A practical treatise on the management and diseases of children / by Richard T. Evanson and Henry Maunsell.
- Evanson, Richard Tonson, 1800-1871.
- Date:
- 1843
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: A practical treatise on the management and diseases of children / by Richard T. Evanson and Henry Maunsell. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)
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![requires its heat to be carefully husbanded.* The cord, thus enve- loped, is to be placed flat on the child's abdomen, and secured there by a band of thin flannel, five or six inches broad, and long enough to go twice round the body. The chief use of this band is, to support the navel-string and its covering : we cannot think that it is required, as Dr. Deweest supposes, as a support to the abdomen; indeed, it never should be applied so as to make any pressure upon that cavity; and on that account, it is well to have it made of the thinnest flannel, cut diagonally or bias, so as that it may be perfectly elastic. In fast- ening it, pins are usually employed; but the fewer of these used in dressing an infant, the better ; and it would be well, if we could have strings substituted for them in every possible case. The further dressing of the body of the child, is very much a matter of fashion, with which the physician has little to do further than to see that the clothing is light, soft, and sufficiently warm, and not calculated to place any restrictions upon the movements of the chest, abdomen, or limbs. It would now be a work of supererogation, in this country, to denounce the swaddling of the limbs practised in former times; but we cannot too forcibly impress the necessity of avoiding all constric- tion or pressure upon the chest or abdomen- The due performance of respiration is of the first importance to the young as well as to the adult animal, and this will be materially impeded by any restriction upon the free motion of the ribs or diaphragm such as would be occa- sioned by tight bandages upon the body of the child. The arrange- ment of the head-dress must be conducted upon principles similar to those which guide us with respect to the other clothing : the head is to be protected from the cold air by a moderately thick, muslin cap, but so as that it shall neither suffer compression, nor be placed in a constrained position. Over all, a thin flannel shawl is to be wrapped in such a way as will not impede the free access of air to the mouth, or hamper the extremities, so as to prevent their spontaneous move- ments. The infant is then to be placed in a cradle or bed, so situated, as that it shall not be exposed to draughts of cold air; and that, while it is not absolutely in the dark, still its eyes may be protected from a strong light, which, as yet, they are unable to endure : thus placed, it will usually fall asleep, and remain so for several hours, until awakened by the calls of hunger. [The use of a cap for young infants is unnecessary — as the head may be eff'ectually protected from the eff'ects of cold without it. Caps are much more likely to produce injury than benefit, and we are happy to find that they are rapidly falling into disuse.—C] * As a curious instance of this dread of abstracting heat from the child, we often find the peasants of this country carefully warming the scissors, before using it for the division of the cord. It is easy, and, no doubt, appears scientific, to ridicule popular customs and superstitions ; but would it not be more discreet and philoso- phical, to endeavour to discover their origin from some instinct to which thev mav generally be traced 1 J j t On Physical and Medical Treatment of Children. London, 1826.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21118346_0038.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
