The Maternal Management of Children, in Health and Disease

Chapter I.. On the General Management of Infancy and Childhood.

ON THE GENERAL MANAGEMENT OF INFANCY AND CHILDHOOD.

Sect. - Page

I. On the Dietetics of Infancy - 2

1. Maternal Nursing - 3

Plan of Suckling - 3

Deficiency of Milk - 11

The injurious Effects to Mother and Infant of undue and protracted Suckling - 15

Mothers who ought never to suckle - 20

2. Wet-nurse Suckling - 27

Choice of a Wet-nurse - 28

Diet and Regimen of a Wet-nurse - 31

3. Artificial Feeding, (bringing up by hand) - 34

The Kind of artificial Food before the sixth Month - 35

The Kind of artificial Food after the sixth Month to the completion of first Dentition - 44

The Kind of artificial Food most suitable under the different Complaints to which Infants are liable - 48

II. Weaning - 51

The Time when - 51

The Mode - 52

The drying up of the Mother's Milk - 54

III. On the Dietetics of Childhood - 54

General Directions, and of animal Food - 55

Sugar - 60

Salt - 61

Fruits - 62

Water - 63

Wine, Beer, and Spirits - 63

IV. Sleep - 66

During Infancy - 66

During Childhood - 69

V. Bathing and Cleanliness - 72

During Infancy - 72

During Childhood - 75

VI. Clothing - 78

During Infancy - 78

During Childhood - 81

VII. Air and Exercise - 83

In Infancy - 83

In Childhood - 89

Chap. II.

ON THE USE AND ABUSE OF CERTAIN REMEDIES.

I. Aperient Medicine - 97

Castor Oil - 99

Manna - 101

Magnesia and Rhubarb - 102

The Lavement - 105

The Aperient Liniment - 107

II. Calomel - 107

III. Opiates - 110

IV. Leeching - 113

V. Blisters and Poultices - 114

VI. Baths - 117

The Cold-water Plunge Bath - 118

Sea Bathing - 120

The Shower Bath - 123

Ablution, or Sponging - 125

The Warm Bath - 188

Chap. III.

ON TEETHING, AND HINTS UPON THE PERMANENT TEETH.

I. On Teething. - 134

The Manner in which the temporary or milk Teeth appear - 134

The Management of the Infant when Teething is without difficulty - 136

The Management of the Infant in difficult Teething - 139

II. Hints on the permanent or adult Teeth - 148

The Manner in which they appear - 248

Their Value and Importance - 152

Their Management and Preservation - 154

Chap. IV.

HINTS FOR THE EARLY DETECTION OP DISEASE IN THE CHILD BY THE MOTHER.

I. Signs of Health - 163

II. Signs of Disease - 164

Of the Countenance - 165

Of the Gestures - 169

Of the Sleep - 171

Of the Stools - 172

Of the Breathing and Cough - 175

III. Other Circumstances which will assist in the early Detection of Disease - 178

The Influence of the Seasons in producing particular Forms of Disorder - 178

The Influence of an hereditary Predisposition to certain Diseases - 179

Chap. V.

ON WHAT CONSTITUTES THE MATERNAL MANAGEMENT OF THE DISEASES OF CHILDREN.

I. Accidents and Diseases which may occur to the Infant at Birth, or soon after - 187

1. Still-born - 187

2. Injuries received during Birth - 193

3. Retention of Urine - 194

4. Swelling of the Breasts - 195

5. Inflammation of the Eyes - 196

6. Hare-lip - 199

7. Bleeding from the Navel-string - 201

8. Ulceration or imperfect Healing of the Navel - 20l

9. Bleeding from the Navel - 203

10. Jaundice - 204

11. Tongue-tied - 205

12. Moles and Marks on the Skin, etc. - 206

II. Disorders of the Stomach and Bowels; viz., Indigestion - Flatulence - Vomiting - Griping and Looseness - 208

1. In the Infant at the Breast - 21O

2. At the period of Weaning - 217

3. In the child brought up by Hand - 221

Maternal Treatment - 222

III. Costiveness - 229

In Infancy - 229

In Childhood - 231

IV. Worms - 234

Not so frequent as popularly supposed; an error productive of mischief - 234

How produced and how best prevented - 237

V. Scarlet Fever - 239

Mild Form - 239

With Sore Throat - 242

Scarlet Fever compared with Measles - 245

Maternal Management - 246

VI. Measles - 253

Description - 253

Compared with Scarlet Fever and Small Pox - 255

Maternal Management - 256

VII. Small-Pox - 262

Natural Small-Pox - 263

Small-Pox in the Vaccinated - 266

Maternal Management - 268

VIII. Hooping Cough - 275

Description - 276

Maternal Management - 279

IX. Croup - 286

Signs of its Approach - 286

Maternal Management - 289

Its prevention - 289

X. Water in the Head - 291

Its Prevention - 292

Maternal Management - 298

THE MATERNAL MANAGEMENT OF CHILDREN.

Chapter I.

ON THE GENERAL MANAGEMENT OF INFANCY AND CHILDHOOD.

The line of demarcation made between infancy and childhood, both by ancient and modern writers, has always been arbitrary. I would draw the line between the two, at a period of time which appears to me to be the most natural, the most simple, and least likely to lead the reader into the danger of misapplying any part of the practical directions of this, or any future chapter of the work. We will consider, then, that--

Infancy, commencing with birth, extends to about the end of the second year, when the first dentition is completed.

Childhood extends from about the second, to the seventh or eighth year, when the second dentition is commenced.

Sect. I. DIETETICS OF INFANCY.

In the early months of infancy the organs of digestion are unsuited to any other food than that derived from the breast of the mother. So little capable are they, indeed, to digest any other, even of the blandest and most digestible kind, that probably not more than one infant in six or seven ever arrives at the more advanced periods of life when deprived of the kind of nourishment nature intended for this epoch.

It is not every parent, however, who is able to become a nurse; and with many this office would not only be highly injurious to their own health, but materially so to that of their offspring. This may arise from various causes, hereafter to be noticed, but whenever they exist a wet-nurse is demanded.

Again, the latter resource is not always attainable, so that the hazardous experiment of an artificial diet, or bringing up by hand, as it is then termed, is obliged to be resorted to.

Thus, infantile dietetics naturally divides itself into Maternal Nursing, Wet-Nurse Suckling, And Artificial Feeding.

1. MATERNAL NURSING.

PLAN OF SUCKLING.

From the first moment the infant is applied to the breast, it must be nursed upon a certain plan. This is necessary to the well-doing of the child, and will contribute essentially to preserve the health of the parent, who will thus be rendered a good nurse, and her duty at the same time will become a pleasure.

This implies, however, a careful attention on the part of the mother to her own health; for that of her child is essentially dependent upon it. Healthy, nourishing, and digestible milk can be procured only from a healthy parent; and it is against common sense to expect that, if a mother impairs her health and digestion by improper diet, neglect of exercise, and impure air, she can, nevertheless, provide as wholesome and uncontaminated a fluid for her child, as if she were diligently attentive to these important points. Every instance of indisposition in the nurse is liable to affect the infant.

And this leads me to observe, that it is a common mistake to suppose that, because a woman is nursing, she ought therefore to live very fully, and to add an allowance of wine, porter, or other fermented liquor, to her usual diet. The only result of this plan is, to cause an unnatural degree of fulness in the system, which places the nurse on the brink of disease, and which of itself frequently puts a stop to the secretion of the milk, instead of increasing it. The right plan of proceeding is plain enough; only let attention be paid to the ordinary laws of health, and the mother, if she have a sound constitution, will make a better nurse than by any foolish deviation founded on ignorance and caprice.

The following case proves the correctness of this statement:--

A young married lady, confined with her first child, left the lying-in- room at the expiration of the third week, a good nurse, and in perfect health. She had had some slight trouble with her nipples, but this was soon overcome.

The porter system was now commenced, and from a pint to a pint and a half of this beverage was taken in the four and twenty hours. This was resorted to, not because there was any deficiency in the supply of milk, for it was ample, and the infant thriving upon it; but because, having become a nurse, she was told that it was usual and necessary, and that without it her milk and strength would ere long fail.

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