OUR BABIES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1722, 12 April 1913, Page 5

OUR BABIES.

[Br HYGEIA,] Published under tho auspices of tie Society for tho Health of Women and Children. , "It is wiser to put up a. fence at tho top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulanco at tho bottom." THE USE AND ABUSE OF APERIENTS. Tho following letter just received from tho wife of a settler in one of our backblocks seems to mo to be of sufficient . geueral interest to bo worth dealing with in this column THE LETTER.' Dear "Hygeia,"—l read your article pointing out the danger of using castor oil. Since then I have read vour later article and tho letter winch liad been published in one of the newspapers"; I mean the letter in which the writer spoke of your seeming to look upon castor' oil "as, a specious concoction for babies' troubles." .1 must say I have felt puzzled myself as to what it is best and 6afest to keep in. tho way of simple medicines for family use. Of course, we aro always being told that we ought jiot to use patent medicines, and wo are warned against doctoring ourselves and our children. Now, I should like to know what wo aro to do in tho back country when, it comes to a question of the-simple medical needsof . - the household, when there is nothing serious enough tho matter to need sending for a doctor forty miles away over simply awful roads. Surely we ought to keep something in the house in the way of opening medicines. Wo all do, whether we ought to or not; and whatever they may say , about town poeplo, I don t think there are many of them who don't keen something at hand, such as . castor oil or Epsom salts. What ' better can we do? If we must not use castor oil for stomach-acho or constipation, what can wo use? REPLY. Since the above letter was written last week's column dealing further with the objection to castor oil has been published. and I may repeat hero the summary advice which "I then gave 1. Never give castor oil for chronic con-, stipation, or, indeed, for ordinary constipation at all. - 2. At the onset of diarrhoea give ono dose of castor oil, but never repeat itexcept- under competent advice. ; 3. Never give castor oil, or. indeed, any aperient to a child - seized with sudden, acute abdominal pain. It must not bo supposed from this that castor oil is to bo .entirely tabooed, or, . indeed, that it has been, in any way, discredited for. appropriate use in emergencies. if one were naming' four j useful aperients for the ordinary household. the first to occur to the mind would probably be castor oil, Epsom salts, liquorice powder, and cascara—though the last-named should be regarded as a tonic ■laxative, not as an aperient, and should ■never be used In largo enough doses to cause purgation. ■ I quits agree that some simple medicines should'be kept in the house, and. as our correspondent says, people will ! keep what they need, whatever may bo ) said to tho contrary. The following ex-, i tract from a very interesting bcolt, "Tho ! Doctor and the .People," by T)r. de Carlo ! Woodcock, a well-known English physician j (which has just appeared), shows that ! colonials are not singular in this matter: As to tho so-called doctoring of tho 'present day, it is in all classes mostly . I dono by tho wife, tho mother, tho j druggist, or the patent medicine veil- I dor,- only w-hen tliere arc,signs of dan- " ger is the, doctor sent for. . . . Tho 1 doctor is ..nover called in to prevent 1 disease, but only to relieve it. ... Once, Having been colled to see a patient of my own, I found it necessary., to order ; a purgative. "Stop, « . doctor," said; the patient's■ wife;" "tliat's my department!" | ' CASTOR. 01L.... ' : In general, castor oil in doses varying from .a.small teaspoonful (in the case of. babies) to a'tablespoonful (in jie case of ■ adults) may. be used .for diarrhoea, as I have'-befdro explained, and for any-'diges-tivo", upset, apart from ordinary constipation or tho onset/of sudden, intense abdominal pain suggestive-of obstruction of the bowel or of appendicitis; indeed, in the latter case even the mildest laxative would be dangerous. The objection to castor oil for ordinarj constipation is that while it causes evacuation at the time it tends to leave the person more costive. Repeated use of castor oil thus confirms and aggravates ' instead of curing constipation. ' HYGIENE VERSUS DRUGS. No drug of any kind should be needed in order to secure regularity ot tho bowels. The great thing is to tako a sufficiency of tluid, no strong tea, and ; regular, moderate meals of suitable foods, including fruit, vegetables, whole-meal bread, porridge, etc., and, above all things, the being out as much as possible in the open air. Daily cold batning or cold sponging of the whole body, and outdoor iexerciso are of the first importance. If, in spite of trying to ensuro perfect 'regularity by tho obovo simplo means, 'there is still a tendency to constipation, this may generally be overcome by taking every evening a small dose, say from 10 to 20 drops of the best liquid extract , of cascara. If this does not suffice, a i level teaspoonful of Epsom salts may bo taken in water on rising, followed by a glass of hot or cold water. As the need lessens leave off the Epsom salts and then. ■ reduce the dose of cascara, drop by, drop. Where' other means' have failed, there is no objection to an occasional'enema of, a pint of tepid salt', and water '(a level teaspoonful of salt to the pint may ,be used). This is much less open to objection than; soap and water. Cooler- water is more bracing, but if too cool it is apt to cause discomfort and cramp. -Enemata, if frequently repeated, are injurious; and if constipation, docs not yield to such simplo measures as I have described, a doctor should always be consulted. 'Constipation almost always yields to open-air exercise, bathing, proper feeding, training in regularity of habits, etc.; but if these measures fail for a time, similar measures lo thoso mentioned abovo generally suffice. Cascara generally suits children, but if a single dose of opening medicine is needed, the best and pleasantest; is "Liquorico Powder." This is in every way preferable to tho nauseous Gregory's Powder of the last century. Glaxo Builds Bonny Babies.—Advt,