Contagious diseases are always dangerous, causing a large harvest of deaths and leaving lifelong defects in many survivors. It is not necessary that children should have any of them. Children should be carefully protected from exposure to any disease. Good hygiene raises vitality and increases the white blood corpuscles, which are the special protectors against disease germs.
If a child has been exposed to dust or crowds, or if contagious disease is prevalent, give a nasal douche and gargle with normal salt solution, 4% boric solution, or diluted listerine, before meals and at night. If exposed to disease, also disinfect face, neck, hands, clothes, shampoo the hair with tincture green soap, isolate, notify doctor; repeat after quarantine.
Care of Illnesses Prevalent in Childhood. Anemia. Pallor, languor, loss of weight, poor appetite. Give outdoor life, nutritious diet, cold baths, sun baths. Needs medical examination for cause.
Boils. Indicate low resistance. Applying hot fomentations wet in boric solution may prevent coming to head. If at head, apply hot fomentation five minutes; lance with sterilized needle. After removing contents, apply listerine, witch hazel or 25% alcohol, on sterile gauze; anoint with zinc ointment, and bandage to prevent re-infection. Poultices are unsanitary. Pus is infectious; prevent its touching skin, burn immediately, and sterilize needle.
Chap. Prevent by drying face and hands thoroughly after washing. Apply camphor ice or cold cream before taking outdoors, and at bedtime. Use corn meal or oatmeal in place of soap.
Cold. May be either a congestion or an infection. In any case isolate and treat first symptoms at once; give persistent care to cure quickly. Colds pave the way for more serious infections. Give oil laxative for one or two days. Apply few drops of glycerine, albolene, or liquid vaseline in nose every two hours and at bedtime. Use sterilized medicine dropper; warm oil slightly by heating in dropper over boiling water. For children over one year use nasal oil spray or nasal douche with physician’s prescription. Give hot leg bath or hot tub bath, wrapping well to produce slight perspiration; rub with 25% alcohol solution few hours later, or before rising, to close pores; keep well covered. Keep in bed while fever continues. If in head and eyes, apply cold cloth wet in weak boric or salt solution, over eyes and nose, changing every five minutes, in half-hour periods. Give all the water patient will take, at hourly intervals, or lemonade for children over eighteen months. For dry, parched mouth, rinse with weak salt water, give weak lemonade, or cracker to chew.
If accompanied by chills, keep in warm room, (68°) well ventilated. If without chills, and when fever has subsided, keep outdoors, well protected, but not dressed warm enough to perspire. If in chest, apply counter-irritant (adapted to age) to chest and back. If not recovered in a day or two, notify physician. For repeated colds, discover cause, improve hygiene; increase resistance by cold morning bath, at least to chest and back, and give cod-liver oil.
Colic. Give no food during the attack. Give a teaspoon of water (96° F.) with weak peppermint or soda mint dissolved in one ounce water; repeat every five minutes. Upright position, with patting on back, will relieve gas in stomach. For gas in intestine, massage gently, beginning at lower left side, and working backward along length of colon, always pressing and stroking toward end of colon. If constipated, or attack very severe, give warm enema (110° F.) with soap or normal salt solution. Apply hot fomentations, or hot stupe, made by thoroughly mixing twenty drops of turpentine in one pint water, to abdomen; or hot flannels or hot water bag, to abdomen, buttocks, and thighs. Keep feet warm. Change fomentation or stupe every ten minutes. When relieved, follow with cool hand rub (80°). Constipation in nursing mother will cause colic. Baby subject to colic should have two or three daily movements. Give less at feeding, with longer intervals, slower feeding.
Constipation. Prevent and treat by diet, exercise, and general hygiene. If these fail, have medical examination for possible anatomical defect or obstruction. For acute attack, give mineral oil, increase water, give abdominal exercises at intervals during day, gently knead abdomen, working along line of colon from right to left. The use of enemas and suppositories relaxes the intestinal wall, and induces a chronic condition. Salts, castor oil, cascara, and other drugs overstimulate intestinal secretions, irritate lining, and require continued, increasing use. Calomel may remain in system and cause serious illness; it should never be given to children. If necessary to use any special measures, adapt laxative from list (page 362). For chronic cases in older children, apply cold compress around abdomen at night until condition is improved.
Convulsions. Give leg or tub bath at 98° F. for ten minutes; mustard may be added. Be very careful that water is not too hot. Child may be put in with clothing on. Put cold cloth around neck and on head. Give prompt laxative and an emetic. Keep child in bed till recovered from shock.