338 Kew Publications. [June, 



fession are directing their minds steadily to this great end. But 

 admitting that this is not true to the letter, still there can be no 

 doubt that the means of curing disease have been increased, and the 

 treatment of all the ordinary maladies are managed with better 

 success now, than any former period. 



The treatise of Dr. Condie bears evidence to the foregoing as- 

 sertion. But evidence of still greater importance is furnished in 

 the experience of all the active and enlightened physicians of the 

 country. In calling the attention of our readers to this work, we 

 can hardly expect that many of our readers will purchase it, or 

 attempt to study the diseases of infants and children with a view 

 to undertake their cure; still, those who may be disposed to give 

 some time to the perusal of the work, wmII find the first 12d pages 

 eminently calculated to promote sound views of the treatment of 

 infants and children, both in health and sickness. 



The first part of the work is devoted to the hygenic manage- 

 ment of children, the peculiarities in the performance of the vital 

 functions and the symptoms of diseased action. 



The information in this part of the work will render it a valu- 

 able book to every parent, and to all who are interested in the 

 physical and moral treatment of children. 



We shall make a few extracts, for the purpose of illustrating 

 the character of this part of the work. Page 25, treating of the 

 cleanliness and bathing of children, Dr. Condie remarks. " The 

 absurd notion so generally entertained, that the cold bath is 

 adapted, in all cases to augment the strength and invigorate the 

 powers of life, and which has induced so many to view it as an 

 important agent in the physical education of infancy and child- 

 hood, has been fully exposed by the experiments of Dr. Edwards. 

 By these it has been shown that the direct eflfect of cold water, 

 when applied to the surface, is invariably to suppress the strength 

 and vigor of the system; and that this depressing effect is always 

 in a direct ratio of the feebleness or exhaustion of the individual 

 subjected to its influence. When we add to this, that by the 

 same experiments, it has been proved that the power of generat- 

 ing heat, and consequently the ability to support a diminution of 

 temperature is at its minimum at birth, and goes on gradually 

 augmenting as the child approaches maturity, we can readily un- 

 derstand the folly and danger of applying cold water to the skin 

 of a young infant, as well as the necessity of the water in which 

 it is washed, being sufficiently warm to prevent the production of 

 the least degree of chilliness." Again; on clothing, the author 

 says that the essentials in the clothing of children, are lightness, 

 simplicity, and looseness. The texture, amount of clothing, during 

 infancy and childhood, should be such as to preserve every por- 

 tion of the body of a sufficient and equal warmth; neither allow- 



