Domestic medicine; or, the family physician. Being an attempt to render the medical art more generally useful, by showing people what is in their own power, both with respect to the prevention and cure of diseases ... / by William Buchan. With notes, etc., by a medical gentleman.

Buchan, William, 1729-1805

Date:: 1802

Credit: Domestic medicine; or, the family physician. Being an attempt to render the medical art more generally useful, by showing people what is in their own power, both with respect to the prevention and cure of diseases ... / by William Buchan. With notes, etc., by a medical gentleman. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$])roceed from the heat of their humours, as the thmlb, &c. If the mother or nuife has enough of milk, the child will need little or no other food before the third or fourth month. It will then be proper to give it, once or twice a-day, a little of fome food that is eafy of digeflion ; as water-pap, milk-pot- tage, weak broth with bread in it, or the like. This will eafe the mother; it will accuftom the child by degrees to take food, and render the weaning both lefs difficult and dangerous. All •great and fudden tranlitions are to be avoided in Hurling. For this purpofe, the food of children ought to be liraple, as nearly as poffible refembling the properties of milk. Indeed milk itfelf ffiould make a principal part of their food, not only before they be weaned, but for a long time after, ' Next to milk, we would recommend good light bread. Eread may be given to a child as foon as it Ihows an inclination to chew, and it may at all times be allowed as much'ns it pleafes. The very chewing of bread will help to cut the teeth, and promote the difeharge of faVroa^ while, by mixing with the nurfe’s milk in the Itomach, it will afford an excellent nourifhment. Children Ihow an early inclination to chew whatever is put into their hands. Parents obferve the inclination, but gene- rally millake the objedl. Inftcad of giving the child fomething which may at once exercife its gums and afford it nourifhment, they commonly put into its hand a piece of hard metal, or impene- trable coral. A cruft of bread is the beft gum- ftick. li not only anfwers the purpofe better than any thing die, but has the additional properties mentioned above, of nouriftiing the child, and car- rying t\\Q.faUva dowm to the ftoinach, which is too valuable a liq’uor to be loft. Bread, belides being ufed dry, niay be many$