The milk, as a general rule, ought to be _unboiled_; but if it purge violently, or if it cause offensive motions--which it sometimes does--then it must be boiled. The moment the milk boils up, it should be taken off the fire. Food ought for the first month to be given about every two hours; for the second month, about every three hours; lengthening the space of time as the baby advances in age. A mother must be careful not to over-feed a child, as over-feeding is a prolific source of disease. Let it be thoroughly understood, and let there be no mistake about it, that a babe during the first nine months of his life, MUST have--it is absolutely necessary for his very existence--milk of some kind, as the staple and principal article of his diet, either mother's, wet-nurse's, or asses', or goats', or cow's milk. 37. _How would you choose a wet-nurse_? I would inquire particularly into the state of her health; whether she be of a healthy family, of a consumptive habit, or if she or any of her family have laboured under "king's evil;" ascertaining if there be any seams or swellings about her neck; any eruptions or blotches upon her skin; if she has a plentiful breast of milk, and if it be of good quality [Footnote: "It should be thin, and of a bluish-white colour, sweet to the taste, and when allowed to stand, should throw up a considerable quantity of cream,"--_Maxell and Evenson on the Diseases of Children_.] (which may readily be ascertained by milking a little into a glass); if she has good nipples, sufficiently long for the baby to hold; that they be not sore; and if her own child be of the same, or nearly of the same age, as the one you wish her to nurse. Ascertain, whether she menstruate during suckling; if she does, the milk is not so good and nourishing, and you had better decline taking her. [Footnote: Sir Charles Locock considers that a woman who menstruates during lactation is objectionable as a wet-nurse, and "that as a mother with her first child is more liable to that objection, that a second or third child's mother is more eligible than a first"--_Letter to the Author_.] Assure yourself that her own babe is strong and healthy that he be free from a sore mouth, and from a "breaking-out" of the skin. Indeed, if it be possible to procure such a wet-nurse, she ought to be from the country, of ruddy complexion, of clear skin, and of between twenty and five-and-twenty years of age, an the milk will then be fresh, pure, and nourishing.