Mother and Baby 
 
 Anne B. Newton M.D. 
 
 
 HI 
 
Class _Z_/ 
 
 Book j 
 
 GopghtN?.. 
 
 COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 
 
MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 HELPFUL SUGGESTIONS CONCERNING 
 
 MOTHERHOOD AND THE 
 
 CARE OF CHILDREN 
 
MOTHER AND BABY. 
 
MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 HELPFUL SUGGESTIONS CONCERNING 
 
 MOTHERHOOD AND THE 
 
 CARE OF CHILDREN 
 
 ANNE b/nEWTON, M.D. 
 
 Illustrated from Photographs Chosen by the Author 
 
 BOSTON 
 LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO. 
 
Published, August, 1912 
 
 «P 
 
 
 ^^ 
 
 Copyright, 1912, by Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co. 
 
 All rights reserved 
 
 Mother and Baby 
 
 Tlorwooo press 
 
 BERWICK & SMITH CO. 
 
 NORWOOD, MASS. 
 U. S A. 
 
 £aA3l92l9 
 
PREFACE 
 
 The excuse — if one is needed — for add- 
 ing one more book on this subject to the 
 great number already in the market is that 
 it contains a few simple and easily under- 
 stood suggestions for mothers on the care 
 of children, more stress being laid on the 
 every-day, commonplace requirements than 
 is usually the case. This little book makes 
 no pretensions, nor is it an exhaustive 
 treatise ; its one aim is to attract attention 
 to these things, and to give the reason for 
 doing them. 
 
 In spite of the fact that books and mag- 
 azine articles are constantly appearing, 
 each conveying advice and theories, there 
 is no need to fear that the subject will be 
 exhausted, and it is impossible to crowd 
 everything into one book. Living is be- 
 coming so complex that the ideas of two 
 decades ago — if not antiquated — no longer 
 answer the requirements. To many, much 
 
VI PREFACE 
 
 that is here said may have been heretofore 
 considered unnecessary, and to others, 
 possibly, the ideas have never occurred. 
 
 Although this is written by a physician, 
 it is not intended in any way to take the 
 place of a doctor's advice. On the other 
 hand, it is hoped that the necessity for 
 selecting a physician and following his ad- 
 vice before the child is born is made appar- 
 ent. The author feels quite sure that the 
 suggestions here offered will not prove con- 
 trary to the advice or judgment of any 
 regular physician, for what is here put 
 forth for mothers and the care of their 
 babies consists of simply the ordinary reg- 
 ulations for hygienic living. The sugges- 
 tions for the requirements of the nurse, 
 and for the care of older children are the 
 result of years of experience. 
 
 Believing firmly that preventive medi- 
 cine is a higher art than curative medicine, 
 more attention is given in these chapters 
 to the keeping the baby well than to the 
 treatment of the sick baby. Only the sim- 
 plest rules for treating the sick child, and 
 descriptions of the commoner ills which are 
 met with are here given. 
 
PREFACE Vll 
 
 Nothing is said about tuberculosis, men- 
 ingitis, and many other diseases for the 
 simple reason that nothing can be told to 
 the laity which will be of any reasonable 
 service, excepting the suggestions and rules 
 which hold good for the nursing in any 
 illness. 
 
 Anne B. Newton, M. D. 
 
 South Orange, N. J. 
 May, 1912. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 Preface ix 
 
 I Counsel to Mothers 1 
 
 II Care of the New Baby 34 
 
 III Clothing and Care of Baby 55 
 
 IV Food for the Baby . 72 
 
 V Baths of the Baby 190 
 
 VI Habits of the Baby 125 
 
 VII The Nursery and the Nurse 145 
 
 VIII Growth and Development 166 
 
 IX The Sick Baby 171 
 
 X The Sick Baby (Continued) 182 
 
 XI Remedies for External Use, and Dietary . 228 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 "Mother and Baby" .... Frontispiece 
 
 FACING PAGE 
 
 The proper way to lift a small baby is to hold it 
 by the feet, and support the back and head 
 with the other hand 42 
 
 Support the head and back firmly with one 
 
 hand while bathing the baby hi the tub . 112 
 
 Even the old-fashioned cradle had a satisfactory 
 hood, which protected the baby from the 
 wind and too strong light 132 S 
 
 A very satisfactory method of weighing the 
 baby is to place it in a basket which rests 
 securely on the scales 166 ^ 
 
MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 COUNSEL TO MOTHERS 
 
 Perhaps the author may be pardoned for 
 beginning this chapter of advice to mothers 
 by including in the first few sentences the 
 fathers also. In all the books on this sub- 
 ject the father's responsibility is entirely 
 ignored. One might imagine his role per- 
 fectly insignificant, and that attention to 
 the financial side was all that could be 
 expected of him. 
 
 Much has been said, though, about the 
 necessity for cheerfulness and hopefulness, 
 etc., on the mother's part; in other words 
 it is assumed that her mental attitude has 
 a marked influence on the disposition of 
 the child. This is undoubtedly true, but 
 the father has great obligations, too, and 
 his mental attitude also makes a great dif- 
 1 
 
I MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 ference to both mother and child. The 
 highest degree of perfection for children 
 is only reached by having both parents hold 
 high standards for themselves — moral as 
 well as physical. Of course, people gener- 
 ally appreciate that a man afflicted with 
 tuberculosis or any chronic malady of a 
 grave nature is apt to have children physic- 
 ally below normal, but the majority appar- 
 ently forget that many other failings not 
 quite so pronounced as the above mentioned 
 are transmitted to the children by the 
 fathers, and that not only the child's phys- 
 ical condition, but his mental and moral 
 structure depends largely upon his pa- 
 ternal inheritance. 
 
 This line of thought could be carried out 
 indefinitely, but as this book is primarily 
 intended for the mother, one instance only 
 will be cited, because it is of a great deal 
 of importance and so rarely noticed. 
 
 A woman is naturally greatly influenced 
 by her husband. It adds much to her com- 
 fort during a very uncomfortable period if 
 he exercises self-control and forbearance, 
 giving up when necessary and putting up 
 with many inconveniences for the good of 
 
COUNSEL TO MOTHERS o 
 
 the prospective mother, and for that of the 
 offspring. 
 
 The prospective mother is rarely able 
 to do just as before, so that certain pleas- 
 ures or apparent obligations under other 
 conditions have to be given up or set aside 
 for the time being. These changes may be 
 only matters of inconvenience, or they may 
 be of a nature to cause considerable self- 
 sacrifice; but certain obligations are inev- 
 itable, and the grace with which they are 
 assumed by both parents makes the great- 
 est possible difference to the entire house- 
 hold, and no one is more materially affected 
 than the child himself. 
 
 Taking for instance, anything so appar- 
 ently simple as fresh air — few people 
 realize the amount of fresh air which 
 should be taken into the system, nor how 
 much difference is made in the well-being 
 of both mother and child by the amount of 
 fresh air which is taken into the systems 
 of both. During the long months before 
 the baby is born, the mother is breathing 
 for two separate individuals, and requires 
 much more than the ordinary amount of 
 oxygen. Difficulty of respiration is one of 
 
4 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 the unpleasant experiences women in preg- 
 nancy pass through, and as far more air 
 is needed all the time than under ordinary 
 conditions, it is very apparent that it 
 should be pure and not in any way vitiated. 
 One of the most frequent causes of impure 
 air is tobacco smoke. This is always in- 
 jurious to pregnant women, and to some 
 it is absolutely nauseating, for the smoke 
 itself contains nicotine, which is a deadly 
 poison. For this reason, also, no young 
 baby with his delicate respiratory appara- 
 tus should inhale this poison. 
 
 This is not intended as a dissertation 
 on the evils of smoking, but only to call 
 attention to the almost universal custom, 
 which in the case of some men at least, 
 would be stopped at once if smoking in the 
 house could be proved harmful. If smok- 
 ing has to be indulged in, there should be 
 some place for it besides the bedrooms 
 and living-rooms of the family. 
 
 In one of our large cities a much-longed- 
 for, and eagerly anticipated baby came to 
 the delight of her parents' hearts ; although 
 she was breast-fed and seemed to have a 
 fine start, after a short time she showed 
 
COUNSEL TO MOTHERS 
 
 symptons which alarmed the family. The 
 doctor could not find that anything was the 
 matter, but the baby was not thriving, so 
 a change of air was suggested, and tried 
 with satisfactory results. 
 
 After returning home, the same symp- 
 toms appeared again, and the doctor began 
 to think that moving into the country was 
 necessary, for the child was steadily los- 
 ing ground. This was practically impos- 
 sible, owing to peculiar circumstances, and 
 while the question was being agitated as 
 to what could be done, the baby became de- 
 cidedly miserable, so that the doctor 
 ordered her kept in one room and had her 
 treated as a sick baby. This involved the 
 abolition of smoking in her room with the 
 result that in a short time, having better 
 air, she began to improve. 
 
 It was only after a number of setbacks, 
 and much anxiety on the part of both par- 
 ents and the physician, that the idea of 
 poisoning from tobacco smoke occurred to 
 them. 
 
 The father was an inveterate smoker, 
 so that the air of the home was never 
 pure. Every time he stopped the baby be- 
 
6 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 gan at once to improve, but as regularly 
 as he resumed and the house was again 
 filled with smoke, she invariably drooped. 
 The lesson was finally learned, but nearly 
 at the cost of the baby's life. 
 
 This incident is not an exception, but a 
 condition often met with, though fre- 
 quently perhaps not recognized, or at 
 least not mentioned. 
 
 Besides pure air, much exercise is indis- 
 pensable for good health, and every human 
 being in order to keep in good trim ought 
 to be in the open air a great deal. Fresh- 
 air treatment is becoming more and more 
 popular; there never has been a time when 
 it was more extensively advocated than 
 at the present. It is one of the best pana- 
 ceas for sleeplessness, and nervousness of 
 all kinds. This and sunshine are the chief 
 agents which are beneficial in tuberculosis, 
 and all forms of anaemia, and they are 
 plentiful for all who wish it. 
 
 All pregnant women, or women who are 
 nursing their babies should be exceedingly 
 careful to form the fresh-air habit. The 
 best way to accomplish it is not to leave 
 
COUNSEL TO MOTHERS 7 
 
 it until a convenient time, but to spend a 
 part of every day in the open air, or go 
 out at a regular time each day. 
 
 For women who can do so, taking care 
 of flowers, digging in the dirt, superintend- 
 ing the garden, or having any daily occupa- 
 tion which keeps them much out of doors 
 is beneficial beyond words. It probably 
 seems quite unnecessary to lay so much 
 stress on the necessity for fresh air when 
 so much is being said on the subject by 
 physicians and writers, but, like many of 
 the most commonplace facts in life, it is 
 too often overlooked by the many who know 
 better than they practise. 
 
 A certain foreign physician, anxious to 
 prove some scientific question, engaged a 
 few peasant women to submit to certain 
 rules of living during a period of preg- 
 nancy. These women were of the poorest 
 of a very poor class, and many of the 
 babies that had previously come into these 
 homes had died because they were too 
 poorly developed to live. The living chil- 
 dren were feeble specimens, but the babies 
 that were born after the mothers con- 
 
8 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 formed to the hygienic rules prescribed by 
 the physician were entirely satisfactory, 
 physically. 
 
 These women were required to be out in 
 sunshine and fresh air daily, and to take 
 a regular, simple diet and plenty of sleep. 
 The results were just the reverse of their 
 former experiences, showing that children 
 from the same stock can be physically 
 satisfactory or otherwise, depending 
 largely upon whether conditions are 
 healthful or unhealthful. 
 
 Added to the necessity for physical ex- 
 ercise is that for mental exercise also. 
 There is nothing like keeping the mind oc- 
 cupied with some wholesome pursuit as a 
 preventive for unnecessary nervous dis- 
 comforts, or morbid fears. It is an excel- 
 lent plan for women, as far as practicable, 
 to take up some course of reading or study. 
 
 It is said of one of the American novel- 
 ists, whose books were quite extensively 
 read some years ago, that she did her best 
 work when pregnant; always making a 
 practice of working systematically and 
 hard at this time. 
 
 She was convinced that the results at- 
 
COUNSEL TO MOTHERS 9 
 
 tained, and her freedom from nervousness 
 more than repaid her for the force of will 
 and determination used. 
 
 If women could be made to appreciate 
 how much of the formation and moulding 
 of the character of their children rests 
 upon them, some would surely try harder 
 than they do to secure the best results. 
 
 The mental, moral, and physical well- 
 being of children is so largely in the hands 
 of the parents, and so much depends upon 
 the attitude they take, that we may venture 
 to say that it is practically impossible for 
 women who will not exercise or keep their 
 minds occupied in a normal, legitimate 
 manner to have healthy or satisfactory 
 children. 
 
 Very many of the human wrecks which 
 are evident on all sides owe their poor 
 physical condition and their moral failures 
 to the utter indifference of the fathers and 
 mothers. There are many people who 
 finally wake up to this, but the scars are al- 
 ways to be seen, no matter how sincere 
 the desire to make amends. Prophylaxis 
 — that is to say, a realization of the evils 
 that may come unless the proper precau- 
 
10 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 tions are taken here, as everywhere in 
 medicine — is by far the wiser course. 
 
 Again, the pregnant woman besides be- 
 ing careful about fresh air, exercise, and 
 keeping her mind occupied, should observe 
 some other essential rules. A great deal 
 of sleep is as indispensable as the other 
 necessities, and early regular hours should 
 be an unalterable rule. In addition to 
 early retiring, the woman needs to sleep in 
 the daytime, and an hour's nap either be- 
 fore or after the midday meal ought to be 
 taken religiously each day. The woman 
 who observes these simple rules will be 
 well repaid, and after trying it once will 
 see for herself that it makes just the differ- 
 ence between being very comfortable, and 
 only slightly inconvenienced, or having 
 more or less discomfort all the time; and 
 the difference will also be very apparent 
 in the child. 
 
 It hardly seems necessary in this en- 
 lightened age after so much has been said 
 and written about tight lacing to bring it 
 up here. Comparatively few women are 
 quite so foolish as to indulge in this hurt- 
 ful practice now. Very loose corsets or 
 
COUNSEL TO MOTHERS 11 
 
 corset "waists which support the clothes 
 are not necessarily harmful; the point is 
 to have plenty of room to develop, and 
 some support for the abdominal muscles. 
 Of course, the skirts should be light in 
 weight, and everything made to allow for 
 free respiration. 
 
 Large shoes with straight heels should 
 always be worn ; tight shoes or high heels, 
 never. Eubber heels are very comfortable 
 for the majority of women, especially 
 those who come down with considerable 
 force on the heel instead of the ball of the 
 foot. Occasionally a woman finds them 
 too heavy for comfort, but as a rule, if 
 they are properly fitted, they not only facil- 
 itate walking, but save much unnecessary 
 fatigue. Unless the best grade of heels is 
 used they will catch and tear the skirts, 
 which is very undesirable. 
 
 Often one of the really trying conditions 
 attending pregnancy is the tendency of the 
 teeth to decay. A woman should be very 
 careful to have them put in good condition 
 as early as possible, and very much of the 
 trouble can be averted by carefully brush- 
 ing them after each meal. On this point 
 
12 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 it is surprising how indifferent many peo- 
 ple are. One of the great causes of the 
 decay of the teeth is simply that no extra 
 care is taken of them where the digestion 
 is somewhat overtaxed; this is the time 
 of all others to be particularly careful. It 
 is a very wise precaution not only to brush 
 them after each meal, but to rinse the 
 mouth three or four times a day with some 
 good antiseptic solution. It is better per- 
 haps to vary this solution occasionally. 
 Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) — about 
 a quarter of a teaspoonful to a glass of 
 water — makes an excellent mouth wash. 
 
 Sieler's tablets — one tablet to a glass of 
 water — have been used with satisfaction 
 for many years. Thoughtfulness in this 
 matter may save much pain and annoy- 
 ance. It might be added that these pre- 
 cautions will never come amiss, and ought 
 to be taken by every one. 
 
 Closely allied to the care of the teeth is 
 the question of diet, which is of prime im- 
 portance, and ought to receive more careful 
 attention than it does in both pregnant and 
 nursing women. The necessity of eating 
 food which is wholesome and easily di- 
 
COUNSEL TO MOTHERS 13 
 
 gested should be apparent to every one, 
 but in this matter, as in many others, it is 
 perfectly evident that errors of judgment 
 are the rule rather than the exception. 
 Before the baby comes — at first, at least 
 — loss of appetite is very common; this, 
 however, will adjust itself if the woman 
 will carefully follow the suggestions that 
 follow. 
 
 Generally speaking, it is not wise to eat 
 from a sense of duty, for nature will as- 
 sert herself, and the appetite will come 
 back. Sometimes the craving for food is 
 excessive, and a desire to eat all the time 
 is quite overpowering. A cup of hot water 
 or a glass of lemonade will usually serve to 
 stop the craving, and will be far better for 
 the woman, and eating between meals 
 should be carefully avoided, as it produces 
 indigestion. Very much can be accom- 
 plished by a firm will and determination not 
 to be disturbed by these unusual feelings. 
 
 Meat should be indulged in sparingly 
 from the very beginning; it is too rich in 
 albumin, which may, and often does, affect 
 the kidneys. Two or three times a week 
 is sufficient, gradually diminishing this 
 
14 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 amount until the last three or four months, 
 when none should be eaten. It is often 
 wise to give it up entirely, as it is not a 
 necessary article of diet for the pregnant 
 woman. 
 
 Coffee and tea play an important role 
 and are injurious unless very weak. Eich 
 foods, pastry, and much sweets will only 
 clog up the bowels and make the patient 
 generally miserable. Alcohol, of course, 
 should never be touched. 
 
 Apples, pears, peaches, grapes, oranges, 
 grape fruit, plums, in fact all ripe fruit 
 can be eaten with great freedom, and per- 
 haps it is not too much to say that no one 
 can eat too much fruit if it is taken as food, 
 and eaten at meal-time. 
 
 Bananas are rarely ripe when eaten, 
 consequently are often indigestible. They 
 should be kept until the green ends have 
 turned entirely, and the skin somewhat 
 black. The inside should be soft and 
 smooth. If they are eaten in this state 
 most people would not find them hurtful 
 in the least. In common with all other 
 fruits, they ward off constipation. Green 
 fruit of any kind is indigestible. If there 
 
COUNSEL TO MOTHERS 15 
 
 is any question about the ripeness of it, 
 of course it should be cooked, and for some 
 people this is the better way always. The 
 plea here is for a free fruit diet; the way 
 of serving it, however, depends upon the 
 individual. One word here about the ne- 
 cessity for washing thoroughly all fruits 
 and vegetables before eating, especially if 
 they are purchased in any public place. 
 There is a possibility of infection from 
 vegetables and fruits which come from 
 markets, farms, and private gardens. 
 The rule for every one should be to eat 
 nothing of this kind until made clean, for 
 there is no question but that many diseases 
 are carried into the system through the 
 mouth. The mysterious origin of many 
 cases of typhoid fever, for instance, could 
 be cleared up if it were possible to detect 
 the bacillus by the naked eye, instead of 
 the complicated laboratory methods. 
 
 Not many years ago a young woman was 
 in a hot climate for the first time. In spite 
 of the warnings of companions and old 
 residents, she persisted in eating fruit, un- 
 cooked and unwashed; as a consequence, 
 she contracted a fatal bowel trouble and 
 
16 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 died, alone, and far from her family and 
 relations. This was a perfectly unneces- 
 sary sacrifice of life, and all because she 
 would not take what seemed to her a use- 
 less precaution. 
 
 Cereals are most wholesome, wheat, 
 hominy, rice, etc. It is safe to say that 
 vegetables, simple dessert, and milk can 
 be taken in great abundance. Too much 
 stress can not be laid upon the necessity 
 for drinking much milk, although there are 
 women who object to this, because they 
 say it disagrees with them. It rarely dis- 
 agrees with a pregnant or nursing woman, 
 and if given with some care, can practi- 
 cally always be taken and well digested. 
 Nature demands it, and in these cases, as 
 in all others, it is the part of wisdom to 
 obey nature 's dictates. Many more women 
 could nurse their children if they would 
 be careful to drink milk freely all the 
 months before the baby comes. Sweets in 
 moderation are allowable, especially choco- 
 late, unless owing to some personal idio- 
 syncrasy it gives trouble, a concession to 
 personality, however, which applies to all 
 articles of diet. 
 
COUNSEL TO MOTHERS 17 
 
 It is imperative that a large amount of 
 water should be taken into the system 
 every day. There is nothing which will 
 do more to guard against constipation 
 than drinking plenty of good, pure water. 
 If this has not been a habit before, it should 
 be most assiduously cultivated during 
 pregnancy. 
 
 This should be taken before breakfast, 
 the last thing before going to bed, and 
 also several times between meals. Vichy 
 is agreeable to many, and perfectly al- 
 lowable, the chief objection to it being that 
 it may cause eructations, which are rather 
 more easily acquired at this time, and de- 
 cidedly unpleasant. An unnatural desire 
 or craving for some unusual article of food 
 is sometimes met with. The woman who 
 steadily refuses to indulge herself inordi- 
 nately in any way has gained a victory 
 which tells in more ways than one. Great 
 moderation in everything and no excesses 
 of any kind should be the rule, and the 
 woman who adheres to this will save her- 
 self much unnecessary trouble. 
 
 Pregnant women have unlimited oppor- 
 tunities to exercise self-control, although it 
 
18 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 may be hard for a woman who has never 
 practised this to make a beginning now. 
 But if she wishes to get the best out of life 
 for herself or her child, it is absolutely 
 essential. 
 
 No fine character develops without self- 
 control as one of its bases. Godliness, 
 truthfulness, and cleanliness complete the 
 figure, and on this structure the power for 
 good that may be reached is really un- 
 limited. 
 
 A teacher was relating some of the woes 
 of her experience to a wise woman, the 
 mother of a large family of boys and girls 
 who were famous for their good minds 
 and good manners. Finally she said, "But 
 you do not understand any of this, for your 
 mother trained you before you were born, 
 and you have trained every one of your 
 children before he was born, consequently 
 one-half of life's battles were won for 
 them before they started out themselves." 
 
 Of all the factors which go to make up 
 the complex existence which we call life, 
 there is not one which does so much to- 
 ward building up the general well-being of 
 humanity as a methodical emptying of the 
 
COUNSEL TO MOTHERS 19 
 
 bowels at regular intervals. It makes so 
 much difference in the mental attitude as 
 well as the physical that it is positively 
 astounding with what indifference the mat- 
 ter is treated by so many intelligent peo- 
 ple. It is the first question asked by a 
 physician, and a great many times the an- 
 swer is that in order to have any move- 
 ments a cathartic has to be taken; and 
 many people say that it is nothing uncom- 
 mon not to have the bowels move for two, 
 three or more days at a time. The effect 
 of this carelessness is more far-reaching 
 than the laity can possibly realize. 
 
 It is a common factor in many nerv- 
 ous disorders, extreme or otherwise. In- 
 sane patients almost to a unit are consti- 
 pated. It is a well-known fact that the 
 great majority of sufferers from appendi- 
 citis have been constipated, perhaps for 
 years. In many of the large department 
 stores anti-appendicitis medicine is sold to 
 the credulous public. Those who buy it 
 suppose that it contains some magic charm 
 to ward off that much-dreaded disease, 
 when in reality it is largely composed of 
 simple and well-known remedies added to 
 
20 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 some cathartic which simply causes the 
 bowels to move. 
 
 Constipation not only renders individ- 
 uals particularly liable to appendicitis, 
 and in fact to all diseased conditions, but 
 unless the alimentary tract is kept cleared 
 it makes them a far easier prey to typhoid 
 fever, dysentery, and all kindred diseases. 
 In fact, there is no abnormal condition that 
 is not made materially worse by having 
 the bowels clogged. Of late there has been 
 a good deal of talk about auto-infection as 
 an exciting cause in those obscure cases of 
 headache and neurasthenia, which are the 
 bugbear of every physician and often so 
 hard to treat successfully. This simply 
 means lack of properly keeping the system 
 cleared of the effete matters which act as 
 a poison. The lungs, the skin, the kidneys 
 and the bowels are required to do active 
 work to keep the machinery going. If any 
 one of these agents is not up to the work 
 the others have added work to do. It is 
 decidedly the part of wisdom if one would 
 have good health to take care that each 
 organ does its best so far as the individual 
 can control it. 
 
COUNSEL TO MOTHERS 21 
 
 The cases of constipation (unless due to 
 malformation) which cannot be cured by 
 patience and perseverance on the part of 
 the victim are few and far between. The 
 trouble is that people will not persistently 
 try. If the dainty and fastidious would 
 only stop to consider that the breath and 
 perspiration of people whose bowels do 
 not move with great regularity are always 
 more or less offensive, this might act as 
 an additional spur. Acne (blackheads) 
 and various skin eruptions are caused by 
 digestive disturbances, all of which can be 
 greatly benefited by care and attention to 
 the diet and the proper condition of the 
 bowels. 
 
 The above remarks are applicable to all 
 mankind, but they apply with double force 
 to the pregnant woman. There is more 
 danger of auto-infection in her case, than 
 under ordinary conditions; therefore, no 
 pregnant woman should allow one single 
 day to pass without a free defecation. The 
 rule should never be violated. According 
 to the suggestions already given, fresh air, 
 with an abundance of water and the proper 
 diet ivill invariably do the work. Cathar- 
 
22 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 tics are harmful and should never be used, 
 except by the physicians' orders. 
 
 It has been said that one of the waste 
 channels is through the skin. This is a 
 complex structure composed of various 
 layers, the external one made up of old 
 dead scales of skin which are constantly 
 peeling off to make room for other scales. 
 This process of scaling or desquamating is 
 going on all the time, otherwise the skin 
 would become leathery and hard, as is seen 
 in old people who do not bathe enough. It 
 is plentifully provided with two kinds of 
 glands, sweat or sudoriferous, and seba- 
 ceous or oil glands. The sweat glands are 
 many, and all over the body, being particu- 
 larly plentiful in the palms of the hands 
 and the soles of the feet. The sebaceous 
 glands are closely related to the hair, each 
 separate hair having two or more little 
 glands around it. Their function is to 
 keep the skin soft and supple by supplying 
 the necessary oil, and to give the hair 
 nourishment and lustre. These glands are 
 particularly large around the nose, and on 
 the cheeks. Besides the oily or sebaceous 
 
COUNSEL TO MOTHERS 23 
 
 substance which comes from the oil glands, 
 normal sweat contains an oil also, and 
 with these secretions is freely mixed ef- 
 fete matter from the system. The process 
 of discharging these mixed substances is 
 going on more or less completely all the 
 time, depending upon a number of condi- 
 tions. When the other avenues of elimi- 
 nation are doing their part, and only the 
 normal amount of work is put upon the 
 skin, conditions are generally satisfactory, 
 but just as soon as an extra amount of 
 work is expected, unless care is taken there 
 is apt to be trouble. There are cases 
 where the glands are abnormally active. 
 If these are the sebaceous, the skin looks 
 oily and greasy unless great care is taken. 
 If the sweat glands are easily excited, 
 profuse perspiration is the result, which 
 is only too apparent to every one. The 
 two essentials for having a fine skin are 
 first, a good digestion, and second, bathing 
 freely. 
 
 The Spanish lady of high rank who 
 boasted that she had never had an ordinary 
 bath with soap and water in her life, but 
 
24 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 that she was occasionally rubbed down 
 with, a towel soaked in oil undoubtedly pre- 
 ferred this method. 
 
 No mention is made, however, of her ap- 
 pearance or the odor which emanated from 
 her person, but perhaps it is better to pass 
 these over in silence. To keep the skin in 
 good order, and to have it do its share of 
 the work toward good health, a person 
 should take a bath from head to foot once 
 a day the three hundred and sixty-five days 
 in the year. 
 
 There are people who look clean on 
 much less than this number, but the great 
 majority can not keep so on much less than 
 one bath a day. A proof of this may be 
 found by taking a Turkish bath, which in- 
 cludes a vigorous steaming and scrubbing. 
 From many people small rolls of skin and 
 dirt are removed, and this means a lack of 
 sufficient bathing and rubbing to keep the 
 surface of the skin freed from the dead 
 particles combined with dirt and perspira- 
 tion. If a person exercises a good deal, 
 and perspires freely, nothing but bathing 
 once a day at least makes him agreeable 
 to his friends and comrades. 
 
COUNSEL TO MOTHERS 25 
 
 The question as to the wisdom of taking 
 a bath every day has been discussed by 
 many, some for and others against the 
 scheme. There may be peculiar circum- 
 stances which make it unwise for an oc- 
 casional person to bathe often, but this is 
 the exception not the rule. For a normal, 
 healthy person who eats, exercises, and 
 sleeps as he should, a cold bath in the 
 morning is one of the best tonics that can 
 possibly be taken. So far, these notes ap- 
 ply to the pregnant woman as to all healthy 
 women. 
 
 The question may be legitimately raised 
 as to the advisability of her taking a cold 
 plunge every morning, but a sponge bath 
 cannot hurt any one, and it will help get 
 the circulation and respiration into good 
 order as nothing else. It is essential to 
 remove these scales from the skin, which 
 frequently adhere, especially if the oil 
 glands are active so that a hard rubbing 
 with a flesh brush or coarse towel is needed 
 to keep the surface smooth. Cold baths 
 alone are hardly equal to removing all 
 this outer layer, particularly if the water 
 is hard, so that they had better be supple- 
 
26 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 merited during the week by one or two 
 warm ones. There is very little danger of 
 a well-occupied individual bathing too 
 much — the great majority do not begin to 
 bathe enough. 
 
 It is quite evident that if this is true, 
 it applies with double force when double 
 work for the skin is required, and just as 
 fresh air and exercise will allay sleepless- 
 ness and nervous disorders, so will bathing 
 when properly done. 
 
 A warm bath at night will often make a 
 nervous, wakeful person rest quietly, and 
 a morning cold bath with an energetic rub 
 will make the heart beat better, and in 
 cold weather will warm one up for all 
 day. A hot douche down the spine fol- 
 lowed by a cold one, is one of the best 
 nerve bracers that can possibly be advised. 
 Spinal douches are given by letting a spray 
 of water play upon the spine from a suffi- 
 cient distance to produce a sharp reaction, 
 the distance being determined by the feel- 
 ings of the patient. In an ordinary bath- 
 room a few inches is generally quite suf- 
 ficient. 
 
 The water should be first hot, then cold, 
 
COUNSEL TO MOTHERS 27 
 
 and allowed to play from the base of the 
 brain to the end of the spine. To be given 
 in this way requires the assistance of an- 
 other person, but an excellent substitute is 
 to stand in the tub and squeeze a sponge 
 full of water on the back of the neck, alter- 
 nating with hot and cold. This should be 
 done several times to procure a proper re- 
 action. 
 
 Towards the last of pregnancy, a hot 
 sitz-bath at night is particularly refresh- 
 ing, and if taken two or three times a 
 week exerts a very beneficial influence. 
 If all women would take sitz-baths for the 
 last month or six weeks, and one after 
 labor pains have commenced, it would 
 often facilitate matters better than any 
 known drug. 
 
 It is certainly a very simple remedy, 
 and the truth of these statements can be 
 easily verified by the testing. Hot and 
 cold water judiciously applied will miti- 
 gate and frequently cure many of the ills 
 of life. The mistake people so frequently 
 make is thinking that the remedy is' so 
 simple it is hardly worth trying. It is 
 certainly true that many people would 
 
28 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 rather do something unusual or employ 
 some more pronounced method, as Naa- 
 man did, or even take drugs, to reach 
 some desired end, rather that anything 
 so commonplace as plain water; and in 
 many instances the water treatment is far 
 more efficacious. 
 
 Before leaving this subject, one more 
 phase must be mentioned. The care of the 
 breasts is of prime importance and is often 
 omitted, when most disastrous conse- 
 quences follow. 
 
 They should be washed carefully every 
 day, especial attention being given to the 
 nipple and surrounding tissue. 
 
 Use cold water and soap, and rub with 
 increasing vigor until all sensitiveness is 
 gone, occasionally using a few drops of 
 carbolic acid — 10 or 15 drops in a bowl of 
 water. If the nipples are retracted, in 
 addition to the washing, they should be 
 massaged until visible results are attained. 
 If there are cracks or fissures ichthyol, 
 10%, with lanolin and vaseline, equal 
 parts, rubbed in will heal them, and this 
 should be accomplished before the baby 
 
COUNSEL TO MOTHERS 29 
 
 Mastitis, or inflammation of the breasts, 
 is one of the most distressingly painful 
 complications attending confinements, and 
 is practically unnecessary if proper care 
 has been taken. 
 
 Not a single instance of mastitis was 
 found in following the histories of many 
 pregnancies where this simple precaution 
 had been taken. There, too, it is not in- 
 frequently the case, that the soreness and 
 discomfort caused by the chewing and bit- 
 ing by the baby is so severe as to cause the 
 mother to give up trying to nurse him, so 
 that there is not only the danger of masti- 
 tis which is caused by infection from with- 
 out entering through the cracks or fissures, 
 but the possibility (which is always to be 
 deplored) of the baby's being deprived of 
 his proper nourishment. If the nipple and 
 tissues around it are properly cared for, 
 however, there is little opportunity for 
 these complications. Again, prophylaxis 
 is the wiser measure. 
 
 There is still one more suggestion as to 
 the care a woman should take, which if 
 followed, helps much to bring about satis- 
 factory results ; rubbing the abdomen 
 
30 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 thoroughly with any good lubricant, as 
 olive oil. The strokes should begin on 
 the right side, then be carried up and 
 across the bowels, then down the left side 
 — also kneading the muscles gently, using 
 the oil freely, and rubbing it well in. This 
 is very efficacious for constipation, and 
 helps balance the circulation. 
 
 A certain physician made for himself 
 a considerable reputation for the easy de- 
 liveries of his patients, using some method 
 not generally known to the public to pro- 
 cure these results ; it finally became known 
 that the " charm " employed was oil well 
 rubbed into the abdomen three or four 
 times a week before labor. This simple 
 remedy has been used by careful obste- 
 tricians for a long time. 
 
 It gives some people a great deal of 
 pleasure to talk over their experiences with 
 others, and if these particular experiences 
 have been unusually severe the pleasure 
 seems to be keen in proportion. Often 
 the results are far from pleasing to the 
 one who hears the stories. More than one 
 prospective mother has been made very 
 nervous and unhappy by these recitals, and 
 
COUNSEL TO MOTHERS 31 
 
 the effect has been far reaching. In nerv- 
 ous, hysterical women with strong imagi- 
 nations, the dread and anxiety with which 
 they look forward to the crisis is pitiful, 
 and all so absolutely uncalled for. For 
 instance, there is a great deal of gossip 
 among certain types of women regarding 
 instrumental delivery. Truly, the inven- 
 tion of forceps was a fine thing for human- 
 ity, and at times by their aid the mother 's 
 life or the life of the child has been saved. 
 But it is never necessary for a pregnant 
 woman to be alarmed by the garbled his- 
 tory of exceptional cases. 
 
 In 1354 consecutive cases in the New 
 York Infirmary for "Women and Children 
 forceps were used only thirty-two times, 
 and of these, of course, many of the pa- 
 tients were foreigners with deformed pel- 
 vis. The above is probably too high a 
 percentage for the same number of Amer- 
 ican women. 
 
 In the countries where the inhabitants 
 are only half civilized or savage, child- 
 bearing is rather a slight affair, causing 
 but little inconvenience to the woman. 
 Pain and complications follow in the wake 
 
32 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 of civilization, and even here increase with 
 wealth and luxurious living. 
 
 Among the laboring class where there is 
 not any too much time to be laid aside, 
 women as a rule do well, excepting when 
 stupid or ignorant mechanical interference 
 has produced evil effects. Cases are seen 
 in the hospitals over and over again where 
 the women are delivered with no great 
 amount of pain, and occasionally with no 
 pain at all. It seems very reasonable to 
 suppose that by far the majority of cases 
 could be made much easier, if not entirely 
 free from pain, if the proper precautions 
 were taken. 
 
 The blunders made by the ancestors have 
 to be accepted — the alleviation that comes 
 from right living by the children is all that 
 can be done — but the doctrine of the ablest 
 thinkers on the subject will be found to 
 agree in this: ''It is the previous life of 
 the mother, the whole of it from her birth 
 to the birth of her child, which almost en- 
 tirely determines what her danger, her 
 difficulty, and her pain during childbirth 
 shall be." 
 
COUNSEL TO MOTHERS 33 
 
 RECAPITULATION 
 
 I. Let both parents accept the situation cheer- 
 fully, exercising forbearance and self-denial as 
 the occasion requires. 
 
 II. Let the mother live in fresh, pure air 
 twenty-four hours of the day, and exercise regu- 
 larly. 
 
 III. Keep the mind occupied with some healthy 
 employment. 
 
 IV. Keep the mouth and teeth scrupulously 
 clean. 
 
 V. Eat simple, easily digested food and fruit, 
 avoiding all highly seasoned articles, all stimu- 
 lants, including strong tea and coffee. 
 
 VI. Drink plenty of water and plenty of milk. 
 
 VII. Take much sleep. 
 
 VIII. Keep the bowels well open. 
 
 IX. Bathe from head to foot every day and 
 rub the nipples vigorously each time. 
 
 X. Avoid all unnecessary conversation of 
 awful experiences of other women during preg- 
 nancy or labor, and all unwholesome excitement, 
 whether from books or any form of amusement. 
 In fact, cultivate self-control and patience, and 
 the results will quite repay the effort put forth. 
 
CHAPTER II 
 CARE OF THE NEW BABY 
 
 In the foregoing chapter were sugges- 
 tions to prospective mothers which, if car- 
 ried out, would rob that part of their ex- 
 perience of much of its dread and morbid 
 fear. 
 
 In this chapter will be given suggestions 
 as to the care of the children after they 
 are started in life. Each turn in a child's 
 career has its own peculiar demand, and 
 these demands have to be regulated by 
 some older person. The child whose lot has 
 been cast where his needs are ministered 
 to with wisdom and sincerity of purpose 
 has a most tremendous advantage. All 
 babies are entitled to the best, but very 
 few ever have this ; fortunately many who 
 only have mediocre care, and some who 
 have the worst that is possible, survive and 
 "make good." 
 
 Ignorance is at the bottom of most of 
 
CARE OF THE NEW BABY 35 
 
 the mistakes that are made, and it is ap- 
 palling to see the results, so painfully in 
 evidence on all sides, produced by mothers 
 who love their children and try to do the 
 best that they know for them. 
 
 Instinct and mother love are strong in- 
 deed, but experience has shown that they 
 are insufficient to grapple with this great 
 problem unaided. 
 
 A physician was attending a foreigner 
 in confinement, in a crowded district of 
 one of our large cities; in addition to the 
 members of the immediate family, a num- 
 ber of friends and neighbors were as- 
 sembled, after the prevailing custom of 
 these people, giving advice and offering 
 sympathy. After the baby was born, one 
 of the friends, rather older and more im- 
 portant than the others, picked up the wee 
 little scrap by his heels, and plunged him 
 head first into a large dish-pan full of cold 
 water. This operation was repeated three 
 times before the doctor could stop her, 
 and the explanation given was that if the 
 child survived he would grow up to be of 
 some use in the world. 
 
 It is possible that this and other remark- 
 
36 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 able measures may account somewhat for 
 the enormous death rate among the for- 
 eign population in this country. The won- 
 der is, not that so many children die, but 
 that any live, in view of the treatment 
 they receive. A new baby, who was being 
 cared for by a woman who was not trained 
 to the business, made faces and put out his 
 tongue as babies always do. The nurse 
 concluded that this was a sign that the 
 child wanted something, so questioned the 
 mother as to whether she had had any un- 
 usual desire or longing for any article of 
 food. She replied that she had longed 
 for bananas, whereupon the attendant 
 procured and fed to a little baby less than 
 a week old a large piece of raw banana, and 
 what is still more remarkable, the child 
 survived— a dangerous experiment, and 
 not worth the trying. Even where much 
 greater intelligence is displayed, the re- 
 sults are often appalling. 
 
 The sacrifice of human life is terrible, 
 even among intelligent people, and there 
 is no possible doubt that many children 
 die every year from neglect and bad man- 
 agement. 
 
CARE OF THE NEW BABY 37 
 
 Fortunately, statistics show much im- 
 provement ; nevertheless, if the facts could 
 be made public, it would be a ghastly 
 showing, for the sacrifice of lives still goes 
 on. 
 
 Many ask how children ever could grow 
 up in the days before sterilized milk and 
 trained nurses were dreamed of. 
 
 There are many conditions that have to 
 be taken into consideration, which a few 
 years ago did not exist. For one thing, 
 the art of living is much more complex 
 than it used to be. Formerly women more 
 generally nursed their babies, people did 
 not live so fast, and mothers were not so 
 nervous and hysterical. They were not 
 crowded into such close quarters, and 
 there were far more space and air. Tu- 
 berculosis had not made such rapid in- 
 roads and become such a menace. Large 
 cities, such as we have now, did not exist. 
 It is impossible to herd people together 
 as they are herded now in flats, apartment 
 houses, and hotels, without bringing a train 
 of evils to the children which is simply in- 
 calculable. Parents have to be on the 
 alert constantly to guard against these; 
 
38 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 but, try as they may to stem the tide and 
 save the children, the odds are against 
 them. Every one must acknowledge that 
 simple living is better, and that children 
 brought up in the country have a far better 
 chance. The death rate in cities is always 
 far higher than in the country. Then, too, 
 the great increase of foreigners has made 
 much difference, and the tremendous death 
 rate is largely made up from the mortality 
 in this class, and is due to ignorance and 
 neglect of the children. 
 
 The intelligent feeding of children is the 
 most important factor of all, and when 
 mothers have thoroughly learned this, it 
 will do more toward reducing the mortal- 
 ity than all the other things combined. 
 Experience is of course the best teacher, 
 but the first baby needs as much care as 
 the fifth or sixth. 
 
 Mothers who have never had any ex- 
 perience are very helpless when left to 
 their own devices, and the responsibility 
 of motherhood is often put upon young 
 girls who are entirely unfit both physically 
 and mentally for the task. With abso- 
 lutely no training, and good sense and 
 
CARE OF THE NEW BABY 39 
 
 judgment entirely latent, it is hardly to 
 be wondered at that such awful failures 
 result. 
 
 Neighbors and friends are kind and will- 
 ing to do all they can, especially in the 
 giving of advice which they do most freely, 
 but this often, alas, leads to much trouble 
 when followed. 
 
 A young girl whose husband had left 
 her, arrived at the dispensary sick and for- 
 lorn. She had with her a small baby 
 nearly a month old. The child's extreme 
 pallor was very noticeable and close ques- 
 tioning brought out the following history. 
 The poor, tired mother said that at first the 
 baby cried and fretted a great deal and 
 worried her very much, but a "lady 
 friend" told her that she could get medi- 
 cine at the drug store to give the baby to 
 quiet it. The mother was unwilling, how- 
 ever, to do this because some one had told 
 her that these quieting medicines were not 
 good for babies. Another neighbor — a 
 nurse ! — told her to give him one teaspoon- 
 ful of whisky with each feeding, which 
 would be good for the child and would 
 quiet it, too. 
 
40 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 The mother added that the baby had 
 been "awful good" ever since she began 
 this line of treatment. Imagine giving a 
 baby this dose ! The poor little object was 
 literally "dead drunk." It is not at all 
 improbable that the neighbor meant this 
 in all kindness, for people have most re- 
 markable ideas about caring for children, 
 nor is this instance as unusual as might be 
 supposed. 
 
 A physician was called to see what ailed 
 a child not two years old, in whose case 
 certain symptoms had manifested them- 
 selves, so that the mother was alarmed. 
 The physician found, after asking many 
 questions, that the mother, a society 
 woman, had been in the habit of giving 
 the baby, every night, a large dose of 
 whisky so that she could go out with a 
 clear conscience ( !) and know that the child 
 was not screaming, but quietly sleeping. 
 The diagnosis in this case was marked al- 
 coholism. 
 
 These two instances are from the ex- 
 tremes of society, but the results were the 
 same. Probably neither woman had any 
 clear idea as to the permanent and evil 
 
CAKE OF THE NEW BABY 41 
 
 effect of such a course of treatment. Few 
 women are so heartless as deliberately to 
 try to kill their own children, but the fact 
 remains, as has been said before, that 
 many children die from ignorance or care- 
 lessness. 
 
 To care for children properly, an in- 
 telligent method systematically carried 
 out is indispensable. Happy-go-lucky 
 methods are neither wise nor safe; the 
 problem is too serious for any haphazard 
 schemes. A certain number of routine ex- 
 ercises have to be gone through with day 
 after day. It is evident that the more 
 methodically these things are done, the 
 better it will be for the baby. It is super- 
 fluous to tell any one that night is the 
 time to sleep, and yet many babies have 
 to be taught to sleep at night, and do most 
 of their eating in the day. The care of 
 a baby commences at the beginning of his 
 career, and, though his actual wants are 
 few for the first three or four days, a 
 watchful oversight and good judgment 
 are necessary. 
 
 It is neither necessary nor advisable 
 to make very numerous preparations for 
 
42 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 the expected baby, but what things are 
 needed should be ready for use and no 
 time wasted running around for them 
 when they are wanted. 
 
 Have on hand boiled water, which must 
 be kept covered until needed; put it in a 
 clean pitcher and cover with a clean towel. 
 Besides this there should be plenty more 
 in the kettle on the stove. A boracic acid 
 solution will be needed; this also must be 
 covered. It is made of one teaspoonful 
 of the powder to a pint of boiling water. 
 
 Old muslin,, olive oil, and the baby's 
 clothes in which he is to be dressed, should 
 be warmed and near at hand. 
 
 The very first thing to be done for the 
 baby is to wash out his eyes, nose and 
 mouth carefully with a warm boracic acid 
 solution, then wash his hands with the 
 same solution, as immediately after birth 
 many babies put their hands into their 
 mouths. Have squares of old muslin 
 torn off ready for use; dip one into the 
 solution, use it and throw it away, then 
 take a fresh piece, use it and throw it 
 away also. By so doing, the original so- 
 lution can be used indefinitely and yet be 
 
§ 9 
 o 8 
 
 ., w 
 
CARE OF THE NEW BABY 43 
 
 clean. Being very prompt about this is 
 essential, and often saves much future 
 trouble for the baby. 
 
 The mucus in a baby's eyes is very 
 irritating, and, unless promptly and care- 
 fully washed out, often causes a discharge 
 which may last many months. If, at first, 
 the discharge is anything more than a 
 small amount of secretion in the corner 
 of the eyes, call the doctor's attention to 
 it. Never trust to the judgment of any 
 layman in this matter, but speak to the 
 physician in charge, for any neglect may 
 mean unsightly blindness. Too much is 
 at stake to allow any but the doctor's opin- 
 ion to be followed. It is estimated that 
 twenty-five per cent, of the blindness in 
 New York City begins in early babyhood. 
 A discharge generally appears by the 
 third or fourth day of life, which often 
 leads ultimately to total blindness. Wash- 
 ing with boracic acid and promptly at- 
 tending to the eyes cannot always pre- 
 vent serious trouble, but will often miti- 
 gate the fearful results. 
 
 After the mother and attendant have 
 had their hearts gladdened by the first 
 
44 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 cry so earnestly longed for, and the cord 
 has been properly fixed and cut, lift the 
 baby by the heels with one hand, putting 
 the other under the head. Place him in 
 a piece of old muslin which can be burned 
 later, wrap the whole in an old blanket, 
 and have bags filled with hot water ready 
 to put around the outside of the blankets. 
 This precaution is necessary even in sum- 
 mer for the baby feels the change in tem- 
 perature and is always cold until respira- 
 tion is well established. Great care must 
 be taken with the hot-water bags; they 
 must be well covered, for the baby's skin 
 is sensitive, and serious accidents have 
 occurred when this precaution has been 
 neglected. 
 
 Never allow him to become chilled, as 
 colic is generally the result. It might be 
 emphasized here, and will be spoken of 
 again later, that in following this simple 
 rule many hours of anguish and unhappi- 
 ness are spared the baby, the family, and 
 even the neighbors. In laying him down, 
 observe great care to place him in a posi- 
 tion in which he can breathe. More than 
 one child has died because the attendant, 
 
CARE OF THE NEW BABY 45 
 
 through carelessness or haste, laid him 
 on his face and the mistake was not dis- 
 covered until too late. 
 
 Kespiration starts at birth; some babies 
 are very slow to get it right, and it often 
 takes much energy on the part of the doc- 
 tor and the nurse to make him breathe at 
 all, so this caution is given: be careful, 
 and do nothing to impede it. 
 
 A baby came into a family which had 
 long been childless. There was much re- 
 joicing, of course, but even here one of 
 those awful blunders was made, and the 
 child when looked at after it had been laid 
 down, was dead, suffocated by being placed 
 on his face. Such mistakes are inexcus- 
 able. 
 
 In the excitement of caring for the 
 mother, it is often impossible to do more 
 than look at the baby from time to time, 
 but this must be done frequently, not only 
 to see, as has been said before, that he is 
 breathing properly, but also to see that 
 there is no bleeding from the cord. It 
 sometimes happens that the ligature must 
 be tightened, for the possibility of a hem- 
 orrhage must always be borne in mind. If 
 
46 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 carefully watched, this is not likely to oc- 
 cur. 
 
 As soon as it is convenient, rub him well 
 with warm olive oil or sterilized lard, 
 cover him up again; then he may be left 
 for several hours if necessary. When he 
 is washed, however, great care should be 
 taken that all the white cheesy substance, 
 "Vernix caseosa," be removed from all 
 the creases ; under the arms, in the groins, 
 and behind and in the ears. Later, many 
 little babies suffer from eczema in these 
 places as this cheesy matter becomes an 
 irritant if left on the skin. After he is 
 washed, the cord should be dressed with 
 a piece of plain, clean gauze, held in place 
 by a flannel binder, which by the way must 
 not be too tight. It not infrequently hap- 
 pens that inexperienced hands pull the 
 binder so tight that respiration is im- 
 paired. In the case of a foreigner this 
 was done until the ribs were badly bent, 
 and the baby moaned and cried feebly 
 until the doctor discovered the cause. 
 Much injury can be done this way, and 
 makes the bands an element of danger if 
 carelessly handled. Put over the band a 
 
CARE OF THE NEW BABY 47 
 
 flannel shirt, then a flannel skirt and fi- 
 nally an outing flannel wrapper or some- 
 thing similar. 
 
 It is well to put a piece of old muslin, 
 which can be burned later, inside the dia- 
 per, thus saving much washing for the 
 first two or three days, as the discharge 
 from the bowels is a thick, tarry, sticky 
 substance, "meconium," very hard to re- 
 move. This gradually changes and grows 
 lighter in color until digestion is fairly es- 
 tablished, when the movements become 
 normal, that is, light yellow. 
 
 After the toilet is complete, and the 
 mother has had a nap, the baby should be 
 put to the breast. The nipples and the 
 baby's mouth should be carefully washed 
 with a boracic acid solution, and this oper- 
 ation repeated before each nursing until 
 the child is weaned. 
 
 This should be done for several reasons, 
 one of which is that it helps get the nip- 
 ples into shape for future use. It is good 
 for the mother to have the baby pull at the 
 breast for it is a prevention of uterine 
 hemorrhages and promotes contractions, 
 which is most desirable. Little babies 
 
48 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 have more strength than is commonly sup- 
 posed, and their attempts at nursing have 
 a decidedly prophylactic value and are oc- 
 casionally much needed. The effort also 
 stimulates the glands into greater activity 
 and increases the flow of milk. On the 
 other hand, some women have lost their 
 milk entirely when the precaution has been 
 neglected. It is so much better both for 
 the mother and the child that the latter 
 should be breast-fed that every condition 
 should be fulfilled that helps bring this 
 about. 
 
 A woman came into the writer's office 
 to engage her services for her coming con- 
 finement. On questioning the patient 
 about her first baby the mother said she 
 could not nurse him, that she never had 
 any milk. In response to more questions 
 as to whether she had taken milk freely 
 before the baby came she said no — the 
 other doctor did not tell her to. She said 
 the child was delivered with instruments, 
 and the doctor had told her not to have 
 him put to the breast until after the third 
 day, as he said there was nothing there 
 and it would only worry her. 
 
 
CARE OF THE NEW BABY 49 
 
 The physician's orders were obeyed, 
 with the result that when the baby did try 
 to nurse there was nothing for him and 
 consequently he had to be given the bottle. 
 
 On this occasion the order was given 
 to have the patient drink milk freely for 
 the three or four months remaining. At 
 the time of confinement no instruments 
 were used, the labor being perfectly 
 normal. In a short time, after the mother 
 had rested, the baby was put to the breast, 
 and this operation repeated every four or 
 five hours until the milk came. The re- 
 sult was most satisfactory, the second 
 baby was nursed entirely for ten months, 
 and was a most beautiful specimen of what 
 a baby should be. The first one was al- 
 ways sick and fretful during his baby 
 days and developed into a nervous, peevish 
 child, frequently taking cold and often 
 sick. There is probably no reason why he 
 could not have been nursed properly as 
 well as the second child, but for the stu- 
 pidity or carelessness on the part of the 
 attending physician. 
 
 It is certainly astonishing how fre- 
 quently the practice of having the mothers 
 
50 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 drink milk before the baby comes, and put- 
 ting him to the breast at regular intervals 
 for the first three days after birth, is en- 
 tirely disregarded by physicians. There 
 is no doubt but that this explains why 
 women who are anxious to nurse their ba- 
 bies are often unable. 
 
 There is still another reason for the 
 baby's having the "colostrum," the wa- 
 tery secretion which the breast contains 
 at first. It acts as a mild cathartic and 
 helps to free the bowels of meconium, of 
 which they are full at first. And, finally, 
 it is the only approach to nourishment that 
 the child is capable of assimilating for the 
 first seventy-two hours of life. The di- 
 gestive apparatus is entirely unfit to do 
 any work, and the bowels are full of a 
 substance which must be discharged be- 
 fore digestion can begin. 
 
 A teaspoonful of boiled water given 
 two or three times a day, or once in six 
 or eight hours, will also help, being good 
 for the bowels and stimulating the kid- 
 neys into action. More than this for the 
 first three days no baby should ever have. 
 A young, inexperienced nurse tried the 
 
CARE OF THE NEW BABY 51 
 
 experiment of giving a baby two days old 
 a little milk. The child died in a convul- 
 sion shortly afterward. The attending 
 physician was much surprised at the ba- 
 by's death, as it was a healthy, normal 
 child, and begged to have a post-mortem. 
 In the stomach was found a ball of curds 
 about the size of a small nut. On ques- 
 tioning the nurse, she said she gave him 
 a little milk, and she knew it was fresh as 
 she took it from the ice chest. It is quite 
 safe to say that this nurse probably never 
 repeated this blunder; one such mistake 
 as this will do for a lifetime. If Nature 
 had intended to have babies fed earlier, 
 she would not invariably keep them wait- 
 ing for three days. It is safe to assume 
 that the plan is intentional, and when peo- 
 ple officiously try to improve on it, disas- 
 ter always follows. Another blunder 
 which is frequently made, due to the eag- 
 erness of the attendant to give the poor 
 child something to eat, is giving it sweet- 
 ened water. If the mother has any colos- 
 trum in the breasts at all, this is slightly 
 sweet and the water needs no sugar, which 
 is more of an injury than a benefit. The 
 
52 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 kidneys of the new baby are frequently 
 slow to act. It is sometimes several hours 
 before the child passes any urine. If the 
 water is given regularly, they will start 
 up eventually, especially after the milk 
 comes, though they may act very infre- 
 quently until then. 
 
 Take great care to protect the eyes from 
 the light, but, unless there is some strong 
 reason for so doing, the room should not 
 be darkened. 
 
 If the little baby cries much for the first 
 three days of life, it is from pain or dis- 
 comfort, and the most potent cause of the 
 trouble is cold. 
 
 If the respiration is slow at first, it 
 often takes a number of hours to get the 
 child warmed so that the nails of the hands 
 and feet are of the proper color. Such 
 children have to be carefully watched. 
 
 It is just these cases where the mistake 
 is so often made of feeding them because 
 they cry, when really they need to be thor- 
 oughly warmed. It is very reasonable to 
 conclude that if the child is cold because of 
 poor circulation, such a thing as digesting 
 milk is entirely out of the question. A 
 
CARE OF THE NEW BABY 53 
 
 long train of evils follows in the wake of 
 feeding milk to the baby before he is ready 
 for it, the evil most in evidence being colic. 
 That, like many of the other ailments con- 
 nected with this event, is largely prevent- 
 able. 
 
 Wait for three days before feeding the 
 baby anything but boiled water, always 
 keep him warm and dry, and the normal 
 baby will sleep almost the entire time until 
 regular nursing habits are formed. 
 
 Handle the new baby as little as possi- 
 ble, carrying him from the cradle to his 
 mother to be nursed, and the necessary 
 moving to keep him dry and warm will be 
 quite enough exercise for him. For the 
 first seventy-two hours, sleep and quiet are 
 so important that visitors should be ex- 
 cluded, except the immediate family, and 
 then the baby must not be disturbed. So 
 much of the child's and family's future 
 peace of mind depends upon proper man- 
 agement, that it is impossible to begin too 
 soon to follow methodical measures. 
 
54 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 RECAPITULATION 
 
 I. Have boiled water in pitchers and on the 
 stove, and boracic acid and olive oil or vaseline, 
 old muslin and a blanket near at hand. 
 
 II. Wash eyes, nose, mouth, and hands im- 
 mediately. 
 
 III. Place hot-water bags outside of blankets 
 which baby is rolled in. 
 
 IV. After he is well oiled, he can be left until 
 a convenient time for washing, but when bathing 
 remove all cheesy substance carefully. 
 
 V. Put baby to breast after mother has had 
 nap, repeat operation every four or five hours 
 until milk comes. 
 
 VI. Wash nipples and baby's mouth before 
 each nursing. 
 
 VII. Give baby a teaspoon ful of warm water 
 (boiled) every six hours. 
 
 VIII. Protect eyes from light, see that the 
 color of nails of hands and feet is normal, keep 
 warm and dry, and handle as little as possible. 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 CLOTHING AND CARE FOR THE BABY 
 
 The proper kind of clothes for children 
 is an important question, and requires 
 much thought. Much energy and money 
 are frequently expended for the first baby 
 on things that later seem unsatisfactory, 
 and they are discarded. As for the un- 
 derclothes, there are three things neces- 
 sary to be considered and of prime im- 
 portance. Choose materials that are 
 light in weight, that retain body heat, that 
 absorb moisture. Silk looks very dainty, 
 and is expensive (an item of attraction 
 for some) but it does not absorb mois- 
 ture, therefore it is not desirable. Linen 
 is cold and has poor absorbing proper- 
 ties, and as babies are easily chilled this 
 is not satisfactory. Cotton is very heavy 
 and, excepting in summer, should not be 
 worn; children who wear cotton under- 
 clothes always have cold feet and hands. 
 
 55 
 
56 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 The selection is much narrowed when 
 these fabrics are condemned and elimi- 
 nated. There is nothing left but woolen, 
 either plain or combined with linen or silk. 
 It is far better used by itself, without silk 
 or linen, and is the ideal fabric for shirts 
 and bands for little babies. Most of the 
 modern houses are heated to 68° or 70°, 
 nearly summer heat, consequently it is 
 wiser not to have very thick woolens. 
 The medium weight in winter is quite warm 
 enough, and the very light weight for 
 summer. Keeping children too warmly 
 dressed in the house predisposes them to 
 colds and lung trouble, and makes them 
 generally delicate. Regulate the outside 
 wraps to match temperature outdoors, but 
 in the house where the temperature is 
 fairly even, very warm dressing is not 
 necessary. 
 
 Babies should always wear high-necked 
 and long-sleeved shirts for the first four 
 or five months. After this, in the extreme 
 heat of summer it is not necessary, and 
 it is even allowable to take off the shirt 
 if the child suffers from heat; but all ba- 
 bies, until they are three or four years 
 
CLOTHING AND CARE 57 
 
 old, should never be without an abdominal 
 woolen binder night and day. When the 
 child is old enough to perspire during the 
 heat of summer, take off all his clothes 
 except his binder and diaper. If the heat 
 is extreme the entire toilet need only con- 
 sist of a binder, diaper, and dress, the lat- 
 ter entirely for appearance's sake, but no 
 matter what the heat is, the binder must 
 be left on the abdomen. At first, these 
 binders are pieces of flannel torn off the 
 straight way of the material and without 
 hems, as they hurt the child. If the more 
 fastidious consider the raw edge too plain, 
 this can be pinked. After six weeks or so 
 these should be given up and woven 
 woolen ones used instead. Light weight 
 for summer, and heavier for winter. If a 
 child has any tendency to bowel trouble, 
 either constipation or diarrhea, the band 
 should be worn much longer than four or 
 five years. Much of the intestinal trouble 
 of adults could be cured by this simple but 
 efficacious remedy. 
 
 The diapers come next in importance. 
 They can be made of outing flannel, which 
 is sometimes used, and is of course better 
 
58 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 than nothing, but this and the fact that it 
 is cheap are all that can be said for it. 
 It does not wash well, for it grows harsh 
 with much rubbing, and never looks well. 
 Unless expense is a great item, it is not 
 desirable. 
 
 Cotton birdseye is preferred by some 
 because it is rather inexpensive, does not 
 absorb moisture so quickly as linen and is 
 lighter in weight. These reasons make it 
 very popular and extensively used. If, 
 however, the expense of washing need 
 not be considered, fine linen is by far the 
 best. Because it absorbs the moisture 
 readily, the supply will have to be larger, 
 and the diapers should be washed and 
 ironed many times before using for the 
 baby, for the more linen is washed and 
 ironed, the softer and smoother it be- 
 comes. When it is used for the baby there 
 is much less likelihood of chapped skin. 
 
 Never put a rubber cloth on a child un- 
 less to prepare him for some special oc- 
 casion. There is a very nice stockinet 
 called " stork cloth," which is made into 
 drawers, and can be used if the baby is to 
 be taken where changing the diapers is 
 
CLOTHING AND CARE 59 
 
 out of the question, but this should never 
 be used in the house for it is too heating. 
 Have plenty of diapers. If economy must 
 be practised, let it be in some other way. 
 Wet diapers are exceedingly unattractive, 
 and the most bewitching baby's charms 
 are much impaired if he is not kept dry 
 and clean. It requires a great deal of 
 poise and fortitude to hold and admire a 
 wet, unpleasant-smelling baby, and it al- 
 ways seems very unkind to the child to 
 have no more respect for him than to be 
 careless in regard to something which so 
 decidedly detracts from the pleasure he 
 might otherwise give. 
 
 The washing and care of the diapers is 
 no small matter. No diaper should be 
 used a second time unless it has been 
 washed. In bottle-fed babies particu- 
 larly, this is a big item; the urine is al- 
 ways more abundant and has a stronger 
 odor. When the diapers are changed, 
 they should never be left anywhere un- 
 covered. There are few things more of- 
 fensive than wet diapers hung around to 
 dry. The simplest way to manage it is to 
 have two covered pails or cans, not un- 
 
60 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 like small garbage cans, which should be 
 kept out of sight. Throw the wet dia- 
 pers into one, and the soiled ones into the 
 other, pour cold water into both pails with 
 the addition of pearline into the pail with 
 the soiled ones. Then keep the pails 
 tightly covered and wash out the diapers 
 every morning. The wet ones should be 
 washed in hot soap suds, thoroughly 
 rinsed, and then hung out in the sun. The 
 soiled ones should be washed in the same 
 way, and then boiled for fifteen minutes. 
 Drying them in fresh air and sunlight is 
 always far better, after which they should 
 be ironed smooth. There should be 
 enough so that it may not be necessary to 
 use the freshly ironed ones the same day. 
 Leaving them for twenty-four hours pre- 
 cludes any possibility of putting them on 
 damp and giving the baby a cold. That 
 this requires much time and work there 
 is no denying; nevertheless the very best 
 care that can be given to the baby is none 
 too good, and the results make it entirely 
 worth while. 
 
 Flannel skirts are also necessary, and 
 should be of two weights, light and heav- 
 
CLOTHING AND CARE 61 
 
 ier. The summer skirts can be made with 
 cambric waists and have tapes to go over 
 the shoulders, but the thicker ones for win- 
 ter should have flannel waists with straps 
 for the shoulders, so as to support the 
 weight and not have it drag on the baby. 
 These skirts should be made long enough to 
 allow for turning up and pinning. It is so 
 necessary that the feet and legs should be 
 kept warm, and the circulation at first is so 
 poor, that the child must be well protected 
 or the feet will get cold. 
 
 White skirts are not necessary for small 
 babies, for there is little warmth in them 
 and a good deal of weight. It is foolish 
 to put anything on a small baby simply 
 for looks. When he can walk, a white 
 skirt may be added to the list of garments, 
 but before that it should be omitted. 
 
 There should be plenty of outing flannel 
 wrappers; they are better than the ordi- 
 nary slips for young babies and can be 
 used for night dresses for several months. 
 
 Simple slips with very little trimming 
 are the most appropriate, the only require- 
 ment being a plentiful supply, thai the 
 baby may be always clean and dainty. 
 
62 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 Both the slips and the wrappers should 
 be twenty-seven inches long. 
 
 Worsted socks or booties are necessary, 
 and should be worn even in summer un- 
 less the feet are quite warm without them. 
 As soon as the clothes are shortened, 
 stockings should be worn as well as 
 worsted socks. The stockings should be 
 long and pinned to the diaper. Woolen or 
 cashmere are best for the winter, but cot- 
 ton will answer very well in the summer. 
 Many people prefer short stockings as a 
 matter of looks. In the heat of summer 
 they will do very well, but as soon as it is 
 cool, long stockings are better, and should 
 be worn regardless of looks. The custom 
 of making children wear socks in cool 
 weather is little short of cruelty in this 
 variable climate. Many disturbances of 
 digestion and circulation can be laid to this 
 foolish fashion of sacrificing comfort and 
 good sense to looks. This also applies 
 to children older than babies. Worsted 
 socks or soft shoes may be used at first, 
 the essential thing being warmth, of 
 course, but as soon as a baby begins to 
 stand on his feet, the shoes become a mat- 
 
CLOTHING AND CARE 63 
 
 ter of importance. They must first of all 
 be long enough. The feet of babies and 
 young children grow very fast, and shoes 
 that were long enough one month may be 
 just too short the next. Never on any ac- 
 count let a child wear a shoe the least frac- 
 tion of an inch too short. Much of the 
 trouble that adults have with the feet 
 comes from carelessness on this point in 
 childhood. 
 
 The shoes should have wide toes to al- 
 low the feet to come down flat, and be 
 rather snug around the ankle to keep them 
 from slipping. Many children need stiff- 
 ening inside the shoe to hold the ankle 
 straight. Consult the physician if the child 
 turns his feet when walking. The remedy 
 is generally simple in baby days, but if 
 neglected it is harder to overcome the dif- 
 ficulty. Little children should never step 
 on cold flagstones unless the feet are well 
 protected. If they are allowed to walk out- 
 of-doors and are too small to wear heavy 
 shoes, they should have rubbers large 
 enough to slip on and off easily. The in- 
 congruity of putting heavy woolen leggings 
 on a child and allowing him to walk on the 
 
64 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 cold flags with thin shoes, is often seen, 
 and is most productive of colds. 
 
 The baby's clothes should be shortened 
 by the third or fourth month if possible, 
 though the best time for this will depend 
 upon circumstances ; but by the time a child 
 is three months old he needs greater free- 
 dom to exercise his legs and develop his 
 muscles. At this age he can lie on the bed 
 and kick and amuse himself a good deal of 
 the time. After this, long clothes are a 
 nuisance, and an unnecessary weight to 
 carry. If the baby is a normal one and 
 grows as he should, no extra burden is 
 needed, for he will be quite heavy enough 
 for his mother or the nurse. 
 
 In the matter of outside wraps, the es- 
 sential thing is that the baby should be kept 
 warm, but not perspire. For this reason, 
 furs are not desirable as wraps for chil- 
 dren. They are too heating. If children 
 are allowed to perspire, bronchitis, pneu- 
 monia, and all disorders find them an easy 
 prey. This climate is so changeable that 
 the only safe way is to carry an extra 
 blanket to use if necessary. 
 
 Babies have a marked predilection for 
 
CLOTHING AND CARE 65 
 
 pulling off their mittens. The best way to 
 circumvent this is to put the mittens on 
 first and pin them with safety pins to the 
 sleeves of the dress. By so doing they are 
 more apt to be let alone until the wraps 
 are removed. It is important to keep the 
 hands warm as well as the feet, and active 
 measures have to be resorted to or the 
 baby will never have his hands covered. 
 Veils are an abomination and should never 
 be worn. If it is so cold that the baby ap- 
 parently needs one over his face, he should 
 be kept in the house, and not allowed to 
 go out. Veils are a prolific cause of 
 eczema on the face, as they become moist 
 with the breath and then of course irritate 
 the skin. If the hood of the carriage is not 
 a sufficient protection and the baby's face 
 chaps even if the day is not very cold or 
 windy, rub the places where the skin is 
 most sensitive with a little olive oil and 
 bismuth. 
 
 Always use soft water for bathing a 
 baby with a sensitive skin. Lycopodium 
 makes one of the best powders that can be 
 used. Some people object to the color and 
 the lack of odor, but if prepared with a 
 
66 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 little orris it lias a very delicate, sweet 
 smell, and the color is really no objection, 
 while the healing properties are such as to 
 make it far superior to ordinary powders. 
 Much has been said against the small 
 baby carriages which have been in vogue 
 of late, and with a good deal of justice. 
 For ordinary use, they are only to be con- 
 demned. It is impossible to have the child 
 in a proper position in one, or to save him 
 from every jar. Only heavy, easy car- 
 riages are suitable for small babies who 
 should always lie down in them. The 
 nerves of babies are delicately poised, and 
 they should never be bounced and bumped 
 around. The carriages should be rather 
 heavy, swing well on good springs, and the 
 wheels should have rubber tires. If it is 
 a question between no carriage or one of 
 the small ones, it had better be no carriage, 
 but let the baby be carried, thereby saving 
 much fatigue and exhaustion to the nerves. 
 In cold weather, if for any reason the baby 
 is taken out of his carriage in order that 
 his mother or the nurse may make a call 
 or do some shopping, make provision of 
 some sort to have the wraps warm when 
 
CLOTHING AND CARE 67 
 
 the baby is put back into the carriage. If 
 it is a call, the wraps may be carried into 
 the house, but when shopping this may not 
 be convenient. In this case a hot-water 
 bag should be carried in order that there 
 may be no danger of the baby's becoming 
 chilled. Many cases of pneumonia have 
 developed from this mistake, and it cer- 
 tainly is a great risk to run . If it seems 
 as though most things so far suggested 
 were out of the reach of people of limited 
 means, or, at least, only the most expensive 
 things were approved, the answer is that 
 in the end expensive things are the cheap- 
 est; they wear longer and give the best 
 return for the money. Anything that is a 
 menace to the well-being of the child is 
 likely in the end to be far more costly than 
 one causing the spending of a little more 
 money at first. 
 
 Trains, trolleys, and all public convey- 
 ances are not safe places for children. 
 The same is true of shops where women and 
 children are gathered in great numbers. 
 At Christmas time, in the cities, in the 
 crowded shops and cars there is always 
 danger of contracting scarlet fever, meas- 
 
68 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 les, whooping cough or other contagious 
 diseases. Not long ago the writer saw a 
 foreign woman with two little children, 
 both whooping and vomiting at intervals, 
 cheek by jowl with many other children 
 apparently well, on a trolley car returning 
 from the pleasures of sight-seeing. There 
 was absolutely no escape for the children 
 in that car. 
 
 In China smallpox is considered one of 
 the children's diseases. The name trans- 
 lated means "heavenly flowers," and it is 
 quite as common there as whooping cough 
 is here. On one occasion, when one of 
 the missionaries from that country was 
 here she was riding in a trolley car when 
 a woman entered with a bundle in her 
 arms. The peculiar odor attracted the 
 missionary's attention, and leaning for- 
 ward she gently drew aside the shawl which 
 covered the bundle, to discover a baby lit- 
 erally covered with the sores of smallpox. 
 There was no way of knowing how many 
 people, especially children, had been ex- 
 posed that day. There is no question but 
 that many epidemics are largely due to 
 just this thing, women taking sick children 
 
CLOTHING AND CARE 69 
 
 into public places where other children be- 
 come the victims. 
 
 For some unaccountable reason, some 
 people seem to think that all children's dis- 
 eases, chicken pox, whooping cough, scar- 
 let fever, and measles are necessities, and 
 the sooner children are through with them 
 the better. There can be no more stupid 
 fallacy than this. Children are more apt 
 to catch these particular disorders than 
 adults, and they are often prevalent at cer- 
 tain times owing to carelessness or ignor- 
 ance. But there is never a time when any 
 one of the so-called children's diseases 
 may not be a very serious, if not fatal, 
 malady, with the exception perhaps of 
 chicken pox. Many times when the cases 
 are apparently very light, the after-effects 
 are carried through life. Deafness, im- 
 paired eyesight, affected throat or lungs, 
 and kidney disorders are some of the pos- 
 sible consequences of these same diseases. 
 
 Never on any account let a child run any 
 risk of exposure to any contagious disease 
 if it can be avoided. It is true that it 
 may turn out to be a light matter but the 
 possibility of something much more seri- 
 
70 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 ous makes it unpardonable to run any un- 
 necessary risk. It is not essential for chil- 
 dren to have any of these diseases, and it 
 is the wise mother who realizes the pos- 
 sible danger and takes no chances. 
 
 Babies and little children need the best 
 care always. That many live with the poor- 
 est kind of treatment is quite true ; and that 
 many die from the same cause is also true, 
 but that many more would live to grow up 
 and become useful citizens if more intelli- 
 gence were displayed in their management, 
 is a self-evident fact. 
 
 RECAPITULATION 
 
 I. Use woolen shirts and bands. 
 
 II. Keep abdomen protected night and day 
 with binder. 
 
 III. Avoid too heavy flannels. 
 
 IV. Use diapers once only, then wash, dry in 
 sunlight, and iron them. 
 
 V. Cover baby's feet and legs with stockings 
 and shoes, using short socks in warm weather 
 only. 
 
 VI. Never let baby put feet on ground in cold 
 weather unless protected by rubbers. 
 
 VII. See that hands and feet are always warm. 
 
CLOTHING AND CARE 71 
 
 VIII. Use large, heavy carriage for babies and 
 young children. 
 
 IX. Never put a baby into cold wraps — carry 
 hot-water bag if necessary, but avoid chilling a 
 child. 
 
 X. Avoid trolley cars, trains, and public places 
 as much as possible, and never expose any child 
 to contagious disease. 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 FOOD FOR THE BABY 
 
 The normal food for all little warm- 
 blooded animals is their mother's milk. 
 Mother Nature ordained this a long time 
 ago, and no improvement on her method 
 has yet been found. Little human animals 
 are no exception to this rule. Any other 
 device adopted for supplying them with 
 nourishment is only a makeshift, and any 
 baby who is deprived of his natural food 
 is handicapped in a struggle often hard 
 enough at best. 
 
 Many women are not able to nurse their 
 children because they do not appreciate the 
 necessity for any preparation on their part 
 to enable them to perform the task. Com- 
 paratively few mothers deliberately refuse 
 to do this because of the trouble or incon- 
 venience, although it must be confessed 
 there are some as unnatural as this. The 
 more intelligent people become in this mat- 
 
 72 
 
FOOD FOR THE BABY 73 
 
 ter, the better the baby's chances are for 
 having his natural rights. The necessary 
 qualifications which make the ideal condi- 
 tions are both mental and physical. If a 
 woman is anxious to nurse her baby, and is 
 willing to adjust her manner of living to 
 the way best for accomplishing it, one great 
 element of success has been attained. 
 
 A woman with a baby ten days old was 
 being remonstrated with for eating baked 
 beans and cabbage. She had been in- 
 dulging inordinately in these viands, and 
 the baby had a terrible attack of colic. No 
 amount of talking convinced her that it 
 was wrong to do anything so detrimental 
 to the child's health. She refused to deny 
 herself anything she wanted, remarking 
 that the child would grow accustomed to it. 
 
 For the first three months, the baby did 
 not grow well, and had many attacks of 
 colic; after that he did better, but when 
 he was fourteen months old a sharp attack 
 of bowel trouble was too much for him, and 
 he died. Just how much his mother's self- 
 ishness had to do with his untimely death, 
 of course no one can say, but that it played 
 some part in his inability to resist when 
 
74 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 a hard test was applied is a self-evident 
 fact. The history of many babies' lives 
 is like this. 
 
 The mother's diet, exercise, and sleep, in 
 fact her entire manner of living, may have 
 to be changed in order to bring about the 
 proper conditions. The diet is so closely 
 connected with the baby's that it has to be 
 carefully regulated, and, as with the preg- 
 nant woman, only easily digested foods 
 should be taken, and all rich, highly sea- 
 soned dishes entirely omitted. There is 
 no escape for the mother during the first 
 years after the children come, it means 
 much sacrifice and self-denial. This is one 
 of the great privileges of motherhood, and 
 the willingness with which it is assumed 
 largely determines the results. Emotional 
 mothers do not make good nurses. Those 
 who have an hysterical, uncontrollable tem- 
 perament, or women who are unwilling or 
 unhappy about nursing their babies can 
 never do it well, or have happy, healthy 
 babies. 
 
 Sometimes cases are seen of women who 
 are far from well who do nurse their babies 
 successfully, and the children thrive, but 
 
FOOD FOR THE BABY 75 
 
 these are exceptions — not the rule. The 
 best nurses are healthy in both mind and 
 body. 
 
 In a poor Italian household a little bed- 
 ridden cripple was practically the head of 
 the family. He was the oldest of a large 
 number of children, most of whom slept in 
 his room with the father and mother. The 
 latter was a tired, childish woman, with 
 a most ungovernable temper. When the 
 sixth baby came things were in a sorry 
 state there. The child was puny, and fret- 
 ted a great deal. Finally, after the baby 
 was three or four months old, the little in- 
 valid told the doctor that the baby cried 
 so much at night he could not sleep, and it 
 was evidently making him tired and nerv- 
 ous. The doctor explained to the boy that 
 his mother must learn to control her tem- 
 per as every time she became fearfully 
 angry her milk was affected and the poor 
 baby had pains and could not help crying. 
 The little fellow took it all in, for he was 
 unusually intelligent, and said he would ex- 
 plain it to his mother who could not under- 
 stand English, and had to have the boy in- 
 terpret for her. 
 
76 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 A short time after the boy was very for- 
 lorn, and upon inquiry, the answer was 
 that the baby had been very bad all night, 
 and he could not sleep. The doctor asked, 
 "Has your mother been fighting again with 
 some one?" and the little fellow, who was 
 always loyal to his mother, but so truth- 
 ful that he could not possibly prevaricate, 
 replied, hesitatingly, "Yes, she had a ter- 
 rible time the day before with a neighbor." 
 Just then the mother appeared, and the boy 
 turned on her with his eyes blazing, saying, 
 ' * What did I tell you f You made the baby 
 sick because you acted so; you have no 
 right to make the baby sick. ' ' All this was 
 in Italian, but he turned and explained 
 what he was saying, adding naively, "I 
 cannot make my mother understand how 
 much depends upon her." There is no 
 question that if a woman cannot control 
 herself it is better that she should not at- 
 tempt to nurse her child, for, as in the case 
 of the Italian mother, the milk may become 
 positively poisonous. Mothers have killed 
 their children by nursing them after get- 
 ting into uncontrollable passions, the milk 
 having become so poisoned. 
 
FOOD FOR THE BABY 77 
 
 Of course, if a mother lias a chronic dis- 
 ease like tuberculosis, for instance, it is 
 not proper for her even to attempt to nurse 
 her children. In these cases, the food 
 should be carefully prepared under a phy- 
 sician's directions. 
 
 The advisability of drinking beer, por- 
 ter, or any form of stimulant to increase 
 the supply of milk is questionable. 
 Though often advised by physicians, it is 
 certainly not the best way to accomplish 
 the desired end, for while the quantity may 
 be increased, the quality is not improved. 
 
 A physician prescribed porter for a pa- 
 tient who did not seem quite well, and it 
 was feared that the baby would not thrive 
 as he should. After this regime was 
 adopted the baby began to droop and could 
 not retain his milk. The supply of porter 
 gave out, and while waiting to have it re- 
 newed, the boy improved. When the por- 
 ter was taken again, he was affected the 
 same way; vomited his food, and became 
 decidedly sick. Then the porter was 
 stopped, and the baby began to improve 
 immediately. For other reasons than this 
 one given, the practice of drinking any- 
 
78 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 thing of this kind cannot be wise. The evil 
 effects are far-reaching, and there are bet- 
 ter ways of improving the milk supply. 
 Many cases have been seen of nursing 
 babies who would drink beer or even 
 whisky with apparently great relish, a fact 
 which makes it specially unwise to give 
 it to a nursing mother. Too much impor- 
 tance cannot be made of the necessity for 
 regular exercise for the mother in the fresh 
 air, and she should have plenty of easily 
 digested food with milk in abundance to 
 keep up the food supply for the baby. 
 Until the baby is three days old, the diet 
 for his mother should consist of milk, gruel, 
 milk toast, and carefully cooked cereals. 
 After her milk comes, she can have full 
 diet, but nothing about which there is any 
 question of fermentation. Such vegetables 
 as cabbage, turnips, cauliflower, and toma- 
 toes should not be given until the baby is 
 four months old at least, and even then cer- 
 tain things may cause discomfort and can- 
 not be indulged in until the child is weaned. 
 Though certain articles of diet disagree 
 with some women, it does not necessarily 
 follow that all other nursing women should 
 
FOOD FOR THE BABY 79 
 
 be deprived of the same things, but it 
 does mean that when it disagrees with her 
 baby, no woman should eat anything be- 
 cause she specially likes it, for during baby 
 days the welfare of the child is the most 
 important thing to be considered. 
 
 "Worrying, fretful, or morbid tempera- 
 ments always affect the milk. It is a well- 
 known fact that great mental anxiety will 
 cause the digestive apparatus to stop nor- 
 mal work at once. This is shown time and 
 again in nursing women who suddenly find 
 themselves unable to nurse their babies 
 because the mental balance has been dis- 
 turbed. If a woman continually worries 
 and frets, she is bound to have a fretful, 
 whining baby. Here is another proof of 
 the fact that the child's temperament is 
 very largely in the hands of the parents, 
 and that his condition of mind and body are 
 very closely allied. 
 
 On one occasion, a small baby was very 
 ill, and it was deemed advisable to try a 
 wet nurse; so at much inconvenience one 
 was procured, and brought to the house 
 late at night. The woman was a young, 
 fine-looking foreigner, and the mother of 
 
80 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 the sick child was delighted at the prospect 
 of having some food for her baby which 
 could be retained. Her pleasure was 
 short-lived, for the young woman was so 
 frightened at coming among strangers, and 
 her distress so great at leaving her own 
 baby, that when she tried to nurse the sick 
 baby her milk was entirely gone, and it 
 was entirely out of the question to get any 
 one else for several hours. Fortunately 
 some new combination was found which the 
 sick baby could retain, thus saving the 
 day, or the result would have been serious. 
 Nursing mothers often have to learn to 
 take life easily before they can be great 
 successes, and the entire experience from 
 first to last means for any woman a long 
 process of training, quite as much for her- 
 self as for the child. 
 
 The case of a baby who needs a wet nurse 
 because his mother cannot nurse him, and 
 no combination of modified milk can be 
 found that will agree with him is fortu- 
 nately rare, for a good wet nurse is almost 
 an impossibility. If for any reason one 
 has to be obtained, the physician should 
 make the selection, as it must be done with 
 
 
FOOD FOR THE BABY 81 
 
 great caution. All the rules for a regular, 
 simple diet laid down for the mother should 
 be most rigidly enforced in the case of the 
 wet nurse. She should, of course, be tem- 
 perate in habit, clean, and healthy. Her 
 own baby should be nearly the age of the 
 child to be nursed, and she should never 
 try to nurse both of them. As a rule, for- 
 eign-born women make the best nurses ; but 
 too often living in different surround- 
 ings, and eating unaccustomed food 
 gives them indigestion and consequently 
 causes their milk to disagree with the baby. 
 It is desirable to have rather a young 
 woman ; and both she and her baby should 
 be examined by the physician before she 
 is engaged, and her moral character should 
 be investigated as well as her physical 
 condition. It is found too often that they 
 are unscrupulous and dishonest, giving the 
 baby other food than breast-milk, and the 
 habit of indulging in stimulants is very 
 common. Unless the woman is known to 
 be honest and respectable, the risk is very 
 great and the results rarely satisfactory. 
 She should, of course, have plenty of ex- 
 ercise in the open air, a well-ventilated 
 
82 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 room, and an abundance of digestible, nu- 
 tritious food. Nevertheless, it is well to 
 remember that a woman taken from the 
 lower walks of life, and given unrestrained 
 opportunity to indulge freely in food to 
 which she has been unaccustomed is very 
 apt to eat too much, and to exercise too 
 little. What has already been said about 
 a mother not using beer or ale or porter 
 to increase the milk supply applies with 
 still greater force here. Never on any ac- 
 count allow it to be given to a wet nurse. 
 If she needs bracing up in this manner, 
 she is not fit for the position. 
 
 If by any chance a very superior person 
 is found, and one apparently well quali- 
 fied, a wise mother will never hand over the 
 care of her baby entirely to her, but will 
 exercise a careful supervision over every- 
 thing that goes on, particularly at night. 
 Perhaps another piece of advice is not 
 amiss here ; if a wet nurse is engaged, she 
 should not be expected to do hard work 
 like the family washing, and if the baby 
 does not thrive at once, it is quite natural, 
 for such a change for the woman is bound 
 to affect the milk. She should be given a 
 
FOOD FOR THE BABY 83 
 
 chance, unless it is dangerous for the child, 
 and not found fault with because the baby- 
 has a pain, and cries a good deal for the 
 first day or two after the new order has 
 commenced. 
 
 There is no objection to giving a nursing 
 baby the bottle once a day after the first 
 month or six weeks, and there are some ad- 
 vantages. For one thing, many women are 
 stronger and have better milk if allowed 
 to sleep through the night. By giving the 
 baby the bottle at five or six o 'clock in the 
 morning, the mother may be materially 
 benefited, and it does no harm to the/ 
 baby. 
 
 It is often a matter of great convenience 
 for a woman to be able to leave her baby for 
 several hours. If he is used to the bottle 
 this is easily managed, and when the time 
 comes to wean him it is comparatively 
 simple to give the bottle twice a day, then 
 three times, and so on until he takes it en- 
 tirely. The process should be slow enough 
 to enable the child to grow accustomed 
 to the change. A month is a very good 
 time to allow for weaning unless circum- 
 stances make greater haste necessary. 
 
84 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 The age when a baby should be weaned de- 
 pends upon circumstances — as a rule, a 
 baby should not be breast-fed after he is 
 a year old, even if the mother is healthy 
 and the milk supply good, and it is gen- 
 erally wiser to do this by the ninth or 
 tenth month. Individual cases require dif- 
 ferent treatment. No absolute rule can be 
 given. If the child has good color, sleeps 
 well for two or three hours after nursing, 
 or, if awake, is quiet, good-natured, and 
 apparently comfortable, the movements 
 from the bowels normal, and he is gaining 
 in weight, these are the signs by which any 
 one may know that the baby is well nour- 
 ished. The normal baby should double his 
 weight in six months, and treble it in a 
 year. Of course this varies somewhat. All 
 children are not alike in the manner of 
 gaining, but the increase should be com- 
 paratively even. He should grow about 
 eight inches the first year, or nearly three- 
 quarters of an inch a month. Ordinary 
 babies by the tenth or eleventh month 
 should begin to have something more than 
 milk — gruel, oatmeal, beef juice, etc., are 
 necessary — but milk should be the princi- 
 
FOOD FOR THE BABY 85 
 
 pal article of diet through the second year. 
 Hard crackers are much relished when the 
 teeth begin to come; these are better if 
 they are not sweet. Well-cooked cereal 
 and mutton broth can be given to a child a 
 year old. When the mixed diet begins, the 
 bottle should be taken away entirely, and 
 all milk should be given in a small cup. It 
 is a great mistake to allow a child to drink 
 from a bottle after he is a year old. 
 
 Something must be said about the 
 thoughtlessness and cruelty of giving little 
 children tastes of different articles of food 
 to entertain the adult members of the fam- 
 ily. Very small babies are apt to be ex- 
 empt from this practice, though not always. 
 A very proud, smiling young mother was 
 showing off her firstborn at clinic, a fat, 
 red-cheeked baby in long clothes. In an- 
 swer to the question if she gave him any- 
 thing besides breast-milk, replied, "Oh, 
 yes, ma'am; ladyfingers and beer, and he 
 likes it awful much." 
 
 As soon as a child is old enough to begin 
 to notice, there seems to be a peculiar 
 temptation to feed him potatoes, meat, 
 bread, or anything that the family eats. 
 
86 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 Tastes of tea, coffee, and even beer are also 
 tried, with the result that very soon chil- 
 dren learn to like these beverages. 
 
 A very beautiful boy who could just walk 
 was toddling around the dining-room beg- 
 ging for the last drops of coffee in the bot- 
 tom of the cups ; and the various members 
 of the family were giving him little drinks, 
 because it was so "cunning" to see his evi- 
 dent pleasure. Later, the same child was 
 asking for the last drops of whisky which 
 some member of the family had. On re- 
 monstrating with the various ones for their 
 foolishness — to call it nothing stronger — 
 the answer was, "Oh, he only has a little, 
 and he looks so sweet when he drinks it ! " 
 It is not surprising to learn that this partic- 
 ular child had several convulsions. What 
 the future holds for him, no one knows, but 
 a poor ancestry added to his most lament- 
 able lack of training promises little good. 
 And the pity is that the children have no 
 fair start, but are ruined before they know 
 their right hand from their left. Tea and 
 coffee both contain a very strong heart 
 stimulant and alkaloid, caffeine. Added to 
 the caffeine in tea is another disastrous 
 
FOOD FOR THE BABY 87 
 
 substance, tannin, which, if taken in large 
 enough quantities, will corrode the mucous 
 lining of the stomach. Inveterate tea- 
 drinkers have the worst form of nervous 
 disorders and the habit is a very hard one 
 to cure. That coffee is a tremendous 
 stimulant, may be readily imagined when 
 it is known that it is one of the most im- 
 portant antidotes to be given in case of 
 poisoning by morphine, that most powerful 
 of narcotics. Of course the doses given to 
 children are small, but why give a child 
 small doses of poison, which he does not 
 need, because he looks sweet, or to amuse 
 other people ? It seems as though any one 
 with the least bit of common sense would 
 never allow such heartlessness. And when 
 it comes to drink stronger than tea and 
 coffee, words fail to express the feeling of 
 abhorrence which any right-minded man 
 or woman must have. 
 
 An official of the United States Govern- 
 ment boasted that his six-year-old son could 
 drink more whisky and champagne than 
 many an adult, and that the night before 
 he was relating this outrageous boast the 
 same child had rolled under the table in a 
 
88 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 regular drunken stupor. And the father 
 was seemingly proud of this fact. There 
 is no physician who has not seen more or 
 less of these cases — children with all de- 
 grees of nervous disorders, where tea, 
 coffee, and other things have been given 
 them from early baby days. No further 
 proof is needed than a visit to some of the 
 institutions in our cities, for backward and 
 feeble-minded children, and hear the his- 
 tory of these children related. Very often 
 one of the predisposing factors is the re- 
 sult of the stimulants given during baby- 
 hood, which cause the sensitive nervous 
 system to succumb. 
 
 A large number of children in this coun- 
 try have to be brought up on the bottle, a 
 fact to be deplored, but nevertheless true. 
 It is always more difficult to manage these 
 cases, for a bottle-fed baby is more apt to 
 have digestive disturbances, and is an 
 easier prey for any illness. Much of the 
 difficulty would be eliminated, though, if 
 proper precautions were exercised about 
 handling and preparing the milk, and clean- 
 liness of the bottles and nipples. 
 
 To have anv intelligent idea how to pre- 
 
FOOD FOR THE BABY 89 
 
 pare milk for a baby there must be some 
 understanding of the various ingredients, 
 and how these compare with human milk. 
 Because cow's milk is most available, it is 
 generally used as the substitute for the 
 mother's milk. 
 
 Milk is composed of fat, sugar, proteids, 
 salts, and water. All these elements are 
 necessary, and we cannot expect to bring 
 up a healthy baby unless all these are in 
 his food. The fat is needed for the growth 
 of the bones, nerves, and flesh. Sugar also 
 makes fat and heat. The proteids are 
 needed for the blood, the organs, and mus- 
 cles. Salts are needed particularly for the 
 growth of the bones. Water is needed to 
 keep these in solution, and is necessary to 
 enable the body to get rid of the waste 
 matter. 
 
 analysis 
 Human Milk 
 
 Fat % 4.00 
 
 Sugar 7.00 
 
 Proteids 1.50 
 
 Salts 0.20 
 
 Water 87.30 
 
 % 100.00 
 
90 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 Cow's Milk 
 
 Fat % 3.50 
 
 Sugar 4.30 
 
 Proteids 4.00 
 
 Salts 0.70 
 
 Water 87.50 
 
 % 100.00 
 
 At a glance it will be seen that none of 
 the ingredients of the two kinds of milk 
 just match, and as the point is to make the 
 substitute as nearly like the original as 
 possible, there will have to be some alter- 
 ation. These alterations are made by 
 combining cream [fat], full milk, that is 
 the cream shaken up with the milk [pro- 
 teids], and sugar and water in various pro- 
 portions, and the result is modified milk. 
 The average cow's milk contains approxi- 
 mately 4% of fat, 4% of proteids, and 
 4% of sugar. More than twice as much 
 proteids as human milk, and much more 
 indigestible, and about half as much sugar. 
 It is matter of great importance to change 
 this milk, for few children can digest it 
 unless it is modified. The proteids then, 
 
FOOD FOR THE BABY 91 
 
 or curds, in the cow's milk must be diluted, 
 the sugar and the fat increased. The in- 
 gredients in cow's milk which cause most 
 of the trouble for the bottle-fed baby are 
 the proteids or curds — and the fact that 
 there is so much more of this, and of dif- 
 ferent quality, makes it necessary not only 
 to reduce it a great deal for ordinary feed- 
 ings, but wherever it is given to a baby 
 who is not accustomed to it, as a new baby 
 or one who has been nursed, and for some 
 reason must have other nourishment, the 
 milk must be made weak. This is a most 
 important point to remember, because the 
 baby's stomach was not intended for this 
 food and it has to become accustomed to it 
 gradually or there will be trouble. A weak 
 food can be easily strengthened with no 
 disturbance to the child, but if the food is 
 too strong there is bound to be woe. In 
 starting then with a new baby three days 
 old the following is a very good formula. 
 Though it may need some modification to 
 meet special cases, it will be found fairly 
 suitable for the average child which weighs 
 from 7 to 7y 2 pounds : 
 
92 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 Milk (full) 1 oz. 
 
 Cream 2 oz. 
 
 Water 21 oz. 
 
 Sugar (cane) 3 teaspoonfuls 
 
 or Sugar of milk 6 teaspoonfuls 
 
 If the bowels act properly, the baby 
 sleeps well, does not vomit his milk or 
 have colic, in three days the mixture can be 
 strengthened by the addition of 4 tea- 
 spoonfuls of cream, and 4 of milk. If this 
 goes well, at the end of three more days 
 the mixture can be strengthened by the 
 same amount in the same way, and also a 
 little more food may be given at each feed- 
 ing. Half an ounce or 4 teaspoonfuls is 
 enough of an increase at a time. The 
 stomach at first has the capacity of about 
 one ounce, at two weeks it has about dou- 
 ble; after this the increase is more grad- 
 ual, so that at six months it is about 
 six ounces. The amount to give at first 
 for each feeding is one ounce. After a 
 week the amount may be increased to 
 iy 2 ounces, aud in another ten days 
 two ounces may be given. No absolute 
 rule can be given as to the exact amount 
 to give at a feeding, nor just when to 
 
FOOD FOR THE BABY 93 
 
 make the food stronger. These ques- 
 tions must be settled by the needs of each 
 particular baby, but the changes in amount, 
 and the increase of strength of the food are 
 made more rapidly the first month than 
 later. It is not uncommon to use the same 
 formula from the time a child is two or 
 three months old until he is weaned, the 
 amount of each feeding and the intervals 
 only being changed to meet the growing- 
 needs of the child. It is usually wiser to 
 make the food somewhat weaker during the 
 hot summer months, and this is done gen- 
 erally by giving less fat or cream. The in- 
 dications that the baby is thriving, which is 
 the guide for continuing any formula, are 
 that he sleeps quietly two or three hours 
 after his meal, that he is happy and con- 
 tented, gains in weight, and has normal 
 movement from the bowels every day. On 
 the other hand, if these evidences are not 
 seen, but instead he shows any of the fol- 
 lowing, he is not having sufficient food. If 
 he clutches the bottle, drains it eagerly, 
 cries when it is taken away, and cries half 
 an hour or an hour before feeding time he 
 is showing plainly that he is hungry, and 
 
94 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 wants more to eat. The child should be 
 weighed regularly each week, and all the 
 peculiarities of sleep, crying, and move- 
 ment of the bowels noted. The intelli- 
 gence which is displayed in these matters 
 marks the difference between a good and a 
 poor nurse. 
 
 Not infrequently the formula used is 
 not suited to some particular baby, and 
 needs to be changed. Here again only a 
 few suggestions can be given as to the 
 possible cause of the trouble, but these, 
 if rightly understood, will help to remove 
 the difficulty. If the child does not gain 
 in weight without any special signs of in- 
 digestion, increase the proportion of all 
 the ingredients; if he has habitual colic, 
 diminish the proteids, and also give a 
 weaker food at night ; for frequent vomit- 
 ing just after eating, reduce the quantity ; 
 for the regurgitation of sour masses of 
 food, reduce the fat, and proteids, too, if 
 necessary; for obstinate constipation, in- 
 crease both fat and proteids. Before 
 making any change in the formula for the 
 food, see that the baby has plenty of water 
 to drink every day. The importance of 
 
FOOD FOR THE BABY 95 
 
 giving babies water can hardly be over- 
 estimated. It is one of the surest and easi- 
 est ways to overcome constipation. One 
 mother complained that her baby cried 
 a good deal, and seemed to be constipated. 
 When asked if the baby had plenty of 
 water to drink, replied, "Oh, yes. She 
 always has the wash cloth to suck every 
 day when she has her bath ! ' ' 
 
 Great care should be given to the selec- 
 tion of the milk. It should never be 
 bought in the bulk, for it is impossible to 
 keep it clean, and that makes it entirely 
 out of the question. It should come from 
 a clean, sanitary dairy, the cows should 
 be healthy, and all those who handle it 
 should be inspected to be sure that. nothing 
 which could contaminate it comes in con- 
 tact with it. Milk from a mixed dairy is 
 better than from one cow. The milk from 
 a highly bred Jersey or Alderney, is too 
 rich. The manner of transportation is 
 also important. It should be in glass bot- 
 tles, tightly sealed, and warranted to be 
 thoroughly hygienic. In the city it should 
 not be used after it has been kept in the 
 house more than twelve hours in the sum- 
 
96 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 mer, nor twenty-four hours in the winter. 
 Then, too, the method of preparing it for 
 the baby is a matter of great moment, for 
 not only must the formula be carefully 
 and exactly followed, but the manner of 
 preparing it, the receptacle that it is put 
 in, and finally the kind of ice-chest used 
 are all matters to be considered. 
 
 A sufficient quantity should be made in 
 the morning to last for twenty-four hours. 
 From two bottles which have been allowed 
 to stand until the cream has risen, the 
 food should be made. According to the 
 formula given, one ounce is taken from 
 one bottle in which the cream has been 
 shaken up with the milk — this is full milk 
 — and from the other bottle only the cream 
 is used, two ounces being taken. In order 
 to be exact, it is easier to use a small 
 ounce dipper which comes for the pur- 
 pose. Mix the milk and cream together, 
 add twenty-one ounces of water which has 
 been boiled, and dissolve the sugar in this. 
 Then pour the entire mixture into a clean 
 receptacle, cover tightly, and put it into 
 the refrigerator. That the refrigerator 
 should be absolutely clean goes without 
 
FOOD FOR THE BABY 97 
 
 saying, and yet, spoiled milk owing to a 
 faulty refrigerator is to be blamed for 
 many an acute attack of indigestion. The 
 compartments of the refrigerator should 
 be so arranged that the bottles of milk 
 are either in contact with the ice or very 
 near it, and the supply of ice should be 
 abundant. Often the amount of ice is so 
 small, and the bottle so far away, that 
 the temperature of the milk is never be- 
 low 60° or 65°. To be really effective, 
 the milk should be kept at a temperature 
 not over 50°. In order to insure this, the 
 temperature should be tested with a ther- 
 mometer from time to time. Next to the 
 bottles used, the refrigerator is the one 
 thing which should receive the closest at- 
 tention. 
 
 Not the least important in this great 
 subject is the care of the bottles. If they 
 are not in a proper condition it is of lit- 
 tle avail to have "certified" milk, or to 
 take any precaution, in fact. No one will 
 ever know how much of the infant mor- 
 tality is caused by dirty bottles, but that 
 it is a great factor in the death rate is 
 self-evident. 
 
98 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 All the bottles should be washed with 
 hot water and soap and boiled every day. 
 Afterward, they should be covered and 
 kept free from any dirt. Wide-mouthed 
 bottles with no creases are the best. 
 There should be no complicated bottle or 
 nipple, and everything should be as sim- 
 ple as possible. Absolute cleanliness is 
 the one essential, and the simpler the mech- 
 anism of everything used, the easier it will 
 be to have this. 
 
 The hands of the nurse should be per- 
 fectly clean, and a brush used to wash the 
 bottles. New nipples should be boiled for 
 five minutes, but after this they need not 
 be boiled often, for they soon become use- 
 less. After using, they should be carefully 
 rinsed in cold water and kept in a covered 
 glass containing a solution of borax or 
 boracic acid. At least once a day they 
 should be turned wrong side out and thor- 
 oughly washed, just as the bottles are, with 
 warm water and soap. A brush should 
 be used for this, and it should be clean, 
 of course. It is a very good plan to have 
 as many bottles as there are to be feed- 
 ings. The amount of milk to be used for 
 
FOOD FOR THE BABY 99 
 
 each time is put into separate bottles, and 
 absorbent cotton is used for stoppers. 
 No bottle must be used a second time un- 
 less thoroughly washed — this rule must 
 never be violated. After the food mixture 
 has been prepared, and put into the bot- 
 tles or whatever receptacles are used, it 
 must be cooled rapidly, first by letting the 
 bottles stand in tepid water, then in cold 
 water, and afterward placed on the ice. 
 If for any reason the milk has been Pas- 
 teurized or sterilized, this should have 
 been done before cooling. 
 
 Each bottle as it is needed should be 
 taken from the ice-chest and put into a 
 pitcher containing enough warm water to 
 entirely cover the milk. After it is warm, 
 shake the milk thoroughly, adjust the nip- 
 ple, but see that the hole in the bottom of 
 the nipple is only large enough to allow 
 the milk to come out slowly. If there is 
 any question about the temperature of 
 the milk, pour a few drops on the wrist, 
 or into a spoon and taste. Never let the 
 nurse or any one else put the nipple in 
 her mouth to make the test. The water 
 that is used to heat the milk should be 
 
100 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 between 98° and 105°. Use a thermom- 
 eter for this, to be exact. The nurse should 
 hold the baby while he is feeding, and the 
 baby should finish in twenty minutes. 
 Never let a child form the habit of sleep- 
 ing with the nipple in his mouth. Keep 
 him awake till he has finished, and then 
 take the bottle away altogether. After a 
 child has been fed, never play with him, 
 leave him alone, let him lie quietly, and 
 disturb him as little as possible. 
 
 Milk, when carefully handled, contains 
 many germs, and if carelessly handled the 
 number is enormous. While most of these 
 are quite harmless, simply causing the 
 milk to sour, occasionally they are the 
 germs of scarlet fever, diphtheria, typhoid 
 fever, and many forms of diarrhea. If, 
 then, there is any question about the source 
 of the supply, or if the weather is too hot 
 to keep it and there is no way of obtain- 
 ing ice, something must be done, as it is 
 too serious to trifle with such conditions. 
 By heating the milk to a temperature of 
 212°F. and keeping it at this for one or 
 one and one-half hours it is made sterile, 
 or is "sterilized milk." It is safe to use 
 
FOOD FOR THE BABY 101 
 
 milk treated in this way if kept on the 
 ice for two or three weeks. Sterilized milk 
 is always more indigestible than ordinary 
 milk and is constipating, and it has to be 
 modified the same as milk which has not 
 been sterilized. Under no circumstances 
 is it to be used for a long time. Children 
 are never strong that have been fed exclu- 
 sively on milk so prepared; the nutritive 
 properties are so changed as to make it an 
 impossible food for continuous use. It is 
 often a factor in scurvy. Nevertheless, it 
 is useful in epidemics, or on journeys when 
 satisfactory milk cannot be procured. By 
 heating milk for thirty minutes at 155° F. 
 it is "Pasteurized," and this temperature 
 is sufficient to kill the germs of the ordi- 
 nary diseases before mentioned. It is not 
 constipating nor is the taste of it affected, 
 but there is a chemical change so that 
 fresh, pure milk is always better for a 
 baby, and much to be preferred to any 
 method which changes the composition. 
 Pasteurized milk is used in many cases 
 for long periods of time with no apparent 
 ill affects, but if the supply can be guaran- 
 teed to be proper it is better not to tamper 
 
102 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 with the natural state. Pasteurized milk 
 will keep on the ice two or three days, 
 and while the living germs are destroyed 
 by a temperature of 155° F. there are many 
 undeveloped germs or spores which are not 
 destroyed, and which grow into living 
 germs under favorable conditions. It is 
 perfectly possible to have milk so dirty, 
 or old and contaminated that neither ster- 
 ilizing nor Pasteurizing will render it fit 
 for use. A point to be remembered about 
 Pasteurized milk is that it must be cooled 
 rapidly before it is put in the refrigerator. 
 Never let it stand in the room, or put it 
 near the ice when warm. If the milk is 
 cooled in the room, or in the ice-box it re- 
 quires from two to four hours to do it, and 
 meanwhile many undeveloped germs may 
 mature and spoil the keeping properties. 
 To cool rapidly, put the pitcher or bottles 
 into cold water, and change the water of- 
 ten, or add cold water to it; by so doing 
 the milk will cool in ten or twenty min- 
 utes. 
 
 There is another prepared milk which 
 at times is very useful, viz., peptonized 
 milk, or milk with the proteids partially 
 
FOOD FOR THE BABY 103 
 
 digested. Occasionally a very young baby 
 is unable to digest the curds, so peptonized 
 milk is given until he has learned to do 
 his own digesting. A digestive agent is 
 put into a powder called peptogenic milk 
 powder and this is put into tubes or tab- 
 lets. The milk is peptonized in the follow- 
 ing manner. Into a tablespoonful of milk 
 the powder is put and well rubbed up. 
 This is put into the bottle or pitcher with 
 the plain or modified milk, and the whole 
 is shaken up together. The bottle is then 
 put into a large pitcher containing water 
 heated to about 110°F., or as warm as will 
 bear the hand comfortably, and left for 
 ten or twenty minutes if the milk is to be 
 partially peptonized; for two hours, if it 
 is to be completely peptonized. If this 
 is done for only ten minutes there is no 
 taste to the milk, but at the end of twenty 
 minutes it begins to be bitter, and for any 
 but very small babies cannot be used fre- 
 quently. 
 
 Completely peptonized milk may be used 
 for a few days or even longer; partially 
 peptonized milk may be used for a longer 
 period, but not indefinitely, and should be 
 
104 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 left off gradually by shortening the time 
 of peptonizing and diminishing the amount 
 of powder used. This preparation should 
 be used only with the advice of a physician. 
 It is possible that an emergency may 
 arise when it may be excusable to use one 
 of the numerous proprietary foods with 
 which the markets are flooded, but the 
 cases are few and far between. As a reg- 
 ular diet, they are undeniably deleterious. 
 Physicians very generally concur in the 
 opinion that the satisfactory, artificially 
 fed baby is the one who has had, not ster- 
 ilized or Pasteurized, but straight, clean 
 modified cow's milk, always rightly pre- 
 pared. And it is unusual to find a baby 
 who cannot thrive on this diet. It some- 
 times takes patience to modify it just 
 right, but it is quite possible to do it. The 
 trouble, though, that is caused by dirt and 
 carelessness will never be known — for one 
 or the other of these two evils is what causes 
 the vast majority of illnesses to which 
 babies are prone, and the afflicted chil- 
 dren are found in all walks of life. There 
 are many intelligent people who never 
 realize that thev can only do the correct 
 
FOOD FOR THE BABY 105 
 
 thing for the baby by taking great care 
 about the cleanliness of the refrigerator, 
 and by seeing that the milk is not left 
 standing in a hot kitchen for two or three 
 hours, and that it is properly covered when 
 put in the ice-box, and that no irregular 
 thing of any kind is allowed. 
 
 Indigestion was brought on in one case 
 because the nurse always brought up the 
 bottle containing the baby's early morning 
 meal, and let it stand all night in a warm 
 room, to avoid going downstairs after it 
 when she wanted it. It is rarely safe to 
 trust the preparation and care of the food 
 entirely to an ordinary servant, and all 
 servants need some supervision. 
 
 When women realize that the great ma- 
 jority of deaths in baby days are caused 
 by digestive disturbances, and these dis- 
 turbances come almost entirely from care- 
 lessness or ignorance, things will improve. 
 It is appalling to see how casually this 
 subject is treated by so many, many peo- 
 ple, and the hopelessness of it is that they 
 seem perfectly incapable of grasping the 
 facts and comprehending the purport of 
 it all. The greatest of all the factors 
 
106 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 here is cleanliness; absolute cleanliness 
 for the milk supply, the bottles, nipples, 
 brushes, receptacles, hands, and refrigera- 
 tors, and when this fact is mastered the 
 rest is easy. 
 
 RECAPITULATION 
 
 I. The mother's milk is the proper food for 
 the baby. Everything else is a makeshift. 
 
 II. The mother's manner of living, sleep, ex- 
 ercise, and diet should be carefully regulated to 
 this end. 
 
 III. The mother should willingly and gladly 
 do this, and learn, if necessary, to control her 
 emotions, not to worry, and to take life easily. 
 A fretful, morbid temperament means a fretful, 
 whining baby. 
 
 IV. No woman with any chronic disorder like 
 tuberculosis should try to nurse her baby. 
 
 V. Do not drink ale, beer, or any stimulant to 
 increase the milk supply; instead, eat proper 
 food, exercise in the fresh air, and drink milk in 
 abundance. 
 
 VI. If it is deemed best to have a wet nurse, 
 the physician should select her, and the nurse's 
 baby should be of the same age as the child 
 whom she is to feed. The same rules for hygienic 
 
FOOD FOR THE BABY 107 
 
 living which apply to the mothers apply here. 
 She should be carefully watched. 
 
 VII. It is quite proper to give a nursing bot- 
 tle once a day after the baby is a month or six 
 weeks old. 
 
 VIII. The ninth or tenth month is usually a 
 very suitable time to wean a baby. Each case 
 must be judged according to the particular baby 
 in question. 
 
 IX. Allow plenty of time to do this — a month 
 is none too long to accustom the baby's stomach 
 to the exclusive diet of cow's milk. 
 
 X. After the tenth or eleventh month, broth, 
 gruel, etc. may be given, though milk is the staple 
 article of food during the second year. 
 
 XI. As a rule, no baby should be nursed after 
 the twelfth month, and no child should be al- 
 lowed to drink from the bottle after this time. 
 He can drink from a cup quite well. 
 
 XII. Never allow a baby to have "tastes" of 
 tea, coffee, or any viands which the family eat. 
 It is pernicious. 
 
 XIII. Cow's milk must be modified to be as 
 nearly like mother's milk as possible. The pro- 
 teids must be diluted, the fat and the sugar in- 
 creased. 
 
 X I V. When cow's milk is given to the baby 
 Cor the first time, always have the preparation 
 weak. It. is ;i simple matter to make it stronger 
 
108 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 when the baby's stomach has grown accustomed 
 to it. 
 
 XV. Whatever formula is used, be exact about 
 preparing the food, and give the baby plenty of 
 fresh, pure water every day. 
 
 XVI. Exercise great care about the selection 
 of the milk used, and that it is prepared, and 
 transported in a thoroughly hygienic manner. 
 
 XVII. In preparing the food, always mix the 
 full milk and cream together, then add the water 
 (boiled) and sugar. Prepare a sufficient quan- 
 tity for twenty-four hours at a time. 
 
 XVIII. Have the refrigerator, and all utensils 
 perfectly clean. 
 
 XIX. No bottle should be used a second time 
 without being washed thoroughly, and all the 
 bottles should be boiled once a day. 
 
 XX. New nipples should be boiled before us- 
 ing. After this they should be washed each 
 time, and turned inside out, washed with hot 
 water and soap with a brush, then kept in a 
 covered glass jar in a boracic acid solution. 
 
 XXI. The milk after being modified should be 
 cooled quickly before it is put on the ice, and 
 Pasteurized milk also, should be treated in the 
 same way. 
 
 XXII. "When the milk is wanted, heat by plac- 
 ing the bottle in a pitcher of warm water heated 
 from 95° to 105° F. See that the opening in the 
 
FOOD FOR THE BABY 109 
 
 nipple is only large enough for the milk to run 
 slowly, and never allow any one to test the heat 
 by putting the nipple in the mouth. 
 
 XXIII. Heating milk from one to one hour 
 and a half at a temperature of 212° F., sterilizes 
 it. In times of epidemics, or far journeys this 
 process is valuable, but it should never be used 
 for a regular diet. 
 
 XXIV. Pasteurized milk is heated for thirty 
 minutes at a temperature of 155° F., and is use- 
 ful if the milk supply is questionable. Get pure, 
 fresh milk as soon as possible, for no alteration 
 equals the original. 
 
 XXV. Peptogenic milk is useful for a very 
 limited period, and partially peptonized milk can 
 be used longer, but neither of them should be 
 kept up indefinitely, and the latter should be 
 stopped gradually as soon as the baby can digest 
 his own meals. 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 BATHS FOR THE BABY 
 
 Plenty of baths are as essential as plenty 
 of air, and from the first day of life till 
 the last, the bath is most important. It 
 stimulates the skin, strengthens the mus- 
 cles, and is a material adjunct to health. 
 The first few baths for the baby must be 
 given in the nurse's lap until the cord 
 has dropped off, and the cicatrix has 
 pretty well healed. The temperature of 
 the water should not be above 100 °F. and 
 after two weeks may be reduced to 98 °F. 
 The temperature of the room should be 
 70°, and it seems hardly necessary to say 
 that there should be no draughts; if it is 
 possible to give the bath before an open 
 fire, so much the better. Soft water or 
 rain water is preferable, for it is less ir- 
 ritating to the skin, while for a young baby, 
 the water should be boiled. Soft water is 
 no 
 
BATHS FOR THE BABY 111 
 
 better for any skin, and can be used with 
 much comfort long after baby days are 
 over. The nurse should wear a flannel 
 apron, of which the most satisfactory 
 kind is made from two small blankets with 
 the ends sewed together, thus making one 
 long blanket; strings are sewed to the 
 seam, and when tied around the waist will 
 allow the nurse to spread one blanket on 
 her lap for the baby to lie on, while the 
 other can be thrown over him, thus avoid- 
 ing any exposure to colds. 
 
 Wash the face first and dry it, then 
 soap the head and wash carefully behind 
 the ears and in the creases in the neck, 
 which must be very well done with fat 
 babies. All the creases must be thor- 
 oughly dried, and dusted with powder. 
 Care should be exercised about the soft 
 spot on the top of the head. It is no 
 economy to use cheap things for the baby; 
 they are always the most expensive in the 
 end. Fine soap, even the most expensive, 
 is none too good. Castile and Ivory soap 
 are both pure, but they are somewhat 
 harsh, and leave an odor not altogether 
 pleasant. There is a liquid soap made of 
 
112 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 palm and olive oils which is very smooth 
 and non-irritating. 
 
 After the first bath or two only little 
 soap is needed; all that is necessary is 
 enough to insure cleanliness. By the time 
 the baby is two weeks old he is ready for 
 the tub. After his face and body have 
 been washed, take him by the heels with 
 one hand, supporting the head and back 
 with the other hand and arm, dip him into 
 the tub, which should contain a generous 
 supply of water, so that he will be entirely 
 covered, then rinse him off, only keeping 
 him in long enough to accomplish this thor- 
 oughly. After this, roll him up in a towel 
 or blanket and pat him until he is dry, 
 taking care to dry thoroughly between the 
 ringers and toes. If the baby is put into 
 the tub from the beginning, he will never 
 be afraid of the water, and the slight shock 
 he receives is good for him. By the time 
 he is six months old, the temperature of 
 the water should have been reduced to 
 90° F., and in summer it can be even 
 cooler. 
 
 Milk crust, that disagreeable brown crust 
 so often seen on children's heads, is due 
 
BATHS FOR THE BABY 113 
 
 to an accumulation of oil and dirt. It is 
 most unsightly, and comes from lack of 
 proper care. Washing the head daily is 
 necessary, unless the crust has been al- 
 lowed to form, in which case it may be 
 necessary to consult the physician. At the 
 first appearance of any brown spots, use 
 olive oil freely, rubbing it carefully into 
 the scalp, and the next day wash the head 
 with warm water and soap. 
 
 Continue this until the scalp is clean, but 
 do not try to comb the crust off with a fine- 
 tooth comb or anything of the kind. A 
 daily washing will be sufficient. On the 
 other hand, if the crust is allowed to de- 
 velop, it may become eczematous, and in 
 this case the doctor must give advice for 
 the treatment. 
 
 The mouth should be washed out every 
 day with a soft piece of linen or absorbent 
 cotton wound round the finger, and wet 
 with boracic acid solution. Rub very 
 gently all around the mouth; by so doing, 
 and keeping it clean, the digestion is much 
 better. This should be done as faithfully 
 as though there were teeth to be washed. 
 The nose should also be kept clean. Have 
 
114 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 plenty of wooden toothpicks and absorbent 
 cotton, and wind a small piece of cotton 
 on the end of the toothpick, wet it, and 
 clean the nose thoroughly. Neglect of this 
 part of the toilet may lead to mouth- 
 breathing, a condition to be carefully 
 guarded against. A point to be noticed 
 with a young baby, in order that he may be 
 handled as little as possible, is that he can 
 be rolled from side to side, and all unneces- 
 sary pressure on the naked body avoided, 
 for the least rough handling, though unin- 
 tentional, may do much harm. 
 
 Whenever the baby's toilet is to be 
 made, the nurse should begin by giving 
 her own hands a careful scrubbing. It is 
 by no means a light thing to put a finger 
 which is not immaculate into a child's 
 mouth, hence the suggestion. Some physi- 
 cians prefer a sponge bath in the morning 
 for a baby, and a tub bath at night. There 
 is no question but that a bath in the tub 
 induces sleep, so that if the baby is not a 
 specially quiet sleeper it is better to bathe 
 him in this manner. In hot weather, it 
 will do no harm to sponge him off several 
 times a day ; in fact it will help him endure 
 
BATHS FOR THE BABY 115 
 
 weather which might otherwise make him 
 sick — for little babies feel the heat greatly. 
 If there is not time for many baths, bath- 
 ing the hands and wrists with cold water 
 is very refreshing. This can be done re- 
 peatedly, and often will keep a child cool 
 and quiet who would otherwise be fussing 
 and fretful. 
 
 A plentiful supply of water (not ice 
 water) to drink is also a great help. 
 
 There is another point of great import- 
 ance to remember; that is, rubbing the baby 
 every day. After the bath rub the hands 
 down the spine, gently at first, but gradu- 
 ally using more pressure, until the back 
 has a healthy red glow. Any lubricant can 
 be used; alcohol, one part, olive oil, two 
 parts, and salt enough to give a little ad- 
 ditional friction. This is beneficial in sev- 
 eral ways, and very soothing. It stirs up 
 the circulation, quiets the nerves and 
 strengthens the spine, and for delicate 
 babies often works wonders. Some healthy 
 babies with little provocation have prickly 
 heat, which causes itching and much dis- 
 comfort. Give a bran bath for this, and 
 use no soap. A cupful of bran tied up in 
 
116 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 a gauze bag and suspended in the water 
 until it has a milky appearance will be 
 found very soothing. Bicarbonate of soda 
 (baking soda), two tablespoonfuls to a 
 gallon of water, will allay itching of the 
 skin. A starch bath, half a cup of raw 
 starch added to the water, is soothing to 
 an easily irritated skin, but in giving any 
 kind of a bath to allay itching, the baby 
 should never be rubbed dry, simply rolled 
 up in a towel and gently patted till the 
 moisture is absorbed. 
 
 One of the surest ways to keep a child 
 from taking cold, aside from having him 
 kept in a cool room, especially when he 
 is asleep, is a cold bath in the morning, 
 special care being taken to rub the back, 
 chest, and throat until red. The child 
 should stand in a tub containing just 
 enough warm water to cover his feet. 
 Then fill a large sponge with cold water 
 and squeeze over his body two or three 
 times, and rub him until he is aglow. This 
 may be done when a child is three years 
 old, and even as young as two years. For 
 infants the temperature should be 65° to 
 
BATHS FOR THE BABY 117 
 
 70°, but for a child two or three years, 
 it can be 50° to 55°. 
 
 Scratching or rubbing an irritated sur- 
 face always makes matters worse. Be- 
 cause of this tendency, many compara- 
 tively small beginnings have developed 
 into very troublesome skin lesions, un- 
 sightly in appearance and hard to remedy. 
 
 The skin of a baby is very sensitive, and 
 needs wise and careful care. Absolute 
 cleanliness is necessary, and that means a 
 free use of water, and careful drying of 
 the skin. The diapers should be changed 
 as soon as they are wet, for the acidity 
 of the urine will cause chafing. The oppos- 
 ing folds of skin should be separated and 
 washed and powdered each time, especially 
 with fat babies. It is an easy thing to 
 bring about severe skin-lesions in a per- 
 fectly healthy, normal baby, by neglecting 
 to wash him properly. On the other hand, 
 the right care will as effectually prevent 
 this state of affairs, and is decidedly worth 
 trying. A sponge should never be used 
 upon the body of a baby. It is unsanitary, 
 and cannot by any possibility be made 
 
118 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 clean except by boiling, and that process 
 wrecks the sponge which, as some one has 
 truly said, would be the very best thing 
 that could happen to it. A clean piece of 
 linen is the only suitable wash-cloth, as it 
 can be renewed or washed easily. Have 
 one cloth for the face and another for the 
 body. 
 
 Before leaving this subject, there is a 
 phase which will have to be mentioned be- 
 cause of the evils which may result from 
 neglect of it. In babies of both sexes, 
 great care should be given to the external 
 genitals. For little girls, washing with a 
 piece of linen, using boiled water and soap, 
 is all that is necessary, and this, of course, 
 should be done every day. If there is any 
 discharge, boracic acid should be used, and 
 washing in these cases only once a day will 
 not be sufficient to insure the necessary 
 cleanliness. With boys, the problem is 
 quite different. The majority of boy 
 babies are born with a tight foreskin, which 
 cannot be pushed back until stretched. 
 This, however, is a simple operation, and 
 can easily be performed, though only the 
 physician should do it. After this, the 
 
BATHS FOR THE BABY 119 
 
 foreskin must be stripped clear back every 
 day, and the membrane washed very 
 gently, then vaselined, after which the 
 foreskin is to be drawn into place. 
 
 No matter how much emphasis is laid 
 on the necessity for going through with 
 this daily, or how urgently mothers are 
 asked to be careful about it, the result is 
 the same with few exceptions, and the boy 
 is not washed. Parents very generally 
 consider it either foolish or unnecessary, 
 with the almost inevitable result that ad- 
 hesions are allowed to form. 
 
 Too much importance cannot be made of 
 this part of the daily toilet. It is essential 
 for good health, good manners, and, above 
 all, good morals. Neglect plays a large 
 part in the formation of bad habits, ar- 
 rested mental development, nervous dis- 
 orders of a more or less grave nature, even 
 to epilepsy. That physicians are also to 
 blame in this matter is too true. Com- 
 paratively few lay any stress on the sub- 
 ject. 
 
 Occasionally one will try hard to im- 
 press patients with the gravity of the sub- 
 ject, to find later that his warnings have 
 
120 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 been in vain. The reason often is, that in 
 talking over the subject with her friends, 
 the mother learns that some other promi- 
 nent physician says nothing about it, and 
 by comparing notes she finds that no one 
 has heard anything to make her understand 
 that it is really necessary. Then she 
 stops, feeling sure that her own doctor 
 made a fuss about something of no im- 
 portance. 
 
 The son of a very prominent surgeon 
 considered the advice given to his wife 
 that the baby should be cared for in this 
 matter every day perfectly absurd. He 
 said that if this had been necessary he 
 would have heard of it in his boyhood, for 
 his father was an authority. The reason 
 for this inertia on the part of physicians 
 and parents generally is hard to explain, 
 but the evils resulting from it are evident 
 on all sides. In our schools the effects are 
 very noticeable as it is a most common fac- 
 tor in mental apathy, stupidity, irrespon- 
 sibility, etc. The explanation given so fre- 
 quently for irregularities of conduct on the 
 part of many children that "boys will be 
 boys," and accepted so calmly by many, 
 
BATHS FOR THE BABY 121 
 
 shows a degree of short-sightedness little 
 short of criminal. 
 
 In a family of six sons, the four older 
 ones began to show marked nervous symp- 
 toms, and one had pronounced epilepsy. 
 Tight foreskins with adhesions were 
 found in all of them, so that circumcision 
 was promptly advised. In two of the four 
 cases the nervous shock produced a very 
 trying after-effect from which one of the 
 boys never quite recovered until well 
 grown. When the fifth son was born, there 
 was a different doctor in charge. 
 
 He explained to the mother how the child 
 should be washed, and why this particular 
 procedure was necessary, with the result 
 that the fifth and sixth sons never had to 
 be circumcised, but were always normal, 
 and entirely free from the distressing- 
 nervousness which was characteristic of 
 the elder boys. The mother said that the 
 other physician had never mentioned to 
 her the subject of bathing her boys. It is 
 a fact that proper bathing almost always 
 removes the necessity for circumcision, and 
 it certainly seems remarkable that sensible 
 parents can for one moment consider that 
 
122 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 common cleanliness and decency are so 
 unimportant, or that any operation can 
 do away with the necessity for it. 
 
 Right here another word of advice: 
 never allow a servant to perform this duty. 
 So many little children, both boys and girls, 
 are ruined for life by the evil teachings of 
 servants that under no circumstances 
 should the maid be permitted to do this for 
 the children. If the awful stories and con- 
 fessions given in a doctor's office could be 
 made public, many wrecks, both mental and 
 physical, could be traced directly to this 
 one neglect of duty on the part of parents, 
 and in very many cases there is absolutely 
 no redress. 
 
 Surely the neglect of any duty toward 
 a child which may either directly or in- 
 directly produce such awful consequences 
 is a crime against him. 
 
 RECAPITULATION 
 
 I. Baths are necessary from the first day of 
 life to the very last. 
 
 II. They should be given at first on the nurse's 
 lap, with the temperature of the water not above 
 
BATHS FOR THE BABY 123 
 
 100° F. ; as soon as the cord falls off, or in two 
 weeks anyway, the baby should be put in the 
 tub, the temperature then at 98° F. At six 
 months the temperature of the water should be 
 at least 90° F. 
 
 III. The temperature of the room should be 
 70° F., and bathing before an open fire the best. 
 
 IV. Nurse should wear a double flannel apron, 
 one end for the baby to lie on, and the other end 
 to cover him, thus avoiding exposure, and only 
 the best grade of soap should be used. 
 
 V. Boil the water used for bathing, and have 
 rain water if possible. 
 
 VI. In drying the baby, patting is better than 
 rubbing ; dry carefully between fingers and toes, 
 and all creases. 
 
 VII. Milk crust in normal baby is due to care- 
 lessness ; cleanliness will do away with that un- 
 sightliness. 
 
 VIII. Wash mouth gently every day, use 
 boracic acid solution. This is a great aid to the 
 digestion. 
 
 IX. Keep the nose clean for other reasons be- 
 sides aesthetic ones; neglect may lead to mouth- 
 breathing. 
 
 X. Tub bath at night is a good antidote for 
 restlessness. 
 
 XI. In hot weather, several sponge baths a day 
 help a baby to endure it. 
 
124 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 XII. The baby should be rubbed down the 
 spine every day for a few minutes; any lubri- 
 cant is good. 
 
 XIII. For an irritable skin, use no soap ; use 
 starch, bran, or bicarbonate of soda in the water. 
 
 XIV. Bad skin lesion may come from small 
 beginnings ; allay any irritation as soon as pos- 
 sible. 
 
 XV. Sponges are unsanitary; use linen in- 
 stead. 
 
 XVI. The genitals of both sexes should always 
 be kept clean; in boys the foreskin must be 
 pushed back and the membrane washed gently 
 every day. If this is done, as a rule circum- 
 cision is unnecessary, but cleanliness is always 
 imperative. Neglect of this part of the daily 
 toilet may be a predisposing factor in the great- 
 est consequences. 
 
 XVIII. One of the preventives for colds is a 
 cold bath in the morning. Stand child in tub 
 with a little warm water and squeeze sponge 
 with cold water two or three times over body; 
 temperature, 55° or 60°. 
 
CHAPTEB VI 
 
 HABITS OF THE BABY 
 
 From the very start, and day after day, 
 the baby should be trained to have his 
 meals at a regular time. There may have 
 to be some variation from this rule, per- 
 haps, but a determination to have the meals 
 served at the same hour each day, will not 
 allow much irregularity. When the mother 
 is ready, and the baby is only a few hours 
 old, put him to the breast, and repeat this 
 operation every four or five hours during 
 the day until the third day, when the sched- 
 ule time will have to be changed. From 
 the first, do not let him have anything ex- 
 cept water after eleven p. m. until the first 
 meal of the day is taken at five or six 
 o'clock. This, of course, applies only to 
 the normal baby who weighs not less than 
 7 to 7 i/. pounds ; undersized children have 
 to be managed differently. After the milk 
 diet is regularly installed, two hours is the 
 
 125 
 
126 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 ordinary interval between the feedings 
 during the day. If, however, the mother's 
 milk is of good quality, the time can be 
 changed to every two and one-half hours 
 with great advantage to both mother and 
 child. Indigestion from too frequent feed- 
 ings is very common, but the rule to give 
 the baby his milk every two hours is so 
 universally accepted that this as a cause 
 of the disturbance is frequently overlooked. 
 If the child is well nourished and should 
 wake up and grunt and fuss after the man- 
 ner of babies, he can frequently be quieted 
 by changing his diapers (which can be done 
 without taking him up) and giving him a 
 drink of water. It is a mistake to take a 
 baby up and nurse him in the night. After 
 this has been done once or twice, it has 
 to be kept up, for habits of this kind are 
 quickly formed, and like all habits, are 
 hard to break. At first, the baby fre- 
 quently has to be awakened in the day to 
 have his milk on time. This does no harm, 
 and soon he will learn to wake up himself. 
 It is, however, a great advantage to keep 
 him asleep at night, and if by gently chang- 
 ing his position this can be accomplished, 
 
HABITS OF THE BABY 127 
 
 the mother and baby will gain by the 
 scheme. A good rest at night makes much 
 difference in the quality of the milk. 
 
 Normal babies are good sleepers. If a 
 baby is not a quiet sleeper, there is some- 
 thing very wrong with him, and he is no 
 longer ''normal" ; for babies, like little ani- 
 mals, sleep much, and peacefully. The 
 first two months, a baby should sleep nearly 
 twenty hours out of the twenty-four, but, 
 of course, as he grows older, the hours of 
 sleep in the daytime grow less. Much and 
 quiet sleep is the very best preparation for 
 a well-balanced nervous system, and there 
 is no possibility of a child's getting too 
 much. In the very beginning, he has to be 
 taught to do most of his sleeping at night, 
 and unless this stand is taken very de- 
 cidedly by the person in charge, there is 
 trouble in store for the entire family. 
 Sleeping regularly and eating regularly 
 have to be taught the new baby, who as a 
 rule is very quick to learn these two things. 
 If mothers knew how much easier it is for 
 everybody that these regular, methodical 
 habits should be established, and would be 
 firm about carrying them out, much woe 
 
128 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 would be spared every other member of 
 the household, and especially the baby 
 himself. It is perfectly amazing how 
 quickly these little people learn to assert 
 themselves ; in a very few weeks the baby 
 will have the entire family under his thumb, 
 unless he has been made to understand 
 that he must do certain things at stated 
 times. Regular hours for feeding, and 
 regular hours for sleeping are imperative 
 for anything like methodical training. 
 
 It is much better that a little baby should 
 be handled as little as possible, the bones 
 are soft, and more or less easily injured. 
 All he needs is to be kept clean, warm, and 
 his position changed every little while. It 
 is important to remember that the shape 
 of a baby's head may Be materially altered 
 by allowing him to lie altogether on one 
 side. See to it that his position is changed 
 from time to time, because the bone of the 
 head should have symmetrical pressure. 
 
 It is much better never to rock the baby 
 to sleep ; when he is ready for bed, put him 
 in his crib, and let him alone. The crib 
 should be warmed. A hot-water bag is an 
 absolute essential in caring for a young 
 
HABITS OF THE BABY 129 
 
 baby, for he must never be allowed to get 
 chilled. By having the crib warmed, the 
 child is much more apt to settle down to 
 sleep, aside from lessening the danger of 
 cold and colic. If a baby has never been 
 fussed with in order to make him sleep 
 he will not want it. The complaint is 
 sometimes heard that the new-fangled 
 fashions of caring for children tend to 
 take away much of the pleasure of having 
 a baby. The most important thing of all 
 is to have a well-developed, normal child. 
 After the first four or five months he can 
 be held and petted more, but at first, the 
 best results are attained by intelligent care, 
 and this means, not much handling, not 
 much notice taken of him, and no excite- 
 ment, for the very delicate nervous system 
 of a baby is so much more sensitive than 
 people realize. Miss Wheeler in her ad- 
 mirable book, "The Baby," lays great 
 stress on the necessity for moderation in 
 the successful management of young chil- 
 dren. From the start, accustom the child 
 to sleep where there is no unusual still- 
 ness. They can sleep perfectly well, re- 
 gardless of ordinary noises. It is the 
 
130 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 sharp, unusual sounds which waken a 
 child, but there is no necessity for walking 
 on tiptoe or speaking in a whisper. 
 
 The so-called "nervous baby" is made 
 so by the unwise treatment of the family. 
 Babies, that is, most of them, are well and 
 not nervous in the beginning. Of course, 
 there is some difference in children in this 
 respect, but the training is a far larger 
 factor than heredity until long after baby 
 days are well passed. Fathers and 
 mothers from unwise pride in their off- 
 spring are frequently foolish in the ex- 
 treme with them. Incidents are seen over 
 and over again illustrating the truth of 
 this assertion; young inexperienced par- 
 ents who have no appreciation of the in- 
 jury that is being inflicted upon the chil- 
 dren by their indiscretion, playing with, 
 and exciting the little brains quite beyond 
 the danger line. One young father wishing 
 to show off the cleverness of his five- 
 months-old son, would throw him up in the 
 air by his little legs, and stand him on 
 his head and go through various acrobatic 
 feats — at bedtime, generally — and both 
 parents were amply repaid by the shouts 
 
HABITS OF THE BABY 131 
 
 of laughter from the baby. A young 
 mother complained, that her daughter was 
 never contented to be quiet, but always had 
 to be amused all day long. And yet this 
 same daughter was not a year old, and 
 ought to have slept three or four hours 
 every day. Nor are these blunders com- 
 mitted only by young parents. A tired, 
 worn-out, nervous woman came to a physi- 
 cian for some remedy to make the baby 
 sleep. On being questioned, the following 
 facts were brought out. The baby had 
 been shown off to admiring friends from 
 birth; he had been awakened out of sound 
 sleep night after night in order to amuse 
 the father, and kept in such a state of ex- 
 citement that finally there was no more 
 quiet sleep for the child. Added to this, 
 the diet from the first had been injurious 
 in the extreme, until the poor baby's condi- 
 tion was deplorable. Nurses would not 
 stay, the mother was hysterical, and the 
 entire domestic arrangements were dis- 
 turbed. It took much eloquence and firm- 
 ness on the physician's part to bring any- 
 thing like order out of this chaos. A 
 trained nurse was put in charge, the father 
 
132 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 and mother sent away, and the little pa- 
 tient left alone with the doctor and the 
 nurse. It was a long time before the baby 
 either ate or slept even fairly well, and it is 
 perfectly safe to say that this child will 
 never develop into a perfectly satisfactory 
 physical condition, largely if not entirely 
 due to the treatment he received from those 
 who loved him best in the world. To facil- 
 itate good habits of sleeping be very sure 
 that there are no pins that can possibly 
 cause trouble, have all the clothes smooth 
 witli no wrinkles, and always have the crib 
 so arranged that the baby's eyes are pro- 
 tected from the light. At first, a basket 
 with a hood like a dog basket answers very 
 well for a baby, and this can be carried 
 around from place to ptace with little incon- 
 venience, but never on any account cover 
 the baby's head with a shawl or anything 
 like that. There are people who still do 
 this. Babies need air as much as grown 
 people. After the basket is too small and 
 a crib has to be used, have this arranged so 
 that the eyes are well protected. A screen 
 can be put around the crib, or if it is better 
 to turn the head toward the window, put up 
 
:! 
 
 CO "1 
 
HABITS OF THE BABY 133 
 
 two uprights, one on either side, and throw 
 something over this thus forming a tem- 
 porary hood. It is a mistake to have the 
 room dark, for after the child has grown 
 accustomed to a dark room, he cannot sleep 
 where there is any light. The more sun- 
 light a baby has the better for him, and 
 it is an excellent plan to have a child take 
 his nap every day with the sun shining 
 on him. In the country particularly, the 
 practice of having the baby take his nap 
 outdoors in his carriage is a very good one. 
 Of course, he must be protected from the 
 wind, but let the sun shine right on his car- 
 riage. In the cities, window baskets often 
 can be used, and the baby put into these. 
 In many cases, to be sure, this is not feasi- 
 ble, but in the country it can generally be 
 managed. Babies and flowers are alike in 
 that both are beautiful, and both thrive 
 better under the care of people who love 
 them, and both need good air to do their 
 best. 
 
 Until a baby is well along and can eat a 
 mixed diet and exercise vigorously, he 
 breathes better in the air that is not too 
 cold. For this reason when the thermom- 
 
134 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 eter is down to 30°, the child should be 
 kept in the house, but the air can be kept 
 fresh there. However, in this matter as 
 in many others, no absolute rule can be 
 laid down about the temperature. In clear, 
 dry, cold weather it is often very benefi- 
 cial to take the baby out during the warmer 
 hours of the day, and yet the thermometer 
 may register below 30° F. Damp, windy, 
 dusty air is never good for a baby's lungs, 
 so that on questionable days some intelli- 
 gence will have to be exercised as to the 
 wisest way to treat the particular baby in 
 question. But one rule holds good for all 
 children, they will not thrive unless the 
 air is good, and this means that it should be 
 changed frequently in the room in which 
 the baby is kept. Air that has been 
 breathed over and over again is no more 
 suitable for the good of the child than the 
 "same water used over and over again is 
 suitable for bathing." The air of the nur- 
 sery and sleeping-room must be changed 
 often, and it is quite as important that the 
 night air should be fresh as that of the 
 clay. For some unaccountable reason 
 there are people who think that the air 
 
HABITS OF THE BABY 135 
 
 at night is unwholesome, that windows of 
 sleeping-rooms must be kept shut after 
 sundown. There are few more disgusting 
 odors than that which is found in rooms 
 that have been occupied at night by adults 
 with the windows shut. These individuals 
 usually are the same, who have pronounced 
 views about bathing freely, feeling that one 
 bath or so a week will do for any ordinary 
 mortal. It is certainly little short of in- 
 human to compel a baby to breathe such 
 an atmosphere. When the windows are 
 open, great care must be taken that baby is 
 in no draught. This is another advantage 
 of a screen. It can be so arranged that 
 when the baby is in the crib he can be pro- 
 tected both from light and draught. 
 
 In the daytime, when the weather is un- 
 suitable for taking the child out of doors 
 the windows can be opened, and the air of 
 the room changed. This should be done 
 while the baby is out of it, but care that 
 the baby has plenty of oxygen ought to be 
 as pressing as that he is fed or bathed 
 every day. In the summer, the most invig- 
 orating time is early in the morning; the 
 air then is particularly fresh and sweet, 
 
136 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 and acts as a tonic. It is a pity that most 
 people lose this part of the day. The baby 
 ought to have the benefit of it, though, 
 particularly if the weather is very hot. No 
 child should be taken out during the warm- 
 est hours of the day, unless he can be kept 
 constantly in the shade. Avoid extremes 
 of heat and cold; allowing a baby to per- 
 spire freely, or to become chilled may lead 
 to dangerous consequences. 
 
 A good deal has been written about 
 thumb-sucking, some physicians saying that 
 it does no particular harm, while others de- 
 nounce it as a bad habit, and one that 
 should be broken up. Among the laity, 
 there is a feeling that a child who sucks 
 his thumb is apt to be a quiet baby and 
 more easily managed, and so the habit is 
 encouraged, and children are allowed to do 
 this. There is no question about the fact 
 that many children do this during baby 
 days, and break the habit when older, and 
 that no apparent harm results from it. 
 Nevertheless, it is not wise to let a child 
 do this, for while it is often apparently 
 harmless, the bad results are sometimes 
 very lasting. A wide-awake dentist was 
 
HABITS OF THE BABY 137 
 
 looking with great pride at his firstborn 
 not more than an hour old, when the baby 
 put his thumb into his mouth and began to 
 suck it most vigorously. The father said 
 very quietly, "No, no, my son, you must 
 not do that," and gently took the thumb 
 out. Turning to the doctor he said, "I 
 see too many ugly jaws to let this little 
 fellow run any risks." 
 
 The majority of people think prominent 
 teeth a defect ; children who have them are 
 much marred in looks ; thumb-sucking tends 
 to make the jaw narrow, and to push the 
 teeth forward. Surely the risk is hardly 
 worth while. If a child sucks his thumb 
 because he has indigestion or because he 
 is nervous, consult the physician; but do 
 not let the habit go on because some 
 friend's children did it and no harm came 
 of it. Habits such as pulling the ear, 
 twisting the hair, or sucking the fingers 
 are not in any way necessary, and the ef- 
 fects that are brought about from just 
 these propensities are frequently not so 
 evident to the parents as to others. The 
 folly of giving babies pacifiers — rubber 
 nipples — to suck can not be too strongly 
 
138 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 denounced. Dr. Kerley in his book ' l Short 
 Talks to Young Mothers" illustrates 
 this particular enormity so well, that the 
 following quotation from his book is 
 given. 
 
 The "pacifier" habit, the habit of sucking a 
 rubber nipple, is an inexcusable piece of folly 
 for which the mother or nurse is directly re- 
 sponsible. The habit when formed is most diffi- 
 cult to give up. The use of the "pacifier," 
 thumb-sucking, finger-sucking, etc. make thick, 
 baggy lips, on account of the exercise to which 
 the parts are subjected. They cause an outward 
 bulging of the teeth and a narrowing of the jaws 
 which are not conducive to personal attractive- 
 ness. Nature has not been so lavish of her gifts 
 to the majority of mankind that they can af- 
 ford to trifle with her handiwork. Furthermore 
 the pacifier is often a menace to health. If 
 there are two or three young children in the fam- 
 ily, it is frequently passed around without other 
 means of cleansing than being drawn a couple of 
 times across the nurse's sleeve! This novel 
 method of disinfecting the "pacifier" may be 
 seen in actual use in the parks any pleasant day, 
 and I have often seen the mother or nurse 
 moisten the "pacifier" with her own lips before 
 giving it to the child. I have seen young chil- 
 
HABITS OF THE BABY 139 
 
 dren fight for the "pacifier," one taking it from 
 the mouth of another ! It may readily be con- 
 ceived what a boundless source of harm this lit- 
 tle instrument may be, when every sort of dis- 
 ease known to childhood may be tranferred by 
 it. Thus it may act as a means of transmitting 
 tuberculosis, syphilis, diphtheria, and many of 
 the ailments of minor importance. Adenoids are 
 often the result of thumb-sucking or the use of 
 the ' ' pacifier. ' ' The pressure exerted in sucking 
 forces the uvula against the posterior pharyn- 
 geal wall; this irritates and stimulates the 
 glands of the part, which in time enlarges and 
 adenoids develop. To break the child of the 
 "pacifier" habit, burn the "pacifier" and do not 
 buy another as is sometimes done. 
 
 The amount of trouble which enlarged 
 tonsils or adenoids can cause is simply end- 
 less, and nothing should be done, nor any 
 risks run which can possibly foster their 
 growth. It is a small matter not to allow 
 a child to form any habit conducive to their 
 development, but a large proposition to 
 deal satisfactorily with them after they 
 have developed. For this reason, a child 
 should never be allowed to sleep with his 
 mouth open. Tie the mouth up at night 
 and watch the child. If the mouth is open, 
 
140 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 shut it up; by so doing a very unpleasant 
 failing can frequently be remedied. 
 
 Mouth-breathing is generally caused by 
 the presence of an abnormal amount of 
 tissue in the throat or nose, and it also 
 predisposes to excess of this tissue ; it acts 
 and reacts, but by carefully guarding a 
 child against forming the habit of keeping 
 the mouth open, the growth may never be 
 large enough to cause trouble. On the 
 other hand, it is a well-known medical fact 
 that the presence of adenoids and enlarged 
 tonsils makes a child abnormal. He is 
 peculiarly liable to tonsilitis, diphtheria, 
 and deafness; in fact, to almost anything, 
 to say nothing of the unpleasant voice, 
 thick utterance, and generally stupid ex- 
 pression of countenance. It seems as 
 though every one must feel that any habit 
 which can add in the least to the possibility 
 of this lesion, is hardly worth while. 
 
 Many wish to know when the baby will be 
 old enough to learn to use his chair, and 
 not soil so many diapers. Some years ago 
 the experiment of having small babies 
 trained to use the chair was tried, and 
 pronounced a failure. The spine and all 
 
HABITS OF THE BABY 141 
 
 the bones are very soft. No small baby 
 should ever sit up ; when he is old enough 
 to do this, he will try it himself, and in a 
 very short time accomplish it, but forcing 
 the baby to do it is a dangerous plan, and 
 may result in a life-long curvature. If the 
 child is held up by any one, the pressure 
 on the ribs is also injurious, and may cause 
 the bones to bend. There is one more rea- 
 son against the plan of having the child use 
 his chair; it may cause prolapsus of the 
 rectum, that is, protrusion of the large 
 bowel, which makes trouble for him when 
 he has a defecation, and ultimately ne- 
 cessitates a surgical operation to remedy. 
 Any vigilant mother can so train a baby as 
 soon as he sits up that the number of soiled 
 diapers can be materially lessened. If the 
 baby's training is what it should be, he 
 develops into a machine, and part of the 
 work of that machine is to have the bowels 
 move regularly each day. This habit is 
 by no means the least of the advantages 
 of methodical training. Babies are born 
 without habits. Those are contracted 
 later; whether the habit is good or bad de- 
 ponds upon the attendant. The baby cries 
 
142 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 in the night, and is taken up and nursed. 
 This operation is repeated again the next 
 night, and by the third time, this is a pretty 
 well fixed habit, and he will cry much 
 harder if he is not given what he wants. 
 It is the same about going to bed. If he 
 has been rocked or sung to for a night or 
 two, he generally is unwilling to relinquish 
 this pleasure without a considerable strug- 
 gle. 
 
 If by making enough of a fuss he can 
 have his milk any time, there is no ques- 
 tion but that the fuss will be made, and 
 much woe will follow in this wake. 
 
 A very wise mother was asked by a 
 much younger woman who was planning 
 for the first baby, how soon she ought to 
 begin to discipline the prospective infant. 
 "The very first day," was the reply, "and 
 keep it up as long as you live." The dis- 
 ciplining of children is a much simpler 
 matter if managed in this way, and the bat- 
 tles fewer and more decisive if begun early. 
 The scheme of letting children do as they 
 please, with the belief that after a while, 
 as they grow older, they will develop into 
 well-disciplined, obedient children is al- 
 
HABITS OF THE BABY 143 
 
 ways a failure. Such a plan is hard for 
 the father and mother, trying to neighbors 
 and friends, but worst of all for the child 
 himself, and none has a right so to handicap 
 a child. The child who amounts to much 
 in this world is the one who has been made 
 to understand from the very beginning 
 that there are certain things which must 
 be done, and others which, if persisted in, 
 bring dire consequences. 
 
 RECAPITULATION 
 
 I. Every baby should be taught to eat at reg- 
 ular times. It is better for the mother and baby 
 to have long hours of sleep at night, therefore 
 give nothing but a drink of water between ten or 
 eleven o'clock and the first meal in the morning. 
 
 II. Intervals of 2y 2 hours after the first week 
 are often better than 2 hours, and aid digestion. 
 
 III. Awaken the baby in the daytime, if neces- 
 sary, to nurse on time. 
 
 IV. Do not play with, rock to sleep, or jump 
 a small baby about. The quieter he is kept, the 
 better for him. 
 
 V. Lay him down, first on one side, then on 
 the other; do not have all the pressure on one 
 side of the head. 
 
144 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 VI. Accustom him to sleep in a light bedroom 
 and not to mind ordinary noises. 
 
 VII. The baby should have fresh air every day, 
 his naps should be out-of-doors. 
 
 VIII. Do not let the baby suck his thumb ; 
 it may lead to misshapen jaw, prominent teeth, 
 adenoids, and other evils. 
 
 IX. Never allow a child to have a "pacifier." 
 
 X. Avoid letting him form any habit which 
 may be detrimental, for bad habits are easily 
 acquired, and hard to break. 
 
CHAPTEE VII 
 THE NURSERY AND THE NURSE 
 
 In choosing a room for a nursery, the 
 room where the baby is to spend most of 
 his time when in the house, one should be 
 selected that has much sunlight ; preferably 
 with a southern and western exposure. 
 The ideal conditions for ventilation are 
 when there are two windows, one facing 
 the south, and one the west, and an open 
 fireplace. In the city, the higher up the 
 nursery, the better the air and in the coun- 
 try, it should not be on the first floor, for 
 this is apt to be damp. A large room is 
 better than a small one, especially if the 
 baby sleeps in it. 
 
 The furnishings should be of the simplest 
 kind, no draperies or upholstered furni- 
 ture, only plain things than can be washed. 
 A hard floor is better far than carpet or 
 matting, and a few rugs, light in weight so 
 that they can be easily cleaned are advis- 
 
 145 
 
146 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 able. Painted walls are also better than 
 any other, for they can be wiped with a 
 damp cloth and kept clean. 
 
 The bed for the baby should be simple. 
 Brass or rattan beds are unsuitable, be- 
 cause impossible to keep sanitary ; a plain 
 white enamel "Safety bed" is fairly satis- 
 factory. Have a woven-wire mattress — 
 neither hair, cotton, nor excelsior is proper 
 for babies to sleep on. The woven-wire 
 one covered with a heavy blanket is just 
 the thing, as the blanket can be shaken and 
 aired every day, and the mattress dusted. 
 Over the blanket put some sort of a cov- 
 ering, like "stork cloth," or a rubber 
 sheet, that protects from the cold and 
 at the same time keeps the blanket dry. 
 Put over the rubber cloth a white sheet and 
 then a large pad. A bed made in this way 
 can be kept perfectly clean, and is easily 
 aired. Have the covering for the baby as 
 light in weight as possible, and at the same 
 time warm. One or two woolen blankets, 
 and a woolen comforter should be suffi- 
 cient, and not heavy. The baby must be 
 kept warm, without visibly perspiring, for 
 which reason a feather pillow is not good 
 
THE NURSERY AND THE NURSE 147 
 
 for him, but a small hair one, an inch high, 
 much better. 
 
 If the nurse sleeps in the room with the 
 child, it is better that she should have only 
 her bed there; her belongings, consisting 
 of clothes, etc., should be in another room. 
 The fewer things there are in the room 
 where the child is, the better it is, and the 
 easier it is to keep in order. Eunning 
 water, wash-basins, plumbing or any ap- 
 paratus for cooking should not be allowed 
 in the nursery. All this should be in 
 another room. Absolutely nothing should 
 be in this room which can in any way taint 
 the air in the slightest degree. This room 
 should be brushed and dusted with a damp 
 cloth every day, and aired carefully at 
 least twice a day. No nursery should be 
 without a thermometer, and the mother and 
 nurse should keep close watch, and not let 
 the room become overheated, or too cool. 
 
 At first, for a young baby, the tempera- 
 ture should be kept at 70° — but as soon 
 as the child can kick and move his arms, 
 68° F. is quite warm enough. When the 
 thermometer goes over 70° F. the child in 
 liable to catch cold. Children are much 
 
148 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 better kept in a somewhat cool room rather 
 than too warm. If more heat is needed 
 than comes from the furnace, of course an 
 open fire is always the best; if this is out 
 of the question, a Franklin stove is much 
 better than an oil or gas stove. These send 
 out poisonous gases and are always an ele- 
 ment of danger. The room should be 
 cooler at night. Until the baby is two or 
 three months old, the temperature should 
 be about 65° F., after three months old it 
 may be as low as 55° F., and after the baby 
 is one year old it may be 50° F., or even 
 45° F. Unless the temperature is below 
 freezing, the window can be opened at 
 night after the baby is three months old, 
 and it is much better to begin in baby days 
 and train him to this estimable habit of 
 sleeping with an abundance of outside air 
 in the room. 
 
 The process of airing the room where 
 the baby is may be begun — even in cold 
 weather — when he is a month old. At 
 first, the windows should be opened only 
 for ten minutes, but gradually the time 
 may be extended to 4 or 5 hours, and this 
 can be done in almost any weather. 
 
THE NURSERY AND THE NURSE 149 
 
 The child should be dressed with bon- 
 net and coat on, as though he were going 
 out, then placed in a crib or carriage a few 
 feet from the window. Close the doors to 
 avoid draughts, and then there is no dan- 
 ger of the baby's taking cold. In summer, 
 he may be taken out when a week old, but in 
 the fall and spring, it is better to wait for 
 three or four weeks. As it was said be- 
 fore, it is much better for every baby to 
 take his naps in the open air, but place him 
 so that the wind does not blow in his face, 
 and never let the sun shine in his eyes, 
 whether awake or asleep. The baby 
 needs oxygen to renew and purify the 
 blood, just as an adult does ; consequently it 
 is quite as essential as food or sleep. The 
 mother should supervise the temperature 
 of the nursery and the amount of fresh air 
 the baby has. It is not wise to trust this 
 to any one, no matter how responsible she 
 may be, and wisdom in this matter will 
 often make just the difference between 
 a healthy and a delicate child. The 
 nursery is the baby's own particular 
 sanctum, and all his things are kept there. 
 Most babies have enough belongings to re- 
 
150 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 quire considerable space. In order to 
 simplify the case, there should be a place 
 for everything, and everything in its place. 
 In the bureau have one drawer for skirts 
 and dresses, another for stockings, shirts, 
 and so on. Have some diapers folded 
 neatly at the foot of the bed, and keep a 
 hot-water bag under them in cold weather. 
 If one does not care to see them, they can 
 be covered over with something, but it is 
 convenient to have them near, especially at 
 night, and they should be kept warmed to 
 be ready for use. In the night, the diapers 
 can be changed under the bedclothes after 
 a little practice, and frequently the baby 
 will quiet down after this, and never notice 
 anything excepting a feeling of comfort 
 after being wet and uncomfortable, and 
 with not the least exposure to cold. When 
 the diapers are changed, never put them 
 on the floor. Even though they are only 
 left there for a few minutes, the odor is 
 very tenacious and penetrating, and after 
 a while is noticeable even though they are 
 not in the room. Have a receptacle to put 
 them in and carry them out as quickly as 
 possible. A granite basin is very good 
 
THE NURSERY AND THE NURSE 151 
 
 or even a piece of paper, in order that they 
 may not come in contact with anything in 
 the room. The odor of soiled diapers is 
 very trying, and detracts seriously from 
 the pleasure of being in the room. There 
 should be no odor in a nursery, only fresh 
 air and perhaps a faint suggestion of 
 sweetness, such as lavender or orris. The 
 woman who had all her babies' clothes put 
 away in moth balls was practical, perhaps, 
 but not exactly aesthetic. Pronounced 
 odors of any land are not agreeable. 
 
 A most indispensable article for the fur- 
 nishing of the nursery is a screen, and the 
 simple ones are the best. A small clothes- 
 horse with brass rods or tapes stretched 
 across the top and bottom to hold the cur- 
 tains makes a most useful one, and is very 
 easily kept clean. Of course, as the baby 
 must never be in a draught, the screen 
 comes constantly into play. 
 
 Because fresh air is so essential, the 
 room should be thoroughly aired twice a 
 day. Choose the hour when the baby is 
 out of the room, and open the windows 
 wide; if it is very cold, storming, or other- 
 wise unsuitable for the baby to be out of 
 
152 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 doors, this is all the air he will get, so it 
 should be faithfully attended to these days. 
 Very early in his career the baby manages 
 to kick and wiggle himself from under the 
 bedclothes, a scheme highly conducive to 
 colds and croup. If the bedclothes are 
 properly adjusted, he can kick and squirm 
 to his heart's content, and yet keep cov- 
 ered. Thers are various contrivances for 
 this purpose; one is to pin the blankets 
 with large safety pins which are designed 
 for this purpose; another, to make the 
 nightdress with a drawing-string at the 
 bottom which can be gathered up and tied 
 after it is put on. Another very effectual 
 device is to put the infant into a flannel 
 bag made from a blanket, and tie the 
 strings well up under the arms. The bag 
 should be large enough to allow much free- 
 dom as children often will not sleep with 
 this on unless they can move their legs. 
 By putting on an extra sacque, the arms 
 and chest may be protected also. Some- 
 thing should always be done, so that the 
 child will not take cold. Frequently the 
 kicking at night comes from being too 
 warm; ascertain exactly the cause if pos- 
 
THE NURSERY AND THE NURSE 153 
 
 sible, and then apply the necessary remedy. 
 
 It means a great deal of work to care 
 for a baby, and keeps one person pretty 
 constantly in attendance. If the mother 
 can have a nurse, it is better that she 
 should be relieved of so continual a strain. 
 No one woman can do everything; if she 
 keeps her house well, and is a suitable com- 
 panion for her husband, and wishes to keep 
 abreast of the times even a little bit, this 
 will necessarily occupy some hours of the 
 day, and so some one must help with the 
 baby. 
 
 The selection of the proper person is a 
 problem of much more moment than many 
 people dream. Much of the child's life is 
 spent with his nurse. If she is the right 
 person for the position, well and good, and 
 the mother who has such a treasure may 
 well be grateful. On the other hand, the 
 mischief the unsuitable nurse is capable of 
 doing is unending. No wise woman ever 
 relinquishes the entire charge of her child 
 to any one — no matter how well adapted 
 she is for the position ; but she always has 
 a careful supervision and oversight, and 
 keeps herself well informed about every- 
 
154 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 thing even to the smallest detail. In a 
 well-regulated home, adequate provision 
 should be made for the nurse. She should 
 have a room of her own, where she can 
 keep her effects, bathe and dress, and be 
 by herself when off duty. She may be 
 obliged to share the nursery at night with 
 the child, but it is all nervous work, and 
 a nurse should have regular hours off, 
 when she can be free for a time. It is cer- 
 tainly a high order of service, and deserves 
 good pay. As a rule, nurses should be 
 above the other servants in discretion and 
 intelligence. Physicians who have seen 
 many children appreciate this fact, and 
 urge more and more the advisability of 
 having trained women for this work. As 
 soon as the trained nurse leaves and the 
 other nurse is installed, a tremendous fac- 
 tor for good or evil has entered into the 
 child's life. If there is one calling above 
 another where it seems as though all the 
 cardinal virtues were needed in one indi- 
 vidual it is in the child's nurse. This par- 
 ticular combination is rare. There are 
 some things, though, which are so essential 
 that without them the person is entirely 
 
THE NURSERY AND THE NURSE 155 
 
 unfit for the position. It is, of course, im- 
 perative that the nurse should be cleanly 
 about her person ; she should bathe a great 
 deal, wear clean underclothes and dresses, 
 and have no disagreeable odor about her. 
 The teeth should be in good condition, and 
 brushed regularly. When looking after 
 the baby, she should always wear wash- 
 dresses, and never on any account handle 
 the child before changing the dress which 
 she has worn when in any of her friends' 
 houses. Quiet and polite manners are a 
 great advantage, and will make a great 
 difference as soon as the baby is old 
 enough. The nurse who always says 
 "Thank you," and "Please" to the child, 
 has done much toward making him do the 
 same. 
 
 Forgetfulness in matters of this kind 
 makes very much difference in his charm, 
 and really nothing can atone for rude or 
 impertinent manners. It is not at all es- 
 sential that the nurse be pretty ; a child al- 
 ways loves the person who loves and cares 
 for him, and is apt to think her beautiful ; 
 but she should be clean and tidy about 
 herself and in appearance. An illiterate, 
 
156 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 rather uncouth Irish woman was engaged 
 to care for a very small baby, to whom she 
 became devotedly attached. Nature had 
 not been very generous in the matter of 
 external charms, but the defect was made 
 good by a very sweet, unselfish nature and 
 a good, honest heart. After the baby grew 
 large enough to talk, he would throw his 
 arms around her neck, and tell her in baby 
 language how beautiful she was. The de- 
 light of that nurse was pathetic. She re- 
 paid his devotion by the most jealous care 
 until long after he had grown up. 
 
 It seems hardly necessary to say that a 
 nurse should be free from tuberculosis or 
 any disease which the child could possibly 
 contract, and temperate in her habits. 
 The faintest suggestion of beer or alcohol 
 about a woman renders her entirely unfit 
 to care for a child. Many books lay stress 
 on the wisdom of having a young woman 
 between twenty-five and thirty-five for this 
 position, and yet youth is by no means al- 
 ways an advantage. Unless a person is 
 too old to be sprightly and not able to ex- 
 ercise vigorously, there are some very 
 great advantages in having an older and 
 
THE NURSERY AND THE NURSE 157 
 
 more experienced person. Common sense 
 and a cool head are more apt to be found 
 with years and experience, and surely no- 
 where are they more needed than in caring 
 for children. A woman blessed with this 
 kind of sense knows intuitively what to do 
 when the emergency arises, and there are 
 always plenty of opportunities to show her 
 skill. 
 
 Many times accidents are averted by the 
 timely action of the nurse, and story after 
 story is told of the faithful and untiring 
 devotion of this class of women. 
 
 That dreadful fire in New York City, 
 which destroyed one of the largest and best 
 known hotels in the country, is quite within 
 the memory of most people. A large num- 
 ber of little children assembled there for 
 a dancing lesson were saved by the pres- 
 ence of mind of one of the nurses, whose 
 charges were among this number. She 
 discovered the fire and gave warning to 
 one of the hotel officials, and then warned 
 the dancing teacher so quietly that not one 
 of the children realized that anything un- 
 usual was going on. Taking the younger 
 of her children in her arms, she and the 
 
158 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 teachers led all the others through the most 
 intricate and winding corridors until they 
 were safe from danger. This fire oc- 
 curred in broad daylight, and yet many peo- 
 ple were burned to death. But for the 
 presence of mind of this nurse many inno- 
 cent children would have been added to 
 the list. But all nurses are not faithful 
 to their trusts, and resort to many schemes 
 and devices to evade their duty. 
 
 A very young baby died suddenly from 
 an unknown cause. Later it developed 
 that paregoric (a small dose only) had 
 been given by the nurse, to quiet the child's 
 crying, and enable her to sleep. The fact 
 that the dose was small and given with no 
 intention of killing the child could not ap- 
 peal to the parents as an adequate ex- 
 cuse. 
 
 Soothing syrups are as a rule villainous 
 compounds and are responsible for much 
 mischief. In fact, all medicines given to 
 a child to quiet him, except by the doctor's 
 orders, are pernicious to a degree ; and the 
 nurse who is caught administering any- 
 thing of the kind should be discharged in- 
 stantly. She is never to be trusted, but 
 
THE NURSERY AND THE NURSE 159 
 
 is capable of doing harm which never can 
 be undone. 
 
 One walk through the Park any pleas- 
 ant day when babies with their nurses are 
 out in great numbers, will convince any 
 thoughtful person that very little discre- 
 tion is displayed in the selection of the 
 women who care for the babies in the city, 
 and the difference between the city and 
 country is only one of numbers. The ab- 
 solute indifference which is displayed by 
 these nurses toward the babies committed 
 to their charge is something appalling. 
 That most fathers and mothers love their 
 children is beyond question, but that many 
 of them have no respect or reverence for 
 them is also beyond question. They en- 
 trust the care of them to servants who they 
 know are morally unfit to have anything 
 to do with an innocent child. These in a 
 most flippant manner excuse indecencies 
 of speech and manner by saying, ''Oh, 
 when he is older he will know better." No 
 one who does not love and respect children 
 and has not a clean mind together with 
 right principles should ever be entrusted 
 with the most precious of all mortal things, 
 
160 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 a baby. Every one who has had much to 
 do with children of the rich as well as the 
 poor is often shocked and disgusted by 
 the actions and words of some very small 
 boys and girls, those who have been cared 
 for by these very unfit attendants. A very 
 young boy who could only use baby talk 
 was having an altercation with his nurse. 
 The Billingsgate, interlarded with oaths 
 which would have done credit to any long- 
 shoreman, that poured from his mouth 
 was perfectly amazing. And the nurse 
 answered him in the same choice English. 
 That woman had been a retainer in the 
 family for some time, and it is probably 
 not uncharitable to think that she was re- 
 sponsible at least for part of the knowledge 
 that child had acquired. 
 
 It is a well-known law in psychology that 
 imitation is the first and strongest impulse 
 in a child's nature. This was a child in 
 a cultivated family, and the mother, at 
 least, would never have used such words, 
 and in all probability tried to check the 
 child. This incident is by no means un- 
 usual. Teachers and physicians are con- 
 stantly being confronted by just such prob- 
 
THE NURSERY AND THE NURSE 161 
 
 lems, and if it were confined to this phase 
 alone — which is bad enough — the physical 
 effects are not so utterly ominous as from 
 other evils taught in many cases by nurses 
 also. The habit of masturbation, that is, 
 the undue handling of and irritating the 
 genitals, so common among children, and 
 so injurious to their health and morals, 
 is always taught by some one. There are 
 exceptions to this rule where there is a 
 physical cause, but the statement holds 
 true so often that it is allowed to stand. 
 It is true that sometimes very small babies 
 acquire the habit, but with them it is en- 
 tirely reflex and can always be stopped with 
 a little patience and care. 
 
 Babies should be closely watched and 
 properly bathed, and then if the least ten- 
 dency is shown towards this perversion, 
 it should be corrected at once. When, 
 however, the habit is taken up by older 
 children, because it has been taught them, 
 the question is a most serious one, and de- 
 serves the strictest attention from every 
 thoughtful parent. That nurses are guilty 
 of this sin, because it keeps the children 
 quiet, and allows the attendant more free- 
 
162 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 dom is known to be a fact by every physi- 
 cian. This terrible evil is a predisposing 
 agent in all stages of retarded mental and 
 physical development, epilepsy, idiocy, 
 feeble-mindedness, and insanity. 
 
 It is so prevalent in our schools, both 
 public and private, as to cause much anx- 
 iety. Surely no sane parent would for one 
 minute keep a servant who was known to 
 be guilty of such a crime. That mothers 
 frequently know very little about this is no 
 excuse. The dose of paregoric, mentioned 
 before, was never intended to kill the child ! 
 Nitro-glycerine explodes quite as effec- 
 tively for an ignorant person, under the 
 right conditions, as for the intelligent. It 
 makes no real difference in the results that 
 parents cannot understand how such fear- 
 ful results are attained from such causes. 
 Until fathers and mothers rise to the oc- 
 casion, and inform themselves on this im- 
 portant subject, little can be done for the 
 children. 
 
 A conscientious mother discovered to her 
 horror that her little daughter had in some 
 mysterious way acquired this dreadful 
 habit. The child's nurse, an old family 
 
THE NURSERY AND THE NURSE 163 
 
 retainer, having been the mother's nurse 
 previously, had taught this to the little girl 
 and made her promise not to tell; therefore 
 it was only after much patience and careful 
 inquiry that the mother was able to find 
 out about it. It was a matter of months 
 before the doctor and mother could break 
 up the habit, and even then it had made 
 serious inroads upon the nervous system. 
 
 A young boy from a well-known intellec- 
 tual family confessed to his physician that 
 his nurse had taught him this vicious habit 
 when he was a small child and that he had 
 never been able to break away from it. 
 His health was seriously undermined by 
 his habits, and his will was so weakened 
 that the doctor could do little for him, and 
 shortly after he died from heart failure 
 following pneumonia. No human being 
 has any right to jeopardize the mental, 
 moral, and physical well-being of a child; 
 and it would be hard to imagine anything 
 more terrible than the anguish of fathers 
 and mothers who have in their family such 
 wrecks as this habit may lead to, and at 
 the same time know that their ignorance 
 or indifference to their children during 
 
164 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 baby days and childhood is largely respon- 
 sible. 
 
 A beautiful mother taught all her chil- 
 dren when mere babies to sleep with some- 
 thing in the hands, a doll, or a small pil- 
 low or some object like this which could 
 be held up close to the face. The idea was 
 that if the child 's hands were occupied the 
 danger of acquiring bad habits in bed would 
 be greatly lessened. The results in this 
 case were all that could be desired. The 
 wisdom of the procedure can hardly be 
 over-estimated. The old adage that Satan 
 finds some mischief still for idle hands to 
 do is painfully illustrated in the case of 
 so many children, and the most effectual 
 remedy is substitution. 
 
 RECAPITULATION 
 
 I. Have a large, sunny room above the first 
 floor for nursery, with simple furnishings. 
 
 II. The baby's bed should be of the simplest 
 kind, so that it can be dusted and aired daily. 
 Have a low hair pillow, and bed clothes light in 
 weight. 
 
 III. The temperature during the day should 
 not be above 70°. An open fire is best of all. 
 
THE NURSERY AND THE NURSE 165 
 
 IV. Until baby is two or three months old, at 
 night the temperature should be about 65°, after 
 three months it may be 55°, and after a year it 
 may be 45°. 
 
 V. The room should be aired thoroughly twice 
 a day. It should be clean, well dusted, and or- 
 derly. 
 
 VI. Never put soiled or wet diapers on the 
 floor. Have some kind of receptacle to put them 
 in, and remove from the room as soon as pos- 
 sible. 
 
 VII. A screen is indispensable, the simpler the 
 better. 
 
 VIII. Have the baby's night-clothes arranged 
 so that he will never be uncovered. 
 
 IX. If possible, the mother should have a 
 nurse to help care for the baby, but no matter 
 how responsible she may be, the mother should 
 carefully supervise everything. 
 
 X. The nurse should be healthy, clean, and 
 temperate. 
 
 XI. The law of imitation is old; see that the 
 example set the child is what it should be. 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT 
 
 There is no other way of telling so ac- 
 curately how the baby is thriving as the 
 weight, and during the first year a record 
 is almost indispensable. The baby should 
 be weighed every week, for the first six 
 months, and after that at least once in two 
 weeks. During the first week many babies 
 lose instead of gain, but by putting them 
 to the breast as soon as the mother is suf- 
 ficiently rested and keeping up the prac- 
 tice the loss is much less, and frequently 
 there is a gain even that week. For the 
 first six months the average baby gains 
 from four to eight ounces a week, and the 
 next six months the average is from two 
 to four ounces. Bottle-fed babies as a rule 
 do not gain much the first month, for in 
 order to prepare the child's stomach to 
 digest cow's milk, a very weak prepara- 
 tion has to be given. Hence the baby does 
 
 166 
 

 / 
 
 A Nll;v BATI8FA( rOB-V METHOD OB WEIGHING THE BAB'S is TO PLACE 
 IT IN \ BASKET will, ii BBBTB skitkki.v OM THE BCALES. 
 
GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT 167 
 
 not have all the nourishment he is capable 
 of assimilating, and loses for the first few 
 weeks. Later, however, the gain may be 
 more continuous for he does not have to 
 be weaned. The average baby weighs 
 about 7 to 7 y 2 pounds at birth. He 
 should double that in six months, and tre- 
 ble it at twelve months. 
 
 Of course, children vary in this, and dur- 
 ing hot weather, or after the teeth begin 
 to appear there may be an actual loss in- 
 stead of gain. 
 
 It was said that one of the tests that 
 show that the baby is thriving is by the in- 
 crease of weight, but there are exceptions 
 to this. If a baby is fed on proprietary 
 foods he is very apt to gain rapidly, but 
 there will be other symptoms which show 
 he is not just right. Babies fed exclusively 
 on these preparations almost invariably 
 show signs of malnutrition. 
 
 The normal baby should hold up his 
 head when he is supported, by the third 
 or fourth month, and at seven or eight 
 months should sit up erect. The soft spot 
 closes about the fifteenth month, and it 
 should not be open at two years. He 
 
168 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 should begin to talk at about one year, and 
 walk by the fifteenth or sixteenth month. 
 No child should be urged to stand or be 
 put upon his feet until he declares himself 
 ready. There is much variation in all 
 these matters — prolonged illnesses or 
 grave digestive disturbances may make a 
 great difference. Rickets is a common 
 cause for backwardness in sitting erect, 
 slowness about walking, or cutting the 
 teeth. 
 
 The number of teeth in the first set is 
 twenty. Usually the first to appear are 
 the two lower central incisors, next the 
 four upper central incisors. Next, two 
 more lower ones, and the four front double 
 teeth. The ''eye" and "stomach" teeth 
 then appear, and finally the last four dou- 
 ble ones. These complete the set. The 
 first ones may come any time after the 
 fifth month, the eye and stomach teeth 
 about the eighteenth months, and by the 
 time the baby is two and one-half years 
 old, he generally has the entire set. He- 
 redity plays an important part in dentition ; 
 family peculiarities are very apt to repeat 
 
GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT 169 
 
 themselves, so that this rule is subject to 
 much variation. 
 
 It is a great mistake to call all the ill- 
 nesses of the baby days "teething." As a 
 matter of fact there should be but little 
 disturbance from the teeth. The baby 
 drools more or less, he may be somewhat 
 fretful, and perhaps the temperature is 
 slightly elevated, but these symptoms 
 should only last for a few days. If the 
 gums are swollen, the baby may refuse his 
 food for a while, and there are often signs 
 of indigestion in the stools, but if the baby 
 is sick, and the signs are evident for more 
 than three or four days, there are other 
 factors than teeth cutting through the gums 
 responsible. 
 
 RECAPITULATION 
 
 I. Baby should be weighed every week for the 
 first six months, and at least once in two weeks 
 for the second six months. 
 
 II. The first loss will be far less if baby is put 
 to the breast regularly for the first three days. 
 
 III. For the first six months, the average 
 
170 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 weekly gain is from four to eight ounces, and 
 for the second six months, from two to four 
 ounces. 
 
 IV. Bottle-fed babies are apt to gain but little 
 the first month, but later the gain may be steady 
 because of no loss by weaning. 
 
 V. Average weight at birth is seven or seven 
 and a half pounds, in six months it should be 
 doubled, and in a year, trebled. 
 
 VI. Continuous diet of proprietary food al- 
 most invariably produces malnutrition, though 
 often a gain in weight. 
 
 VII. The baby should hold up his head at 
 third or fourth month, and sit up alone at sev- 
 enth or eighth month. The soft spot should close 
 by fourteenth or fifteenth month, and should 
 never be open at two years. 
 
 VIII. He should talk at about one year, and 
 walk at fifteenth or sixteenth month. 
 
 IX. First teeth appear any time after the fifth 
 month, and the entire set of twenty should be 
 through at two and one-half years. 
 
 X. Cutting the teeth may make trouble for a 
 few days, but a prolonged illness has other 
 causes. 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 THE SICK BABY 
 
 As long as the baby is well it is a com- 
 paratively easy matter to take care of him, 
 but the sick baby is a very different prop- 
 osition; then, many perplexing problems 
 confront the mother. She, herself, to be 
 a successful nurse, must have a cool head 
 and a quiet manner. Children are most 
 susceptible to the kind of temperaments 
 which are around them, and excitement of 
 any kind may be the undoing of a sick 
 child. 
 
 The mother must be firm, and yet ap- 
 preciate when it is wiser to humor the 
 whims and fancies of the little one. Be- 
 cause the child is incapable of correctly 
 telling his symptoms, the mother needs 
 keen eyes and an acute sense rightly to in- 
 terpret the real trouble. 
 
 If possible, it is better in an illness of 
 any severity to have a trained nurse. 
 
 171 
 
172 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 For one thing, the mother gets too tired 
 and nervous with anxiety and various 
 duties to do the best for the patient; sec- 
 ondly, a nurse frequently obtains better 
 results by her kindly firmness, compelling 
 the obedience which many a baby has not 
 been taught to yield to his mother, so that 
 when the crucial test comes, he refuses to 
 take the disagreeable dose which is so es- 
 sential, or, if he finally gives in, it is only 
 after the poor body is too exhausted to 
 fight any longer. 
 
 There is no time when the result of wise 
 training shows to such advantage as with 
 the sick baby. The successful issue of 
 many a grave operation, or the happy re- 
 sult of some severe and painful illness is 
 due largely to this one thing, that the child 
 had a wise mother, and had been taught 
 from the beginning to mind. Every doc- 
 tor knows what it is to be told, ''the baby 
 would not take the medicine"; with the 
 result occasionally that the call has been 
 too close. 
 
 The writer recalls distinctly the distress- 
 ing experience in a neighbor's family when 
 the onlv child died from an attack of diph- 
 
THE SICK BABY 173 
 
 theria which was by no means necessarily 
 hopeless. The child, at least six years old, 
 quite old enough to have learned obedience, 
 absolutely refused to swallow his medicine, 
 or to permit the local treatment for his 
 relief. His parents had no control over 
 him, and the doctor was obliged to stand 
 by and see his patient die needlessly, be- 
 cause he had not learned to obey. 
 
 If a child proves obstinate, it is better 
 not to argue the question, but take him up 
 and wrap a shawl about the body, pinning 
 the arms down to prevent interference, 
 hold the nose carefully, and, when he opens 
 his mouth to breathe, insert the spoon as 
 far as possible, empty it gently, and with- 
 draw it slowly. 
 
 This is not cruel, but the best way to get 
 around a trying problem. Children will 
 frequently give right up and take the medi- 
 cine quietly after one trial and it is far 
 better than exhaustive arguments. Tact, 
 gentleness, and firmness are sorely needed 
 in the case of sick children. 
 
 Some of the medicines which are much 
 used for children are far from pleasant, 
 but after all the nauseous dose can be ren- 
 
174 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 dered quite palatable by a little thought- 
 fulness. Castor oil neither smells nor 
 tastes well, but given between layers of 
 orange juice it goes down much better. A 
 piece of ice put into the mouth first, and 
 then the medicine, will often make a bad 
 dose go down without much fussing. Small 
 pieces of sweet chocolate are often bene- 
 ficial, used as a reward for taking some- 
 thing unpleasant. This is a perfectly 
 harmless piece of bribery and quite ex- 
 cusable. Cod-liver oil is taken by many 
 children without objection ; they even learn 
 to like it. It should be given always on 
 a full stomach. All oily medicines should 
 be kept in a cool place, otherwise they are 
 apt to become rancid. In giving any oil, 
 always dip the spoon into water first, and 
 then wash it immediately afterward, other- 
 wise it retains the taste of the medicine, 
 and will give offense to other innocent vic- 
 tims. Teaspoonfuls vary greatly as to 
 size ; in giving medicine it is better to use 
 a four-ounce graduate marked with drams 
 and ounces. These are inexpensive and ac- 
 curate and can be obtained at any drug- 
 gist's. In giving medicine in drop doses, 
 
 
THE SICK BABY 175 
 
 use the glass dropper which is also easily 
 obtained at any drug store, and be care- 
 ful to follow directions exactly. Medicines 
 given in drop doses are always strong, so 
 that care is needed to follow directions to 
 the letter. 
 
 Always have plenty of fresh air in the 
 sick child's room, and have nothing around 
 that could possibly be offensive. All the 
 rules for cleanliness given in the chapter 
 on the nursery should be most rigidly en- 
 forced for the sick child. 
 
 That no grouping or arrangement of 
 symptoms, or any definite line of treat- 
 ment, can be given which will enable the 
 laity to diagnose and treat successfully the 
 various diseases of children is obvious. 
 
 The writer is convinced that the so- 
 called ' ' Doctor 's Book ' ' used in many fami- 
 lies is a distinct source of harm. The 
 process of trying to match the symptoms 
 given in the book with the symptoms pre- 
 sented by some particular patient is rarely 
 entirely satisfactory. Meanwhile, many 
 valuable hours may be lost before a physi- 
 cian is called, with only too often an irrep- 
 arable injury to the patient. As a rule, 
 
176 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 the mother's eyes and intuitions are keen 
 to see when anything is wrong with her 
 baby. Awful catastrophes and long and 
 tedious illness may be and often have been 
 averted by promptly sending for the physi- 
 cian when it is noticed that the baby is 
 sick. Consequently, it is earnestly urged 
 upon parents to do this and be guided by 
 the doctor's advice instead of following 
 the advice of friends, or trying to treat 
 the child with no idea as to the cause or 
 result of the illness. There are times, 
 though, when what is needed is prompt, 
 intelligent action, and the remedies which 
 are necessary must be applied at once. 
 Often too, for various reasons, it is im- 
 possible to consult a physician on the spot, 
 and perhaps all that is needed is a judi- 
 cious dose of castor oil, or a change in 
 diet. 
 
 The following suggestions are given hop- 
 ing to show mothers how to act in emer- 
 gencies and to help tide over until proper 
 advice can be obtained. 
 
 Babies fed upon breast-milk entirely, are 
 rarely sick — that is, if the mothers exer- 
 cise proper caution. If they do have diar- 
 
THE SICK BABY 177 
 
 rhea or colic it is generally from being fed 
 too often, colds, or from some article of 
 food taken by the mother which disagrees 
 with the baby. One frequent cause is cold. 
 This can generally be averted by carefully 
 noticing that the child's hands and feet are 
 warm, and that he is not unduly exposed. 
 On the mother's part, it is frequently 
 necessary to renounce favorite articles of 
 food, because when indulged in they give 
 the baby pain. Again, when the mother 
 is over-tired or overheated the milk will 
 disagree with the baby. These things are 
 quite easily remedied. 
 
 A beautiful eight-months-old baby which 
 was entirely breast-fed, had a sudden hard 
 attack of diarrhea, much to the consterna- 
 tion of her parents. The child seemed 
 quite normal one day, and the next day 
 had much pain and very green stools. On 
 questioning the mother, two facts were 
 brought to light, an inordinate indulgence 
 in rhubarb pie, and a violent outburst of 
 temper. The combination was quite too 
 much for the baby. The mother's surprise 
 was very evident at the questions, and 
 increased when the only treatment pre- 
 
178 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 scribed for the baby was a large carthartic 
 given to the mother, and some advice about 
 controlling her temper. The lesson, 
 though, was a wholesome one. 
 
 It is impossible in a book of this kind to 
 discuss all the possible reasons for indi- 
 gestion in the baby, but if by carefully 
 watching the cause (for there is always 
 one) nothing can be found, consult the 
 physician, but do not let the baby continue 
 to have trouble. 
 
 Greater care and watchfulness are neces- 
 sary for the bottle-fed than for the breast- 
 fed baby. With the latter, nature regu- 
 lates the milk to suit the child's growing 
 needs, but when he has to have artificial 
 feeding, it requires sense and good judg- 
 ment to manage it rightly. A formula 
 suitable at one time will have to be changed 
 as the baby grows older. The quality of 
 the milk may not always be the same, and 
 for one reason or another modifications 
 from time to time are necessary. 
 
 In a previous chapter were given the 
 signs of a healthy, normal child : A gradual 
 though not necessarily uniform increase 
 in weight ; much, and quiet, sleep with nat- 
 
THE SICK BABY 179 
 
 ural, and not labored, breathing; no vomit- 
 ing, and daily movements of normal con- 
 sistency from the bowels. 
 
 The baby who fulfills these requirements 
 need give his parents no anxiety; when, 
 however the child deviates from these the 
 matter should be looked into, and the cause 
 found. 
 
 If the baby is not gaining weight without 
 special signs of indigestion, increase the 
 proportions of all ingredients. If he has 
 habitual colic, put in less of the full milk. 
 Occasionally a baby is seen who frequently 
 has more or less green stools, but appar- 
 ently little or no pain, and sometimes an 
 ounce of barley water before each feeding 
 will be necessary besides reducing the full 
 milk. 
 
 To prepare barley water, take one heap- 
 ing tablespoonful of barley flour to one 
 pint of water. Boil for half an hour, strain 
 and add water to make one pint. If 
 wanted stronger, use twice that amount of 
 barley to the pint of water. If the child 
 vomits right after eating, reduce the cream, 
 and sometimes it is necessary to reduce 
 the full milk also. If he is constipated, in- 
 
180 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 crease both cream and full milk, and give 
 plenty of clear, cold drinking water be- 
 sides. 
 
 It often happens that a child is suddenly 
 seized with diarrhea and vomiting. In 
 that case, while waiting for the physician 
 'stop all food, and give castor oil. Water 
 (boiled) given in small quantities is often 
 taken with great eagerness, but if it in- 
 duces vomiting, stop this also. It is of 
 great benefit to allow the stomach absolute 
 rest. When the feeding is commenced 
 again, give small quantities of a weaker 
 preparation, and increase to the normal 
 strength gradually. 
 
 The trouble is caused by infection. 
 Something is wrong, and generally it is 
 with the milk supply. It is necessary that 
 the cows be kept clean, the udders washed, 
 and the hands and clothes of the milker 
 immaculate at each milking. The milk 
 should be carefully strained, put into a 
 covered receptacle, and kept free from con- 
 tamination. Neglect of any or all of these 
 requirements is all that is necessary to 
 bring about these bad cases of bowel trou- 
 ble. If the milk used comes from sani- 
 
THE SICK BABY 181 
 
 tary dairy farms, these precautions are al- 
 ways taken, but frequently much careless- 
 ness is displayed in private establishments, 
 and sanitary measures are entirely dis- 
 regarded. 
 
 After one or two attacks of this kind, 
 the mother is sorely tempted to try steri- 
 lized or Pasteurized milk, or some of the 
 much-vaunted baby-foods, when the only 
 safe remedy lies in having a good milk sup- 
 ply, and giving that without the aid of any- 
 thing but the proper modification. 
 
CHAPTER X 
 THE SICK BABY, CONTINUED 
 
 SORE MOUTH. 
 
 A frequent evil following carelessness 
 about keeping the bottles and nipples clean, 
 as well as failure to wash out the baby's 
 mouth after each feeding, is "sore mouth." 
 
 The baby may be somewhat fretful and 
 act hungry, snatch for the bottle and try 
 to suck, then stop and cry. On examining 
 the mouth there will be found white spots 
 on the cheeks, tongue, and hard palate 
 which looks like curdled milk; when they 
 are rubbed it is found that they adhere to 
 the mucous membrane. 
 
 Give the child a dose of castor oil, and 
 wash the mouth after each feeding most 
 carefully, using boracic acid solution. 
 Wind a clean piece of linen or absorbent 
 cotton round a (clean) finger, dip into the 
 solution, and rub very gently but thor- 
 oughly all around the mucous membrane. 
 
 182 
 
THE SICK BABY 183 
 
 See to it that everything pertaining to the 
 feeding bottles, nipples, brushes, and jar 
 for the nipples is spotlessly clean. If the 
 spots do not disappear, send for a physi- 
 cian, for sometimes this trouble becomes 
 very serious. Of course, delicate children 
 are more apt to have this, and it sometimes 
 leads to a grave condition. This is also 
 often accompanied by diarrhea, and the 
 skin around the anus and in the groins be- 
 comes red and chafed. 
 
 Wash the buttocks after every move- 
 ment of the bowels. Use a soft cloth with 
 soap and tepid boiled water. The parts 
 must be perfectly clean. Then dip a piece 
 of absorbent cotton into milk of magnesia 
 and gently sop all over the red surface and 
 let it dry on. The skin will become nor- 
 mal shortly, and stay so if kept clean. 
 
 PROLAPSE OF THE BOWEL. 
 
 One of the bad effects of trying to teach 
 a child who is too young to use his chair 
 instead of soiling the diaper is prolapse 
 of the rectum. It was mentioned in an- 
 other chapter that prolapse comes from 
 other causes than this, and, unless il can 
 
184 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 be remedied by care on the mother's part, 
 it may become very distressing for the 
 child. It may be caused by the straining 
 of constipation, or as a result of diarrhea 
 and, while at first it is only a slight pro- 
 trusion of the large bowel which appears 
 every time it is opened, later more of the 
 bowel comes down not only in defecation, 
 but on every provocation, such as sneezing, 
 coughing, etc. Treatment for this should 
 begin with the first sign of protrusion. 
 Gently replace the bowel immediately, wash 
 the parts with cold water freely. Never 
 allow a child to strain at stool, but keep the 
 movements soft. One excellent method to 
 prevent this is allowing him to lie down 
 with a diaper under him. Otherwise the 
 buttocks should be pressed together if he is 
 allowed to sit on his chair. 
 
 If these things are not successful, more 
 active measures will have to be resorted 
 to. 
 
 CONSTIPATION. 
 
 A frequent disease in the bottle-fed 
 baby, and also found in the breast-fed, is 
 constipation. The movements are too in- 
 frequent or too hard, and often both. 
 
THE SICK BABY 185 
 
 Do not use any drugs, but regulate the 
 diet of the mother when the baby is nursed, 
 and of the baby when it is bottle-fed. The 
 first thing is plenty of water for the baby 
 to drink ; after the first two months orange 
 juice every morning. One teaspoonful of 
 olive oil once a day in two doses is good. 
 These will generally bring him to terms. 
 
 After a child is a few months old, put 
 him on his chair at the same time every 
 day, and hold there for five minutes or so. 
 In this way regular habits can be estab- 
 lished very early, and they are of inesti- 
 mable value. If, when the baby is placed on 
 his chair, he is kept quiet and not played 
 with or diverted, the end is accomplished 
 sooner. This is an important point which 
 many people entirely forget, that strict at- 
 tention to the business in hand is the way 
 to impress the child with its importance. 
 This point must often be borne in mind 
 long after baby days. 
 
 There is another point of great impor- 
 tance, that is, the posture. At first the 
 baby is hold up in position, but when he is 
 old enough to sit up by himself he should 
 do so. A child should sit so that his knees 
 
186 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 are well up above the level of the abdomen. 
 The chair should be low, and the feet sup- 
 ported by a block. He should never sit 
 with his feet dangling down, for in this 
 way the wrong set of muscles is brought 
 into play, which is in itself a detriment. 
 
 The use of suppositories is not alto- 
 gether desirable, though occasionally they 
 are of service. A cheap device is a home- 
 made smooth soap-stick, cut out of castile 
 soap, two inches long, about one-half inch 
 thick at the base and tapering to the top. 
 It must be rubbed smooth and covered with 
 vaseline before using. 
 
 For the immediate evacuation of the 
 bowels, an enema of warm salt water, one 
 teaspoonful of salt to a pint of water, or of 
 soap and water is very good. Four to 
 eight ounces of water may be used for 
 young babies, but for older children a 
 larger amount of water is better. 
 
 There are many times when a high enema 
 is more efficient than a low one, but it 
 should be ordered by the doctor. It is a 
 simple thing to do, and, if carefully man- 
 aged, quite harmless. Use a medium-sized 
 rectal tube, fasten it to the nozzle of the 
 
THE SICK BABY 187 
 
 syringe, and allow the water to run through 
 this, as through the simple nozzle. Vase- 
 line the end and insert into the rectum. As 
 soon as the point is well in, allow the water 
 to run; that keeps it from doubling on it- 
 self. Use no force, and allow the water 
 to run slowly. The tube can be inserted 
 several inches with no pain, and it must be 
 vaselined as it is urged along. The high 
 enema clears the bowels much more thor- 
 oughly, which makes it of great value at 
 times. 
 
 If the mass in the bowels is hard, one- 
 half ounce of warm sweet oil injected into 
 the bowels, and retained if possible, is effi- 
 cacious. This should be put in with a rub- 
 ber syringe. The same is true if glycerine 
 is used. This is rather thick and will not 
 run out of the nozzle unless the opening 
 is large. 
 
 One-half teaspoonful of glycerine in six 
 teaspoonfuls of water is often very satis- 
 factory, but sometimes glycerine with no 
 water is better. In this case, use about 
 one-half ounce of warm glycerine, and be 
 sure that the syringe is also warm before 
 trying to expel such a thick substance. 
 
188 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 Patience and perseverance with the diet, 
 aided by an occasional dose of olive oil or 
 an enema, will usually do the work, and 
 are decidedly to be preferred to the use 
 of drugs which should never be resorted to 
 until everything else fails. 
 
 CONVULSIONS. 
 
 There are few things more terrifying to 
 a mother than to see her baby have a con- 
 vulsion. The family physician may live 
 within a stone's throw but he is rarely to 
 be found on these occasions, and something 
 must be done immediately. 
 
 Remove the child's clothes with as little 
 disturbance as possible and put him into 
 a mustard bath — temperature about 105°. 
 Keep the head cool by wet cloths, and rub 
 the body and extremities well. Give an 
 enema of soapsuds as soon as possible, 
 for these seizures are very frequently 
 caused by improper diet. When the child 
 can swallow, give a dose of castor oil. 
 
 For giving the baby an enema, the old- 
 fashioned Davidson syringe is very good. 
 Have five or six ounces of water if the pa- 
 tient is very small — and more for an older 
 
THE SICK BABY 189 
 
 child — in a bowl; then just before insert- 
 ing the nozzle, which must be small-sized 
 for a small baby, draw a little water 
 through the tube and expel it. This drives 
 out the air, and heats the tube. Cover the 
 end of the nozzle with vaseline, and gently 
 insert it into the rectum. Never use the 
 least force. 
 
 Allow the water to run as soon as the 
 nozzle is in place, and let it go very slowly. 
 By so doing there is no danger of injuring 
 the child. 
 
 The baby should be placed on his back, 
 on a pad or heavy towel, and as soon as 
 the nozzle is withdrawn, place the hand 
 close against the rectum to help keep the 
 water in for a time before it is discharged. 
 
 In case a mustard bath is for any reason 
 out of the question, a mustard pack can 
 be substituted and is made as follows : 
 
 "Strip the child and lay him on a blanket, and 
 the body is surrounded by a large towel saturated 
 with mustard water. This is made by putting 
 one tablespoonful of mustard to one quart of 
 tepid water. In this a towel is dipped and while 
 dripping is wound around the entire body. The 
 patient should then be rolled in a blanket. 
 
190 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 ' ' This pack may be continued for ten or fifteen 
 minutes, at the end of which time there will 
 usually be a very decided redness of the whole 
 body." 1 
 
 After a baby has had a convulsion, no 
 matter whether it was slight or severe, he 
 should be kept very quiet for at least 
 twenty-four hours or even longer. An at- 
 tack of this kind is always hard on the 
 nervous system, and the patient who has 
 had one requires very soothing, gentle 
 handling. 
 
 It is often a great temptation for the 
 excited, frightened mother, after the relief 
 has come, to pet and caress the baby, but 
 every one who has to do with the child 
 should be on his guard not to disturb or 
 excite him in the least. Undue excitement 
 predisposes to more attacks, and frequent 
 convulsions are serious. Indeed a physi- 
 cian's advice is imperative. 
 
 A large amount of plum pudding eaten 
 by a very small child brought on such a 
 severe convulsion that it seemed as though 
 the child would die in spite of the doctor's 
 
 i Holt's Diseases of Children, p. 52. 
 
THE SICK BABY 191 
 
 efforts. Whether this particular form of 
 indiscretion was repeated or not cannot 
 be recorded, for the case was lost sight of 
 years ago, but it will be some years longer 
 before the frightened looks of the terrified 
 mother will be forgotten. 
 
 COLIC. 
 
 Colic is one of the frequent disturbances 
 of early baby days, and causes much un- 
 happiness to everybody in the family. 
 There is a strong, hard cry which comes 
 suddenly, and returns every few minutes, 
 the feet are drawn up, and the muscles of 
 the face are contorted, and there are other 
 signs evident of pain. The abdomen is 
 tense and hard. When the attack ap- 
 pears give the baby an enema of warm 
 water, and apply heat to the abdomen and 
 feet. Hot compresses, that is, pieces of 
 flannel wrung out of hot water applied to 
 the abdomen, are very soothing. Add ten 
 drops of turpentine to the water to increase 
 its efficacy if necessary. The flannel 
 should be changed often enough not to allow 
 it to cool, and after the flannel is put on 
 the abdomen it should be covered with a 
 
192 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 dry piece. The enema is given to expel 
 the gas, and if warm water will not do it, 
 two ounces of cold water with one-half 
 teaspoonful of glycerine rarely fails to ac- 
 complish it. If hot-water bags are used, 
 never fill them, for the weight is objection- 
 able if too full. For this reason, hot 
 stupes on the abdomen are better. Place 
 a hot-water bag at the feet of the child. 
 
 If colic appears in a breast-fed baby, not 
 infrequently the trouble is caused by too 
 much of the proteids in the milk, and can 
 be remedied by giving the child one ounce 
 of water or barley water before each feed- 
 ing, and having the bowels move at least 
 twice a day. 
 
 In one of the writer's cases, the trouble 
 was remedied by having the mother eat 
 a light supper, and have her dinner in the 
 middle of the day. 
 
 A point to be remembered in a colicky 
 bottle-fed baby is that digestion is apt to 
 be slow, so that the intervals between the 
 feedings should be made at least one half 
 an hour longer than otherwise would be 
 considered proper. 
 
THE SICK BABY 193 
 
 TEETHING. 
 
 A great deal of importance has always 
 been attached to the process of teething, 
 and many of the illnesses of baby days 
 is attributed to this. As a matter of fact, 
 the great majority of healthy children get 
 their teeth with but little inconvenience to 
 themselves, and many children go through 
 this period with no disturbance whatever. 
 
 The normal age for a child to get the 
 first teeth, and the order of their coming is 
 subject to wide variation. So great is the 
 range that no very adequate rule can be 
 given. The two lower incisors generally 
 come first, but even this is by no means 
 necessary. Next the four upper incisors 
 appear; then the lower lateral incisors and 
 four anterior molars. Then the canines 
 (eye and stomach teeth) and then the pos- 
 terior molars. 
 
 The teeth may begin to appear at almost 
 any age after about the fifth month. The 
 last ones usually come some time during 
 the third year. 
 
 Just as the teeth are ready to come 
 through, the gums are often somewhat 
 red and sore, and occasionally there is 
 
194 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 considerable swelling. Bubbing them will 
 relieve this condition and usually that is all 
 that is necessary. All this passes over in 
 a short time, and beyond a temporary 
 disturbance, nothing more is likely to 
 happen. 
 
 When, however, there are marked signs 
 of indigestion accompanying the eruption 
 of the teeth, it is generally a coincidence, 
 but the disorder needs to be rectified, from 
 whatever cause. No diarrhea, especially in 
 the summer, must be neglected or allowed 
 to continue because it is considered to be 
 merely "teething." In hot weather the 
 amount of food should be reduced — much 
 trouble will be saved for the child by just 
 this one precaution. For he is far more 
 likely to be overfed than underfed. In 
 warm weather, the system requires less 
 food, thus less work should be put upon the 
 digestive apparatus. 
 
 The mistake that mothers make is think- 
 ing that with the getting of the teeth a 
 diarrhea is inevitable, and for this reason 
 needs no treatment, or in other words, that 
 to have teething babies sick is quite to be 
 expected. 
 

 THE SICK BABY 195 
 
 The eruption of the teeth is a physiolog- 
 ical process, and beyond a local and 
 temporary disorder should give no trouble. 
 When the other symptoms appear, they 
 are generally due to other causes and 
 should be treated promptly. One green 
 stool is a danger signal well worth con- 
 sideration, and the mortality list for neg- 
 lecting to regard this sign is enormous 
 every year. 
 
 WHOOPING COTJGH. 
 
 Whooping cough, a very prevalent con- 
 tagious disease of childhood, as it is seen at 
 all seasons of the year, is one of the 
 most fatal of the contagious diseases. The 
 fatality is due to the fearful complications 
 which follow it, especially pneumonia, tu- 
 berculosis, convulsions, and, in the summer, 
 affections of the bowels. It is probably 
 contagious during the whole attack, and 
 for this reason children should not be al- 
 lowed to go into the street, trolley-cars, 
 trains, or any public place with whooping 
 cough. 
 
 A person is occasionally seen who has 
 been twice afflicted with this most trouble- 
 
196 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 some disorder, but ordinarily one attack is 
 all. 
 
 The disease may be severe, or so mild 
 that it is hardly noticeable. In babies it is 
 particularly dangerous. It begins with 
 what seems like a simple cold, and a cough 
 which is worse at night. Soon, however, it 
 is seen that the cough does not yield to 
 treatment and assumes the form of par- 
 oxysms, which grow more and more se- 
 vere. If there is frequent vomiting, the 
 child becomes thin and weak. 
 
 The paroxysms are worse at night, and 
 are always noticed most where the air of 
 the room is not kept fresh. There may be 
 only one or two a day, or there may be 
 forty or fifty. The average duration of 
 the disease is about six weeks, but it may 
 be much longer. Occasionally, after the 
 whoop has" ceased, and the child seems 
 quite well, the cough and whoop may begin 
 again, though this secondary attack is not 
 contagious. 
 
 It is a fatal mistake to feel that whoop- 
 ing cough is so mild that home treatment 
 is all that is needed. There is no way to 
 arrest the disease, for it has to run its 
 
THE SICK BABY 197 
 
 course, but good care can relieve the worst 
 symptoms and the physician should be con- 
 sulted. Even then it may be hopeless. 
 The child should be carefully nourished, 
 especially when the vomiting is severe. 
 The severity of the vomiting can be greatly 
 lessened by having the child wear an ab- 
 dominal binder. He should be kept in 
 the open air as much as possible, and sleep 
 in a room well ventilated. The bedding 
 should be changed at least twice a week, 
 and the night dress oftener. Fresh air 
 and marked cleanliness help keep down 
 the number of paroxysms. 
 
 No child who has whooping cough should 
 be allowed to be with other children. A 
 little three-months-old baby contracted it 
 from a neighbor's child who was at large, 
 and died from convulsions. It certainly 
 seems a trifle unneighborly utterly to dis- 
 regard others' comfort and welfare, sim- 
 ply because it is not easy to keep a restless 
 child within bounds. 
 
 MEASLES. 
 
 The most frequent, and decidedly the 
 most contagious, of the infectious diseases 
 
198 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 is measles. It is not often seen in very 
 young babies, but after the first year it 
 can come at any age. One attack is not 
 absolute proof against a second, though 
 usually one is all that a patient will have. 
 Many cases are light, and no serious after- 
 effects are noticed ; for this reason it is re- 
 garded as an insignificant affection and is 
 treated by many in a very cursory manner. 
 As a matter of fact, it is a serious thing, 
 causing many deaths by the complications 
 which may follow, pneumonia being the 
 most frequent, while many cases of deaf- 
 ness and impaired eyesight are the direct 
 result of measles. 
 
 Members of the family are not compe- 
 tent to pronounce the disease cured, but 
 because they feel that they are, it is noth- 
 ing unusual to see children in the street 
 or schools still suffering from the trouble, 
 and in prime condition to spread it through 
 the community. Thus many of our epi- 
 demics are started and kept up. 
 
 The disease begins with a cold, eyes 
 running, sneezing, and a heavy, stupid 
 expression of face. The rash appears 
 from the second to the fourth day, on the 
 
THE SICK BABY 199 
 
 face first, and then spreading over the 
 body. The face is entirely covered and 
 often much swelled, giving the patient a 
 most unnatural appearance. The spots 
 are purplish red papules which later coa- 
 lesce in groups, crescent-shaped, and very 
 characteristic. There may be diarrhea, 
 and a more or less severe cough which 
 only stops with the fever. The eyes are 
 red and inflamed, and intolerant of light, 
 unless they are bathed freely with boracic 
 acid solution, protected, and not used, and 
 are often left in an inflammatory condi- 
 tion troublesome throughout life. The 
 patient must be protected from cold. A 
 bath given every day with bicarbonate of 
 soda relieves the itching, after which sweet 
 oil should be rubbed all over the body. 
 There is no peeling or desquamation as in 
 scarlet fever. The patient should be 
 isolated to protect the other children 
 if possible. The disease can not be car- 
 ried by a third person unless great care- 
 lessness is practised. If a handkerchief 
 is used as common property for the 
 sick child and other members of the 
 family there is no reason why the disease 
 
200 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 may not be transported to any number. 
 The discharge from the eyes and nose is 
 highly contagious. 
 
 SCARLET FEVER. 
 
 Scarlet fever, scarlatina, scarlet rash 
 are one and the same, and one of the com- 
 monest diseases of childhood. It occurs 
 any time of the year. It is rare for a 
 child to have it under one year of age, and 
 very rare under six months. It is con- 
 tagious both by personal contact, and pos- 
 sibly by means of a third person, and the 
 germs possess remarkable vitality. 
 
 Dr. Kerley tells the following anecdote: 
 "A little girl four years of age, who 
 lived in one of the Hudson Valley villages, 
 contracted scarlet fever while on a visit to 
 a neighboring town ; the case was a severe 
 one and the child died. A coat which she 
 had worn when stricken with the disease 
 was considered too valuable to be destroyed 
 and was carefully laid away in a bureau 
 drawer. Twelve months later the mother 
 decided to give the coat to a neighbor's 
 child. It was removed from the bureau, 
 which had remained unopened, and placed 
 
THE SICK BABY 201 
 
 on the little one. In five days she was at- 
 tacked with scarlet fever. These were the 
 only two cases that had occurred in the vil- 
 lage. The second child had not been away 
 from home, and the jacket was the only 
 possible means of infection." 1 
 
 The disease may be carried by means of 
 toys, books, etc., and the greatest care has 
 to be exercised to keep it from spreading. 
 
 The attack may be so mild that it is 
 overlooked, or so severe that death occurs 
 in a few hours. A child with the mildest 
 form is quite capable of giving another 
 child the most severe type. The onset is 
 sudden, occasionally beginning with a con- 
 vulsion, usually with sore throat, fever, 
 and, generally, vomiting. The rash may 
 appear within twenty-four hours, usually 
 first about the chest and neck, then grad- 
 ually spreading all over the body ; the face 
 has less than other parts, and generally 
 there is a white space around the mouth 
 which is very characteristic. There is no 
 disease in all medicine which may be more 
 baffling and difficult to diagnose than this, 
 and none with more contradictory symp- 
 
 i Short Talks to Young Hfothers. 
 
202 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 toms. There are many variations about 
 the rash, and occasionally it is of such 
 short duration as to escape notice. It 
 consists of minute red dots so closely set 
 together as to give the skin a deep scarlet 
 color. The color increases for a few days, 
 then fades away gradually, lasting alto- 
 gether about a week; the skin begins to 
 peel in large or small shreds. This char- 
 acteristic desquamation is of a variable ex- 
 tent, and frequently too slight to be de- 
 tected, except with a magnifying glass, 
 but generally very noticeable about the 
 hands and feet, and lasts for a variable 
 length of time. It may stop and then be- 
 gin again, so that no child can be pro- 
 nounced well until at least ten days after 
 all signs of desquamation have stopped. 
 
 The disease is always alarming, for a 
 mild case may become severe ; pneumonia, 
 inflammation of the ears, abscesses of the 
 glands in the neck or Bright 's disease can 
 follow any form. 
 
 Bright 's disease, especially, may appear 
 very late in the convalescent period. Ev- 
 ery precaution must be taken to guard 
 against cold. While there is any fever, 
 
THE SICK BABY 203 
 
 and for days after it has left, it is better to 
 keep the patient in bed. The child should 
 be bathed carefully every day and oiled 
 with sweet oil or vaseline, to prevent the 
 particles of skin from flying around. 
 
 In certain localities, where there is a 
 Board of Health, many devices are re- 
 sorted to in order to keep the authorities 
 from knowing of the presence of scarlet 
 fever. Here again is shown a selfish dis- 
 regard for others which is always liable 
 to bring great disaster to innocent unsus- 
 pecting neighbors. 
 
 MTTMPS. 
 
 This is a painful, but not usually dan- 
 gerous, inflammation of the salivary glands 
 which are situated in front, below, and 
 behind the ears, and below the jaws. 
 
 It seldom attacks young infants, though 
 it is distinctly contagious. 
 
 The disease usually begins with dull- 
 ness, some fever, and pain about the jaws, 
 generally on one side. A swelling situ- 
 ated below and slightly behind the ear 
 rapidly develops. There is tenderness on 
 pressure, chewing is painful, and often im- 
 
204 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 possible. Sometimes the mouth can 
 scarcely be opened. After a day or two 
 the other side becomes affected. 
 
 The patient should be kept in bed on soft 
 diet, and the bowels kept well open; hot 
 fomentations applied to relieve the pain. 
 The trouble will subside in a few days. 
 Quarantine should be kept up for at least 
 ten days after the symptoms have disap- 
 peared. Disastrous consequences with 
 older children have followed in the wake 
 of mumps unless great care is taken. 
 
 CHICKEN POX. 
 
 This is a very common contagious dis- 
 ease not often seen in a child under six 
 months of age — nor does it occur in any 
 one the second time. There are no marked 
 symptoms, generally speaking, nor are 
 there any after-effects as a rule. Dr. 
 Kerley speaks of one bad case of Bright 's 
 disease which he saw, but that is unusual. 
 
 The disease consists of an eruption 
 which appears usually first on the neck 
 and trunk in small red spots which change 
 to vesicles filled with a clear, watery fluid ; 
 later these dry up, leaving a scab. The 
 
THE SICK BABY 205 
 
 itching is often very trying, and can be re- 
 lieved by bathing with boracic acid solu- 
 tion and water, or a strong solution of 
 baking-soda and water. A small child 
 had better be kept in bed until the crusts 
 are formed, and quarantine should be con- 
 tinued until the skin is clear. 
 
 If the sores are scratched they may be- 
 come infected. 
 
 COLDS. 
 
 The baby may take cold from contact 
 with other people who have colds, or from 
 undue exposure, living in overheated 
 rooms, or being dressed too warmly — to 
 say nothing of having the same handker- 
 chief used for him which has been used by 
 others. No baby is too young to have his 
 own handkerchief, especially when there 
 are several in a family affected alike with 
 colds. 
 
 As the first signs of the trouble appear, 
 give the baby a dose of castor oil, and if 
 there is any tendency to cough and hoarse- 
 ness, rub the chest with camphorated oil 
 and then protect the chest by placing flan- 
 nel over it. Give plenty of water — as 
 
206 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 much as the child wants or will drink. 
 Have plenty of fresh air in the room. 
 The habit of giving sweet spirits of nitre 
 is not to be commended. 
 
 If the child appears sick, send for the 
 physician. Colds may become serious and, 
 unless broken right up, need skilled atten- 
 tion. 
 
 Children afflicted with enlarged tonsils 
 or adenoids are constantly catching colds, 
 and are better subjects for tonsilitis, 
 diphtheria, and for diseases in general, 
 than the normal child. The defects can 
 generally be remedied in baby days, and 
 by so doing will save the family much 
 misery. 
 
 CATARRHAL CROTJP. 
 
 This disease, though alarming, is rarely 
 dangerous. It frequently follows cold or 
 exposure to damp winds. The child may 
 show signs of an ordinary cold, growing 
 hoarse toward night, and coughing with 
 a peculiar metallic sound. After having 
 been asleep a few hours, the baby wakes 
 suddenly, sits upright and gasps for 
 breath. Breathing is very difficult, the 
 
THE SICK BABY 207 
 
 face becomes covered with perspiration 
 and bluish in color. This stage only lasts 
 a short time, though the child may be rest- 
 less and distressed for breath for some 
 time longer. After a while he drops to 
 sleep and rests quietly the rest of the 
 night. There may be several of these at- 
 tacks, or only one. 
 
 Treatment consists in causing the child 
 to vomit immediately. Give a teaspoon- 
 ful of vaseline — three or four drops of 
 kerosene on a lump of sugar will be effect- 
 ive — and put hot fomentations on the 
 throat and chest. In the morning move 
 the bowels well with castor oil. 
 
 A child who has this tendency should 
 be guarded from taking cold, though he 
 should have fresh air in his room at night. 
 Every day the throat and chest should be 
 washed in cold water and rubbed until de- 
 cidedly red. The general system should 
 be toned up, if the child is otherwise deli- 
 cate, and great care taken that the diges- 
 tion is in good order. If adenoids are 
 present, have them treated. 
 
208 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 BOILS. 
 
 Boils are common in little babies, and 
 are caused by infection from without, and 
 are not, as is often supposed, due to bad 
 condition of the blood. If the baby is not 
 well, he is, of course, much more easily af- 
 fected by any abnormal condition, and the 
 first boil is not infrequently followed by 
 others. 
 
 Never poultice the boil, but open early 
 to let the pus out, then wash thoroughly 
 the surrounding skin, and cover with sev- 
 eral thicknesses of clean linen wet with 
 boracic solution, or with witch hazel. 
 
 Poultices make the surrounding tissues 
 particularly liable to infection, with the re- 
 sult that, instead of one, there will be sev- 
 eral boils to be treated. 
 
 RUPTURE. 
 
 Many babies have a rupture or hernia— 
 that is, a protrusion of the bowels through 
 some weak spot in the muscle — which 
 causes a soft, round swelling. This may be 
 most often seen in the navel, occasionally 
 in the groin. It is most prominent when 
 the child cries, and disappears when he 
 
 
THE SICK BABY 209 
 
 lies down. In very small babies, if it is 
 the navel which is affected, three or four 
 pieces of adhesive plaster pnt on like a 
 star will generally bring about a cure. 
 
 The swelling must be pressed down, and 
 the plaster stretched on one side, then 
 pulled over to the other. The three pieces 
 so put on that the swelling will be right 
 under the middle of the three layers of 
 plaster where they are crossed. 
 
 If, however, this is not satisfactory, the 
 physician must be consulted, for grave 
 consequences follow neglect, as a hernia 
 allowed to go on is always dangerous. 
 
 VACCINATION. 
 
 Every child in fair health should be 
 vaccinated, and the age when this is best 
 is when a baby. In many of the States 
 no child is allowed to go to school unless 
 this has been done, and if done with sur- 
 gical cleanliness there is no danger of any 
 of the fearful consequences believed by 
 some to be almost inevitable. Occasion- 
 ally unusual conditions are reported, but 
 these are due to carelessness rather than 
 to the virus. One great source of danger 
 
 
210 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 is the so-called "vaccination cap" used 
 to protect sores. These dam back the pus 
 and cause auto-infection, and more than 
 one case of lockjaw has been caused by 
 these vicious "protectors." After the 
 child has been vaccinated, care should be 
 taken that the bowels move freely. If 
 there is any tendency to constipation, a 
 laxative should be given. The sore should 
 be covered with clean, dry gauze, and kept 
 covered until the scab begins to dry. Be- 
 yond a somewhat painful sore which lasts 
 for several days, nothing happens in the 
 majority of cases, and where the opera- 
 tion has been properly performed and the 
 vaccine has "taken" it renders that par- 
 ticular child practically immune from 
 smallpox for at least a number of years. 
 After six or seven years the operation 
 should be repeated, especially if one lives 
 in a locality where cases of smallpox occur 
 from time to time. That this is one of the 
 most remarkable discoveries in medicine, 
 most people admit ; nevertheless occasional 
 denunciations of it are made. The proc- 
 ess known as "internal vaccination" is 
 quite worthless. There are only two ways 
 
THE SICK BABY 211 
 
 of becoming immune from this terrible 
 scourge; one is to have the disease itself, 
 and the other the much simpler method 
 above mentioned, but there is nothing 
 taken by mouth as a medicine which is of 
 any value. It is certainly surprising that 
 in this enlightened age any procedure 
 which has been of such incalculable good 
 to the human race should have to be de- 
 fended, and that in spite of all statistics 
 and facts any one should still denounce 
 vaccination as cruel, inhuman, etc. It is 
 not within the scope of this volume to 
 enter into a lengthy discussion of the sub- 
 ject. The history of the change brought 
 about in the Philippines since vaccination 
 has been introduced is in itself an argu- 
 ment quite sufficient for most "open 
 minds." 
 
 "In 1871 Germany lost one hundred and 
 forty-three thousand lives by smallpox. 
 In 1874 a law was enacted making vaccina- 
 tion obligatory during the first year of 
 life, and compelling its repetition during 
 the tenth year. The result was that the 
 disease almost entirely disappeared. At 
 
212 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 pox throughout the empire is scarcely one 
 hundred a year. 
 
 "At the time of the Franco-Prussian 
 War, the entire German army was revac- 
 cinated; while in the French army, vacci- 
 nation being optional, comparatively few 
 were vaccinated. Both armies were at- 
 tacked by smallpox, the French losing 
 twenty-three thousand men, the Germans 
 two hundred and seventy-eight ! " 1 
 
 BURNS AND SCALDS. 
 
 Burns and scalds are frequent catastro- 
 phic s with small children. Though pro- 
 duced in different ways — a scald from 
 contact with a hot fluid, and a burn from 
 contact with a flame or dry heat of some 
 sort — the results are much alike. The 
 danger to life from a burn depends upon 
 its extent, while the amount of deformity 
 depends upon the depth. 
 
 Only small burns should be treated by 
 the mother. Shock may follow what 
 seems to her rather a small affair, and is 
 therefore an element of danger to be reck- 
 
 i Dr. Kebley's Short Talks to Young Mothers. Page 
 217. 
 
THE SICK BABY 213 
 
 oned with in all burns more than really 
 slight. If there are blisters, they should 
 be carefully opened with a needle, the point 
 of which should be passed through a flame 
 to render it surgically clean, then place 
 several layers of clean cloth wet with a 
 strong solution of baking soda — a heaping 
 teaspoonful to a glass of water — over the 
 burned area. As soon as the pain sub- 
 sides, oxide-of-zinc ointment may be put on 
 it. Boracic acid, one teaspoonful to an 
 ounce of vaseline, makes an excellent oint- 
 ment. 
 
 If the child's clothes are on fire, he 
 should be thrown on the floor and rolled in 
 a piece of carpet, rug, or coat — anything 
 that will smother the flames. If it should 
 chance that a pail or tub of water be near 
 at hand, plunge the child into it, which 
 is far better. Running about the room 
 only fans the flames and makes matters 
 worse. As soon as the flames are ex- 
 tinguished, put the child into bed, and 
 give him plenty of fresh air. Keep him 
 quiet, and be sure that the feet are warm. 
 Use a hot-water bag if necessary, and be 
 very calm yourself. Children are easily 
 
214 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 excited, and a mother who keeps her head 
 cool has a great advantage. 
 
 Remove the burned garments cautiously, 
 and if the skin is burned, each exposed 
 area must be covered as soon as possible 
 with a dressing of carron oil — equal parts 
 of olive oil and lime water — or a strong 
 solution of baking powder. Bicarbonate of 
 soda or baking powder is generally more 
 convenient and it is clean and odorless — 
 two great advantages. 
 
 Burns produced by carbolic acid are best 
 treated by alcohol. Burns from other 
 acids should be treated with dry baking 
 soda. 
 
 Burns produced by a strong alkali should 
 be treated with water and vinegar or lemon 
 juice. 
 
 FOREIGN BODIES SWALLOWED. 
 
 Babies and small children have a marked 
 tendency toward swallowing anything small 
 enough to be put into the mouth, such as 
 buttons, safety-pins, coins, etc. If the 
 child succeeds in doing this unnoticed, 
 there is generally no further trouble and 
 no one is any the wiser until some unex- 
 pected article is passed with the stool. 
 

 THE SICK BABY 215 
 
 Owing to this propensity, small children 
 should not have highly colored toys like 
 painted blocks, for in trying to swallow 
 them, the paint is swallowed instead. Any 
 part of a toy animal which can be taken 
 off or out, as the whistles that so many 
 rubber beasts have, should be removed be- 
 fore the baby is given the toy. Otherwise 
 it will go as most other things do, down 
 the throat. 
 
 If the child is known to have swallowed 
 anything unlawful, never give a cathartic. 
 Soft substances like oatmeal, mush, pota- 
 toes, or even bread will do very well to 
 allow the object to become buried in, and 
 carried forward in the digestive tract. If 
 the object has gone down, the probability 
 is that it will be safely carried on through 
 the entire alimentary tract. A dose of 
 castor oil or anything of that nature may 
 do great harm. It is not necessary to 
 worry, but wait. 
 
 EARACHE. 
 
 Earache is a common affliction of child- 
 hood, often beginning in baby days. The 
 pain is severe, causing a baby to shriek 
 
216 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 hard and long. The seat of the trouble 
 can often be detected by pressure in front 
 of, or just behind, the ear. If the child is 
 old enough he will bury his head in the 
 pillow, or pull at his ear. Sometimes older 
 children refer to the mouth as the place 
 where the pain is. Occasionally, the only 
 clearly defined symptom is a yellowish dis- 
 charge from the ear, and a markedly dis- 
 agreeable odor. 
 
 Inflammed nose or throat is often re- 
 sponsible for earache. Sometimes no 
 cause can be found. To relieve the pain, 
 heat is the best. Syringing the ear out 
 with hot water is also very soothing. This 
 can be done with a small syringe, or with 
 a common douche bag held about two feet 
 higher than the child's head. After the 
 water has been used turn the head so that 
 it will all run out. The mother should 
 carefully test the nozzle and the heat of the 
 water. Children have been badly burned 
 by carelessness about this. A hot-water 
 bag arranged for the patient to lie on gives 
 much comfort or, better still, a hot salt 
 bag. A small piece of muslin made into 
 a baa: and filled with salt and heated is an 
 
THE SICK BABY 217 
 
 excellent remedy for pain, and retains the 
 heat for a long time. If there is any dis- 
 charge, consult some physician, for deaf- 
 ness is very apt to follow, and many a 
 grown person is going through life hin- 
 dered from doing his best by the deafness 
 which is a result of the carelessness or in- 
 difference of his parents. A discharge 
 from the ear invariably needs attention 
 and should never be ignored. 
 
 ECZEMA. 
 
 Eczema is one of the most troublesome 
 diseases of childhood, and common in little 
 babies. It is brought about by a variety 
 of causes both internal and external, and 
 not infrequently no cause can be discov- 
 ered. 
 
 Improper diet, lack of cleanliness, bad 
 hygiene, and inherited tendency are all 
 factors. 
 
 The external causes are all kinds of irri- 
 tants. The skin of a baby is very delicate, 
 and bad inflammatory conditions arise from 
 every little lack of care. Excessive per- 
 spiration, strong soaps, cheap toilet pow- 
 ders, discharge from the nose or ears, but 
 
218 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 principally lack of proper bathing, are all 
 responsible. 
 
 The internal cause is generally indiges- 
 tion, found in both bottle-fed and breast- 
 fed babies. In the latter case, the mother 
 should be treated as well as the child. In 
 the case of a bottle-fed child, the diet must 
 receive attention. 
 
 Absorbent cotton should be laid between 
 opposing surfaces, and milk of magnesia 
 used freely on a properly clean surface is 
 very effective. Burnt flour is an old-fash- 
 ioned remedy and very good. 
 
 If the trouble has assumed very consider- 
 able proportions, bathing must be omitted. 
 Water is an irritant to an eczematous sur- 
 face, and must therefore be used very spar- 
 ingly. The most frequent form is when 
 the skin becomes bright red and covered 
 with minute vesicles. These soon rupture, 
 leaving the surface swollen, red, and mois- 
 tened with a watery discharge which may 
 thicken and form crusts with raw flesh 
 beneath. In another form, the skin is dry, 
 perhaps cracking easily. There are sev- 
 eral varieties, any of which may cause in- 
 tense itching until the child is almost fran- 
 
THE SICK BABY 219 
 
 tic, and as it is worse at night he loses 
 much sleep. 
 
 The baby should have a dose of castor 
 oil, and its hands tied up in mittens to 
 keep from scratching, which makes the 
 trouble worse and harder to cure. The 
 best treatment here is prevention when this 
 is possible, for often eczema is so persist- 
 ent that the patience of the physician and 
 mother is sorely tried before the siege is 
 over. 
 
 HIVES. 
 
 A trouble often seen in children is famil- 
 iarly known as hives. The most frequent 
 type consists of many or few large wheals, 
 firm, flat, red blotches, which last a few 
 hours and then disappear. The most dis- 
 tressing symptom is the intense itching. 
 The disturbance is usually caused by di- 
 gestive trouble, eating some special article 
 like strawberries, pastry, nuts, etc., which 
 may disagree with one child, while another 
 can eat the same thing and feel no bad ef- 
 fects. Constipation may also be a factor. 
 
 The treatment consists in avoiding of- 
 fending articles as far as they are known, 
 and in a restricted diet for a time. The 
 
220 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 itching may be relieved by bathing with a 
 strong solution of bicarbonate of soda, or 
 one teaspoonful of carbolic acid to a pint 
 of water. 
 
 HINGWORM. 
 
 Ringworm is a contagious affection, due 
 to fungous growth, and very common 
 among children. It may appear anywhere 
 on the body or face, or in the hair. The le- 
 sion consists of a small circular spot which 
 gradually enlarges into a brighter red patch 
 with a scaly border, and rather a natural 
 looking center. If in the hair, the place 
 is not red; the hair falls out and leaves 
 a scaly circular spot with stumps of the 
 broken hair. This is most characteristic. 
 The cure of ringworm of the scalp is very 
 difficult, and can only be accomplished by 
 most patient perseverance. No mother 
 should think of trying to do it alone. 
 
 On the face and body, the spots should be 
 painted with tincture of iodine until the 
 patch disappears. There should be no in- 
 terchange of towels or handkerchiefs or any 
 toilet articles while there is any ringworm 
 present. 
 
THE SICK BABY 221 
 
 The so-called " mange" in dogs is often 
 ringworm, and this is a most prolific source 
 of infection where children have pets. The 
 disease can be cured in these animals by 
 applications of iodine the same as in human 
 beings. 
 
 RETENTION OF URINE. 
 
 Eetention of urine is rather a common 
 affection, but it usually causes some alarm. 
 
 It may follow an attack of colic, or come 
 from taking cold, or be due to some inflam- 
 matory condition. 
 
 Be sure that the child has plenty of 
 water to drink, then if no urine comes after 
 ten or twelve hours apply hot clothes over 
 the bladder, or put the child into a tub of as 
 hot water as he can bear. A normal salt- 
 solution enema — one teaspoonful of salt to 
 a pint of water — given as hot as possible 
 will almost invariably give relief. As 
 much water as possible should be given and 
 retained as long as the child can hold it. 
 Pressing the hand against the rectum will 
 help him retain it. 
 
 If there is any sign of local trouble, of 
 course that must be removed. 
 
222 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 BED-WETTING. 
 
 After a child is three years old, there 
 should be no trouble of this kind provided 
 that there is nothing abnormal about him, 
 and that he has been well trained. 
 
 Many local conditions such as worms, 
 stone in the bladder, lack of cleanliness, 
 bad habits, or any inflammatory condition 
 may cause it, and nothing but removing the 
 cause will cure the trouble. 
 
 Each night the child should be taken up 
 at ten or eleven o'clock and made to uri- 
 nate. He should be given no fluid after 
 five o 'clock, his supper must be as nearly a 
 dry meal as possible. Be sure that the 
 child does not sleep on his back. To pre- 
 vent this, tie a tape around his waist with 
 a knot in the back. If these measures are 
 not effectual consult a physician. 
 
 RASH FROM POISON IVY. 
 
 This is an intense inflammation of the 
 skin produced by contact with certain 
 plants and vines. There are a number of 
 plants which will cause this dermatitis, of 
 which the poison oak or ivy is the most 
 common. Some children are very suscep- 
 
THE SICK BABY 223 
 
 tible, others are not affected by being near 
 this, or even handling the leaves. If it is 
 known that a child has been exposed, a 
 thorough scrubbing with tincture of green 
 soap and hot water will often prevent the 
 trouble developing. The rash appears 
 very soon after exposure, in a few hours at 
 least. In this respect it is different from 
 eczema which develops slowly. 
 
 The skin becomes swollen, red, hot, and 
 itches, and is thickly covered with vesicles 
 varying in size from a pin-head to a split 
 pea. These soon discharge their watery 
 contents, which dry into crusts over the 
 surface. The face becomes so swollen that 
 the child can scarcely open his eyes, and he 
 is really a most distressing-looking object. 
 
 Clean pieces of gauze wrung out of 
 lime-water and placed over the inflamed 
 surface are as soothing as any of the 
 many remedies advocated. They must be 
 changed, so that they may be always wet. 
 At night a salve can be used instead. Ox- 
 ide of zinc, alone, or combined with boracic 
 acid and vaseline, makes a very good 
 dressing. 
 
224 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 Oxide of zinc. Oxide of zinc. 
 
 Boracic acid aa 2 Boracic acid— equal 
 
 parts. 
 Vaseline 30. Vaseline — 15 times as 
 
 much. 
 
 RHEUMATISM. 
 
 Kheumatism is a rather frequent trouble 
 with young children, and often so very mild 
 as to be scarcely noticeable. It may be so 
 severe that the pain may be marked, joints 
 inflamed and tender, and fever high. But 
 whether mild or sharp, the physician should 
 be consulted, for many of the heart trou- 
 bles of adults began in childhood with rheu- 
 matism which was not properly treated. 
 So-called growing pains may be, and often 
 are, of rheumatic origin. In any case of 
 rheumatism the child should be kept quietly 
 in bed, fed on a light diet, with no meat, 
 and the inflamed joints wrapped in cotton- 
 wool, or flannel. 
 
 PEDICTILI. 
 
 Lice are naturally found on the dirty, 
 uncared-for children, but any child may 
 have them if brought in close contact with 
 
 
THE SICK BABY 225 
 
 them. They produce a very disagreeable 
 itching of the head which, if scratched until 
 the skin is broken, produces an inflamma- 
 tion. Not infrequently this inflammation 
 spreads down the neck and face until the 
 victim may become a very sorry-looking 
 object. 
 
 The treatment consists in getting the 
 head clean. There are many remedies 
 used for this purpose. If the invasion is 
 recent, wash the head thoroughly with tinc- 
 ture of green soap, and then rub well with 
 alcohol. Repeat this operation every other 
 day for several washings, and use a fine- 
 tooth comb. If there are many nits in the 
 hair — minute oval eggs attached to the 
 hair, and hard to remove — something more 
 radical will have to be done. Kerosene 
 may be rubbed into the hair, followed by a 
 free use of vinegar to destroy the nits. The 
 head should then be washed well with soap 
 and water, after which the fine-tooth comb 
 inn -I be used, but care must be taken not 
 to injure the scalp. This operation if done 
 thoroughly is highly successful, but per- 
 oaps it may not be superfluous to say that 
 lliis last course should not be taken near a 
 
226 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 lighted lamp. Tincture of larkspur, or an 
 ointment made from the seeds is much 
 used. This ointment has to be rubbed in 
 for a few days, and then washed out. 
 
 INSECT-STINGS AND BITES, 
 
 Insect-stings are painful, but seldom 
 dangerous. If the sting is left in the 
 wound it should be pulled out and spirits 
 of camphor, or water of ammonia applied. 
 The old-fashioned mud application is very 
 good. 
 
 Mosquitoes are very prevalent in certain 
 localities, and are most annoying. They, 
 in common with the ordinary house-fly, are 
 not only troublesome, but may be convey- 
 ors of disease, which makes them a decided 
 menace. Houses should be protected from 
 these insects as far as possible by screens 
 in doors and windows and care on the part 
 of members of the family. If it is impos- 
 sible to screen the doors and windows, it is 
 comparatively simple to throw a fine mos- 
 quito net over the baby's crib. 
 
 It is particularly necessary to protect a 
 baby from these pests, owing to his inabil- 
 ity to protect himself, and they tend to 
 
THE SICK BABY 227 
 
 make a baby nervous and fussy. Camphor 
 or ammonia water should be used to wash 
 mosquito bites to allay the itching. Infec- 
 tion caused by scratching with dirty nails is 
 not at all uncommon. 
 
 Mosquitoes are distinctly poisonous to 
 many children. Flies may, and do, trans- 
 port many diseases, viz., tuberculosis, ty- 
 phoid fever, cholera, and yellow fever, to 
 say nothing of many minor ailments. 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 REMEDIES FOR EXTERNAL USE, AND 
 DIETARY 
 
 Albumen Water. 
 
 The raw white of one egg beaten lightly and 
 well stirred with a glass of water. It may be 
 strained if necessary to give to small baby 
 through the bottle. A taste of sugar may be 
 added unless ordered otherwise. 
 
 Barley Water. 
 
 One tablespoonful of barley flour into 1 pint 
 of water. Boil for y 2 hour, strain, and add 
 sufficient boiled water to make 1 pint. 
 
 Barley Water, No. 2. 
 
 2 tablespoonfuls of barley to 1 pint of water, 
 if wanted stronger. 
 
 Oatmeal Water. 
 
 1 tablespoonful of oatmeal to 1 pint of boiling 
 water, cover and let simmer for 1 hour. Add 
 water from time to time as it evaporates ; strain. 
 228 
 
REMEDIES FOR EXTERNAL USE 229 
 
 Rice Water. 
 
 1 tablespoonful of (washed) rice to 1 pint of 
 water. Boil three hours, adding water from 
 time to time. 
 
 Toast Water. 
 
 One, two, or three slices of bread toasted dark 
 brown, but not burned. Put in 1 quart of boil- 
 ing water, cover, and strain when cold. 
 
 Arrowroot Water. 
 
 Wet 2 teaspoonfuls of arrowroot with a little 
 cold water, and rub until smooth; then stir into 
 1 pint of boiling water, and boil for 5 minutes, 
 stirring all the while. 
 
 Flaxseed Tea. 
 
 1 tablespoonful of flaxseed, 1 pint of boiling 
 water; let stand and keep warm for 1 hour; 
 strain. Add juice of lemon. 
 
 Oatmeal Jelly. 
 
 4 tablespoonfuls of oatmeal, 1 pint of water; 
 boil for 3 hours in double boiler, adding water 
 from time to time; strain. 
 
 Lime Water. 
 
 In two quarts of water place a lump of un- 
 slacked lime, size of small egg. Stir and let set- 
 tle. Pour off (ii-si water and add fresh. Use 
 
230 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 from the top, add water, and stir from time to 
 time. Always keep covered. 
 
 Arrowroot Jelly. 
 
 Two tablespoonfuls of arrowroot rubbed with 
 a little cold water; add to this 1 pint of water, 
 and boil for 5 minutes; stir constantly, and use 
 double boiler. 
 
 Beef-Juice. 
 
 Cut thin, juicy meat into pieces one and one- 
 half inches square ; broil for 2 minutes over hot 
 fire. Squeeze with a hot lemon-squeezer. It 
 can be warmed only slightly when serving or it 
 will coagulate. Add a little salt. 
 
 Beef-Juice, No. 2. 
 
 Cut into small pieces 1 pound of juicy meat; 
 broil for 2 minutes. Add 4 ounces of water, 
 stir, and let stand on ice for at least 6 hours. 
 Strain through cheese-cloth or muslin by twist- 
 ing this hard. Add a little salt, and serve warm, 
 or cold. 
 
 Whey. 
 
 1 quart of fresh milk warmed to 98°. Stir 
 in one and one-half teaspoonfuls Fairchild's 
 Liquid Pepsin. Put into a bowl or pitcher, and 
 when set — after about one hour 's time — break 
 up thoroughly with silver fork. Heat slowly 
 
 
REMEDIES FOR EXTERNAL USE 231 
 
 over fire to 150° ; remove immediately and pour 
 into pitcher or jar. It should be stirred all the 
 time it is heating. 
 
 ENEMAS. 
 
 Turpentine Enemas. 
 No. 1. White of egg (beaten) 
 Oil of turpentine — 
 
 add drop by drop. 1 teaspoonful. 
 
 Olive oil 1 teaspoonful. 
 
 Warm water 1 pint. 
 
 No. 2. White of egg (beaten) 
 
 Glycerine 2 ounces. 
 
 Oil turpentine 2 drachms. 
 
 (add drop by drop) 
 Warm water 1 pint. 
 
 Glycerine Enema. 
 
 Glycerine 4 drachms. 
 
 Warm soapy water. . . 4 drachms. 
 
 Starch-water Enema. 
 
 Starch 1 ounce. 
 
 Mix with a suffi- 
 cient cold water to 
 make thick paste ; add 
 boiling water until it 
 becomes of the con- 
 sistency of mucilage. 
 
232 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 Normal Salt-water Solution Enema. 
 
 One teaspoonful of 
 salt to one pint of 
 water. 
 
 REMEDIES TOR EXTERNAL USE. 
 
 Carbolic Acid Lotion. 
 
 Pure carbolic acid ... 30 drops. 
 Water 6 ounces. 
 
 Alum Lotion. 
 
 Alum 6 teaspoonfuls. 
 
 Alcohol 8 ounces. 
 
 Water 8 ounces. 
 
 Excellent for pro- 
 fuse perspiration, and 
 to avert bed sores. 
 
 Lotions for Chapped Hands. 
 
 No. 1. Glycerine 3 ounces. 
 
 Tr. Benzoin £ ounce. 
 
 Water 1 ounce. 
 
 No. 2. Glycerine 2 ounces. 
 
 Lemon juice 
 
 Tr. Myrrh aa £ ounce. 
 
 No. 3. Glycerine 2 ounces. 
 
 Rose Water ' . . . . 2 ounces. 
 
 Acetic Acid 2 ounces. 
 
REMEDIES FOR EXTERNAL USE 233 
 
 Sweet Oil and Turpentine. 
 
 Xo. 1. Turpentine 1 teaspoonful. 
 
 Sweet oil 8 teaspoonf uls. 
 
 Very useful to rub 
 on chest of baby with 
 hoarseness or cough. 
 
 No. 2. Turpentine 4 teaspoonfuls. 
 
 Sweet oil 6 teaspoonfuls. 
 
 To use for an adult. 
 
 Carbolized Oil. 
 
 Pure carbolic acid. . .30 drops. 
 Olive oil 2 ounces. 
 
 Anything containing carbolic acid should be 
 marked POISON and kept well out of reach of 
 children. It should not be used on an extensive 
 area of surface, but is a valuable remedy if in- 
 telligently used. 
 
 Mouth Wash. 
 
 No. 1. Listerine 2 teaspoonfuls. 
 
 Soda bicarbonate .... 10 grs. 
 
 Water 4 ounces. 
 
 No. 2. Tr. Myrrh xxx M. 
 
 Water 1 ounce. 
 
 OINTMENTS. 
 
 Borated Vaseline. 
 
 Boric acid 1 drachm. 
 
 Vaseline 1 ounce. 
 
234 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 Carbolated Vaseline. 
 
 Carbolic acid V. M. 
 
 Vaseline 1 ounce. 
 
 Bismuth and Zinc Ointment. 
 
 Lubricate of Bismuth 30 grains. 
 
 Oxide of Zinc 30 grains. 
 
 Lanolin £ ounce. 
 
 Vaseline £ ounce. 
 
 DISINFECTANTS. 
 
 Carbolic Acid. 
 
 Carbolic acid (95%) 6 ounces. 
 
 Glycerine 4 ounces. 
 
 Water 1 gallon. 
 
 Clothes should be soaked in this for several 
 hours, then removed in a covered receptacle and 
 boiled thoroughly. Sheets may be wet with this 
 and hung at the doors in case of infectious dis- 
 eases. 
 
 Chloride of Lime. 
 
 Chloride of Lime 4 ounces. 
 
 Water (rain) 1 gallon. 
 
 In typhoid fever, all the movements from the 
 bowels should be thoroughly mixed with this, 
 covered and allowed to stand several hours be- 
 
REMEDIES FOR EXTERNAL USE 235 
 
 fore pouring down the water closet. All 
 vomited matter should be treated the same way. 
 
 REMEDIES FOR LOCAL USE. 
 
 A poultice contains the heat longer than a fo- 
 mentation ; there are occasions when these are of 
 great service. They are made of the following 
 ingredients for ordinary use. 
 
 Flaxseed Poultice. 
 
 Ground flaxseed £ cupful. 
 
 Olive oil 2 teaspoonf uls. 
 
 Add enough boiling 
 water to make a thick 
 paste. Cook for a few 
 minutes, and beat 
 thoroughly. 
 
 Spread this upon muslin and cover over with 
 same. Test it to be sure that it is not too hot. 
 Kenew in from one to two hours — never let a 
 poultice get cold. Everything must be ready be- 
 fore the poultice is mixed, or it will be too cool 
 for any service. 
 
 Mustard Poultice. 
 
 Mustard 2 parts. 
 
 Ground Flaxseed 4 parts. 
 
 Hot water, sufficient quan- 
 tity to make paste. 
 
236 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 Bran Poultice. 
 
 A flannel bag is partly filled with bran, thor- 
 oughly wet with boiling water, wrung out in a 
 towel, and applied. This is much lighter in 
 weight than flaxseed, so it is an advantage, where 
 there is much tenderness. (Crozer-Griffith.) 
 
 Starch Poultice. 
 
 Thick boiled starch is spread warm on a cloth 
 and applied directly to the skin without any 
 covering between. It is used to lessen irritation 
 in some affections of the skin. 
 
 Spice Poultice. 
 
 Ground ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and allspice ; 
 from 1 to 2 teaspoonfuls of each (y 2 teaspoonful 
 of Cayenne pepper makes it stronger). Put the 
 dry and well-mixed powder into a flannel bag, 
 spread it evenly. If bag is quilted it keeps it 
 smoother. Before applying, wet it with hot alco- 
 hol. This spice-bag may be used repeatedly, 
 and is very convenient to have for babies with 
 colic. 
 
 Turpentine Stupes. 
 
 3 teaspoonfuls of turpentine to 1 pint of boil- 
 ing water. Immerse the flannel and stir. Ke- 
 move the flannel and wring it out in a twisted 
 towel until it no longer drips. Anoint the skin 
 
REMEDIES FOR EXTERNAL USE 237 
 
 ■with olive oil, and then apply fomentation until 
 it causes some discomfort or redness. If allowed 
 to remain too long it will blister. (Beck.) 
 
 Mustard Plaster. 
 
 Xo. 1. 
 
 White of one egg. . . . 
 
 Mustard 1 tablespoonful. 
 
 Flour 3 tablespoonfuls. 
 
 Glycerine 1 tablespoonful. 
 
 Beat well and spread between layers of muslin 
 or soft linen. 
 
 No. 2. 
 
 1 part mustard. 
 
 3 to 6 parts flour, for an adult. 
 
 10 to 12 parts flour, for a child. 
 
 Add sufficient tepid water to make a thin 
 mixture, then spread on linen or gauze. The 
 surface of skin should be covered with vaseline 
 before the plaster is applied. 
 
 Hop Poultice. 
 
 Prepared and used exactly as is the bran poul- 
 tice, over which it has only the advantage of be- 
 ing lighter in weight. 
 
 Antiseptic Poultice. 
 
 Useful for open wounds and far superior to 
 
238 MOTHER AND BABY 
 
 flaxseed or anything of that nature. This is 
 really a hot antiseptic fomentation. 
 
 Boracic Acid Solution. 
 
 (2 teaspoonfuls of powder to pint of water.) 
 
 Ice Poultice. 
 
 Fill a bag of india rubber with small pieces 
 of ice, and hold in place if necessary with binder. 
 This should only be used by physician's order. 
 
 THE END 
 
JUL 31 1912