CARE OF THE NEW-BORN. 275 



together with a lump of perfectly fresh butter — but just 

 churned and yet without salt — about the size of a hen's 

 egg. Stew these with gentle heat until the apple has all 

 disappeared, and then pour them into a bowl and set away 

 to cool. 



This mixture, which cools to about the consistency of 

 vaseline, should be freely and often applied to the sores ; 

 and being of innocent ingredients the puppies cannot be 

 endangered by it, as they would be by medicinal applica- 

 tions having any considerable action. 



After the weaning this remedy can be persisted in 

 until the sores are healed, or the ointment of the oxide of 

 zinc, which is generally more easily obtainable, can be 

 used, and it will speedily effect a cure. 



As for " drying up the milk " after weaning, but rarely 

 will it be necessary to make any efforts to this end, for 

 mothers very generally do well when left entirely to them- 

 selves. If, however, it so. happens that the breasts are 

 much swollen and painful, warm camphorated oil may be 

 freely applied ; and beyond this no other treatment will 

 be required. 



Instances are numerous in which mothers have had an 

 abundance of milk yet their puppies, apparently healthy 

 and vigorous at birth, have all died in the course of three 

 or four days, and the popular assumption has been that 

 the milk was either lacking in essential nutritive elements 

 or contained noxious properties. The writer has found 

 the former the rule, yet he has encountered cases where 

 the milk was up to the standard quality, and although no 

 poisons could be detected he felt convinced that they 

 were there, or had been there, to account for the fatality. 

 And in several of these he made experiments, the results 

 of which led up to the belief that the harmful proper- 

 ties, if there were any in the milk, were limited to that 

 furnished during the first day. 



