A treatise on the physical and medical treatment of children / by William P. Dewees.

  • Dewees, William P. (William Potts), 1768-1841.
Date:
1826
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A treatise on the physical and medical treatment of children / by William P. Dewees. 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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    Sect. IV.—From the Selfishness of the Nurse. 161. Mothers who are fondly attached to their children, are fully aware of the many privations they are obliged to submit to, while nurses; and they but too often feel that it requires all a mother's love, to perform the various duties of one, without complaining, or feeling the task, severe. It must not then be a matter of surprise, that the hireling becomes restive, and negligent, under the discharge of her multiplied cares; and the child suffer in consequence. 162. This selfishness however may exist in different degrees; and the child will suffer of course in proportion to the neglect it may experience. One of the most common, and perhaps the most injurious instance, is where the duties to the child, interfere with the engagements of the nurse, and interrupt, anticipated pleasures. Should this happen several times in pretty quick succession, she becomes soured, and will contrive that it shall not happen soon again. 163. Nurses generally make a point to have a certain period of the day at their command; and should they find this hour repeatedly interfered with by the wakefulness of the child, they will soon have recourse to such means as shall prevent its future recurrence. We have known a number of cases, where laudanum was administered for this purpose, with so much cunning, as to elude detection for a long time, even after the suspicion had been excited. In one of these instances, the wily nurse boasted to the abused parent, of her good management, in establishing so much regularity in the child's sleeping. 164. When a nurse is determined to employ laudanum for sinister purposes, she may do it for a long time before she may be detected, notwithstanding the vigilance of an anxious mother. There are moments, when she must be alone with the child; and there are stratagems, by which her purpose is effected, of which the parent never dreamed. One of the most remarkable of this kind, which we have met with, we will relate. Mrs. re- quested us to visit her infant of nine months old, which, without any apparent indisposition, had slept unusually long, and unusu- ally sound, for two or three days. When we arrived, the child was still asleep; we sat by the side of its cradle for some time, [8]