Artificial food, from mismanagement and other causes, will now and then disagree with the infant. The stomach and bowels are thus deranged, and medicine is resorted to, and again and again the same thing occurs.
This is wrong, and but too frequently productive of serious and lasting mischief. Alteration of diet, rather than the exhibition of medicine, should, under these circumstances, be relied on for remedying the evil. Calomel, and such like remedies, "the little powders of the nursery," ought not to be given on every trivial occasion. More mischief has been effected, and more positive disease produced, by the indiscriminate use of the above powerful drug, either alone or in combination with other drastic purgatives, than would be credited. Purgative medicines ought at all times to be exhibited with caution to an infant, for so delicate and susceptible is the structure of its alimentary canal, that disease is but too frequently caused by that which was resorted to in the first instance as a remedy. The bowels should always be kept free; but then it must be by the mildest and least irritating means.
It is a very desirable thing, then, to correct the disordered conditions of the digestive organs of an infant, if possible, without medicine; and much may be done by changing the nature, and sometimes by simply diminishing the quantity, of food.
A diarrhoea, or looseness of the bowels, may frequently be checked by giving, as the diet, sago thoroughly boiled in very weak beef-tea, with the addition of a little milk. The same purpose is frequently to be answered by two thirds of arrow-root with one third of milk, or simply thin arrow-root made with water only; or, if these fail, baked flour, mixed with boiled milk.
Costiveness of the bowels may frequently be removed by changing the food to tops and bottoms steeped in hot water, and a small quantity of milk added, or prepared barley,—mixed in warm water and unboiled milk.
Flatulence and griping generally arise from an undue quantity of food, which passing undigested into the bowels, they are thus irritated and disturbed. This may be cured by abstinence alone. The same state of things may be caused by the food not being prepared fresh at every meal, or even from the nursing-bottle or vessel in which the food is given not having been perfectly clean. In this case weak chicken-broth, or beef-tea freed from fat, and thickened with soft boiled rice or arrow-root, may be given.
Sect. II. WEANING.
THE TIME WHEN TO TAKE PLACE.—The time when weaning is to take place must ever depend upon a variety of circumstances, which will regulate this matter, independently of any general rule that might be laid down. The mother's health may, in one case, oblige her to resort to weaning before the sixth month, and, in another instance, the delicacy of the infant's health, to delay it beyond the twelfth. Nevertheless, as a general rule, both child and parent being in good health, weaning ought never to take place earlier than the ninth (the most usual date), and never delayed beyond the twelfth month.
I should say further, that if child and parent are both in vigorous health, if the infant has cut several of its teeth, and been already accustomed to be partially fed, weaning ought to be gradually accomplished at the ninth month. On the other hand, that if the child is feeble in constitution, the teeth late in appearing, and the mother is healthy, and has a sufficient supply of good milk, especially if it be the autumnal season, it will be far better to prolong the nursing for a few months. In such a case, the fact of the on-appearance of the teeth indicates an unfitness of the system for any other than the natural food from the maternal breast.
And again, if the infant is born of a consumptive parent, and a healthy and vigorous wet-nurse has been provided, weaning should most certainly be deferred beyond the usual time, carefully watching, however, that neither nurse nor child suffer from its continuance.