COLIC
Cases of ordinary colic are usually relieved by heat to the abdomen and feet, drinking hot water in which there has been dissolved a pinch of ordinary baking soda, or a portion of a soda mint tablet, or by the use of the photophore, as previously described. The treatment of such ordinary colic need not be given further consideration here because it has been described at length in a former chapter; but we do call the attention of the mother to a more serious form of recurring colic which so often accompanies chronic intestinal indigestion, marasmus, and malnutrition.
In most instances the food is radically at fault and should be reduced to a mixture which can more readily be digested and assimilated by the child. Often whey mixtures, peptonized foods, or buttermilk may be indicated. The weight of the baby, the age of the baby, and the color of the stools, must all be taken into account in the preparation of this easily digested food. Weak mixtures should be given at first and then gradually and carefully the quality may be strengthened until the normal formula is again used for the baby.
Injections into the bowel of water, to which has been added one level teaspoon of soda to the pint, will often give relief in this form of colic.