Water, nine drachms;
Make a Mixture. Half a teaspoonful to be given to an infant of six months and under, and one teaspoonful to a child above that age, every four hours—first shaking the bottle. Let the mixture be made by a chemist.
The baby ought, for a few days, to be kept entirely to the breast. The mother should be most particular in her own diet.
What NOT to do.—The mother must neither take greens, nor cabbage, nor raw fruit, nor pastry, nor beer; indeed, while the diarrhœa of her babe continues, she had better abstain from wine, as well as from fermented liquors. The child, if at the breast, ought not, while the diarrhœa continues, to have any artificial food. He must neither be dosed with gray powder (a favorite but highly improper remedy in these cases), nor with any quack medicines, such as Dalby’s Carminative or Godfrey’s Cordial.
103. What are the symptoms of Dysentery?
Dysentery frequently arises from a neglected diarrhœa. It is more dangerous than diarrhœa, as it is of an inflammatory character; and as, unfortunately, it frequently attacks a delicate child, requires skillful handling: hence the care and experience required in treating a case of dysentery.
Well, then, what are the symptoms? The infant, in all probability, has had an attack of diarrhœa—bowel complaint as it is called—for several days; he having had a dozen or two of motions, many of them slimy and frothy, like “frog-spawn,” during the twenty-four hours. Suddenly the character of the motion changes,—from being principally stool, it becomes almost entirely blood and mucus; he is dreadfully griped, which causes him to strain violently, as though his inside would come away every time he has a motion,—screaming and twisting about, evidently being in the greatest pain, drawing his legs up to his belly and writhing in agony. Sickness and vomiting are always present, which still more robs him of his little remaining strength, and prevents the repair of his system. Now, look at his face! It is the very picture of distress. Suppose he has been a plump, healthy little fellow, you will see his face, in a few days, become old-looking, care-worn, haggard, and pinched. Day and night the enemy tracks him (unless proper remedies be administered); no sleep, or, if he sleep, he is every few minutes roused. It is heart-rending to have to attend a bad case of dysentery in a child,—the writhing, the screaming, the frequent vomiting, the pitiful look, the rapid wasting and exhaustion, make it more distressing to witness than almost any other disease a doctor attends.
104. Can anything be done to relieve such a case?
Yes. A judicious medical man will do a great deal. But, suppose that you are not able to procure one, I will tell you what to do and what NOT to do.
What to do.—If the child be at the breast, keep him to it, and let him have nothing else, for dysentery is frequently caused by improper feeding. If your milk be not good, or it be scanty, instantly procure a healthy wet-nurse. Lose not a moment; for in dysentery moments are precious. But, suppose that you have no milk, and that no wet-nurse can be procured: what then? Feed him entirely on cow’s milk—the milk of one healthy cow; let the milk be unboiled, and be fresh from the cow. Give it in small quantities at a time, and frequently, so that it may be retained on the stomach. If a tablespoonful of the milk make him sick, give him a dessertspoonful; if a dessertspoonful cause sickness, let him only have a teaspoonful at a time, and let it be repeated every quarter of an hour. But remember, in such a case the breast-milk—the breast-milk alone—is incomparably superior to any other milk or to any other food whatever.