Domestic

New Zealand Tablet, 14 April 1910, Page 593

Domestic

By MAUREEN

Ringworm. Ringworm is highly infectious. It is caught from child to child; the using of towels, or hairbrush, or cap, or clothes of an infected child; from the cat, from the horse, f o .c *dog. The only way to decide when the danger °--V 1 IQ n s over » is by an extremely careful examination, with the help of a good strong magnifying glass, of the patches on the scalp which have been undergoing treatment. When the diseased stumps fall out, these patches, after' a sufficient number of applications of whatever fungusdestroying ointment or lotion is used, become covered with a fine downy growth of new hair. These new hairs appear earlier in some cases than others. The patches after treatment should be examined with the glass about every three days until it is certain that no single diseased stump of infected hair remains on any one of them. When the patches are covered with a fine downy growth of new healthy hairs, among which not a solitary stump of short brittle hair can be detected with the magnifying glass, then the child can be pronounced cured. Children suffering or recovering from ringworm need cod liver oil, nourishing food, and change of air. , Clear Windows. During the winter months the windows are apt to get frosted over and look very ugly. To remedy this they should first of all be thoroughly cleaned and rubbed with Pure glycerine. Polish lightly with a clean, dry cloth, and the windows will keep clean for a long time. Outstanding Ears. Many children’s looks are spoiled by their ears having been allowed to be forced forward by ill-fitting caps. Sometimes, too, the child gets into a habit of sleeping with the ear doubled forward on the pillow. Mothers should be very careful that a child’s hat is not too big, or it will come close down upon the ears, forcing them forward. In bad cases ear caps should bo wornat least at night and when the child is playing about the nursery., A Nursery Lotion. A good lotion for bathing the eyes, cleansing the mouth of small babies, or bathing cuts, bruises, etc., in the nursery is made by adding a teaspoonful of boric acid crystals to a tumblerful of water. Boric or boracic acid powder is also excellent for dusting burns which are not very severe more a scorch than a burn. A pot of clean vaseline or a bottle of carron oil should always be kept at hand for burns. The first essential in the treatment of these is cleanliness and exclusion of air. They should be well wrapped up in clean linen after applying a piece of lint soaked in oil or vaseline. Recreation. Healthy recreation is necessary for children who have a large amount of physical energy requiring outlet. In winter especially, when the afternoons are long and dark, an effort should be made to let the children have interesting games and a good healthy romp. ‘ Dressing up ’ is a favorable pastime with young people, and a box of suitable cast-off garments in an empty attic will provide a temporary paradise for the children. Care of the First Teeth. The reason why care of the first teeth is so important is that under them the permanent teeth are forming. If the first teeth decay, and have to be removed too early, the permanent teeth are encouraged to come up before the jaw is sufficiently large to accommodate them properly. They are thus liable to bo crowded too closely together, which spoils not only the look of the teeth, but the shape of the mouth. Things to Remember. Laudanum in any form, or even in the most minute quantity, should never be given to a baby or young child except by a doctor’s orders, and in accordance with his prescription. It has a far more powerful effect in early youth than in later life. Heavy clothing is injurious to children, because they cannot take plenty of exercise in it without becoming overheated and perspiring profusely, in which condition they are very likely to contract chills. Remember the value of accuracy in the nursery. Don’t leave things to chance. Regulate the temperature of its atmosphere and of the bath by the thermometernot by your feelings. You can buy a thermometer for a shilling that will tell you the heat of the air of the room or of the water in the bath.