The Mother's Manual of Children's DiseasesWest, Charles
Science
The Mother's Manual of Children's Diseases
West, Charles
Pediatrics -- Handbooks, manuals, etc.
has at once offered it the breast, and allowed it to suck abundantly; or
the infant has been roused from sleep before its customary hour, or it
has been over-excited or over-wearied at play, or in hot weather has
been carried about in the sun without proper protection from its rays.
The infant in whom from any of these causes vomiting has come on, must
at once be taken from the breast, and for a couple of hours neither food
nor medicine should be given to it. It may then be offered a teaspoonful
of cold water; and should the stomach retain this, one or two spoonfuls
may be given in the course of the next half-hour. If this is not
rejected, a little isinglass may be dissolved in the water, which must
still be given by a teaspoonful at a time, frequently repeated; or cold
barley-water may be given in the same manner. In eight or ten hours, if
no return of vomiting takes place, the experiment may be tried of giving
the child its mother's milk, or cows' milk diluted with water, in small
quantities from a teaspoon. If the food thus given does not occasion
sickness, the infant may in from twelve to twenty-four hours be restored
to the breast: with the precaution, however, of allowing it to suck only
very small quantities at a time, lest, the stomach being overloaded, the
vomiting should again be produced.
In many instances when the sickness has arisen from some accidental
cause, such as those above referred to, the adoption of these
precautions will suffice to restore the child's health. If, however,
other signs of disorder of the stomach or bowels have preceded the
sickness, or are associated with it, medicine cannot be wholly dispensed
with, and the advice of the doctor must be sought for. Very likely in
addition to directing the rules above laid down to be attended to, he
may lay a tiny dose of calomel, as a quarter, half or a whole grain on
the tongue, which often has a wonderful influence in arresting sickness;
while he may further put a small poultice not much bigger than a crown
piece, made half of mustard, half of flour, on the pit of the stomach
for a few minutes, and may give the child a little saline, with a grain
or two of carbonate of soda, and perhaps a drop of prussic acid. These,
however, are not remedies to be employed by the mother, but must be
prescribed, and their effect watched by the medical attendant.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account