OUR BABIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3757, 16 March 1926, Page 72

OUR BABIES.

Br Htgxia. PablNhM andtr tht tutplett 1 the Aeyal New Zetland Society tor the Health •I Women and Children (Ptunkot Society). “It it wlur to pat op a fence at the tap tf a precipice than ta maintain aa ambetcnce at the bottom.”

PLUNKET NURSES, ETC.. DUNEDIN BRANCH. ff ,n ’lßfc.B' BEB VICES FBEI. v O'Shea (telephone 2348), Richards i -i2 at rl E*.vart (telephone 116), and w* .c (telephone 30201. Jv-tWy a sL*crm: Jf.nrieior.’t Buildings, 76 l c~er St’urt *t:ect (telephone 116), and eln til.';* Kdw h rd street, l>onth Dunedin *04),. Office houik, daily from \ ta • p *ri (t«rent Saturday nr-d Sunday); •too i/0 R«wiyn—Monday and 2'to •• pn.; and i»fc Kebey *«rt!lo Tues jay and Friday, iruui l vo i p m. o*t**ti*>ns: taptto* Clutch, Gordon %mml, iL»girl, afternoon*' from 2 to 4 p Kt. ; MumeiyaS Buildings, Port Cmlnier*, Wednesday afternoon* from 2 to 4 P>k*cJi. Secretary, Mine 0. Hoddir.ott. Jamieson’* Iniildjng?, Stuart street (telephone 116). Karitane-Harris Baby Hospital. Anderson's Bay (telephone 1985). Matron. Miss Buisscn. given on request eveit Wednesday afternoon from 2.30 to N-zr&es and Karitnne Baby Nurses. Visit *ng hours: ?. to ♦ pm., Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. NASAL HYGlENE.—(Concluded.) 'The following is based on the conclusion of a lecture delivered by Dr Octavia Lewin to school nurses in London, the preceding part of which lecture formed the subject matter of our last two articles, under the heading ‘'Nasal Hygiene.” , £neezino—A Natural, Cleansing Process. Sniffing is very dangerous. It bombards the base of the brain with refuse, blocking the drainage, and thus forming breeding grounds for germs. Sneezing has the opposite effect. It is a natural, cleansing process, which forces out the impurities of the air which have been prevented from entering the lungs by tfce protective structures of the nose. A sneeze shoots such matter out towards tfto nostrils, and the nose must be blown

before it is sniffed back again, to become more firmly planted than before it was disturbed. A sneeze must never be broadcasted out into the air, where the germs carried out with it may be picked up by other people. Poisoning the air in such a way ought to be put in the same category as poisoning wells. The use of a handkerchief should be taught early, so that it early becomes a habit. Every baby should have its own clean handkerchief pinned to its dress or the side of its cot by a small safety pin Do not use your own handkerchief to wipe your baby’s nose. The risk of infecting the breathing organs by using anything already soiled by another person is as great as that of infecting the eyes by using the same piece of cotton wool for bathing both the discharging eye and the well one. When baby starts to crawl, and a handkerchief pinned to his dress would he carrie.. along the floor with Trim, the handkerchief should be c. -Tied in a small pocket in his romper. Before he is very old he will learn to use it himself. It is not necessary to provide baby with a made-up handkerchief—a clean piece of rag suffices and is more economical. At kindergarten and school every child should have his own handkerchief. There should be an end to borrowing and lending, for this is a fruitful source of spreading infection If the handkerchief is not handy, what happens to the sneeze? It is either (1) sent out into the air, (2) backfired or exploded into the head, or (3) it has to be completely checked. All these practices are dangerous, and the last two mentioned prevent, or at least hinder, Nature's cleasing of the nasal cavities. “Hat clastic, collars, strings — All are very dangerous things Another common cause of nasal obstruction and mouth-breathing is pressure on the r eins of the neck. Tight collars (fortunately not much worn nowadays), neckbands, hat elastics, bibs tied too tightly, and ribbons drawn too tightly round the neck of the child's frock—all are detrimental to natural nose-breathing. Anything tight round the neck raises a cry for more air than can be got through the nostrils. So the mouth opens, and the nose gradually gives up the struggle to do its work and soon becomes a centre of trouble. Anything preventing the full expansion of the chest or the straightening of the back, such as tight binders on babies and too short suspenders on older children, acts similarly. The handkerchief should be used at least as often as the hands and face are washed, for it is the same atmosphere that deposits dust and dirt in the nasal cavities. When the handkerchief is used the nostrils should not be compressed, but

should be kept widely open, and the blowing continued till the breathing becomes perfectly clear and unobstructed. Do not blow too vigorously or jerkily. When the mouth cannot be kept shut because the nose is continually blocked, or from any unaccountable reason, advice should be sought. This does not mean that the nose is at once to be tunnelled through by operation, but that, by training and practice, its functions should be gradually restored.

The question of right breathing is vastly important. People would not so disregard the functions of the nose if it were the only possible channel through which air could be supplied to the lungs* Thev would take more care to see that no blockage took place, for, if the nose went out. of action through ill-care and general i.eglect, and ?re was no alternative means of getting air into the lungs, their lives would be cut off in less than five minutes.