OUR BABIES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16546, 20 November 1915, Page 13

OUR BABIES.

Bx Htobia.

Published under the auspiras of tl»# Bojal New Zealand Society lor the Health el Women and Children. "It is wiser to put up a lenoe at the top of a precipioe thaa to maintain an ambulance oi the bottom." EVIDENCES OF ILLNESS. (Continued.) This week wo shall continue "our quotations from Dr Leroy-' Yale's book for Mothers: — * THE E&frS. Th.e saks give notsfl" only of troubles connected with themst-ives, and then through tenderness of the external ear when touched; but it is well to discover, by touching or lightly tapping the bone behind the ear, if tnero bo tenderness there, as such a symptom calls for prompt attention. Discharge from the ear is evidence of disease within, a condition to which too little attention is often, yiven. Memo, bt "Htgeia":— 1- cannot help feeling that Dr Yale is not emphatio enough in warning mothers of the very grave danger of delay in seeking medical advice in cases where there is ear trouble of any kind. The ear ia next door to the brain. Not only would many cases of deaf- ' ness be prevented if ear troubles were promptly dealt with, but a good many lives would be saved by prevention of the spread oi inflammation of the ear to the brain. The following remarks in the Society's Book, "Feeding and Care of Baby," page 97, cannot be too strongly emphasised. Pain of Eabache.—This is often mistaken for Colio—sometimes with fatal results. The tormenting pain of earache causes more or less continuous, prolonged attacks of crying or screaming, accompanied by rolling the head about, or boring one side of the head into the .pillow, or pressing- it against the mother, or tugging the ear, or placing the hand against it. Some relief may bo afforded by dropping warm oil into the ear, and by the external application of a heated bag of bait or, bran; but earache may lead to suoh grave results that, a doctor, should bo called in at once. Pain and tenderness of the bony prominence behind the ear, when tapped \vith_ the finger, is a specially dangerous sign. Nearly all cases of serious earache are accompanied by fever, _ which is often severe, the temperature rising as high as 104deg or 105deg. But though both fever and pain should happen to be absent, the mother should never fail to call in a doctor jf baby forms the habit of rolling his head from side to side on the pillow, because the habit is usually due to irritation of the internal ear which may lead to grave results, if not promptly attended to. Frequent, banging or beating of the head may be due to the same cause or to the irritation of teething, etc. All such troubles are specially liable to arise when a child has been "out of sorts," or after fever or sore throat, and they often occur in rickets. Never disregard or neglect the formation of any "curious habit" by a baby; if in any doubt, get a doctor without delay. Special Waenikg.—Beware of the dangers to the Brain and l to Hearing, arising from failure to do the right thing promptly in any case, of ear trouble.There should never be any doubt or delay as to securing the best advice where there is pain or discharge froin the ear. If this rule were always observed, the lives of many children would be. saved every year, and deafness -would be much less oommon. Tendencies to inflammation and abscess of the brain following on ear trouble may be arrested, provided only the surgeon is summoned in doe timeunfortunately he often arrives too late, the parents having put off for days where they ought not to have wasted an hour. Sybingotg jEaes.—Much harm is done by syringing. Don't attempt it unless you nave been ordered to do so arid shown how. BREATHING. With regard to evidences of illness indicated by the manner of breathing, Dr Yale says: — The warnings from the ohist usually come through altered breathing or through coughing. Tho EESPIHATiON of' an infant is much faster in health than that of an adult, and is somewhat less regular. If there is a rise in temperature the breathing becomes Tiurried, roughly in proportion to the degree of rise; the pulse also usually rises propor; tioaately. In inflammation of the; lungs the rate of breathing tends, to increase out of proportion to the pulse rate and the temperature. Slowing of respiration below the normal may mean some train disturbance, such ,as the meningitis caused by tubercle. 'Very disordered rhythm of breathing, r'sing and falling, are noticed in some . brain troubles. Difficulty of breathing— such, for instance, as is oaused try obstructions. in the windpipe by diphtheric croup —produce the breathing known 'as "laboured," in which all the muscles that can help respiration are called into service. , Memo, by "Htobia":—Blocking of the back of the nose doe to Adenoids causes breathing'through the mouth, snoring at night, and maexwine of the soft spaces ' between the ribs He effect of this, if it continues, is to cause deformity of the chest. A leading authority says, "Mothers should be taught to -watch the chests of their sleeping children, and not to wait for the arrival ot deformity."