The fever that follows breeding of teeth comes from choleric humours, inflamed by watching, pain, and heat. And the longer teeth are breeding, the more dangerous it is; so that many, in the breeding of them, die of fevers and convulsions. _Cure._—Two things are to be regarded:—one is, to preserve the child from the evil accidents that may happen to it by reason of the great pain; the other, to assist, as much as may be, the cutting of the teeth, when they can hardly cut the gums themselves. For the first of these, viz. the preventing those accidents of the child, the nurse ought to take great care to keep a good diet and to use all things that may cool and temper milk, that so a fever may not follow the pain of the teeth. And to prevent the humour from falling too much upon the inflamed gums, let the child’s belly be kept always loose by gentle clysters, if it be bound; though oftentimes there is no need of them, because they are at those times usually troubled with a looseness; and yet, for all that, clysters may not be improper. As to the other, which is to assist in cutting the teeth; that the nurse must do from time to time by mollifying and loosening them, and by rubbing them with the fingers dipped in butter or honey; or let the child have a virgin-wax candle to chew upon; or anoint the gums with the mucilage of quince made with mallow-waters, or with the brains of a hare; also foment the cheeks with the decoction of althœa, and camomile flower and dill, or with the juice of mallows and fresh butter. If the gums are inflamed, add juice of nightshade and lettuce. I have already said, the nurse ought to take a temperate diet: I shall now only add, that barley-broth, water-gruel, raw eggs, prunes, lettuce, and endive, are good for her; but let her avoid salt, sharp, biting, and peppered meats and wine. SECT. IX. _Of the Flux of the Belly, or Looseness in Infants._