and
not after a year under any circumstances.

LIFTING CHILDREN

_How should a young baby be lifted from its bed?_

The right hand should grasp the clothing below the feet, and the left
hand should be slipped beneath the infant's body to its head. It is
then raised upon the left arm.

_What is the advantage of this?_

The entire spine is supported, and no undue pressure is made upon the
chest or abdomen, as often happens if the baby is grasped around the
body or under the arms.

_How should a child old enough to run about be lifted?_

Always by placing the hands under the child's arms, and never by the
wrists.

_What injury may be inflicted by lifting the child by the wrists or
hands?_

Often serious injury is done to the elbow or shoulder joints.

THE TEMPERATURE

_What is the normal temperature of an infant?_

The normal temperature varies more than in adults. In the rectum it
usually fluctuates between 98 deg. and 99.5 deg. F.; a rectal temperature of
97.5 deg. F. or of 100.5 deg. F. is of no importance whatever unless it
continues.

_Where should the temperature of infants and young children be taken?_

The rectum is altogether the best place, and next to this the groin.
The rectal temperature is from half a degree to a degree higher than
that in the groin.

_How long should the thermometer be left in place to take the
temperature?_

Two minutes in the rectum, and five minutes in the groin.

_Is the temperature of a young child a good guide as to the severity
of its symptoms in illness?_

As a rule it is. A temperature of 100 deg. to 102 deg. F. commonly means a mild
illness, and one of 104 deg. F. or over a serious one. The duration of the
fever is, however, even more important than the height of the
temperature. It should be remembered that in all young children slight
causes often produce a high temperature which lasts for a few hours;
one should not therefore be unduly alarmed unless the temperature
continues high, or is accompanied by other important signs of illness.

_Is not a high temperature a more serious symptom in a young child
than in an adult?_

The opposite is rather the case. Young children are extremely
sensitive to conditions which produce fever, and the thermometer often
gives an exaggerated idea of the severity of the symptoms. A cause
which in an adult might produce a temperature of 102 deg. F. or 103 deg. F.,
in a young child would very likely be accompanied by a