Better babies and their care

by Anna Steese Richardson

The cause of whooping-cough has never been discovered. In older children it consists of terrible paroxysms of coughing, marked with a sound which can be described only by the word “whoop.” The little sufferer struggles for breath, the face turns red, the food is often vomited, and the paroxysm is followed by great prostration. Young infants are not strong enough to whoop, as the doctors express it, but they cough and hold their breath in a most distressing fashion; the face becomes blue, and the baby may have convulsions.

No cure for whooping-cough has ever been found; and no mother should administer patent medicines exploited for that purpose. The family physician may prescribe sedatives which will give the little patient relief, but the disease will generally run its course of six to twelve weeks. It is no respecter of seasons, and an epidemic in a certain neighborhood will be just as bad in summer as in winter.

The patient should have plenty of fresh air day and night; and should be given regular, nourishing meals, for he will require all the strength he can command to combat the paroxysms of coughing.

The child should be quarantined as long as it coughs, and should not be permitted to mingle with other children until the family physician has given his permission.

Measles is one of the most contagious of juvenile diseases, and it is carried by clothing, toys, and animals. It appears about ten to fourteen days after exposure. The first symptom is redness and running of the eyes. The child seeks a dark corner, claiming that the light hurts his eyes. There is a discharge from the nose; and the child appears to have a severe cold with a dry cough. He is not hungry; and his temperature may rise from 100° to 104° F. A rash appears on the face and behind the ears about the third or fourth day. It consists of groups of small, dull red, raised spots, accompanied by itching, and lasts about three or four days in the average case.

Upon the appearance of the first symptoms the baby should be given a hot bath and be put to bed in a well ventilated room. The shades must be drawn, for the eyes are extremely sensitive to the glare of sunlight. Artificial light should be carefully shaded. The eyes must be bathed three or four times a day with warm boric acid solution—one-half teaspoonful of the boric acid to one pint of water. The bottle-fed baby will need to have his milk diluted. The baby who is eating solid food should be placed on a fluid diet. The bowels must be kept open. If the temperature is very high, an ice-cap or a wet compress may be applied to the head. A doctor should be asked to look the child over; but he generally prescribes nothing more than a simple cathartic and the remedies named above. The chief danger from measles, in little babies, is the complication of pneumonia. Therefore, the child should be kept in bed at least three days after the temperature has dropped to normal. Quarantine should last for two weeks after the temperature becomes normal.

Scarlet fever is another contagious disease which can be carried by clothing or any article that has been in contact with a patient. The child exposed to this contagion may be taken ill within a few hours after coming in contact with it, or not for a week. The symptoms of scarlet fever are more violent than in measles. There is immediate loss of appetite, with vomiting, constipation, restlessness, sleeplessness, and headache. The breathing is hurried; the temperature runs up to 103°, 104°, or 105° F.; the throat is sore and shows inflammation; there is difficulty in swallowing; the tongue is coated in the center but red at the tip and edges. The rash, which appears within twenty-four hours on the neck and chest, spreads rapidly all over the body. It starts with small red points, which may be isolated or blended into a dull red flush. It lasts from five days to a week; then the skin peels off in fine flakes, which are seen especially on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. This peeling, which marks the most contagious stage of the disease, may last from two to six weeks, during which time nobody must be permitted to come in contact with the patient except the nurse and the doctor. The doctor only is qualified to raise the quarantine in the case of scarlet fever.

As inflammation of the kidneys and of the ears is apt to follow scarlet fever, a physician should be in constant attendance. No mother should attempt to treat scarlet fever without the help of a doctor.

Chickenpox is a less serious contagious disease, but may make a child most uncomfortable. The rash varies greatly in size, starting with red spots, developing into pimples, small blisters, and, finally, blackish crusts. The temperature rarely goes beyond 102° F. The child suffers from loss of appetite. The little patient should be kept in bed for a few days until the rash passes. Mild cathartics should be administered. Cotton undergarments should be used instead of woolen to relieve the itching, which can also be allayed by the use of carbolated ointment. If possible, keep the child from scratching the eruption, in order to prevent scars from forming.

Last, but not least, in this list of contagious ailments, may be mentioned the mumps—a disease which affects the salivary glands. The first symptom is nausea, followed by chill, drowsiness, and high temperature; the latter varies from 100° to 103° F. The child complains of pain in the mouth and the jaw; the face looks distorted. Soon a swelling appears below and in front of one ear, pushing the lobe outward. Sometimes this swelling attacks both ears. It usually lasts about a week. The child should be kept in bed to prevent taking cold. Mild cathartics will do no harm; and a fluid or semi-fluid diet should be supplied while there is temperature. The swelling can be covered by an ordinary cotton-batting bandage, unless the pain is very severe, when it can be soothed by hot compresses. Quarantine should be maintained for three weeks from the appearance of the swelling.