Cane sugar is less liable to produce colic than sugar of milk.
Lime water, or sodium citrate may be added, if the child vomits, or if other indications arise. Both are alkalies.
The strength of the mixture, as well as the quantity, must be increased as the child gets older and it is seen that the formula will agree.
The percentage of protein is kept down by dilution, with plain or cereal water, while fats (as cream) and sugars are added to make up the strength lost by the dilution.
CHAPTER XXIII
CLEANLINESS AND STERILIZATION
The nurse is called to a case on account of her special qualifications, but also she should lead her patient in all things, even in gentility. It is her part to anticipate the wants of the patient, and regard it as a reproach if the patient has to remind her that it is time for food, medicine, bath, or for child to come to the breast. Regularity, promptness, and thoughtfulness must be supreme. Be on hand when the doctor calls and stay until he goes. Be as cheerful as Mark Tapley, however dreary the prospect, and do not make noises either by the swish of overstarched skirts, the squeak of shoes, or the moving of equipment. Above all things, the nurse must keep her patient’s room, her patient, and her own person rigorously clean. She should not allow her hands to touch infectious material without protection by rubber gloves. This is as necessary for her own safety as for the patient and family. Her hands should be manicured frequently, her hair shampooed at short intervals, and her teeth kept in order. If the hands get hard, take a teaspoonful of sodium carbonate and one of chloride of lime, mix in the palm of the hand with enough water to make a cream, and rub well into palms and about the nails. Rinse in clean water. (Weir.)
The nurse’s dress should be neat, always mended, and carefully adjusted. The nurse who is slovenly in appearance will be slovenly in her mind and slovenly in her work. She should not wear her uniform on the street. It is bad taste, unprofessional, and unsanitary.
She should bathe at least three times a week. There is always some odor of perspiration about the body, and especially around the axillary spaces which are filled with hair. Nothing is more offensive and nauseating than being leaned over and waited on by a person who has a strong body smell.
The prodigal use of warm water and soap will aid, but there are large sebaceous glands in the armpits and their decomposing excretions are retained by the hair so lastingly that more radical measures are necessary. The axillæ should be shaved at least once a month, and then the soap and water becomes more efficacious. After thorough cleansing, the armpits should be dredged with Babcock’s Motiya powder, and the annoying and offensive odor will disappear.
If the patient is a refined and dainty woman, who may happen to be afflicted with the same misfortune, she will be deeply grateful to the nurse who tells her how to get rid of it.