A treatise on the physiological and moral management of infancy / [Andrew Combe].

  • Andrew Combe
Date:
1847
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A treatise on the physiological and moral management of infancy / [Andrew Combe]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    ever before their eyes, is, that human life was not intended to be extinguish- ed at its very dawn; and that, when it is so extinguished, this is always from the operation of previously ex- isting causes, some of which might have been discovered and removed, while others, if not entirely counter- acted, might have been, at least, par- tially subdued. This being the case, the first duty of the parents is obvi- ously to make themselves acquainted with the general nature and treatment of the infant constitution, that they may not unnecessarily risk the wel- fare of their child, and their own peace of mind, upon the mere chance of find- ing a well qualified substitute in a lower and still more imperfectly edu- cated class than their own. ‘To the right-minded mother, the management and training of her children ought to appear in the same light as the exer- cise of a profession. It is her natural and special vocation, and she is as much bound to fit herself for the dis- charge of the active duties it devolves upon her, as the father and husband is to prepare himself for the exercise of the profession by which he is to provide for their support. In no point of view, therefore, is it possible to de- fend the prevailing error of leaving out what ought thus to constitute an essential part of female domestic edu- cation. ‘Till this defect be remedied, thousands of young beings who might have been preserved, will continue to be cut off in the very outset of exist- ence, to the lasting grief of those who would have been delighted to guard them against every danger, had they only known how to set about it. Even in the best regulated families it is rare to meet with a mother, who, before be- coming such, has devoted the least at- tention to the study of the infant con- stitution, to the principles on which it ought to be-treated, or to the laws by which its principal functions are regu- lated. The parent, in fact, enters upon care with less previous preparation for its proper fulfilment, than if it were a plant or flower which God had com- mitted to her management, instead of a living being, in whose existence and happiness her whole soul is centered. If a rare or curious flower is presented to her, she will inquire minutely about its natural habits, the time and man- ner of watering it, the best exposure in which to place it, and the admission or exclusion of the external air; and she will act upon the information. But when a human being is confided to her, the same person will often unhesitat- ingly accept of the trust, without ask- ing a single question about the neces- sary treatment, and will rely impli- citly on the misty experience of an un- informed nurse for guidance in her most difficult and deeply interesting duty. Itis true that there are some nurses well qualified by strong natural sense and much experience to direct the mother in her arduous undertak- ing ; but these are, unhappily, the rare exceptions to a very general rule, and can never justify the parent for ne- glect of a duty imposed upon her, not less by her own maternal feelings, than by the laws of the Divine Creator. In making these remarks, I have no wish to throw unmerited blame upon mothers, who suffer merely from the defects of their own education, and can- not help themselves. My only object is to draw attention to the fact that such defects not only exist, but exert a most injurious influence on happiness, and that they are not incapable of re- moval. All that is required is, first, to ascertain what are the social duties which belong peculiarly to woman; and then to give her when young that kind of education which, besides elevating and enlightening her general character, shall best qualify her for their ready fulfilment. On examining the social position of woman with this view, we cannot fail to perceive that the domestic circle is her peculiar province. While the hus- band and father is toiling abroad for the means of comfortable subsistence, on her devolve, in an especial manner, the duties connected with the family at home. To her exclusively the infant looks for that cherishing and affection- ate care which its tender and delicate frame requires; and to her the child
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