are very frequent among infants while teething. In such cases
lancing the gum secures immediate relief. Another cause of fits, and one
which every mother should know, is the giving of meat to the child
before its teeth are cut. In such cases the attack is sudden, and often
very severe. Children most affected in this way by animal food are those
with water on the brain, and those of a very delicate constitution. The
juice or broth of meat is in some such instances sufficient to produce
fits. The remedy consists in the institution of a milk diet. In all
doubtful cases avoid a meat diet in any form, and watch the result.

Strong mental emotions, such as fright, shame, or anger, may cause a fit
in a child. A nurse in England threatened to throw a child out of the
window if he did not stop crying; the little boy fell at once into
convulsions, from which he died.

Among other known causes of fits are confinement to heated, badly
ventilated rooms, tight bandaging, and sudden exposure to severe cold or
heat.

In treating of the influence of the mother's mind over the nursing child
(p. 251), we mentioned a number of instances of children thrown into
convulsions by changes in the quality of the milk caused by the mental
emotion of the mother. The importance of the subject induces us to quote
here the corroborating remarks of Dr. Churchill, in the last edition of
his standard work on diseases of children. 'During the first year of
life, convulsions may not unfrequently be traced to the milk of the
mother or nurse disagreeing with the infant, or having been disordered
temporarily by fright, passion, or suffering. Soemmering mentions a
curious case of a woman whose milk agreed with her own child, but caused
convulsions in all others. M. Guersant relates the instance of a woman
deserted by her husband, and in her distress her infant had an attack
each time it took the breast. Dr. Underwood mentions a mother who nursed
her child immediately after witnessing a sudden death; the child was
attacked by convulsions, after which it remained comatose for thirty-six
hours, but ultimately recovered. Numerous cases are on record of
convulsions supervening upon violent passion in the nurse. I have
witnessed more than one case resulting from the mother suckling her
child during a time of severe affliction and distress.'

We deem it useless to describe a fit. Almost every one has seen it, and
at once recognises it. We shall proceed, therefore,