Mother and child / Part I. Mother, by Edward P. Davis. Part II. Child, by John Keating.

Date:
1893
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Mother and child / Part I. Mother, by Edward P. Davis. Part II. Child, by John Keating. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    dressed. What is ordinarily known as croup is that affection wkich cornes on suddenly at night, accompanied by a dry, ringing cough, difficulty in breathing, and ail the évidences of threatening suffocation, without any marked previous symp- tom. It usually occurs at night. The child will wake from sleep with ail the symptoms that are most terrifying. Its évident spasmodic character has given it the uame of spasmodic croup. It may be the resuit of cold or of an overloaded stomach, and children who are subject to this affection should not be allowed heavy suppers. Although the breathing is greatly interfered with during this attack, the soiinds are ringing, the cough sonorous and brassy and loud ; this is an important matter. as it shows there is no deposit of membrane to muffle the sound. The treatment of such a case should be as follows : a sponge wrung out in water as hot as can be borne by the child should at once be tied round the throat, and kept there by a towel, or, better, oiled silk or rubber sheeting ; the feet and legs as far as the knees should be immersed in a hot bath con- taining a few teaspoonfuls of mustard flour, and be kept in the water for at least fifteen minutes, then thoroughly dried, and a pair of stockings put on. The child should be given a half-teaspoonful or a whole teaspoonful of syrup of ipecac,— the latter if the child is over four years of âge,—followed by a drink of water every fifteen minutes until it vomits ; after which the spasms will cease, and the child will turn over from exhaustion and sleep the remainder of the night. A powder of half sugar and half alum, given in teaspoonful doses or given with the ipecac,-will hasten its emetic action. If the child is anxious and restless after the attack of croup has subsided. sleep seems impossible, or some cough still remains, for a child from a year and a half to two years old, ten drops of paregoric in a teaspoonful of glycerin, repeated in an hour, will hâve a quiet]ng effect, or ten drops of sweet spirits of nitre in a little sugar and water can be given every half- hour or hour until the child is quiet. If the bowels hâve