eats about the head whenever it
sleeps, cries whenever it is handled (unless it has scurvy or rheumatism)
and does not like to play, the indications of rickets are very nearly
conclusive. Rickets is a constitutional disease showing itself in
different ways.

At what age does it usually occur? Between six months and two and one-half
years.

What are the causes of rickets? Improper food, or inability to absorb the
food, unhygienic conditions. Nursing babies who have a healthy mother are
not troubled with this disease unless she nurses too long into the second
year. Starchy foods, too little milk or other animal food, taking the
infant to the family table and allowing it to eat whatever it wants, these
are the most common errors in baby feeding which very often result in
rickets. Babies who are brought up on condensed milk, or other foods that
contain little fat are likely to have rickets. Insufficient clothing, damp
and badly ventilated buildings, a lack of out-door air and sunshine, and
inherited constitutional weakness, are other causes.

When do the most marked symptoms usually occur? Between the sixth or
fifteenth months.

What are the symptoms? Such children are likely to be nervous and
irritable; child's head sweats profusely at night, so much so that the
pillows are very wet. The chest is poorly shaped and frequently has
depressions at the sides, and little nodules or "beads" in the ribs where
the ribs and breast-bone join. The child's head is also peculiar. It is
often very flat on the top and measures more around than a normal child at
the same age. The forehead stands out and the sides and top are flattened.
The soft spot in the skull is large and late in closing. He is late in
cutting his teeth. His abdomen is generally large and prominent, pot
belly; his muscles are soft and flabby, and his wrists and ankles are
enlarged a little later. He takes cold easily. He is pale and anemic,
although he may be plump and fat, and when he begins to walk his legs bend
easily, and he will have bow-legs. When he sits, his back will look as if
curved and this alarms his parents, who may think his spine is diseased.

Is such a disease curable? Yes, if taken in time; you can arrest its
progress.

Do they ever die of rickets? Very seldom, but they do not stand other
diseases very well.

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When and what shall I do for it? If you recognize the condition, have the
baby attended to immediately by a physi