M A N. 
2.30 
child is of a reddifli colour, becaufe it is fo fine and trans¬ 
parent as to allow a flight tint of the colour of the blood 
to fhine through. The form of the body and members is 
by no means perfect in a child foon after birth ; all the 
arts appear to be Swollen. At the end of three days, a 
ind of jaundice generally comes on, and at the fame 
time milk is to be found in the breads of the infant, which 
may be Squeezed out by the fingers. The fwelling de¬ 
creases as the child grows up. 
The liquor contained in the amnios leaves a vifcid 
whitifh matter upon the body of the child. In this coun¬ 
try we have the precaution to wafls the new-born infant 
only with warm water; but it is the cuftoni with whole 
nations inhabiting the coldelt climates, to plunge their 
infants into cold water as foon as they are born, without 
their receiving the Smalleft injury. It is even Said that 
the Laplanders leave their children in the Snow till the 
cold has almoft (topped their refpiration, and then plunge 
them into a warm bath. Among thefe people, the children 
are alSo waflied thrice a-day during the firft year of their 
life. The inhabitants of northern countries are perfuaded 
that the cold-bath tends to make men (Longer and more 
robuft, and on that account accuftom their children to the 
ufe of it from their infancy. The truth is, that we are 
totally ignorant of the power of habit, or how far it can 
make our bodies capable of Suffering, of acquiring, or of 
lofing. 
The chi'd is not allowed to Suck as Soon as it is horn ; 
but time is given for discharging the liquor and (lime from 
the (tomach, and the meconium, or excrement, which is of 
a black colour, from the intelfines. As thefe (ubltances 
might four the milk, a little diluted wine mixed with Su¬ 
gar is firft given to the infant; and the bread is not pre- 
lented to it before ten or twelve hours have elapfed. The 
young of quadrupeds can of them Selves find the way to 
the teat of the mother; it is not fo with man. The mo¬ 
ther, in order to fuckle her child, mud raife it to her 
breads; and, at this feeble period of life, the infant can 
exprefs its wants only by cries. 
As foon as the infant had efcaped from the uterus, and 
enjoyed the liberty of Stretching its limbs, it was again 
condemned, while the ufe of Swaddling-clothes prevailed, 
to a more cruel and unnatural bondage. The head and 
limbs were fixed, and the whole body fo laced and fet¬ 
tered, that hardly a joint could be moved. People now 
begin to find out that the development of the body will be 
accompliflted without this artificial aflifiance. Perhaps 
they are hardly yet aware, that the efforts of the little pri¬ 
soners to diSentangle them Selves have a more direft ten¬ 
dency to diftort their members, than any pofitions they 
could affume, if left in the full poffeflion of liberty. 
Swaddling-bands may be compared to the flays worn by 
young girls, which occafion many more deformities and 
difealfcs than they are intended to prevent. The practices 
of Savage nations have been much more rational than 
thofe of the civilized ; they lay their infants naked in 
hanging beds of cotton, or cradles lined with fur, in which 
they*are at perfect liberty to move themfelves as they are 
inclined, and provide at the fame time very carefully for 
absorbing the moifture of their difeharges. No improve¬ 
ment can he fuggefted on this plan. 
New-born children have need of frequent nourifhment. 
During the day, the bread ought to be given them ev-ery 
two hours, and during the night as often as they awake. 
At firlt they deep ahnofl continually; and they Seem ne¬ 
ver to awake but when prefied by hunger and pain. Sleep 
is ufeful and refreffiing to them ; and it is Sometimes con- 
fidered as neceffary to employ narcotic dofes, proportioned 
to the age and constitution of the child, for the purpofe 
of procuring them repofe. The common way of appealing 
the cries ot children is by rocking them in the cradle; 
but this agitation ought to be very gentle, otherwise a 
reat rifle is run of confiding the infant’s brain, and of 
producing a total derangement. It is neceffary to their 
being in good health, that their deep be long and natural. 
It is pofliLle, however, that they may deep too much, and 
thereby endanger their conflitution. In that cafe, it 
would be proper to take them out of the cradle, and 
awaken them by a gentle motion, or by prefenting Some ' 
bright object to their eyes. At this age we receive the 
firft imprefiior.s from the lenfes, which, without doubt, 
are more important during the reft of life than is gene¬ 
rally imagined. Great care ought to be taken to place 
the cradle in fucha manner that the child (hall be directly 
oppofite to the light, for the eyes are always dire died to¬ 
wards that part of the room where the light is Itrongeft ; 
and, if tiie cradle be placed fideways, one of them, by turn¬ 
ing towards the light, will acquire greater ftrength than 
the other, and the child will Squint. For the firft two 
months, no other food ftiould be given to the child but 
the milk of the nurfe ; and, when it is of a weak and de¬ 
licate conflitution, this nouriftiment alone Should be con¬ 
tinued during the third or fourth month. A child, how¬ 
ever robuft and healthy, may be expofed to great danger 
and inconvenience, if any other aliment is administered 
before the end of the firft month. In Holland, Italy, Tur¬ 
key, and the whole Levant, the food of children is limited 
to the milk of the nurle for a whole year. The Savages of 
Canada give their children Suck for four, five, fix, and 
Sometimes even Seven, years. In this country, as nurSes 
generally have not a Sufficient quantity of milk to Satisfy 
the appetite of their children, they commonly fupply the 
want of it by panada, or other light preparations. 
The teeth ufually begin to appear about the age of Seven 
months. The cutting of thefe, although a natural opera¬ 
tion, does not follow the common laws of nature, which 
acts continually on the human body without occasioning 
the Smalleft pain, or even producing any SenSation. Here 
a violent and painful effort is made, accompanied with 
cries and tears. Children at firft lofe their fprightlinefs 
and gaiety , they become fad, reftlefs, and fretful. The 
gums are red and (welled ; but they afterwards become 
white, when the preffure of the teeth is fo great as to flop 
the circulation of the blood. Children apply their fin¬ 
gers to their mouth, that they may remove the irritation 
which they fee! there. Some relief is given, by putting 
into their hands a bit of ivory or coral, or of fome other 
hard and Smooth body, with which they rub the gums at 
the affeffed part. This preffure, being oppofed to that 
of the teeth, calms the pain for a moment, contributes to 
make the membrane of the gum thinner, and facilitates its 
rupture. Nature here afts in oppofition to herfelf; and 
an incifion of the gum muft fometimes take place, to al¬ 
low a paffage to the tooth. For the period of dentition, 
number of teeth, &c. fee the article Anatomy, vol. i. 
P- 543 - 
When children are allowed to cry too long, and too of¬ 
ten, ruptures are fometimes occalioned by the efforts they 
make. TheSe may eafily be cured by the (peedy applica¬ 
tion of bandages ; but, if this remedy has been too long 
delayed, the difeafe may continue through life. Children 
are very much fubjeft to worms. Some of the bad effefls 
occalioned by thefe animals might, according to Buffon, 
be prevented, by giving them a little wine now and then ; 
for fermented liquors have a tendency to prevent their 
generation. 
Though the body is very delicate in the ftate of infancy, 
it is then lefs fenfible of cold than at any other period of 
life. The internal iieat appears to be greater. The pulfe 
in children is much quicker than in adults, from which 
we are certainly entitled to infer, that the internal heat is 
greater in the lame proportion. 
Removal from the mother’s bread, and the power of 
going alone, are two very important fteps; and the pro- 
grefs towards independent exiltence is greatly a (lifted by 
another remarkable privilege of the human fpecies, the 
ufe of Speech, which begins in children of lively minds 
Soon after the firft year. The founds uttered in the ca¬ 
rdies of the mother are attended to, and eagerly imitated j 
and every faculty is drained to the utmoft, for the purpofe 
