766 PLAIN FACTS 



mucus into the throat. If the face has a purplish ap- 

 pearance, the child should be placed at once in a warm 

 bath, temperature 105°, or as hot as can be safely used 

 without injury to the skin, and cold water should be 

 dashed upon the chest. Artificial respiration may also 

 be employed at the same time. These measures should 

 be continued for some time, and should not be aban- 

 doned so long as any evidence whatever of the action 

 of the heart can be obtained. 



As soon as the child breathes freely the cord should 

 be tied in two places; the first about two inches from 

 the body, the other about three inches. The child 

 should then be laid upon its side, not on the back, as 

 the side position favors the escape of mucus from the 

 throat. 



Washing and Dressing the Child.— If the birth 

 is a premature one, having occurred before the infant 

 fully developed, its movements will be slight and fee- 

 ble, its cry will be very faint, and the countenance will 

 have a peculiarly old expression. Such a child re- 

 quires extra care and warmth. It should be carefully 

 wrapped in soft cotton. Great care will be required 

 in rearing it, as at first it will be too weak to nurse, 

 and must be fed with a spoon. It should not be washed 

 and dressed for some time, and should be kept very 

 warm. Care should be taken in washing the child not 

 to expose it to cold, producing blueness of the surface, 

 as is often done. The fact should be remembered that 

 the infant during all its life thus far has been accus- 

 tomed to a temperature of nearly 100°, and being 

 wholly without protection when born, and keenly sus- 

 ceptible, it must suffer quite severely from cold. 



The best plan is to place the child in a warm bath, 

 the temperature of which is about blood heat, and then 



