OUR BABIES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1716, 5 April 1913, Page 11

OUR BABIES.

[By Hyoeia.] Published under tho auspices of the Society for tho Health of Women and Children. "It is wiser to put up a fcnce at the top of a prccipice than to maintain an ambulance -at the bottom." RIGHT AND WRONG USE 01- CASTOR OIL. Last week I dealt with a letter in which'the writer assumed, from what had been recently said in this column, that the Plunket nurse had done wrong in ordering her, baby a doso of Castor Oil for diarrhoea. Tho mother's anxiety on the subject would have been allayed had she consulted the society's looks, VFeeding and Caro of Baby," or "What Baby . Needs." These show the society's teaching with regard to the use of castor oil, and thero was nothing in the articlo referred to by "Not Understood" which "'as not in accord with tho above. However, I have no fault whatever to find .with) the writer's misgivings, and I can feel indebted to her for drawing Attention to them—only it seems to me that it would havo been better to-havo written to myself asking for an explanation instead of assuming that the nurse had done wrong, and publicly expressing loss of faith in the society, because of tho mare's nest- sho liad found. Prorn "Not Understood's" letter one gathers that her baby must have done ■well, - and that she attributed the improvement—in part at least-to the "dose of castor oil which she gave on tho advice of tho Plunket nurse when her baby was suffering from diarrhoea. Had this not been so she would not "have kept itin the house ever since in case of emergency"; nor would sho havo continued to 'look :upon castor oil as a friend in time I of need," as hbe says she did until sho read. my recent article. Evidently the Plunket nurse impressed „ the mother with the fact that castor roil , was only to be used in an emergency such as diarrhoea, and was not to b« given ! habitually, so that instead'iof being blamed tho Plunket nurse ought rather' to have received full credit and appreciation for the sound advico sho gave. Castor oil properly and sensiblv used— that is, a singlo doso given to clear out the fermenting and germ-laden contents pf the bowel when there is diarrhoea, is indeed universally recognised as a "friend in need" where tho baby is concerned. The fact that after the use of castor oil there .is a tendency to constipation adds to its value for diarrhoea. On the other hand, when chronic constipation is the trouble, this "binding" property of castor oil makes it one of baby's worst and commonest enemies. Then, if given habitually to induce movement of. the bowels or simply because castor oil is supposed to bo", good for baby,' extreme and ' intractable constipation and indigestion are liable to bo tha result. It was just such a case which led me to write' about castor oil in the first instance; The following passago which I quottid from a Imofher's letter tells the 6tory:— ' ' • "There was a young mother with her first boy there (at the Maternity Home) at the same time as myself, and tho nurse:dosed them both every other day -with.castor oil, and,told the mother.it. was the right' thing' to do. 1 1 saw' her' a week or so ago. The baby was always constipated,-and so she always had to begiving him oil, or he would not have a motion for three days, etc." If these articles cause mothers to pause and think before, administering any drugs" to their babies, "Not Understood" will have done good by, her letter; but it would have been more friendly to write direct, and I trust she will do. so next time if in any doubt. . .'With' regard to the use of castor oil, it is well to keep threo points clearly in view:— ; 1. Never .' give/ castor ,'oil for chronic constipation, or, indeed, for ordinary constipation Vat" till;, ;" . " 2. At (the, onset of, diarrhoea, give one 'dose of?,castor" oil, ;but never, repeat, it--except "under competent advicci' r.f ■ 3. Nevergive castor oil, or, indeed, any aperient, to a child seized with sudden, acute abdominal pain. FINAL WARNING. To make , quite sure-of driving homo tho last point,;l quoto the following from .my original 'article—tho article to which "Not Understood" took exception, ami which she.'said caused her to lose faith in our advice. The references should be to Sir Berkeley Moynihan,-as Dr. Moyiu-. han has since been knighted in appreciation of his distinguished services m the special'field of intestinal trouble—indeed, in .recognition of his being thp leading provincial surgeon of the day land: — "Now, let, us turn to what Dr. Jtoyni-. ban (the leading English authority of the" day on' the surgical aspect of intestinal disorders) is saying on this very subject.: The 'British Mc-dical Journal' for April, 1911, coutains tho' following warning:— AVOID APERIENTS. By some means or another, parents' should be made to know that the dosing of children with aperients is an evil, and that they must put a check upon those "purgative-loving • propensities" which seem inseparable from motherhood. I would like to , have tlio power. to writo in' every nursery in' the Kingdom in large letters in the most prominent place the two words—Avoid Aperients, To give aperients to children suddenly seized witli acute abdominal pain is homicidal, yet it hardly occurs to any mother or nurso to do anything hut this, the most disastrous thing of rill". ' The onset of sudden intense pain in the belly'is Nature's-special dangersignal' pointing .to obstruction of the bowels by kinking or tucking-in.rand is also her way of-proclaiming tho onset of appendicitis. Nurses ought, to . knowthat tho pain may notbe-in the. lowej: part of the belly, where the appendix is. situated, but at the top-, of ,the ; .belly, in the region of the "pit of tho stomach'." This fact is most misleading, both- to parents and. nurses, because they are apt to conclude that the child has "swallowed something." , Tlio first symptom of an attack of acute appendicitis is pain. It. is always pain, •and never sickness or vomiting, nor malaise, nor any other symptom whatever. The pain is absolutely abrupt in onset. ... It may be rapidly followed by shivering, sharp rise of temperature, vomiting, diarrhoea, etc. What does the mother do in such a case? -Having- jumped to tho conclusion that tho child has teen eating green fruit or other indigestible food, she flics to tho castor-oil bottle. .The proper treatment is absolute starvation, even water being given sparingly, if at all, until the doctor arrives: Tlio child should bo put to bed and. hot fomentation? Bhould bo applied to,the abdomen. Such measures can do no baring always afford some relief, and are equally-applicable to sudden obstruction, of.;tho bowel. - In. cither' caso tho use -of purgatives and delay in calling in -medical. aid often puts the child' beyond the hope of recovery before the doctor arrives on the scene. Castor oil does not cure constipation, but makes it worse.