take bdellium flowers, half an ounce, and with oil of roses make a liniment. Also wash the child's mouth with barley and plantain-water, and honey of roses, mixing with them a little verjuice of lemons, as well to loosen and cleanse the vicious humours which cleave to the inside of the infant's mouth, as to cool those parts which are already over-heated. It may be done by means of a small fine rag, fastened to the end of a little stick, and dipped therein, wherewith the ulcers may be gently rubbed, being careful not to put the child in too much pain, lest an inflammation make the distemper worse. The child's body must also be kept open, that the humours being carried to the lower parts, the vapours may not ascend, as is usual for them to do when the body is costive, and the excrements too long retained.
If the ulcers appear malignant, let such remedies be used as do their work speedily, that the evil qualities that cause them, being thereby instantly corrected, their malignity may be prevented; and in this case, touch the ulcers with plantain water, sharpened with spirits of vitriol; for the remedy must be made sharp, according to the malignity of the distemper. It will be necessary to purge these ill humours out of the whole habit of the child, by giving half an ounce of succory and rhubarb.
SECT. V.—Of Pains in the Ears, Inflammation, Moisture, etc.
The brain in infants is very moist, and hath many excrements which nature cannot send out at the proper passages; they get often to the ears, and there cause pains, flux of blood, with inflammation and matter with pain; this in children is hard to be known as they have no other way to make it known but by constant crying; you will perceive them ready to feel their ears themselves, but will not let others touch them, if they can prevent; and sometimes you may discern the parts about the ears to be very red.
These pains, if let alone, are of dangerous consequences, because they may bring forth watchings and epilepsy; for the moisture breeds worms there, and fouls the spongy bones, and by degrees causes incurable deafness.
Cure. Allay the pain with all convenient speed, but have a care of using strong remedies. Therefore, only use warm milk about the ears, with the decoction of poppy tops, or oil of violets; to take away the moisture, use honey of roses, and let aqua mollis be dropped into the ears; or take virgin honey, half an ounce; red wines two ounces; alum, saffron, saltpetre,
each a drachm, mix them at the fire; or drop in hemp seed oil with a little wine.
SECT. VI.—Of Redness and Inflammation of the Buttocks, Groin and the Thighs of a Young Child.
If there be no great care taken to change and wash the child's bed as soon as it is fouled with the excrements, and to keep the child very clean, the acrimony will be sure to cause redness, and beget a smarting in the buttocks, groin and thighs of the child, which, by reason of the pain, will afterwards be subject to inflammations, which follow the sooner, through the delicacy and tenderness of their skin, from which the outward skin of the body is in a short time separated and worn away.
Cure. First, keep the child cleanly, and secondly, take off the sharpness of its urine. As to keeping it cleanly, she must be a sorry nurse who needs to be taught how to do it; for if she lets it but have dry, warm and clean beds and cloths, as often and as soon as it has fouled and wet them, either by its urine or its excrements, it will be sufficient. And as to taking off the sharpness of the child's urine, that must be done by the nurse's taking a cool diet, that her milk may have the same quality; and,