4. The use of sound old wine in the summer months. From a tea-spoon-full, to half a wine glass full, according to the age of the child, may be given every day. It is remarkable, that the children of persons in easy circumstances, who sip occasionally with their parents the remains of a glass of wine after dinner, are much less subject to this disease, than the children of poor people, who are without the benefit of that article of diet.
5. Cleanliness, both with respect to the skin and clothing of children. Perhaps the neglect of this direction may be another reason why the children of the poor, are most subject to this disease.
6. The removal of children into the country before the approach of warm weather. This advice is peculiarly necessary during the whole period of dentition. I have never known but one instance of a child being affected by this disease, who had been carried into the country in order to avoid it.
I have only to add to the above observations, that since the prevalence of the yellow fever in Philadelphia after the year 1793, the cholera infantum has assumed symptoms of such malignity, as to require bleeding to cure it. In some cases, two and three bleedings were necessary for that purpose.
OBSERVATIONS
ON THE
CYNANCHE TRACHEALIS.
The vulgar name of this disease in Pennsylvania is HIVES. It is a corruption of the word heaves, which took its rise from the manner in which the lungs heave in breathing. The worst degree of the disease is called the BOWEL HIVES, from the great motion of the abdominal muscles in respiration.
It has been called suffocatio stridula by Dr. Home, and cynanche trachealis by Dr. Cullen. Professor Frank calls it trachitis, and Dr. Darwin considers it as a pleurisy of the windpipe. By the two latter names, the authors mean to convey the correct idea, that the disease is the same in its nature with the common diseases of other internal parts of the body.