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Bruce Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 3102, 26 September 1899, Page 6

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--- ' • Habits Which Tend to Deform. . Oneof the earliest bad habits isthumbsuckihg. Quite a medical battle has been held over this subject recently, one -doctor maintaining that the habit of thumb-sucking- did good rather than harm, since it encourages the: secretion of ■ 'the' salivary glands, and seems to be the natural instinct of the child ; but this position is; not at all tenable. To keep the salivary glands in constant activity must be injurious to the general, system: and to. the dig est ion; as the glands of the stomach are called into activity in* harmony with those of the mouth: -and the constant sucking of the, thumb not only deforms It but also leads to deformities of the mouth, pushing forward the "upper Jaw, and thrusting the upper teeth outward as they grow, while ln development the lower teeth are pressed inwards. The habit of thumb-sucking is doubtless, as he says. Instinctive, owing to the desire for friction to the inflamed and hardened gums during the development of the teeth ; but it ls far better to supply this friction by the parent's finger two or three times a day, which can then be directed at once to the painful spot where a tooth has nearly reached the surface, and the gum is tense and hard, or to supply a soft indiarubber ring, or so-called " baby comforter" for the purpose. Sometimes when a child has had its gums scarified by the parent's fingernail with a view of hastening the coming through of a tooth it will refuse to allow the finger again to be inserted Into its mouth, but this difficulty may be overcome by purChasing a pennyworth of honey of roses at any chemist's, and anointing the Anger with this before it Is Inserted into the mouth. The child tasting something sweet readily admits th« finger, and the honey of roses Itself is soothing to the gums. Later on In child-life many tricks are acquired apparently spontaneously. I have seen little children amuse themselves 'by pulling out. their ears in a direot line from the head, so laying the foundation of a life-long disfigurement. I have seen others crook one forefinger Into each corner of the mouth and deliberately drag lt outwards, quite unchecked by the parents. In selecting a nurse one should be most careful not to have one with any nervous tricks, such as fidgeting with the fingers, biting the nails, or even one with such a physical defect as a squint. for ouriously enough children will themselves learn to squint from association with people who have the defect. Another trick readily picked up is stammering, and as this ls a most difficult thing to cure the greatest precautions should be taken to avoid Its adoption. Little Ichildren shotdd never be allowed to associate with those who have any such physical defect, or suffer from Involuntary movements of the muscles, such as St. Vltus's dance. This disease may be considered almost as contagious as scarlet fever, though not in the same way, and strange to say it has been known to spread right through a blind school, where, of course, the children could not see the movements of their little companions, but apparently aoquired the disease by feeling them. "When we come to deal with the moral habits of little children, one of the very first faults is that of lying. This seems to a great extent Instinctive, and handed down from the times when decelt was a natural protection against danger. A child will apparently lie, although it has had no experience of punishment following the act it has committed. It ls sometimes a very difficult matter to check this habit; the first thing is to make a child understand the gravity of the offence; but, lf persevered in, punishment should be prompt and severe,— "Home Notes." _