trongly with a hereditary disease, such
as consumption or scrofula; or when her constitution is tainted, as it
were, with venereal disease, or other permanent affections.

2. When nursing produces, uniformly, some very troublesome or dangerous
disease in the mother; as cough, colic, &c.

3. There are a few instances in which the milk of the mother, owing to
an unknown cause, has been found by experience to disagree with the
child. In these circumstances, it is the unquestionable duty of the
mother to resort wholly to feeding.

4. Sometimes the milk, at first abundant, fails suddenly, owing to some
accidental or constitutional defect; and this failure becomes habitual.
In all these circumstances, the proper resort is to a sucking bottle, or
a hired nurse. I generally prefer the latter. The cases which seem to me
to admit of the former, will be pointed out in the next section.

"When the bottle is used," says Dr. Dewees, "much care is requisite to
preserve it sweet and free from all impurities, or the remains of the
former food, by which the present may be rendered impure or sour; for
which purpose a great deal of caution must be observed."

The business of feeding a child, whether by the bottle or the spoon,
should never be hurried: the slower it is, the better. We should stop
from time to time, during the process. Nor should the nourishment be
given while lying down; it is much more pleasant, as well as more safe,
to sit up.

A few thoughts more on the character and condition of the milk which we
give to the young, will conclude the second division of this section.

Some are fond of boiling milk for infants; but to this I am decidedly
opposed, so long as they are in health. Boiling takes away, or appears
to take away, some of the best properties of the milk.

It is true that milk which is boiled does not turn sour so readily in
hot weather; but it is quite unnecessary to boil milk in the common
manner in order to present its changing, since such a result can be
prevented by another process. You have only to put your milk in a
kettle, cover it closely, and heat it quickly to the boiling point, and
then remove and cool it as speedily as possible. This plan prevents the
rising to the surface of that coat or pellicle which contains some of
the most valuable properties of the milk.

I have already said that it was as necessary that the stomach should
have rest as any other muscular organ. Some writers say that the i