,a ,,book                               
,,of                                    
,,medical ,,discourses                  
,,in ,,two ,,parts4                     
,,part ,,first3       ,,treating ,,of   
,,the ,,cause1 ,,prevention1 ,,and      
,,cure ,,of ,,infantile ,,bowel         
,,complaints1 ,,from ,,birth ,,to ,,the 
,,close ,,of ,,the ,,teething ,,period1 
,,or ,,till                             
,,after ,,the ,,fifth ,,year4           
,,part ,,second3   ,,containing         
,,miscellaneous ,,information           
,,concerning ,,the ,,life ,,and ,,growth
 ,,of    ,,beings2 ,,the ,,beginning    
,,of ,,womanhood2 ,,also1 ,,the ,,cause1
 ,,prevention1 ,,and   ,,cure ,,of      
,,many ,,of ,,the ,,most ,,distressing  
,,complaints ,,of ,,women1 ,,and ,,youth
 ,,of                                   
,,both ,,sexes4                         
,,by                          ,,rebecca 
,,crumpler1 ,m4 ,d4                     
,,boston3                     ,,cashman1
 ,,keating  ,,co41 ,,printers4          

,,fayette ,,court1 #fjc ,,washington    
,,st4                                   
#ahhc4                                  
,copyright #ahhc1                       
,by ,,rebecca ,,crumpler1 ,m4,d4        
,,dedication4                           
,,to                                    
,,mothers1 ,,nurses1     ,,and ,,all    
,,who ,,may ,,desire ,,to ,,mitigate    
,,the ,,afflictions ,,of ,,the ,,human  
,,race1                                 
,,this ,,book                           
,,is ,,prayerfully ,,offered4           
,,contents4        ,,chap4              
,,page4            ,introduction        
#a         ,i4 ,how to ,marry           
#e        ,,ii4 ,the ,present ,modes of 
,washing and ,dressing the ,new-born    
#g       ,,iii4 ,preparations for       
,confinement                            
#aa        ,,iv4 ,the ,better ,mode of  
,washing the ,new-born                  
#ad         ,v4 ,necessity of ,agreeable
 and ,soothing ,surroundings            
#ah        ,,vi4 ,nursing from the      

,breast made easy                       
#bj       ,,vii4 ,the ,uselessness of   
8,baby ,medicines0 during the ,month    
#be      ,,viii4 ,dropping of the ,navel
 ,cord                                  
#cb        ,,ix4 ,artificial ,nursing   
#cf         ,x4 ,the ,milk ,fever       
#dj        ,,xi4 ,precautions after the 
month--,proper and ,improper ,diet      
#de       ,,xii4 ,general ,treatment of 
,infants                                
#eb      ,,xiii4 ,time for ,weaning     
#eg       ,,xiv4 ,sects4 #a1 #b1 #c1 #d4
 ,cholera ,infantum versus ,starvation  
#fa        ,,xv4 ,the ,causes and       
,prevention of ,cholera ,infantum       
#gf       ,,xvi4 ,convenient ,methods   
for ,raising ,infants without the       
,breast    #hj      ,,xvii4 ,teething   
made easy1 ,secs4 #a1 #b                
#ij     ,,xviii4 ,complications of      
,teething with ,diseases                
#ih       ,,xix4 ,general ,remarks      
#aje              ,part ,second4        
,miscellaneous ,information             

#abj                                    
,,introduction4      ,i now present to  
the public a few thoughts in book form1 
trusting that  they will be accepted on 
their merits alone4 ,the following pages
 contain  a few simple appeals to common
 sense1 and are addressed to mothers1   
nurses1 and women generally4 ,all honor 
is due to a far-seeing  legislation     
which has recognized the importance of  
fitting woman for the  great and natural
 office of nurse1 or doctress of        
medicine2 for by it  facilities are     
offered to each member of a community   
for the promotion  of ,christian        
enlightenment4 ,by frequent visits      
through various parts of  the ,united   
,states1 at all seasons of the year1 as 
well as by quite an  extensive          
opportunity while in the capacity of    
family nurse1 and  subsequent           
practitioner1 ,i have become quite      
familiar with those  ailments and       
diseases which afflict many infants from
 birth to the close  of the teething    

period1 or till after the fifth year of 
their age4    ,it may be well to state  
here that1 having been reared by a kind 
aunt in  ,pennsylvania1 whose usefulness
 with the sick was continually sought1  
,i  early conceived a liking for1 and   
sought every opportunity to be in a     
position to relieve the sufferings of   
others4 ,later in life ,i devoted my    
time1 when best ,i could1 to nursing as 
a business1 serving under  different    
doctors for a period of eight years     
7from '#eb to '#fj72 most of  the time  
at my adopted home in ,charlestown1     
,middlesex ,county1  ,massachusetts4    
,from these doctors ,i received letters 
commending me to  the faculty of the    
,new ,england ,female ,medical ,college1
 whence1 four  years afterward1 ,i      
received the degree of ,doctress of     
,medicine4 ,i then  practised in        
,boston1 but desiring a larger scope for
 general  information1 ,i travelled     
toward the ,british ,dominion4 ,on my   
return1  after the close of the         

,confederate ,war1 my mind centred upon 
,richmond1  the capital city of         
,virginia1 as the proper field for real 
missionary  work1 and one that would    
present ample opportunities to become   
acquainted with the diseases of women   
and children4    ,during my stay there  
nearly every hour was improved in that  
sphere of  labor4 ,the last quarter of  
the year #ahff1 ,i was enabled1 through 
the  agency of the ,bureau under ,gen4  
,brown1 to have access each day to a    
very  large number of the indigent1 and 
others of different classes1 in a       
population of over #cj1jjj colored4 ,at 
the close of my services in that  city  
,i returned to my former home1 ,boston1 
where ,i entered into the work  with    
renewed vigor1 practising outside1 and  
receiving children in the  house for    
treatment2 regardless1 in a measure1 of 
remuneration4 ,although  not now in a   
locality where my constant attendance is
 required1 ,i do not  fail to notice the
 various published records of the       

condition of the  health of ,boston and 
vicinity4    ,that woman should study   
the mechanism of the human structure to 
better  enable her to protect life1     
before assuming the office of nurse1 few
  will agree4 ,but that good service has
 been performed by those who were       
entirely ignorant of it1 every one must 
admit4 ,in my own experience1  there was
 much that to me was obscure1 yet1      
strange to say1 ,i never met  with an   
accident4 ,a kind ,father directed every
 thought in behalf of the  helpless4    
,i believe matrimony to be a divine     
institution2 and that the results       
arising from a union of the sexes should
 be considered an important  study for  
each party concerned4 ,if we as         
intelligent beings sit still in  this   
matter of physical security1 premature  
decay must take the place of            
perfection4 ,since ,i have1 with no     
small degree of diffidence1 consented   
to submit my long-kept journal to the   
public in the form of a book1 ,i  desire

 to present the different subjects by   
the use of as few technical  terms as   
possible2 and to make my statements     
brief1 simple1 and  comprehensive4      
,indeed ,i desire that my book shall be 
as a primary reader  in the hands of    
every woman2 and yet none the less      
suited to any who may  be conversant    
with all branches of medical science4   
,if women are  permitted to read and    
reflect for themselves1 it is hardly    
possible that  they will say it is      
uninteresting to them1 or that it should
 only be  read by men4    ,in dealing   
with subjects that bring to mind        
thousands of premature  mortalities1 as1
 for instance1 those from cholera       
infantum or pneumonia1  ,i deem it      
expedient to speak only of what ,i know 
and to which ,i can  testify4 ,i have   
endeavored to give some domestic or     
ready palliative  reliefs for the       
several cases described2 thereby hoping 
to avoid the  possibility of a remedy's 
being applied without an acquaintance   

with the  character and phases of the   
complaint for which it is intended4     
,there is  no doubt that thousands of   
little ones annually die at our very    
doors1  from diseases which could have  
been prevented1 or cut short by timely  
aid4 ,people do not wish to feel that   
death ensues through neglect on  their  
part2 indeed they speak of consumption1 
cholera infantum1 and  diphtheria1 etc41
 as if sent by ,god to destroy our      
infants4    ,they seem to forget that   
there is a cause for every ailment1 and 
that  it may be in their power to remove
 it4 ,my chief desire in presenting     
this book is to impress upon somebody's 
mind the possibilities of  prevention4  
,,medical ,,discourses4                 
,,chapter ,i4                           
,,how ,,to ,,marry4      ,at what age   
should a girl marry8 is a question      
frequently asked by young  girls of some
 confiding friend1 and almost as        
frequently  unsatisfactorily answered4  
,suppose the question be amended        

thus3--,at what  age and how should     
young girls marry8 ,the answer to the   
last clause ,i  would say1 taking all   
things into consideration1 with the     
consent of  parents or guardians1 it is 
best for a young woman to accept a      
suitor  who is respectable1 vigorous1   
industrious1 and but a few years her    
senior1 if not of an equal age4 ,one who
 gives evidence1 previous to  wedlock1  
of being both capable and willing to    
take the entire  responsibility of a    
wife upon himself4 ,no objections1 of   
course1 to a  union with wealth1 all    
other things being equal4 ,no sickly1   
sensitive  young girl need expect to    
have it all sunshine1 even with an      
industrious1 well-meaning man for a     
husband1 rich or poor4 ,the age of a    
young woman should be about #ai or #bj4 
,it should be remembered that the  union
 of persons of premature growth1 that is
 before the body is well  developed on  
either side1 favors weakly children4    
,and the same is true  of the union of  

persons far advanced in years4 ,weakly  
mixtures also  produce delicate         
children4 ,a union of persons whose     
parents are of  unmixed blood1 and whose
 statures are nearly in proportion1     
usually  turns out well4 ,a man's age   
should be between #bb and #be when      
taking the  responsibility of a family  
upon him4 ,i will add just here that the
 way  to be happy after marriage is to  
continue in the careful routine of the  
courting days1 till it becomes a well   
understood thing between the two4       
,after marriage1 if medical aid is      
required by the wife1 let it be sought  
in a direction that there will never be 
cause to regret4 ,some women are  over  
anxious for a family1 and by their      
nervous whims make themselves  and those
 around them unhappy4 ,but it is to be  
deplored that there is a  much larger   
class of young women whose minds are    
dark on the subject of  preservation of 
health1 and who soon forget1 if they    
ever thought of the  liabilities of a   

married life4 ,on taking cold or feeling
 languid or  nauseated a physician must 
at once be sent for4 ,it should be borne
 in  mind that many women begin to show 
signs of pregnancy by cold1 severe  pain
 in the head1 back1 stomach1 or various 
parts of the body4    ,numbers begin and
 continue for months with severe cramp  
colic1 and if  remedies of a powerful   
nature are applied1 the mischief may be 
alarming4  ,many of the teas1 sweats1   
baths1 and potions that are effective in
  relieving a cold will be wholly       
ineffective when pregnancy is certain4  
,therefore repeated trials but disturbs 
the nervous system of the mother1       
through which all things are transmitted
 to the living germ4 ,in all  cases of  
suppression of the monthly flow after   
marriage1 a careful  physician should be
 at once consulted1 if there is any     
reason to doubt  that it is caused by   
pregnancy4 ,suffice it to say that too  
frequent  physicking and over-indulgence
 in intoxicating liquors and tobacco1   

will  cause sickly diminutive offspring1
 to say nothing of premature births4    
,,chapter ,,ii4          ,,the ,,present
 ,,modes ,,of ,,washing ,,and ,,dressing
 ,,the ,,new-,,born4      ,usually1 as  
soon as the birth of a child is         
announced1 a basin or tub of  hot water 
is ordered4 ,the washing begins with a  
8wee bit of rag0 and a  great cake of   
perfumed soap purchased long1 long      
before1 for the  occasion4 ,then follows
 wiping with a great linen towel1 during
 which  time the creature gets well     
aired1 being indirectly exhibited to as 
many  as have courage to look on and    
admire 8the cunning little thing40      
8,the water must be hot1 to get off the 
grease10 said an old nurse4 ,aye1  but  
with ignorant help would it be          
surprising if a little of the skin  came
 off first8 ,in more favored circles a  
nice bath tub is prepared1 the  water of
 an equal temperature with the room4    
,some fine soap is put in to  make a    
suds1 which is applied after the surface

 of the body is oiled4  ,some cold water
 adherents persist in using ice-cold    
water upon a  new-born babe1 depending  
on 8rubbing it to get up a circulation40
 ,i once  knew a divine 7divines have   
rules sometimes7 whose customs led him  
to  have his only child washed in this  
way1 and believing in the adage of  8the
 hair of the dog curing the bite10 he   
continued to doctor it himself  for     
eighteen months2 from its birth to its  
death1 with cold water4 ,the  babe      
received a severe cold1 stopping up its 
nostrils and air-tubes1 and  rendering  
its little life wholly miserable4 ,to   
the cause of all this  suffering they   
gave the technical name1 ,catarrh4      
,the methods of washing infants just    
described are more common even in  this 
enlightened age of humanity than is     
generally known4 ,the excuse for  cold  
baths may exist in the mode of life of  
the erratic tribes1 or among            
uncivilized nations whose minds are dark
 upon the construction and  office of a 

nervous system4 ,the several sad results
 that ,i myself have  witnessed at      
times1 and places1 that it was not      
deemed my business to  speak1 have led  
me to adopt what seemed a more humane   
course4 ,with the  use of cold water    
some judgment is required1 as many      
infants1 when born1  are weak1 and ready
 to yield up life upon the application  
of the  slightest sedative4 ,the skin   
being so largely supplied with nerves   
which  transmit all sensations to the   
internal organs1 as telegraph wires do  
the electric current4 ,thus cold water  
may send a chill to some vital  part1   
the result of which no effort in the    
power of man can counteract4  ,it is    
next to impossible to keep a babe as    
warm as it should be going  through with
 the customary routine4 ,indeed it is   
not at all uncommon for  a babe to be   
laid beside its mother 7if not alone in 
a crib7 lips purple  and cold as a lump 
of clay4 ,i once looked upon a babe who 
from this  cause had for three days     

resisted all attempts to get it warm4   
,thus1 ,i  fear1 many come and go4 ,does
 any desire to preserve the vitality of 
a  new being8 ,then it will not suffice 
to be too self-assured or too  oriental 
to seek to improve in the matter4    ,i 
deeply regret to have to state that ,i  
have heard many apparently  intelligent 
persons express opposition to the       
continuation of the human  species4 ,but
 let me ask1 ,what devastating          
visitations may we not expect  if we    
seek to diminish ,god's images by any   
selfish or misguided motives8           
,,the ,,use ,,of ,,soap4    ,there are  
many kinds of soap in use for the       
purpose of washing clothes1  cleansing  
paint1 etc4 ,then there are not a few   
advertised as superior  for washing the 
skin4 ,but the fact that water into     
which soap is rubbed  turns white1 or   
becomes sudsy1 is sufficient evidence   
that it contains  an alkali1 or         
something having the nature of potash4  
,to use it on the  tender skin of       

infants is but to experiment for the    
benefit of the  dealer1 at the expense  
of the babe4 ,again1 soap is irritating 
to the  more tender surfaces1 as the    
lips and eyelids4 ,if the suds is sucked
 by  the child while the sponge is      
passed over the face1 severe purging may
  occur4 ,then if soap gets in the eyes1
 it is liable to cause sore or  inflamed
 eyes1 perhaps for life4 ,i truly       
believe that more children are          
afflicted with sore eyes1 ears1 noses1  
and heads1 whose friends took the       
precaution to have them washed with     
8pure baby soap10 than could be  counted
 in a hundred years4 ,the germs of      
bronchitis1 which means cold  settled in
 the air-tubes leading to the           
lungs1--pneumonia1 which means  lung    
fever1 indigestion1 each or all1 can be 
inducted into the system in  the first  
washing4 ,the male physician1 unlike the
 woman physician1 does  not always      
remain long enough to see this important
 duty properly  performed4 ,this may be 

owing to the fact that1 among the poorer
 classes1  two or three women are       
present who are expected to be experts  
in  baby-washing4 ,but1 as a fact1 many 
old women sit around on such  occasions 
who have almost as little knowledge what
 and how to do1 as the  babe whose      
expected advent has called them         
together4 ,therefore we cannot  too     
strongly protest against the practice of
 many physicians1--that of  leaving a   
woman in the hands of an inexperienced  
person as soon as the  navel cord is    
severed4 ,for it is not at all          
reasonable to conclude1 that  because a 
woman is the mother of many children1   
she is an expert in the  matter of      
washing and dressing the new-born1 or of
 relieving the various  ailments        
incident upon child-bearing4            
,,chapter ,,iii4                        
,,preparations ,,for ,,confinement4     
,when a woman is expected to be sick1 if
 a physician has not been engaged  as   
one should have been1 no time should be 

lost in seeking quietly to  notify one4 
,it is just as important that a doctor  
should be in  attendance before the     
birth of a poor woman's child as that he
 should be  present before the birth of 
the child of wealth4 ,and it should be  
considered inhuman in any physician to  
purposely absent him or herself  until  
after the birth of the child4 ,with a   
little benevolence and  perseverance1   
the most humble in life can be provided 
with bedstead and  bedding1 upon which  
should be fixed securely pads of cotton 
batting1 or  woollen cloths4 ,also there
 should be provided clean apparel for a 
change  of under-garments1 should such  
change be needful4 ,the chemise and gown
  should be well taken up so as to be   
kept dry2 as wet or soiled bedding  or  
apparel in time of labor is a frequent  
cause of severe chills4 ,for  the same  
reason1 should instruments or vessels be
 warmed before  inserting1 in the case  
of instrumental labors4 ,the surrounding
  atmosphere should be comfortable1     

never too warm or too cold4 ,when there 
is no physician present1 and a child is 
so fortunate as to 8born  itself10      
surely some one can be found to assist  
it to survive the task4  ,after         
cautiously looking under cover to see   
that the infant's face is  clear from   
contact of any parts or particles1      
patience will aid in  determining how   
best to complete a well-begun job4      
,,born ,,with ,a ,,caul4    ,it is no   
uncommon thing1 in hasty labor1 for the 
bag of water to break  and remain close 
around the face and neck of the child4  
,this is done by  the quick1 rolling    
motion in coming into the world4 ,the   
force of the  descent breaks the thin   
skin or bag1 and the same force packs   
the face  into it2 so that it remains   
over the face1 partly around the neck1  
and  sometimes over the head as well4   
,were it not removed1 the child must    
suffocate4 ,this circumstance at a birth
 has given rise to the sayings1  8,born 
with a caul10 8,born with a veil10 etc4 

,the proper way to remove  this bag or  
membrane is1 from over the head down1 as
 lifting it may pull  open the eyes2    
thereby bringing the eyeball in contact 
with the fluid or  the chalk-like       
substance1 thus laying the foundation   
for sore eyes4  ,after twenty minutes or
 more1 beating having ceased in the     
cord1--which  may be known by pressing  
closely between the fingers that part   
nearest  the belly of the child1--it    
should be tied by means of a flat knot1 
with  lamp wicking1 or many strands of  
white spool cotton1 about a finger's    
length from the belly4 ,in case of      
twins1 there should be a second tie  the
 same length from the first1 and the    
cord cut between the two ties4  ,there  
have been times when women depended     
largely upon each other1 in  their      
helpless hours of confinement2 it may be
 so again1 but with a far  greater      
chance of successful results4           
,,chapter ,,iv4                  ,,the  
,,better ,,mode ,,of ,,washing ,,the    

,,new-,,born4      ,washing is the name 
given to the old method4 ,cleansing is  
the proper one  for the new4    ,how to 
proceed3 ,a soft1 white1 all-wool       
blanket1 about two yards square1  should
 be always in readiness when a birth is 
expected4 ,not necessarily  new1 but    
pure1 never having been used about fever
 patients1 or about the  dead4 ,a       
metallic slop-pail with cover1 that all 
secundine particles may  be put out of  
sight2 the same serving as a vessel for 
the woman to sit  over4 ,as soon as the 
babe is freed from the mother1 it should
 be wrapped  in the blanket and laid    
aside in a comfortable place4 ,after the
 mother's  safety is assured of1 prepare
 thus to clean and dress the babe3      
,secure a  comfortable position1 with   
plenty of light and ventilation1 as far 
from  the confinement bed as possible4  
,have a stand or covered chair1 upon    
which to place the half of a small      
teacupful of fresh hog's lard or  sweet 
oil4 ,if in a cold room1 warm the grease

 by setting the cup in hot  water for a 
few minutes4 ,have a piece of soft1     
all-wool flannel1 about  the size of    
your pocket-handkerchief1 another piece 
half as large1 and  two pieces of soft  
linen or cotton about as large as your  
hand4 ,a piece  of lamp wicking or      
several strands of white spool cotton1  
to be used in  re-tying1 in case of     
bleeding from the cut end of the cord4  
,the infant  may then be brought forth1 
held on the lap1 or laid on two chairs4 
,as  many babes have open eyes as soon  
born1 it is best to dip a small piece   
of the soft linen or cotton in the      
grease1 and wipe the inner edges of  the
 lids first of all1 as the drying on of 
the chalky substance or other  matter   
with which the child's face may have had
 contact1 while coming  into the world1 
may1 as ,i have before said1 be the     
first cause of sore  or inflamed eyes4  
,then proceed with the small piece of   
flannel1 well  saturated with oil1 to   
clean the face1 ears1 nose1--avoiding   

the  eyes1--neck1 chest1 under the arms 
and between the fingers4 ,wipe dry with 
the clean1 large piece of flannel4      
,those parts can then be covered with  a
 part of the blanket1 and the lower     
extremities cleaned with care4  ,should 
there be dried blood from the cut end of
 the cord1 moisten with  warm water1 and
 wipe it off4 ,then proceed to clean and
 examine well all  the private parts4   
,when done1 cut a hole in the piece of  
cotton1 linen  or batting1 as it may    
suit1 about the size of your hand1      
through which  slip the cord1 fold it   
closely1 but flat and smooth1 and lay it
 over to  the left side of the belly1   
that it may not intercept the           
circulation of  the liver1 which is     
situated on the right side4 ,then secure
 it with an  all-wool flannel band4 ,the
 band should be made so as to include a 
shirt  with long sleeves4 ,it should    
extend from over the teats down below   
the  hips4 ,there never would be        
swelling of the breasts of infants if   

the  bands were purposely made wide4    
,the natural office of the mamma in     
girl-children1 has been destroyed by    
repeated pressing of the teats with  the
 mistaken purpose of 8getting out the   
milk40 ,narrow bands are  worthless4 ,if
 they shrink they should be pieced out  
or replaced with  new4 ,the band        
securely placed1--a flannel roller1     
plain slip and napkin1  is all that is  
required for the first dressing4 ,it    
often happens that1  after 8washing0 and
 dressing by present methods1 blood     
oozes from the  cut end of the cord4    
,seldom does this happen by the new     
method1--,i should  say1 my method4     
,sometimes the fault is in the manner of
 tying1 or from  imperfection of the    
cord itself4 ,in any case the cord      
should be re-tied1  or the bleeding     
otherwise stopped1 and the infant kept  
warm till medical  aid can be summoned4 
,to return to first dressing3 ,after the
 wraps have  been drawn up over the     
feet1 the head should be thoroughly     

greased and  cleaned1 taking care not to
 press the bones in the least4 ,pressure
 upon  the head at birth may be the     
means of stupidity1 or even idiocy1     
during  life4 ,the baby's mouth should  
then be swabbed out with a clean1 wet   
cloth1 and the little one laid down in  
quiet4 ,babies usually sleep  during the
 procedure1 as does the mother1 she     
waking only to find her  babe by her    
side1 8all warm1 sweet and clean10 and  
8mamma didn't even  hear it cry once40  
,one trial of this method is convincing 
of its  benefits4 ,if soap is used with 
grease1 it acts the same as suds into   
which new cotton cloth is put4 ,no good 
laundress will meet with such an        
accident1 if possible to avoid it4 ,and 
surely no careful nurse will  allow her 
little charge to suffer by having to    
stop and change the  water4 ,moreover1  
in the absence of soap1 there is no     
liability to  chapped skin1 glandular   
sores1 sore eyes1 ears1 and crusty      
scalp4  ,especially should the scalp be 

well cleaned1 and kept so2 as it not    
only  adds to the tidy appearance of the
 child1 but favors an even1 healthy     
growth of the hair bulbs4 ,the          
foundation for a love of cleanliness can
  best be laid in infancy4 ,there are   
many adults who desire good hair1 yet   
do not or will not know that combing the
 hair daily1 and keeping the  scalp     
clean and cool1 promotes a healthy      
growth of the hair4                     
,,chapter ,v4             ,,necessity   
,,of ,,agreeable ,,and ,,soothing       
,,surroundings4      ,no ,bay ,rum1     
perfume1 puff powders or other unnatural
 substances should  be tolerated about  
young infants4 ,but after the patients  
have been made  comfortable1 all soiled 
clothing or slops should be quietly     
removed4 ,all  loud talking or laughing 
should be strictly prohibited4 ,to      
insure this1  no sly jokes should be    
indulged in by any one present2 for by  
so doing  convulsions of an alarming    
nature may be brought on4 ,judging from 

the  actions of some women1 when around 
a confinement bed1 it is not at all     
unlikely that many cases of internal    
convulsions1 both of mother and  child1 
are the results of inward or suppressed 
laughter soon after  delivery1 and      
before the womb has had time to get in  
place1 or when the  babe is nursing4    
,infants should be accustomed to a      
change of apparel as soon as possible4  
,it is an error to suppose that a child 
should be kept hot1 and tucked  down in 
soiled wrappings till after the navel   
drops off4 ,after  twenty-four hours it 
can be wiped with clean warm water1     
close around  the navel4 ,the napkins1  
too1 should be changed and washed out   
just as  often as soiled4 ,also there   
should be clean day wraps and night     
slips in  constant readiness during the 
child's helpless period4 ,heavy or      
wadded  coverlets should be discarded1  
even in the coldest weather1 for the    
reason that they are heavier than       
woollen1 retain the moisture from       

breaths1 are not so easily washed as    
woollen blankets1 nor are they so  warm4
 ,the science of our nature teaches us  
that woollen is the best  covering      
during the hours of sleep4 ,for         
instance1 the pores of our skin  permit 
the escape of all gases not necessary   
for the renewal of the  tissues of the  
body2 in like manner woollen goods      
permit the odors to  escape from our    
bodies4    ,the face of an infant should
 never be covered when asleep1          
especially  when in the bed with adults2
 it induces lung difficulties4 ,the     
blood  must pass through the heart and  
lungs1 uninterrupted1 day and night1 in 
order to supply all parts of the body4  
,the hours for sleep are intended  for  
the repair of worn material1 while at   
the same time the useless  matter is    
passing off in breath or perspiration4  
,i believe that all  infants should be  
supplied with a light covering for the  
head day and  night1 until the hair     
grows out4 ,the old style lace cap1 for 

instance1  deserves a conspicuous place 
among the relics of health preservers4  
,later on1 the hair becomes the only    
proper covering for the head day or     
night4 ,by all means1 a child should be 
closely watched1 and its wraps  changed 
and adapted to atmospherical changes4   
,if infants are too tightly  wrapped1 or
 are allowed to get too hot1 they       
generally make it known by  writhing or 
whining in their sleep4    ,by using oil
 in the first cleaning the temperature  
of the child's body  is not much        
changed4 ,i do not propose to describe  
any of the abnormal  liabilities of the 
cord circulation1 that might require the
 use of hot  or cold water1 in order to 
save life4 ,as medical advice should be 
sought  in all doubtful or unnatural    
cases1 the unnatural can only be known  
by  close attention to the appearance of
 the natural4                           
,,chapter ,,vi4                         
,,nursing ,,from ,,the ,,breast ,,made  
,,easy4      ,after the lapse of two or 

three hours1 the mother is likely to    
feel  concerned for her child2 but1     
should both incline to be quiet1 neither
  should be awakened for the purpose of 
nursing4 ,too early an attempt to  put  
the child to the breast is frequently   
the cause of much unnecessary  pain to  
the mother4 ,before a child is put to   
the breast1 all soiled  linen must be   
removed from the mother1 the face1 neck1
 breasts1 hands1  and under the arms    
well wiped with a cloth wrung out of    
warm water1 then  covered with a clean  
flannel chemise open at the nipple4 ,bay
 ,rum may be  added to the water if     
required4 ,the private parts should be  
well wiped  under cover1 greased with   
lard1 and covered with a large1 warm    
napkin1  after which a wide bandage     
should be buttoned on4 ,the babe will   
not  suffer by waiting4 ,the greater    
number of women afford milk enough in a 
few hours to supply the needs of their  
young4 ,the exceptions being  either    
from some malformation or a watery      

condition of the blood4 ,when  the milk 
pores are free1 the child can obtain    
enough to satisfy it in a  short time4  
,if1 on the contrary1 the glands are    
hard or unbroken1 as  they most always  
are in case of a first child1 it becomes
 the  indispensable duty of the nurse to
 soften the glands1 and start the milk  
running2 as it is impossible for the    
babe to do it by a few draws with  its  
tongue4 ,the glands may be softened by  
the following means3 ,besmear  the hands
 with warm goose or olive oil1 and      
anoint the breasts slowly  and evenly   
from under the arms down to the nipple1 
until the glands  soften and the milk   
begins to flow2 after which nipple cups 
should be  kept on in the intervals of  
nursing4 ,chapped or bleeding nipples   
may be  cured by frequent sponging off  
with warm salt water4 ,if through       
neglect  an abscess gets ahead1 it      
should be encouraged to suppurate in one
 spot1  by the application of warm      
poultices of flaxseed meal1 salt1 hops1 

or  honey and flour1 and when ripe      
opened with the lancet2 the babe        
continuing to suck through the          
artificial teat4    ,those manufactured 
by ,robert ,r4 ,kent are invaluable4    
,if1 after the milk has appeared1 the   
glands harden and the milk veins  become
 knotty and painful1 ,i also make use of
 the following means to  relieve        
quickly3 ,steep half an ounce of ,indian
 ,posy1 or ,life ,everlasting  herb1 in 
a pint of water4 ,oil the hands1 and    
bathe in the same way ,i  have          
described1 with the decoction as hot as 
can be borne1 the patient  being in an  
easy1 half sitting posture4 ,in the     
intervals of rest1 she  should drink a  
teacupful quite hot1 with or without    
sugar4 ,when the  tumor is considerably 
advanced1 the process of breaking it up 
is often  very painful1 and may even    
cause fainting2 but relief is sure if   
the  work is patiently performed and    
courageously endured4 ,the pain of that 
is light compared to the torture1 for   

weeks together1 of abscesses4 ,the  herb
 has no more specific action than that  
of relaxing the system  through the aid 
of the absorbents or sweat glands4 ,it  
relaxes the skin1  and is safe to drink 
as a diet to increase the flow of milk4 
,a child may  be born perfectly healthy1
 yet even for days be slow to take hold 
of the  nipple2 whereas many seize hold 
at once4 ,the friends fret and declare  
the babe is starving1 if it does not    
desire to suck4 ,if they could only     
read the meaning in those little eyes as
 they open and shut1 they would  know   
the secret--rest1 simply rest1          
preparatory to the task4 ,many young    
mothers have no prominence to the       
nipple1 so that neglect on the part of  
the nurse may cause such to lose the    
benefits of suckling4 ,a friendly  adult
 or child could soon draw out the nipple
 by sucking so that the  babe can get   
hold2 after which the nipple cups should
 be kept in  constant use1 till the babe
 is strong enough to keep the glands    

soft1  and the nipple pliable4 ,usually1
 at this juncture1 all sorts of teas are
  suggested3 molasses water1 milk and   
sugar and water2 and should the  child  
dare to cry1 after the plentiful        
administration of one or all  these     
teas1 up steps an experienced old       
friend1 or grandma1 who declares  that  
it must have 8catnip tea40 ,so the      
world-renowned catnip tea is            
authoritatively given1 while are related
 the many cases in which the  drug was  
known to have cured wind colic1 and how 
it quiets and fattens  generally4 ,only 
when the child belches1 and refuses to  
let any more go  down its throat1 does  
the pouring in cease4 ,and even this is 
sometimes  taken as an indication that  
the babe is full1 and needs to be       
trotted to  make room for more4 ,some   
babes are eager to suck at birth1 even  
seizing  hold of the sponge as it passes
 the mouth in washing the face4 ,if     
babes  are not fed just when they fret  
and whine1 some knowing ones say they   

8suck wind40 ,well1 is it not natural   
that they should suck wind1 since  they 
are in the world8 ,if they are allowed  
to lie quietly for a few  hours1 and are
 then given a few drops of sweet cream  
or milk1 without  sugar1 they will give 
scarcely any trouble1 and in due time   
nature will  furnish strength to obtain 
with ease the amount of nourishment     
suitable  to the delicate organs of     
digestion4 ,it frequently happens that a
 babe  has a rattling or wheezing noise 
in its throat1 or air-tubes2 in such    
cases1 a feather has usually been       
recommended with which to tickle the    
back part of the tongue4 ,i always wet  
the feather1 to lay the down4 ,the      
tickling excites a coughing or gagging1 
which dislodges the phlegm1 so  that it 
can be hooked out with the finger4      
,there are reasons for  suspecting that 
many new-born infants have strangled to 
death from this  cause4 ,i do not mean  
to cast any reflections when ,i say that
 a physician  is not likely to be       

informed of the fact1 until it is too   
late to remove  the difficulty4 ,and as 
the wheezing may assume the same sound  
as that of  catarrh1 cold in the        
air-tubes1 bronchitis or croup1 the real
 cause may  be lost sight of4           
,promptness is all that is required when
 any such  trouble presents4 ,the fumes 
of tobacco1 whiskey1 smoking lamps or   
stoves1--also wetting the nipple with   
spittle when eating snuff1 each of      
these may not only be disagreeable to a 
young infant1 but may sicken it  and    
cause instant death4 ,it is true1       
however1 that many children have        
survived all of these disadvantages1 but
 who can tell how much has been  taken  
from their health1 and length of days4  
,infants should be nursed  frequently at
 first1 to give them a good start2 they 
seldom suck more  than they need4 ,but  
from the beginning they should be fed1  
then laid  down4 ,as they grow older    
they will nurse well1 and expect to lie 
down  afterwards4 ,early and regular    

habits of nursing prevent the liability 
to  mammary abscesses1 ovarian or       
uterine tumors4 ,hence1 suckling a child
 as  soon as convenient after birth1 not
 only serves to quicken the vitality  of
 the new being by cleansing the bowels  
and supplying new blood1 but it  also   
serves to clear out the system of the   
mother4                                 
,,chapter ,,vii4           ,,the        
,,uselessness ,,of 8,,baby ,,medicines0 
,,during ,,the ,,month4      ,probably  
the greatest amount of mischief arising 
from the administration  of 8baby teas10
 lies in the fact that they are not     
given with the least  certainty as to   
their effect upon the system of the     
child1 whether to  nourish the blood or 
physic the bowels4 ,let us take catnip3 
this is a  herb described in some books 
as being a mild laxative1 good to work  
off  cold on the chest and bowels of    
infants2 a sweat-promoter4 ,about a     
dozen  years ago a neighbor of one of my
 patients1 thinking it for the best1    

gave catnip tea to her three-days'-old  
son4 ,i was hastily summoned1 and  on   
arriving in the room where everything a 
few hours before was so  tranquil1 ,i   
suspected that catnip tea had been      
around4 ,of course no one  would own up 
until1 after ,i had staid by the little 
victim fifteen hours  without sleep1    
finally succeeding in checking the      
frequent green  discharges and thus     
saving the child's life1--shame caused  
the disclosure  of the cause of the     
mischief4 ,the tea had not been given   
for food1 as  the mother had a full     
supply2 but as the babe was moving      
about1 it was  thought that a little    
catnip tea would make it sleep4 ,a lady 
told me  with great dignity that her    
children ate homopathic pills when they 
wished4 8,why10 said she1 8my children  
fatten on them40    ,i saw that she did 
not know the secret of the 8fattening40 
,another said1  8,why1 my ,james eats   
castor-oil on bread40 ,now we are aware 
that there  are very many articles used 

as food that can be prepared and        
combined so  as to act in place of      
medicine in certain cases2 but as a     
general thing  medicine will not answer 
to nourish the body in place of food4   
,according  to the mechanism of man1    
there are three stages in his life for  
which  due preparation is made1 before  
he comes into existence1 to wit3 the    
breasts' milk for infancy1 the teeth1   
with which to eat solid food1 and       
medicine1 to heal when sick4 ,as to     
catnip producing sleep1 ,i cannot  agree
 with old ladies in general2 but ,i do  
know of a truth that if a  child is     
dosed with it in early infancy1 the     
effect is to loosen the  bowels2 the    
fatigue from this over-distension of the
 stomach causes  sleep4 ,babes should   
move about if they have life enough in  
them2 they  should1 by no means1 be     
stupefied4 ,the first milk from the     
breast is the  only medicine needed2    
when other mixtures are poured into the 
child's  stomach1 as teas sweetened with

 sugar1 honey1 molasses1 either of which
  is laxative1 the danger is greatly    
augmented1 especially if given before   
the bowels have moved at all4 ,the      
custom of old-fashioned people1 as  they
 style themselves1 of giving new-born   
babes castor-oil and molasses1  or soot 
tea 7for that irrepressible belly-ache71
 and urine and molasses1  to clean them 
out1 is1 though with reluctance1 fast   
dying out4 ,it would  be well to notice 
that children who are dosed during      
infancy for every  supposed ill are     
seldom robust4 ,they become physically  
stunted1 and  their peevish habits exact
 for them all sorts of over-indulgence4 
,more  food for the blood1 and less     
medicine1 should be the motto4 ,let us  
follow the tide of progression4 ,there  
are no uniform rules by which  infants  
are to have a discharge at birth1 either
 from the bowels or  bladder4           
,therefore1 no efforts to induce such   
should be used until  necessity demands 
it4 ,it is no uncommon thing for infants

 to pass large  quantities from the     
bowels1 just as they are entering the   
world2 a  circumstance not likely to be 
noticed by those unaccustomed to all the
  incidents of childbirth4 ,it is always
 safe to await the action of the  first 
food1 whether from the breast or        
artificial2 and if it be but a  few     
drops well digested1 there need be no   
fear but that the napkins will  be      
soiled as fast as desired4 ,if such     
result does not follow1 after  waiting  
two or three days1 a flannel cloth      
folded1 and wrung out of hot  water1    
laid first on your cheek1 then on the   
child's belly1 and that  covered with   
dry flannel1 will1 with perseverance1   
bring about the  desired result4        
,sometimes an infant passes large       
quantities of the dark  matter          
immediately after the fatigue of washing
 and dressing 7old  style72 then it may 
pass no more for two or three days1 or  
until time  has been given for matter to
 accumulate4 ,if the organs of the child

 are  all right1 all will be well4 ,but 
should doubts arise as to the best      
course to take1 surely medical advice   
only needs the seeking4 ,it was         
formerly the custom1 and is now to a    
great extent with old nurses1 to  give  
later in the month--certainly before    
their month was up1 as all teas  and    
charms had to be given before they      
left--saffron tea4 ,i have seen  them   
sit by a hot stove and feed infants with
 saffron tea more patiently  than they  
would like it given to them4 ,i once    
asked a high-priced nurse  why she gave 
saffron tea4 ,i was kindly1 though      
decidedly1 informed that  it was to     
8push the gums40 ,i was none the wiser  
by asking4 ,i afterward  learned from   
the child's older sister that the doctor
 said the baby had  the jaundice4 ,well 
it might have the jaundice1 kept in a   
room with a  temperature of #hj degrees1
 with two adult persons night and day1  
and fed  on saffron tea4 ,now the       
crocus1 or saffron1 sometimes grown in  

our  gardens1 is described as possessing
 sweating properties1 being good to     
promote eruptions of the skin in fevers1
 and good in fits4 ,yet thousands  of   
infants1 no doubt1 have been forced to  
swallow saffron tea1 who have  not given
 the slightest evidence of any unnatural
 complaint4 ,no  paregoric1 laudanum1 or
 other preparations containing opium1   
should ever  be given to an infant for  
the purpose of quieting or making it    
sleep4  ,sleep-producers serve only to  
bind the bowels and stupefy the senses4 
,carminatives--medicines that expel     
wind--such as caraway1 fennel1 anise1   
cardamon1 mints and the like1 should    
never be given unless prescribed by     
those competent to vouch for their      
effect4    ,it is becoming a widespread 
custom to send a little girl or boy to a
  druggist's to purchase some advertised
 baby medicine or food4 ,the patent     
cough syrups1 or those kept on hand in  
shops1 ,i deem unsafe in the hands  of  
the inexperienced4 ,most1 if not all of 

them1 contain some  sleep-producing     
ingredient1 whereby they may check a    
cough by  paralyzing1 as it were1 the   
little nerves of sensation in the       
air-tubes2  thus giving opportunity for 
the phlegm to collect in great          
quantities1  with no possible way of    
escape4 ,doubtless in this way          
suffocation is  frequently induced1 in  
whooping-cough1 bronchitis1 or croup4   
,several years ago1 in the city of      
,boston1 a mother returned from work1   
and found her baby1 which she had left  
alone1 a corpse4 ,her explanation1  as  
it appeared in the daily papers1 was to 
the effect that she had given  the child
 the rinsings of the vial that contained
 laudanum1 to keep it  quiet4    ,people
 are getting much wiser nowadays2       
laudanum and paregoric cannot be  easily
 obtained without a recipe4 ,but they   
can yet buy and give large  doses of    
8,patent ,soothing ,syrups40    ,in all 
cases of difficult breathing or signs of
 croup1 with or without  hot skin1 a    

soft flannel cloth should be wrung out  
of hot water1 and  laid over the entire 
chest1 close up under the chin and ears2
 and if the  bowels are bound1 it may   
extend to the belly1 the whole being    
covered  with a dry1 warm flannel4 ,by  
this means the force of a cold can be   
broken1 the breathing relieved1 and in a
 majority of cases it is all  that is   
required to be done4 ,even in severe    
cases of lung fever1 warm  water        
applications are invaluable2 acting as  
an absorbent through the  medium of the 
pores of the skin4 ,if a paste of       
flaxseed meal is used1 it  should be    
applied in the same way4 ,if the        
applications are to be warm1  they      
should be kept warm1 and if they are to 
be cold1 should be kept  cold1 until    
relief is obtained4    ,i may have      
digressed somewhat1 as pneumonia seldom 
develops in the first  month of infancy4
 ,at all events1 external applications  
are in place till  medical aid is       
secured4 ,i do not wish to be understood

 as usurping the  power of other        
physicians2 each has his or her own     
method of procedure4    ,i merely wish  
to impress the domestic and common sense
 means1 to be used  in cases of         
emergency4    ,the old custom of giving 
infants 8a little weak toddy0 to 8bring 
up the  wind and make them sleep10      
should henceforth and forever be removed
 from  the midst of a more enlightened  
people4 ,if it is given weak the effect 
is to intoxicate at first1 and then     
produce sleep2 which may be followed  by
 a fearful attack of purging4 ,if given 
strong1 it may induce  constipation and 
dry colic1 the very thing it is intended
 to relieve4  ,such a course may also   
have inculcated a desire for tippling in
 many of  our weak-minded youth4        
,castor-oil is a well-known sickening   
purgative1  and it does seem to be a    
wonderful interposition of ,providence  
alone1  that so many thousand infants   
have survived the compulsory dosing with
  this drug4 ,but a few years ago a     

lady1 aged about sixty-five1 came to    
her end from severe diarrha1 brought on1
 as she testified1 by taking a          
8store-bottle of castor-oil at a dose40 
,mothers and nurses should strive to    
become familiar with all articles of    
diet2 also with the properties and      
medical uses of all drugs and  minerals1
 and their action upon the animal       
economy4                                
,,chapter ,,viii4                       
,,dropping ,,of ,,the ,,navel ,,cord4   
,it would more than pay me1 if in this  
section ,i could say aught that  would  
effect the removal of the anxiety       
generally shown concerning the  healing 
of the navel4    ,there is a late custom
 recommended by some physician1 that of 
soaking of  the lint1 to apply clean    
each day4 ,this1 in my judgment1 is     
risking too  much1 unless it be with the
 guidance of an experienced person4 ,i  
deem it  much safer to wipe close around
 the wound daily2 then on the third day 
slip a clean piece of soft cotton or    

linen beneath and around the soiled     
pad2 as about this time the cord1 unless
 very thick1 is dry and will  soon drop 
off1 leaving the clean pad as a         
protecting ring around the  navel4 ,the 
navel should then be looked after each  
day until healed4 ,but  it is an error  
to suppose that the navel should be     
healed in any certain  number of days4  
,the usual time is from five to seven   
days2 but ,i have  known many to drop on
 the third day1 and more to remain      
unhealed till  after the twelfth or     
fourteenth day4 ,in the former case the 
cords were  very small2 in the latter   
they were very large and strong4        
,many years ago1 ,i learned of an       
accident that occurred to a midwife of  
much usefulness3 ,because the cord      
remained eight days1 she cut what she   
supposed was a piece of thread2 in      
consequence of which the child bled  to 
death4 ,it would be well to state here  
that keeping the babe too hot  retards  
the drying of the umbilical vessels4    

,ordinarily the healing of  the navel is
 simple and natural1 and it should never
 be tampered with4  ,should unnatural   
growths appear1 any regular physician   
can detect the  cause1 and direct the   
cure at once4 ,far more accidents occur 
by the  reluctance of friends around to 
call medical aid in time1 than from the 
cause itself4 ,selfish prudence is too  
often allowed to come between duty  and 
human life4    ,if at any time a white  
fluid should be discharged from the     
vagina1 or  private parts1 of a girl    
child1 it should be washed away as often
 as  seen1 and the parts washed out with
 a solution of common salt ,i have  seen
 mothers become greatly frightened at   
this common occurrence4  ,cleanliness   
and perseverance will remove the        
trouble4 ,if families would  make it a  
rule to have a thermometer in the       
nursery or the  sleeping-room1 by which 
to regulate the temperature of the body1
 many of  these baby-ills would be      
banished from our midst4 ,the nervous   

system of  babes deserves a large share 
of our sympathy4 ,but if one were to    
judge  from the treatment they sometimes
 undergo1 it might be inferred that1    
like dolls1 infants have no nerves or   
rights which men are bound to  respect4 
,children of the same family differ     
much4 ,one may be sprightly1  making    
frequent music by crying2 the other may 
be comparatively docile4  ,and if a     
child is quiet and does not cry1 or act 
silly1 it is called  stupid1 and        
everything is done to arouse its ire4   
,children cry for pastime2 so they      
should4 ,it develops the lungs and      
relieves the air-tubes of any           
collections of phlegm4 ,besides1 it     
causes  them to be noticed by some one  
who might forget their existence4 ,there
  cannot be any comfort in being rocked1
 tossed1 shook and kissed1 and  that1   
too1 without any regard to the odor of  
the breath4 ,it is decidedly  injurious 
to wake babes from a quiet sleep1 or    
even to excite their  attention while   

lying quiet4 ,mothers should early learn
 to listen and  become familiar with the
 different tones produced in the cries  
even of  the same child4 ,listening     
should be cultivated more2 then the     
possibility of making a crying baby more
 noisy1 by shocking it with  additional 
noises1 will need no more explanation4  
8,oh10 says one1 8they  get used to it  
and look for it40 ,true1--bred1 born1   
aye and raised in  excitement2 never can
 hear or understand anything but noise1 
noise1  noise4    ,currents of cold air 
from a window or door should not be     
permitted to  pass over the exposed body
 of infants2 as1 by so doing1 the sudden
  change may1 like electricity1 direct  
the irritation to some vital organ4  ,it
 is considered much safer1 when the     
weather permits1 to put on  suitable    
wraps and take them in the open air4    
,the most trouble arises  from keeping  
the infant too warm from birth4         
,hot-house plants rarely  endure the    
changes of the open air1 until it       

becomes equal to what they  have been   
used to4                                
,,chapter ,,ix4                         
,,artificial ,,nursing4      ,should the
 mother afford no milk by reason of     
malformation1 or  otherwise1 the child  
should be accustomed to the most        
healthful kind of  food from the first4 
,milk from one animal should be sought4 
,animals that  are fed on corn1 hay and 
fodder1 make the best milk in winter2   
those fed  on clover and cured hay1 the 
best in summer4 ,the milk of animals fed
  mostly on turnips1 cabbages1 and      
potatoes1 is more apt to disagree with  
the stomach4    ,the goat furnishes an  
even diet for infants1 but its milk is  
not so easy  to obtain in large cities4 
,milk should be given to a child in its 
purity1 not deprived of the cream  or   
watered4 ,watering is equal to skimming1
 and vice versa4 ,and when  the child   
has never known the taste of its        
mother's milk1 ,i can see no  philosophy
 in directing the milk to be watered and

 sweetened to make it  taste like       
breast-milk4    ,all attempts to        
increase the quantity of babes' food by 
watering are  indeed robbery1 as relates
 to the infants2 such weakening should  
only be  practised for special reasons4 
,but to insure success1 pure milk1 or   
cream with some water1 should be the    
rule1 not the exception4    ,in a warm  
atmosphere the milk or cream should be  
made scalding hot by  setting it in a   
vessel of boiling water1 and stirring it
 the while4  ,boiling deprives it of the
 cream and other nutritive properties4  
,there  should be no more warmed than is
 to be used up4 ,the warming should be  
by  putting the milk in the bottle1 then
 placing the latter in hot water a  few 
minutes4 ,in this way the quality and   
temperature of the drink  remains       
uniform4 ,the capacity of the bottle    
selected should be about one  ounce4    
,the material of which the black elastic
 nipple is composed1 is  not supposed to
 injure the mouth4 ,no sugar should be  

added4    ,babes have been raised to a  
fine size on various kinds of porridge2 
and  they can be supported by putting a 
piece of clean linen into the shape  of 
a teat1 fastening a soft string about it
 so that it may be held by  the nurse or
 any one1 while food is poured into it  
from a spoon4 ,many  are the times that 
,i have fed them in that way4 ,i never  
thought of  laying them down to feed    
themselves4    ,milk may be used just as
 it comes from the animal2 it is only in
 cases  where it is kept on hand for a  
day that it really need be scalded4     
,so much emphasis has been put upon the 
necessity of water as a  constituent of 
baby diet1 that it is almost venturing  
too far to remind  any of the fact that 
most milk dealers are careful that this 
constituent  shall be already supplied4 
,formerly1 dropsical1 emaciated1        
half-starved1 fretful babes were very   
numerous2 but since1 of late1 judicious 
legislation has been brought to  bear on
 the matter of adulterating milk1 things

 have changed4    ,henceforth we may    
hope to hear that infantile deaths from 
this probable  cause decrease annually4 
,with meagre feeding a 8bouncing fat    
boy0 will soon present the  appearance  
of a wrinkled old man4 ,and1 too1 the   
condition in which food  is presented to
 a child is equally as important as the 
quality and  quantity4 ,it is impossible
 to rule the stomach of another2 a      
spunky  child will resent the attempt   
some way1 and at some time1 even though 
it  be after the injury is irreparable4 
,a uniformity in heating the milk or    
food of any kind is very important4 ,hot
 things should never enter a  babe's    
mouth4 ,if milk is in the least sour1 it
 is running a great risk  to try to     
sweeten it by adding soda1 as some      
persons do1 for  convenience4    ,the   
coarse habit of 8stuffing0 babes1 to    
avoid frequent feeding of them1  should 
vanish like dew before the noonday sun2 
as it probably will1  under the         
management of educated mothers and      

nurses4 ,the old-fashioned  way of      
compelling babes to suck a 8sugar teat0 
or a piece of fat meat  rind for hours  
together to keep them quiet1 is         
cheating1 to say the  least4 ,our       
domestic fowls will eat meal1 grain and 
vegetables when they  can get them4 ,and
 if all supply of food is cut off1 they 
may be seen to  pick1 pick1 day after   
day2 this they will do if the ground is 
frozen and  bare4 ,but are they getting 
food8 ,nay1 they are only tasting1      
smelling1  and hunting for food4        
,sucking a sugar teat or meat rind1 like
 gum-chewing1 tends to undermine  the   
natural vigor of the mind1 by a waste of
 the fluids that are  intended to       
prepare the food for making pure blood4 
,a child can just as kindly be fed1     
changed1 and laid quietly to rest2 it   
does not need patting or rocking4       
,baby raising is made irksome by adults 
themselves4 ,the feeding and  putting to
 sleep should be superintended by some  
competent person1 as by  intrusting it  

to children1 or even young girls1 the   
feeding may be  imperfect4 ,many        
children scream with fright at the noise
 created to get  them to sleep4         
,canned or otherwise prepared baby-food 
is quite uncertain1 unless1 in  the case
 of canned milk1 particular pains is    
taken to have the water  hot1 and the   
mass well dissolved2 a large part will  
remain at the bottom  of the vessel4    
,again1 as there is more than one brand 
of this article1  it is hard to find out
 which is the purest1 as all are        
advertised to be  the best4 ,of course  
the largest firm will have the largest  
sales4 ,then  the price is not so       
convenient at all times1 rather         
encouraging the  habit of rinsing the   
can2 while all infants' food should be  
prepared  fresh when wanted4    ,some   
babes spit up their food from the first1
 but there is nothing  alarming about   
that4 ,should what is spit up smell     
sour1 and appear  undigested1 small     
doses of pulverized magnesia--say about 

as much as will  lay on a five-cent     
silver piece--will correct it1 while any
 known cause  should be removed at once4
 ,in case of purging in early infancy1  
it is a  mistake not to stop it as soon 
as possible4 ,it is always safe1 after  
removing the cause1 to quiet the motion 
of the bowels2 a thing which can  be    
done only by proper scientific means1   
that no one should fail to  secure4     
,,chapter ,x4                           
,,the ,,milk ,,fever4      ,very many   
women have milk in the breasts before   
the birth of a child4  ,others do not   
have any for some days after            
confinement1 yet may appear             
comfortable4 ,it is no uncommon thing   
for them to forget that they have       
another very important task to          
perform1--that of preparing healthy     
meals  for the offspring4 ,if1 at this  
time1 company is allowed1 talking and   
laughing indulged in1 the symptoms of   
the coming milk may be greatly          
augmented2 so that what might have been 

a slight chill1 headaches or  fever may 
become so severe as to require prompt   
medical aid4 ,indeed  diarrha1          
convulsions1 or even insanity may be    
brought on through the  means of any    
excitement whatever1 between the birth  
of the child and the  establishment of  
the milk4    ,giving castor-oil or other
 nauseous drugs 7as has been1 and to a  
great  extent is now1 the custom7 is    
quite risky1 even when prescribed by a  
physician2 as many women are of such a  
costive habit1 that it requires a  very 
large dose to move the bowels4 ,i       
repeat1 it is risking too much1  when   
given in the ordinary ways1 for both    
mother and child4 ,on the part  of the  
mother1 an overdose may cause excessive 
purging and consequent  weakness4 ,on   
the part of the child1 should it be     
nursing while the  physicking is going  
on1 the result may be griping and       
purging1 ending  its life in a few      
hours4 ,every means should be resorted  
to to move the  bowels1 where such      

relief is really needful1 before        
administering  physic4    ,many women   
have a large passage during the delivery
 of the child2 and  therefore need not  
be disturbed about that matter for days1
 or even a  week1 all other things being
 favorable4 ,for it should be borne in  
mind  that the internal organs are1 in a
 measure1 paralyzed by the              
interruptions of nature during labor1   
and that time is needed to rest  the    
nerves and bring things in proper order4
 ,headache1 so commonly  complained of  
after delivery1 is more from exhaustion 
of the nervous  system than from        
constipation4 ,for this reason should   
extreme quiet be  observed for about    
nine days4 ,when physic must inevitably 
be given  during the coming of the milk1
 it is decidedly best to keep the babe  
from the breast until it is all through 
with4    ,but1 as a general thing1 other
 means will answer2 such as wringing a  
cloth out of hot water and applying over
 the abdomen1 or belly1 rubbing  down   

and across the back and loins1 giving   
large drinks of hot water  without      
sugar1 keeping the body warm and moist  
for a while1 but never an  injection    
unless directed by a practitioner4    ,i
 would suggest that a few dollars paid  
to a physician for a half-dozen  extra  
visits during the first weeks of        
confinement1 might prevent months  and  
years of gloom in many families4 ,again1
 there are many women that  take        
suddenly ill with vomiting and purging  
about the time for the milk  to appear4 
,the violence with which this trouble   
progresses1 and the  depressing         
consequences by which it is             
characterized1 have indeed caused  it to
 be termed 8child-bed cholera02 and     
although it may arise from a  previously
 disordered liver or stomach1 it seldom 
happens unless there  has been          
indulgence in suppressed laughing1      
inhaling peculiar odors1  over-eating or
 drinking4 ,although the coming of the  
milk is most  commonly ushered in with  

some degree of chill or fever1 there are
 as  many1 no doubt1 who experience no  
change whatever1 it being so slight4    
,hence it probably would be best if the 
term 8milk fever0 were never used  until
 really apparent4 ,if1 after lactation  
has become perfect1 it should  go and   
come1 means should be at once resorted  
to insure its continuance4  ,wine1 ale  
or beer are not advisable for this      
purpose4 ,they may surely  lead to the  
habit of moderate intemperance1 while   
their benefits are  only temporary4     
,pure blood is the basis for pure milk1 
therefore  nutritive articles of diet   
are of more permanent use4    ,it is    
well to bear in mind that a scarcity of 
milk during the month  should never be  
taken as an excuse for refusing to nurse
 the child2 for  if it can get but a    
spoonful a day1 it greatly encourages   
the chance for  increasing it4 ,the     
mother's milk is the fountain of life to
 the babe1  and therefore seldom dries  
up unless there be some unnatural       

obstruction4 ,it has been said by many  
close observers1 that when the  milk    
goes away without some perceptible      
cause1 the child is not to live4        
,what will cause the milk to disappear  
in some women1 will not in others4      
,peculiar odors1 or pungent1 volatile   
applications will completely and        
forever drive the milk from the breasts 
of some women2 and a cessation  of the  
milk is frequently a forerunner of      
consumption of the lungs or  tumors     
about the ovaries4 ,if the nipples crack
 and bleed1 they should be  anointed    
with goose oil1 occasionally cold cream1
 or wet with a solution  of sal ammonia1
 or vinegar and water4 ,this done in the
 intervals of the  babe's sleep1 care   
should be taken to wipe the nipples     
before offering  them to it4 ,when a    
mother gives up to the thought that the 
suckling is  the hardest part to bear1  
and impatiently deprives her infant of  
the  breast1 the pleasures of life must 
be to her of small value4 8,try1 try    

again10 is an adage worth heeding4      
,should there be humor in the blood1 as 
there ofttimes is1 the nipples  will not
 readily heal while the child nurses2 in
 which case it is  advisable to feed the
 child from a bottle and treat the      
mother4 ,after  relief is obtained1 the 
nursing can be resumed4 ,in ordinary    
cases a  poultice made of bruised       
burdock root and elm flour1 together    
with a tea  made by steeping burdock    
root and drinking a pint a day2 keeping 
the  bowels regular1 eating rye and     
,indian bread1 and taking about a half  
teaspoonful of calcined magnesia        
dissolved in water1 once a day1 will    
effect a cure4 ,the poultice should be  
made soft and applied fresh twice  a day
 between two thin cloths4    ,a lady of 
wealth may get discouraged and give her 
babe to the care of  another1 whose babe
 may in consequence have lo be put in   
some  charity-house or otherwise to     
board4 ,her babe may thrive and live2   
while  that of her wet-nurse may soon   

pine away and die4 ,no one can avoid    
distressing others unless he strives1 to
 the best of his ability1 to  bear his  
own burdens4                            
,,chapter ,,xi4           ,,precautions 
,,after ,,the ,,month4--,,proper ,,and  
,,improper ,,diet4      ,there are many 
families in moderate circumstances who1 
no doubt1 feel  unable to keep more than
 one fire going during the cold season2 
yet  nevertheless subject themselves and
 children to frequent and severe  colds 
by the sudden change from a hot room to 
a cold sleeping-apartment4  ,this might 
in a great measure be prevented by a    
little extra care to  secure tenements  
with sufficient rooms on one floor4     
,an infant should never be allowed to   
take its regular naps in a hot  kitchen1
 amid steam and dust2 or in an          
ironing-room1 with all of its           
day-clothes on1 beside extra cover1 and 
then be undressed and put to bed  in a  
room that no heat1 not even that of the 
sun1 is allowed to enter4  ,piling on   

heavy comforters renders the breathing  
heavy4 ,no baby's face  should be       
covered while asleep4 ,it is wonderful  
to see how hard some of  these little   
victims struggle to breathe while they  
sleep1 if sleep it  can be called4 ,some
 babes kick off the cover1 and after    
being very warm  get very cold2 to avoid
 which1 soft flannel night-drawers1 made
 so as to  include socks and all1 should
 be used4    ,comfortable sleeping      
apartments without fire are healthy4    
,the lungs of  grown persons break down 
from cause of too much pressure1 much   
more  infants2 yet from all such        
exciting causes the air-tubes may       
escape1 and  the liver1 stomach or      
bowels receive the whole mischief4      
,the sleep of children cannot be        
healthful if their clothes remain pinned
  down beneath and around them1 and1 it 
may be1 tight leather shoes on4         
,besides1 it cultivates untidyness to   
oblige them to submit to such           
management4 ,on the contrary1 every     

effort1 even at the sacrifice of        
personal pleasure1 should be put forth  
to insure that clean1 sweet and         
undisturbed repose so much required1 and
 without which few1 if any1 are         
perfectly developed4    ,when it is     
remembered that from the air we inhale  
come the principles of  life1 and how   
much it is in our power to avoid the    
contact with  injurious particles or    
substances therein contained1 many      
disadvantages  in the matter of rearing 
the babe will disappear4 ,the air they  
breathe  should be as much one way as   
possible2 no sudden gusts of wind should
 be  forced upon them by hoisting a     
window when they are over-warm4         
,children1 of any age1 should not be    
permitted to sleep in the open air1     
unless it might be for a few minutes1   
and where the air is extremely  bland2  
which it seldom is1 on our ,new ,england
 parks and gardens4 ,a  gradual change  
in the matter of bathing1 dressing1     
feeding1 and putting  to sleep should be

 the rule4    ,the mother may at any    
time during lactation communicate cold  
to a child4  ,my first experience in    
this matter was about thirty-five years 
ago1 when  assisting in the care of a   
child that was nursing4 ,the mother     
being very  warm one summer day1 drank  
freely of ice-cold water while the babe 
of  about six months was sucking4 ,she  
had not much more than time to set the  
glass down when the babe was seized with
 rigid convulsions1 and dropped  from   
the breast4 ,the mother became almost   
helpless with fright1 and as  the next  
farm was some distance off1 ,i had to   
use my young brain4  ,therefore1 ,i     
procured a tub with some warm water and 
a little mustard2  it may have been a   
8fearful lot10 but the infant was all   
right when ,i  got through with it4     
,over-work or great fatigue in any way  
should be avoided by women that  suckle 
their children4 ,if obliged to work and 
scrub1 at home or  elsewhere1 they      
should endeavor to keep a strict watch  

over the  condition of that life        
fountain1 the breast-milk4 ,there is no 
known law  preventing carefulness4      
,again1 it is a mistake to indulge in   
drinking beers or other alcoholic  slops
 to prevent the child's nursing cold4   
,early subsistence from the  strength of
 whiskey1 rum1 beers and ales1 like     
tobacco1 tends to stunt  the intellect  
and dwarf the stature of the youth of   
our land4 ,it is much  better to eat    
warm soups1 or such solid food as will  
give permanent  warmth to the blood1 and
 insure a clear character to the being4 
,when it  is a babe's meal-time1 it     
should be served with the most exquisite
 care1  as upon that depends its proper 
growth and length of days4 ,to prove    
this  a fact1 take1 for instance1 an old
 woman or old man upon whom adversity   
may have made some telling marks in     
their younger days1 and whose days      
appear nearly at an end1 and let such be
 well cared for in a neat1  quiet1      
comfortable home2 the chances are they  

will live on in brightness  of hope for 
a number of years4    ,contrary to the  
teachings of some so-called             
missionaries1 ,i believe that  neatness 
in arranging food1 dress1 or whatever   
pertains to order and  pleasantness1 is 
the most essential part of a ,christian 
duty4 ,for surely  if the body is       
cherished as the image of our ,maker1   
the soul-salvation  is a possibility4   
,i alluded in ,chap4 ,,ii4 to putting   
the new-born in a crib4 ,not that ,i    
oppose their lying alone--on the        
contrary1 ,i deem it highly conducive   
both to health and good morals for every
 one1 when at a proper age1 to  sleep   
alone4    ,now since we have noticed to 
some extent how sudden emotions1 as of  
grief1 anger or fright may shock the    
child at the breast through the  agency 
of those little organs called           
nerves1--we will pass on to notice  some
 of the causes of bowel complaints      
arising from the nature of the  food    
eaten by the nurse4 ,probably there is  

no cause more frequently  productive of 
infantile bowel complaints1 both during 
and after the  month1 than that of the  
too early indulgence in a mixed diet4   
,it may be  well to enumerate some of   
the more objectionable articles of diet 
from  the first day of confinement to   
the seventh or ninth month1 or time for 
weaning4 ,of the vegetables1--beans1 dry
 or green1 cabbage1 cooked or raw1      
beets1 turnips1 cucumbers1 green peas1  
dandelions1 spinach and ,carolina       
potatoes4 ,pickles of all kinds4 ,all of
 the finny tribe2 oysters and  lobsters 
being the most dangerous4 ,of the meats1
 fresh pork and veal4 ,of  the desserts1
 egg custards1 pastry1 cheese and       
preserved fruits4 ,of the               
fluids--coffee--unless ordered for      
medicinal purposes--raw milk1 wines1    
ales or beers4 ,as a matter of          
convenience ,i will introduce what in   
reason should constitute the proper diet
 for the same period of time2  the modes
 of preparation being left to those     

acting as nurses4 ,a large  number of   
women detest gruel1 or 8baby-food10 as  
they term it4 ,in this1  many1 no doubt1
 are excusable1 owing to the condition  
in which it may  previously have been   
presented to them2 you can make a horse 
leave his  oats by sprinkling pepper    
over them4 ,but to the point3 ,there are
 about  an equal number who enjoy it1   
and it is always best to try and avoid  
whims and deny one's self in every      
possible manner till after the milk     
flows freely4    ,a woman cannot sink on
 plenty of nice oat1 corn-meal1 or      
flour-gruel1  minute pudding or toast   
panada1 given often in small quantities4
 ,of  course if any article1 however    
well liked1 is made by the gallon1 so to
  speak1 and warmed over and again1 it  
will become to be loathed2 and too      
great quantities taken may cause much   
distress in the stomach4 ,gruels of  all
 kinds should be well mixed with boiling
 water in a clean1 block tin1  covered  
pail2 then set in a clean vessel of     

water to boil1 stirring it  till well   
done4 ,coarse grain porridges should    
always be strained2 as  also should     
broths4    ,for fluids3--,shells1 broma1
 hot milk1 pure or watered to suit1 are 
each  of themselves nourishing4 ,if the 
mother's milk is scant1 a tea made of   
,indian posy or life everlasting1 and   
drunk as table tea1 with milk and       
sugar1 if desirable1 is good to increase
 it4 ,the diet should become  gradually 
solid1 say in the early part of the day 
a broiled lamb chop1  broiled beef1     
liver1 tripe1 sirloin steak1 or broths  
without vegetables4  ,broiled meats     
retain the nutritive principles better  
than when otherwise  cooked4 ,if tea or 
coffee is found to lessen the flow of   
milk1 it may be  inferred that if       
continued1 all of the fluids of the body
 will  materially change4    ,a strict  
adherence to the aforesaid rules would1 
in a great measure1 be  the means of    
preventing cholera of infants at the    
breast1 particularly  in our crowded    

cities4 ,by all means should            
child-bearing women eat more  freely of 
,indian or bran bread4 ,brown bread can 
be made fresh every day  where meals    
have to be prepared4 ,bread1 cakes1 or  
pastries that are  puffed with soda1 or 
whitened1 or colored with any chemical  
substance1  is not good for the health4 
,too much soda thins the blood2 also    
induces  baldness4 ,mothers of former   
days delighted in preparing good bread1 
which is the staff of life4             
,constipation seldom if ever troubles   
those  that use coarse bread1 and avoid 
much salt meat4 ,giving infants just a  
taste of every suspicious article as a  
sort of initiation does not  always     
prove a sure preventive against colic4  
,it is an old custom1 and  was doubtless
 adapted to its times and places1 better
 knowledge1 better  acts4 ,self-denial  
is required of us in the ,holy ,writ as 
the only  alternative1 if we would be   
wise4                                   
,,chapter ,,xii4                        

,,general ,,treatment ,,of ,,infants4   
,children are given to parents only for 
a lifetime2 it may be long1 or it  may  
be very short2 but to array them in fine
 linens1 with bare neck and  arms1 as   
has been and is now to a great extent   
the custom in many  refined communities1
 for public exhibition1 is1 it seems to 
me1 a  questionable act of parental     
affection4 ,yet many do so1 and boast1  
when  otherwise advised1 of their       
ability to toughen4 ,mother1 your child 
may  be only one of a hundred to survive
 such experiments2 ninety-nine may  have
 been relieved by an early death4    ,i 
have looked upon the lifeless form of   
babes whose would-be friends had  failed
 to toughen1 but had succeeded in       
contributing a bud to the garden  of the
 dead1--yea1 shrouded just as they      
dressed them while living4  ,thanks to  
our ,heavenly ,father1 these cruel      
customs are fast declining2  and we may 
hope the day is not far distant when the
 feelings of the  tender infants will be

 better protected1 and their bodies     
covered with  more comfortable material4
 ,we often see1 and are expected to     
admire1 pet  dogs on the streets1       
covered well with cloth1 though supplied
 with  ,nature's garment4 ,should pet   
,carlo die1 his loss is mourned as much 
as  that of many infants2 in hundreds of
 cases1 being borne to the cemetery     
followed by a number of carriages and   
placed in a locality adorned with       
monument and iron fence4    ,too often  
babies are subjected to a variety of    
tortures unawares4 ,they  are expected  
to endure1 and remain perfectly quiet1  
with cold food1 hot  food1 cold air1 hot
 air1 clean clothes1 dirty clothes1 wet 
or dry  clothes1 thin or thick clothes1 
wind1 dust1 light or darkness1 noise or 
quiet1 scolding or caressing1 squeezing1
 jolting and beating2 finally  they     
endure what no man or woman would1 from 
one week to two years old1  or till able
 to speak for deliverance4 ,previous to 
this time they could  only squirm and   

kick and cry1 and then1 being considered
 sick1 would be  forced to take soothing
 drops or castor-oil4 ,but now they can 
tell of  their little trials by some    
8sound word0 or striking sign4    ,one  
part of the clothing of infants should  
not press1 nor be more  thickly folded1 
than the other4 ,bands and straps should
 be made wide and  smooth4 ,the         
belly-band should always be fastened on 
the side4    ,while travelling in       
steam-cars1 coaches1 etc41 infants      
should lie down  as much as possible1 as
 sitting upright and being jostled about
 is  liable to strain or injure for life
 some part of the unfinished spine2     
and1 too1 it may bring on severe        
vomiting and purging4 ,when a journey is
  to be taken over a long route and the 
child is fed from a bottle1 some  more  
solid food should be substituted2 as the
 continual re-warming of  the milk1     
combined with the motion1 renders it    
unfit for nourishment4 ,it  is more     
frequently overfeeding and prolonged    

excitement that causes  children to fret
 so when travelling1 than a want of     
their accustomed  food4 ,a little       
finely-pounded1 newly-corned1 beef1 and 
the compound  ,graham cracker1 is a     
convenient lunch to take on a journey1  
especially  in hot weather4 ,this may be
 considered coarse fare for a babe two  
or  three months old2 but properly      
given1 could it be so injurious as      
keeping them trotting1 feeding on       
sweetened milk and water1 alternating   
with cookies or candies8 which1 as many 
can testify1 is practised daily  on some
 of our routes of travel4    ,as a      
general thing1 if babes are well fed and
 otherwise made comfortable  at every   
convenient interval1 then allowed to lie
 quiet or sleep1 one  will need no      
better company on a long journey4 ,they 
soon get used to  changes if the change 
really is for their comfort4    ,very   
young children have no more control over
 their eyes than they have  over their  
lungs2 and by facing an open window1 as 

they are frequently  allowed to do1     
often get some particle of dust in their
 eyes1 causing  them to sob and fret for
 miles4 ,should they be old enough to   
rub the  eyes1 the loving friend or     
guardian pronounces the cause of the    
suffering sleepiness1 or hunger4 ,then  
comes the old bottle2 if the babe       
doesn't drink from it1 the poor little  
one is rolled and trotted1 and          
sometimes slyly slapped1 as a means of  
subduing the temper of the little  ----4
 ,it will never do to tell what names   
such people call their own dear  flesh  
and blood4    ,fanning is good pastime  
for some women1 but it is no less       
injurious to  themselves than it is to  
infants1 provided they apply it without 
regard  to the condition of the body4   
,when children are too warm their wraps 
should be adapted to the temperature2   
fanning can do more harm in a few       
moments1 than could be repaired in a    
month4    ,a lady1 going visiting with  
her first heir1 was asked to lay off her

  babe's wraps4 8,oh10 said she1 8there 
is no use in putting handsome wraps  on 
baby1 if ,i am to take them off while   
visiting40 ,i may have said quite       
enough to prove that exposing babes to  
the sudden changes of temperature  and  
atmosphere may be productive of a       
variety of stomach and intestinal       
complaints at each season of the year4  
,even when precaution is exercised      
there will be unguarded moments when the
 germ of disease will enter the  system2
 but those moments should be few4 ,i    
have tried to prescribe  preventives as 
,i go along which ,i know can be read   
and put up by almost  any housekeeper1  
whether she has graduated in ,chemistry 
or not4    ,extra caution should be     
exercised with small children in        
midsummer as  school vacations draw     
near1 as then the older children are    
much depended  upon to care for the     
younger4 ,it frequently happens that a  
child who has  been quite thrifty begins
 to fall back about vacation time4      

8,dog-days10 they say1 8give children   
cholera infantum10 when the truth  of   
the matter is1 the accustomed food has  
been reduced both in quantity  and      
quality1 and they are compelled to eat  
or suck candies1 swallow  pieces of     
nuts1 fruits1 cakes1 pickles1 or        
anything the larger children  choose to 
give4 8,baby must go to ride in the     
carriage20 yes1 and remain  for hours   
without food1 or1 what is as bad1 given 
milk to drink from a  bottle that has   
lain beside the warm body for hours4 ,in
 fact1 the child  thus treated may      
continue to pine1 and really starve at  
the very time it  should have been more 
lavishly fed4 ,the system of infants has
 to be  guarded at all times and in all 
places2 but more especially in our ,new 
,england climate1 where the atmosphere  
is so extremely varied4 ,even if a      
child does suck the breast1 it can be   
fed through the day1 now on  oatmeal and
 milk1 and again on plain ,indian meal  
or flour pudding4 ,by  these means1     

warmth is supplied to the blood1 and    
strength to the nerves  and muscles4    
,i hope no one will understand me as    
advocating heat alone as a life         
preserver1 for ,i do not4 ,it is heat   
alone that renders the systems of  many 
children so susceptible to colds4 ,it is
 uniformity and moderation  in their    
whole management that ,i am trying to   
impress upon the minds of  all who may  
desire to profit thereby4               
,,chapter ,,xiii4                       
,,time ,,for ,,weaning4      ,it is     
claimed1 and no doubt rightfully1 that  
it is the children of the  poorer       
classes who suffer most in large cities 
from bowel complaints4 ,to  this too    
many are ready to say1 8,amen40    ,but 
there are duties involving upon each and
 all1 rich or poor1 from  which none can
 expect to be excused till the last     
known part has been  performed4 ,as the 
chances now appear1 there need be no    
lack of the  common comforts of life in 
most of our large cities and towns4     

,this is a  land of opportunities2 in it
 the laborer gets1 or should get1 his   
hire4  ,it therefore becomes his        
privilege to aid by prudence1 industry1 
and  economy1 in elevating his family to
 the discouragement of pauperism and    
wilful neglect of the laws of health4   
,it very often happens that those very  
persons1 who claim to be too poor  to   
obtain the necessary comforts of life   
for their little ones1 will not         
hesitate to purchase some extortionately
 high-priced article1 for which  they   
must enslave themselves to pay by the   
week or month1 and which is  of far less
 value than their own or their          
children's health4 ,i would  suggest    
here that an extra ten-cent piece be    
deposited in safe keeping  each day as a
 surety for a baby's comforts for the   
first six months2  which should         
afterward be increased to twenty cents a
 day1 and thus  continued during its    
childhood4    ,when a child is five or  
six months old1 it is best to begin to  

feed once  or twice a day1 so that the  
weaning may not be too suddenly enforced
  upon it4 ,bread1 crumbled in a small  
quantity of milk1 corn-meal pudding1    
mutton or chicken broth1 ,graham        
biscuit2 very little salt added to the  
porridges is healthy4 ,but no           
disagreeable substances1 such as aloes1 
pepper or salt1 should be applied to the
 nipples for the purpose of  weaning a  
child2 a plaster of wool or fur is more 
safe for the health of  the child4      
,in this climate 7,massachusetts7 there 
are many families who fear to wean      
their children at any season of the     
year2 many of them migrating from a     
climate less variable1 and in which the 
customs of feeding infants are          
altogether different4 ,such mothers are 
deserving of no small share of          
sympathy4 ,i am acquainted with hundreds
 of them2 thank ,god there are  some    
good mothers1 good enough to take the   
blame upon themselves should  their     
infants sicken and die after being      

weaned4 ,but for all such there  may be 
found in this little cabinet a consoling
 word4    ,weaning is advisable before  
,june and before ,december4 ,but if a   
child  does not thrive by reason of some
 constitutional weakness of the mother1 
it could probably rally faster by being 
fed otherwise1 at any season of  the    
year4    ,but whether a child is weakly 
or not it can gain nothing by continuing
  to suck after the ninth month2        
therefore1 weaning is recommended about 
this period4 ,if the mother breeds fast1
 a prolonged season of nursing  but     
keeps her unprepared1 both in strength  
and household matters1 for  the next4   
,then1 too1 it retards the healthy      
development of the new  being1 should   
she become pregnant while nursing4      
,although the mother's  milk is         
essential to the proper growth of the   
child1 history records  evidences of    
noble-minded men and women who never    
nursed the breast1 yet  lived to a great
 age4    ,a great deal depends upon     

circumstances2 for instance1 it may be  
that  even with apparently nutritive    
milk1 the bones remain soft1 the joints 
weak1 and the flesh wastes away or      
remains the same4 ,such cases are not   
uncommon1 especially among the very     
hard-working people or real  indigent4  
,hence the necessity of seeking medical 
advice as to the best  possible means of
 supplying the blood with those         
principles apparently  lacking4    ,from
 my experience as nurse1 ,i can say that
 weaning from the breast may  be        
successfully accomplished if begun      
pleasantly1 but decidedly1 and          
continued4 ,the months of ,may and      
,october in the ,new ,england ,states   
are  the most favorable2 ,april and     
,november in the ,middle ,states1 while 
in  almost all of the ,southern ,states 
weaning is advisable in ,march and      
,november or ,december4    ,waiting for 
a child to get all of its teeth is      
merely a matter of  choice4 ,beside the 
inconvenience of the differences in the 

periods of  time when the teeth get     
through1 there is an unnecessary drain  
on the  system of the mother1 with no   
benefit whatever to the child4    ,the  
efforts put forth by some women to      
retard child-bearing is not so  good as 
8,robbing ,peter to pay ,poll10 because 
in such cases ,peter is  robbed1 but    
,polly is never paid4 ,so it seems to me
 that if these little  ones are given in
 quick succession1 it is just as well to
 have them and  get through with it4    
,many are the women who have borne a    
dozen or more  children into the world1 
and afterwards filled positions of      
nobility and  trust4    ,by taking      
particular notice which course is best  
to pursue with a child  of seven or nine
 months1 ,i sincerely believe the large 
number of  infantile deaths1 under one  
year1 would be much less4    ,deferring 
weaning for the predominance of some    
certain sign in the  heavens1 does not  
accord with our present progress in     
knowledge4                              

,,chapter ,,xiv4                        
,,section ,i4                           
,,cholera ,,infantum ,,versus           
,,starvation4    ,if cholera of infants 
can be reckoned as a distinct disease1  
then can  starvation4 ,whether          
starvation causes two-thirds of all the 
infantile  mortalities1 during the      
latter part of summer and the first part
 of  autumn1 or not1 the symptoms       
indicate much the same treatment as in  
cholera4 ,this statement can only be    
proved by close unbiased  observations2 
books can never do it4    ,we will first
 notice some of the symptoms of         
starvation which may be  present in real
 consumptive babes1 also the signs of   
starvation that may  develop in cholera2
 after which ,i shall endeavor to       
describe the  symptoms of cholera as    
viewed in the light of a disease4       
,starvation of a child is seldom        
detected by friends who may be          
constantly caring for it1 but the eye of
 a practitioner cannot fail to  do so at

 once1 assisted by the required         
information4 ,notwithstanding1 a        
physician may permit doubts to enter the
 mind1 or through over  cautiousness    
conceal the real opinion4               
,,signs ,,of ,,starvation4    ,a child  
may be apparently well and hearty at    
birth1 may thrive even at  the breast   
for a few months2 then all at once seem 
to fail4 ,it may be  fed on whatever is 
ordered if not at the breast from the   
first2 yet  barely live on for months1  
whining1 drooping1 and struggling1 as it
  were1 to live4 ,such patients lay     
awake1 listen1 and watch the motion of  
passing objects2 when spoken to1 will   
try to indicate something1 look         
pitiful1 act intelligent concerning     
wearing apparel or toys4 ,in fact  such 
a child is termed cross4 ,it will cry   
after everything it sees1 and  that it  
don't see2 will slap things1 such as    
cake or crackers1 out of  your hand4    
,nothing offered is welcomed as a       
relish4 ,the bowels are  generally      

loose1 the urine copious2 yet in many   
cases the water is  voided in large     
quantities1 while the bowels are dry4   
,the eyes retain  their brightness1 as  
if to invite attention to the fact1 8,i 
would thrive  if ,i had what ,i need40  
,the patient may drink half a gallon a  
day without  the least sign of          
satisfaction4    ,starvation may begin  
with the ftal development either from   
lack of  nourishment from the system of 
the parent1 or by reason of repeated    
attempts at abortion2 either of which is
 sufficient to blunt the  vitality of   
the germ4 ,such children are likely to  
8hang on10 perhaps  till the period of  
youth1 and with good care may arrive to 
manhood or  womanhood4 ,the most        
doubtful cases are those that have a dry
 cough1 eat  a great deal1 yet are never
 content1 bloat at certain times1 and   
grow  more stupid2 the body becoming a  
mere skeleton1 and with difficulty kept 
warm4 ,the new being is dependent upon  
the state of the parent's blood  from   

the moment of conception till weaned    
from the breast4 ,if the food  upon     
which a child is fed is the cause of the
 trouble1 it should be  changed as soon 
as possible4 ,if from other causes there
 are medicines  which can in a measure  
supply the needed basis4 ,but generally 
the real  cause is not known or even    
suspected until too late to repair the  
injury1 and the patient dies after      
having exhibited all signs of           
consumption4 ,children born of          
consumptive parents may come out quite  
bright in some branches of thought1 yet 
be quite delicate1 seldom  passing the  
flower of youth in life4    ,i feel     
incompetent to decide whether a         
consumptive mother had better  nurse her
 child1 and thus fasten the germ of     
disease upon it1 with a  view to        
prolonging her own life2 or whether it  
is best for her to yield  to her fate1  
and substitute some different food for  
the chance of her  child's life4        
,,section ,,ii4      ,,symptoms ,,of    

,,emptiness ,,or ,,starvation1 ,,which  
,,may ,,lead ,,to ,,cholera4    ,if1 as 
heretofore mentioned1 the solid or      
nutritive principle of the  milk has    
been withheld from the babe by          
adulteration in any way1 the  blood     
becomes watery1 the fat cells cannot    
develop1 the tissues that  hold the     
fluid with which to moisten the parts   
dries away1 and the flesh  becomes soft 
or skinny4 ,the milk may be nutritive1  
too1 and yet for some  reason fail to   
mix with the juices in the stomach so as
 to insure  healthy blood4    ,these    
facts1 however1 are seldom found out by 
a casual medical attendant  until the   
powers of digestion are too weak to     
derive much benefit from  another kind  
of diet4 ,besides1 the expense of the   
articles mostly  ordered by physicians  
renders a trial almost out of the       
question4 ,there  are1 however1 many    
articles of nourishment obtainable1     
which1 if  perseveringly administered1  
will do much to assist in building up   

the  little frame4    ,the most marked  
of the signs that may end in cholera are
 vomiting1  dulness of the eyes1 rolling
 the head1 as if to rock1 spitefully    
crying  when taken up to be changed1 and
 begging for everything1 as they say2   
also crying1 if old enough1 for the very
 things no one thinks it should  have4  
,if a child could have some of what it  
smells and craves1 at such  times1 no   
doubt but that recovery would commence4 
,but a general  languidness of the whole
 system1 and a loathing of the sight of 
a bottle  or its accustomed food1 shows 
signs of certain destruction4 ,in the   
last  stage the child screams faintly1  
starts at the sound of almost anything2 
sometimes the breathing is scarcely     
perceptible4 ,the discharges from the   
bowels are seldom white and frothy1 as  
in the last stage of acute  cholera2    
owing1 perhaps1 to the fact that the    
diet has been continued in  the former1 
whereas in the latter all food is       
generally suspended during  treatment1  

except it be fluids of the mildest      
nature2 unlike in the last  stage of    
consumption1 when the little sufferer   
seems to watch every  movement of its   
nearest friend1 sometimes rising half   
way up to look  about1 then falling back
 exhausted1 it now lies quiet4    ,it   
may be remarked just here that infants  
affected with inanition or  starvation1 
consumption and cholera1 most invariably
 retain to the last  hour their instinct
 to suck1 whether it be of the bottle or
 of the  breast4 ,it is a well-known    
fact that infants who were nearly       
destroyed  by starvation from being fed 
on poor milk by hand1 have been         
successfully raised by being put on     
breast-milk4                            
,,section ,,iii4                        
,,cholera ,,infantum4--,,infantile      
,,cholera4    ,we will now consider that
 much-dreaded disease termed 8cholera   
infantum40 ,i have seen babes attacked  
with it from two weeks old and  upwards4
 ,a child may be nursing at the breast  

or feeding from a bottle1  when all of a
 sudden it leaves off1 and looks        
languidly about in a  comparatively     
stupid and pitiful manner2 the eyes lose
 their lustre1 are  rolled about as if  
not noticing any particular object4     
,fluids are thrown  up as soon as       
swallowed2 passages from the bowels are 
frequent1 though  many times but a speck
 in the centre of a wet napkin1 most of 
the report  being wind4 ,the matter     
discharged at first is likely to show in
 some  measure the cause of the         
irritation4    ,after the acidity has   
been corrected by medicines1 unlike a   
simple  looseness1 the purging and      
vomiting of infantile cholera still     
continue1  showing conclusively the     
inactivity of the internal organs of    
digestion4  ,in some cases the remedies 
that are scientifically administered    
pass out  into the napkin unchanged2 in 
others1 they seem to lodge somewhere and
  dry up4 ,the chances are always       
considered favorable to recovery if the 

remedies have a desirable action4    ,a 
child may drool or throw up its food at 
any time1 yet be quite  healthy4 ,if a  
babe is sucking1 and the mother indulges
 in a mixed or  meat and vegetable diet 
too early1 the first passages after it  
is taken  sick will show signs of heat1 
fermentation and inflammation2 they will
  either be of a deep yellow1 or more or
 less green1 and slimy4 ,in such        
instances it is always advisable to take
 the infant from the breast for  a while
 and feed it on arrow-root boiled in    
water1 till the acidity is  corrected2  
then in milk1 no sugar being added1     
alternating with  gum-arabic water4 ,the
 mother1 or wet-nurse1 having been put  
under strict  diet for a week1 might    
with propriety resume nursing4 ,robust1 
perfectly  developed children are apt to
 exhibit considerable vitality through  
the  different phases of the disease2   
but as far as my experience has been1   
they succumb to the worst more quickly  
than the more delicate-appearing4    ,as

 the disease progresses the little      
sufferer will thrust its fingers in  its
 mouth1 as if to intimate hunger or     
dryness1 and gag1 as though  something  
was sticking in the throat4 ,the hands  
and arms are the most  active4 ,the     
lower extremities are seldom moved from 
one position2 and  when moved by any    
one1 they are quickly reversed4 ,every  
movement of the  body1 in bathing or    
changing1 is followed by a discharge    
from the  bowels4 ,these discharges vary
 in consistence even before any medicine
  has been given4 ,after the bowels have
 been purged1 as is recommended by  most
 physicians to begin with1 the          
discharges from the bowels may run  off 
frequently1 and in small quantities1    
depositing in the napkin a  whitish1    
frothy fluid1 which settles down to a   
chalky substance1 giving  out the smell 
of lime4 ,if such emissions continue1   
they will effect a  rapid destruction2  
or they may have the same appearance    
from the  beginning if the internal     

organs have been previously rendered    
weak from  starvation1 or rather where  
the food has been but little better than
  water sweetened2 and1 too1 these      
frothy emissions greatly chafe the      
parts if they are allowed to remain     
soiled4    ,the tongue is dry and stiff1
 as a general thing1 throughout the     
disease4  ,the body1 with the exception 
of the belly1 is dry and cool4 ,the     
mouth is  apt to be hot from the        
beginning1 a sign remarked by mothers   
who have  suckled babes with cholera2 in
 the last stage1 the disposition to     
sleep1  but start at the least noise2   
the mouth lying half open1 the          
intelligent  attempts to suck2 the      
decrease of the discharges from the     
bowels2 the  cessation of retching2 the 
sinking in of the features2 the nervous 
grasping1 as if to catch some passing   
object2 jerking of the body1 and        
moaning1 may be looked upon as          
unfavorable signs4    ,it is a great    
mistake to conclude that infants will   

have cholera if  weaned early1 or if    
they are to be artificially nursed4 ,the
 fear comes  from persons having been so
 educated within the last half century4 
,all kinds of preparations are          
advertised and eagerly sought for baby  
diet2 as if the internal organs of babes
 were entirely different from  what they
 were before1 and must needs be supplied
 with something more  supernatural than 
those of the adult4 ,the symptoms of    
cholera are by no  means uniform4 ,for  
instance1 they may be cut short1 or     
aggravated by  overdosing1 before the   
facts in the case are made known4 ,thus1
 if  paregoric1 laudanum1 or any        
alcoholic carminatives are habitually   
put in  the drink1 the most marked signs
 will be the smell of the breath1 the   
presence of constipation1 stupor and    
sinking in of the features more or      
less1 with very little vomiting4 ,such  
cases1 no doubt1 are seldom  admitted1  
the victims being dead1 or nearly so1   
when medical aid is  called4            

,,section ,,iv4        ,,general        
,,treatment ,,of ,,cholera ,,infantum1  
,,medical ,,and ,,domestic4             
,unfortunately for many children1 it is 
usually in the last stage of the        
disease that a physician is consulted4  
,probably any number of  palliatives    
have been given with good intentions and
 high hopes of  success4 ,for one1 the  
old cleaning-out remedy1 so much thought
 of by old  ladies1 and doctors not a   
few1--castor-oil4 ,whatever may be      
deemed as  proper treatment1 it should  
be remembered that nothing short of the 
most  untiring vigilance on the part of 
the attendant1 guided by ,divine aid1   
can bring success in raising a child on 
whom cholera has fastened its  blighting
 fangs4 ,yet what encouragement it is to
 know that by those  means it can be    
saved4    ,my course for the last       
fifteen years has been to first         
ascertain1 if  possible1 the cause of   
cholera1 and have it removed2 also      
particularly  to inquire how long it has

 been since the child has been noticed  
to fail  in the effort to suck2 then as 
to the color and frequency of the       
discharges4 ,i have never known1 through
 my observations of over  twenty-three  
years1 any better corrector of acidity1 
sourness in the  human bowels1 than     
calcined magnesia4 ,after giving from   
two to three  grains every hour1 or     
according to the degree of acidity1     
until it is  all apparently changed1    
then1 as cautiously as needful1 ,i      
proceed to  quiet the motion of the     
bowels1 as in case of purging within the
 month1  by the use of mixture ,no4 #a1 
which if put up by a regular chemist1   
and  given according to directions1 can 
be no more objectionable because        
inserted in this little book than       
thousands of other recipes scattered    
over the community by tons in expensive 
books4    ,no4 #a1 ,r4 ,mixtura ,creat1 
preperata1 zj4--,chalk ,mixture1 ,aqu   
,cinnam4  zss4--,cinnamon ,water4 ,add  
,opii ,tinct4 ,gutta vj4--,laudanum4    

,shake well before using4 ,dose--,a     
small teaspoonful after each stool4     
,increase the dose according to age of  
patient4 ,of course it is not  expected 
that the inexperienced would attempt to 
administer anything  other than domestic
 remedies1 unless put up according to   
the rules of  art4    ,for a decided    
case of cholera1 it is best to begin    
with half a  teaspoonful of the mixture2
 which1 by the by1 should be sucked down
 by  the patient very slowly1 in order  
to have it remain on the stomach4 ,no   
time should be wasted listening to the  
old story of working off a bowel        
complaint2 few are the adults that ever 
have survived the experiment1  much less
 the weakly infant4 ,deaths from cholera
 cannot possibly be so  numerous in     
consequence of the discharges having    
been checked too soon1  for the usual   
precaution is not to arrest them2 so    
they are let to go on  increasing1 till 
all hopes of contracting the vessels are
 vain4 ,it would  be well in all cases  

before administering ,mixture ,no4 #a1  
to fill a  flannel bag with hops1 wring 
it out of warm1 salt water and lay it   
over  the chest and belly1 re-wetting   
every two hours2 this done will alone   
sometimes prove successful4    ,when the
 mouth remains dry and hot1 a little    
cool water1 sucked slowly  from a spoon1
 does seem to revive the little         
sufferer1 and ,i have no  reason to     
doubt its efficacy in abating the       
suffering1 if not the  disease4         
,stimulant astringents are what is      
needed after the passages are  checked4 
,the least mite of ,nature's            
stimulant--common salt--laid on the     
back part of the tongue1 will excite a  
flow of saliva1 and greatly  assist in  
removing a sort of hair-worm which has  
been noticed to infest  the throat in   
some patients4 ,when there is a         
continuance of vitality1  and the       
passages continue to be green1 or tinged
 with blood1 and  external cooling      
applications1 as of flaxseed poultices1 

have been well  tried1 an effort should 
be made to stimulate the liver2 this is 
very  likely to be the case where the   
age and constitution of the child is    
sufficient to permit the disease to run 
on for quite a while4 ,hydrargium       
chloridum-calomel1 is sometimes the most
 reliable drug that can be used  to     
correct that4 ,this drug is unsafe in   
the hands of the inexperienced1  but    
quick and safe when under the guidance  
of medical skill4 ,the dose  for a child
 six months old should never exceed     
one-sixteenth of a grain1  or one grain 
in sixteen hours1 followed by a sip of  
warm milk4    ,the nourishment during   
this time should consist of the         
breast-milk1 if  possible2 if not1      
arrow-root boiled in milk and gum-water1
 fed from a  spoon twice a day1 or      
oftener4 ,but either should always be   
given about a  half hour after any      
medicine1 unless otherwise directed4    
,cold water  should never be allowed to 
a patient while medicine is being       

administered1 the nature of which is    
unknown4 ,light1 air1 sponging the  body
 with warm salt water1 a change of      
clothing or bedding1 each tends  to     
stimulate the pores1 quench thirst1 and 
give tone to the whole  system4 ,thin   
flour-gruel acts as a pasty lining to   
the entrails4 ,after  the irritation has
 ceased1 great care is required to      
prevent a relapse2  therefore in all    
cases when the breast-milk cannot be    
obtained1 the  various vegetable        
astringents should be relied on to build
 up the  muscles1 the different grains1 
as corn-meal1 starch and oatmeal1 given 
often but in small quantities1 will     
build up the fat cells4 ,if1 after  the 
liver has been acted upon1 the green    
stools do not cease1 and there  seem to 
be a general weakness of the digestive  
organs1 the juice of the  blackberry1   
raspberry1 or whortleberry1 will1 in    
most cases1 effect a  cure2 also1 the   
rinds of ripe peaches boiled in milk    
till well done1  strained1 and given    

when cool--a teaspoonful five or six    
times during the  day1 and about as     
often at night--is excellent4 ,the      
effect of either of  these remedies     
should be closely watched1 as by their  
astringent nature  they might induce    
constipation4    ,with a view to the    
comfort of the sick one1 and the        
convenience of the  nurse1 it is better 
to prepare a bed of some light material1
 on which  the patient can lie with its 
body flexed4 ,too often the little      
creature  is forced to lie in a narrow  
place1 or more frequently on the lap1 in
  one position1 till it would seem as if
 it would be paralyzed4 ,there  should  
be two sets of bedding in order to      
expedite recovery4 ,the  material should
 consist of goods that could be easily  
washed1 and kept  clean4 ,it is         
essential1 too1 that flannel be worn by 
the sick one2 but  it is a sad mistake  
to imagine that flannel clothes do not  
need changing  as often as cotton ones4 
,when ,i have suggested a bed for sick  

infants1 some grandmas have thought  me 
cruel4 ,but in such critical cases as   
the one in question1 a few  moments'    
trotting and rolling on the lap might   
undo all that it had  taken weeks to do4
 ,should the stomach become settled1 but
 the lower  bowels remain rather weak   
and liable to looseness1 and there is no
 fever  present1 ,i think much of the   
burnt brandy in small doses4 ,i prepare 
it  in the following manner3 ,take a    
wineglassful of the best brandy1 one    
tablespoonful of refined sugar1 dissolve
 it well1 then pour it in a  shallow    
dish and set fire to it with a lighted  
paper1 not a match2 when  the blue flame
 is off it is fit for use1 and should be
 put in a clean  vial and labelled4 ,of 
this1 ,i give to a child six weeks old  
and upward1  six drops in a little      
water1 say about three times within     
twelve hours4  ,to one six months and   
upward1 ,i give ten to fifteen drops    
twice a day4  ,this warms up the stomach
 and stimulates the digestive fluid     

glands to  action4 ,after the brandy has
 had the desired effect1 a speedy       
recovery  may be hoped for4 ,the        
bathing1 nourishing diet1 quietness1    
and1 above  all1 patience1 need to be   
continued with greater zeal when        
recovery is  apparent4 ,the recovery    
from cholera is probable only when the  
surroundings are favorable2 it is       
doubtful where the locality is densely  
inhabited1 the disease prevalent1 and   
where there is a lack of means to       
provide ample care and nourishment4     
,patients recovering from a disease     
like cholera1 which so undermines the   
nervous system1 require a deal of       
determination to prevent the undoing of 
what has been done by catering  to their
 whims4                                 
,,chapter ,,xv4               ,,the     
,,causes ,,and ,,prevention ,,of        
,,cholera ,,infantum4      ,it has been 
argued1 authoritatively1 no doubt1 that 
the causes of  cholera infantum are1    
poor milk1 bad air arising from old     

water-soaked  cellars1 of tenement      
houses1 or when it affects those of all 
conditions  in life1 the rich1 the poor1
 the black and the white1--its cause is 
said  to be in some atmospherical       
phenomena4 ,i think the last mentioned  
might  be reconsidered1 since it        
appears1 from noticing the health       
records1  that mortalities from this    
disease have increased in extremely warm
  weather only in proportion to the     
influx of emigrants4    ,if poor or     
adulterated milk were the cause1 there  
should be an entire  absence of the     
disease at present1 since such stringent
 efforts are now  put forth to punish   
the wretch who dares adulterate the milk
 he sells4    ,quite enough has been    
published of late concerning the        
adulteration of  milk by putting in     
saltpetre1 chalk1 glucose1 anotta1 and  
other  ingredients for the purpose of   
increasing the density1 while water is  
added to increase the quantity4         
,admitting these shameful facts1 have   

they not been practised long enough for 
the news to have reached the  ears of   
every housewife in ,america8 ,why1 ,i   
have been hearing those  reports at     
different times for forty years4 ,with  
these facts1 then1 so  generally known1 
why do people water the milk they buy1  
and depend on it  for the support and   
nourishment of infants8 ,there is       
trouble somewhere4  ,children have been 
successfully raised on milk from        
animals1 both in  city and country1 at  
all seasons of the year1 in hot or cold 
climates2  and many thousands of aged   
mothers to-day1 could doubtless advise  
young  women in the matter of baby      
raising1 did they not settle down in the
  thought that the young people are     
getting all such knowledge along with   
their great facilities for education4   
,oh1 how sadly mistaken have many       
thousands gone to their long home6      
,the management of cholera infantum is  
not to be coveted2 the best of all  is  
to know how to prevent it4 ,i sincerely 

believe that the greater  number of     
cases of cholera are induced by the     
unnatural custom of  preparing a bottle 
of food1 and putting the child in a     
position to sleep  while it sucks from  
it4 ,where is the woman or man who can  
sleep and eat  at the same time8 ,the   
mode of preparing it is generally       
putting a little  milk with a quantity  
of water1 and a little sugar1 into a    
half-pint  bottle--if the babe is only a
 few days old--and this is kept close to
 its  warm body for hours1 or what is   
just as bad1 re-warmed every time it is 
suspected that the baby is hungry4      
,pure milk needs no watering2 it is     
simply converted into slops by so       
doing4 ,it contains naturally sugar1    
butter1 lime1 and all that is  required 
for the nourishment of the young4       
,the saliva of the glands of the mouth  
and the juices of the stomach are  as   
fully able to dilute and separate the   
life principles of milk for a  babe1 as 
they are to prepare solid food for the  

maintenance of the  adult4 ,we eat a    
beefsteak in its purity1 risking the    
after effects2 were  there more ventures
 in administering pure food to helpless 
infants1 no  doubt but there would soon 
appear a change in the physique of our  
young  men and women4    ,to insure a   
healthy meal1 an infant should          
invariably be fed with care  before     
laying it down from the very first day  
of its attempt to suck  from a bottle1  
for the following reasons3--    ,as the 
babe dozes1 its breath goes down the    
tube2 the heat and churning  motion     
together separate the butter globules   
from the fluid so that they  cannot get 
through the holes1 unless1 as is often  
the case1 the holes  are made too large1
 for some selfish convenience4 ,and by  
this latter  means the danger of        
strangulation becomes more imminent if  
the child is  left alone4 ,scores of    
times have ,i seen the infant tugging   
away between  naps1 for hours1 trying to
 get what it should have finished in    

less than  twenty or thirty minutes1 and
 been sleeping soundly4    ,numbers of  
them cry half the night1 or are pacified
 by having the rubber  nipple of a      
filthy-smelling sucking-bottle          
continually stuck in the  mouth4 ,thus  
some babes are literally worn out       
sucking1 trying to get a  bare          
subsistence4 ,even if an infant nurses  
from the breast1 it is wrong  to put off
 suckling it till the powers are almost 
overcome by sleep4  ,while we are aware 
that its breath cannot go into the      
mamma1 the  liability to strangulation  
is none the less apparent4    ,there can
 be no more important duties to perform 
in the capacity of  housekeeping than   
that of caring for the helpless babe4   
,women doctors1  or1 more properly      
speaking1 doctresses of medicine1       
although usually  treated with less     
courtesy by doctors1 are1 nevertheless1 
by them  considered to be in their      
proper sphere in the confinement-room   
and  nursery4 ,while ,i feel under no   

obligations to them for their charity1  
,i  must admit their honesty and        
truthfulness in the matter2 for surely  
woman cannot fill a single position in  
the world so freighted with  material1  
out of which the moral and physical     
condition of humanity can  be affected  
either for good or evil4                
,,chapter ,,xvi4         ,,convenient   
,,methods ,,for ,,raising ,,infants     
,,without ,,the ,,breast4      ,a small 
bottle holding an ounce1 for the first1 
should be in readiness2  a smooth round 
hole made in the cork1 through which to 
put a quill2 the  whole to be well      
covered with a strong soft linen1 the   
edges of which  should be hemmed and    
securely tied under the lip of the      
bottle4 ,this  constituted a            
sucking-bottle of fifty years ago4 ,the 
modern rubber tube  and nipple1 if      
composed of healthy material1 removed   
from the mouth and  washed as soon as   
possible after using1 may do as well4   
,if a child is  allowed to sleep all it 

naturally inclines to1 four ounces of   
milk or  two of cream will suffice it   
during the day1 say from seven or eight 
o'clock in the morning until six in the 
evening4 ,from that time until          
bed-time1 say nine or ten o'clock1 half 
as much4 ,after ten1 the feeding  should
 be as seldom as will allow of comfort4 
,in this way1 one pint of  milk or half 
a pint of pure cream will be sufficient 
to last a babe of  from one to four     
weeks old1 a whole day1 allowing the    
cream to be  increased to nearly a pint 
by watering4 ,the quantity should be    
increased  gradually1 while the number  
of meals during the night should        
decrease4  ,by these means a babe will  
soon cease to be any trouble after bed  
hours4  ,only remember that it has      
nerves1 through which it is supplied    
with  feelings4    ,a small bottle      
insures renewal of the food1 for        
positively the same milk  that a child  
has tried to draw from a bottle for any 
length of time is  not fit to be        

re-warmed or offered to it again2 and if
 persisted in1  will act as a slow      
poison1 which may develop into cholera  
at any period  of infantile existence4  
,again1 if milk flows evenly1 the butter
 globules  do not form in the bottle4   
,if the milk flows too fast into the    
child's  mouth1 the healthful benefits  
of a meal is lost4    ,i have often seen
 mothers force1 with apparent anger1    
great spoonfuls  down the throats of    
their babes2 perhaps such would think   
this cruel if  done by a nurse or       
overburdened servant-girl4    ,if a     
child has cold in the head1 so that the 
nostrils are stopped1 means  should be  
used at once to clear them4 ,no one can 
swallow properly with  the nostrils     
stopped up4 ,to remove the cause daily  
will prevent those  sickening           
accumulations4 ,a strict attention to   
cleanliness1 and frequent  applications 
of sweet oil1 or lard1 or goose oil1    
with a feather1 is all  that is wanting 
to prevent so many cases of sore noses1 

terminating in  the entire loss of      
smell1 and not unfrequently the         
destruction of the  soft bones of the   
nose1 or even the cause of cancer4      
,feeding during the  night should be    
discontinued as soon as possible1 as it 
is then that  mistakes of giving the    
food too hot or too cold are liable to  
occur4  ,night feeding may only be      
avoided by encouraging babes to keep    
awake  during the evening4 ,but if they 
must be put to sleep early in the       
evening1 as a rule1 to suit some one's  
convenience1 it may be expected  that1  
as a rule1 they will wake up just when  
other people are sleepy1  and desire    
some notice4 ,infants from three months 
old and upward will  thrive well on a   
pint and a half of milk a day1 but will 
get on much  faster if fed with rolled  
compound cracker and milk during the    
day4 ,it  is needful to give some babes 
fluids only1 while others starve on     
them4  ,it is the continual emptiness   
that causes many children to fret and   

whine2 for whatever they smell1 cooking 
excites their appetites more or  less as
 they grow in intelligence4 ,and1 too1  
children take appetites  from their     
parents in a marked degree4 ,as a       
doctress1 ,i never could feel  it       
justifiable to direct any woman to wean 
her babe on account of any  conceited   
inability on her part to suckle it4     
,i knew a lady whose infant of two weeks
 was taken suddenly ill while  nursing4 
,a doctor was sent for1 and when he was 
informed by the mother  that her milk   
was too rich for the babe1 he at once   
advised her to wean  it4 ,what more1    
think you1 could have been expected with
 a diet of soft  boiled eggs for        
breakfast1 custards for dinner1 and     
wines or ales at  night8 ,surely if     
women ask no questions of the doctors1  
no answers can  be given4 ,it does seem 
too bad to punish the child for the     
faults of the  parent4 ,eggs1 like fish1
 may act like sure poison to the milk of
 a  nursing woman4 ,the continued dry   

belly-ache or wind colic so much        
fretted over by old ladies in the past1 
was but a sequence of the custom  of    
feeding lying-in women on wine custards4
 ,during the time of those  baby        
afflictions it seldom entered the mind  
of either nurse or doctor  what caused  
the almost universal three months'      
8belly-ache0 of infants4  ,articles that
 may not perceptibly affect the mother  
or wet-nurse1 as the  case may be1 may  
prove certain death to the sucking babe4
    ,infants should never be obliged to 
lie over their accustomed hours of      
rising4 ,if necessity demands this1     
however1 there can be far more gained   
by taking up1 cleaning1 exercising1 and 
giving them a fresh supply of  food4 ,it
 is not that too much sleep may be      
enjoyed1 but that the  condition in     
which it is taken should warrant the    
refreshment needed to  build up the new 
being4    ,soft bones1 enlarged joints1 
inverted feet1 flattened back-heads1    
sickening sores1 dropsy1 blindness1 and 

numerous ills have befallen  infants    
from the thoughtless practice of letting
 them lie too much in  soiled clothes1  
and being insufficiently fed4 ,in the   
matter of early  rising1 the farmer's   
child has the advantage of the city     
child4 ,in the  country a babe is looked
 upon as one of the family1 with rights 
that men  are bound to respect2 but in  
the city it is1 8,wait dear1 till       
,johnny  comes home from school40       
,there may appear small white scales or 
patches on the tongue and inner  surface
 of the mouth4 ,this is commonly called 
8thrush40 ,it is usually  caused by too 
great heat1 either of surroundings or   
diet4 ,sugar in large  quantities will  
create it in some babes4 ,this complaint
 may run on to  an alarming extent1 but 
yields readily to mild treatment timely 
applied4  ,it not unfrequently happens  
that1 during the presence of apth in the
  mouth1 the back passage becomes sore1 
or presents much the same  appearance4  
,the thrush is then said by old ladies  

to have gone through  the child's       
bowels4 ,this can hardly be a fact1     
since the whole trouble  disappears     
readily upon removing the cause4    ,i  
have seen it upon the edges and         
under-surface of the eyelids1 in babes  
that are allowed to sleep where it is   
generally very close1 with the  face    
covered over1 or closely nestled to the 
breast of the mother4 ,the  treatment   
should be cooling4 ,calcined magnesia in
 from three to  five-grain doses daily1 
for a week or two1 and gently washing   
the scales  over once a day with sugar  
and water1 will1 if persisted in1 effect
 a  cure4 ,giving 8baby just a taste of 
everything mamma eats10 is no doubt a   
frequent cause of this distressing      
complaint4    ,if the appetite fails in 
a child1 and there is no perceptible    
cause1 and  the mouth is dry and hot for
 a time1 it will do no harm to touch the
  front edge of the tongue with a mite  
of table-salt4 ,one or two trials  will 
suffice to set the saliva flowing1 then 

with a little coaxing and  proper food  
the appetite will return4 ,i may have   
digressed somewhat1 but  as apth is     
frequently accompanied by diarrha1 ,i   
deem it well to guard  against fear and 
loss of hope that might ensue from its  
being mistaken  for cholera4 ,in any    
case of vomiting or purging of infants1 
great  caution is required not to give  
all kinds of palliative suggested by    
incomers2 this is 8going it blind10 so  
to speak4 ,cholera is a terrible        
disease1 and should be subdued as       
speedily as possible4 ,at best it       
leaves its merciless traces throughout  
the remainder of life2 the victim  being
 frequently annoyed by choleric pains1  
indigestion1 nervousness and  cough4 ,to
 sum up all1 the causes of cholera      
infantum are movable unless  fixed by   
some perceptible atmospherical pressure4
 ,the causes of cholera  are no doubt   
overlooked by the major portion of a    
community where its  ravages from time  
to time have been the greatest1 and     

consequently no  efforts are put forth  
in a general way to prevent a repetition
 of its  visits4 ,even where the        
conditions of the atmosphere may give   
rise to  cholera1 its force can be      
modified1 and the number of fatalities  
lessened4 ,i have frequently been asked 
if cholera is contagious2 in  answer1 ,i
 can safely say1 it is not1 as a        
disease2 but like causes will  produce  
like effects1 in the same locality1 and 
at the same time4 ,in  regard to the    
fumes of carbolic acid1 chloride of     
lime1 sulphur1 and the  like1 as        
disinfectants1 ,i believe that they are 
all decidedly  depressing1 and against  
the speedy recovery of cholera patients 
if used  in immediate contact4 ,the     
removal from a crowded district in time 
of an  apparent epidemic is decidedly   
commendable4 ,it is well known that     
poverty1 wretchedness1 and crime favor  
an increase of mortality from  this     
disease4 ,yet the prospects of thousands
 remain the same year after  year4      

,strange 'tis1 but true2 in all this    
vast ,american domain1 is there not     
room for the welfare of ,god's moving   
images8 ,in the city of ,richmond1      
,va41 the heat is much more constant in 
midsummer than in ,boston1 ,mass4  ,yet 
of the three hundred visits among the   
most forsaken poor of the  former city1 
infantile cholera is comparatively rare1
 and from ,july #ae1  #ahgg1 to ,oct4   
#cj1 of the same year1 ,i found but one 
case of cholera from  starvation2 that  
being a case where the parent had to be 
out all day1  while it fed from a bottle
 or sucked on something4 ,whatever saved
 many  others in like situation1 it is  
beyond my power to tell4 ,there would no
  doubt be more numerous fatalities with
 children in warm climates if it  was   
the almost universal custom to feed them
 on slops2 but on the  contrary1 where  
they are not at the breast1 among the   
laboring classes  at least1 they are fed
 on what is convenient for the rest of  
the family2  and although many times the

 fare is decidedly objectionable1 the   
,lord  crowns the efforts for good with 
success4    ,going ,south1 as ,i did1 a 
teetotaller1 ,i was pleasantly surprised
 to find  that the freed people were no 
more intemperate than any other would be
  if placed in like circumstances2      
perhaps not so much so as many of those 
who could better understand how1 when   
freedom came1 all of the  necessaries of
 life were speedily cut off from them1  
but where rum and  ruin were1 they could
 find an open door4 ,instead of setting 
out a  decanter and glasses1 as was the 
custom in the days of slavery           
7according to all accounts71 ,i noticed 
a delicacy1 lest they might be          
suspected of wrong-doing4 ,in order to  
encourage the impression for  reform1   
whenever an opportunity offered1 ,i     
would say that children have  grown     
weaker every generation in families that
 have indulged in the use  of rum and   
tobacco4    ,frugality is advisable2    
looking to securing a home in the outer 

limits1  away from all objectionable    
odors1 where rooms can be ventilated and
  sunned in winter as well as in summer4
 ,every room in a dwelling should  be   
swept and dusted once or twice a week1  
the beds aired1 and bedding  changed4   
,the general custom of housekeepers in  
our large and crowded  cities1 of       
keeping their rooms dark1 winter or     
summer1 inoculates into  the system the 
germs of more diseases than could be    
enumerated and  prescribed for in a day4
 ,a cheerful home with a small tract of 
land in  the country1 with wholesome    
food and water1 is worth more to        
preserve  health and life1 than a house 
in a crowded city with luxuries and     
twenty  rooms to let4 ,that bad air is  
not the sole cause of infantile cholera1
 ,i  will mention an incident in proof4 
,while travelling through some of the   
thinly-settled districts of the ,british
 ,provinces during the prevalence  of   
cholera in the autumn of #ahfe1 ,i      
noticed that most of the children       

suffering from the disease were those of
 parents whose circumstances  would not 
warrant the comforts of life4 ,this was 
during the months of  ,september and    
,october1 when fish1 oysters1 milk and  
eggs are indulged in  to some extent4 ,i
 thought the custom of advising the     
removal of such  patients to some       
elevated point near the salt sea air    
could avail but  little1 since they were
 near the sea air and mostly in         
well-ventilated  houses1 judging from   
the style of architecture4 ,also ,i     
noticed the same  uncertainty on the    
part of women as to the management of   
the complaint  as in the ,states4 ,herb 
teas1 no matter what their nature1      
8catnip tea1  castor-oil and paregoric40
 ,every drink sweetened1 as a rule4 ,the
 visits  of the doctor few and far      
between2 8so many cases he can't        
possibly get  around to them all40 ,i   
had a little charge at the time whom ,i 
never left  an hour from the time it was
 taken ill till its recovery1 three     

weeks  later4 ,the family doctor called 
in occasionally1 but the circumstances  
of the young parents were such as to    
warrant the necessary aids to a         
recovery which it was my good fortune to
 administer4 ,this was in a             
thickly-settled locality in the city of 
,st4 ,john1 ,n4 ,b41 while in many      
upland towns of ,nova ,scotia it        
generally proved fatal4 ,may we not be  
too  willing to agree in charging our   
,heavenly ,father with poisoning the    
air1  so that it destroys infants by the
 tens of thousands in less than a       
quarter of a century8    ,let the       
interested humanitarian visit those     
families where necessity  demands the   
absence of the parent a part or all of  
each day1 to seek a  daily subsistence1 
leaving the youngest to the care of the 
eldest1  winter or summer1 before       
deciding whether it is a want of        
stamina1 the  depressions of the        
atmosphere1 or indirect starvation which
 causes so  great infantile mortality at

 certain seasons of the year4 ,it is a  
mistake to suppose that cold milk given 
to a babe in excessive hot  weather will
 answer as well as if warmed4 ,the human
 stomach is supplied  with heat from the
 blood and natural fluids1 and when a   
quantity of  anything colder than the   
contents of the organ is poured into it1
 the  process needful to a healthy      
digestion cannot go on properly4        
,,chapter ,,xvii4                       
,,section ,i4                           
,,teething ,,made ,,easy4    ,as a      
general thing1 children begin to get    
teeth from the ages of five to  seven   
months4 ,the middle1 or incisors1 in the
 lower jaw1 are the first  to appear1   
one in advance of the other2 and1 too1  
these may get through  almost unnoticed4
 ,it is a custom with many persons to   
begin poking into  a babe's mouth just  
as soon as it shows restlessness1 or    
signs of  getting teeth2 and1 perceiving
 that it bites1 as naturally it should1 
they at once introduce a rubber1 or some

 kind of hard substance1 for it  to bite
 upon1 to assist the teeth through4     
,this is unnatural1 and liable  to      
increase the already feverish and       
fretful condition of the child4 ,the    
more artificial friction is applied1 the
 more inflamed will the gums  become4   
,teaching babes to bite on the fingers1 
rings1 dolls1 and the  like1 is but     
subjecting them to torture which they   
would gladly repel  could they speak4   
,there is really no set time at which   
babes should get teeth2 some begin  much
 younger than others4 ,there are        
instances recorded of children being    
born with teeth2 this1 however1 is of   
rare occurrence2 but it is a  common    
thing to see the forms of well-developed
 teeth through the  delicate1           
transparent cover of the gums at birth4 
,the development of  these little bones 
is really peculiar1 and worthy of the   
most profound  study2 but ,i shall only 
attempt to speak here in reference to   
the  maturing process1 or their making  

ready to come through the gums1  hoping1
 by so doing1 much of the seeming       
anxiety of young mothers and  nurses    
from this cause may be removed4    ,the 
term 8critical period0 is applied so    
much to the process of getting  teeth   
that it becomes fixed upon the heart of 
many mothers long before  its time of   
beginning4 ,the most that must be       
guarded against is fatigue1  either from
 lying or sitting too long in one       
position1 irregular habits  of feeding1 
and untidyness4 ,the more a child       
slavers when getting teeth1  the better2
 yet this is not always a sign of coming
 teeth4 ,the slaver1  nevertheless1     
keeps the mouth cool and moist1         
preventing dry or papular  eruptions4   
,cold water is advisable1 given         
frequently from a spoon1 while  the     
teeth are breaking through4 ,if the     
child is at the breast1 well2 if  not1  
its food should consist of scalded milk2
 as it grows in strength1  oatmeal is a 
good addition4 ,if hearty and craving in

 disposition1 ,graham  crackers crumbled
 in and fed to it with a spoon1 about   
twice a day1  generally gives due       
satisfaction4 ,if the passes from the   
bowels are  numerous1 yet healthy1 a    
drink of gum-arabic water two or three  
times a  day1 together with flour added 
to the milk in place of oatmeal1 will   
generally regulate them4 ,over          
distention of the stomach by sweetened  
drinks should be strictly avoided4 ,the 
extreme fretfulness of the babe  at this
 time is caused by the pressure of the  
crown of the tooth against  the sore or 
swollen gum4 ,when the teeth get        
through1 the cause of the  distress will
 be removed4 ,should the gums continue  
painful1 as is often  the case with the 
double teeth1 a dentist or the family   
physician should  be consulted at once2 
and1 if ,nature has made ready the bony 
structure  to be bared1 the least touch 
with the lancet will part the skin and  
assist it through4 ,i repeat that the   
gums in a healthy condition seldom  need

 lancing2 they may be left to ,nature4  
,admitting1 however1 that there  are    
numerous cases of daily occurrence where
 the lancet ought to be  applied1 it is 
positively forbidden by some would-be   
friend4 ,the surest  way to stop        
toothache in the adult is to extract the
 decayed member1 and  so the surest way 
to cut short the sufferings of an       
innocent babe1 whose  gums are swollen  
and painful1 is to lance the gum1 and   
let the tooth  come through4 ,children  
whose mouths are dry from being kept too
 hot1  eating highly-seasoned or salt   
food1 or from some hereditary           
disposition1 are especially liable to be
 late getting teeth1 and there  are many
 living evidences where none ever       
appeared4    ,the greater mischief is   
done to the whole nervous system by the 
unnatural but ancient custom of pressing
 and rubbing the gum long  before1 or at
 the time the teeth are making ready to 
come through4 ,i  believe it possible to
 trace the cause of insanity to the     

pernicious  custom of rubbing the gums  
of infants4 ,once commenced1 it1 like   
all  applications that arouse the       
feelings1 is looked for at a certain    
time1  rendering the child a burden     
rather than a pleasure to the family    
circle4 ,it is strange1 but true1 that  
the anxiety of some mothers to see  the 
much-mooted 8critical period0 culminates
 in a desire to bring it  about4        
,,section ,,ii4                         
,,the ,,order ,,in ,,which ,,the ,,teeth
 ,,come4    ,the four cutters may appear
 in the upper jaw before the lower ones2
 two  may come close together1 then the 
two lower ones4 ,after a while1 the     
other cutters get through1 making eight 
in all1--four up and four down4  ,then  
comes the canine or dog teeth1 of which 
there are four1--two upper  and two     
lower4 ,about this time the stomach     
begins to be more or less  affected1    
according to the surroundings2 the child
 is said to be  8cutting its eyeteeth40 
,lastly come the grinders1 of which     

there are  eight1--four upper and four  
lower1--twenty in all1--and are         
denominated  milk teeth4 ,the following 
is the order in which they appear3      
,eight  incisors or cutting teeth2 four 
canine or dog teeth2 eight molars or    
grinders4    ,many babes keep their     
mouths firmly shut against rubbing      
intruders1 and1  as if to surprise one1 
open the mouth to cry1 and display quite
 a row of  pearly teeth4 ,healthy1      
well-developed children generally have  
all their  first teeth by the third     
year4 ,backward or rachitic children    
often have  none at that age4 ,i am     
acquainted with several apparently      
robust persons  who never had all of    
their first teeth1 and who are now      
probably past  the age to get them4     
,after the first teeth are through1     
precaution is necessary to preserve     
them4 ,they should be kindly looked     
after each day1 any foreign particles   
removed1 and the teeth wiped with a wet 
cloth4 ,no hot or exceedingly  cold1    

sour1 hard1 or brittle substances should
 be allowed to be bitten  on1 as they   
are easily broken4 ,a snagged-tooth     
child looks almost as  repulsive as a   
snagged-tooth man or woman4 ,if people  
will let their  children go around1 as  
in midsummer they frequently do1 with   
bare feet  on the cold sidewalk1 or with
 wet feet from having waded in every    
accessible puddle of water1 while       
getting their grinders1 they should  not
 wonder at the great number of deaths   
under four years old4 ,for thus1  many1 
besides suffering greatly with pain from
 teething1 take cold1  which may develop
 in lung fever4 ,hardly any one says1   
8,my child died  from exposure while    
teething40 ,nay1 but pneumonia sets in1 
and the  teething has to bear the blame4
 ,the primary cause is overshadowed by  
the  probable secondary cause of death4 
,if the first teeth are well cared  for1
 all decaying ones removed in good      
season1 the foundation of a  handsome1  
permanent set will be sure1 there being 

no constitutional  diseases of the teeth
 themselves4    ,loose1 aching teeth are
 no less annoying to children than to   
adults1 and  it is cruel to force them  
to endure the pain when a few cents paid
 out  to a dentist would remove it at   
once4 ,uneven1 overlapped1 inverted1    
projecting1 and anomalous teeth are     
nearly all occasioned by neglecting  to 
remove the milk teeth in proper time4   
,usually the application of the  dental 
forceps is no more dreaded than the     
linen thread4    ,it is a mistake to    
suppose that children must have sore    
ears1 eyes1  mouth1 nose1 head1 or some 
sickening eruption of the skin while    
teething4 ,on the contrary1 it has been 
clearly proved that too much heat  and  
uncleanliness are the chief causes of   
these repulsive troubles4 ,if  sores or 
pimples do appear at times1 they can    
with propriety be washed  often with    
warm water1 anointed with cold cream1   
till well2 or1 if there  are bleeding   
pimples1 sprinkling the parts1 after    

washing each day1 with  calcined        
magnesia and elm flour1 in equal        
quantities1 will soon effect a  cure4   
,babes whose scalps are well cleaned at 
birth seldom1 if ever1 have  sore head4 
,there is not the slightest danger of   
giving the child cold by  cleaning it   
off as fast as possible1 when           
discovered4 ,i have frequently  seen    
little three-year-old ones playing about
 with not only a sore patch  full of    
greasy dirt on their scalp1 but a       
filthy-looking cap1 called a  tar cap2  
in this way they have been kept till the
 hair-tubes were as  completely         
destroyed as if the head had been       
scalded4 ,it is not very  encouraging to
 know that the great wisdom which       
prompts people to do1 or  persist in    
having done1 these mischievous things1  
is never sufficient to  find the remedy 
for the injury done4 ,whenever scurf    
does form on the  head1 it may be       
removed by applying sweet oil2 should   
there be  disposition to matter1 a wash1

 made by boiling burdock root in        
water1--say half an ounce to a          
pint1--applied once or twice a day1 is  
cleansing4 ,to heal a healthy scalp     
sore1 red oak bark1 steeped in          
water1--say half an ounce to a          
quart1--makes a good wash4 ,sometimes   
the  cure is very tedious2 but1 with due
 patience1 all will be well4    ,when   
children get so that they can nibble1 it
 is not a good plan to  begin putting   
candies and knick-knacks in their hands 
as a play-rule2  for this habit induces1
 to a certainty1 all the unpleasant     
symptoms  attendant upon indigestion2   
the most marked of which1 in children1  
is  unrest1 fretfulness1 loss of        
eye-sight1 loss of teeth1 and dwarfed   
statures4 ,i take pleasure in           
recommending the following as a healthy1
  desirable kind of biscuit for         
children3 ,take one teacupful each of   
wheat  and ,graham or ,indian corn-meal2
 one half cup of brown sugar or         
molasses2  half teaspoonful of salt2 mix

 with warm milk1 knead well1 cut into   
medium size cracker form1 and bake      
quickly4 ,they are nice1 and should be  
eaten at regular meal times1 dry1 or    
crumbed in milk-and-water tea4 ,milk    
should never be withheld from children  
on a pretext of being feverish4         
,,chapter ,,xviii4                      
,,complications ,,of ,,teething ,,with  
,,diseases4      ,diarrha is the most   
common trouble during the teething      
period1 and is  deserving of the most   
generous treatment4 ,should the food    
seem to  disturb the stomach and pass   
away undigested1 or in pieces1 with some
  degree of sourness1 the pulverized    
magnesia in from three to five-grain    
doses1 once or twice a day1 will correct
 it2 after which gum-water1 or  milk1   
made like gruel1 with flour1 should be  
the chief diet till  relieved4 ,no fresh
 fish or eggs should be allowed in time 
of diarrha4  ,should the discharges     
continue1 frequent drinks of a decoction
 of  blackberry or raspberry leaves1 or 

what is just as well1 the juice of      
those ripe fruits1 may be given in      
spoonful-doses4 ,also the fine lean     
corned beef1 rolled or pounded fine and 
fed slowly in small  quantities--say a  
tablespoonful during the day--will      
frequently arrest the  whole trouble2   
emptiness1 it will be remembered1 being 
an exciting cause  of diarrha as much as
 overfeeding4 ,there will be emptiness  
if a  continual nibbling is allowed1    
with the smallest chance of ever getting
  a substantial meal4 ,usually1 in the  
diarrha of teething1 there is great     
thirst1 which may best be abated by     
giving plentifully of thin1 cool        
gum-arabic water1 no sugar4 ,it is this 
everlasting sugar sweetening that       
creates fermentation at such times4 ,it 
is the over-indulgence in  objectionable
 food that causes much of the bowel     
complaint in teething1  rather than the 
teething itself4 ,we are aware that the 
pain caused by a  coming tooth is       
annoying1 yet this is no reason why     

children cannot be  kindly prohibited   
from grasping and tasting everything    
they seem to see  or cry for4 ,children 
are very sensitive to odors1 therefore  
cooking and  eating should be done as   
remote from them as possible4 ,in this  
matter1  however1 many of the laboring  
classes and indigent are deserving of   
sympathy2 being either from choice1 or  
ill-fortune1 huddled together in  close 
tenements1 where each can smell what the
 other is cooking4 ,and it  is next to  
impossible for them to better the future
 condition or  prospects of their       
offspring while continuing to live so4  
,it may not be  unprofitable to insert  
here what ,i have frequently suggested  
as a  sanitary measure3 that is1 for    
families to make it a rule not to occupy
  the last room at the top of the house1
 even for storing goods2 as  carpets1   
trunks1 hanging garments or curtains1   
and bedding catch and  retain the odors 
ascending from below4 ,smoke1 gases1    
dusts1 breaths of  inmates1 steam1 the  

odors arising from old drains1 or fever 
patients1  all go to the top of a       
building1 and if there is no outlet it  
must stop  there and endanger the health
 of persons occupying it4 ,by leaving   
one  room vacant1 a window in it could  
be continually open and no one would    
suffer from bad air4 ,a skylight in the 
roof would answer the same  purpose1 but
 these are scarcely ever opened4        
,,whooping-,,cough4    ,frequently when 
whooping-cough intervenes during the    
time of teething1  the irritation of the
 gums somewhat abates4 ,some children   
have  whooping-cough and diarrha for    
some length of time1 and upon recovery1 
show quite a number of teeth4 ,i am not 
all in favor of encouraging any         
increased discharge from the bowels1 but
 sometimes in congestive  whooping-cough
 a little looseness is beneficial4      
,cholera often sets in  just as the     
teeth have begun to break through the   
gums4 ,the treatment1  however1 should  
be the same as if not teething4 ,great  

caution should be  observed not to      
administer drugs containing laudanum2   
for by so doing1  air and mucus collect 
in the air or bronchial tubes1 inducing 
a stoppage  in the breathing4 ,possibly 
suffocation and death have resulted from
 this  cause in numbers of cases4       
,whooping-cough1 if gently treated1     
seldom1 if  ever1 proves fatal4 ,i have 
had patients under my charge with it    
from  four weeks old1 upwards4 ,it      
would1 nevertheless1 be well to keep the
  tender infant from exposure to        
whooping-cough for a while4 ,it does    
seem  as if sooner or later in life we  
are to encounter these peculiar         
complaints4 ,the main thing to do to    
relieve the force of whooping-cough  is 
to keep the chest and air-tubes warm1   
and1 most of the time1 moist4  ,if there
 is danger of congestion1 a warm        
poultice of flaxseed meal  spread over  
the chest and throat1 and keeping clear 
of dust1 smoke1 or  smells of any kind1 
will aid much4 ,by all means the nose   

should be kept  running1 which may be   
done by sweating the forehead and nose4 
,bronchitis  or wheezing1 like          
whooping-cough1 is a disease that       
affects the  air-tubes in a greater or  
less degree1 the inflammation sometimes 
becoming very distressing4 ,the         
treatment should be about the same as   
for  whooping-cough4                    
,,pneumonia4    ,pneumonia1 which is    
lung fever1 frequently sets in just     
about the time a  child is getting      
teeth4 ,when there is known to be       
inflammation of the  substances of the  
lungs1 active treatment is called for4  
,to the nurse1  or mother1 ,i will say  
that the surest signs of lung troubles  
are in the  manner of breathing4 ,if the
 nostrils flare at every attempt to take
  breath1 or in other words1 if they    
open and shut in quick succession1      
there is little doubt as to the presence
 of lung fever well advanced4 ,of       
course1 there is great heat prostration 
and perceptible agony from pain1  even  

in the infant of three or four weeks4   
,thousands of babes die  annually from  
this disease1 who have never looked out 
at a door or  window2 how is it8 ,quick 
breathing may be occasioned by extreme  
pain1  but never flaring of the nostrils
 without some lung pressure4 ,active    
measures to reduce the blood is the     
proper way to treat lung fever4 ,the    
flaxseed meal poultice over the entire  
chest1 or wrapping the body up in       
flannel cloths wrung out of hot water1  
and giving to drink1 plentifully1  of   
cream of tartar and gum-arabic          
water1--one teaspoonful of each         
dissolved in a pint of boiling water and
 a teaspoonful every hour to a  child   
one month old1 and upwards1 increasing  
the quantity according to  age1--all    
tend to reduce the fever4    ,very young
 infants are liable to perish in the    
acute stage1 yet where  the constitution
 is solid1 in older babes there is a    
chance1 with  proper1 special treatment1
 of raising them4 ,patient watchfulness1

 pure  air1 and absolute quiet1 in all  
such trying afflictions1 will more than 
pay for the enduring4                   
,,sore ,,throat1 ,,or ,,tonsilitis4     
,it is with the deepest regret that ,i  
have to say that1 of late1 nearly  every
 case of inflamed or sore throat is     
termed 8diphtheria0--a name  which sends
 a severely depressing blow to the heart
 of many a true1  devoted mother4 ,it is
 a pity that simple1 curable diseases   
should be  given such long1 technical   
names that parents get frightened out of
 all  common judgment1 and give up all  
hope of successful efforts to save4 ,i  
frequently hear mothers say1 8,i lost my
 boy just as ,i had entered him in      
school40 ,and rehearsing the causes1    
they are invariably these6--teething1   
diphtheria1 8pneumonia on the lungs10   
one or all2 8,he couldn't live10  and   
explicit pains is taken to state that   
8the doctor said so40 ,i will  simply   
state here that the throat is very      
likely to be affected while  getting the

 first four grinders1 or at the age of  
from sixteen to  twenty-four months2 and
 the true condition of the membranes of 
the mouth  and throat cannot be guessed 
at4 ,they should be examined by a       
skilled  practitioner1 that the danger  
may be modified in the outset4 ,an      
ordinary  sore throat may easily be     
converted into a malignant type by      
improper  treatment2 as in case of the  
sore throat of scarlet fever1 for       
instance1  the greatest danger arises   
from giving hot drinks1 or applying some
  severe irritant to the membranes of   
the throat4 ,it is well in all cases  of
 sore throat to apply cooling treatment2
 this may be done by the  following     
means3 ,wring a cloth out of hot water1 
wrap it around the  throat1 and cover   
with a dry flannel4 ,change every hour  
or two2 give  plentifully of warm       
barley-water to drink4 ,anoint the      
glands of the  throat and ears once a   
day with goose or fish oil 7no camphor71
 aiming  to keep the parts soft1 thereby

 scattering the inflammation4 ,the diet 
should be nourishing1 as of scalded     
milk1 or1 if the bowels are dry1 raw    
milk with oatmeal pudding4 ,the throat  
and mouth should be swabbed out         
frequently with a weak solution of bread
 soda2 also common salt is good  to     
excite the glands on the back of the    
tongue1 and assist ,nature to  carry off
 the disease4 ,by these1 and various    
other domestic means1 the  sequences of 
scarlatina1 such as dimness of vision1  
deafness1 and  glandular knots1 may be  
avoided4 ,severe physic should never be 
given a  child if costive while         
teething4 ,there are other methods      
which1 if  applied1 will be more lasting
 in effect2 such as wringing a flannel  
cloth out of hot water1 and covering the
 bowels2 giving a pretty warm  bath once
 a day4 ,if injections are given1 great 
care should be observed  not to injure  
the soft internal folds of the lower    
bowel1 but they  should never be used if
 avoidable4 ,repeated but small doses of

 ,epsom  salts1 dissolved in warm       
sweetened water1 are invaluable4        
,,worms4    ,children who are allowed to
 eat candies1 and unripe fruit of all   
sorts1  are liable to be troubled with  
worms4 ,such children are constantly    
thirsty1 and almost as constantly       
desiring to go to the water-closet4     
,young children that are fed on pure    
milk rarely have pin or  stomach-worms2 
but the irregular slop-feeding of       
children gives great  chance for their  
development4 ,in nearly all cases where 
they are known  to exist1 a few grains  
of salt given in water early in the     
morning will  drive them downward4 ,then
 three grains each of calcined magnesia 
and  pulverized rhubarb1 mixed in cold  
milk just moist enough to be drunk1     
should be given at bed-time4 ,this      
continued for about one week1 with      
solid food at regular hours1 will drive 
them out of the system4 ,if  pin-worms  
appear in the back passage1 the         
injections of salt water twice  a week1 

and giving a teaspoonful of salt water  
to drink every morning1  will generally 
give relief4                            
,,chapter ,,xix4                        
,,general ,,remarks4      ,we have1 no  
doubt1 learned1 through the histories of
 the past1 that war1  or any civil      
commotion1 naturally interrupts the     
moral and physical  condition of the    
people in whose midst it is carried on4 
,not far from a  quarter of a century   
has elapsed since the close of our civil
 war1 and  really the moral and physical
 condition of some of the people1 the   
more  remote from the scenes of those   
terrible deprivations and conflicts1 are
  just beginning to develop the worst   
consequences4    ,it is my serious      
opinion that thousands of children die  
annually in the  city of ,boston1 under 
five years of age1 from diseases brought
 on  through the excitement of expecting
 to go to school1 the early change1  the
 exposures from actual compulsory       
attendance1 while the system has  barely

 recovered from a lengthy prostration1  
and now needing fostering  at home with 
regular meals and plenty of toys for    
amusement4    ,many are the little      
children of three and a half1 four and a
 half1 and  five years1 that are still  
getting teeth1 sent out in the streets  
to  saunter along in the chill air of   
our hill-streets to some school-house4  
,heaven bless our schools1 for they are 
invaluable2 but may ,god change  the    
minds of the people as to such early    
exposures1 being best for the  credit of
 our ,commonwealth4 ,in school at four  
and a half1 and in the  grave at five2  
or in school at five1 and in some ,state
 ,reform ,school at  seven or eight6    
just when the mind is beginning to be   
formed4 ,it is well  known that         
diphtheria1 pneumonia1 and various      
contagious diseases are  more prevalent 
where there has been some exciting      
cause4 ,for instance1  during the warm  
days at the breaking up of winter1 when 
the snow is  melting and the atmosphere 

is filled with vapors1 one can see      
children  of all ages wading about in   
running water1 dragging sleds1 moving   
snow2  some heavily-clad feet well      
protected1 while others are not supplied
  even with wraps1 but with rubber      
boots1 it may be1 minus the toes4 ,in a 
few days many deaths of this very class 
of children are reported in some        
locality or other4 ,children will sit or
 stand around in places injurious  to   
the health1 and will go into dangers    
where they seem really to be  admired by
 some adults4 ,in the hurry and         
excitement to go in the street1  so much
 is lost of a chance to build a solid   
foundation either of health  or         
character4 ,i know it is hard to        
restrain little ones after they have    
tasted of so much freedom as is given   
them during the weakest period of       
childhood1 the teething period4 ,this is
 why ,i feel so anxious to do or  say   
something that will assist parents to   
lighten their burdens in this  matter4  

,in the first place1 let me advise1 with
 all due feelings of  respect1 the      
entire abandonment of low1 dark1        
bad-smelling1 water-soaked  basement    
kitchens to work in1 and the adoption of
 a rule to live more on  top of the     
ground1 and less under the ground4 ,the 
depression upon the  system of any one  
who has been permitted to exercise in   
open daylight1  is equal to that of     
being incarcerated4 ,some persons say   
they send  children to school to get    
them out of the way2 a child soon begins
 to  know this1 and gradually goes out  
of the way1 until some aching tooth or  
biting pain sends him crying to his     
friend4    ,if rooms are occupied all on
 the same floor1 it is much better for  
the  health and comfort of all4 ,windows
 can be dropped from the top2 or a      
swinging pane1 set in the top of a sash1
 is a very good way to ventilate  or let
 in fresh air4 ,so few people that      
depend on their bodily strength  from   
day to day1 stop to think that pure air 

is the all-essential  element1 and that 
without light1 air1 and sun in their    
dwellings1 the  poisonous gases cannot  
leave them1 but they must sooner or     
later succumb  to them4 ,children need a
 great amount of rest while growing4    
,yet few  children are ever permitted to
 lay down during the day after entering 
the primary school4 8,oh10 said a       
mother1 8children rest sitting in       
school40 ,the probabilities are1 that   
those little nerves are all on a        
stretch for the first six months 7if    
they last that long74 ,and they  never  
rest except the meals are regular1 the  
mind made happy1 and the  sleep quiet   
and sweet4 ,not only so2 the nervous    
system of children is1  in many         
instances1 run down before entering     
school at all4 ,thus1 through  a desire 
to humor or cater to its seeming wants1 
a child is permitted to  toddle about on
 foot1 aided by some excitement1 all day
 long1 eat  whatever it should not1 fret
 and fume till it is literally outdone4 

,this  might be avoided by the exercise 
of a little early home rule1 which      
could be the better understood by the   
time the child is old enough to  enter a
 public school4 ,if there are a dozen   
children in one family1 each  one should
 be supplied with a chair1 according to 
its age2 so that when  the word is given
 to sit down1 it may be understood and  
obeyed4 ,if  children can conform to    
rules of order for strangers1 they      
certainly  will for their dear parents  
and guardians4 ,would it not be well for
  mothers and friends to withhold some  
of their indulgences from children  who 
are entirely too young to appreciate    
their endearing acts1 and  bestow them  
more lavishly when the possibilities of 
experience will  insure a reward8 ,would
 not a little more kind persuasion bring
 sunshine  into the family circle8      
,would it not pay for every laboring man
 of a  family to reserve an empty room  
at the top of the house for a play-room 
for his children8 ,there is not the     

least doubt but that every mother  would
 be made to rejoice from the advantage2 
if not at the top of the  house1 on the 
same floor with the sitting-room4       
,there is nothing particularly          
commendable in the habit of permitting  
cats and dogs to be closely imprisoned  
with children1 as little ones are  prone
 to put their mouths to everything2     
thus1 there is a probability of  worms  
making from the hair of such animals    
when swallowed4 ,by the close           
observance of the different traits of   
mankind1 ,i have been led to  believe   
that true philanthropy is ingrafted into
 the human heart only  through ,divine  
agency4 ,so that if belief in ,god and  
,his attributes is  entertained by each1
 no sacrifice will be considered too    
great for the  sake of relieving the    
helpless ones within the family circle4 
,philanthropy cannot dwell in the heart 
of an eye servant1 it must be  inborn   
and unbiased in applications relative to
 human happiness4 ,too  often1 it       

happens that mothers give up all hope   
just at the weakest  period in a child's
 life1 willing1 on the slightest        
pretext1 to abandon  the offspring of   
their body4 ,words are not adequate to  
portray the  lasting miseries that1 in  
consequence1 daily encircle the minds   
and  bodies of the youth of our land4   
,with many parents1 the beginning to    
raise a family is novel and pleasing1   
but at the very time the most           
particular care is required1 patience   
and watchfulness flag1 so that it  is no
 uncommon thing to hear mothers1 in     
particular1 declare their  inability to 
rule and rear their own children4 ,would
 it not be well for  mothers to make a  
little sacrifice for the sake of        
equipping the mind1  that they may be   
able to dispense the required rudiments 
of moral and  intellectual education at 
home1 till a child is at least seven    
years  old8 ,let mothers awake to duty2 
let them seek to know the causes of so  
many bleeding hearts and weeping eyes1  

and learn to compare effect with  means1
 and means with ends2 then the pall that
 is ever ready to obscure  their sky of 
cheer1 will rapidly disappear4 ,we find1
 when comparing the  statistical reports
 of the death-rates of children under   
one year old1  that they are largest in 
those cities where the influx of        
immigration is  constant1 and the women1
 either from choice or necessity1 are so
 engaged  in other pursuits1 that they  
do not take care of their young4 ,also  
that  the death-rate of children under  
six years old1 is greater in those      
cities where early home discipline is   
thwarted and early school  privileges   
are the rule4 ,but a few months ago1 a  
gentleman informed me  that he had lost 
his only daughter4 8,what caused her    
death80 ,i inquired4  8,the doctor said 
she studied too hard2 she was taken with
 a hemorrhage1  and died in a short     
time40 8,was she old enough to go to    
school80 ,i  asked4 8,oh1 yes10 was the 
answer4 8,she was five years and a      

half40 ,i  knew the child was delicate  
from birth1 but1 notwithstanding1 her   
mother  had taught her the alphabet at  
home4 ,no wonder1 the doctor said she   
8studied too hard40    ,the 8mind your  
own business0 policy goes down too well 
with some women1  for when the doctor   
pronounces the sickness of their babe a 
hopeless  case1 they seem at once to    
give up all hope1 they have no          
alternative1  they are mute1 and will   
not so much as direct a petition to     
,almighty  ,god1 the great ,physician   
for relief4 ,would it not strengthen the
  advocacy of equal suffrage in a       
population of over three hundred and    
sixty thousand1 if every woman would    
cultivate a desire to know more  about  
the prevention of disease and the       
preservation of health8    ,diminutive1 
sickly1 half-dependent people1 care     
little what party  governs1 so long as  
they1 themselves1 barely exist4 ,by     
real1 earnest1  devoted measures1 women 
may be enabled1 within the next decade1 

to  exercise the right of franchise1 and
 fill positions of honor outside of  the
 domestic circle4 ,but the women that   
compose the domestic circle have  been1 
are1 and ever will be in the majority2  
these are the women that  have the      
greatest work of reform before them1    
namely1 that of nourishing  in infancy1 
ruling in childhood1 and persuading in  
youth1 the children  of their fireside1 
that their sons may not graduate from   
the highest  school of ,state           
penitentiaries1 nor the bright future of
 their daughters  be blasted by reason  
of early abandonment to the mercy of    
,state  charities4 ,parents should hold 
on to their children1 and children      
should  stand by their parents until the
 last strand of the silken cord is      
broken4 ,it is natural to the childhood 
days to sport and play4 ,all  cannot    
bear the early and long-continued       
expectations through adverse            
circumstances and frequent              
unpleasantness of a finale4 ,the        

vexations of  youth from these causes1  
often serve1 no doubt1 to embitter the  
mind  against further progress4 ,we need
 in every community educated men1 it is 
true1 but the foundation dependence is  
in healthy1 moral men and women4        
,children should not be asked if they   
like such and such things to eat1  with 
the privilege of choosing that which    
will give no nourishment to  the blood4 
,you may as well ask a child if the new 
shoes hurt the feet1  if it is advanced 
enough to know that the old ones must be
 continued  till the new ones are       
changed4 ,too much is expected of little
 children  for their own good4 ,all of  
the bones of our bodies1 when broken1   
will  unite again2 but if the enamel of 
the teeth gets cracked or broken off1   
they soon decay1 and will be destroyed  
if not cared for by the means of  art4  
,from the age of seven months to twenty 
years1 man is being supplied  with those
 thirty-two pearly bones with which to  
prepare the food for  entrance into the 

stomach1 that it may be converted into  
milk1 from  which blood1 the life       
principle1 is derived each day4         
,headache and toothache1 one or both1   
render the school days of many a  youth 
burdensome4 ,this1 too1 may be caused as
 much from cold feet1  indigestion1 and 
constipation1 as from either arduous    
studies or  decaying teeth4 ,some       
parents would stand in amaze if their   
sons or  daughters were discovered      
perusing some work upon the anatomy and 
the  preservation of the human teeth in 
youth2 while the same parents would     
boast of the almost frenzied            
determination of their children to read 
every available love-novel2 that1 too1  
while the new teeth are daily  pushing  
against decaying ones4 ,the study of the
 science of ,dentistry is  wise and     
commendable to all4    ,pauperism1 like 
familiarity1 8breeds contempt02         
therefore persons should  try with all  
their mind and might to avoid its       
conditions4 ,is it too  much for me to  

say that the excuse for a mother's      
consigning her child  to some almshouse1
 while she goes free1 can be but        
shallow8  ,unfortunately1 the 8,i can't0
 finds many prompters1 and gains the    
precedence in many instances1 where     
renewed and determined resolution  only 
is required to succeed in caring for the
 helpless1 and governing  the passions  
of the youth1 until they are old enough 
to hire out1 or be  put to some trade4  
,to labor is honorable4 ,mothers1 before
 you forget the  tie which binds you to 
your child1 and deliberately consign it 
to the  care of strangers1 look into    
those dear little eyes4 ,remember1 few  
ever  return1 or are restored1 as was   
,joseph of old4                   ,cast 
me not off1 dear mother1                
,oh1 cast me not off1 is my plea1       
,i have ears with which to catch the    
sounds                   ,of rejoicing  
or murmur from thee4                    
,i've a look that ne'er has been given1 
,which can only be given to thee2       

,i've a word that has never been spoken1
                   ,but yet can be      
spoken so free4                   ,yes1 
a token of gratitude ever               
,shall dwell on my lips for thee2       
,i've a tear that has never yet         
glistened1                   ,that some 
day may trickle for thee4    ,in the    
bleak and changeable climate of         
,massachusetts1 in the city and         
vicinity of ,boston1 for instance1 there
 reside many families whose  ancestors  
were born in a more genial clime4       
,therefore1 it is not natural  that     
they1 themselves1 should be able to     
endure exposures to hard fare1  even had
 they been early accustomed to it in a  
warm1 native clime4    ,our women work  
hard1 seemingly1 and many of them       
against a heavy tide2  nor does there   
ever seem to be an end to their toils4  
,especially do some  of the laboring    
women of my race appear to work under   
heavy  disadvantages2 if the family is  
small1 they are never through with their

  work2 if it is large1 there is a      
double excuse for having no time to     
rest2 yet many real needful things are  
left undone4 ,i have often  wondered if 
such housekeepers1 whose own affairs are
 neglected1 and in  whose homes things  
go to waste1 while they take so much    
upon them of  other people's work1 never
 thought of the story of 8filling a     
hogshead  at the spigot that had no     
stopper at the bung40    ,so with our   
men who labor hard2 they are anxious to 
keep the wolf from  the door1 and they  
thoughtlessly rise in the morning1 go to
 work1  perhaps1 without breakfast1     
working for hours in a condition for    
odors1  contagious or otherwise1 to     
affect the system4 ,thus the liabilities
 to  colds in the vital organs1 which   
may go on for years1 gradually          
undermining the general health1 or may1 
as frequently happens1 develop  in lung 
fever1 and consequent shattered         
constitution4 ,the laboring men  of my  
race1 generally speaking1 take much     

better care of the horses  intrusted to 
their care than they do of their own    
health4 ,were men just  as particular   
about what they themselves eat and      
drink1 and how they  dress and sleep1   
the deaths of young men of thirty and   
forty years would  not be so common4    
,those who are not careful of their     
health die early in  this climate1 and  
their offspring die earlier4    ,it is  
not the blood we wish to keep hot1 as   
some desire to do2 this  induces disease
 and premature decay4 ,it is the body   
that needs to be  kept warm while the   
blood is normal1 or rather cool4 ,this  
is just as  easily done with man as with
 the horse4    ,frequent baths1 wearing 
all-wool flannels next the skin in      
winter1  changing for thinner ones in   
hot weather1 eating coarse dry food1    
taking  less medicine1 desisting from   
the use of tobacco and 8firewater10--all
  tend to lengthen the days of mankind  
on this beautiful earth4 ,it is         
authoritatively stated that the colored 

population decreases in ,boston1  but it
 is not all the fault of the climate2   
for there have been native  ,africans   
who lived to a great age here4 ,it is   
the neglect1 in a great  measure1 to    
guard against the changes of the        
weather4    ,by seeking to get in       
possession of the comforts of life1 and 
buying a  little home1 our men can yet  
be enabled to live1 and raise up        
children  who shall be an honor to that 
noble race with which we are identified1
  in point of strength and longevity4   
,the ,lord gave the qualities1 it is    
for us to preserve and improve them for 
,his final acceptance4 ,our  ,heavenly  
,father has provided a healing balm for 
every disease that man  is liable to1   
and ,i am prepared to say that all      
diseases can be cured  without the use  
of alcoholic stimulants4 ,we have access
 to a large and  varied field of        
remedies1 both in the vegetable and     
mineral kingdoms1  the virtues of which 
unfold to man in proportion to his      

possession of  heavenly virtues4    ,let
 me1 in conclusion1 appeal once more to 
the united efforts of mothers  and      
fathers4 ,do not try to be blind when   
you are not4 ,can you not cut  short the
 certain destruction that awaits your   
sons and daughters1  through the        
influence of impressions gained by the  
constant perusal of  fictitious1 and1 in
 many cases1 corrupt library books8     
,will it not pay  to prohibit those     
under age1 or at least under fourteen1  
from reading  even ,sunday-,school      
story-papers8 ,we are aware many of them
 are given for  the moral to be derived1
 but not more than one boy or girl in a 
hundred  ever cares a fig for the moral4
    ,does any one believe that the      
majority of the little children who     
witness the farce of 8,punch and ,judy0 
on ,boston ,common every summer1  gain a
 moral1 or feel that it is wrong to     
imitate beating a wife1  killing a baby1
 or hanging a black man8 ,the popular   
adage1 8,no nigger1  no fun10 is why    

such schools are tolerated on our       
,public ,parks4 ,are they  not a curse  
to our land8 ,may not such shameful     
scenes prove to be the  primary lessons 
in pugilism1 murder1 and suicide8       
,possibly they best  serve to prolong   
the barbarous system of flogging1       
whether it be by  lashing to a post and 
applying the cat-o'-nine-tails1 or      
otherwise4 ,then  will it not pay to    
endeavor to cultivate inborn morals     
early in life1  thereby shutting out a  
desire for vulgar and debasing sports8  
,volumes might be written in which could
 be inserted plans1 which1 if  enforced1
 could not fail to prevent the          
adversities of life1 the gloomy         
foreshadowings and prolonged            
deficiencies in health4 ,some do not    
wish to  know about the human system1   
others cannot read1 and more have no    
time  to read1 or think how to live and 
be happy2 seeming to forget that our    
,heavenly ,parent gave the earth1 with  
all it contains1 for man's  inheritance4

 ,many such are laboring day and night1 
and trying to educate  their children1  
yet do not always turn the abilities of 
their children  to good account4 ,books 
on the laws of health from the proper   
source  could never injure the mind and 
morals2 but would1 if read aloud in the 
family circle half as often as trashy   
novels are thumbed over1 prove a        
blessing more lasting than gold4 ,let us
 strive to know more about              
ourselves1--it is human1 it is          
,christianlike to do so4 ,then will     
there be  minds from which to select    
students for the college1 that may come 
forth  to the community graduates in    
,pharmacy1 ,surgery1 ,dentistry and     
,medicine4  ,it is well known that many 
noble-minded women have graced the      
chambers  of the sick with good service1
 in different conditions of need1 too2  
but  at the present1 women appear to    
shrink from any responsibilities        
demanding patience and sacrifice1 or    
rather seem not to rely on the  union of

 their strength with that of our great  
,creator1 in time of need4    ,what we  
need to-day in every community1 is1 not 
a shrinking or flagging  of womanly     
usefulness in this field of labor1 but  
renewed and courageous  readiness to do 
when and wherever duty calls4           
,,part ,,second4                        
,,miscellaneous ,,information4    ,all  
the objects in the material world are   
divided into organic and  inorganic4    
,the principle of life is always        
associated with organic  bodies1        
examples of which are animals and       
plants4 ,quite a number of  inorganic   
substances go to make up the human      
body1--to wit3 ,water1 air1  lime1      
magnesia1 iron1 potassium1 sulphur1     
sodium1 phosphorous1 and many  more4    
,,human ,,life4    ,through the aid of  
scientific researches1 we are informed  
that the  development of a being begins 
with a soft jelly-like substance4       
,later1  the parts intended for bone1   
become cartilage or gristle1 progressing

  with more or less uniformity from a   
few hours after conception1 till  about 
the seventh month of pregnancy4         
,anatomists nearly agree in stating that
 not more than six of the bones  are    
ossified at birth1 the greater number   
being finished at different  periods of 
childhood4 ,the lower portion of the    
vertebr or backbone is  not usually     
completed until after the twenty-first  
year of adult life4  ,the bony framework
 of the adult man or woman is composed  
of about #bdf  bones1 including the     
teeth4 ,these are covered by about twice
 that number  of muscles or fleshy      
supports4 ,the muscles1 cords and       
ligaments1 which  serve as so many bands
 for the support and protection of the  
body1 are  generally much larger and    
firmer in men than in women4 ,the custom
 of  suspending wearing apparel from the
 shoulders1 conforms to the laws of     
nature2 as those muscles are so arranged
 as to admit of considerable  pressure  
without injury4 ,pressure upon the soft 

parts1 as tying many  bands around the  
waist1 or tight lacing1 is apt to cramp 
the internal  organs of digestion1 and  
crowd them out of their natural         
position1  thereby inducing headache1 or
 other unpleasant feelings4             
,,womanhood    ,begins with the         
appearance of the monthly sickness1 at  
which times all  undue exercise of the  
body should be avoided4 ,disobedience to
 the rules  of decorum and the laws of  
health at such times1 may induce ovarian
  inflammation1 dropsy1 consumption1 and
 even barrenness4    ,it is a great     
mistake to administer brandy1 gin1 or   
any alcoholic or  narcotic stimulant to 
girls for the relief of pain1 when the  
periods are  coming on4 ,opiates may    
destroy the functions1 while alcoholic  
drugs can  only relieve by blunting the 
sense of feeling1 through the deceptive 
influence of intoxication4    ,hot water
 foments1 applied perseveringly1 will   
bring more certain and  permanent       
relief4    ,menstruation begins much    

earlier in some girls than in others1   
yet is  natural from the #aath to the   
#ahth year1 depending upon the state of 
the  health1 also1 climate4             
,,moral ,,restraints4    ,an enema      
should never be given to infants in the 
presence of older  children4 ,little    
girls have been lacerated1 and thus     
injured for life1  through accidents    
growing out of imitating mother1 or     
8playing sick10  and giving injections4 
,a young girl should be subject to the  
advice and  protection of her mother or 
guardian1 till sufficiently able to care
 for  herself4 ,poverty1 with chastity1 
is an enviable condition4               
,,internal ,,organs ,,of ,,woman4       
,the internal organs consists of the    
heart1 lungs1 liver1 stomach1  spleen1  
kidneys1 bladder1 intestines1 or guts2  
the uterus1 or womb1 and  ovaries1 or   
eggs4    ,the heart is in the centre of 
the breast1 pointing toward the left    
nipple2 the lungs are on each side2 the 
stomach lies below the true  ribs1 in   

the left side2 the liver1 with the      
gall-bladder attached1 is  situated     
below the true ribs1 on the right side1 
reaching across toward  the left side4  
,the spleen1 a spongy melt-like viscus1 
is attached to the stomach and  liver   
somewhat1 but situated under the left   
side of the stomach2 the  kidneys are   
situated on each side of the spine or   
backbone1 just above  the waist2 the    
bladder1 into which the urine drops1 is 
situated in  front1 just below the      
umbilicus1 or navel2 the uterus1 or     
womb1 is  situated just behind the      
bladder2 the ovaries are situated on    
each side1  and a little behind the     
womb4 ,their office appears to be to    
secrete the  menstrual flow1 and also to
 supply whatever is needful in the      
formation  of a new being4 ,the womb is 
to receive and protect the impregnated  
germ1  together with the vessels through
 which it is nourished from the mother1 
till the ninth month1 or time of labor1 
at which time it is dangerous to  drink 

stimulants unless directed by a         
physician4    ,the large intestine      
arises on the right side of the abdomen1
 extends up  and across in front1 just  
above the navel1 then descends1         
terminating in  the rectum1 or straight 
outlet1 just behind the womb4    ,in    
case of dry colic in men and the aged1  
rubbing with the hand1 and  steaming    
with hot cloths over the right side and 
down the spine1 will  sometimes induce  
an operation of the bowels when other   
means have  failed4    ,blood1 in all   
animals1 is the life fluid2 in man it is
 obtained through  the mastication and  
digestion of his daily food and pure    
air4 ,the blood  is considered to be    
pure when we feel well1 that is1 can eat
 with  pleasure1 pursue vocations of    
livelihood1 and enjoy refreshing sleep1 
but impure when the reverse4 ,physic can
 act beneficial only by hunting  out and
 removing the obstructions to a natural 
flow of the digestive  juices2 but it   
does not1 nor cannot purify blood4      

,blood medicines is a  name used in     
reference to those which are employed to
 supply a principle  wanting in the     
blood1 but they do not make blood4      
,therefore1 blood is  supplied1 and can 
be maintained without the intervention  
of art4 ,there  is scarcely a principle 
natural to the blood1 but that can be   
obtained  from something upon which we  
daily subsist4    ,a person may have    
pure blood1 and yet suffer from         
obstruction in its  circulation4        
,,inflammation ,,of ,,the ,,ovaries4    
,the ovaries are liable to affections   
from cold2 the most frequent of  which  
is acute or dumb aching pains1          
accompanied with great heat1  depression
 of spirits1 and thirst4 ,it often      
seizes one while sweeping1  or otherwise
 exercising4 ,it not unfrequently comes 
on while asleep in  bed1 having the     
character of cramp1 particularly after  
having wet or  cold feet1 as it is      
through the feet such sensations travel 
rapidly to  those organs4               

,treatment4--,a pad made of hops or any 
soothing herbs1 wet in hot  vinegar1 and
 laid over the lower part of the bowels 
and over the  kidneys4 ,internally1 one 
and a half teaspoonfuls of ,epsom salts1
 and  one-eighth as much of pulverized  
cinnamon1 dissolved in a little warm    
sweetened water1 observing absolute     
quiet1 will1 in most cases1 give  speedy
 relief4 ,opiate treatment should always
 be left to the discretion  of a        
physician4 ,it is the collections from  
repeated attacks of ovarian             
inflammation that give rise to tumors4  
,they1 too1 can be cured if taken  in   
time1 but it requires total abstinence  
from all kinds of fish or  stimulating  
food1 or drinks1 and very regular       
bowels4                                 
,,rheumatism4    ,rheumatism1 or nerve  
pain1 of which there are several        
characters1 is  nevertheless caused by  
taking cold1 in some certain condition  
of the  system1 at almost any time of   
life4 ,persons who get in cold or damp  

beds1 or sleep in cold1 ill-ventilated  
rooms without night-clothes1 or         
otherwise neglect to comfortably prepare
 the body for the maintenance of  pure  
blood1 are mostly liable to rheumatism  
in some form4 ,it may last  for a few   
days only1 then again1 it may remain in 
the system for years4  ,it frequently   
attacks one part of the body and goes   
off1 leaving a  lasting depression1     
remote from the seat of the attack4     
,ofttimes it  affects the nerves that   
control the organs of voice and speech2 
more  especially in those persons who   
use tobacco and 8toddy40                
,treatment4--,in nearly all cases1 in   
full habits1 having been exposed to     
great heat1 alternating with cold1      
purging1 sweating and extreme quiet1    
will relieve4 ,anointing the parts with 
warm goose oil1 or boiled olive  oil1 is
 highly serviceable4 ,in cases of long  
standing1 with poor blood1  the opposite
 treatment is indicated1 i4e41 food or  
medicines that  create warmth1 and      

supply principles wanting in the blood2 
such1 for  instance1 as beef-juice1     
rare-done beefsteak1 lamb chop1 corn    
bread1  pure wheat bread1 milk1 and     
stewed fruits4    ,articular rheumatism1
 or that affecting the joints1 long     
after the acute  or first attack1 can   
generally be cured by feeding the       
joints1 as it  were1 from without4      
,ligaments and joints are not quickly   
affected by  what enters the            
circulation1 but very much can be gained
 by wrapping the  joints with bandage1  
wet in some stimulating sedative of     
which hot water  takes first rank1      
pulverized opium and water next4        
,dissolve ten grains  in as much hot    
water as it will require to wet the     
bandages1 apply and  cover with a dry   
flannel4 ,liniments should be used with 
caution1 as they  tend to close up the  
pores of the skin4    ,very much may be 
gained by taking a hot salt bath twice a
 week1 not  necessarily going to the    
sea-side4 ,in all cases of rheumatism1  

with  feelings of languor or loss of    
appetite1 a tea of seneca1 snake root   
and  valerian is advisable1 and may be  
drank at pleasure1 cold4 ,also1 a cold  
infusion of hoarhound and hops1 made    
sweet with maple sugar1 is good1 if     
continued for quite a while4 ,dose--a   
pint during the day4                    
,,soft ,,bones4    ,soft bones1 or a    
tendency to crooked limbs1 in many      
families1 may arise  from a taint of    
ill-humors1 or rachitis in the parents1 
or even  grandparents2 likewise1 weak   
joints4 ,the preventive means are1 not  
to  keep the infant too hot1 or closely 
bound1 while asleep4 ,children born     
free from any imperfection may develop  
distorted1 if allowed to creep  around  
or sit on a cold or damp floor1 be      
tossed into a bed between cold  sheets1 
when the nerves are excited and the     
blood is warm4 ,it would  require but   
little outlay to provide close flannel  
drawers for children  to creep around   
in2 besides1 the nation would be        

blessed1 in the future1  with men and   
women possessing firm muscles1 with     
well-fed marrow in  their bones4        
,treatment4--,wholesome food1 frequent  
warm salt baths1 comfortable  clothing1 
sufficient sleep1 and that in a         
comfortable place4                      
,,headache1    so frequently complained 
of by both sexes1 generally denotes some
  irregularity1 either in the manner of 
eating or sleeping4 ,for instance1      
strong tea is binding in nature1 but    
there are persons who 8must have  it10  
yet1 nevertheless1 are usually          
constipated or nervous4 ,eating a  lunch
 just before retiring will mostly insure
 headache1 as will1 also1  over-taxation
 of the mind or body4                   
,,hemorrhoids4    ,hemorrhoids1 or      
,piles1 may be brought on by whatever   
irritates the folds  of the rectum or   
back passage2 as sudden cold1 frequent  
attempts at  stool with dry bowels2     
frequent and severe physicking1 or the  
passage of  fecal matter rendered acrid 

by the indulgence in highly-seasoned    
food1  alcoholic drinks1 or late        
suppers4    ,cure4--,abstinence from    
heating food or medicines1 bathing the  
lower  portion of the spine with warm   
water1 applying simple goose oil1 or the
  simplest ointment1 whether the sores  
extend to the opening or not4 ,the      
patient should take1 as a cooling       
potion1 a teaspoonful of ,epsom salts   
in warm water1 two or three times a     
week4 ,nothing reduces the blood in  the
 parts more speedily2 and there is not  
the least danger1 as is  erroneously    
supposed by many1 of taking cold by its 
use4 ,there is a  thousand times more   
danger in numerous other drugs and      
potions given  under the cover of a     
great name1 to cure the piles4    ,it is
 an error to suppose that certain       
remedies are only serviceable at        
certain times and in certain places1 at 
certain times of the year4 ,every  means
 possible should be put forth to reduce 
the piles before submitting  to an      

operation2 a thing that is seldom       
needed1 but nevertheless is  frequently 
done4                                   
,,leucorrh,a1 ,,or ,,whites4    ,this is
 a very common complaint among women of 
all ages and conditions  of life2 but   
not more so1 probably1 than seminal     
weakness in men1--a  similar complaint1 
by the way4 ,it frequently comes from   
taking cold1  after fatigue1 which may  
run its course with some degree of      
fever1  languor and chill2 during which 
time ulcers may form on the membranes of
  the vagina1 or entrance to the womb4  
,these ulcers may remain quite a  while1
 and cause a continuance of the         
discharge1 or they may come off1  and   
leave weak patches1 even in virgins4    
,this complaint is not  contagious1 but 
if allowed to remain about the parts1   
may become  offensive and excoriating4  
,it requires much the same treatment as 
catarrh2 hence frequently receives the  
name1 catarrh of the womb4 ,it may  come
 from getting up too soon after         

confinement4    ,treatment4--,if ulcers 
are known to have formed1 they should be
 removed  in the surest manner1 that the
 introduction of the speculum may be    
dispensed with as soon as possible4     
,after their removal in that way1 the   
cure can be accomplished sooner1 but    
ulcers can be removed without the       
introduction of the speculum in very    
small women4 ,if the evidence is        
conclusive that ulcers have formed1 the 
remedy for their removal can be  applied
 with less pain and displeasure with the
 vaginal syringe4 ,no  astringent       
washes1 such as alum1 oak1 bark1 or     
lead1 are in place while  ulcers remain4
 ,when there is no unhealthy discharge  
from the vagina1  there can be no need  
of using a syringe4 ,salt sea or home   
baths1  nourishing food and rest2       
applying a wet bandage1 warm1 during the
 hours  of rest1 and keeping the bowels 
free without the use of severe physic2  
avoiding laborious work for a while1    
will give great relief4    ,the constant

 use of preparations of iron is binding2
 and while1 at the  same time1 they may 
tone up the muscular fibre1 they may but
 invite a  renewal of the discharges1 by
 reason of pressure upon the vaginal    
walls  from the loaded rectum4 ,it is a 
complaint which may at any time give    
rise to evil imaginations1 therefore    
should be cured as soon as  possible4   
,it has been thought1 that using the    
treadle sewing-machines  has increased  
the liabilities to leucorrha2 but ,i    
have yet to conclude  whether it is from
 the use of the machines or the manner  
in which they  are used by most women4  
,in the first place1 the operator sits  
too far from the machine1 thereby       
causing a motion of the whole body1     
while she leans too much forward2       
secondly1 operates too fast2 thirdly1   
works too long at a time2  fourthly1    
allows herself but little time to eat or
 sleep4 ,and1 what is  more than all1   
frequently gets angry with the machine1 
unstrings it1 and  gets it in as bad    

condition as she has her own nerves4    
,i would suggest1 that weakly women use 
a sewing machine that is turned  by     
hand4 ,whatever causes a discharge1     
should be speedily removed1 as the      
first means of cure4                    
,,falling ,,of ,,the ,,womb4    ,numbers
 of women persist in saying their womb  
is down2 ,i must admit that  there are  
many who suffer from a partial          
prolapsus1 or protrusion of the  mouth  
of the womb2 the causes of which are    
usually traceable to hasty  deliveries1 
miscarriages1 over-lifting1 pressure    
from a distended  bladder1 or           
constipated bowels4 ,but the most       
frequent cause of a bearing  down or a  
dragging sensation1 is from weakness of 
the whole muscular  system4 ,the walls  
of the canal that leads to the womb1    
partakes largely  of this weakness1     
which of course is increased by the     
retention of urine  or fecal            
accumulations in the lower bowels4      
,there are a variety of uterine         

difficulties that afflict women of all  
classes and conditions of life4 ,yet it 
is somewhat encouraging to know  that   
the cure of each is possible when       
rightly understood4    ,treatment4--,if 
the bowels are kept free by taking a    
teaspoonful of  ,epsom salts1 dissolved 
in warm water1 about three times a week1
 bathing  frequently1 and absolute rest 
observed1 relief will be certain4    ,a 
pessary or ring should never be worn if 
avoidable4 ,there are other  means to   
resort to less unpleasant and more      
certain to give permanent  relief4 ,all 
misplacements of the womb should be     
rectified at once4                      
,,change ,,of ,,life4    ,the appearance
 of the menses in girls1 denotes the    
beginning of  womanhood2 but the        
irregularities which the periods        
sometimes exhibit  from the ages1 of #ce
 to #ej1 have given rise to the term    
8change of  life40    ,women are        
considered to be in their prime at from 
#be to #de1 and if  careful of habit1   

may escape any perceptible irregularity 
save but a few  months before the entire
 cessation1 or till after the fiftieth  
year of  their age4    ,what is needful 
for a pleasant and healthy cessation of 
the turns1 is a  more strict observance 
of the rules of self-preservation4 ,in  
some cases1  where the menses appear    
early1 they leave early4 ,climate and   
the state  of the mind1 and general     
health1 very often influences the       
periodical  flow2 the mere change of    
residence for a few hundred miles1      
causing them  to vary or disappear      
entirely1 even in young girls4 ,it is a 
great  mistake for young women1 thus    
affected1 to seek a doctor or doctress  
who  is considered an expert in         
8bringing the turns on again40 ,probably
 any  amount of mischief has been done  
by neglecting to cultivate patience in  
this matter4    ,in the decline of life1
 the cares become burdensome1 and the   
system is  in a more irritable          
condition1 therefore liable to cold4    

,the ovaries  sometimes become enlarged1
 causing the abdomen to bloat1 and      
sometimes  present the appearance of    
dropsy1 or tumor2 or a general          
enlargement may  take place4 ,there may 
be periodical flooding of bright or     
dark1 even  black blood1 and large      
pieces of clot may cause great pain for 
days1  then pass away unattended by any 
serious change in the general health4   
,very many women begin to notice the    
change by feelings of suffocation1      
flashes as of hot steam1 alternating    
with a slight chilly feeling4 ,if at    
any time perspiration is free1 it should
 be encouraged rather than  suppressed4 
,it is better to endure the hot feelings
 and save the lungs1  than to expose    
them by inhaling cold air through the   
tubes1 or driving  the perspiration in  
on to them4 ,fanning1 rushing into cold 
air1 drinking  ice-water1 all tends to  
throw the danger internally1 inducing   
paralysis4  ,when the feeling of        
suffocation comes on1 it is decidedly   

best to sit  quiet4 ,when there is much 
fluttering of the heart1 it is a good   
plan to  take one or two swallows of    
cool water1 just as it is coming on2    
this  sometimes has the effect to retard
 it for weeks4    ,treatment4--,avoid   
over-heated rooms or exciting scenes2   
keep the bowels  free without severe    
physic4 ,use coarse plain food1 drink   
very little of  fluids1 avoid spices1   
stimulants1 and secure cheerful exercise
 for the  mind1 with an abundance of    
outdoor scenery2 cultivate a love for   
the  gifts of our ,heavenly ,father1    
seek to do good for those who are worse 
off than yourself1 and all will come out
 right4    ,after the turns have ceased 
altogether1 a woman may live to a good  
old  age1 and fill many hours of        
usefulness to her sex4    ,should the   
beats of the heart interrupt sleep very 
much1 it is a good  plan to drink about 
a half-pint of hop tea1 sweetened with  
brown or  maple sugar1 at bed-time4     
,if the heart beats full and heavy1     

three grains of ,bromide of ,potassium  
should be dissolved in cinnamon water1  
and drunk at noon and night1 for  a week
 at the time1 then left off to watch the
 result2 and continued1 if  needful4    
,when there is great heat of the skin   
without perspiration1 a  little mustard 
should be added to the daily baths for a
 while4 ,much  depends upon keeping the 
blood in a normal state at such times1  
and if  the luxuries of life are        
indulged in1 the tendency is to fire the
 blood1  so to speak4    ,meats1 and    
sweets1 or pastries1 induce thirst1     
simply by their chemical  combination   
with the juices of the stomach2 and the 
more water is drunk  to quench the      
thirst1 the longer will the distress    
continue4    ,it is not at all          
improbable that the frequent sudden     
deaths of women  about the age of #cf1  
is owing to taking cold through some    
imprudence1 at  this time4 ,great care  
should be taken not to have the beatings
 of the  heart stopped too suddenly4    

,all women are not affected alike2 many 
never experience any heart  trouble1    
whilst a great number are subject to it 
from early maiden life4  ,if there is   
much wind in the bowels1 it is a good   
plan to take about  five grains of      
pulverized magnesia and three of        
pulverized cinnamon1 in  a little sugar 
and water1 every morning2 it gives a    
gentle operation1  and may be repeated  
at will4    ,irregularities of the      
menses1 like the event of pregnancy1    
very  frequently occasions cramp in the 
stomach1 for which many women boast of  
drinking gin1 or some equally volatile  
stimulant2 this should never be  done4  
,putting on cloths wrung out of hot     
water1 and sipping hot water  with a    
little mustard in it1 will soon relieve4
 ,in case of pregnancy1  the cramps     
mostly cease with delivery4             
,,catarrh--,,cold ,,in ,,the ,,head4    
,catarrh is caused by exposure of the   
face and glands of the neck to  sudden  
draught1 while the blood is quite warm4 

,the mucus that drops from  the internal
 membranes of the head becomes dry1     
accumulates in flakes1  pieces of which 
gradually drop down on the soft palate  
and organs of the  voice1 thus          
obstructing the air-passages4 ,if it is 
permitted to go on1  it is apt to cause 
inflammation of the bronchial tubes4    
,northeast1 and easterly winds1 favor   
its development much1 but1 with  timely 
aid1 it may be cured4                   
,,bronchitis1 ,,or ,,inflammation ,,of  
,,the ,,air-,,tubes ,,which ,,lead ,,to 
,,the ,,lungs4    ,treatment4--,in all  
cases of catarrh or bronchitis1 means   
should be used  to soften the glands and
 muscles of the neck4 ,warm steam should
 be  applied to the nostrils and inhaled
 into the lungs4 ,medicines taken into  
the stomach1 cannot reach the           
difficulty4 ,much may be gained by      
snuffing  a little warm salt water up   
through the nostrils4 ,when there is    
great  distress from mucus in the       
air-tubes1 about three grains of        

pulverized  ipecac should be added to   
about a gill of hot water1 and the steam
  inhaled into the lungs4 ,all inhalants
 should be boiling hot1 and used        
repeatedly for an hour or more4         
,inhaling cold air after sitting in a   
close atmosphere1 will induce an attack 
of bronchial inflammation1 or           
thickening of the air-tubes1 in persons 
of all classes and conditions4  ,persons
 who are liable to frequent attacks of  
bronchitis1 are apt to  imagine that    
their lungs are affected1 since it      
prevents a free use of  the voice in    
singing or speaking audibly4 ,i will    
repeat that this  complaint generally   
terminates with a loss of tone in the   
lung  substance1 caused by the failure  
of the tubes to supply them with oxygen 
or air2 notwithstanding1 one may live on
 for years with it4 ,sudden  changes of 
air1 food or medicines that contract or 
depress muscular or  nervous vitality1  
may cause suffocation and death at any  
moment4    ,when there is much cough    

present in chronic cases1 inhalations of
 tar1  pine bark1 or roasted coffee1 are
 beneficial4 ,i never derived any       
benefit from the use of preparations    
containing camphor1 in the  treatment of
 diseases of the air-passages2 but have 
always succeeded  with remedies that    
moisten1 soothe1 and warm4              
,,burns ,,and ,,scalds4    ,for ordinary
 burns or scalds1 cover the parts well  
with molasses1 and  give some           
internally4 ,if blisters have not       
formed1 this will prevent  them2 and if 
they have formed1 the water should be   
let out1 and the  molasses well applied4
 ,it will keep out the air most         
effectually1 and  draw out the fire in a
 short time4 ,also1 chilblains1 skin or 
scalp  sores1 either on infants or      
adults4 ,corns1 tetter1 etc41 may be    
cured by  covering the parts at night   
with molasses1 and washing it off in the
  morning with a weak solution of borax4
 ,in scalp sores of infants a  little   
sweet oil should be added to the        

molasses4                               
,,corns1 ,,or ,,callous4    ,corns1 or  
callous1 whether on the feet of children
 or adults1 come from  wearing shoes    
that are too short and too wide1 or     
otherwise ill suited1  the friction of  
which1 when walking1 creates festers1   
the matter of  which dries and becomes a
 corn4    ,treatment4--,remove the      
cause1 keep the feet clean1 and         
comfortably  clad4                      
,,sore ,,throat4    ,this term is       
generally applied to all forms of throat
 troubles2 but the  most frequent cause 
of difficulty in swallowing comes from  
cold attended  with swelling1 and some  
degree of inflammation of the tonsils1  
hence  tonsilitis4 ,the palate1 or      
curtain-like arrangement over the root  
of the  tongue1 usually partakes of the 
irritation4 ,the uvula swells1 or       
becomes  inflamed1 and rests on the root
 of the tongue1 creating a disagreeable 
sensation in the attempt to swallow4    
,the palate is then said to be  8down10 

when1 in fact1 it is not down1 but      
enlarged4 ,ulcers frequently  form on   
the tonsils1 or almond-like glands1     
inducing extreme suffering  for weeks1  
when it could be cured in a few days4   
,treatment4--,apply with a quill1 or    
hair pencil1 a grain or two of bread    
soda 7carbonate of soda71 and give one  
teaspoonful of ,epsom salts  dissolved  
in warm water daily2 at the same time1  
keep the neck moist  during hours of    
sleep by the application of cloths wrung
 out of hot  water1 until relief is     
obtained4 ,epsom salts should be of the 
finest  quality1 well dissolved1 and    
sweetened with sugar1 whenever          
administered4 ,the quantity should be   
reduced or increased to suit the  age   
and condition of the patient4           
,,diphtheria4    ,this disease is       
usually ushered in by complete lassitude
 or loss of  strength4 ,the patient     
appears to lose intelligence1 has no    
disposition  to fret or laugh1 the      
nervous powers seem to be blunted1 with 

complete  loss of appetite4    ,the     
chances of recovery are more favorable  
when the disease is rightly  understood 
in the onset4 ,this can seldom be the   
case1 especially among  the indigent1   
for in those instances the true nature  
of the complaint is  overlooked1 till it
 is too late to change the course of the
 malady4    ,treatment4--,medicines and 
external baths tending to reduce and    
brighten  the blood1 are of great       
importance4 ,of the medicines1 bromide  
of  potassium1 given in from three to   
four grain doses1 or two drachms        
dissolved in four ounces of water1 given
 by tablespoonful doses three or  four  
times a day for an adult4 ,if the body  
is kept wrapped in a wet  blanket1 and  
changed every twenty-four hours1 having 
it warm when first  applied1 it will    
greatly assist the recovery4 ,every     
means possible  should be employed to   
keep the throat open4 ,as this dreadful 
disease  appears to arise from cold1    
irritation1 and poisons in the blood1   

affecting the whole system1 it may be a 
question if whiskey and such  stimulants
 are beneficial in the first stage4     
,stimulants may be employed  throughout 
the disease externally with great       
satisfaction1 alternating  with water   
baths1 for if they are going to revive  
the powers at all1  they will do so more
 readily and permanently by absorption  
from without4    ,as yet the treatment  
of diphtheria appears to be undecided by
 the  medical faculty2 an ailment must  
be well understood to insure decided    
treatment4                              
,,scrofulous ,,or ,,glandular           
,,swellings    may develop by exposure  
to sudden atmospherical changes1 but all
  glandular enlargements are not a sign 
of scrofulous taint4    ,nearly all of  
the ordinary swellings of the neck1 or  
of any of the  glands1 may be entirely  
removed by the continued application of 
salt  moistened with the pulp of apple4 
,hot salt-water baths are scattering1   
as is also an occasional anointing with 

the ointment of helebore4    ,should    
they fill out with pus1 they should be  
carefully lanced and the  matter        
encouraged to flow out by applications  
of warm water or a  poultice of flaxseed
 meal2 should it not run freely and     
appear firm1 add  a little honey over   
the surface of the poultice for a short 
time4 ,when  the wounds are healthy they
 may be healed over by the application  
of an  ointment prepared by melting     
white pine resin and tallow together4   
,the  system must be kept open1 and the 
blood well fed at the same time1 as     
poor living both propagates the disease 
and retards its cure4 ,scrofula         
frequently terminates in consumption4   
,,tumor4 ,,false ,,growths    ,may      
develop in or on any part of the body1  
in either sex2 but in women1  most      
likely to form in the uterine regions4  
,some of the principal causes  have been
 mentioned in ,part ,i4 ,i will here    
advise the general  management3--,avoid 
eating fish1 eggs1 oysters1 pork1       

vegetables of a  gaseous nature1 or any 
stimulant drinks2 also avoid anything   
that may  depress or excite the mind4   
,as much of the distress which          
frequently  accompanies tumor is the    
result of wind and loaded bowels1 it is 
best to  keep them free by small but    
repeated doses of warm ,epsom salts2    
frequent  hot salt-water baths2         
anointing the entire body with ointment 
of  helebore1 or goose oil4 ,the dress  
should be of comfortable material4      
,where there is much bloating1 a        
decoction of water1 pepper herb and     
horse-radish root1 maybe drank at will  
for months2 likewise1 hop  sweetened    
with brown sugar induces sleep4 ,in this
 way one may live on  comfortably for   
years with tumor4                       
,,brain ,,fever4    ,in all cases where 
it is known there is a tendency of the  
blood to the  head1 the patient should  
be placed in a cool1 quiet room4 ,the   
hair  should be shaved1 or closely cut  
off2 cloths wrung out of warm water may 

be kept continually over the scalp and  
back part of the neck4 ,the feet  and   
ankles as well as the wrists should also
 be kept moist during the  height of the
 fever4 ,small doses of ,epsom salts1   
say one quarter of a  teaspoonful1      
dissolved in a little warm sweetened    
water1 to a child from  one to five     
years old1 will generally relieve the   
blood-vessels1 if  given long enough to 
produce large passages from the bowels4 
,the same  remedy should be increased   
for adults4 ,also the bromide of        
potassium1  administered as in case of  
diphtheria1 is excellent4    ,it is     
usually some irregularity1 over-work1 or
 undue excitement1 some  way or other1  
that induces the alarming symptoms of   
brain fever4    ,but1 at all events1 it 
shows that there is an overcharged      
condition of  the blood-vessels1 which  
should be promptly relieved4 ,efforts to
 this  end should be both general and   
special4 ,i have here inserted the      
general  course1 which is to reduce the 

blood in density by keeping the system  
open4 ,applications of ice1 or ice-cold 
baths1 over the head1 after the  fever  
is at its height1 does not always prove 
beneficial to the general  circulation4 
,ice may cause the blood to congeal in  
the parts1 and thus  prevent a chance   
for the removal of the pressure1 through
 the ascending  and descending          
blood-vessels4 ,cold water checks the   
flow of blood1  while1 on the other     
hand1 warm water assists it to flow4 ,it
 is just this  assistance that is needed
 to free the system from all poisonous  
irritants1 and when timely and rightly  
applied it cannot fail to  relieve4     
,,formula ,,for ,,making ,,doctress     
,,crumpler',s ,,vegetable ,,alterative4 
,take of fresh ,indian posy and water   
pepper herbs1 each one ounce2 white     
pine bark1 or tops1 one half ounce2     
horehound herb1 one fourth4 ,simmer  in 
two quarts of water in a covered vessel 
four or five hours4 ,have  three pints  
when strained2 then add two and one half

 pounds of loaf  sugar4 ,boil briskly to
 a clear1 thick syrup2 pour out1 and    
stir in while  hot1 one teaspoonful of  
pulverized mandrake root4 ,strain again 
through a  fine cloth1 and1 when cold1  
bottle and keep in a cool1 dark place4  
,if  podophyllin1 the concentrated      
mandrake is used--which ,i prefer--only 
one  half-teaspoonful is required to a  
quart of syrup4 ,dose for an adult1     
from one half to two-thirds of a small  
wineglassful once a day while  resting4 
,dose for small children1 in case of    
bloating1 worms1 cough1  from half to a 
whole teaspoonful at bed-time for a     
short while4 ,good to  remove old colds 
from continued exposures1 morbid craving
 for tobacco1  alcoholic beverages or   
other blood poisoning idols1 for which  
the dose  is one teaspoonful in a glass 
of cold water at every inclination to   
drink1 chew1 or smoke4    ,perseverance 
will insure success4 ,no remedy should  
be continued after  relief is obtained2 
too much physicking impoverishes the    

blood4                                  
,,note4      ,in the paragraph on ,sore 
,throat1 page #ajb1 ,i alluded to the   
danger of  giving hot drinks in scarlet 
fever3 the same precautions were        
intended  for measles1 or any of the    
skin diseases4 ,but owing to a          
circumstance  which occurred with a     
young mother since the publication1 ,i  
am  constrained to add some special     
advice for the management of measles4   
,this disease usually appears in the    
latter part of winter or the first  of  
spring4 ,children of various ages are   
liable to take it4 ,this disease  comes 
on with some degree of sick headache1   
hot1 dry skin1 and not  unfrequently    
with cough and sore throat4 ,a person   
may have it more than  once1 it may be  
carried around in the clothes of        
visitors1 or retained  for some time in 
the bedding1 wall papers and carpets4   
,it is very  dangerous to give hot      
drinks1 to hasten the pimples to appear2
 they  usually do so about the fourth   

day after the fever begins1 and if      
nothing was given1 unless the person was
 kept very cold indeed1 they  would     
appear4 ,it is this mistaken            
interference with ,nature that causes   
many fatal terminations of measles4 ,the
 severe headache1 heat1 swollen  face   
and eyes1 denote that the treatment     
should be rather cooling1 in  order to  
mitigate the suffering4 ,as a general   
thing measles need not be  considered to
 be any more than a cold2 with a gentle 
purge1 warm baths1  and drinks of warm  
water and lemonade1 the patient will be 
all right in  about eight or ten days4  
,but as the lungs are liable to be more 
or less  affected1 a physician should be
 called in1 that their true condition   
may  be known in the commencement4      
,,errata4                  ,on page #af1
 line #g1 for mama1 read mamma4         
,on page #ej1 line #ba1 for panacea read
 panada4                                
----------------------------------------
--------------------------------        

,,transcriber',s ,,notes       #a4      
,corrected the ,errata as noted   #b4   
,archaic1 non-standard1 and uncertain   
spellings retained as printed4   #c4    
,silently corrected typographical errors
 and variations in spelling4   #d4      
,enclosed italics font in underscores4