The Young Mother: Management of Children in Regard to HealthAlcott, William A. (William Andrus)
Science
The Young Mother: Management of Children in Regard to Health
Alcott, William A. (William Andrus)
Children -- Health and hygiene
There is one substitute for the bathing tub, in the case of the cold
bath. I refer to the use of a wet cloth or sponge, applied rapidly to
the whole surface of the body. When this is done, the skin should be
wiped thoroughly dry immediately afterwards, as in the case of complete
immersion.
The application of either a cloth or a sponge, filled with warm water,
to the skin, in this manner, even if continued for several minutes
together, is less efficacious than a continuous immersion. I repeat
it--no family ought to be without conveniences for bathing in warm water
daily. I speak now of every member of the family, young and old, as well
as the infant; and I refer particularly to the summer season: though I
do not think the practice ought to be wholly discontinued during the
winter.
It will still be objected that this care of, and attention to the young,
in reference to health--this provision for bathing daily, and care to
see that it is performed--can never be afforded by the laboring portion
of the community. But I shall as strenuously insist on the contrary; and
trust I shall, in the sequel, produce reasons which will be
satisfactory.
The great difficulty is, to convince parents that these things are
vastly more productive of health and happiness to their children--more
truly necessaries--than a great many things for which they now expend
their time and money. There is, and always has been--except, perhaps,
among the Jews, in the earliest periods of the history of that wonderful
nation--a strange disposition to overlook the happiness of the young. It
is not necessary to represent this dereliction as peculiar to modern
times, for we find traces of the same thing thousands of years ago.
The Roman emperors--Dioclesian in particular--could make provision for
bathing, to an extent which now astonishes us; but for whom? For whom, I
repeat it, was incurred the enormous expense of fitting up and keeping
in repair accommodations for bathing at once 18,000 people? For adults;
and for adults alone. I do not say that children were not admitted, in
any case; but I say they were not contemplated in these arrangements.
Nothing was done--not a single thing--that would not have been done, had
there been no child under ten years of age in the whole empire.
And what better than this do WE, now? We make provision for the
happiness of the adult. The most indigent person will find time and
money to spend for the gratification of his own senses, his pride, or
his curiosity; but his children--they may be overlooked! Or, if he has
an eye to the future happiness of his child, he conceives that he is
promoting it in the best possible degree, by endeavoring to lay up a few
dollars for his use, after his character is formed--at a period, as it
too often happens, when money will do him little good, since it can
neither purchase health, peace of mind, nor reputation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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