Part 66

8. THE CRY OF THE SICK CHILD.--The cry of the child is a language by which the character of its suffering to some extent may be ascertained. The manner in which the cry is uttered, or the pitch and tone is generally a symptom of a certain kind of disease.

9. STOMACHACHE.--The cry of the child in suffering with pain of the stomach is loud, excitable and spasmodic. The legs are drawn up and as the pain ceases, they are relaxed and the child sobs itself to sleep, and rests until awakened again by pain.

10. LUNG TROUBLE.--When a child is suffering with an affection of the lungs or throat, it never cries loudly or continuously. A distress in breathing causes a sort of subdued cry and low moaning. If there is a slight cough it is generally a sign that there is some complication with the lungs. {316}

11. DISEASE OF THE BRAIN.--In disease of the brain the cry is always sharp, short and piercing. Drowsiness generally follows each spasm of pain.

12. FEVERS.--Children rarely cry when suffering with fever unless they are disturbed. They should be handled very gently and spoken to in a very quiet and tender tone of voice.

13. THE CHAMBER OF THE SICK ROOM.--The room of the sick child should be kept scrupulously clean. No noise should disturb the quiet and rest of the child. If the weather is mild, plenty of fresh air should be admitted; the temperature should be kept at about 70 degrees. A thermometer should be kept in the room, and the air should be changed several times during the day. This may be done with safety to the child by covering it up with woolen blankets to protect it from draft, while the windows and doors are opened. Fresh air often does more to restore the sick child than the doctor's medicine. Take the best room in the house. If necessary take the parlor, always make the room pleasant for the sick.

14. VISITORS.--Carefully avoid the conversation of visitors or the loud and boisterous playing of children in the house. If there is much noise about the house that cannot be avoided, it is a good plan to put cotton in the ears of the patient.

15. LIGHT IN THE ROOM.--Light has a tendency to produce nervous irritability, consequently it is best to exclude as much daylight as possible and keep the room in a sort of twilight until the child begins to improve. Be careful to avoid any odor coming from a burning lamp in the night. When the child begins to recover, give it plenty of sunlight. After the child begins to get better let in all the sunlight the windows will admit. Take a south room for the sick bed.

16. SICKNESS IN SUMMER.--If the weather is very hot it is a good plan to dampen the floors with cold water, or set several dishes of water in the room, but be careful to keep the patient out of the draft, and avoid any sudden change of temperature.

17. BATHING.--Bathe every sick child in warm water once a day unless prohibited by the doctor. If the child has a spasm or any attack of a serious nervous character in absence of the doctor, place him in a hot bath at once. Hot water is one of the finest agencies for the cure of nervous diseases. {317}

18. SCARLET FEVER AND MEASLES.--Bathe the child in warm water to bring out the rash, and put in about a dessertspoonful of mustard into each bath.

19. DRINKS.--If a child is suffering with fevers, let it have all the water it wants. Toast-water will be found nourishing. When the stomach of the child is in an irritable condition, nourishments containing milk or any other fluid should be given very sparingly. Barley-water and rice-water are very soothing to an irritable stomach.

20. FOOD.--Mellin's Food and milk is very nourishing if the child will take it. Oatmeal gruel, white of eggs, etc. are excellent and nourishing articles. See "How to cook for the Sick."

21. EATING FRUIT.--Let children who are recovering from sickness eat moderately of good fresh fruit. Never let a child, whether well or sick, eat the skins of any kind of fruit. The outer covering of fruit was not made to eat, and often has poisonous matter very injurious to health upon its surface. Contagious and infectious diseases are often communicated in that way.

22. SUDDEN STARTINGS with the thumbs drawn into the palms, portend trouble with the brain, and often end in convulsions, which are far more serious in infants than in children. Convulsions in children often result from a suppression of urine. If you have occasion to believe that such is the case, get the patient to sweating as soon as possible. Give it a hot bath, after which cover it up in bed and put bags of hot salt over the lower part of the abdomen.

23. SYMPTOMS OF INDIGESTION.--If the baby shows symptoms of indigestion, do not begin giving it medicine. It is wiser to decrease the quantity and quality of the food and let the little one omit one meal entirely, that his stomach may rest. Avoid all starchy foods, as the organs of digestion are not sufficiently developed to receive them.

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{318}

A Practical Rule for Feeding a Baby on Cow's Milk.

Cow's milk is steadily growing in favor as an artificial food. Country milk should be used instead of milk purchased in town or city.

RULE--Take the upper half of milk that has stood an hour of two, dilute, not hardly as much as a third, with sweetened water, and if there is a tendency to sour stomach, put in a teaspoonful of lime water to every quart. The milk and water should both be boiled separately. If the baby is constipated, it is best to heat the milk over boiling water and not allow it to boil.

INFANT FOOD FOR 24 HOURS.

Age of Child. Milk. Water. Total.

2 to 10 days 1-1/4 gills 3-1/4 gills 4-1/2 gills 10 to 20 days 1-3/4 gills 4-1/4 gills 6 gills 20 to 30 days 2-1/2 gills 6 gills 8-1/2 gills 1 to 1-1/2 months 3 gills 6-3/4 gills 9-3/4 gills 1-1/2 to 2 months 3-1/2 gills 7 gills 10-1/2 gills 2 to 2-1/2 months 4 gills 7-1/2 gills 11-1/2 gills 2-1/2 to 3 months 4-1/2 gills 7-1/2 gills 12 gills 3 to 3-1/2 months 5 gills 7-1/2 gills 12-1/2 gills 3-1/2 to 4 months 5-1/2 gills 7-1/2 gills 13 gills 4 to 4-1/2 months 6 gills 7-1/2 gills 13-1/2 gills 4-1/2 to 5 months 6-1/2 gills 7-1/2 gills 14 gills 5 to 6 months 7 gills 7 gills 14 gills 6-1/2 to 7 months 7-1/2 gills 6-1/2 gills 14 gills 7 to 8 months 8 gills 6 gills 14 gills 8 to 9 months 8-1/4 gills 6 gills 14-1/4 gills 9 to 10 months 8-1/2 gills 6 gills 14-1/2 gills 10 to 11 months 8-3/4 gills 6 gills 14-3/4 gills 11 to 12 months 9 gills 5-1/2 gills 14-1/2 gills 12 to 15 months 9-1/4 gills 5-1/4 gills 14-1/2 gills 15 to 18 months 9-1/2 gills 5 gills 14-1/2 gills 18 and more months 10 gills 5 gills 15 gills

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{319}

HOW TO KEEP A BABY WELL.

1. The mother's milk is the natural food, and nothing can fully take its place.