food. At the approach
of any illness, the food should at least be cut down one half; for
instance, in the case of a serious acute illness accompanied by fever,
not only should the strength of the food be reduced one half, but
water should be given plentifully between feedings. It is better never
to urge the baby to eat at such times--for the ability to digest food
is very much reduced.

In cases of acute attacks with much vomiting and fever, all milk
should be immediately stopped and rice water or barley water
substituted. When vomiting ceases and the fever approaches normal and
food is desired, begin with boiled skim milk in small amounts, well
diluted with cereal water, and do not approach the normal amount of
milk for twenty-four to forty-eight hours. In this way the weak
digestive organs are not overtaxed and they gradually resume their
usual work of good digestion. When a baby seems to have no appetite
for food, lengthen the intervals from three to four or five hours, for
feeding when food is not desired usually aggravates disease
disturbances.

EXAMINING SICK CHILDREN

And now, above all times, the early seed sowing of teaching the child
self-control, teaching him to gargle if he is sufficiently old enough,
to open his mouth and allow observation without resistance, brings
sure results. The great harm of making the doctor and his medicine a
threat to obtain obedience also brings its harvest at this time; for
the doctor, of all people, ought to be regarded as the child's best
friend. When baby is sick, the doctor is needed, his daily visits must
not be resisted, his medicines must not be feared--these and such
other matters should be made a part of every child's early education.

Under no circumstances or conditions should we directly falsify to a
child. Nothing is accomplished by telling a child it will not hurt
when you know that it will hurt, or that the medicine tastes good when
you know it is bad-tasting. Every physician can recall unnecessary
disturbances in the office because a mother has allowed a child to
acquire a wrong mental attitude toward the family physician.

One mother told her little girl in my office when I wished to make an
examination for adenoids which necessitated my putting my finger back
of the child's uvula, "Now Mary, the doctor won't hurt you at all, it
will feel nice." I turned to the little girl and said: "Mary, it will
not feel nice, it really won't hurt you, but it will feel