How to Bring Up Baby.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVIII, Issue 18, 30 October 1912, Page 58

How to Bring Up Baby.

(By

HYGEIA.)

Published under thy auspices of the Society for the Health of Women and Children.

"It is wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom."

Morbid Habits. IN response to a series of letters of inquiry, I gave last week some notes on “ Earth-eating ” and other morbid habits liable to arise in childhood. Theltirther extracts given at the end of this Column from Dr. Still's lucid and authoritative remarks, based on his very extensive London experience, throw much light on the subject, and should prove helpful to any parents engaged in the difficult and supremely important task of trying to get a child whose habits have gone astray back into a normal channel. It will be seen that the basis of treatment is preventive—viz., the establishment of a strong, well-nourished, healthy body. Lack of control tends to manifest itself in restlessness insomnia, nervousness, irritability' bad temper, muscular jerking, ami spasms, incontinence of urine, and faulty habits of all kinds, including sexual perversions ; all these manifestations being specially characteristic of the child who lias not been properly built and trained as a “healthy animal.’

From childhood to the grave the power of control and of healthy self-direction is at its highest when the digestion, nutrition, and bodily health and potentialities are at their top notch also. Heredity.

Of course, 'heredity is an important factor. Undoubtedly children of socalled “ nervous parentage ” arc more liable to acquire morbid habits than children of parents who are less alert and more stable and phlegmatic : but the child born with what is called a. “ nervous temperament " can be developed in the direction of its more desirable potentialities, instead of being allowed, to'drift into wrong channels. Everything depends on the feeding, training, etc.—in other words, on the environment.

Environment. Parents should realise that “Environment can knock Heredity into a cocked hat" that the guardians and directors of a child can do everything by proper feeding, care, and attention —indeed, the more nervous the tendency of a child on account of unstable heredity the morn careful should the parents be to rear and train it on sound and sensible, lines. As Dr. Clouston says, " Morbid potentialities need never become actualities.” Once a child is born we can’t change its heredity ; but it is our duty to leave no stone unturned when we take charge - there is no limit to what we can effect by means of environment. We owe every child its “ natural Rights ” —the right to bo well and regularly fed, to be given plenty of outing and exercise, plenty of fresh air and sunlight, etc., —and surely the claims on society of those who start handicapped in any way are as strong as the claims of those who start with no such disabilities. Extracts from article on Morbid Habits in children by Dr. Still. “ There is no period of life at which habits are so easily established as in childhood ; but, fortunately—for, like rank weeds, bad habits grow faster than good—childhood is a plastic age when the deep ruts of habit may yet be smoothed away, and custom moulded to new tracks.” Pica; or Perverted Appetite. “ Very curious is the habit which has been described as pica, or dirt-eating ; it is seen mostly in the later half of infancy from one to two years of age ; but, as Dr. John Thomson has pointed out. it begins sometimes tn later chillihood, when from any cause the general health fails, and the child becomes anaemic. Dr. Thomson has recorded 11 cases in nine of which the habit began before the child was two years old. “ I have notes of 14 cases which have been under my care—seven boys and seven girls,—not including three cases of

hair-eating, which ought, perhaps, to come in a different category. “ The history of the child with pica is sufficiently shown by the following cases:— “ Ivy J., aged 44 years, was sent to me by Dr. R. M. Stewart, of Dulwich. Since the age of 15 months she had had a craving for what her mother described as ‘ rubbish.’ She was particularly fond of green stuff, such as raw cabbage leaf and potato peel. A fortnight before I saw her she had pulled down a clematis in a neighbour’s garden and eaten the leaves. She would also eat the wax faces of her dolls—had eaten five between Christmas and February —and at times had eaten sand and mortar, and had also eaten part of her pinafore. When taken to consult a doctor she was found eating the papers in his waiting room. "She was a very passionate child, but apparently of normal intelligence. Iler appetite for ordinary food was very poor. She had had threadworms since the age of two years. “The only acute disturbance which had resulted’ from her morbid appetite was after eating privet, leaves,-, when acute gastric symptoms had occurred. “Muried J., aged three years, at the age of 14 months, began to eat earth, and when placed in her ' pram ’ to stop this she sucked the thud off the wheels and ate it ; she had a great fondness for eating mortar, which she picked out of walls ; she had eaten the tops off a, dozen safety matches, and eandle grease was also a favourite. She ate the legs and arms off her dolls if they were made of ‘ composition,’ so that only china dolls could be used. She had a very bad appetite for ordinary food, and was so passionate that the day before I saw her she had thrown a scissors at her sister when thwarted of some desire ; she had also suffered with night terrors. “She sometimes passed earth with her stools, and had also vomited earth. Her mother stated that she herself had suffered at the age of 111 years with a craving for blotting-paper and linen, and used to get out of bed at night to eat towels." (Geo. Frederick Still, M.D., F.R.C.P., Professor of Diseases of Children, King’s College, London.)

(To be continued next week.)