INFANCY. 



of maternal assiduity and anxiety, it is al- 

 so exposed to diseases of great variety 

 and violence, from which it would other- 

 wise be exempt. 



The natural infirmity of infant life ex- 

 poses it at all times, and in all situations, 

 to a mortality far exceeding that of any 

 other stage : but from the powerful effect 

 of such accessary causes, in conjunction 

 with the impure air of crowded towns and 

 cities, we are often called upon to con- 

 template this mortality, trebled or qua- 

 drupled beyond its appropriate ratio; 

 and to behold more than half the natives 

 of a place die within the narrow term of 

 the first three years of life, instead of the 

 greater part of them reaching the age of 

 twenty-five or thirty, and, of course, liv- 

 ing to become husbands and wives, and 

 giving birth to generations, which are 

 thus cut off along with themselves. 



What then are the best means of dimi- 

 nishing this melancholy and sweeping 

 mortality ? There cannot be a more im- 

 portant question, either in medicine or 

 in politics. To offer all that is worthy of 

 notice in the latter view, would be to en- 

 gage in a much longer and a more specu- 

 lative discussion than the limits of the pre- 

 sent article, or even of the present work, 

 would allow. We shall confine ourselves, 

 therefore, in what we shall have further 

 to advance upon the subject, to the point 

 of medical and domestic attention alone ; 

 and shall beg leave, upon this restricted 

 scale, to propose such hints as may have 

 a tendency to remove a considerable part 

 of the evils of which we complain. In do- 

 ing this, we shall first notice what ought 

 to be the treatment of infants in a state of 

 health, and, secondly, in a state of disease. 



Treatment of Infants in Health. 



The two primary objects of attention 

 on the birth of an infant are warmth and 

 cleanliness. The last has lately been op- 

 posed, but certainly without due con- 

 sideration. The limbs and body of an in- 

 fant when first born are generally cover- 

 ed over with a mealy mucous matter, 

 which appears to be a feculent deposit 

 from the amnios, or fluid, in which he was 

 immersed antecedently to his birth. 

 * This coating, or covering," we are told, 

 ' which the infant obtains in the womb, 

 is surely not put there for nothing. Be 

 assured that nature has some wise and 

 necessary design, or purpose, in the mat- 

 ter ; for it adheres, and it adheres most 

 firmly, to his skin ; and, if left to itself, in 

 a certain period after birth it dries, and 

 forms a cxust, and gradually scales off, in 



the economy of nature, and leaves the 

 skin it covered heal and healthful, and 

 capable to bear every common or neces- 

 sary freedom." 



The natural indolence of nurses will be 

 much obliged to this writer, who has ac- 

 quired, and for various reasons deserved- 

 ly acquired, considerable popularity, for 

 this novel and extraordinary advice ; an 

 advice, than which nothing can be much 

 more pernicious, and which we feel our- 

 selves, therefore, compelled to combat 

 by a few cursory remarks. 



This coating, we are told, is not placed 

 over the skin for nothing ; and we are 

 desired to rest assured, that nature has 

 some wise and necessary design or pur- 

 pose in the matter. But what is this wise 

 and necessary design. ? Ifnotputoverthe 

 skin for nothing, for what is it put there ? 

 These are important questions ; but there 

 is not a single hint in the writer's entire 

 book that may serve as an answer to them. 

 We believe, however, and have much 

 reason to believe, that it is put there for 

 nothing ; that the deposit of this mucous 

 coating is a mere accident, resulting from 

 a casual change in the state or proportion 

 of the amnios ; and not designed by na- 

 ture to answer any necessary purpose 

 whatever. If nature really designed any 

 useful purpose by such a deposit, we 

 should find her producing it uniformly in 

 the same quantity and quality. But while 

 many infants are born without any such 

 deposit whatever, the covering that sur- 

 rounds others differs materially, both in 

 its nature and proportion, sometimes 

 being diffused over the whole body, at 

 others confined to particular parts of it ; 

 sometimes being a white, thick, pulta- , 

 ceous mass, derived alone from the am- 

 nios, and at others a pitchy tenacious 

 fluid, chiefly derived from the discharge ' 

 of meconiutn. Yet be it what it may, we ' 

 are told that our nurses " have nothing^ 

 to do but to take the infant's skin as? 

 nature gives it them ; nothing to do but 

 to dry it in the most kind and gentle 

 manner, with the receiver, or a piece of 

 ^>ld soft spongy cloth, warmed at the fire, 

 and then proceed to clothe him." Yet'v 

 if they have nothing to do but to take the 

 skin as nature gives it them, they ought 

 not to dry it, for nature gives the skin to 

 them moist; they bught not to clothe it, 

 for nature gives it to them without cover- 

 ing ; and the young of many other ani- 

 mals, though wholly unfurnished with 

 ready-made dresses against their birth, 

 are born just as naked and unfledged as 

 the human infant. Above all, they ought 

 not to dewi it, either with the receiver, 



