_Inspection when born_.--As soon as the child is born its mouth and nose should be cleared from mucus, if that has not been done already; and if it has not breathed, means should be resorted to immediately to make it do so. Sometimes the whole head is covered with a thin membrane, called the _caul_, or _veil_, which is most probably only a portion of the Amnion, and which may cause suffocation. I remember a case of this kind in my own practice, in which the caul was unnoticed at first, and the child came near dying from it. Nothing could be seen, and as it bent before the finger, when pressed into the mouth, it was totally unobserved. The nurse however, called out that the child did not breathe, and a close examination as to the cause soon revealed why. On passing the finger under the edge of the membrane, which was round the neck, it came off like a cap, and the child cried immediately. _Washing the child._--The cleansing of the child may usually be safely committed to the nurse, or other female attendants, though some of them have very absurd and injurious practices in this respect. Thus I have known them rub the whole body over with _whiskey_, or _raw spirits_, before washing it, which must cause great coldness from its evaporation, and also great irritation. The only thing required is _perfect cleanliness_, and this should be effected in the _quickest_ and _simplest_ manner. Some very mild soap, and moderately warm water, is all that is really needed, though a little sweet oil, or fresh lard, or butter, rubbed on first, appears to facilitate the operation. The drying should be done as quickly as possible, after all the mucus is washed off, and with great care; the napkin being as soft as it can be, and never _rubbed_ hard, for it takes but little force to remove the skin. Many persons take great trouble, and are a long time over this infantile wash without succeeding well with it. They are deceived by the tough mucus slipping under the hand, but still clinging to the body, where they leave it even after using the napkin; it then dries on and forms a hard skin, very difficult to remove, and very irritating. This can be avoided with care, and by using the oil first, which appears to soften the mucus. Some persons use _flour_, or _Indian meal_, and others _starch_, but none of these are so good as the simple means we have described.