The Mother And Her Child Part 61

9. Unwise s.e.x knowledge is usually productive of curious investigations, which if not properly followed up, particularly in those children who are temperamentally secretive, and who do not fully confide in mother and father, often results in moral misdemeanors.

10. Do not allow two young children habitually to isolate themselves in their play. Direct their play away from the attic, the bas.e.m.e.nt, and other places remote from direct observation.

There is no use telling a child not to touch that part of his body, particularly if it is a boy, for it is going to be absolutely impossible for him to carry out such instructions. One mother overheard her caretaker say, "Don't put your hand there, it isn't nice." Immediately the wise mother called the caretaker to her and reminded her that most children usually continue to investigate even though they are told not to, and so the caretaker received this instruction: "When you see Harry putting his hand to that particular part of his body, just gently draw it away and divert his attention to something else, and when he goes to sleep in his little bed teach him to lie on his side and bring his little hands up under his chin or the side of his face and remain near him telling him a beautiful story until the eyes begin to get sleepy and pick him up immediately on awaking in the morning."

This mother was quite unlike the mother who once came to my office, saying: "Doctor Lena, I have done everything to prevent my boy's handling himself, why every time he wakes up at night I am always awake and I instantly say to him, Charlie where are your hands? You see Doctor, I am doing the best I know how." Very likely it is unnecessary to call the attention of the reader to the fact that this mother was doing more harm than good in constantly calling his attention to the fact that he did have a s.e.xual side to his nature.

TRUTH VS. EXAGGERATION

And just here let us add that while masturbation is an unclean habit, an impure habit, and a thing altogether to be shunned, we would not be honest to ourselves and to our readers if we did not explain that under no circ.u.mstances does it make foolish minds out of sound minds or insane minds out of sane minds. If your boy or your girl is going to grow up to be foolish or insane he had a through ticket for the feebleminded inst.i.tution or the insane asylum when he was born into the world. The time when masturbation does affect the mind of the child is when the mind awakens to the fact that it is allowing an abnormal, unclean, or filthy habit to dominate mind, soul, and body, and then, and usually not until then, does this bad habit begin to cause mental depression and a host of other symptoms that so often accompany masturbation.

In our worthy efforts to combat the evils of secret vice let us not go to the other extreme and create such a condition of mind in the youth of our generation as to lay the foundation for s.e.xual neurasthenia later on in life, as a result of the protracted worry, constant brooding, and conscientious condemnation, which they so often experience following some brief or trivial indulgence in early secret vice. Let us fight this vice with the truth, and not resort to over-exaggerated pictures which can only serve to blight the hopes and destroy the courage of over-sensitive boys and girls after they have grown up--as they look back on their lives and recall perhaps a single misstep in their childhood. In this way we can hope to do good today without mortgaging the child's happiness and mental peace in years to come.

APPENDIX

APPENDIX

BATHS USED TO REDUCE FEVER

1. _The Sponge Bath._ The child, completely undressed but loosely wrapped in a wool blanket, is placed on a table so that the mother or a nurse may conveniently stand while administering the bath. Close at hand have a number of soft linen towels and a large bowl of tepid water which may or may not contain a small amount of alcohol, witch-hazel, salt, or vinegar, according to the doctor's directions.

The upper portion of the body is partially uncovered and the tepid water is applied with the hands to the skin surface of one arm. The hands may be dipped in water from one to four times, thus making repeated applications of the water to the arm. These are followed by careful drying--patting rather than rubbing. The other arm is now taken, then the chest, then the back and last the legs.

2. _The Wet-Sheet Pack._ Two light-weight wool blankets are folded to fit the child; they should extend eighteen inches below the feet and should be wide enough to lap well in front. A sheet just large enough to envelop the body is then wrung out of cold water and spread out over the woolen blankets. The feverish child is entirely disrobed and is placed on the wet sheet, which is quickly wrapped about the body, over the chest, under the arms, and between the legs--coming in contact with the entire skin surface. The dry blankets are quickly brought around and tucked snugly about the patient. This is a cooling wet-sheet pack and will often so relieve the nervousness and irritability of a feverish child that he will go to sleep in the pack.

In the very young child, under two years, it is important to put some accessory warmth to the feet such as a warm-water bottle--not hot. The effect of this pack is very quieting, and is indicated when the temperature of the child reaches 103 F. or more.

3. _The Graduated Bath._ This is usually administered in a large bathtub and is beneficial in the fevers of the older children. The temperature of the water should be one or two degrees higher than the body temperature, for example--if the child's temperature is 103 F.

then the bath starts out with a temperature of 104 or 105 F. The temperature is then gradually lowered, about a degree every two minutes, until it reaches 92 or 90 F. A helper should support the head while the mother or nurse briskly rubs the entire skin surface of the body. This friction greatly facilitates the fever-reducing work of the bath because it brings the blood to the surface where it is more readily cooled by the bath. This bath should last ten or fifteen minutes.

4. _The Hot Sponge Bath._ Often, in combating the high fever of typhoid, the hot sponge bath is valuable. The hands are dipped in water just as hot as can be borne and are applied to the chilly, mottled skin which is so often seen in high fever. This bath is administered just as is the tepid sponge bath. Evaporation is allowed to take place to some extent by delaying the drying. In this instance the child should be wrapped in a warm wool blanket with only a portion of the body exposed at one time.

5. _The Hot-Blanket Pack._ The hot-blanket pack is indicated at the onset of many fevers such as in typhoid, grippe, pneumonia, etc. Like the wet-sheet pack, the blankets are spread upon the bed, abundant accessory heat is applied--such as a half-dozen hot-water bottles. In the absence of these, gla.s.s jars or hot ears of corn may be utilized.

Hot bricks or hot stove lids wrapped in paper are also serviceable. A blanket, in size to suit the individual (an adult would use a full single blanket, a child one-half of a single blanket), is wrung very dry from boiling water. This may be done by the means of a wash wringer, or two persons grasping the blanket by its gathered ends may so twist it that it looks very much like an old-fas.h.i.+oned twisted doughnut. The twist is now lowered into boiling water, and as each pulls the twist wrings itself. This is at once quickly spread out so as to let the child lay on the center, and then the hot sides are brought in contact with the skin, just as in the wet-sheet pack. The dry blankets are now brought quickly and snugly about the child. Just outside the second dry blanket the accessory heat is placed to the sides of the trunk, the sides of the thighs, and one at the feet. A wrapped stove lid or a hot-water bottle is placed over the pelvis and one under the back. Cold cloths are put on the face and around the neck, and these should be changed every three minutes. This pack continues for fifteen or twenty minutes, at the end of which time the accessory heat and the wet blanket are removed and the patient is cooled off by a cold mitten friction, a saline rub, a witch-hazel rub, or an alcohol rub; or the patient may be placed in a tub of water, temperature 98 F., after which he should be carefully dried off.

6. _Sweating Baths._ Another bath which is effectual at the onset of grippe or pneumonia is the sweating bath. The bowels should have moved some time before the treatment. Have ready a large bowl of ice water, two turkish towels, one sheet, and four wool blankets. The bathtub is now filled with water at the temperature of 100 F.; which is quickly raised up to 103 or 104 F. Ice-water towels are applied to the head, neck and heart. The patient remains in this bath for about ten minutes, after which he steps out and at once gets into the four hot, dry blankets previously spread out on the bed. No time is lost, the patient is quickly wrapped in the hot blankets and sweating continues for twenty minutes. The covering is now loosened and gradual cooling takes place. It is well to go to bed at once.

TONIC BATHS

1. _The Cold Mitten Friction._ The cold mitten friction is a bath that is applicable to any condition where the child or adult needs "toning up." It should always be preceded by heat to the feet. The following articles are necessary. Four or five turkish towels, a warm wool blanket, a hot-water bottle for the feet, a bowl containing water, a generous piece of ice, and a rough mitten without a thumb. The patient's clothes are removed and he is wrapped in the warm blanket with heat to the feet. One part of the body is taken at a time, first the arm, then the other arm, then the chest, the abdomen, one leg, the second leg, and last the back and the b.u.t.tocks. A dry turkish towel is placed under the part to be treated, and after the mittened hand is dipped in ice-water, brisk short friction strokes are given to the arm until it is pink. Several dippings of the mitten in ice-water are necessary. One cannot be too active in administering this bath. Slow, Delsarte movements are entirely out of place at this time. Action--and quick action--is a necessity. No part of the child's body is left until it is pink. It is an invigorating tonic bath and is indicated in all conditions of low vitality, functional inactivity, puniness, rickets, etc.

2. _The Salt Glow._ Fill the bathtub half full of warm water, temperature 100 F. Slightly moisten one quart of coa.r.s.e salt. Stand the patient in the water, placing one foot on the side of the tub while you rub the entire leg with the salt until it is very pink. The other leg is treated in the same manner, as also are the arms, abdomen, chest, and last, the back. By this time he will be all aglow from head to foot. Rinse off the salt, and give him a cold dash with the hands or a spray.

THE NEUTRAL BATH

Fill the tub with water at just 97 F., and remain in the bath for twenty minutes or more, with the eyes covered, all the while maintaining the temperature at 97 F. Dry gently with a sheet to avoid exertion and exposure. Go at once to bed.

FOMENTATIONS

Hot fomentations often relieve suffering and are indicated in such conditions as menstrual pain, abdominal cramps, colic, backaches, etc.

A good subst.i.tute for fomentations may be given as follows: Fill a hot bag half-full of boiling water. Over this place a wet flannel and two layers of dry flannel. Apply for fifteen or twenty minutes over the skin area to be treated, finis.h.i.+ng up with a cold water or alcohol rub.

A very effectual way of applying moist heat to any portion of the body is by the means of hot fomentations which are given as follows:

One-fourth of a single woolen blanket (part cotton) is folded and grasped at the ends and twisted like an old-fas.h.i.+oned doughnut. The twist is then immersed in boiling water, the hands still grasping the dry ends, and then by simply pulling out the twist (widely separating the hands) the fomentation wrings itself. This is placed steaming hot over the affected area which has been first covered by a dry flannel.

It is allowed to remain on for three or four minutes, and then another hot one wrung from the boiling water replaces the cool one. About four or five such applications are made. The skin should be very red at the close of this treatment. It is finished up with a quick, cold application to the reddened skin area.

THE SOAP SHAMPOO

The undressed child is placed upon a low stool in the half-filled bathtub at 100 F. with the feet in the warm water. A good lather is applied all over the body with good friction by the means of a shampoo brush and soap. He is then allowed to sit down in the tub and splash about all he pleases, rinse the soap off and allow him to have a good time generally. At the close of the treatment the water is cooled down and the treatment is finished with a brisk rub with the hands dipped in cold water. The skin of the child should be pink at the close of the treatment.

MOIST ABDOMINAL BANDAGE

The moist abdominal bandage is indicated in such conditions as kidney inflammation which is so often seen in the second week of scarlet fever; or in congestion of any of the internal organs such as the liver, the stomach, intestines, etc., and is applied as follows: Spread out the flannel bandage and over it place the mackintosh. Wring dry the cotton strip from cold water, and spread it over the mackintosh. Wrap all three layers, the wet cloth next the skin, closely about the body, so as to prevent the air from getting under it. Be sure that the feet are warm while adjusting the bandage. In the morning remove the bandage, and rub the skin briskly with a turkish towel dipped in cold water, until the skin is pink and dry. The cotton strip should be boiled every other day to avoid skin eruptions.

HEATING COMPRESS

The heating compress is indicated in the following cases: Sprained ankles, rheumatic joints, arthritis, sore throat, etc. Directions: Wring two thicknesses of cheesecloth from cold water, place over the painful part, and quickly cover with a mackintosh and two thicknesses of woolen blanket bandage. On removing in the morning, sponge with cold water or alcohol.

MUSTARD PASTE

In the bronchitis of small children, particularly babies, mustard pastes are to be preferred to the hot fomentations which are used to such great advantage in children above ten. The mustard paste is administered as follows: One part of mustard and six parts of flour of the same measurements are quickly stirred up with warm water to a paste thin enough to spread well upon a piece of thin muslin, which is large enough to cover twice the part to be treated. One-half of this muslin is thus covered with the mustard and the dry piece of cloth brought over. The edges are then folded in such a way that the mustard will not run out. This is applied to the affected part and allowed to remain for seven minutes on an infant, nine minutes on a child, and ten or twelve minutes on an adult. It is then removed and the moisture which is always seen on the reddened skin surface is _not_ wiped off but talc.u.m powder is sprinkled on thickly to absorb it. If this is done, a mustard paste may be repeated every two hours if necessary and no blistering or other harm will come to the skin.

THE OIL-SILK JACKET

The oil-silk jacket is used in bronchitis of babies and children. It consists of three layers, the innermost layer of cheesecloth, the middle layer of thin sheet wadding, and the outer layer of oil-silk.

This jacket should comfortably cover the chest, front, and back; it has no sleeves, and is opened on the shoulder and under the arm. It should always follow the mustard paste in bronchitis. There should always be two such cheesecloth and cotton jackets with the oil-silk covering so they may be changed every twelve hours, thus allowing for airing.

STEAM INHALATIONS

1. Steam inhalations are indicated in hoa.r.s.eness and bronchitis. They may be given in a number of ways. Perhaps that most convenient for the young infant is the "bronchitis tent." A sheet completely covers the crib, and, with the bed amply protected with rubber sheeting or an extra blanket, steam is allowed to enter under the sheet at the foot of the bed from a funnel put into the nose of the teakettle. The steam should continue for seven or eight minutes.

2. A large, heavy-paper funnel is put in the nose of the teakettle which is boiling on the gas range. The mother holds the child in her arms while she is enveloped with a sheet which also includes the funnel. A helper carefully guards the flame. The mother and baby may thus conveniently get the steam with very little difficulty.