HEALTH COLUMN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2170, 26 September 1895, Page 48

HEALTH COLUMN.

Kfckets in Children.

Rioketo is a disease from which the children of the poor, throngh lack of care and nouriiliment, are more Bpt to Buffer than those of their richer brothers and sisters. Rickets is probably one of those di«eaees absolutely preventable, and on the mothers of to-day it greatly depandi whether thiß fell disease shall be stamped oat from our midst* First, thorj, it ifl not hereditary. Parents ofi healthy constitution may have rickety chiEdren, and parents who have been rickety do not seem liable to prodaoe riokety progeny. The health of tha mother whilst nnroing has child has considerable Influence on tho development of rickete. If during this tlrao she feeds improperly, or leads a too exacting or worrying life, th« suffsrirjg will most probably fall on the child. Yofc children are never born rickety, bat the symptoms appear during the completion of the drat dentition— that is, between the seventh and twenty* fourth month. In rickets the bones are deficient in their earthy ooDßtitsentß ; in severe cases to the extent of possessing scarcely one-third of the proper amount of earthy matter. Consequently they lo»e their natural hnrdueas and become soft like gristle, and somewhat brittle, bo thst th«y nafc only easily bend, batJ are easily broken. This aoftness of the bones is allied to general muscular and constitutional weakness, and if not taken in time leads to deformities of the limbs, chest, and bscV, Most of the crooked-limbed cripples and dwarfs that we see Lave been tho victims of rick«ts in their childhood. WIIKN XO Bnl SUBP£CTKD. If the child has a pale, mudciy-looklng, sal low complexion, is restless at eight, and when it sleeps perspires freely, «o that tha perspiration soaka the hair and" pillow and the nightdress becomes wet from the farao cause, its tetsdo cits toward* rickets may be suspected. An with all eick children, it will be languid, irritable, and neglectful of Its food. The watchfal raof.her should noto these sign?, as, if taken in time, th«re aro few disea&es which so readily yield to proper treatment as riokets. AIU IS AN ALL POWR''FUI, CURATIVE AO! NT. The child mutt b« taken ont. whunovsr tho weather is at all favourable. It should be well wrapped up, as it is peculiarly stuceptible to colds. And wb?.t might prov© a triuirg ailment in a healthy child would pjohiibly have a fatal f-ercniaxlion in a weakly one. Gr<*ftt c*re must aleo be taken to beep the living aud sloepiug rcoms thoroughly well ventilated. THE DIET should cons?«t of milk mixed with lime- water in proper proportions. Even when a child is bcirg fed from the breast ii nhould be given occasionally milk aud lime-water. Two tabltf'-poonsfuls of lime wn'«r may then be mixed with half a pint of milk. It, will also require, even at thia early fetago, good beef teas and mutton broths. And as soon as ever it has any t«eth it ehould be given moat. It i« klmjß better to let a cM!d have a good-t-ised pieco of maat, Rnd watch it and see that it bites it, thsn to give it scraped or niirced meat, which It will Bwall'viv without taking tl'C trouble to ruK».(icit<?. F.irinßceoua foods rout>t bo administered fcparit^jly, and the child thould be mado to keep them in the mouth long enough to properly envelope them with s»liva, otherwise they are very diflicult of digestion. I When old enough it nhould be given oatmeal j ponidge. It is a farinaceous food of great vain** to rickety children. TO I'KhVENT DRFOHMiTY OF THE LIMB 9. The deformities are due to tlie softness of the boces, which are unfit to bear the weight of the body on the log?, or otherwioo perform their various offices. HeDce a child with bent logs and dippoeed to lickete nhoold not be allowod to walk. Walking will ouly increase the bowing of the legs, which, of course, i» quickly observable. Bat il m»st; be remembered that all the bon'is in the body ara as soft as thwe in the legs, end the weight of the trunk, if the child bo allowe-d to walk, will p-ws'-ibly oanee curvatare of the spines and deformity of the hip bonep. 80, for if« fntuv? hr>ppi«'esa' It is essential that the little sufferer be kept as much as possible in a horieontal position. Even when taking the air, it should lie at fall length in a long-bodisd perambulator. HOME IMSMEDIE3. Cod liver oil is one of the most valuable remedies for rickets. It may bo given to the youngost child at the fir*t ti^on of the disf a'e, about 20 drops twics daily, increasing gradually as tho child is found to assimilate ir. The dope, however, unless from special instructions given by the doctor, should never excead a teaipoonful. Many children derive Btill greater advantages from the oil if it be mixed with equal quantities of steel wine. For a child a year old powders containing half a grain of grey powder and three grains of enrbonate of iron are frequently prescribed; taken twico daily. The syrup of various phosphates, including Parrishe'a food, which contains* lime, iron, and magnesia, ia highly bsneficial, and should be taken immediately before meals.

Advice to Mothers ! — Arc you broken in your r<Bt by a sick chiW sufFering with the pain of cutting teeth ? Go .at once to a chemist and Ret a bottle of Mru Winslow's Sootiijng Strup. It will relieve the poor sufferer immediately. It is perfectly harmless, aud pleasant to the taste ; it produces natural quiet sleep by relieving the child from piin, and the little cherub awakes "as bright as a button." It soothes the child, it softens the gums, allays all pain, relieves wind, regulates the bowels, and is the best known remedy for dysentery and diarrhoea whether arteing from teething or other causes. Mrs Winslow'a Soothing Syrup is sold by medicine dealers everywhere at la lid per bottle. — [Adyt.] — She : " I hear that you have lost your valuable little dog, Mr Dudey." He : " Ya'as, in a railway accident. I was saved, bat; the dawg wai killed." She (shocked) : " What a pity 1 " Valuable Discovery for the Hair.— lf your hair is turning grey, or white, or falling oft", usa the "Mexican Hair Rknewer," for it trill positively restore in every case Grey or White Uair to its original colour without leaving the disagreeable smell of most "restorers." It makes the hair charmingly beautiful, as well as promoting the growth of- the hair on bald spots where the glands are not decayed. Ask your chemibt for "Tkp. Mexican Hair Renewer." Sold by chemists and perfumers everywhere at 3s (kl per bottle Wholesale danot. 33 Farrinedon road, irfwring*— 1 Adve,