The Physical Training of ChildrenChavasse, Pye Henry
Science
The Physical Training of Children
Chavasse, Pye Henry
Child care; Children -- Health and hygiene
Certainly not: if you wish to take away his appetite and to weaken and
depress him, give him brimstone! Brimstone is not a remedy fit for a
child’s stomach. The principal use and value of brimstone is as an
external application in itch, and as an internal remedy, mixed with
other laxatives, in piles—piles being a complaint of adults. In olden
times poor unfortunate children were dosed every spring and fall with
brimstone and treacle, to sweeten their blood! Fortunately for the
present race, there is not so much of that folly practiced, but still
there is room for improvement.
To dose a _healthy_ child with physic is the grossest absurdity. No, the
less physic a delicate child has the better it will be for him, but
physic to a healthy child is downright poison!—and brimstone of all
medicines! It is both weakening and depressing to the system, and by
opening the pores of the skin and by relaxing the bowels, is likely to
give cold, and thus to make a healthy a sickly child. Sweeten his blood!
It is more likely to weaken his blood, and thus to make his blood
impure! Blood is not made pure by drugs, but by Nature’s medicine: by
exercise, by pure air, by wholesome diet, by sleep in a well-ventilated
apartment, by regular and thorough ablution. Brimstone a preventive
medicine! Preventive medicine—and brimstone especially in the guise of a
preventive medicine—is “a mockery, a delusion, and a snare.”
248. _When a child is delicate, and his body, without any assignable
cause is gradually wasting away, and the stomach rejects all food that
is taken, what plan can be adopted likely to support his strength, and
thus, probably, be the means of saving his life?_
I have seen, in such a case, great benefit to arise from half a
teacupful of either strong mutton broth, or of strong beef-tea, used as
an enema, every four hours. An enema apparatus is an important requisite
in every nursery; it may be procured of any respectable surgical
instrument-maker. The india-rubber enema bottle is, for a child’s use, a
great improvement on the old syringe, as it is not so likely to get out
of order, and, moreover, is more easily used.
It should be administered slowly, in order that it may remain in the
bowel. If the child be sinking, either a dessertspoonful of brandy, or
half a wineglassful of port wine ought to be added to each enema.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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