blood to the head, and thus forms an important
source of relief.
FIFTHLY, OF CONVULSIONS.--If they should occur, and they are not
unfrequently excited by difficult teething, and then give great alarm
to the parent, relief will be afforded by immersing the hips, legs,
and feet of the infant in water as warm as can be borne, and at the
same time applying over the head and temples a piece of flannel wet
with cold water. I have also often cut the fit short by sprinkling cold
water in the child's face while in the bath. The gums should always be
looked to, and if they appear swollen, and painful, at once lanced. I
have known the most formidable convulsions to cease immediately after
this operation.
SIXTHLY, OF THE USE OF OPIATES.--It is the practice with some nurses
to administer narcotics to quiet infants while teething. It is not only
objectionable, but, from the uncertain effects of sedatives upon
infants, a very dangerous practice, and they ought never to be given,
except at the suggestion of a medical man. It is far better, if the
child is restless at night, to have it frequently taken out of its cot,
and carried about in an airy room; for the cool air, and change of
posture, will do much to allay the feverishness and restlessness of the
child.
From these few hints, it must have been seen how much the sufferings
from teething may be mitigated by judicious management. That, if the
parent is able to support her infant upon the breast alone, teething
will be found comparatively an easy process, and unattended with
danger; the mother thus reaping a delightful reward for all the
anxieties and privations nursing necessarily involves. That the child
brought up partially, or entirely, by hand will always pass through
dentition with more or less of pain and difficulty; but that even here,
if the diet has been properly regulated, much less suffering and
inconvenience will arise than when less attention has been paid to it.
And, lastly, that, when teething is difficult, how highly important it
is to call in proper aid at an early period, and to carry out fully the
directions of the medical attendant, allowing no foolish prejudices to
interfere with his prescriptions and management.
If I stood in need of any argument to impress upon the mind of a
parent the importance of attending to the last injunction, I would
simply state, that its neglect is but too frequently the cause of
disease of the brain, terminating in dea
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