INFANCY. 



will generally be sufficient ; or, in the 

 country, a little fresh whey and honey. 

 Should a stronger laxative be required, 

 then the castor oil may be recommended, 

 or a watery infusion of rhubarb cannot fail 

 to answer the effect. But should they be 

 slow in producing the ease and freedom 

 from pain for which they are intended, 

 and no stools have been procured for 

 twelve or fourteen hours after birth, a 

 clyster may be thrown up, and repeated 

 at the distance of a few hours, which will 

 answer every purpose, and the discharge 

 once begun, and the bowels brought into 

 action, the meconium will gradually pass 

 off, for several days, without any further 

 trouble. 



Jaundice is a disease to which infants, 

 at birth, are very subject, and may be 

 said to take place always to a certain de- 

 gree. It is easily known by the tinge of 

 the skin, and more particularly the saf- 

 fron hue of the eye. The nails, however, 

 are not here coloured, as with adults ; but 

 the yellowness of the complexion gradual- 

 ly increases, as in other cases. 



This disorder is evidently the effect of 

 a viscid matter obstructing the gall ducts ; 

 in order to remove which, a gentle eme- 

 tic is required. That generally preferred, 

 is the tartarised wine of antimony, in the 

 dose of a single drop or two ; and it has 

 the advantage of also passing down wards. 

 In giving vomits, however, at this period, 

 there is often much danger, and instead 

 of the tartarised antimony, which is rather 

 uncertain in its operation, three or four 

 grains of ipecacuanha will be safer, which 

 should be followed the next day with the 

 same quantity of rhubarb. Where the 

 symptoms do'not seem to yield, the same 

 plan should be continued every other 

 day, till the yellowness begin to disap- 

 pear, which it generally does in about a 

 week. In this complaint, the mere open- 

 ing the bowels does not seem entirely 

 sufficient to remove the colour of the 

 skin. Even at times, along with the for- 

 mer treatment, some addition of sapona. 

 ceous or soapy medicines becomes neces- 

 sary, as two or three drops of prepared 

 tali ; while, to assist its operation, both 

 the warm bath and friction of the stomach 

 may be conjoined. 



On this subject it may be farther ob- 

 served, that no tinge is communicated to 

 the child from the mother, though she 

 have been afflicted with the disease dur- 

 ing pregnancy ; but at the same time, if 

 it continue with her after her delivery, 

 and she suckle her child, the true jaun- 

 dice will be communicated to the infant, 



and the disease remain, till it be either 

 weaned or the mother recover. 



There are few infants, even under the 

 most favourable circumstances of manage- 

 ment, that will reach the termination of 

 the first six, or even the first three 

 months, without some morbid affection 

 of the bowels. The diseases of this tribe 

 are, chiefly, costiveness, looseness, acidity, 

 and flatulence. 



Of these the first is not very frequent : 

 it exists nevertheless occasionally, in a 

 very great and even alarming degree ; 

 sometimes derived from the constitution 

 of the mother, and sometimes as an idio- 

 pathic affection. In the former case we 

 may be always under less apprehension ; 

 in the latter case the constipation is oc- 

 casionally so severe, and accompanied 

 with so much pain, and even spasm, as to 

 threaten an inflammation of the bowels, if 

 not speedily removed. As instantaneous 

 applications, the best remedies are fomen- 

 tations of hot water, or camomile decoc- 

 tion, to the belly ; doses of calomel, from 

 one to three grains, according to the age 

 of the patient, given by the mouth, and 

 injections of the common enematic decoc- 

 tion, with a little sweet oil, and a solution 

 of neutral salt. This complaint usually 

 proceeds from too rapid an absorption of 

 the more fluid parts of the chyle, by the 

 bibulous mouths of the lacteals, in conse- 

 quence of which the part that remains is 

 too compact and solid to be forced away 

 by the common peristaltic action. This 

 morbid activity of absorption should be 

 next attended to, to prevent a recurrence 

 of the disease ; and occasional doses of 

 rhubarb, alternating with castor oil, is 

 perhaps the best method that can be pur- 

 sued to obtain this object. 



Looseness, or diarrhoea, is, however, a 

 much more common complaint among in- 

 fants than costiveness. It is often con- 

 nected with vomiting; and both arise 

 most frequently from one of these three 

 causes ; unwholesome food, moist cold 

 air, or the sudden disappearance of some 

 cutaneous eruption. From which ever of 

 these it proceeds, it ought not to be hasti- 

 ly stopped ; certainly not till the offen- 

 sive matter, on which it depends, be to- 

 tally removed. Where joined with a 

 vomiting, an emetic ought to be the first 

 step ; after that the use of rhubarb and 

 absorbents may be ventured on, and con- 

 tinued, with an occasional emetic, till the 

 first passages be completely cleared of 

 any irritation which may keep up the dis- 

 ease. If it continue after a sufficient per- 

 severance in this plan, li^ht cordials and 



