THE PUNY CHILD
In every neighborhood there is to be found the delicate child, and
everywhere anxious mothers are putting forth every effort to improve
the condition of their puny boys and girls. In carefully looking over
the puny child, we see an underweight little creature with pale skin,
and as he comes to the table everybody notes that he refuses more or
less food.
DIET AND HYGIENE
As we give the child a closer examination we find that certain lymph
glands are enlarged, possibly adenoids are present in the post-nasal
pharnyx, and, in many instances, there are badly diseased tonsils.
Usually the puny child is constipated, hands and feet are cold, and he
jumps and starts at any unusual noise, thus showing a tendency to
nervousness. One of the first things necessary is to take this little
one to a good specialist and if necessary have the adenoids and
tonsils removed. This having been done, the diet should be carefully
looked into. There should be served him for breakfast a generous bowl
of dextrinized grains with a good portion of diluted cream, a glass of
rich milk, a baked potato, and fruit. For lunch at twelve o'clock he
should be given a glass of malted milk with egg, or eggnog, six or
eight dates or three or four figs, a handful of pecan kernels, and
perhaps a lettuce sandwich. For dinner at half past five, another
nourishing meal of baked potatoes, a protein dish of either cheese and
macaroni or eggs or meat, a generous fruit salad, a glass of rich
milk, and bread and butter, should be enjoyed.
There is no class of little folks who eat between meals more often
than do these delicate children, for mothers painstakingly endeavor
to feed these children all they can possibly take; so one mother
thoughtlessly went about it something like this: the half past seven
breakfast having been only touched--nibbled at--with the ten o'clock
hour came this request: "Mother, I am so hungry, I want something to
eat." Eagerly the mother prepared either a meat sandwich or a jelly
sandwich and possibly a glass of milk.
When it was time for the twelve o'clock dinner hour, or lunch hour,
again the well-filled plate was refused, the appetite having been
satisfied at ten o'clock. Having taken very little nourishment at
noon, by half past two the plaintive plea again came to the mother
ears: "May I have a piece?" and again the well-meaning mother gave him
the desire of his heart. So the day passed, the dinner making the
fifth time food was taken into the stomach, and in all probability
there was eaten a cookie in between. The reader can readily see that
the digestion was consequently very much disturbed, fermentation
occurred, decomposition of food took place in the digestive tract,
with its result--constipation.
IMPROVING THE APPETITE
Not a morsel should pass the lips of any child, and particularly our
delicate child, between meals. Let him come to the table at half past
seven or eight o'clock, and if he does not want to eat tell him
frankly that that is all he is to receive until twelve--and stick to
it. Nothing more than water or fruit juices should be taken between
meals.
It may be necessary to create an appetite for the three meals we have
just described, and as we now take up the outdoor hygiene we would not
forget that some simple treatment should be instituted each day in a
well-heated bathroom or bedroom. Roller skating or ice skating,
hoop-rolling, rope-skipping, and Irish mail, or a coaster, all furnish
splendid exercise for the delicate child. Under no circumstances
should he be allowed to remain all the time in the house; and so
pleasing recreations must be provided for him out of doors. The sand
pile should not be forgotten, flower-bed making, raking the lawn, a
polished coasting board fastened in a slanting position to an upright
which can be mounted by means of a ladder, create splendid outdoor
sports for these children.
THE DAILY PROGRAM
Take the child into a warm bathroom each morning and let him stand in
six inches of well-warmed water. With a rough mitten made out of
either mohair, crash, or turkish towel, the entire body should now be
rubbed until it is pink. This procedure is known as a dry-friction
rub. Do not stop until the skin is pink, particularly the arms and
legs, for the back and chest usually get pink quickly. Then with
simply a cold dash of water to the feet, dry them well and allow him
to dress. Twenty minutes before the meal hour, let him get out of the
house and roller skate around the square as many times as he can in
twenty minutes, or let him race and have a royal good time in the
fresh morning air and then after this forced oxygen intake let him
come in to breakfast.
And now for school, and as we say "school," we regret that there are
not more "open-air schools." Some day the American people, more
particularly the American mothers, will awaken to the fact that we
need more schools with simply window space rather than so many closed
glass windows. Some day we will send our children with sweaters,
leggings, stockinet caps, mittens, even in the cool days of spring and
fall, to "open-air schools," and in the cool fresh air they will think
better and work faster and make wonderful progress in both studies and
appetites.
The particularly delicate child, under treatment, will not spend the
whole day in school. In all probability the forenoon session only will
be attended, after which the half-past-twelve or one-o'clock meal that
has been previously described will be given him. Now if the appetite
is variable, arrange a little surprise for him by serving this meal on
the porch or in the living-room by the open grate, or out under the
trees. In all probability such a meal will be taken eagerly,
particularly if the mother will read a pretty story. Now the afternoon
is to be spent in doing a number of different things. We would like a
pleasant walk, a visit to the park, hoop-rolling, roller-skating,
rope-skipping, ice-skating, outdoor sliding, anything that will take
our little fellow out of doors to increase his oxygen intake until
possibly the half-past-three hour is reached, when he should come into
the house and lie down and prepare for the treatment for that
particular day.
TREATMENT SUGGESTIONS
Twice a week he should be given a salt glow (described in the
Appendix). Twice a week he should be given a thorough soap shampoo
(also described in the Appendix). After each of these baths a special
rub should be administered to the spine, and as there is so often
spinal curvature in these children, certain stretching movements of
the spine are valuable, together with hot fomentations (see Appendix)
over the spinal centers. These are wonderful stimulants to the
delicate child and should precede the salt glow twice a week. Every
afternoon a hot-and-cold foot bath may be given to create a better
circulation. The feet are put in hot water from three to five minutes
(as hot as can be borne), and then they are quickly plunged into the
coldest water obtainable for three seconds, then back into the hot
water, and vice versa, until three changes have been made, always
finishing the treatment with the cold dip. On the three remaining days
of the week at half past three, the child will simply relax in the
hammock or on the porch couch while the mother aids in the relaxation
by a pleasant story. We would suggest that on Monday the salt glow be
administered; Tuesday a rest is taken; Wednesday the soap shampoo is
to be administered; Thursday another rest; Friday a salt glow;
Saturday another rest, and Sunday the shampoo, etc.
Before going to bed at night, with the mother's hands well oiled with
either olive or sweet oil, the circulation is again stimulated by the
heavy friction rub.
Constipation is taken care of along the same lines as mentioned
elsewhere in this book.
It is surprising to see how often these delicate children are infested
by worms, and while a great deal of dependence cannot be put in that
single symptom "grinding the teeth at night," or "pallor around the
mouth," yet we do believe that many a delicate child continues to
suffer from worms many years. It is a very simple procedure to obtain
a specimen of the stools. A cathartic should be given and after usual
free-bowel movement, the second time the child desires to go to stool
this should be saved and taken to the laboratory for a careful search
for worm eggs which are usually in evidence if worms infest the child.
The treatment for worms is described elsewhere in this work.
We have seen scores of young people between the ages of eight and
eleven who, before treatment, were pale, listless, under weight,
irritable and cross, after three months of such treatment as has been
outlined gain six to ten pounds and look as ruddy as their healthiest
neighborhood friends. It is perfectly marvelous to notice how a child
will put on from six to eight pounds in a short period, at the same
time overcoming his irritableness and fretfulness. I am more and more
inclined to believe that most bad children are sick children--are
undernourished children--and it behooves us American mothers and
fathers to give proper attention to this undernourished child, call a
halt, and devote three months to giving him the help that he needs. He
did not ask to come into this world; and it is "up to us" to give this
child what he deserves--for every child in this world has a right to
be well born, to be well fed, and to be well reared.