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Ffosttian.
BTAIN BACK WILBON, M. D., ATLANTA, GA.
Mots—Questions pertaining to health and disease
will bo answered in this paper when it can be done
with propriety. When, from the nature of the case,
or other reasons, a private answer is desired, a full
description should be sent. Address as above,
writing mv name in full. and enclose stamp.
BATHING INFANTS.
In previous articles I have written of
bathing in general, and of bathing child
ren in particular, treating the subject in
reference both to the cure and the pre
vention of disease, and embracing both
cold and warm baths.
But. as many mothershave a holy horror
of bathing tender infants—nurslings of
only a few months o* age—l deem it neces
sary to combat the false notions on this
subject.
Infants should be accustomed to bathing
from their birth, having the water at first
milk-warm, and gradually reducing the
temperature according to the effects; and
the bath should be repeated every day.
The strange notion that babies, like pigs,
thrive best in dirt, is quite prevalent. But
the truth is, pigs would be much healthier
and more suitable for human food, if they
could be kept clean ; and clean children
will certainly be more thrifty and healthy
than those whose skins are coated with
dirt. When children grow up so that they
can run around and crawl, it is, of course,
impossible to keep them perfectly clean,
without subjecting them to annoyances and
restraints which should never be imposed
on rollicking childhood; and which no
mother who values her peace of mind will
ever undertake to enforce.
A mother who is possessed with the idea
that her child, who is old enough to roll
over the floor, or to crawl or walk, must
be kept clean in person and clothing, is to
be pitied; and the child is no less an ob
ject of pity.
The mother frets and worries herself, in
attempting an impossibility; and in her
efforts to keep the child clean, she comes
in conflict with every impulse of childhood,
and subjects it to restraints which no child
can bear, without injury to its health and
disposition.
When the child is old enough, it should
be allowed to roll, kick and tumble during
the day, with all the freedom compatible
with safety to life and limb, without
starched clothing, or anything to impede
its movements; and at night, the clothing
worn during the day should be taken off.
the baby washed, and clean night clothing
put on.
But our subject now is, infants in the
cradle, and not older children. These, for
the first month of their existence, should
be washed in water milk-warm. After
the first month, if stout and hearty, the
temperature cf the water should be gradu
ally reduced, until the water is about the
temperature of ordinary well or spring
water when first drawn. Cold water, with
a little soap, is sufficient for cleansing;
and there is nothing to equal it in its tonic
invigorating effect. The skin is not only
freed from impurities, and* the clogged-up
pores opened, but the re-action is followed
by a strong rush of blood to the surface,
driving out through the pores all hurtful
matters that may have accumulated in the
system. This re-action prevents an undue
flow of blood to the mucous membranes;
and is the best protection against coughs,
colds, croups, “bowel complaints,” and
all the diseases so common and fatal in
infancy, and in childhood.
In bathing or washing infants in cold
water, of course care should be taken not
to overdo the thing; and due regard should
be had to the strength and re-active
powers.
Should coldness and paleness of the skin
remain for any length of time after the
bath, or should the child, while awake,
seem listless and depressed, the water
should be warmer.
On the contrary, when the cold water is
followed by a roseate blush of the skin, and
a pleasant warmth over the whole surface;
the bath will not only be without injury,
but more conducive to the health, comfort
and enjoyment of the child than any other
means.
Infants thus managed, will, with very
few exceptions, be lively, healthy and
sweet-tempered, and, so far from dreading
culd water, will be as fond of it as a duck,
and about as little likely to be injured by
it as any water fowl. In short, next to
pure air, the best thing for infants is cold
bathing —when judiciously used.
In bathing them, immersion ofthe whole
body, up to the arm-pits, is preferable to
any other mode. While in the bath, the
body should be gently rubbed with the
palms of the hands under the water;
and the duration of the immersion
should be from three to five minutes.
Th® ‘body should then be quickly dried
with a moderately coarse towel; or if
there is any difficulty about the reaction, or
the room is cold, a dry sheet should be
thrown around the child, and its body
dried by rubbing over the sheet. The rub
bing should be continued till the body is in
a glow, having that beautiful pinkish hue
which is a characteristic of all healthy,
well-cared-for infants.
Immersion of the whole body is the
safest and best mode of bathing, because
the body is less exposed to the chilling
effects of the air, which, oa account of its
flowing in constant currents, is more
chilling than the water; and it is applied
equally to the whole surface, instead of
being dabbed in spots with a cold rag,
which is well calculated to give a grow
person hydrophobia. How then can a sen
sitive child, who wriggles and squirms at
having its nose wiped with a cold
cloth, be expected to stand such treatment
without a loud protesting squall, which
will be very likely to lead the mother to
believe that cold water does not “suit her
child." No indeed, nor does it suit anyone
ehe.
I have a very feeling remembrance of
my childhood days, when a rough negro
nurse, armed with a cold wet rag, dabbed
and scrubbed my corporosity to her heart’s
content, unrestrained by my yells.
I cannot better close this article than by
a quotation from an old writer. He says:
“I consider bathing as the grand arcanum
of supporting health, on which account,
during infancy, it ought to be regarded as
one of those sacred maternal duties, the
performance of which should on no ac
count be neglected a single day.” I
heartily indorse this writer, and commend
his injunction to all mothers.
THE HEAD AND HAIR OF IN
FANTS.
The heads of infants should not be wash
ed in brandy, whisky, spirits of hartshorn,
or other stimulating washes. They do no
good, cause pain, and may so irritate the
tender scalp as to cause disease.
For eleansing the head, soap and water,
or water with a little borax in it, are all
that is needed. After washing the scalp, a
soft hair brush should be used. This will
remove any dirt or dandruff, and will not
irritate the skin as a comb would be likely
to do.
The hair of both boys and girls should
be kept short till eight or nine years of
age. This will conduce to cleanliness; pre
vent a great deal of trouble in combing
and washing; will leave no harbor for the
abominable creepers to which children are
exposed; and, by keeping the head cool
will render children less liable to the in
flammatory affections of the brain—to
which they are strongly predisposed at
their time of life. Thus managed, the
hair will be smooth and glossy; sores and
disgusting accumulations on the scalp will
be prevented; trouble will be saved; and
the health, comfort and happiness of
mother and child greatly promoted.
The custom of putting caps on infants,
having been abolished by all well-informed
people, it is hardly necessary to say that
the practice should be abandoned by all,
as the head is warm enough without the
cap, is very likely to be too warm
with it, and in this way causing the brain
affections to which children are so prone.
EXERCISE AND PERSPIRATION.
Within the last few years, a new way of
reducing weight has become popular. This
does not so much reduce a man’s total
weight as it prevents the increase of weight
in the stomach, which is what most men
desire A man who is growing stout,
would not care if the increased figure
which appears every time he steps on the
scales, were to show that he had larger
arm and leg muscles, that bis chest had in
creased in size, and that he had a bigger
frame; but when he sees the evidence
before him that the more pounds do not
mean these things, but an increased waist
measure, he thinks of methods to reduce
his weight. The thing is to take off the
fat about the waist. A simple way is to
sweat. Sweating a man reduces his weight.
If the total sweating could be taken from
the stomach and the loins, the weight of
the stomach and the loins would be de
creased, while the plump shoulders and
round arms and legs would be retained.
The simplest way of sweating the stomach
and the loins is to wrap enough flannel
around them and then take some exercise.
It is not necessary to take violent exercise,
though violent exercise will do it. With
enough flannel around his stomach, a man
can sweat his stomach without sweating
the rest of his body.
A man can wear a flannel stomach band
age without any one knowing it. Perhaps
the best is the kind that a man has especi
ally made for him, though it costs a little
more than the others. He can buy eight
or ton yard® of th® b®»t ®Pd mo«t porous
flannel, and the man who makes his shirts
will make the bandage for him. He is
measured for it, and when it is done it is
shaped like an hourglass, though the top
circumference is smaller than the hip cir
cumference. It should cover a man from
his hips to the lower part of his breast bone.
[Of course all this will apply to women as
well as “a man.”] —Ed.
THE HOT-WATER REMEDY.
There is probably no remedial agent
known to modern life which equals hot
water in its good effects upon the system.
Its very simplicity and accessibility tend
to lessen its impressiveness to many peo
ple, who, if it could be bottled up and sold
at a dollar a pint, would be diligent in its
use. It is to Dr.'Salisbury of New York
that the discovery of hot water as a tonic,
a sedative, a general restorative of harmo
ny in the system, is due; and the famous
“Salisbury Cure” is simply the proper use
of hot water and of beef as diet.
Like all other things, there is a wrong
way and a right way to take hot water.
Dr. Salisbury’s method prescribes four
pints each day, to be taken on awaking in
the morning, and again an hour before
luncheon, an hour before dinner, and at
night before retiring. With this, a regi
men ot meat-eating without other food; but
the meat can be varied, as roast beef,
steaks, chops and other varieties—for
which the manual of this cure gives full
directions.
To those who suffer from insomnia, this
method of life gives immediate relief. The
hot water alone is a great promoter of
good sleep, but united with the entire ob
servance of hygienic methods in proper
bathing, exercise and diet is of course more
efficacious than when this added here is not
given. Headache, dyspepsia and ills and
disabilities in general, yield to the diligent
use of hot water. A pint of water brought
to the boiling point hot, not merely warm
sipped slowly just before retiring, will al
most invariably and infallibly assure a
night’s sound and perfect sleep. There is
no sedative in the world that equals it.
The effect is immediate, and the after
effects beneficial. In these days, when an
increasing portion of people are ruining
both health and morals with the deadly
drugs prescribed by physicians for insom
nia, the gospel of the hot water cannot be
too emphatically presented. If there is
an elixir of life in vitality, in nervous pow
er, in that serenity and exhilaration and
perfect balance of harmony that good
health, in its true meaning, implies, it lies
in the “Salisbury Cure,” the use of hot
water, and the regulation of diet.—House
hold Companion.
CARE OF THE .FEET.
Those who are annoyed by excessive per
spiration of the feet may add much to
their comfort by bathing the feet once, if
possible twice, every day—in warm water
containing a little ammonia. Bay rum
and diluted alcohol are likewise beneficial.
If the feet are very tender, a small piece
of alum dissolved in the water should be
used. Chalk and starch made into a pow
der, are recommended for rubbing feet
that blister easily.
Sometimes an offensive odor accompa
nies the perspiration. When such cases
are chronic, some disinfectant must be used
as well as attention paid to the diet. A
harmless disinfectant is boracic acid or
permanganate of potash. If the acid is
used, dissolve one ounce in a quart ol
water. Os the potash, use twenty grains to
one ounce of water. The solutions may
.then be used by dipping the hose, which
should be of cotton, into the liquid and
drying them before wearing. Another
way is to wear cork insoles that have been
dipped in either solution. The articles of
diet to be avoided are onions, cheese and
fish. Such treatment, with frequent bath
ing of the feet, is recommended for simple
cases of this disorder. Oxide of zinc, be
ginning with a Very weak solution and in
creasing the quantity used, if necessary, is
recommended as a sure cure.— Household
Companion.
BITS OF INFORMATION.
Freckles, pimples, blackheads, eyebrows
that meet, and superfluous hair, are def cts
easily and cheaply remedied. There are
many ways of removing freckles. One is:
To a quart of buttermilk add two-thirds of
a cuptul of cornmeal and a teaspoonful ot
salt; bathe the face every night, allowing
the mixture to dry in. Lemon-juice in
water will remove them, but it leaves the
skin so tender that they are apt to be in
creased by it. Moistening the face and put
ting on powdered saltpetre is highly rec
ommended. Tincture ot benzoin one ounce,
water one pint, makes a' delightful applica
tion, if a tablespoonful is added to a bowlful
of water.
Freckles,tan and pimples may be removed
ftfld will stay removed aslopg ns the remedy
is used, by the corrosive sublimate lotion.
The formula is: Five grains of corrosive
sublimate, two ounces of alcohol and four
ounces of water. For freckles, moisten a
cloth with the lotion, wipe the face two or
three times daily, and at night apply some
kind of ointment, cold cream or camphor
ice. A very nice ointment is made from
one-third white wax and two-thirds lard;
melt the wax first, and add the lard; pour
into small tin moulds which have been
dipped in cold water. The freckles and
tan willdisappear in about two weeks. Pim
ples should be bathed several times a day.
Blackheads require flour of sulphur, used
after the lotion treatment. The lotion
should be applied two or three days before
commencing the sulphur treatment. The
face should be washed with good soap. Do
not use the high-scented soaps; the white
castile, made from olive-oil and bicarbonate
of soda, is always safe to use. Wipe the
face thoroughly and dip a soft flannel in
the flour of sulphur, and rub all over the
face, taking care not to get any in the eyes.
In a few minutes, wash off with the soap
and water and bathe with the lotion. The
sulphur may be used twice or thrice a week,
until the blackheads are removed; after
wards, once a week will be sufficient to keep
them off, using the lotion once a day.
Where the skin is coarse and red, a thin
gruel should be made from oatmeal—and
strained. To a pint of gruel, add a very
small pinch of salt, an ounce of alcohol and
a teaspoonful of tincture of benzoin. Moist
en the face with this and wipe with a soft
cloth. When the complexion is thick and
oily, wash with Italian medicated soap; use
the sulphur once a week and the lotion dai
ly. Out-of-door exercise should be taken
every day, and frequent warm baths, with a
little ammonia in the water. Fresh fruit
should be eaten judiciously. A dish of raw
tomatoes, with shivered ice over them, if
eaten for breakfast, will be found not only
appetizing, but as beneficial as a liver pill.
Bad breath, if it comes from sore throat,
may be cured by making a solution of chlo
rate of potash, a teaspoonful of crystal to
a pint of water. Dose, a teaspoonful every
hour, until relieved. Where the teeth are
decayed, they should be taken care of by a
competent dentist; in the meantime, the
mouth may be rinsed with a very weak so
lution of permanganate of potash. Dissolve
some of the crystals, say a teaspoonful, in
a pint of water; put enough of this in the
water in which the mouth is to be rinsed
to make it a rose pink. Wash the teeth
and rinse the mouth well. This is a poison
and should be kept in a safe place, as should
the corrosive sublimate lotion, which is a
violent poison if swallowed. When the
gums are diseased, the myrrh and chalk
dentriflee is excellent.
Eyebrows that meet, are not becoming,
but may be easily removed with small
tweezers. The shape of the eyebrows may
be improved by judicious thinning. When
the eyebrows are too thin, frequent brush
ing with a small brush will increase them.
Good Housekeeping.
HEALTH ITEMS.
Delicious Remedy for a Cough.—
Boil one ounce of flaxseed in a pint of
water, strain and add a little honey, one
ounce of rock candy, and the juice of three
lemons; mix and boil well. Drink as hot
as possible.
In scarlet fever, the skin should be daily
rubbed with carbolic acid (one drachm) and
vaseline (five ounces). This will not only
relieve the itching, but disinfect the skin,
and thus prevent the air from being con
taminated with scales and exhalations.
Chapped Hands.—One fourth ounce of
spirits camphor, one-fourth ounce glycer
ine, one-half ounce of bay rum, and three
ounces of witch hazel. Apply immediately
after each washing and drying of the
hands, and do not wipe the hands after
applying the lotion, as it is readily absorb
ed. After riding in the wind, apply the
lotion to the face and it will relieve the
disagreeable smarting of the lips and
cheeks.
Five Ways to Cure a Cold.—l. Bathe
the feet in hot water and take a pint of
hot lemonade. Then sponge with salt
water and remain in a warm room. 2.
Bstbe the face in very hot water every
five minutes for an hour. 3. Snuff up the
nostrils hot salt water every three hours.
4. Inhale ammonia or menthol. 5. Take
four hours active exercise in the air. A
ten grain dose of quinine will usually
break up a cold in the beginning. Any
thing that will set the blood in active cir
culation will do it, whether it be drugs, or
the use of a bucksaw.
[Except the exercise, the best remedy is
the quinine, preceding it by a hot foot
bath, and following the bath by a glass of
hot lemonade.] —Ed.
A beautiful woman pleases the eye; a
good woman pleases the heart; the first is a
jewel, the second a treasure.