm-venesection; if you do, he will probably never rally, but will
most likely "sleep the sleep that knows not breaking."
287. _A nurse sometimes drops an infant and injures his back; what
ought to be done_?
Instantly send for a surgeon; omitting to have proper advice in such a
case has frequently made a child a cripple for life. A nurse
frequently, when she has dropped her little charge, is afraid to tell
her mistress; the consequences might then be deplorable. If ever a
child scream violently without any assignable cause, and the mother is
not able for some time to pacify him, the safer plan is that she send
for a doctor, in order that he might strip and carefully examine him;
much after misery might often be averted if this plan were more
frequently followed.
288. _Have you any remarks to make and directions to give on
accidental poisoning by lotions, by liniments, etc_?
It is a culpable practice of either a mother or nurse to leave
_external_ applications within the reach of a child. It is also
highly improper to put a mixture and an _external_ application (such
as a lotion or a liniment) on the same tray or on the same
mantel-piece. Many liniments contain large quantities of opium, a
tea-spoonful of which would be likely to cause the death of a
child. "Hartshorn and oil," too, has frequently been swallowed by
children, and in several instances has caused death. Many lotions
contain sugar of lead, which is also poisonous. There is not,
fortunately, generally sufficient lead in the lotion to cause death;
but if there be not enough to cause death, there may be more than
enough to make the child very poorly. All these accidents occur from
disgraceful carelessness.
A mother or a nurse ought _always_, before administering a dose of
medicine to a child, to read the label on the bottle; by adopting this
simple plan many serious accidents and much after misery might be
averted. Again, I say, let every lotion, every liniment, and indeed
everything for external use, be either locked up or be put out of the
way, and far away from all medicine that is given by the mouth. This
advice admits of no exception.
If your child have swallowed a portion of a liniment containing opium,
instantly send for a medical man. In the meantime force a strong
mustard emetic (composed of two tea-spoonfuls of flour of mustard,
mixed in half a tea-cupful of warm water) down his throat. Encourage
the vomiting by afterwards forcing him to swallow warm water. Tickle
the throat either with your finger or with a feather. Souse him
alternately in hot and then in a cold bath. Dash cold water on his
head and face. Throw open the windows. Walk him about in the open
air. Rouse him by slapping him, by pinching him, and by shouting to
him; rouse him, indeed, by every means in your power, for if you allow
him to go to sleep, it will, in all probability, be the sleep that
knows no waking!
If a child have swallowed "hartshorn and oil," force him to drink
vinegar and water, lemon-juice and water sweetened with sugar, barley
water, and thin gruel.
If he have swallowed a lead lotion, give him a mustard emetic, and
then vinegar and water, sweetened either with honey or with sugar, to
drink.
289. _Are not lucifer matches poisonous_?
Certainly, they are very poisonous; it is, therefore, desirable that
they should be put out of the reach of children. A mother ought to be
very strict with servants on this head. Moreover, lucifer matches are
not only poisonous but dangerous, as a child might set himself on fire
with them. A case bearing on the subject has just come under my own
observation. A little boy three years old, was left alone for two or
three minutes, during which time he obtained possession of a lucifer
match, and struck a light by striking the match against the
wall. Instantly there was a blaze. Fortunately for him, in his fright,
he threw the match on the floor. His mother at this moment entered the
room. If his clothes had taken fire, which they might have done, had
he not have thrown the match away, or if his mother had not been so
near at hand, he would, in all probability, have either been severely
burned or have been burned to death.
290. _If a child's clothes take fire, what ought to be done to
extinguished them_?
Lay him on the floor, then roll him either in the rug, or in the
carpet, or in the door-mat, or in any thick article of dress you may
either have on, or have at hand--if it be woollen, so much the better;
or, throw him down, and roll him over and over on the floor, as, by
excluding the atmospheric air, the flame will go out:--hence the
importance of a mother cultivating presence of mind. If parents were
better prepared for such emergencies, such horrid disfigurations and
frightful deaths would be less frequent.
You ought to have a proper fire-guard before the nursery grate, and
should be strict in not allowing your child to play with fire. If he
still persevere in playing with it, when he has been repeatedly
cautioned not to do so, he should be punished for his temerity. If
anything would justify corporal chastisement, it would surely be such
an act of disobedience. There are only two acts of disobedience that I
would flog a child for--namely, the playing with fire and the telling
of a lie! If after various warnings and wholesome corrections he still
persist, it would be well to let him slightly taste the pain of his
doing so, either by holding his hand for a moment very near the fire,
or by allowing him to slightly touch either the hot bar of the grate
or the flame of the candle. Take my word for it the above plan, will
effectually cure him--he will never do it again. It would be well for
the children of the poor to have pinafores made either of woollen or
of stuff materials. The dreadful deaths from burning, which so often
occur in winter, too frequently arise from _cotton_ pinafores first
taking fire. [Footnote: It has been computed that upwards of 1000
children are annually burned to death by accident in England.]
If all dresses after being washed, and just before being dried, were,
for a short time, soaked in a solution of tungstate of soda, such
clothes, when dried, would, be perfectly fire-proof.
Tangstate of soda may be used either with or without starch; but full
directions for the using of it will, at the time of purchase, be given
by the chemist.
291. _Is a burn more dangerous than a scald_?
A burn is generally more serious than a scald. Burns and scalds are
more dangerous on the body, especially on the chest, than either on
the face or on the extremities. The younger the child, the greater
the danger.
Scalds both of the mouth and the throat, from a child drinking boiling
water from the spout of a tea-kettle, are most dangerous. A poor
person's child is, from the unavoidable absence of the mother,
sometimes shut up in the kitchen by himself, and being very thirsty,
and no other water being at hand, he is tempted, in his ignorance, to
drink from the tea-kettle: If the water be unfortunately boiling, it
will most likely prove to him to be a fatal draught!
292. _What are the best immediate applications to a scald or to a
burn_?
There is nothing more efficacious than flour. It ought to be thickly
applied over the part affected, and should be kept in its place either
with a rag and a bandage, or with, strips of old linen. If this be
done, almost instantaneous relief will be experienced, and the burn or
the scald, if superficial, will soon be well. The advantage of flour
as a remedy, is this, that it is always at hand. I have seen some
extensive bums and scalds cured by the above simple plan. Another
excellent remedy is, cottonwool of superior quality, purposely made
for surgeons. The burn or the scald ought to be enveloped in it;
layer after layer should be applied until it be several inches
thick. The cotton-wool must not be removed for several days. These two
remedies, flour and cotton-wool, may be used in conjunction; that is
to say, the flour may be thickly applied to the scald or to the burn,
and the cotton wool over all.
Prepared lard--that is to say, lard without salt [Footnote: If there
be no other lard in the house but lard _with_ salt, the salt may be
readily removed by washing the lard in cold water. Prepared
lard--that is to say, lard _without_ salt--can, at any moment, be
procured from the nearest druggist in the neighbourhood]--is an
admirable remedy for burns and for scalds. The advantages of lard
are,--(1.) It is almost always at hand; (2.) It is very cooling,
soothing, and unirritating to the part, and it gives almost immediate
freedom from pain; (3.) It effectually protects and sheathes the burn
or the scald from the air; (4.) It is readily and easily applied: all
that has to be done is to spread the lard either on pieces of old
linen rag, or on lint, and then to apply them smoothly to the parts
affected, keeping them in their places by means of bandages--which
bandages may be readily made from either old linen or calico shirts.
Dr John Packard, of Philadelphia, was the first to bring this remedy
for burns and scalds before the public--he having tried it in numerous
instances, and with the happiest results. I myself have, for many
years been in the habit of prescribing lard as a dressing for
blisters, and with the best effects. I generally advise equal parts of
prepared lard and of spermaceti-cerate to be blended together to make
an ointment. The spermaceti-cerate gives a little more consistence to
the lard, which, in warm weather especially, is a great advantage.
Another valuable remedy for burns is "carron-oil;" which is made by
mixing equal parts of linseed-oil and lime-water in a bottle, and
shaking it up before using it.
Cold applications, such as cold water, cold vinegar and water, and
cold lotions, are most injurious, and, in many cases, even
dangerous. Scraped potatoes, sliced cucumber, salt, and spirits of
turpentine, have all been recommended; but, in my practice, nothing
has been so efficacious as the remedies above enumerated.
Do not wash the wound, and do not dress it more frequently than every
_other_ day. If there be much discharge, let it be gently sopped up
with soft old linen rag; but do not, _on any_ account, let the burn be
rubbed or roughly handled. I am convinced that, in the majority of
cases, wounds are too frequently dressed, and that the washing of
wounds prevents the healing of them. "It is a great mistake," said
Ambrose Pare, "to dress ulcers too often, and to wipe their surfaces
clean, for thereby we not only remove the useless excrement, which is
the mud or sanies of ulcers, but also the matter which forms the
flesh. Consequently, for these reasons, ulcers should not be dressed
too often."
It is nature, and not the surgeon, that really cures the wound, and it
is done, like all Nature's works, principally in secret, by degrees,
and by patience, and resents much interference. The seldom-dressing of
a wound and patience are, then, two of the best remedies for effecting
a cure. Shakspeare, who seemed to know surgery, as he did almost
everything else beside was quite cognisant of the fact:--
"How poor are they, that have not patience
What wound did ever heal, but by degrees"
The burn or the scald may, after the first two days, if severe,
require different dressings; but, if it be severe, the child ought of
course to be immediately placed under the care of a surgeon.
If the scald be either on the leg or on the foot, a common practice is
to take the shoe and the stocking off; in this operation the skin is
also at the same time very apt to be removed. Now, both the shoe and
the stocking ought to be slit up, and thus be taken off, so that
neither unnecessary pain nor mischief may be caused.
293. _If a bit of quick-lime should accidentally enter the eye of my
child, what ought to be done_?
Instantly, but tenderly remove, either by means of a camel's hair
brush, or by a small spill of paper, any bit of lime that may adhere
to the ball of the eye, or that may be within the eye or on the
eye-lashes; then well bathe the eye (allowing a portion to enter it)
with vinegar and water-one part of vinegar to three parts of water,
that is to say, a quarter fill a clean half-pint medicine bottle with
vinegar, and then fill it up with spring water, and it will be ready
for use. Let the eye be bathed for at least a quarter of an hour with,
it The vinegar will neutralise the lime, and will rob it of its
burning properties.
Having bathed the eye with vinegar and water for a quarter of an hour,
bathe it for another quarter of an hour simply with a little warm
water, after which, drop into the eye two or three drops of the best
sweet-oil, put on an eye-shade made of three thicknesses of linen rag,
covered with green silk, and then do nothing more until the doctor
arrive.
If the above rules be not _promptly_ and _properly_ followed out, the
child may irreparably lose his eyesight; hence the necessity of
conversations of this kind, to tell a mother, provided _immediate_
assistance cannot be obtained, what ought _instantly_ to be done; for
moments, in such a case, are precious.
While doing all that I have just recommended, let a surgeon be sent
for, as a smart attack of inflammation, of the eye is very apt to
follow the burn of lime; but which inflammation will, provided the
_previous_ directions have been _promptly_ and _efficiently_ followed
out, with appropriate treatment, soon subside.
The above accident is apt to occur to a child who is standing near a
building when the slacking of quicklime is going on, and where
portions of lime in the form of powder are flying about the air. It
would be well not to allow a child to stand about such places, as
prevention is always better than cure. _Quicklime_ is sometimes called
_caustic-lime_--it well deserves its name, for it is a _burning-lime_,
and if proper means be not promptly used, will soon burn away the
sight.
294. _If any other foreign substance should enter the eye, what is the
best method of removing it_?
If there be grit, or sand, or dust, or particle of coal, or gnat, or a
hair, or an eye-lash in the eye, it ought to be tenderly removed by a
small tightly-folded paper spill, holding down the lower lid with the
fore-finger of the left hand the while; and the eye, if inflamed,
should be frequently bathed with warm milk and water; but generally as
soon as the cause is removed the effect will cease, and after
treatment will be unnecessary.
If a particle of metal be sticking on the cornea of the eye, as it
sometimes does, it will require the skilled hand of a surgeon to
remove it.
Any foreign substance, however minute, in the eye, is very painful;
but a piece of burning lime is excruciating. Shakspeare gives a
graphic description of the pain from the presence of any foreign
substance, however small, in the eye:--
"Oh heaven!--that there were but a mote in yours,
A grain, a dust, a gnat, a wand'ring hair,
Any annoyance in that precious sense!
Then, feeling what small things are boist'rous there,
Your vile intent must needs seem horrible."
295. _What ought to be done in a case of choking_?
How often does a hungry little child, if not carefully watched, fill
his mouth so full, and swallow lumps of food in such hot haste, as to
choke himself--
"With eager feeding, food doth choke the feeder"
_Shakespeare._
_Treatment_.-Instantly put your finger into the throat and feel if the
substance be within reach; if it be food, force it down, and thus
liberate the breathing; should it be a hard substance, endeavour to
hook it out; if you cannot reach it, give a good smart blow or two
with the flat of the hand on the back; or, as recommended by
contributor to the _Lancet_, on the chest, taking care to "seize the
little patient, and place him between your knees side ways, and in
this or some other manner to _compress the abdomen_ [the belly],
otherwise the power of the blow will be lost by the yielding of the
abdominal parieties [walls of the belly], and the respiratory effort
will not be produced." If that does not have the desired effect,
tickle the throat with your finger, so as to ensure immediate
vomiting, and the subsequent ejection of the offending substance.
296. _Should my child be bitten by a dog supposed to be mad, what
ought to be done_?
Instantly well rub for the space of five or ten _seconds_--seconds,
_not_ minutes--a stick of nitrate of silver (lunar-caustic) into the
wound. The stick of lunar-caustic should be pointed, like a cedar
pencil for writing, in order the more thoroughly to enter the
wound. [Footnote: A stick of pointed nitrate of silver, in a case,
ready for use, may be procured of any respectable chemist.] This, if
properly done directly after the bite, will effectually prevent
hydrophobia. The nitrate of silver acts not only as a caustic to the
part, but it appears effectually to neutralise the poison, and thus,
by making the virus perfectly innocuous, is a complete antidote. If it
be either the lip, or the parts near the eye, or the wrist, that have
been bitten, it is far preferable to apply the caustic than to cut the
part out; as the former is neither so formidable, nor so dangerous,
nor so disfiguring as the latter, and yet it is equally as
efficacious. I am indebted to the late Mr Youatt, the celebrated
veterinary surgeon, for this valuable antidote or remedy for the
_prevention_ of the most horrible, heart-rending, and incurable
disease known. Mr Youatt had an immense practice among, dogs as well
as among horses. He was a keen observer of disease, and a dear lover
of his profession, and he had paid great attention to rabies--
dog-madness. He and his assistants had been repeatedly bitten by
rabid dogs; but knowing that he was in possession of an infallible
preventive remedy, he never dreaded the wounds inflicted either upon
himself or upon his assistants. Mr Youatt never knew lunar-caustic, if
properly and _immediately_ applied, to fail. It is, of course, only a
preventive. If hydrophobia be once developed in the human system, no
antidote has ever yet, for this fell and intractable disease, been
found.
While walking the London Hospitals, upwards of forty years ago, I
received an invitation from Mr Youatt to attend a lecture on
rabies--dog-madness. He had, during the lecture, a dog present
labouring under _incipient_ madness. In a day or two after the
lecture, he requested me and other students to call at his infirmary
and see the dog, as the disease was at that time fully developed. We
did so, and found the poor animal raving mad--frothing at the mouth,
and snapping at the iron bars of his prison. I was particularly struck
with a peculiar brilliancy and wildness of the dog's eyes. He seemed
as though, with affright and consternation, he beheld objects unseen
by all around. It was pitiful to witness his frightened and anxious
countenance. Death soon closed the scene!
I have thought it my duty to bring the value of lunar-caustic as a
preventive of hydrophobia prominently before your notice, and to pay a
tribute of respect to the memory of Mr Youatt--a man of talent and of
genius.
Never kill a dog supposed to be mad who has bitten either a child, or
any one else, until it has, past all doubt, been ascertained whether
he be really mad or not. He ought, of course, to be tied up; and be
carefully watched, and be prevented the while from biting any one
else. The dog by all means should be allowed to live at least for some
weeks, as the fact of his remaining well will be the best guarantee
that there is no fear of the bitten child having caught hydrophobia.
There is a foolish prejudice abroad, that a dog, be he mad or not, who
has bitten a person ought to be _immediately_ destroyed; that although
the dog be not at the time mad, but should at a future period become
so, the person who had been bitten when the dog was _not_ mad, would,
when the dog became mad, have hydrophobia! It seems almost absurd to
bring the subject forward; but the opinion is so very general and
deep-rooted, that I think it well to declare that there is not the
slightest foundation of truth in it, but that it is a ridiculous
fallacy!
A cat sometimes goes mad, and its bite may cause hydrophobia; indeed,
the bite of a mad cat is more dangerous than the bite of a mad dog. A
bite from a mad cat ought to be treated precisely in the same
manner-namely, with the lunar-caustic--as for a mad dog.
Hydrophobia was by our forefathers graphically called _water-fright_:
it was well named, for the horror of swallowing water is, by an
hydrophobic patient, most intense, and is _the_ leading symptom of
this fell and incurable disease.
A bite either from a dog or from a cat _who is not mad_, from a cat
especially, is often venomous and difficult to heal. The best
application is, _immediately_ to apply a large hot white bread
poultice to the part, and to renew it every four hours; and, if there
be much pain in the wound, to well foment the part, every time before
applying the poultice, with a hot camomile and poppy-head fomentation.
Scratches of a cat are best treated by smearing, and that freely and
continuously for an hour, and then afterwards at longer intervals,
fresh butter on the part affected. If fresh butter Be not at hand,
fresh lard--that is to say, lard _without_ salt--will answer the
purpose. If the pain of the scratch be very intense, foment the part
affected with hot water, and then apply a hot white bread poultice,
which should be frequently renewed.
297. _What are the best remedies in ease of a sting from either a bee
or a wasp_?
Extract the sting, if it have been left behind, either by means of the
pair of dressing forceps, or by the pressure of the hollow of a small
key--a watch-key will answer the purpose; then, the blue-bag (which is
used in washing) moistened with water, should be applied to the part;
or a few drops of solution of potash, [Footnote: Which may be
instantly procured of a druggist.] or "apply moist snuff or tobacco,
rubbing it well in," [Footnote: A Bee-master. _The Times_, July
28,1864.] and renew from time to time either of them: if either of
these be not at hand, either honey, or treacle, or fresh butter, will
answer the purpose. Should there be much swelling or inflammation,
foment the part with hot water, and then apply hot bread poultice, and
renew it frequently. In eating apricots, or peaches, or other fruit,
they ought beforehand to be carefully examined, in order to ascertain
that no wasp is lurking in them; otherwise, it may sting the throat,
and serious consequences will ensue.
298. _If a child receive a fall, causing the skin to be grazed, can
you tell me of a good application_?
You will find gummed paper an excellent remedy: the way of preparing
it is as follows:--Apply evenly, by means of a small brush, thick
mucilage of gum-arabic to cap-paper; hang it up to dry, and keep it
ready for use. When wanted, cut a portion as large as may be
requisite, then moisten it with your tongue, in the same manner you
would a postage stamp, and apply it to the grazed part. It may be
removed when necessary by simply wetting it with water. The part in
two or three days will be well. There is usually a margin of gummed
paper sold with postage stamps; this will answer the purpose equally
well. If the gummed paper be not at hand, then frequently, for the
space of an hour or two, smear the part affected with fresh butter.
299. _In case of a child swallowing by mistake either laudanum, or
paregoric, or Godfrey's Cordial, or any other preparation of opium,
what ought to be done_?
Give, as _quickly as possible_, a strong mustard emetic; that is to
say, mix two tea-spoonfuls of flour of mustard in half a tea-cupful
of water, and force it down his throat. If free vomiting be not
induced, tickle the upper part of the swallow with a feather, drench
the little patient's stomach with large quantities of warm water. As
soon as it can be obtained from the druggist, give him the following
emetic draught--
Take of--Sulphate of Zinc, one scruple;
Simple Syrup, one drachm.
Distilled Water, seven drachms;
To make a Draught.
Smack his buttocks and his back, walk him, or lead him, or carry him
about in the fresh air, shake him by the shoulders, pat his hair,
tickle his nostrils, shout and holler in his ears, plunge him into a
warm bath and then into a cold bath alternately. Well sponge his head
and face with cold water, dash cold water on his head, face, and neck,
and do not, on any account, until the effects of the opiate are gone
off, allow him to go to sleep, if you do, he will never wake again!
While doing all those things, of course, you ought to lose no time in
sending for a medical man.
300. _Have you any observation to make on parent's allowing the Deadly
Nightshade (Atropa Belladonna) to grow in their gardens_?
I wish to caution you not on any account to allow the Belladonna--the
Deadly Nightshade--to grow in your garden. The whole plant--root,
leaves, and berries--is poisonous and the berries, being attractive to
the eye, are very alluring to children.
301. _What is the treatment of poisoning by Belladonna_?
Instantly send for a medical man, but, in the mean time, give an
emetic-a mustard emetic--mix two teaspoonfuls of flour of mustard in
half a tea-cupful of warm water, and force it down the child's throat
then drench him with warm water, and tickle the upper part of his
swallow either with a feather or with the finger, to make him sick as
the grand remedy is an emetic to bring up the offending cause. If the
emetic has not acted sufficiently, the medical man when he arrives may
deem it necessary to use the stomach pump, but remember not a moment
must be lost, for moments are precious in a case of belladonna
poisoning, in giving a mustard emetic, and repeating it again and
again until the enemy be dislodged. Dash cold water upon his head and
face; the best way of doing which is by means of a large sponge,
holding his head and his face over a wash-hand basin, half filled with
cold water, and filling the sponge from the basin, and squeezing it
over his head and face, allowing the water to continuously stream over
them for an hour or two, or until the effects of the poison have
passed away. This sponging of the head and face is very useful in
poisoning by opium, as well as in poisoning by belladonna; indeed, the
treatment of poisoning by the one is very similar to the treatment of
poisoning by the other. I, therefore, for the further treatment of
poisoning by belladonna, beg to refer you to a previous Conversation,
on the treatment of poisoning by opium.
302. _Should a child put either a pea or a bead, or any other foreign
substance, up the nose, what ought to be done_?
Do not attempt to extract it yourself, or you might push it further
in, but send instantly for a surgeon, who will readily remove it,
either with a pair of forceps, or by means of a bent probe, or with a
director. If it be a pea, and it be allowed for any length of time to
remain in, it will swell, and will thus become difficult to extract,
and may produce great irritation and inflammation. A child ought not
to be allowed to play with peas or with beads (unless the beads are on
a string), as he is apt, for amusement, to push them up his nose.
303. _If a child have put either a pea, a bean, a bead, a
cherry-stone, or any other smooth substance, into his ear, what ought
to be done to remove it_?
Turn his head on one side, in order to let the ear with the pea or the
bead in it be undermost, then give with the flat of your hand two or
three sharp, sudden slaps or boxes on the other, or _upper_most ear,
and most likely the offending substance will drop out. Poking at the
ear will, in the majority of cases, only send the substance further
in, and will make it more difficult (if the above simple plan does not
succeed) for the medical man to remove. The surgeon will, in all
probability, syringe the ear; therefore have a supply of warm water in
readiness for him, in order that no time may be lost.
304. _If an earwig or any other living thing, should get into the ear
of a child, what ought to be done_?
Lay the child on his side, the affected ear being uppermost, and fill
the ear, from a tea-spoon, with either water or sweet oil. The water
or oil will carry the living thing, whatever it be, out of the ear,
and the child is at once relieved.
305. _If a child swallow a piece of broken glass, what ought to be
done_?
Avoid purgatives, as the free action on the bowels would be likely to
force the spiculae of glass into the mucous membrane of the bowels, and
thus would wound them, and might cause ulceration, and even death.
"The object of treatment will be to allow them to pass through the
intestines well enveloped by the other contents of the tube, and for
this purpose a solid, farinaceous diet should be ordered, and
purgatives scrupulously avoided."--_Shaw's Medical Remembrancer_, by
Hutchinson.
306. _If a child swallow a pin, what should be done_?
Treat him as for broken glass. Give him no aperients, or it might, in
action, force the pin into the bowel. I have known more than one
instance where a child, after swallowing a pin, to have, voided it in
his motion.
307. _If a child swallow a coin of any kind, is danger likely, to
ensue, and what ought to be done_?
There is, as a rule, no danger. A dose or two of castor oil will be
all that is usually necessary. The evacuations ought to be carefully
examined until the coin be discovered. I once knew a child swallow a
pennypiece, and pass it in his stool.
308. _If a child, while playing with a small coin (such as either a
threepenny or a fourpenny piece), or any other substance, should toss
it into his mouth, and inadvertently allow it to enter the windpipe,
what ought to be done_?
Take hold of him by the legs, allowing his head to hang downwards;
then give him with the palm of your hand several sharp blows on his
back, and you may have the good fortune to see the coin coughed out of
his mouth. Of course, if this plan does not succeed, send instantly,
for a medical man.
309. _How can a mother prevent her child from having an accident_?
By strict supervision over frim on her own part, and by not permitting
her child to be left to the tender mercies of servants; by not
allowing him to play with fire, to swing over banisters, and to have
knives and playthings of a dangerous character; to keep all poisonous
articles and cutting instruments out of his reach; and, above all and
before all, insisting, lovingly, affectionately, but firmly, upon
implicit obedience.
Accidents generally arise from one of three causes, namely, either
from wilful disobedience, or from gross carelessness, or from
downright folly. I quite agree with Davenant, that they do not arise
from chance--
"If we consider accident,
And how, repugnant unto sense,
It pays desert with bad event,
We shall disparage Providence."