INFANTS. 



water to infants cannot be reprobated in terms fufl\piently 

 flrong. Profeflbr Hamilton aircrts, from his perfonal know- 

 ledgL^, that many infants are annually dcllroyed in Edin- 

 burgli by this moil unnatural praAice ; and we have too 

 m'ich evidence that the fame prnftice is conftantly refortcd 

 to by nurfes on this fide the Tweed. The bed mode of 

 preventing (light degrees of colic, is to take cai-e that the 

 infant do not fuck too much at a time ; to promote the 

 difcharge of any air that may be fwhllowed while fucking, 

 by gently tofiing the child now and then before his flomach 

 be filled ; to proportion the quantify of fpoon-mcat to the 

 po'.vcrs of Irs digeftion ; and to regulate the diet of the 

 nurfc, as it is now well known, that after certain articles 

 of food, (fuch as particidar kinds of malt-liquor and of ve- 



fetables,) a great deal more air than ufual is feparated 

 uring digeflion from the milk. 



In the more violent degrees of colic, the treatment mud 

 be varied according to the circumfiances of the individual 

 cafe. If it feem to arife from the accumulation of {lime, 

 or from fome fault in the milk, fuitable dofcs of cold drawn 

 caftor-oil, or magnefia and rhubarb, together with the wai . i- 

 bath, or fomentations of the belly, are to be employed. 

 But if the bowels be quite open, and the complaint have 

 been evidently excited by expofure to cold, or fome external 

 circumfiances; along with the warm-bath or fomentations, opi- 

 ates, in the form of anodyne balfam, rubbed on the belly, may 

 be fafely prefcribed. Preparations of opium fliould almoil 

 never be given internally to infants, as they may do, and have 

 done, irreparable mifchief. Dr. Hamilton recommends the 

 tiufture of hyofcyamus as a fubllitute. When conllipation at- 

 tends colic, the moft aclive means of opening the bowels are 

 to be reforted to. For this purpofe even large dofes of calo- 

 mel, followed by cold drawn ca(lcr-oil and laxative glyflers, 

 are fometimes infulficient, and more powerful purgatives mull 

 be devifed. 



Inirofjfception, or tn'.us-fufcept'ion, is a very dangerous difeafe, 

 which refcmbles colic fo much, that it fometimes requires 

 great praftical difcernment to draw the line of diftin&ion 

 between the two difeafes. This diforder confifls of the 

 pafTagc or inverfion of one portion of the inteitines into an- 

 other, together with a flriilure and confequeiit inflammation 

 in the introfufcepted portion. Sometimes thefe are fuch as lo 

 clofe the canal ; but in other cafes, the pafTage through the 

 ■ gut, though narrowed, remains free. Inirofujcept'wn is oc- 

 cafioned by violent irritation and fpafmodic action of a part 

 of the gut, and this may be excited by worms, by morbid 

 fasces, or undigefled aliment, by dradic purgatives, &c. ; 

 whence "it is fometimes the confequence of colic. 



If, along with the ordinary fymptoms of very violent 

 •olic, the pu'fe be unnaturally flow, or if there be urgent 

 calls to void the flools, and nothing but flime, or flime 

 tinged with blood be pafTed, there is much reafon to dread the 

 cxtflence of this difeafe. 



When !ntrrfufcept'ior. is difcovered at the beginning, it often 

 yields to the ufe of leeches, warm fomentations, and a medi- 

 cine calculated to e.xci;e both vomiting and purging. But 

 if its nature be overlooked or mifimdcrftood, even for a few 

 hours, the fatal event can hardly be prevented. A dif- 

 charge of blood from the bowels, but more often ilupor and 

 Occafional convulfions, precede death. Hamilton's " Hints.'" 

 See al.''o the furgical article Intro-, or Intus-susceptiok. 

 . Prohpfus ant, or falling down nf the gut, that is, a partial 

 everfion of the recliim. or llraight gut, through the funds- 

 pent, is a corr.mon efTetl of bowel-complaints in weakly 

 cTiildren ; and feenis to confill of a relaxation of the gut, 

 which is forced downwards by any irritation that excites 

 conllant or frequent efforts to expel fxces, followed by fome 



Vox.. XIX. 



degree of fpafmodic llriflure in the y}^!>inffermv(ch, whicU 

 prevents it from returning. It is generally of temporary 

 <l;n\\lion only, and is cal-ily replaced by flight prtfTure. 

 Nurfcs commonly apply a piece of woollen cloth or a na;kin 

 for this purpofe, but, Dr. Hamilton fays, a better plan is to 

 Ir.y the child upon liis face, to feparate his thighs, and then to 

 prefs together both his buttocks. If thofe means fail, it be- 

 comes neccffary to introduce the fore-finger, prcvioufly 

 greafed,into the gut, to remove the flrifture from the fphinc- 

 ter. This is a more fafe and fpeedy method than the app'ica- 

 tion of allringent fubltanccs to the protruded parts, which 

 might irritate or inflan;e them. With the view of preventing 

 the frequent recurrence of this moR unplcafant, though not 

 dangerous complaint, all irritations of the bowels ought tcr 

 be guarded againil ; the tin/es flipuld be dipped tv.icc a day 

 into a tubful of cold water, in whicli a red-hot iron had been 

 frequently quench.ed, and the child ought to be made to fit 

 regularly on a firm hard feat. In fome inllancrs the relaxa- 

 tion cf the parts becomes fo great, that the gut defcends evtry 

 tim.etlio child goes to (lool. In this cafe, aflringent lotions, 

 applied by means of a comprcfs of foft tow, have been refortcd 

 to with fucccfs ; or fuppofitories of various fubflances have 

 been introduced into the bowel after going to Ilool, giving^ 

 mechanical fupport to the parts. 



y/crnis in theintcflines, r.ltlwugh commonly fuppofed to be 

 the caufe of all the varieties of marafmus, are much lefs fre. 

 quent caufes of difeafe in children, as we have above flatcd, 

 than other morbid changes in the digsflive organs. None 

 of the three varieties of mteflinal worms, however, arc pe- 

 culiar to children ; zx\A xho: tenia, or tape-ivorm, is feldom, if 

 ever, found in infants. Of the nfcariides, or fmnll thread- 

 worms, as they have been called, a full account has already 

 been given ; and a defcriprion of the lamlyicus, or round- 

 worm, will be found under its proper head. For the fymptom.s' 

 of ivorms, as they are commonly related, fee th6 foregoing 

 hillory of Mavafmus. 



§ 5. Febrile Dijeafcs. — Infants and children are liable to 

 moil of the fevers which affecl adults, both contagious 

 and non-contagious ; although within the firfl eight or ten 

 months they are not fo fufceptible of the influence of conta- 

 gion, as they afterward become. A fucking child will 

 fometimes efcape the infedion cf fcarlet-ft-ver, meafles, and 

 even the fmali-pox, which fcizes the reft of a young family. 

 Each of the difeafes juft mentioned, as well as the whoop- 

 ing-cough, chicken-po>:, and catarrhal fevers, which are 

 among the diforcers, which children feldom efcape, are fnf. 

 ficiently im.portant for ft'parate confidcration refpeftively. 

 (See Feveii, Scarlet, Me.-vsi.ek, S.mai.l-po.x, Pertus.sis, 

 Varicella, and Ciioup ;' alfo Cow-rocx.) Our attention, 

 in this place, will be chiefly confined to a form of fever, 

 which is in fome rr.eafure peculiar to infants, and is nov.- ge- 

 nerally knov.'n by the name of " infantile remittent fever." 

 The infantile remittent fever, or febris infantum remittens, ai 

 it was firit denominated by Dr. Butter, might perhaps have 

 been included without impropriety under the foregomg fac- 

 tion, among the difordcrs originating in the bowels ; for it is 

 now pretty generally underllood, that this fever is conne£led 

 with a morbid Hate of the excretions in that canal. As the 

 m.arafmus, above defcribed, has been commonly attributed 

 to the prefcnce of worms in the inteflines ; fo this fever ha* 

 been afcribed to the fame caufe, and has been called the 

 luormfe'ver ; partly, it would feem, from the occafional dif- 

 charge of worms during the courfe of the fever, and partly 

 from the famenefs of the fymptoms of irritation in the bowels, 

 from whatever caufe it may arifc. This fever was called 

 Hedica febris infantum by Sydenham, and Hedica infantilis by 

 Sauvages, from the flow and ii:oderate progrets which itcom- 

 M loonlT 



