now speaking.

No nursing mother is safe whose breasts are not properly and daily
emptied. If this cannot be done by the child, another infant should be
applied, or a small puppy, either of which expedients is preferable to a
breast-pump, which, however, is much better than neither. If the tender
or chapped condition of the nipples interferes with free nursing, this
condition must be promptly remedied. When undue accumulation of milk is
threatened gentle friction of the breasts with sweet oil and camphor is
also of service; and they should be supported by means of a handkerchief
placed under them and tied over the shoulders.

It must not be forgotten, however, that though _gentle_ rubbing afford
relief to the breasts when they are hard, knotty, and over-distended,
any friction is injurious if gathering has actually commenced. In all
cases, therefore, it is of importance to distinguish between
over-distension (which may _lead_ to inflammation) and a condition of
already established gathering of the breasts. This it is not difficult
to do. In the former case the skin is pale, there is little or no
tenderness, and the hardness is evenly diffused over the whole of the
breast; whereas, when gathering has taken place there is a blush of
redness on some portion of the breast, which is always painful to the
touch, and which will be found to be particularly hard and sore in some
one spot.

The _symptoms_ of gathered breasts we have just described in part. The
severity of the symptoms will depend upon the extent and depth of the
inflammation. The affection is always ushered in by shivering, followed
by fever and a shooting pain in the breasts. A small, hard, painful
swelling will be noticed in the breast even before the skin shows any
sign of redness. This swelling increases in size and the suffering
becomes very great and difficult to bear, preventing sleep and
prostrating the whole system. The secretion of milk is suspended at
least during the first active stage of the disease.

The object of _treatment_ is to prevent the formation of an abscess by
subduing the inflammation as speedily as possible. This is to be sought
first by keeping the breast as nearly empty as possible. For this reason
the child should be assiduously applied to the affected rather than to
the well side, although suckling will be painful. Indeed, it is better,
if it can be done, to procure an older child and let it keep the milk
under. When, however, t