1915
MOTHER'S DEPARTMENT
How to Care for the Baby After it is Born.
The importance of the above heading will never be
appreciated by the masses, nor but few of the knowing ones, until
it is understood that from resorption of the scurf, as found to
a greater or less extent on all babies, is the source of more
disease in after life than all other causes, and that even so
small a thing as that seems like an impossibility to affect the
entire organism of the little being whose budding life we are
responsible for, so far as immunity from the contaminating influences
of the little things are concerned. Whether the reader may know
this, or knowing it believes it, demonstration has shown that
this scurf, absorbed, lays the foundation for disease; and the
susceptibility to disease in all the after life of the little
innocent stranger who has come to make us companionship and comfort
all its sojourn on earth. The milk “scurf,” causes
a darkening of the rim of the iris which shows an effect of the
poisoning of the blood, and forms a deposit of the absorbed material
which can be seen by any one who will but examine the eyes. Like
all other diseased conditions, the iris receives its influence
and marks the part of the eyes which corresponds to the part of
the body affected - or even the whole body at once; and this organ
marking understood, and its susceptibility to nerve influence,
marks the incipiency, duration, progress, elimination and dissemination
of every morbid influence during the whole lifetime and shows
when and where disease is ravaging in the body, and when free
from disease. However much conjecture this thought may conduce
to stir up, the foregoing is surely worthy the profoundest consideration,
the deepest thought and most careful study.
As simple a thing as washing a baby has a responsibility
about it that has not attracted the attention its far-reaching
effects deserve, and we now proceed to give the reader the information
necessary to forestall any future contamination of the little
one at the very threshold of an earthly life.
The first thing to do with the little one is to
use olive oil freely all over the body, head and face, and every
part of the body (sweet, not rancid oil), and then, with the hand
smear it all over, and with the scurf, and then, with a soft cloth,
gently rub the entire body all over, using several clean cloths
if necessary, being sure to get all off that is possible at the
one sitting; then go over the body again with the same measure
as before, and use the soft cloths as before, being sure that
every portion of the body is subjected to the cleansing process;
between the toes and fingers, around the ears, neck, in the groins,
all the creases of the entire body, and finally anoint the body
again and gently rub it well with a soft cloth, then clothe it
and lay it away to rest an hour or two, then it is ready to be
placed at the breast of its mother, after you have washed the
nipple of the mother with warm water and soft cloth for a moment
or two. See strictly to this method of cleansing the baby, if
you want a healthy child. This is better than any number of washings
with water. The baby should be anointed after each daily washing,
after this first cleansing with the oil. Water should not be used
on the body until all of the milk-scurf is removed, and if proper
care is taken of the baby, daily, it will be strong and healthy
and be no trouble to its parents as regards healthfulness.
To Mothers - the Management of Young Children.
The many cares bestowed upon the little ones seem
to demand the entire attention of mothers in the main, and yet
the anxiety may be greatly abridged by observing a
few little things, which, to most nurses, seem foolish.
First, the over-attention, and constant prodding
and teasing and coaxing them to look, to eat, to nurse, and in
some way bothering them while asleep, and exhibiting them on all
occasions, courting their pride, and fretting them; all these
things would not be done to one older. We would let the older
one rest, let them sleep, and not be always putting them on "dress-parade"
on all occasions, frequently to the chagrin of mature and older
heads, and greatly to the detriment of the child itself.
Rest is an essential element in the growth of a
child. After the child is bathed, dressed and fed, lay it down
in a comfortable place and let it sleep; being sure to place it
in a comfortable position; then, after it lies in one position
a little while, say a couple of hours at most, turn it over into
some other position. The child should not lie in one position
too long, for the reason that the bones of the head are soft and
pliable, and may be molded into almost any shape in this stage.
Flat headed children are usually made so by neglect of this precaution.
The child should not for the same reason, be allowed
to nurse one breast, lying on the same side, too long, nor all
the time, without you wish one side of the head to be larger.
A few little things observed, one can see, would make a great
difference in the future of the child; perhaps shape its destiny
for weal or woe. See to these matters.
The Feeding of the Infant.
Where possible, the child should be nursed by its
mother, or some one whose condition is conducive to the growth
of the child. The mother's milk is the natural food for babies.
The child should be nursed when it seems to be hungry, and one
should not mistake pain or thirst for hunger, and stuff the child
too often. Feeding, or nursing, should not be oftener than two
hours while the child is from birth to two months old; then the
time between its meals should be lengthened, gradually, to three
and four hours, so that, when it is six months old, the space
between meals should be six hours, and no piece
meals, never.
The Right Kind of Food is An Essentiality
for Children.
Where it is possible, the mother's milk is the food-par-excellence.
After the teeth have formed, and the gums are healthy, a little
bread may be soaked in milk, and fed the child, or barley may
be boiled thoroughly, and the creamy portion, mixed with milk,
and fed them. Goat's milk is better than cow's milk, but whichever
agrees with the child, feed it. The milk should be diluted with
water the first two months of the child's growth. Children should
not be fed eggs, nor starchy food - if you want healthy, strong
children.
The all important thing to be observed, is the vessels
used to feed children. Be sure to scald, cleanse, and air, all
vessels used. Never set milk or any other food away for another
meal. Let every article of food be fresh; and only mix up enough
for one meal at a time. Children would do better not to have any
meat until after they are five or six years of age. Cream of wheat
mush, and good oatmeal are good foods for children.
Never over-feed the child nor feed between meals.
Give the nervous system time to manufacture the secretions from
the blood; in the glandular system, to digest the food; two to
six hours at least. Do not tease nor fret the child after being
fed. Let it be quiet, and rest or sleep, and the little one will
not need much attention on account of sickness. It will not be
sick if properly fed and bathed and rested, with plenty of sleep
and exercise.
The Kind of Exercise Which Will Be Proper
to Attend to.
Gently rubbing its body all over with the naked
hand, greased with olive oil, after its bath, is an excellent
way to develop its muscles and improve circulation, and secure
rest. Taking hold of the dress below the feet, and turning the
head downward, and letting the little one be suddenly precipitated
toward the floor, and stopped suddenly - not too hard, of course
- will stir up the liver and prevent being liver-grown, and if
it is already grown, that is necessary to relieve it; the best
thing to do for the child, frequently, any way.
The manipulating the naked body all over, with the
palm of the hand; in a rotary motion, a sort of "massage"
process, rolling the hand as it is advanced from place to place
over the body; always recognizing the fact that the little one
is tender, and should be handled gently, carefully, and not have
too much rubbing at one sitting, is the way to exercise it. Once
going over the body, including all the muscles on the limbs, as
well, should be sufficient. This may be done once a day; and is
better done, and more salutary, after its bath. If the body is
rubbed off with a soft cloth, it will leave the skin soft and
healthy.
Weaning the Child.
Mothers make a great mistake in letting the children
nurse too long. It not only draws upon the mother, and reduces
her to a skeleton, but her milk is non-nutritious, after ten or
twelve months' nursing. The child should have been taught to eat
ere that time, and when it has grown into strength sufficient
to live on food it may be weaned.
How to Secure Sleep, and to Prevent Children
From Being Cross.
In the first place, do not spoil them by too much
attention at the start. Teach the little one to sleep after nursing
- right from the start. Always keep up that habit. If food disagrees
with the child, change it, and be sure to let the child have plenty
of water - warm water, all it will nurse through a nipple from
a bottle, especially at night.
When you want the child to sleep, at night especially,
lay it down, in some quiet place. Place sufficient cover over
it for comfort, and go away from it, and let it go to, sleep.
Never rock the child, nor do not carry it, simply because it cries.
It won't cry if you do not over-feed it nor spoil it.
Many women rock, sing, pat, pound, and toss the
baby to stop its crying; sometimes carry it all night, and keep
the light burning to satisfy the baby. Don't do that. Fill the
baby's stomach with warm water, sweetened a little, and put it
in bed and turn the light out, and let the child go to sleep.
Let the mother rest, which she will, when she shall have learned
how to take care of the baby as she should.
Teething of Children.
The first twenty teeth the child cuts are milk teeth,
and only temporary teeth. Some children are considerably affected
during the tooth-cutting period. The teeth begin to show about
the fourth to the seventh month, through the gums, the front teeth
come first; and these are called the stomach teeth, named so because
the child is generally troubled with its stomach and bowels during
the teething period. However much the teeth have to do with the
stomach, it can only affect the stomach through the nervous system,
and generally the stomach trouble nor the painful teething comes
from the teething per se, but from over-feeding of the child.
The kind of food has much to do with the condition of the child.
When the child begins to be cross, fretful, and
cries out during its sleep, there is pain somewhere, and generally
it is attributed to teething. The mouth should be looked after,
and bathed with a weak solution of salt and water; a half teaspoonful
to a pint of water will not be too strong; wet a cloth in this,
wash the mouth of the baby several times a day, let it have plenty
of water to drink a little at a time, and often.
If the gums seem swollen and the teeth are seen
through the skin over the tooth, the best thing to do is to take
a coin - a dollar is best - and place the milled edge against
the top of the tooth, or where it is trying to cut through; down
flat on tooth, and roll it across the tooth edge, pressing against
the tooth; not too hard, nor let the coin slide over tooth, but
roll it, and press down at the same time. A little dexterity in
this matter will save the little one much suffering. If that does
not suffice, take the point of a sharp knife, cut down through
the skin to tooth crosswise, then cut lengthwise of the jaw on
tooth, and there will be no more trouble with that tooth. Remember
the washing of the mouth with salty water.
If there be spasms, do not forget the bath in warm
water, mentioned elsewhere in this book.
Never give children any cordials nor opiates to
soothe them to sleep. Simply relax them with the bath of warm
water; place them in bed, or some easy place; and let them sleep,
and all will be well. If there be any impaction in the colon,
see to that at once; see about that by all means. If the stomach
has been over-loaded with indigestible food, give an emetic of
salt and water, and remove it. Be sure to carry out the principle,
"Remove the
pressure."
To Relieve the Diarrhea of Dentition.
Cease to over-feed, and feed between meals - the
first thing you do. Do this without fail. For the indigestion,
as some are wont to call it when the bowels discharge thin and
greenish-watery stools, all you need to do so far as treatment
of diarrhea (mentioned elsewhere), if you have only a small child
to treat, take it by the heels and nape of the neck, and let it
be placed across the knee, bearing its own weight against the
back for a moment; then hold up, and then repeat a few times;
and the diarrhea is over with. It may have to be repeated a few
times. But that is the means to institute for all discharges of
the lower outlets of the body. Remember this.
The Tissue Elements for the Children.
When the child becomes pale and emaciated, and skin
wrinkled, ferric phosphate is the best element and about the sixth
potency is the one to use; in grain doses, every hour or two until
all fever is gone, then use the calcarea phosphate in grain doses
every three or four hours, and that may be alternated with the
kali phosphate in same size doses, which will be almost tasteless
to the child - in fact, it will think it is taking sugar, for
the potency is sweet, because triturated with sugar of milk. These
are in no sense drugs or medicine, but tissue elements, and if
properly applied, fill a niche needed by the child.
It will be of vast importance to the child if the
parent will remember that food is not what the child needs all
the time. Hot water, given the little one, is often better than
food, for the waste material in the body is eliminated better
by the use of water than any other agency known. Good fresh air
and the proper cleanliness and bathing should receive the attention
of the mother or nurse if the health of the baby is of any consideration.
The use of salt bath - one teaspoonful to a quart
of water for children every day, will be the kind to keep, the
skin soft and natural.
A bath occasionally with the Epsom salts, a tablespoonful
to a half gallon of warm water, will be the proper thing to use
in cases of fever, skin eruptions, chigger bites, and sores of
the skin, anywhere on the body. There is no more soothing application
to the body in case of fever than the Epsom salts bath. Rheumatism,
and all kinds of pains are relieved by the bath - taken daily,
or oftener.
To make a good bath of this kind put about ten gallons
of warm water into a bath-tub, and put into that water about two
pounds of Epsom salts, and bathe in that water a few moments -
say ten or fifteen minutes, being careful to use cool or cold
water to the head at the same time. The above directions followed
aid in curing many a condition called disease.
Eye-Strain in Children.
If mothers could understand that eye-strain is as
liable to be found in small children as in persons of riper years,
they might find cause for many a case of imbecility, idiocy, and
dullness of intellect, slowness of learning, and indifference
in many ways.
Look after the interest of the little ones in this
respect, and save much remorse and discomfort in the life of the
child in after years. Eye-strain, remember, is a source of a host
of the ills of humanity, dating from infancy, in very many cases.
Children often suffer with a strained condition
of the muscular system of the outer muscles of the eye-ball, and
many cases become cross-eyed as a consequence of strain of the
extrinsic muscles. The redness and swelling of the balls of the
eyes are caused by the nerve strain in the muscle of the outside
of the eyes in an effort to focus objects, and physicians being
ignorant of that fact, let many a case become a chronic invalid.
Spasms in Children.
The first thing to do for them is to wrap them in
a sheet or blanket and dip them into warm water (the temperature
as to bear-ability being as warm as the elbow can bear), being
sure to always wet the head in cool, or cold water, letting the
whole body of the child be submerged in the water - letting it
cover all but the head. After the system is relaxed, and the spasm
is gone take child out of the bath, and wrap it in a blanket,
or dry cloth, and lay it away to rest and sleep.
This is the best thing possible to be done for the
spasms. If the child has eaten food, and it lies in the stomach,
vomit it with warm salt and water. If the food has gone beyond
the stomach, and is in the colon, use the irrigation tube and
warm water injections into the bowels and get it away as soon
as possible.
Conjunctivitis - Acute Sore Eyes.
In case of common sore eyes, the patient will not
need to be told that they are sore. The symptoms are so familiar
to all that we need not give them here.
The Treatment.
If caused by dust or sand or foreign substances
in the eyes, wash out whatever it is. Sore eyes generally come
from irritation of some kind, and that should be looked after,
and removed. The application to them is simply a solution of common
table salt - about a tablespoonful in a pint of water (measure
everything you use; do not guess at anything), and apply to the
eyes, externally by means of soft cloths, wrung out of the water
so as not to drip. Apply over the eyes - both of them, if sore
- and let cloth remain about five minutes, and then rewet and
reapply. Repeat this right along until inflammation subsides,
occasionally putting a few drops of the same strength solution
of the salt and water into the eyes.
A very soothing and pleasant collyrium may be dropped
into eyes, a few drops, made by the addition of one teaspoonful
of sugar to half a teaspoonful of boracic acid, and mixed with
a little water, added in drops, and mixed together in a teacup,
with spoon, until it is made into a paste; then add half a cupful
of water, stirring with a spoon while adding the water. This makes
a harmless and soothing wash for sore eyes, to drop into eyes
out of a teaspoon at pleasure. Keep cup covered and fresh, or
in a cool place. Continue the salt water, with the cloths, right
along, for several hours; then let patient rest; and reapply if
necessary. We have given directions as to how to cure trachoma,
or granulated eyelids, elsewhere.
Chalazion may receive the same treatment, as granulated
lids, to cure. Ulcers on the cornea, will all succumb to one or
two treatments of stretching the upper lid, for this takes off
the pressure, and the ulcer ceases to be painful; stops the dread
of light to patient, and the ulcer gets well right away. The eye
needs nothing put in it, except the salt water solution above
named. We have given directions to cure catarrh, by the use of
snuffing salt and water up the nostrils. Salt is one of the essentials
of life, and should not be lost sight of in the treatment of inflammations
of all kinds, anywhere in or on the body. Salt water is the best
tooth wash there is, and obviates the necessity of tooth paste,
and costs nothing scarcely, and always beneficial, cleanly and
does no harm whatever anywhere. Salt is the best remedy for spitting
blood; at the time of the bleeding, swallow it right down into
the stomach, or snuff it up the nostrils and it will be effectual,
satisfactory.
Glycerine Cures Colic at Once.
One teaspoon to one tablespoonful of glycerine taken
internally will cure the colic at once. When you have no other
means, try this.
To Mothers.
It would not be doing the good mothers justice were
we to omit saying something to them regarding the diseases of
their little ones, and we submit the following for their special
consideration:
The subject is one of the greatest importance; for
the child is to be the grown-up individual in the course of time,
and all mothers have a pride in the outcome of their children,
and especially in their physical welfare, knowing that, unless
they are healthy, life is filled with sorrow and disappointment
innumerable and unsatisfactory. The strong, robust child has a
goodly heritage that wealth is inadequate of comparison. The following
advice will be duly appreciated by those who are interested in
health. Study the instructions here detailed, as well as the rest
of this book, and you will have a fund of knowledge on hand which
will be most gratifying when needed.
The commonest fault of parents with their children
is to feed them too much and too often. Another common fault is
to feed them food that the digestive organs are incapable of digesting.
To meet these requirements, we should consider the kind of food
the child can digest. The natural food for babies is milk. It
should be milk which has all of the elements in it, in due proportion,
so as to sustain life and furnish the elements of growth - carbonates,
nitrates and phosphates. These are essential to form the food
for infants. If the child does not grow from the start there is
something wrong about the constituents of the milk the mother
furnishes the babe, and she should consult a chemist and have
her milk analyzed to ascertain whether it is natural.
Cows' milk is the next best food for babies, but
should be good, natural milk, containing the normal elements and
furnished the baby a little warm, so as to simulate the temperature
of the mother's milk as it comes from the breast. In the absence
of milk, use Horlick's Malted Milk as first choice, and Mellen's
next. The food, whatever it be, should not be given the child
oftener than every two hours for the first month or two of its
life, and gradually lengthening the time of feeding to four hours
until it is six months old; then to six hours after that age.
Give nothing in the way of food between meals. Allow no stuffing,
or piece-meals, but let the stomach have natural rest, and the
nervous system time to take care of the digestion of the food
taken.
The child should not be allowed meats at all until
it is at least six years old. The cereals are the, food for children.
The best being barley and wheat; well cooked and eaten with milk
or a mixture of cream and milk. After the teething, see to it
that it learns to chew its food. This develops its salivary glands.
Whatever is found, in the way of vegetables, which
agrees with its digestive organs, may be allowed, after it has
been taught to chew its victuals. It is worthwhile to teach the
child how to eat right at the start, then there will be but little
fear of stomach, or any other trouble in after life. Health is
dependent upon how, and what to eat, and when we eat.
The parent should study the nature of the food,
by consulting the table of articles on diet, their elementary,
chemical constituents, and feed that which agrees with the child.
The results of eating depend largely upon the kind of food eaten,
as regards elements needed in any given case or condition. If
we need fats we should eat food containing fats; if muscle, food
containing nitrates; if we need to build up the nerves, let them
eat what contains the proper proportion of the phosphates.
Some children are born with a shrunken skin and
completely exhausted; seemingly doomed to mortality as soon as
born; enervated, emaciated, marasmic, and the majority of such
cases, die soon. These need special attention at the start. They
should not be wearied for some time after birth with bathing.
Anoint such all over with olive oil, and lay it aside f or a couple
of hours, and let it rest; then gently rub it all over with a
soft woolen cloth, and then let it rest again; feeding it with
a little sweetened water, and within three or four hours let it
nurse the breast. It requires much care in such cases that it
be not exhausted further by doing too much for it. Lay it on its
right side and let it rest a reasonable time, then feed it; let
it nurse if it seem eager for food. The first nursing from the
breast is nature's physic, and will remove the meconium - the
green discharge from the infant's bowels.
The nursing of the mother's breast causes uterine
contractions and pain of the mother, arresting the lochial flow
for the time being, and sometimes serves a better purpose than
any other means to expel the "after birth" as it is
the natural course and the natural hemostatic (stopping the flow).
Do not feed the child "panada," but a
little warm sweetened water is the best for it. If there is not
sufficient mother's milk for it, substitute the warm water with
cow's milk mixed with it. If the child has any symptoms of "Three
Months' Colic," fill a pint bottle with warm water, add a
little sugar-grape sugar is the best and fit on it a nipple, and
let the child nurse all it will of this, and it will answer every
purpose, relieving it at once; and if given to the child at bed-time,
it will afford a quiet, restful night, not only for the child,
but for the mother, and the whole household for that matter.
This should be used every night at least, and oftener
will be of much benefit, for it will keep the bowels regular and
promote digestion, and supply the entire system with water. Most
all children suffer for the want of water. They should have water
frequently. Only the water which is nursed through the nipple
should be warmed. Give cold water in small quantities to the little
one several times a day, and you will find that the baby will
thrive and be healthy all the time.
The warm water as an internal bath should receive
attention. Children sometimes are permitted to eat unwholesome
articles of food, such as bananas, and have colic. Nothing answers
the purpose of relief from such conditions as the warm water,
colon douche. Every family should have a fountain syringe, and
nozzles of varied sizes, and the nozzles should have holes, or
perforations, on the sides, near the end, and the end hole plugged
up tightly, and thus permit the water escaping through the side
holes and the inlet is not felt as it enters the bowels, so that
the entire colon can be filled when desired. There is frequently
a necessity of washing out the entire colon, and no better way
can be devised than the use of this method. It will relieve any
impaction, and nothing else is so effectual in relieving that
condition we denominate Intussusception, or that condition known
as enfolding the intestines in such a manner as to close the passage.
It is an invagination of the intestines in and over themselves.
Plenty of the warm water injected into the rectum, and filling
the colon full, and letting it go on into the small intestines
will expand and relieve the invagination. The bowels should be
gently massaged - manipulated - to assist in their movements,
and performing their peristalsis.
The Use of Water - Warm Water in Case of
Diarrhea and Flux.
Children would have neither diarrhea nor flux, were
they not stuffed with everything that is in sight; or that is
thrust upon them - into their stomach - perhaps to stop their
crying (and their crying is the fault of some one else and not
the child's fault, most frequently). If, therefore, the child
has too frequent movements from the bowels, there may be relief
in one or both of the following ways: either by taking hold of
the child by the lower limbs, with both ankles in one hand, and
the other placed at the back of neck, in such a manner as to hold
it, at will, and where you should; and now let the child be placed
with its loins or small of the back across the knee, and its head
and limbs lowered, bent back pretty well, and bearing its weight
on the knee, and hold in that position a moment; raise it up and
let it rest a moment, and then repeat process a time or two, and
then press gently with the hand against the abdomen a few moments,
and the child is cured of the diarrhea.
The Flux.
The treatment for flux requires something more,
sometimes, than the above. It is best, in all cases of flux to
relax the internal sphincter muscles of the rectum; and the best
way to do that is to anoint the forefinger with oil and insert
it into the anus far enough to feel that it is through the constricted
portion of the bowel, and then gently, steadily and firmly, pull
the finger backward toward the coccyx, giving the sphincter quite
a good stretching, not enough to tear the parts, but stretch them
till the muscle seems somewhat relaxed, then remove the finger
at once - quickly, and let the patient rest a few moments, then
inject as warm water as can be borne by the patient, filling the
bowels quite full of the water; let that pass out, and in a few
moments repeat the injection of water; doing this from two to
four times all at one sitting, and then let the patient have rest
in a recumbent position. After a rest of an hour or two give the
Neuropathic treatment for diarrhea recommended in another part
of this book - that is, treating the spine - from the lower lumbar
vertebra upward; raising the limbs, strongly pressing on the sides
of vertebra while raising the limbs, with thumb and finger to
sides of vertebra. This may be repeated several times at the one
sitting, and repeated every four to twelve hours. This procedure
generally cures the flux. The diet, if any, should be thickened
milk, eaten while hot; or hot milk alone. The stretching of the
lower bowel is for the purpose of relieving the pressure therein,
which chokes the blood in the veins, and causes the exudate of
blood or pus. Relief is as certain as the directions are followed,
to the great satisfaction of all concerned.
For Many Supposed Cases of Consumption -
A Bad Cough.
Many such conditions may be absolutely aborted by
the daily flushing of the colon with warm water. It will be a
satisfaction to know that this is the best tubercular remedy there
is. It is the best remedy for appendicitis. It is the best remedy
for impaction and the only remedy for it. Thousands of cases,
which proved fatal from other means, might have been cured by
this method, and we hope this measure will be the means of relieving
thousands whose lives are in the balance from that condition,
called impaction. It can do no harm, and the immediate relief
is so satisfying that it should receive the profoundest consideration.
We have had much experience along these lines, and recommend the
irrigation of water - the flushing in all suspicious cases.
Circumcision and Its Necessity.
The necessity of looking after congenital conditions
of the little ones to prevent them from having to undergo the
consequences of such neglect demands our attention, and we would
be withholding an important item from the mothers and from the
little ones were we to leave out of this book what follows.
Special Attention to the Genital Organs.
Every child born into this world is entitled to
special consideration as regards their starting right physically;
for, without health, life is scarcely worth anything to anyone.
The little things in life make up the sum total of happiness or
misery. It is said by a wise man, that “words fitly spoken
are like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” We desire
to thus speak to the parents in behalf of their little ones.
The lower outlets of the body deserve special consideration.
The Importance of Attention to Them in Time.
Some children come into this world having some abnormal
condition of their genital organs. The most common, is an elongated
foreskin, in the male, and a bound-down clitoris, in the female.
These need attention and correction as soon as discovered. The
attention needed is circumcision of the male and clipping the
hood of the clitoris in the female. Much depends on these things
being done, in all cases where needed. The need is in all cases
where the above described conditions exist. The enervation resulting
from conditions named causes a large percentum of the weaknesses
of the sufferer in after life. Undue pressure, remember, anywhere
in the body, on terminal nerve fibers, cannot be allowed to continue,
if we desire health. Nerve waste expresses itself in various diseases
and mental depression, mental degeneracy and physical weakness,
and finally wreckage of the entire nervous system.
The necessity of taking off the pressure from every
filament of the nervous system has been shown in the Neuropathic
department of this book, and it applies with equal force to the
terminal nerve fibers in the outlets of the body.
Many nerve wrecks may be attributed to the neglect
of attention to these organs. An elongated prepuce, and a bound-down
clitoris, cause more physical wrecks than many have any conception
of. Next to nerve waste through over-use of the eyes, may be found
in the waste due to a tightened foreskin, a narrow meatus, a contracted
glans underneath, due to a shortened bridle, and to adhesion of
the mucous membrane to the glans penis.
We would emphasize these facts greatly, for we know
their importance in the welfare of the future lifetime of the
one not natural in these particulars. Always consult one who knows
how these organs ought to be, and be sure to have them righted,
if wrong.
We have seen marasmus cured simply by circumcision.
A case of diarrhea - chronic for six months, cured in a short
time by circumcision. We have seen venous congestion, in an infant
of four weeks old, cured at once by enlarging the meatus, after
all medical means had failed.
We have seen young men, who had been weakly all
their early manhood, assume a normal condition and become stout,
healthy men. We have seen cross, irritable, sickly persons restored
through the means recommended. Whenever there is found to exist
an elongated foreskin do not fail to have it removed. The entire
covering of the corona need not be removed, but sufficient to
render the head of the organ bare - back as far as the glans extends.
In other words, remove the pressure upon the nerves involved.
This acts on the same principle as dilating the sphincter ani;
it removes the tightened condition which presses on nerve terminals
and thus relieves.
Some one will ask, "How old may the individual
be when this is done?" We would recommend it in infancy,
and any time from that to old age if necessary. It is proper at
all times, and for all conditions of ill health, to relieve, to
take such steps as are needed to correct the unnatural conditions
existing, which cause the trouble. This recommendation is directly
in line with the principles of Neuropathy. The whole trouble with
most people is they are so wedded to relying upon medicine, that
they do not stop to think that almost every condition called disease
may be relieved by following the instructions contained in this
book - for they say it differs from the way we have been taught.
Give the subject due consideration, and the more you practice
what is recommended herein the more confidence you have in its
efficacy. It will satisfy the most incredulous when properly applied.
Depend upon it without a doubt; for it is the best means of relief
known.
How to Make a Sub-Cutaneous Stitch.
In very many lacerations or cuts with a sharp instrument,
the surgeon resorts to the needle to coapt the wound; and this
is sometimes the best thing to be done; but when it is done, we
would suggest that the stitches be made in the muscle, just at
the edge of the skin; taking deep enough stitches in the muscle,
from side to side, to hold the parts when the stitches are drawn
together. After the sub-cutaneous sewing is done, the skin may
be coapted nicely with surgeon's plaster strips crosswise of the
wound. If the stitches are made with cat-gut thread, there will
be no scar, as a rule, following. After all is done, and the wound
closed, wet a small pledget of absorbent cotton with compound
tincture benzoine, and lay it directly over the wound, and letting
it wet the skin. This applied once a day will serve as a disinfectant,
and at the same time exclude the air from wound.
All sorts of cuts may be served the same way. The
stitches, taken as described, cause no pain whatever, to the patient;
and this method should be adopted whenever possible, for circumcision,
and all other such wounds. Small wounds, not too deep, may be
held together by moistened absorbent cotton, wet in the compound
tincture of benzoine, and spread across the wound. It will hold
it together if allowed to dry a little before leaving it. These
hints may save much pain unnecessarily made by sewing through
the skin.
What to Do for Bruises and Concussions.
Frequently a bruise resulting from a stroke of a
hammer or otherwise, on a finger, may be a source of much discomfort
unless the bruised blood be immediately discussed.
To remove the congested blood, wrap the finger from
the hand toward the end and to the end of finger, with a twine,
somewhat tightly and the twine wrapped close around the part but
not tight enough to obstruct the arterial blood but tight enough
to prevent the venous blood from returning, and let the wrapping
remain until the end of the finger is quite dark with venous blood,
then immediately unwrap it and rub the finger toward the hand
for a moment or two; then repeat the application of the cording
and do as before, doing this two or three times, and you will
have discussed the blood which would have been bruised and black
for days. Then apply quite warm water for a little while afterward.
Concussions apply more directly to the head, and
done by hard blows or falls on hard pavements, floors or other
hard substances. Fracture of the skull may result, or simply a
contusion result. In either event, the circulation of the blood
all over the body may be interrupted, and a difficulty of breathing
ensue, or death may result at once. The thing to do is to establish
the circulation of' the blood as quickly as possible. To do so,
divulse the sphincter ani muscle strongly, and by sudden, quick
dilations so as to gradually shock the system, and flush the capillaries.
When the breathing is restored, apply quite warm water to the
parts, by the uses of cloths or towels wrung out of the hot water
until the discussion of the blood from the part bruised is assuaged.
These are the essential things to be done, immediately, or as
soon as possible. We have mentioned lacerated wounds in another
article in this book - which see.
What to Do for Children Who Hold the Breath.
The simple things are of importance to know and
do the harmless and effectual things. A child whose control has
been neglected by its parents until persuasion with the rod and
promises of special gifts as a reward for obedience, have all
been unavailing, and through a fit of anger, due to over-indulgence
in its own way, falls down to the floor and holds its breath -
even until it turns black in the face - there is a remedy which
never fails to bring about a calm and serene atmosphere in that
household. It is simple, but as certain as it is applied, and
immediate, satisfactory and never need to be repeated. It is this:
Insert the forefinger into the rectum past the internal sphincter
muscle, or as far as the second joint of the finger, and begin
to pull backward toward the coccyx just enough to stretch the
opening as much as the width of the finger, and the work is done.
The child immediately catches the breath, and it will never attempt
such a thing again.
A good spanking on the naked nates is sometimes
effectual, but a divulsion of the sphincter ani muscles is sure
of success. I would add right here; some older persons are troubled
with despondency, melancholia, and seemingly an inability to breathe,
although there seems to be no reason as far as the condition of
the atmosphere is concerned, and yet they cannot feel disposed
to want to breathe, or that it is almost impossible to get the
breath. Using the forefinger inserted into the rectum, and pulling
it strongly backward, stretching the muscles strongly, affords
relief immediately. This is also the remedy par-excellence for
all cases of hysteria. The finger answers the same purpose as
the bivalve, and you always have the remedy with you, and can
regulate force according to the necessities of each case and condition.
The Early Training of Children.
The special oversight of children as regards their
forming bad habits is a matter too sadly neglected. It is often
a sad ending of the boy or girl who forms bad habits while climbing
the slippery paths of youth, and many a young man has just cause
for rebuking his parents for not warning him of the evil consequences
of Onanism. They have just cause in many instances, for regret
that their parents did not teach them how to avoid forming habits
which, like a viper had fastened its venomous fangs into the very
heart and stung them like an adder, and ruined every prospect
of usefulness; sapped the very foundation of their manhood, and
left them to brood over their sad fate. Is it not worthwhile to
consider this subject when so much of the after life of the youth
depends upon it? Teach the child what their genital organs are
for, and that they are not playthings.
The hideous picture of a ruined life beggars all
description. The sad wailings of ruined youth reach the very gates
of heaven, and reverberate with doleful lamentations adown the
ages, and if this warning saves the youths of the readers of this
book, we shall be glad we had lived to bless them. Parents, see
to it that your dear ones have their minds instructed as they
should be along these lines, for a sweet and virtuous life is
the proudest character parents can bequeath their children. As
is the family, so is the nation, and as is the nation, so ought
the world to be, and will be, in this regard. "Lust when
it hath conceived bringeth forth sin, and when it is finished
it bringeth forth death," was said by one who knew all things.
A moment's pleasure in the gratification of lust, breeds shame
and if often indulged in, ends in inexpressible remorse.
Ear-Ache - How to Relieve.
There are many simple things, which seem so simple
that their usefulness is too often disregarded, for the mind is
seeking to find some great things, or something made popular by
time-honored custom, and traditional descent, and the very thing
which might answer a better purpose, costs less, and does more
good, is neglected. Now listen, study, read this.
The ear-ache is no trifling matter when it takes
hold on us. It surely hurts, and hurts badly. If it is so distressing
to the reader, may it not be as much so to the little ones?
Now to relieve it. Place a silk handkerchief, one
or two folds over the ear that aches, and with the warm breath,
blow gently into the ear through the handkerchief, several times,
and you will accomplish for the sufferer more than any other means
you can devise. Warm, dry heat should be applied if there is pain
from inflammation, till relieved, not forgetting the warm breath,
as above directed.
About Washing the Ears with Water.
The ears seldom need the application of water in
them. When they, through neglect, are stopped up with cerumen
(ear wax), pour a small quantity of olive oil into the ear, with
a teaspoon, and place a pledget of absorbent cotton, loosely,
into the meatus, over the oil, and let it alone for ten or twelve
hours; then, with a fountain syringe, let the warm water run into
the ear (do not have the fount so high as to make too much force
to the stream of water), having a vessel held under the ear to
catch the water, and the water will clean out the ear thoroughly
- impaction and accumulated filth, and relieve the patient of
much discomfort, and very often, temporary deafness. Remember
this is important sometimes. To dry the ears thoroughly, after
the irrigation, is important. Use dry absorbent cotton wrapped
around a small stick - the end of which has been notched, wrapping
the pledget of cotton around it, by placing the small bit of cotton
on the other hand or held between the fingers, placing the stick
half way through the pledget, and then twisting the stick to the
right till completely wrapped - doing the pressure on the stick
– leaving a part of the cotton to extend beyond the end
of the stick. This leaves a soft end of the cotton to go into
the ear, and saves the pressure against the ear drum, but reaches
to, every part of the ear and absorbs the water. There should
be a repetition of the use of the cotton in order to dry the parts
completely. After the ear is dry, put into the ear a small pledget
of cotton, having patient retain it for several hours. This is
to prevent taking cold after the warm douche. This does not need
frequent repetition, for the ears may be kept clean by the use
of the cotton used on a stick, or a notched end of a match (cutting
off the sulphur).
These simple directions followed, may be utilized
by any and all who need them.
How to Remove Foreign Substances from the
Ear and Nose.
It seems to be a desire of some children to want
to be as annoying as they can be.
A suggestion not to do a thing seems to create an
intense longing to do it, and it is best not to suggest to children
that they do not stick beans or corn into their nostrils or their
ears, for everybody seems to incline to experiment, and a little
knowledge is a dangerous thing. If parents would fully explain
the consequences of doing the wrong thing and thoroughly impress
them that the parents should be obeyed, they would be satisfied;
but if a suggestion is made that "thou shalt not" it
will require a good deal of moral courage to withstand the temptation.
But if the child persists and decides to make the experiment,
and when you return from church, or some other place, and find
your child's ears full of beans, corn or rice, or gravel, be prepared
to extricate the substance in the easiest and the best way possible.
The child will not take the treatment for their removal as submissively
as when poking them into the orifice. If you go at the task of
removing the corn, beans, cherry-stone or any other substance
in the ears, with any degree of rashness or awkwardness, so as
to create a suspicion that you are going to hurt, you will have
stirred up a faculty just above the ears, called destructiveness,
to expressing itself in terms that, for vehemence no tongue can
ever describe. I have had experience along these lines. Mark my
words, and be sure to consider my advice. You will regret it if
you do not. Be careful what you do, and how you do it. It is a
matter of importance.
The easiest and safest way to remove hard substances
from the ears is to secure a small stick that will enter the ear
easily, and take a strong piece of cloth and place it over the
end of the stick, fastening the cloth back, leaving room to place
a small amount of glue on the end of the stick - on cloth, just
the end of it - and then place that against the object in the
ear, letting the glue adhere a few moments, and it will enable
you to pull the substance out easily. This is the best way; but
sometimes a hairpin can be introduced to the side of the object
and it removed therewith, and sometimes water may be used to wash
it out. The water is the thing to use for flies or bugs in the
ears. Sometimes the object may be hooked out with a small sharp
hook, but care should be had in any event so as not to injure
the parts.
There are so many little things get the matter with
children that it would take a large volume to enumerate them.
The artful mother will find her ingenuity often taxed to know
just what to do many times, but should always be equal to the
emergency.
The above instructions should save much anxiety
and much cost in the way of doctor's services and expenses thus
incurred, and much suffering and long spells of sickness.
Starting the Youth and Teaching Them to
Shun Evil Influences.
Life is so precious that it should demand our first
and highest interest, early, constantly and intelligently. To
be forewarned is to be forearmed, and to know how to be wise we
must be ever ready to receive instruction. Were we inclined to
go through life heeding the advice from those who know by experience
and observation, of those who have grown older than we, much anxiety
and many heartaches might be avoided, health preserved, and many
who suffer a lifetime might have escaped the pitfalls of vice,
immorality, and saved of being physical wrecks - addicted to habits
which tend only to wretchedness, disease and death.
Parents should not be remiss in early admonition
of their children regarding bad habits, unchaste associations,
evil communications, obscene literature, novels, trashy stories,
and such influences as tend to educate children and youth in paths
of vice, and poison their minds with the history of crime, luxury
and foolishness, ever remembering that Scripture which says, "Blessed
is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the wicked, nor
standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of scoffers,
but his delight is in the law of Jehovah; and on his law doth
he meditate day and night." Such a course will forever shield
the youth from falling into or adopting bad habits.
We have said this much as an introduction to what
we have to say regarding the care of our youth, upon whom the
future of this nation rests, prospectively, and its importance
cannot be over-estimated, nor its far-reaching influence measured;
for "whatsoever we sow, that shall we also reap." Then
be sure of sowing the right thought in the mind of the youth;
for, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." Analyze
these sayings and be guided by them, remembering that children
only know what they learn. Teach them rightly and they will be
guided by what they are taught all through life and verify the
instructions given in Holy Writ, which says, "Train up a
child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not
depart from it."
If there were no tendency in man to go away into
sin from his mother's womb, there would be no necessity to charge
the parent with the care and oversight of the offspring; but he
being under "Tutors till the time appointed," it behooves
the tutors to always be on the alert for the, welfare of the child.
See to it while you have the little ones under your
charge. Allow nothing to divert your mind from this, solemn obligation
you owe to your child. Do not think that “my child is too
perfect to think of such things, and that he cannot do wrong.”
There is no one above temptation along these lines - "The
desire of the flesh" is one of the three ways to sin and
it begins at the very dawn of our physical life, and we need teaching
so as to know why we are thus created, what the uses of our organs
are, and how not to abuse them, nor any part of our body. Every
organ, has its specific uses, and when one is unduly exercised,
the whole body, sooner or later, sympathizes with it and emaciation
and many unnatural consequences ensue; and the constitution suffers
all the balance of the natural life of that individual. If, therefore,
you desire strong, healthy, sound mentality and a start in life
for your dear little ones, see to it that you keep them from learning
a habit that is so sure to be their downfall and physical wreckage.
The abuse of the genital organs should never be
allowed. It saps the foundation of all nerve forces which make
manhood and womanhood attractive, bold and strong. Nerve waste
through the genital organs, affects the mentality, sooner or later,
and makes its victim a physical and a moral wreck and stultifies
all decency and self-respect, and renders many a would-be manly
man and womanly woman an absolute failure in life, and damns them
for all of this life and perhaps for the world to come.
The emphasis cannot be too strongly placed upon
this subject, nor can parents be too careful in absolutely knowing,
at all times, what their children are about, who they associate
with, and what their training is.
Consumption could be avoided if the children were
taught how to preserve nerve force, and how to eat, breathe, sleep,
and exercise properly. Life may be prolonged by properly caring
for the body and the right teaching of how to think and act toward
our fellow-men.
Teach your children to "shun every appearance
of evil," and they will be the beneficiaries - the world
will have been better by their having been born and lived in it.
Your child's life will be a failure if you neglect
to teach him, in early life, how to live and what his relationship
to the rest of humanity should be. "A sound mind in a sound
body" is a gem worthy our highest and profoundest consideration,
and then we will have a better conception of our responsibility
to Him who has so wonderfully created us, and what our physical
and moral obligations are to Him (as well as our religious obligations).
Teach the child to regard the private parts, of
the body, with due respect, and not to abuse them, by compelling
them to perform any unnatural duties, nor to use in excess any
organ; for, upon the healthful condition of every organ depends
the health of the entire body. The sympathetic relationship of
the body is such that if one member suffers, all the rest of the
body suffers also; therefore, every part of the body must be duly
respected. If the eye is over-used the body suffers from general
emaciation, sooner or later, and disease of some kind is almost
sure to follow. If the genital organs are abused, or used to excess,
the nervous system becomes exhausted and general emaciation takes
place, with all its direful effects; and if a habit of abuse is
established by over-use of the genital (the private) organs, the
effects are seen in the face, in the eyes, and the mind becomes
weak, irritability of temper, crabbedness, cowardice, leanness,
shrunkenness of the muscular system, glassiness of the eyes, and
a shamefacedness takes possession of the individual; and sooner
or later death, with all the horrors of a maniac closes the scene.
For the sake of the child, for the sake of the fond father and
mother, for the sake of the community in which the child lives,
and for the good name of all that is sacred, holy, just and good,
do not neglect to care for the little bud that may be blasted
forever by your neglect; take warning; regard not the instruction
with any degree of diffidence nor shamefacedness on your part;
but get right next to the very heart and in its confidence and
deep soul interest, make your child a confidant of yourself, and
tell it how to be good, pure and happy, and healthy, manly or
womanly, all through life. Teach the young child "the way
it should go, and when it is old it will not depart from it";
and your days will be blessed, and the child will "live long
on the earth" to bless humanity, to bless you, and to thank
you when grown up that you said the right things at the proper
time; and this world will have been better by your having lived
in it, and your children will rise up and call you blessed.
If but one family shall take this advice this book
will be worth to that family more than ten thousand worlds like
this, and save a great multitude of sins being committed. Let
the motto of the youth of this generation and all that follow
be, My associates must be pure, clean inside and out, or I will
not associate with them.
The boy or the girl who obeys and respects parental
advice is only worthy of respect.
Suggestions for Curing the Bad Habits of
Children.
The practical application of suggestion demonstrates
its utility. It need not be carried to the extent of rendering
the subject unconscious, for if that stage is reached the conscious
mind becomes insensible to the suggestions, and the object desired
is not obtained.
It is of the first importance in training children,
breaking up bad habits, controlling ungovernable temper, curing
enuresis (bed-wetting), changing the entire life of the child;
and this can be done by the mother, or the one having the government
or control of the child's life.
The mother, perhaps, is in closer relationship with
the child than any one else, and she can use her influence with
better effect.
Just as the child is retiring, and at the time when
sleep has almost rendered the child unconscious, is the happy
moment of procedure.
The mother approaches the bedside of the child,
gently lays her hand on the forehead, or takes the hand of the
child in her hand, and with a subdued voice addresses the child,
saying, "You are now going to sleep, and I am going to talk
to you while you are asleep, but you will hear me, and answer
my questions when I ask you, and will hear all I say to you, and
you will not wake up, but will sleep sweetly and rest well all
night."
Talk along this line, should be made, not permitting
too long a silence in course of the talk, but keep the conversation
up, and continuous, keeping the attention of the child all the
time, and when almost in that state between being asleep and awake,
begin the suggestions, repeating them over several times, so as
to fix the thought in the mind of the child. Always address the
child in the first person, not saying "You will do so and
so," but say "I will not awake but will be quiet. I
will go right to sleep, for I am now quite restful, almost asleep.
I will hear what you say to me, and will speak to you without
awakening."
Then ask the child if it hears you, and it will
say, "Yes, mamma, I hear you." "You will not wake
up. Now I touch your lips and you can speak. Say, 'yes, mamma,
I hear you.' "
This is an outline of approach, and may be varied according to
circumstances; the mother knowing how to approach her own child
best.
If the child should stir, manifest uneasiness, and
open its eyes, the mother should not relinquish her efforts, but
gently close the eyelids, and at the same time suggesting to the
child, "All is well, nothing will disturb me, I will sleep
quietly now, and hear what mamma says, and will be so pleased
to hear what mamma says, for it will be for my good."
It is always best to stroke the child's forehead
gently, as this has a quieting effect. Then the suggestions may
beg in to be made by the mother.
The things, the habits desired to be eliminated,
should be mentioned, such as being disobedient, untidy, lazy,
idle, untruthful, negligent in study, swearing, rudeness, carelessness,
lack of attention, indifference, etc.
Any habit needed to be changed, may be changed by
this manner of suggestion. It is well to exact a promise from
the child that it will do whatever the mother requires, and get
the child to say, "I will do what you require." Formulate
the idea in the words desired, and have the child say, "I
promise I will not do so any more." Have the child make the
promise, and it is better that the exaction should be pressed
several times.
It is best for the mother to say, whatever she does
say to the child, using the first person singular, having the
affirmation made by the child; instead of the mother saying, "You
will do this or that," have the child state, "I will
do as mamma says. I will do what mamma wants me to do; I will
do any thing to please mamma. I will make everybody happy by being
good to everybody."
These suggestions need not be confined to habits,
but used for physical ailments, such as bed-wetting (enuresis),
stammering, and may even be used in every phase of physical and
mental conditions.
In the treatment of physical ills of all kinds,
strong and earnest suggestions are effectual in so changing the
mind that many ailments are changed for the better, and start
the patient on the way to recovery.
Many conditions, called disease, are really mental,
and suggestions properly made, with due regard to the condition
of the mental state of the individual, will overcome the trouble.
Suggestions are eminently useful in all the business,
as well as the social phases of life, and by studying the temperament
and disposition of the person to be suggested to, and applying
the suggestions according to the conditions demanded, they may
be beneficial in a high degree.
The manner of suggestion has much to do - in fact,
everything - as far as the results are concerned. Some cases and
conditions require strong, forceful and authoritative commands,
and others the utmost degree of gentleness.
Oftentimes what are called "silent suggestions,"
"auto suggestions," for one's self, steadily, firmly
held, are effectual in securing the thing desired.
Sometimes a steady, firm gaze, or look, into the
eyes of the person one desires to influence, accomplishes the
purpose admirably.
Thinking what you wish another person to do, will,
in most cases, influence them favorably. A steady, fixed, mental
state, earnestly auto-suggesting the thing desired, will accomplish
the thing desired. This applies to collecting accounts, as well
as many other pursuits in life.
There is no limit to the field of opportunities,
where suggestion may be beneficial, eminently so if rightly done,
and in the proper manner, and at the right time. It should never
be applied for anything but good to the person.
More along this line will be found under the head
of "Suggestions," by Prof. Edward B. Warman, from whose
works many of these thoughts were culled.