Dentition; According to Some of the Best and Latest German Authorities (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1848 edition. Excerpt: ... COMPLAINTS ATTENDING DENTITION. Constipation.--We have observed already, that injections should first be fairly tried. They are the most harmless of all means, because they excite only the lower part of the bowels to motion, and clear the way for the accumulated and hardened faeces. The best injections are of gruel, oil and sugar, and suffice generally to give immediate relief. Purgatives, without exception, should be avoided as long as possible. The main point to be attended to, is to remove the disposition to costiveness; and doing this, we should start with the knowledge that costiveness in infancy is attributable only to errors in diet. If the child be still at the breast, the mother should at once be restricted to light and cooling diet; but if already weaned, the child's diet should be very light, and consist almost exclusively of ' thin mutton broth and pearl-barley water. If children at the breast are costive, we may safely presume that the milk is too rich, and is therefore digested with difficulty. The mother should not take very nourishing beverages, such as beer or milk, but live chiefly on vegetables and fruit. The treatment for constipation will be laid down in the succeeding chapter. It may be aided by injections, and externally olive oil, a little warmed, may be rubbed twice a day on the child's abdomen. In extreme cases, and such only, when all other means have failed, and the child is evidently suffering from a want of evacuation of the bowels, it will be well to administer a dose of castor oil or manna, taking care not unnecessarily to resort to these remedies. Diarrhoea.--We have already said, that the diarrhoea, so long as it remains within proper bounds, is not an alarming symptom, but is to be regarded as a natural...