INFANTS. 



'le fomier, and even prevents other complaints. I 

 1 never faw an infant," he continues, " mucli loaded 

 •. but it has always been healthy, and cut its teeth 

 \h\y well: indeed it falls to the lot of tlic fiiieft 

 ', and fuch as are well nouriftied ; whence fome hsvc 

 J it owin^ only to the richnefs of the milk. And 

 larkabl? in this eruption, that howfoever tliick and 

 titinued the fcabs may be, the crtt/la In^ea never cxco- 



>, .lor leaves any fear on the parts.'' It is not attended 



widi any fever, or obvious derangement of the fyftem. The 

 crull appears firll on the forehead, and often extends half 

 way over the face in the form of large loofe fcabs. It is 

 fometirnes attended with fevere itching. Praftitloners in 

 general affirm that medicines are not required, and :ire ra- 

 ther injurious than beneficial in this eruption ; that mild lax- 

 atives, fo as to keep the paiTage of the bowels free, may be 

 employed, but that all aftive purgatives are to be avoided ; 

 and, laiUy, that where there is excelTive itching, fome weak 

 cooling allringent lotion, of the acetate of lead, or fulphate 

 of zinc, fiiould be applied to the parts. Dr. Underwood 

 denies that the critjla la8;a ever degenerates into fcald-head, 

 as fome authors before him had mentioned. But Dr. Ha- 

 milton has pointed out a modification of crujla hdea, which 

 frequently takes place during teething, and is a moll obfti- 

 tnite and troublefome complaint. " This,"' he fays, " is 

 characterized by a rednefs of the (l.-in ro-.md the edge of the 

 incruftations ; by an ichorous or clear-coloured exudation 

 ilToing from the furface of the fcabs, which concretes, and 

 which tends to carry the difeafe over every part of the face 

 which it touches. There cannot be a doubt, indeed, tiiat 

 this form of crttjla laElea is contagious, and notliing lefs than 

 a variety of the fcald-head, or Unea capitis, the Ponigo of 

 Dr. Wilian's nomenclature, in which this fpecies is called 

 Porrigo larvalis. The cure of this modification of the dif- 

 eafe requires conftant ablution with milk and water, thin 

 gruel, S:c., to remove the acrid fluid which exudes, and the 

 application of fome drying ointment. S.ime alterative pre- 

 paration of mercury is Hkewife ufeful internally, fuch as the 

 hydrargium creta, or the grey oxyd, followed by the vege- 

 table and mineral tonics. See Pomur.o. 



Dr. Hamilton lias ftated the follov.'ing praftical conclu- 

 fions refpefting the eruptions of children in general. . They 

 may all be divided into two clafies, he obferves, \.\\ejirjl of 

 which .are temporary, or of fhort duration ; are commonly 

 ufhered in with fymptoms of general indifpofition, and are 

 owing to fome diforder of the llomach or bowels, or to 

 fome :nte,n-!!prion of the ufual excretions or fecretions : th.e 

 Jccur.d are of an indefinite duration ; bre^k out gradually 

 tvitliont any derangement of the ordinary health ; and are 

 probably, in moft inftances, the effects of fome difeafed con- 

 dition of the lymphatic fyllem, though, fometimes, they 

 may be occafioned by a local affection of the llvin itfelf. 

 Xhe trep.tment requifite in thefe two forms of eruption is 

 thus dated. In \\vifirjl clafs, where fymptoms of indifpo- 

 .fition, fuch as heat, reftlefsnefs, ficknefs, or opprelfion, are 

 ! followed by an eruption, a brill< dofe of calomel (hould be 

 ; liril ordered, together with the warm bath, and afterwards 

 I occafional purgatives, and a fuitable regulation of the diet, 

 I are to be advifed. But, in the ficond clafs, where the ap- 

 ■ pearance of the eruption is unaccompanied by fever or 

 ' marks of indifpofition, fome of the medicines called altera- 

 . lives, and the dady ufe of warm baching, particidarly in fca- 

 water, (hould be recommended. The medicines to which an 

 alterative power is afcribed, he continues, arc preparations of 

 mercury, of antimony, of fulphur, and of neutral falts ; and 

 therefore calomel in very fmall dofes, or antimonial wine, or 

 the fnlphuret of antimony, or Harrowgate or ChelteF.ham 



waters, or fome imitation of thefe, are the remedies to be 

 chiefly depended upon. It is commonly neceflary to order 

 a protradietl courfe of thife medicines.- In fume cafes, 

 cither topical applications (befides the warm bath) are ne- 

 cefTnry, to a'lay irritation, anfing from excefGve heat and 

 itching of the fliia. The moll efficacious are lime-water 

 rfii.xed with oil, a foluion of pitafs, and the acetite of am- 

 monia much diluted. The metallic folutions are too power- 

 ful to be employed, except upon very particular occafions. 

 IfTues have been often employed in thofe cafes, bul experi- 

 ence has prov>.d that purging anfwers better. Very didivfs- 

 ing effefts have followed the application of a blifler, where 

 there was a tendency to chronic eruptions of the flcrn. Ha- 

 milton's Hints for the Treatment of the principal Difeafes 

 of Infancy and Childhood, pi 130. 



§ 3. Dentition — It is generally admitted that the time of 

 teething is an important period of the infant (late, during 

 which a number of diforders of a formidable charafter are 

 liable to occur. Dr. Cadogan, indeed, and Dr .'.rmflrohg 

 feem to have entertained a folnewhat difi'ereht opinion upon 

 this fubjedt, and have afcribed the complaints, connefted 

 with the proccfs of dentition, to fome other rnornid condi- 

 tion of the habit, fuch as too great fiilnefs, or a corrupt 

 ftate of the fluids : but this appears lobe a difference only 

 in terms, and implies an admiflion of the occurrence of the 

 difeafe^ alladed to. (See Armftrong on the Difeafes moft 

 incide- t to Children, &c. p. 61.) It is certain that thelia- 

 tural procefs of dentition is produftfve of pain and indifpo- 

 fition in by f.ir the greater number of inftances: fom.e in- 

 fants, indeed, fuffer lefs than others, but few eiijoy- perfect 

 heahh while teething. We fhall firft defcribe the progrefs 

 of the developement of the teeth, and afterwards the ordi- 

 nary aflieftions which it excites in the conliitiition. ' ' 



The period />/ teething is fubjeft to confiderable variety in 

 different inftances; but in the greater- number of cafes, the 

 firft pair of milk-teeth appear betv.een the fifth and tenth 

 month, and the laft before the end of the fecond year. In 

 fome infants, however, tiie firft pair or two are cut by the 

 end of the third month ; while, on the other hand,, not a 

 few attain the fixteenth or eighteenth month before a fingle 

 pair appears. In general, thofe of the lower jaw are. cut 

 before the correfponding ones of the upper jaw ; but fome- 

 times the feveral pairs of the upper jaw are cut before thofe 

 of the lower. The following is the order of fucceiTion in 

 moft inftances : viz. firft, the two middle fore-teeth of the 

 lower jaw ; then the correfponding pair in the upper : next 

 follow the two adjoining teeth of the upper jaw ; and, after 

 thefe, the two next fore-teeth of the lower jaw : then come 

 the two foremoft grinders of the upper jaw, and after them 

 the two anterior grinders of the lower jaw: the two eye- 

 teeth make their appearance next ; and fome time after, the 

 two oppofite to them in the lower jaw : and finally, thepolle- 

 rior grinders. Of the firft fet of teeth there are twenty in all, 

 but in fome cafes only. fixtccn : an interval of one, two, or 

 more v.eeks is interpofed between each fuccefilve pair ; and 

 there is commonly a longer interval between the firft two 

 pair than between the fucceeding ones. Some children, how- 

 ever, cut their teeth crofs, as it is called, or irregularly, the 

 teeth appearing firft in the upper jaw, and alfo at a diflance, 

 inftead of being contiguous to each other : in fome rare cafes 

 the grinders come out before the cutting teeth. This is ac- 

 counted, and with fome reafon, an indication of difficult or 

 painful dentition. 



At birth the teeth are placed underneath the gums, and 



each tooth is inclofcd in a fine uienibrane or capfule, which 



is fuppofed to be extremely fenfible. This capfule, as well 



as the gum, muft give waybefore the tooth can be protruded ; 



L c and 



