O F I N F A N C Y. 37^ 



parency allowing a flight tint of the blood to 

 fhine through. It is even alledged, that the red- 

 der the fkin of an infant is at birth, it will af- 

 terwards become the fairer and more beautitul. 



The form of the body and members of in- 

 fants, recently after birth, is by no means per- 

 fect. The parts are too much rounded ; and, 

 even when the child is in high health, they have 

 a fwollen appearance. A kind of jaundice ge- 

 nerally comes on at the end of three days ; and, 

 at the fame time, there is milk in the breafts of 

 infants, which is fqueezed out by the fingers. 

 As the growth of the child increafes, the fuper- 

 fluous juices and fwelling of the parts gradually 

 diminifli. 



In fome infants, a palpitation may be feen in 

 the fontanella, or open of the head ; and, in 

 every child, the bearing of the fmufes, or arte- 

 ries of the brain, may be felt at this place. A- 

 bove this opening, a fpecies of fcurf appears, 

 which is often very thick, and muft be rubbed 

 off with a brufh, when it becomes dry. This 

 matter feems to have fome analogy to the horns 

 of quadrupeds, which likcwifc derive their ori- 

 gin from an opening in the fkull, and from the 

 fubftance of the brain. We fhall afterwards 

 {how, that the extremities of the nerves become 

 folid when expofed to the air ; and that horns, 

 nails, claws, &c. are genuine produdlions of this 

 nervous fubftance. 



The 



