588 
Substitute  Infant-Feeding. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
X  December,  1900. 
Condition  of  the  Stools. — Much  may  be  learned  by  a  careful  inspec- 
tion of  the  stools,  with  reference  to  increasing  or  diminishing  the 
various  kinds  of  food.  The  normal  infant  stool  is  smooth,  yellow, 
homogeneous,  and  about  the  consistency  of  thin  mush.  The  follow- 
ing may  be  considered  abnormal  types : 
(1)  Green  Stools. — Stools  can  only  be  considered  green  when  that 
condition  is  evident  immediately  upon  their  passage.  They  are  due 
to  a  fermentation  which  is  doubtless  the  result  of  bacterial  action. 
All  stools  become  green  a  certain  time  after  passage,  caused  by 
oxidation  of  the  air. 
(2)  Curdy  Stools. — Curdy  lumps  may  be  produced  by  undigested 
casein  or  fat.  The  former  are  hard  and  yellowish,  while  the  latter 
are  soft  and  smooth,  like  butter. 
(3)  Slimy  Stools. — These  are  the  result  of  catarrhal  inflammation. 
When  the  mucus  is  mixed  with  the  fecal  matter,  the  irritation  is 
high  up  in  the  bowel,  but  when  flakes  or  masses  of  mucus  are  passed, 
the  trouble  is  near  the  outlet. 
(4)  Yellow,  Watery  Stools. — These  are  seen  in  depressed  nervous 
conditions,  especially  in  the  hot  days  of  summer,  when  the  bowel  is 
relaxed,  and  the  inhibitory  fibres  of  the  splanchnic  nerve  do  not  act 
to  advantage. 
(5)  Very  Foul  Stools. — These  are  caused  by  decomposition  of  the 
albuminoid  principles  of  the  food. 
(6)  Profuse,  colorless,  watery  stools,  with  little  fecal  matter,  are 
doubtless  caused  by  an  infective  germ,  akin  to  that  of  Asiatic 
cholera.    This  is  known  as  cholera  iiifantum. 
It  is  rare  to  see  one  of  these  types  by  itself.  With  the  exception 
of  the  last,  they  may  be  seen  in  all  combinations. 
In  slight  forms  of  unnatural  stools,  increase  the  dilution  of  the  top 
milk,  and  reduce  the  quantity  of  sugar  slightly.  If  large  lumps  of 
fat  are  in  the  stools,  use  milk  containing  less  fat  for  diluting ;  this 
can  be  obtained  by  taking  more  top  milk  out  of  the  quart  bottle. 
Where  lumps  of  casein  are  apparent,  the  diluent  must  be  increased. 
If  increasing  the  dilution  and  reducing  the  fat  and  sugar  does  not 
overcome  the  trouble,  stop  the  milk  and  feed  dextrinized  gruel  for  a 
day,  gradually  adding  a  little  milk,  which  is  increased  in  amount  as 
fast  as  the  infant  can  digest  it. 
There  are  times  when  infants  can  not  digest  milk  in  any  form,  no 
matter  how  much  it  may  be  diluted,  nor  what  diluent  is  employed. 
