In treating of the influence of the mother's mind over the nursing child (p. 251), we mentioned a number of instances of children thrown into convulsions by changes in the quality of the milk caused by the mental emotion of the mother. The importance of the subject induces us to quote here the corroborating remarks of Dr. Churchill, in the last edition of his standard work on diseases of children. 'During the first year of life, convulsions may not unfrequently be traced to the milk of the mother or nurse disagreeing with the infant, or having been disordered temporarily by fright, passion, or suffering. Sœmmering mentions a curious case of a woman whose milk agreed with her own child, but caused convulsions in all others. M. Guersant relates the instance of a woman deserted by her husband, and in her distress her infant had an attack each time it took the breast. Dr. Underwood mentions a mother who nursed her child immediately after witnessing a sudden death; the child was attacked by convulsions, after which it remained comatose for thirty-six hours, but ultimately recovered. Numerous cases are on record of convulsions supervening upon violent passion in the nurse. I have witnessed more than one case resulting from the mother suckling her child during a time of severe affliction and distress.'
We deem it useless to describe a fit. Almost every one has seen it, and at once recognises it. We shall proceed, therefore, at once to the treatment.
When a child is attacked with a fit the dress should be loosened, all tight bandages and pins removed, and plenty of fresh air admitted into the room. It should not be held upright in the arms, but placed in a lying position. A warm bath (that most useful remedy in so many of the ailments of children) should be speedily prepared, and the child immersed for a few minutes, then removed, dried, and wrapped in a blanket. A hot mustard foot-bath is also of service. The cause of the fit should be at once sought, for upon it will of course depend to a great extent the treatment required. If the child be teething, and the gums be found to be red and swollen, they should be lanced. If the child has eaten too much, or of improper food, an emetic should be given. A little mustard and salt mixed in a tumbler of warm water affords a ready, safe, and effectual emetic.
The dashing of cold water upon the face will sometimes promptly end the fit. The application of powdered ice in a bladder, or of cold water cloths to the head, is of service where the face is much flushed and the movements very violent.
Children subject to fits should live in a well warmed house. By this we do not mean that the rooms and hall ways should be kept hot, still less that they should be close and improperly ventilated. The temperature of the bed-room should not be lower than 70 degrees, and great care should be taken during cold weather to avoid chilling the child outdoors.
Rubbing of the child's body once a day with good salad oil is an excellent and readily applied remedy in these cases. The little patients do not ordinarily object to it. As it is a procedure calculated to improve the general health, we strongly recommend every mother whose child has frequent fits, to try it.
The dress of the child should be warm, loose, and comfortable. Perfect quietness is important for a time after attacks. Do not excite the child by seeking to amuse it. Let it sleep as much as it will.
In those cases in which a fit has been followed by weakness of the limbs, medical assistance will of course be procured. As a rule, recovery in such instances is slow, but, when properly directed, perfect. Change of scene, country air, and exercise, friction of the body with a flesh-brush or salt towel, salt water baths, and electricity, are all valuable agents towards cure.
NOSE-BLEED.
Bleeding from the nose may be produced by a blow or by over-exercise of the child at play. In either case the trouble is usually a trifling one. Some children, however, are liable to attacks of nose-bleed coming on without any assignable causes. One of the consequences of scarlet fever and whooping cough is sometimes a tendency to repeated and serious spells of bleeding from the nose.