UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WASHINGTON, D. C. GPO 16—67244-1 ADVICE TO MOTHERS, '/a ON THE SUBJECT OF THEIR OWN HEALTH AND OP THE MEANS OF PROMOTING * THE HEALTH, STRENGTH, AND BEAUTK OF THEIR OFFSPRING. ■ ' ■' Audita voces, vagitus et ingens _} Iafantumque animae Rentes in limine prim* Quosdulcis vitas exfortes, et ab ubere raptoi, Abftutit atra dies, et funere merfit acerbo. VlRG. iEHJID Tf. ■ *■■■■,........Il^.m, I . ' '" I ,? »M,t ii'JUII.'.l'.'IUiil! by WILLIAM BUCHAN, FELLOW OF THE RO^L O^LLE0E OF PHYSICIANS, AND AUTHOR* 6F " DOliSl^hyc MEDICINE." BOSTON: PRINTED FOR JQBEP8 BUMSTE4&, (Printer and Bookfellsr.) FOR SALE AT HIS BOOKSTORE NO. 77, STATE-STREET, AND BY BOOK- SELLERS IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE UNITED STATES. i8qo. ::: *<< 1,1 / . x- ir> v INTRODUCTION. 1 HE prefervation of the lives of infants was the firft fubjefc I wrote upon at the opening of my medical career : After forty years practice, f now refume it with increaftd zeal and pleafure—zeal, prompted by a jull fenfe of its importance—and pleafure, arifing from. the hope of its beneficial and lafting effe&s. I am fure of being lift- ened to with kind attention by the tender and rational mother, while I am pointing out to her the certain means of preferving her own health, of fecuring the attachment of the man (he holds dear, and of promoting the health, ftrength, and beauty of her offspring. She will not take alarm at the idea of medical advice, when I tell her that my object is to enable her to do without medicine, and to obtain every d«* Arable end without any painful facrifke. The path along which I propofe to conduct her is plain and eafy, the profpe&s all round are de- lightful, and it leads to the pureft fources of happinefs. The more I reflect on the fituation of a mother, the more I am ftruck with the extent of her powers, and the ineftimable value of her^ fervices. In the language of love, women are called angels ; but this is a weak and a filly compliment; they approach nearer to our ideas of the Deity : they not only create, but iuftain their creation, and hold its future deftiny in their hands : every man is what his mother has made him, and to her he muft be indebted for the greateft bleffing in hfe, a healthy and a vigorous conftitution. But while I thus ipeak of the dignity of the female character, it muft be underftood, that by a mother I do not mean the woman who merely brings a child into the world, but her who faithfully difcharges the duties of a parent—whpfe chief concern is the well-being of her infant—and who feels all her cares amply repaid by its growth and activity. No fubfequent endeavors can remedy or correct the evils occafioned by a mother's negligence j and the (kill of the phyfician is exerted in vain to mend what (he, through ignojrance or inattention, may have unfortunately marred. m Several books have been written on the cure of difeafes incident to children. The natural effect of fuch publications is to excite ter- ror, and to prompt mothers and nurfes to keep dufing poor infants with drugs on every trifling occafion, and to place more reliance on the ef« ficacy of medicine than on their own belt endeavors. One of the ob- jects which I have in view is to relieve mothers from groundlefs fears ; to teach them how to prevent difeafes that are almoft always the con- fequences of mifmanagement} to infpire them with the fulleft confi- dence in proper nurfing, and with ftrong prejudices againft the ufe of medicines, which do mifchief twenty times for once that they do good. Quackery in the nurfery is not the only error in which 1 Avail endeavor to undeceive mothers : The want of proper inftrudtions at an early period of life betrays them into a variety of fatal miftakes re, fpedtini their own health, as well as that of their children, f hefe miftakej, aid the means of rectifying them,, form aconiderable part 4- INTRODUCTION. of the following work. The language is adapted to every capacity it being of confequence that every woman fhould underftand it and, the rules laid down are practicable in every condition, except that of cheer- lefs poverty With the hope of removing this exception, I fhall point out the moft effectual method of affifting women fo circumftanced ; and I do not know any manner, in which humanity, charity, and pa- triotiftn can be more laudably exerted, or even a part of the public rev- enue more ufefully employed, that in enabling mothers to bring up a hqnlthy and hardy race of men, fit to earn their livelihood by ufeful employments, and to defend their country in the hour of danger. »*5ffiy»' " ' " * *'- "" pl ' ■*..... »!" ADVICE TO MOTHERS. CHAP. I. HINTS TO WOMEN BEFORE MARRIAGE. i HE defire of preferving and improving perfonal beauty; which cHfcovers itfelf at an early period in the female brevift, is wif«P ly defigned by nature for the beftand molt important ends; it is a powerful check on exceffes of every kind, and is the ftrongeft in- citement to cleanliheis, temperance, moderate exercife, and habitu- al good-humour. All that is Leceffary is to convince young peo- tole that thefe are the true means of rendering them lovely, becaute they are the only means of fecuring the enjoyment of health, the very eflerce of "beauty •, inftead of fourly difcouraging to natural a with, let us point out the way to its lull accomplifhmeiit, and thus prevent many amiable women from taking a wrong road, and from deftroying both health and beauty by an abfurd purfuit ot the lat- ter alone. _ . , . , c Oneofthefirft truths to be tmpreffed upon the minds or voune women is, that beauty cannot exilt without health, and that the one is abfolutely unattainable by any praftices mconlitt- ent with the other. In vain do they hope to improve their ikm, cr to give a lively rednet's to their cheek, unlefs they tzke care to keep the blood pure, and the whols frame active and vigorous. Beautv, both of (nape and countenance, is notning more than vifible health—the outward mirror of the ftate of things within-~the certain effcft of* good air, cheerfulnel's, tewperat- ce, and exercile. 'I here is nothing, perhaps, fj pernicious to women as the ule of creams, and pafces, and powders, and lotions, and numberMs other contrivances to bleach the ikin, or to produce an artificial whiteandred. All of them aft with double injury, not only in deftrovine the furface which they were expected to beautiiy, but in Sing the habit, and caufing a fatal neglea of thejreat preser- vatives of life itfelf. A blotch or a pimple, however ottenfive to he eve gives timely notice of the impure ftate ot the fluids, and of the 2nd efforts of nature to expel the noxious matter. Ou^ht not K efforts then to be aflifted by a judicious plan of diet andregi- menJnftead of throwing back the impurity into the blood,and con- "vSnithe very means of health into the leeds of intedlon anddtf- Sfe° Befides, lead or mercury is the ckief ingredient in all thofe hnafted cofmetics, and, being abforbed through the fkin, cannot fanfo^SSim^mSh conyulfions colics, and the incur*. ble train of nervous and coufumpuve complaints. 6 ADVICE TO MOTHERS. Beauty is impaired, and health too often deftroyed, by other , abfurd practice , inch as drinking vinegar to produce what is called a gent el or flenJ r. form, and avoiding expoiure to the open air, for fear of its injuring ihe fancied delicacy of a fine fkin. Vinegar, ufed as fauce and in moderate quantities, ierves to correct the pu- trefcent tendency of various articles of food, and is equally agreea- ble and wholefome ; our when (wallowed in draughts for the pur- pof- of reducing plu npaefs, it proves highly injurious, caufiug ex- eeffive perfpi -atio';, relaxing the bowels, imparting no fmall ('cgree of acrimony to the blood, and very much enfeebling the whole fyf- tem. The dread of optn air is ftill more ridiculous and detriment- al, Lssk at the healthy exture of the milk-maid's fkin, and at the rofes ever blooding en her cheek, and then confider whether ! the open air cao be unfavourable to beauty. 1 he votaries of fafh- ion may affect to defpife thefe natural charms, and to call them vulgar ; the heart of man feels their irrafiftible attraction, and his underftanding confirms him in fo juft a preference. Surely, the languid fickly delicacy produced by confinement, cannot be com- pared to the animated glow of a face often fanned by the refrefhing ! breeze ! I The woman, therefore, who feels a laudable xvifh ?o lock weH, ; and t. be fo in reality,muft place1 no confidence in the filly doctrine?. or the deceitful arts of fafhion. She muft confult nature and rea- fon, and feek for beauty in the temple of health : if fhe looks for it elfewhere, fhe will experience the moftmortifying difappoint- ments; her charms will fade; her conftitution will be rained ; her hufband's love will vanifh with her fhadowy attractions, and her nup'i'il bed will be unfruitful, or curfed with a puny race, the hap- lefs victims of a mother's imprudence, She cannot tranfmit to her childrn: v hat fhe does not herfelf poflefs; weaknefs and difeafe ;i are entailed upon her pofterity ; and, even in the midft of wedded toys, the h pss of a healthy and vigorous iflue are blafted forever. The only w?.y to prevent fuch evils is, to pay a due regard to th^fe rational means of promoting health, which I have already hinted at—temperance, exercife, open air, cleaniinefs, and good- humour^ Thefe fubjects are pretty fully difcufled iu my " Domefik Medicine /' yet a few remarks may be proper on the prefent occa- fion. In laying d wn rules of temperance, I do net wiih to impofe ' any reflraint on the moderate ufeof good and wholefome food or ' firink ; but under thefe heads we mint not include fpirituous li- quors ; relaxing and often-repeated draughts of hot tea and coffee; J falted, fmoaked-driei":, andhig. ly feafoned meats ; fait fifh ; rich , gravies; heavy fauces; almoft indigeftible p;>rry ; and fcur unripe fruits, of which wor en in general are immoderately fond. We pity the green-fick girl, whole longing for fuch trafh is one of the caufes as well as oneof the effects of ner difeafe; but can an y w, man V capable of is is a great mil- take. Pure water may be truly confidered as a fountain of health, and its frequent ufe is the beft means of improving the fkin and ftrengthening the whole frame. The offices performed by the fkin . are of greater importance than moft people imagine. It is not merely a covering or (hield to guard the foe organs of feeling from irritation or external injury, but one of the grand outlets admirably contrived by nature for expelling the noxious and fuperfluous humours of the body. The perfpirable matter thus thrown out will of itfelf clog the pores, and relax the fkin, unlefs care is taken to promote its eafy efcapeJby keeping th§ entire lurface of the body perfectly clean, well-braced andelaftic, which can only be done by frequent wafhing, and inftantly wiping the parts dry. Thole who have cot a bath to plunge mto, fhould walh the face, neck, hands, 8 ADVICE TO MOTHERS. and feet, every morning and night; and txpetkrte will foon con- vince them, that, the more they accuftom themfelves even to the 'parti d appliratic »n of clean water, the more comfl rtable and enlive- ning they will find it. If mifguided tendemefs has produced an extr?nce delicacy of habit as well as of fkin, it will be proper to life luke-warm water for fome time ; and then gradually - to diminiih its temperature, till ccld water can be employed, not only with fafety, but with benefit. As a prelcrvative of health, it is far more bracing and more invigorating than warm water, though the latter -may be often acivifeable in cafes of particular infirmity, indifpofi- tion, »r difeafe. All women of delicacy and good ierle are foffic'tfrntly attentive to rernoveany outward foil or vifible dirt from their perfon; but they dor^t all-know* that a vapour,-too fine to be perceivfd by the ■eye, is cenftantlyMufcg from the pcres, the little orifices or mou'hs :or which mu& therefore be kept clean and unobftructed. For the famerreafon, the linen and interior articles of drefs fhoulc\ be often changed, asthey become impregnated with the perfpirable matter, and, whei. foul, would not only prevent the efcape of any more, •but would even have a part of what they had received re-abferbed by the ikm, a?6 thrown back into the fyftem. The whole dreis alio fhould be loofe, and as light as may be found confiftent with du?r warmth,fo as not to increafe pcrfpiration too much by its heavi- aefs, n-r-o check either that or the free circulation of the blood by itspreffure. Among many improvement^ the modern fafhions of female drefs, equally favourable to health, to graceful eafe and elegance, the difcontinuance of flay s is entitled to peculiar approbation. It is, indeed, impoffibletothinkof the old ftraight waiftcoat of whale- bone, an' of tight lacing, with*, ut aftonifhment and fome degree of horror. We ar^ furprHed andfhocked at the folly and perverfe- neis of employing, as an article of drefs, and even as a perfbnal ornament, what mdft have checked youthful growth—what muft have produced diftortions and deformity—beiides occaficnipg • various irregularities and difeafes. 1 need not point out the aggra- vated mifchief of iuch a preflure in the breafts and wt mb in a itate' pf pregnancy ; but I muft notice a defect very prevalent among youTVg women of the prefr-nt day in London, who, though they have not wcrn ftays, may be fairlv prefumed to inherit from their mothers fome of the pernicious effects of fuch a cnftom. The injury to which I allude, is ihe want of nipples. This un- natural defect teems to have originated from the ule of laced ftays J; and as children fo often refeml le their parents in outward form, it is hot improbable that the d?.ught r may bear this mark of a mother's imprudence, and may even tra';fmit it to her own female children. Where ftays have never been ufed, the want of a nipple is as extra- Ordinary as the want of a limb ; and nr mother is found thus dis- qualified-firm difcharging one of her moft facred duties. But, in London, the inftances are too frequent to be afcribeJ to accident and cannot, perhaps, be accounted for more fatisfactcriiy than in the m inner here fuggefted. In my fummary of the means of promoting health and beauty ADVICE TO MOTHERS. $ *r.eerfulnefs or good humour is mentioned the laft* though certain- ly it is not the leaft in point, of efficacy. It has the happieft in- fluence on the body .and mind ; it,gives a falutary irapulfe to the circulation of the blood,keeps all the vital organs in eafy and .agree- able play, renders the outward deportment highly pleafiijg, while . the.parpetuaI funfhine within fpreads a fafcmating k^eUnelsrover the countenance.—4ts oppofite, peevifhnefs, or ill-humour, em bitters life ,faps the conftitution, and is more fatal to beauty, than.t^ fnaH-pox^ecaufeits ravages are more certain, mors diTgufting, and^ more permanent, ; Such are the chief points which I wi(h to imprefs upon the rr.inds of women before marriage. Oi jects of fo muct: importance. ir, every ftate or period of.Ufe, are deferving of peculiar regard when anunion of theiexesis propofed. .It islittle-fhort of intentional nurderon the part of a weak, languid, nervous, or deformed wa- rranto approach the marriage-bed. Improper pailions may urge her to become a wife; but (he is wholly unfit to become a mother. She rifks her own life—fhe difappoints the natural wi flies of a huf- band—and fhould fhe have children, her puny, fickly offspring,. as I before obferved, will haye little canle to thank her tor their wretched exiftence. The evil is not confined to her own family ; fociety at large is materially injured; its well being depends on the vigour of the members that compofe it;. and -univer'.at experience has fully proved, that the frame of a hufbandman orahero is not to be moulded or cherifhed in the womb of debility, and that the bold eagle will never be brought f^rthiby the timid dove. I-cannot conclude thefe hints without adding a few wcr's on the choice of a hufb ^nd. Having endeavoured to prove that health is fo indifpenfible a rcquifite in .females before marriage, they may well fuppofe that I deem it no. lefs neceffary in the other lex. I am always ferry to fee that precious blefiing facrificed in an alliance with infirmity, or youth and beauty configned to ue frozen arms of age. Mifery muft be the inevitable confequence or luch unnatu- ral ir tches. But I fear that my remonftrances will have little effect in reftraining the uodue exerciie of parental authority, or in at- tempting to open the eyes of a woman to her certain dtftruction, when fhe fuffers herfelf to be dazzled by the fplendour of riches, or charmed by the found of an empty title. !.......■, _| if ■■ ■ mm.muimmmi ch;ap. ii. RULES OF CONDUCT DURING ..PREGNANCY. X^FTER what I have already laid on the fubject of health, I hope 1 need n t .make. ufe of any new arguments to convince women of its increafed importance the moment they conceive—a moment from which they may begin to date the real perfection of their being. Nature has now entered upon her grandeftwerk, and .nothing is wanting but the mother's care to complete it. The ex- ertions of this.care are net left tc whim, to caprice, or,even to tne ftrong impulfesof parental 1 ve. The felf-ptvfervstion. of tfe mother is made dependant on the proper difcharge of her duty,, her to ADVICE TO MOTHERS. own health, her ftrength, her very life are clofely entwined vvith the well being of the embryo in her womb ; nor can fhe be guilty of the leaft neglect, without equal danger and injury to both. I am forry to think that any awful w;irning fhould be neceffary , to check the commiflion of fo wicked an outrage upon nature, as an attempt to procure abortion. This can never be effected with- out either the probable death of the mother, or the certain ruin of her conftitution : the fthnulants which are ufed to force the womb prematurely to difcharge its (acred dcpofit, n uftinflame the parts fo as to cauie a mortification; or will oonvulfe and enfeeble the whole, fyftem in fuch a manner as to leave no chance of future health or enjoyment to the deftroyer of her own child. In the ancient hiftory of the Jews, we read of two harlots warmly contending for a living child. How different is the cafe with our women of that defcript ion !—Their wifh, if they conceive, ] is to prevent or deftroy the life of the embryo, even at the rifk of j their own. Is a monfter of this fort to be pitied, w en, in the ex- ecution of her fhocfcing purpofes, fhe brings on thofe deadly fymp- toms which muft foon dole her guilty career ? The unnatural mother, however, is not always the only mon- fter concerned in thofe fcenes of horror; her bafe feducer is too often the advifer of the defperate refolution, and crowns his guilty joys with double murder. Another ruffian, fome male or female practitioner in midwifery, is alfo engaged in the hellifh plot, and lends a hand to perpetrate the foul deed, alike regardlefs of the mother's danger, and deaf to the cries of infant blood ! I never read, without fhuddering, any advertifement of temp' rary retreats or pretended accommodations for pregnant ladies, I always view it as a wicked allurement to unfortnate women, and as a daring hint from fome ready affaffin of innocence. It is not long fince one of thofe wretches was convicted of killing both mother and child > and 1 have myfelf feen a great number of embryos exhibited by a man, who, I firmly believe, obtained them in this way. The dread of public fhame or of private fcorn, though no ex- ciife for murder, may urge the victim of feduction to commit a crime atonce fo abominable and fo dangerous. But is it poflible that a married woman (hould madly and wickedly attempt to pro- pure abortion, merely from an apprehenfion of a large family, or to avoid the trouble of bearing and bringing up children ? Can fhe hope to tafte the joys, and yet deftroy the fruits of love ? What a frantic idea !—The fame poifon puts an end to both. And in vain does fhe flatter herfelf that her guilt is concealed, or that no law exifts to punifh it. The laws of nature are never violated with impunity; and in the cafes alluded to, the criminal is made at once to feel the horrors cf late remorfe,and the keeneft pangs of a torn, difordered, and incurable frame. But fuppofe that a mifcarriage brought about by fuch detefta- ble means did not endanger the health and life of the mother, fup- pofe that an act held in juft abhorrence, both by earth and heaven, could poflibly efcape punifhment; fuppofe a woman, deaf to the cries of nature, incapable of tender emotions, and fearlefs of any ADVICE TO MOTHERS. n immediate fufferings in her own porfon—-I have one argument mere to make her flop her murderous hand: perhaps the embryo, which ihe is row going t" deftr «y, would, if cherifhed in her womb, and afWw rds reared with due attention, prove the fweeteft comfort of her future years, and repay all her maternal care with boundlefs gratitude. It may be a daughter to nurfe her in her old age, or a fon to fwell her heart with joy at his honourable and fuc- cefsf ul career in life, i only wifh her to paufe for a moment, and to cpnfider, that by the wilful extinction of the babe in her womb all ier faireft hopes are extinguifhed alfo, and that the orefent danger is aggravated by the certainty of future delpair. S A wifh to prevent even one act of fo much horror has induced me to dwell on this unpleafant part of my lubjecl:. But folly, ig- norance, and careleffnefs, are often productive of as fatal effects as a criminal defign ; and though I may not be able to reftrain the latter, yet I hope the former may be corrected by better informa- tion. With this view, I lhall make fome farther remarks on the great prefervutives of health mentioned in the preceding chapter.__ Ihe general rules their laid down hold good in every condition of life ; but a ftate of pregnancy requires a greater degree cf core and judgment in their practical application. Cheerfulnefs, or good humour, which before was placed laft in,the order of difcuffion, muft now take the lead, being fuperior to all other confiderations during pregnancy. In this ftate, more than in any other, the changes of bodily health feem to be almoft wholly under the influence of the mind ; and the mother appears well cr ill, according as fhe gives way to plealant or to fretful emotions. I admire that fragment of ancient hiftory, in which we are informed, that the eaftern fages, while their wive& were pregr nant, took care to keep them conftantly tranquil and cheerful, by fweet and innocent amufements, to the end, that from the mother's womb, the fruit nr'ght receive no impreffions but what were plea- fing, mild, and agreeable to order. So fine a leffon of vvifdom, and of parental, as well as conjugal love and duty, cannot be too cloie- Jy ftudied, or too diligently carried into practice, by the hufbarid who fets any value on his wife's health—who wifhes to fecure her affection and gratitude—and who pants for the exquifite happinels of being the father of a lively, wek-formed, and Vigorous child. It is during pregnancy alfo that every woman mould be doubly* attentive fo preferve the utmoft fweetnels and ferenity of temper, to difpel the glooms of fear or melancholy, to calm the rifing gufts of ang r, and to keep every other unruly paffion or defire under tho ftea^.y controul of n.ildnels and reafbn. Ti e joy of becoming a mo'her, and the anticipated pleafure of prefenting a fond hufband with the deareft pledge of mutual love, ought naturally to increafe her cheerfulnefs, and would certainly produce that eff ct, were not thofe emotions too often checked by a fife ahrm at the fancied danger of her fituation. . It is therefore of the utmoft importance to convince her, tint her terrors are groundlefs ; that pregnancy is net a ftate of infirmity or danger, but affords the ftrongeft pre- fumption of health and ftcurity j that the few inftances fty» ma*' ** . ADVICE TO MOTHERS. know of mifcarriage or of death, were owing to the improper coaducx of the women themfelves, hefides being too inconhxeraole t) he compared with the c'puntlefs miHions of perfonsin the like con- ditfoa, who enjoy both then and afterwards a greater degree of health than they ever before experienced .; and, laftly, that the changes which fhe feels in herfelf, and her ,quick perceptions of un. .eaijn'els, are .not Cyrapioms of wraknefs, but the conlequences of an lacreafed lenfibUity of her womb, and timely warnings of the effects of indifcretion or intemperance. A late writer on this fubject very juPly obfcrves, that, when fuch 'n increafeof fenfibili'y .takes.plr.ee in a woman of a very irri- tate frame and tempor, it muft certainly aggravate her former ; ..complaints ana weakneifes, and.prqduce a variety cf feverilh effects. I She .grows more impatient and fretful: her fears as .well as her angry paeons are more readily excited,; the boay nece&rily fuffers " y iththj mind, debility, emaciation, and .many hectic fymptoms, fed- J bw. But the only .rational inferepce "to be drawn from thefe fa$s 1 is. that the feelings are more acute in a ftate of pregnancy ; and i that any previous jndifoofition, eitner gf body cr mind, now requires a n ore, than ordinary degree of care and tendernefs. Though the chilling influence of fear, and the depletions of melancholy, are very injurious to the mother's heann kau to tne .grows h of the foetus in her womb; yet anj;er is a ftill more fornu cla« l ble enemy. It convuljes the whole fyftem, and forces trie bloqdin-' |o the face and; head with a jjreat impetuofity. The danger is ih- creajed by the, ufual fujnefs of the habit in pregnancy. When the Mood runs high and rapid, a yeffel may burft, and in fuch a part as to terminate, or bring into great peril, the exigence of both t]^e piother and the child. Cafes often occur of the burffing.of a blood yeffel in the brain, occafioned by a violent guft of pamon. How much mere likely is it to .rupture thofe tender veileisthat connect ; the mother and the child! ' Y^t to the latter this is certain death.— j t knew a female who had the aorta, or great artery, fo diftended that , it forced its way through f^ebr-aft-bone, and rofe externally to tJ e fizeof a quart bottle. This extraordinary difteniion was chiefly owi;;g to the violence of her temper, i have alfo met with a moii fh~eking inttance of a fighting woman, who, in the paroxyfjn of rage and revenge, brought forth a child, with all its bowels hang- ing out of its little body. There is no doubt but that pailionate \ women are moft fubjecttoabortions, which are oftener owing to ' outward violenceorinternal.tumult, than to any other caufe, An accident of this fort is the more alarming, as the woman who once mifcarries, has the greateft reafbn ever after to dread the repetition \ of the fame misfortune. ' ' Cards or any kind of gaming, at all times, the worft of amule- ments, fhould be particularly avoided during pregnancy. The tem- \ per is then more liable to be .ruffled by the changes of luck, and '• the mind to be fatigued by conftant.exertions of the judgment and memory. Old maids, as I before dbferved, ire the omy dais of females whoinay be allowed to fpend fome of their tedious hours in ' • uc h abi nrd £nd fuch unheal th y paftimes. ADVICE TO MOTHERS. 13 Without entering into farther details, it will be eaty for the Tenuble mother, to apply the principle here laid down, to every pat- Con and propenfity which may tend to excite painftit emotions of the mind, and to impair in the fame degree the health of the body. Sheitmft learn to keep even natural defires within due bdnndsJeEt pleafure itfelf, if immoderately indulged, may produce fh6 feme effect as pain. Among many excellent hints to prfegnamt ladies contained in a Latin poem tranflated by Dr. Tytler,vte meet With the following juft admonitions: Subdue defircV; nor let your .troubled mind, lmmod'rate love, or fear, or fadnefs find : Give not yourfelvet e»'n to the nuptial jpy, f Or aught that may your ftrength or peace deftroy. And again, . . 1 . Curb each took dcfir?, Left added fuel quench the former fire : Left ye fliouldlol: the fruits of pleafure gone, And love itfelf undo what love had done. The enjoyments of the table mnft alfo be kept under the nice controul of moderation, in a ftate ef.pregnancy. Any excels, or any deficiency of proper fupplies, will now, be moft feverdy fdt.— T^e well being of\both the mother and child will depend on he* purfuiiig a happy medium between painful reftrairit or unneceffary felf-denial, oh the one hand, and the indulgence of a depraved or , intemperate appetite on the other. £ut, as the natural defireof aliment increafes.with the growth and increafing wants of the child, it will be proper to consider thofe variations as they appear in die ^liferent ftages of pregnancy ; and to fhew how far it may be alfo advifeable to gratify the involuntary, and often very wild and whimfical defires, which are known by the name of longings. Before I enter into particular details ccmcernirig the diet of pregnant ladies, I muft beg leave to urge with increafed esarrieft- rfefi my former general prohibition againft ftrong liquors, unripe fruits, paftry, and all forts of food that are high-feafoned, inflamma- tory, or hard of digeftion. If thefe are,improper before marriage, they muft be doubly pernicious afterwards, when they may not only injure the mother's health, but pbifort, infect, or impoverifh the fountain of life and nutriment, whence her cnild is to derive fupport. Every female, therefore, will fee the importance of guarding againft bad habits or the indulgence of a vitiated tafte. at an early period; that fhe may not have any painful reftraints to fubject herfdf to when a mother, or be then under the neceffityof making any great change from her farmer mode of living. I have already laid it down as a fixed principle, that a ftate of J>regnaicy is not a ftate of infirmity or difeafe, but of increafed enfibility; and that the changes Which a woman then feels in her- felf, though fometimes accompanied With a little pain or uneafinefs, are but notices of her fituation or Warnings againft indifcretton or intemperance. Let us now apply this principle to the regulations of diet, and we fhall find it to be the moft unerring guide to pregnant women in all their conduft, but more efpeaally in the choice and quantity of their food and drink. i4 ADVICE TO MO?HERS. The whole term of pregnancy may be divided into two nearly , equal parts, the one comprehending the four months that immedi- ately follow concep'icn, and the other, th» remaining five months that precede delivery. During t/.J firft period, when there is in moft women a ftrong tendency to an extreme fulnefs of the habtt, nature gives the plaineft cautions againft improper indulgence, by a we^knels of the ftomach, frequent r aturns of naufra and v mtt.ne?, head-?chs,#ccftivenefs; and the other fymptoms and dfefts of in- digefticn. It is a very abfurd and a very fatal nriftake, to fuppofe that women are then in greater need of n.unfiling things ; when, on the contrary, in confequence of the ceafing of the nunfes, and the redundancy of blood in the fyftem, the ftricteft temperance is not only proper, but abfolutely neceffary toprevent Hinds. When this is neglected—when no regard is" paid to the hihts of the ftate of the ftomach and of the whole habit, fo k;ndly given by nature, _ , bleeding becomes the only expedient to fave the life of thethought- tefs or obftinate glutton ; but fhe fhould remember, that it is her own intemperance which renders tha' operation advifeable. The alledged or fancied wants .f the child may be urged as a plea for fome little excefs, or an incitement to more than ordinary gratification', but the frivolity of fuch an excufe will appear, upon confidering, that the foetus, for the firft 'wo months, does not exceed ahen'segginfize,an.e early ftags of pregnancy, from an idea of the embryo's wanting fuch fupplies, would be al- ^ moft as frantic as to drown an infan' for the purpole of quenching , its fuppofcd thirft, or to gorge it even to burfting, in erder to fatisfy : the cravings of imaginary hunger. ^ J But the abfurd notion of the embryo's wants has been attend- ■ ed with incalculable mifchief of another kind—-it has given a Can- to the molt whimfical and the moft pernicious defires. Green-lick girls do not indulge in fuch filly and fuch hurtful fancies as many pregnant women -, yet the propenfrdes of the former are checked by the force of r dicule, of argument, or of authority, while tne Imgmgt '; of the latter bid defiance to all control; and it is even deemed tne t height of cruelty not to gratify them in their wildeft extent. _ To the candid difcuflion of this very interefting part of my fubject, I hope I need not reqMeft the ferious attention of e\ ery female reader. One of the natural confequences of conception is the ceafing of ths menfes, which is accompanied with a redundency of blood, ' greater or lefs in proportion to the previousifulnefs of the habit.— Such a fwell in the vital ftream gives rife to fever.fh appearances ; , fuch as heat in the palms of the hands, ftufhings in the face, and a AjjyiLJD. -iu MOTHERS. 15 flight head-ach. But the ftomach is moft affected by the changes which then take place in thewomb and the whole habit. It is often difturbed by the complaints already defcribed—naufea, vomi- ting, heart-burn, and the like. Thefe, as I faid before, are not fymptoms of indifpofition or difeafe, the moft healthy woman being as fubisct to them in the early months of pregnancy as thofe whs are delicate and infirm. It is thus that every mother receives timely notice of her fituation, with proper warnings not to overcharge tha ftomach, when its powers or digeftion are fo weak, and a mlnefs of the habit is fo manifeft. Unhappily all pregnant women are not alike difpofed to attend to thofe kind intimations of nature; and, perhaps, many of them do not know, that the uneafinds arifing from the above caufes would b,3 removed by perfeverance ir a temperate cooling diet.— They think they oug t to eat mere, inftead. of lefs, in their new ftate, and torture their invention to find out fomething to conquer the fqueamifhnefs n£ their appetite. This is a very fruitful fource of whims and fancies, the indulgence of which is almoft always in- jurious. It cann©t indeed be otherwife; as the weaknefs or dimi- nution of any womm's ufual appetite, on fuch occafions, is not a owing to a mere diflike of common or ordinary food, but to a real unfitnefs of the ftomach to receive much of any food. What then are we to expect, when things equally improper ,^ perhaps, both in quantity and quality, are forced upon it, to fatisfy fome artifidal craving, or fome imaginary want ? As foon as a woman begins to cpnfult her caprice, inftead of attending to nature, fhe is fure to be encouraged in abfurdity by old nurfes, or female goffips, who take a delight in amufing her creduli- ty by the relation of many wonderful and alarming injuries, laid to have been done to children, through the unfatisfied deijres of their mothers. Every fairy tale, however repugnant to common fenfe, gains implicit belief; for reafon dares not intrude into the regions of fancy ; and were a man bold enough to laugh at fuch fictions, or to remonftrate with a pregnant woman on the danger of giving way to any of her extravagant wifhes, he would certainly be con- Cdered as a conceited fool, or an unfeeling monfter. Argument is loft, and ridiculetias no force, where people pretend to produce a hofl of facts in fupport of their opinion. Every woman, who brings into the world a marked child, can immediately aflign the caufe ; yet no mother was ever able, before the birth, to fay with what her chjld would be marked and I believe it would be equallv difficul; afterwards, without the aid of fancy, to dif<~over in a flefh mark any fefemblance to the object whence the impreflion had been fuppofed to originate. On examining various inftances of flefh-marks, and other dreadful events, faid to be cauled by difippointed longings, it has appeared that moft of them were the effects of obftructions, of preffure, or fome ex*ern<>l injury; and that rone could be fairly traced to the influence of imagination. Similar accidents are ob- fervable in the brute fpecies : and even in plants nnconfeious of their prcpagation or'exiltence. It is alfo well known, that fevcral t ifr ADVltiE tb AfOTttERb children are borri with mafks;on thdr flc'ri, thbngh their mothers never expirieficedany.knging* ; and that, in ot>ier caies, wfiere wotceh had;b'e?n refufed'the indulgence of their longings, no effect was perceptible iri the child, though the mother's imagination had continued to dwdloiv the fnbject for a considerable time. The doctrine of imagination, like every thing founded in ab- lurdity, confutes itfelf by beflng cirried too far. The fame power ot marking or disfiguring the ^hild is afcribed to the Hidden terrors and the unratified cravings of pregnant women. The abettors of this doctrine are not even content with a few fpecks or blemifhes on the ifcin, but maintain that the mother's Imagination may take oft a leg or an arm, or even fracture every bone' in the child's body. I h.;ve fe'en a child born without a head ; but it was not alledged that the mother had been prefen? at the beheading of any perfon, or had ever been frightened by the fpectacle of a human body deprived of" its head. If fhockisg fights of this kind could have produced fiich effeite- how many headlefs babes had been born in France du« ring Robespierre's reign of terror ! In order to mew that the fancy, however agitated or ftrongly . imprsffed with the dread of any particular object, cannot ftamp its refemblance, or even the Imalleft feature of it on the child in the wom\ Dr. Mocre relates tht following ftory of a remarkable oc- currence within the fpfierfe of his own knowledge :— " A lady, who had grfeafc aver Son to monkies, happened unr fortunately, during the courfeof \i?r pregnancy, to vifit in a family1 where one of thofe animals was the chief favorite. On being mewed into a room, fhe feated herfelf on a chair, which flood before a table upon which the favourite was already placed ; he not natu- rally of a referved difpofitiori, and rendered more petulent and wan- ton by lonaptndulgence, fudderily jumped on the ladv's moulders. She fcreamed, and was terrified ; baton perceiving whohad treated her with fuch indecent familiarity, fhe actually fainted ; and trough the remaining courfeof her pregnancy, fhe had the moft painful conviction that her child would be deformed by fome {hock- ing feature, or perhaps the whole countenance of this odious mon- key. " The pangs of labour did not overcome this impreflion, for in ' the mtdft of her pains fhe often lamented the fate of her unfortu- nate child, who was doomed through life to carry about a human foul in the body of an ape. When the child was born, fhe called \ %o the midwife with a lamentable vo;ce for a fight of her unfortu- nate offspring, and was equally pfeafed and furprifed when fhe re- ceived a fine boy into her arms. After having enjoyed for a few minutes all the rapture of this change to eafe and happinefs from pain and mifery, her pains returned, and the midwife informed her that there was ftill another child. 'Another!' exclaimed fhe, then it is as I have dreaded, and this muft be the monkey after all. She was however, once more happily undecdved, the fecond was as fine a boy as the firft. I knew them both :—they grew tQ be ftout comely youths, without a trace of the monkey in either their faces or difpofitioas." ADVICE TO MOTHERS- i7 Hiving before enlarged on the dangerous effects of the p f-' fions, an 1 of fear in particular, during pregn-.-ncy, it cannot be fun-' poled that 1 loo>t upoi fn^ tful o1 -jects, fcenes of l1 error, or ay other caufes of a fudden fh ock, as meters of indiffer :nc\ On t :e contrary, I would have them very car -fully avidH, as ti.ey have often caufel abortion, :r otherwife injurei 'he health ooth of the mother and child,* though they cannot difooldur the lion, qerange the ih'nbs, or alter tne fhape of t'-^e latter, it is from this fitly ap- pr^henfion, i.i conlequence of any fright, th it I wifh to relieve the m;n 's oF credulous an:l turn:! poor wonen, who may do tnemlelves a real injury bv the dread of an imaginary evd. It was preciRy with the fame view that I endeavoured to ex- pofe thf aofuriitv of believing that flefh-marks on a child wrre th2 confequeoces of nis Mother's fancies or unf itisBed longings. This filly doctrine has beoo the caufo of great uneafmefs in many fami- li >s, and has >\3m •nuch milchief to feveral pregnant women, fo.ue- tim?s by-giving afoncti >n t -> the indulgence of their moitrnpr ^ptr whi-ns, and at other tidies by making them pine for extravagant unattainabh gratifications. Itis another gr-jit miftake to fuppofe that the prevalence of fuch a belief can anfwer any one good purpofe. Surely i.hr fictions of ignorance, fuperftition, or impofture, are not neceffary to fecure to women in a ^ ate of pregnancy, thofe kind compliance?, and that t^iernefs of treatment, which their fituation requires, 1 he fond huf b md will embrace wita eagemefs every opportunity of fupply- ing the ret wants of the wife now doubly dear to him, and ev»n of anticipating her fileat wifh for any rational enjoyment. But (he fhould alfo know, that the tyranny of caprice will prove no Lis in- jurious to herfelf than difagreeable to others. Let not pregnant ladies imagine that I am for confining the fphertr of indulgence within very narrow Ihnh s. I ftVuld he ro-re incline1: to enlarge than to contract its boundaries, as far as nature and re^.f -n would allow. I would not even be particul .>rly ftrkt, except in cares of evident danger. Willi- I difcntir god c-nr'cious defies or improper whims an U'anck", I w;niid diltr.v.uifh V em from /Wand involuntary longings, whicn aref onetimes occaffoned by that weaknefs and diforder of the ftomach fo ul'ual, as I b fore o Served, for three or four months after concept n. There can' e m doubt as to the cau'e of fuch lngints; for a fimiLr e7cct ;s kn->wn to take place at other times, a. d n t rnly in women, for in mn, when'heir ftomachs are weakened orod or drink, however ftrange it might feem, was a fymptotn of a favorable change in the compkint, and afure indication of return-. ing. health. CXi the fame principle, therefore, that rigid prohibitions or denials might be attended with much pain in a ftate ofpregnancy, a ftate of exquiiite fenfibil'ty, I ftrongly recommend a fpee 'y com- pliance not only with what may be deemed the natural and reafon- / able defires of the mother, but even with all her involuntary longings, which d ) not evi !ently arife from caprice, and are not directed to things of a noxious quality. T would pay little regard, for inftance, to the whim of fuch a lady as is reprefented by Simllet, longing for a hair from her hufband's beard, and, what was worfe, wanting to have the pleafure of plucking it out herfelf; or to the more dif- gufting wifh of another lady, defcribed by Addifon, who longed to partake with a flock of carrion-crows, which fhe law feafting on the fi\3fh of a dead horie. It would be alfo carrying my- plan of compliance too far to let a pregnant woman live chkfly on unripe fruits, raw oniens or any other acid and acrimonious fubp.ances ; which could not fail to in- jure her own health and that of her child. An opinion prevails that a woman in fuch a ftate can digeft every thing fhe lik 3S or lon^.s for; but, fuppofng this to be true, it does not. follow that living on trafh, or on improper articles of food'or drink, will n^t be detri- mental to the foetus in her womb. Slight or momentary deviations from th? rules of wholefome. di£t or ftrict temperance may be occa- Conally allowed, but perverfe habits are never to be indulged. I hope therefore it will not be deemed"needlefskfevereto recom- mend, in the early period ofpregnancy, a becoming check on abfurd or pernicious defires, and a moderate ufo of fuch things as havs been always found to agree with the ftomach and conftitution. I do not infia upon a total change from former modes of living ; bur, unlefs tne appstite be very much vitiated, it will- direct women at that time to what is moft proper and falutary.. They have general- ly a dillike to animal food ; and, if induced to eat it freely, from a miftaken notion of their being then in greater need of fuch aliment, they are rure to fuffer fome inconvenience;. On the contrary, their natural rdiftt fbr rio° fruits and boiled vegetables may be lately gratified. Milk, jellies, veal-broths, and the like liquids, which afford eafy nouriihrnent, being converted into chyle without any great ef- fort of the ftomach, are alfo very allowable. Should a particular defire for folid annual fub'lances be felt at dinner, frefh meat of the you'gand tender kind, veal, hmb, capons, pigeons, phealanfs, and £arti idges, may now and then afford an innocent and grateful varie- ADVICE TO MOTHERS. 19 ty. But T muft again beg, that temperance may always prefide at the table ; and that the refinements of cookery may never be exerted to raife a fall: appetite by artificial provocatives. While I am thus tracing the boundaries of rational indulgence* which lhould not be overflepped by thofe who have it in their pow* erto commaal every gratification, I fee alfo the neceffityof fome ad- monitions to women whofe narrow circumftances ma appear to re- quire no additional reflraint. It has been very truly obferved, that, in the loweit claiTes of fociety, efpecially in great cities, we often meet with a fort of luxury more banefui than any which prevails in high life—a luxury that confilts in the immoderate ufe of ftrong li- quors ; to which the mifcarriages, the fevers, and the deaths of fo many poor married women in London and other populous towns muit be afcribed. There is nothing, in fact, fo pernicious to the mo- ther, and to the foetus in her womb, as drinking ardent fpirits, efpe- cially when carried to excefs. It is adminiftering poifon to the em- bryo, and is certainly a fpecies of murder. The ta(U of fuch perfons is not more depraved with regard to their drink tiirn their food. The latter perverfenefs is indeed very frequently the confequence of the former. Spirituous liquors deftroy the natural appetite, and leave no relifli but for bacon, or other faked and fmoke-dried meats, fait fifii, or red herrings, than which nothing can be much more flimulating, inflammatory, and indigeflible. But fuppofe that their fondnefs for this word of aliment is not always the effect of fwallowing liquid fire, but of habit $ and that the ftomach, ftrertgthened by the hardy emp'oyments of fome of thofe poor wo men, may be able todigeft any thing ; why fhould its powers be ex* crted in fuch unproductive efforts ? A greater quantity of food is certainly requifite, in proportion to the greater quantity of labour } but let that food be of the moft wholefome kind. Plenty of vegetables, with the addition of a little frefh meat, will fatisfy every natural cra- ving, and will afford both the mother and child the pureft fupplieso£ health and vigour. After the fourth month of pregnancy., the growth of the fetus becomes very rapid, and the demands for nourifhment, made by a thriving child on the coutlitution of its mother, are proportioriabiy ftrong and inceflant. Nature now with, wonderful care, invigorates the organs of digeftion to anfwer thofe increafing demands.— The ftomach is no longer fo apt to be difordered as before 5 it* functions are performed with eafe and effect ; and a more liberal mode o£ living is not only allowable, but neceffary. All the reflraint which fhould be impofed is a little attention to the quality of the food. Provided it be cooling and nutritious, it may be ufed freely, and as often,as the appetite requires I need not repeat what I have already faid in favour of ripe fruits, boiled vegetables, milk, jellieo, veal-broth, and animal fubllances of the young and tender kind. The bill of fare may be enlarged rather than contracted at this time; and variety may be allowed to prefent her fweeteft ftor^3 to the tafte and fancy, but without the aid of any pernicious f-roni.ig. \ have-j\:ft hinted at the propriety of indulging the appetite as qo ADVICF. TO MOTHERS. often as the defire of food is ftrong! y felt. \~ \i even advifable to pre* vent importunate cravings. Emptinefs is more to be dreaded in the advanced ftages of pregnancy than a little e\eeft. Inflead, therefore of continuing my former prohibitions agiinft Cuppers, I would now recommend agreeable rcpatU, confiding of bifcuits, frait, oyfters, c,;'j;s. not boiled hard, or any other light food and ealy o< digeftion. But me it fuppers muft never follow a late or hearty dinner ; an un- feafonable load will opprefs the ftomach-; moderate fup"»l»es, on the contrary are neceffary to fatisfy the child's flrinuous demands for fuflenance, which do.not ceafe even by night. Tliefe>|if neglected, will caufe uneafy fenfationsin bed. and often prevent flesp. it is juftly remarked by Dr. Dennian, when fpeaking of tlus TeftlefTnefs, which is generally troublefome towards the conclufiou of'prcgnancy, that thofe women who furfer moft from it, though reduced in ;p« pearance, bring forth lufty children, and have cafy labours. ' But if the mother has little uneafineis, and grows corpulent during preg- \ nancy, the child is generally fmall ; and if the child fhould die before the time of parturition, the inquietude entirely ceases* In the firft cafe, as this judicious writer obferves, the abforbing pnwers of the child feem too ftrong for the parent: but in the latter, the retaining . powers of the parent are ftronger than the abforbing ones of the child ; fo that, on the whole, it appears natural that women fhould become thinner when they are pregnant. * One direction more is-peceilary with regard to fuppers. They fhould never be later than nine o'.clock ; after which an hour may be fpent in cheerful converfation, as the bed means of preparing for the enjoyment of found repofe. I hope that the cuilom of going to bed early, and of rifing early, which is one of the beft prefervatives of • .health at all times, wilrbe particularly adhered to during pregnancy. Women in this condition fhould not, upon any account, be tempted to fit up after ten, and they will find no difficulty in riling at C\$, though towards the concluficn of their term they may fafely remain an hour longer in bed every morning ■n my former hints to women before marriage, I pointed out the peculiar importance of open air and frequent exercife to females, who, in general, fpend too much of their time in domeflic and fedentary employments. I recommend a variety of active diver- sions both without doors and within, according to the ftate of the weather. I would have young ladies dance and jump about as much as they pleafe, and as nature wifely prompts. But, when thev become wives ?nd mothers, their deportment muft be different, or they will rifk the loft of ercnsclothing. It is not many years firce the fugar-kat fhape was ui iverfal- ly admired, and the'fmall wail!, though contrary to nature, was looked upon as the diftinguifhing mark of elegance Huf bands tiled often to make it their boaf,that wl en they nairied their wives, t'-ey could fpan tl em round tfe middle, it was then thought that nothing could produce a fine fhape but tight lacing, though it never failed to have the contrary effect. Not only c?f entity ^ win out me fure, but death itfelf was often the confequence. Ladies were known to drop down lifeiefs in the dance, when no other caufe^ could be ailigned but the tightnefs of the drefs. IViifcarriages were frequently cccafioned by the fame caule ; and various other inju- ries to the fcrtus muft have far exceeded all power of calculation. _ Yet, during the prevalence of fo flran^ean infatuation, while deformity was deemed beamy, all remonftrances on the fid ject wc uld have proved unavailing. It would then have been uf lets iq employ fuch arguments as now carry convctu n to the unprejudiced mind. We may at prefent cbferve, with the hepe cf being liftened to, that nature, when left to herfelf, gives every animal, except the fe that are formed for fwiftnefs,a prominency about the middle. If this is not only cempreifed, but the belly fqueezed clofe to tie byick-tcnr, obf ructions of the vifcera muf, enlue ; and no ^rtat knowledge of the human frame is neceffary to iatisfy any perfon, that fuch cbftructions muft prove fatal :o health. V. hen rne vef- fei? that take up and convey the ncunlt u-ent to the I cdy, have their functions by anv means impeded, the v»h. If fyf em mult iuf- l>r, and at length perifh' bv a gradual decay. But re t: in^ can lo eficciually impede fhe furaions of thofe feffparts as preflure. 1 he ftcmach becomes incapable of perfcrn irg the grand efface of di- geftion ; the midriff is forced upwards; the cavity of the ctuft is thereby leflened, and fiifticier.t room is i ot. left for a pr per play of rir lungs. A difl'cuity of breathirg, coughs, and pulmonary confumptions are the natural ccr.fequences. All thofe dangers eveafioned by tightcefs round the waift, are ob.vii ufh increafed during pregnancy, when the heart, the lungs, the V>or.-.?c;\ and allthe adjoining par's are in a ftateof tender fym- p?thy with the womb ; and when the growth cf the fxtus recelTa- rily i'-quires more room, as before ollerved, fcr eafy expanficn. To confine it at that period muft inevitably produce weaknefs. de- fcrmitv, or abortion. " Remember," lays the ingenious author 0i'Pttdotrophia, ' —-..... " Remrmber, not to gltd too t'ght Yc ur fweH p.k vii'il), though pleafirigto the fight; Nor, for a lb pe, within the flratgkicfTif >»< mb, Like Gaiiic mothers, the poor child entomb," ADVICE TO MOTHERS. 2$ But ycurg F.nglifh wives have cften been guilty cf the fame fr:d imprudence, not, indeed, fo much fcr the l?ke of '-flia.pt *'-.•< from impulles of falfe modefty, and fcr fear ct ap.pearii gtuhir m. decent, or too proud of the happy proofs of their ftcunciitv. I hope, however, that the days of felly and cf aoiu' ciity in thoferefpects are paft ; and that the evils, which were then io fre- quent, will cperate as a warning againft ai:\ p, lT.bh- reft, ration of that moft awkward and n.oii pernici u? contrivance calico jiays.— Let me alfo very earneftly f rbid tn. u'e or tight necklaces, tght garters, or any ligatures which may rtftraic the ealy mon,n ot the limbs, er obftruct the free circulate n of tie bl od and juices. I fhould farther cbterve, that i: is not enough to have dtceuumed the high-heeled fhoe, unl fs t e fhape of tht icot and toes is a little atr nded to. Trifling as this drcuciftar.ee may apre::\, the i tg- lect of it has often been attended nctcuiy witt pain, v. it. ciai ps, and with corns, but with many ftill mere diftreflmg ccrlequenccs. Of thefe I fhall have occalion to fpeak mere fudy iu my cbierva- tions on the drefs of cf ildren. To fum up in a few words the chief part rf my advice on t. is fubject to pregnant women, aid to the fair lex in gtrerai, i need ufe but a fingle alTertion, that a flov.iug riels, iuhamec by .he fh uide rs, and gently cemprtfied by a zone rci nd tie mie'die, w:th only as much tightnefs as is neat ary to keep the act: es in o n- tact with the bcey, ever was, and ever will be, the ra< ft healthy, comfortable, and truly elegant habit that females can wear, cr fan- cy invent. Ti e hints concerning cleanlinefs, which are given in the kfr. chapter, will be f'Und no lefs ufeful after marriage than before, with ti.isfirgle exception, that, during prtguai cy, lukewarm wa- ter is preferable to o id, not only for a total in merfion of ti e body, t m alio f:r partially lathing tie upper and lever extremities, mere efpecialiy the latter. 1 have, indeed, known many pregnant women, whe always ufed cold water on thele cecal ons, and who plunged into the lea two or three times a week durfcg the iu:-"?- mer months, without injury. Yet 1 think their example tcobcld, and too dangerous, to be recommended to general imitation. CHAP. III. A FEW REMARKS UN CHILD-BIRTH. I HERE is not any part of medical fcience which has been cultivated with greater aniduity, and finally vith greater fuccefs, than Midwifery. The errors of ignorance, the rafhuefs cf pre!lit p- tion, the amufng theories cf ingenious- farcy , have at lergth £.:\ra way to the unerring dictates of reafon and e>peikrce. By t; eie it has been clearly proved, that in every healthy srd well formed fubject, the powers cf nature ileue are fully adequate to the ac- ccnplifhment of hergreateft wcik, the prelervaticn cf the human 1 fpecies; and that thebufy irterferei ce -of a nan is i: ere 11 ely to cifturband iapede tlan to c£ft htr eficits. "V\hatcver cifkieur n6 ADVICE 10 MOTHERS. ces of opinion may prevail on other points merely fpecnlative, al •well-informed practitioners are now agreed in this, that the regu- lar procefs of a labour muft never be hurried on by artificial means, , nor interrupted by the meddling hand of inflifcretiou cr cirkioufnefs. It is painful to reflect on the numbers that mufr. have perilhrd, •while a contrary method was purfued. People had taken it into their heads, that a woman io labour could not ufe loo much exer- tion on her own part, nor be too much aided by others, to quicken i delivery. In the poem before referred to, this notion is inculcated in the form of medical precept. The poor woman is these defired '* To grafp fome ftrone fjppnrt with a'the* pow'r, ] " T' increate her efforts in that painful hour." A happy revoluticn has now, however, taken place in the fyf- ' tern of midwifery; and the moft eminent profeftcrs have made it the firft object of their public duty to reprobate the abominable cuftora of giving a£ifiance* as it was called, by dilating the internal and external parts artificially ; and of exciting patients, not only by \ the ftrongeft perfuafions, but by theftimnlus of hot cordials, to hip themfelves, as they termed it, and to exert all their voluntary force beyond the dictates of nature ; " as if," fays Dr. Denman, " a la- ; bour was a trick to be learned, and not a regular prucefs of the confiitution." ' Though the writer now quoted, and many others of no lefs ' celebrity* have omitted nothing of importance in their directions both to midwives and lying-in women, yet as their books, from being deemed works of profeflional fcience, are feldom read by the latter, I fhall felect a few of their moft ufeful remarks, and exhibit them in the plaineft form I can, to guard women in labour againft the fatal confequences of their own errors, or the improper advice ; which may be given them by others. On the firft figns of approaching labour, pregnant women are too apt to take alarm, and inftantly prepare as for a work of the : greateft toilfcnd danger. Their fears are as groundless as their preparation is unneceffary. If they have nothing to injure their , health during the previous ftate ofpregnancy, they may rely with perfect confidence on the admirable refources of nature. "Wi.en left to herfelf, her efforts are always adapted to the conflitution e 1 the patient, and to the ftate of thofe delicate and acutely fenfible parts, which v/ould fuller the greateft injury from fudden or ill- timed violence. All that is required of women in labour, is a be- coming fubmifiion to her courfe of operations. The fteps, by which fhe advances to her great end, are fometimes flow, but ak ways iafe; and fhe is not to be hurried or difturbed, with impu* city. It is true in almoft every fituation, but particularly in child- birth, that thofe who are moft patient actually fuffer the leaft. If they are refigned to their pairs, it is impcftible for them to do wrong ; tut if, from too much eagernefs to fhorten thofe pains and to haften the final effect, a woman fhould keep in her breath, and Sraia with all her might to increafe, as fhe may imagine, the *xa* ADVICE TO MOTHERS. iy ftinctive action of the womb, the confequences muft always be in* jurious, and often fatal. in the firft place, fuch improper efforts of the patient may e*. haufl her ftrength, fo as to render her incapable of undergoing the neceffary fatigue which attends the complete expulfion of the child. On the other hand, if the parts are not duly prepared, violence is irure likely to tear than to dilate them ; and accidents of this kind have often occafioned a fever, or have rendered a woman miferaoie for the remainder of hzr life. The imprudence of takin; hot and cordial nourifhment during labour^ is no lefs reprehenfihk. In plethoric habits, it muft have a feverifh effect : in any conftitution,it is at that time a dangerpus ilimulant. The nature of the principle which fhouid a£luate the womb, is immediately changed ; the pains are rendered diforderly and imperfect ; 'and the foundation of future mifchief and difficulties, in fome form or other, is invariably laid. A labour may be fo flow, or of fuch Jong duration as to lender a little refrefhment from time to time usceffary ; but this fhould always be of a mild and cooling qual- ity, the very reverie of inflammatory food or fpirituous liquors. I have already intimated, that in all ordinary cafes, the chief du- ty of a midwife is to let nature take her regular courfe without bufy interference ; to reflrain, rather, than encourage the exertions of the patient's ftrength -, and, when thefe may be involuntarily carried too far from the impulfe of acute pain, to refill them by the application cf fome equivalent force. But I am forry to add that the contrary method is too often purfued. efpecially by practitioners in country places, where the patients are fo widely fcattered, that difpatch is the firft object of confideration, and the dictates of humanity are difre- garded from flronger views of intereft. The moment an order comes for the man-midwife, he packs up his bag of tools, which may Se jultly called the inftruments of death: he mounts his horfe and gal- lops away, refolved to haflen the procefs by all practicable means, that he may be the fooner ready to attend to another cM. At what- ever ftage pf labour he arrives, he fpurs on nature with as much ea- gernefs as he before had fpurred on his horfe, though the clofely et twined fives of the mothei and her offspring way be endangered by his precipitancy. Yet fuch, perhaps is the impatience pf the poor woman herfelf, and fuch very often the ignorance of the by- ftanders, that the quicker he is in getting through his work, if no obvious injury be done at the moment, the greater reputation he un- defervedly acquires, and the more he enlarges the fphere of his mur- derous practice. Inftruments are fometimes neceffary, but they ihould be ufed as feldom as poffible. One method of preventing the evils which muft always arifc from the hurry of profeffional men, would be to pay them more lib* erally for their patient attendance. They have nothing but the full employment of their time to truft to for the means of fupport; and it is juft that they fhould have an adequate compenfation for fo valuable ^(aerifice. ftujt w this cannot be generally c-peded. I would rccorn- z* ADVICE TO MOTHERS. ■send the cheaper encouragement of feni.de iviilwives, none of whom fc©weYer,ought to be permitted to pracV.cc, without a reyuar licence, •rtrtaiticc!—not by money—but by proofs of real qualifications, i uth jitrfons could fpare more time, and wouici be found much fitter af- irtfants to lying-in women, than any furgeon, whatever may be. his ftill or talents. 1 do not infill on the pr.int of delicacy, but of abso- lute fafety, being perfuaded that hundreds of lives are deitroyed iot one that is preferred by the ufe of inftruments in labour. At fuch times alfo, it is highly improper tp ..emit any perfon but tSe midwife and a difcreet nurfeinto the apartment. to fay noth- ing of the noxioufnefs of the breath and perfpiration of ftveral people in a clofe room, the officious folly, the filly tattle, the inconfiderate language, the fluctuating hopes and fears of fo many goffips, muft be productive of the very worft effects. Let me, therefore, conjure |ffegnant women never to comply with the requefl, however well meant, of their female friends, tobefent for at the moment of la- bour ; they are fure to do fome harm ; it is impoflible they can do any good. The patient will find quittnefs and compofure, of far greater fervice than the noify rallying round her of her frientis, to ivaken and cherifh the idea of danger. After delivery, when repofe is the chief reftorative of fatigue^ " »ature, and when the purity of the air in the patient's chan ber is the %e& prefervative from fever, the exclufion of vifitants muft be (fill pore firongly infilled upon. The whifper of fond congratulation from the man fhe holds dear, and whom (he has made happy, is all tliat fhould be allowed even for a moment. "With the fame view of quieting any flutter of the fpirits, and of preventing the uneafinefs vhich a mother naturally feels from the cries of her child, the opera- tion of wafhing and dreffingthe infant fhould for a few days be per- formed in an adjoining room. "^ As the pains pf labour, however regular in its progrefs and hap- py in its iffue, muft produce fome irritation in the fyilem, and a ten- dency to fev» external quietnefs, and perfect compofure of mind as teeli as of bpdy, are certainly the firft objects. But our care fhould he extended to fome other points alfo. Too much attention cannot be paid to cleanlinefs ; all impurities are to be inftantly removed. It is equally neceffary to change the linen often, on account of its retain- tr.g the perfpirable matter, which would foon he thrown back into the habit, and there produce the worft effects. Whenever the weather permits, the upper fafhes of the windows are to be let down a little to admit the freih air ; yet fo as net to expofe the patient to its direct current, for fear of checking the gentle and falutary perfpiration, which naturally follows the fatigue of alabour}ve rife to my former affertion, however harfh it may found in the ear of fafhionable perverienefs. ' But I can with equal confidence affurejthe fond parent, faith- ful to her truft, and eager to cherifh her infant with the vital fluid which nature has kindly given her for that purpofe, that nothing * eife can fo effectually promote hsr recovery from child-bed, the [■ fpeedy return of good health, and the long continuation of that i-i- valuable bleffmg. Befides, all nurfes concur in declaring, that the act itfelf is attended with fweet, thrilling, and delightful feafatior.s ©f which thofe only who have felt them can form any idea. I have already admitted, that a mother may be prevented frcrn giving ruck, bv fome particular weaknefs- or diforder; and i.? touching on the fame fubject in another work, I obferved that wo- men of delate confutations, fubject to hyfteric fits, or other ner- vous affections, made very bid nurfes. Left that remark nrght give too great a fcope fo excufes, on the ground of pretended weak- nefs-or delicacy, T added, that evry mother who cculd, ought cer- tainly to pe^irmfb render and agreeable an office. I now go far- ther, and maintain that "very ^oraan, who is not able and willin;-; to difcharge the diries of a mother, has no right to become one- The fr.me perfonai defect, or ronftitutional intirmity, whici may difquaiifv her for nurfing, ought to be confidered as an equally ftrong difqu-hTicatcn for marrying. But if, after marriage, ?:y fubfequent difcafr or accident fhould^ render the difcharge of :i mother's firft duty irr^racticable or dangerous, fhe is, in fuch caf as only blamelefs for calling in the aid of another to tackle her chi'.i. In the next chapter, I fnali ::ave.oco3fionto fpeak of the £i1m. tarv effects of the mother's milk on ths new-born infant. The? aim of my prefent obferyations is c-rccn-'^.^lyirg-in v.-ri',v.cv., that 32 ADVICE TO MOTHERS. tr.e Pre* ant natural dif-hvrge ofth.it precious current U effect',d n * he-r o vn health and fafety. Blf as f - trie young mo hers, how- i tver well-inch^el, may'be difcou-aged fro n p^rfeBering in their . at*.* np's to g;ve fuck, by the difficulty, awkwardo-fs or p;e, n- tn.Vng the (>ft exp^rim nts, 1 fhall fubjoin for their direction in f rh cafes, a fe«v rules laid down by the moft approved writers.on midwifery. Tee at adv'.c* eivea bv thofe eminent practitioners is, to put the c'.itH to the ore-'ll a< ftnn a*ter delivery and duerepofe as the ' ftrjrir'h of the mother .vill perm'r, care having been prt:vioufly ta- k.»n to wi'h the bread* with a little warm milk and water, in onhr rorem >ve the bitter, v'.fcid fubtance, which is furnifhed round t^e n»oole to lefend fhe pa-ts from excoriation or forenefs, Wh?n t:a ato an ". *.s n ver nurfed before, the nipples at firft are f->me- tine1. not fufhVi^ntly pr rninent to aifirda proper hold for' the ca '■ \ rhe en is alfo of the fuall tubes through which the m'lk rr-Tc*, •""■i contracted, to prevent its flowing out fpontaoeoufly.-^l F.--> n thefe circumftances, as well as from the inexpertnefs, botH ;>J or*he mother md the infant, fome pain and difficulty may aril'3. t*uf ae ronmoo practice, of having the breads drawn bv an old c'r>'\ ■, or f-)Tue grown perfon, is deemed improper, becaufe the de- •tr- e Sf viohnce uredon thefe occafions will often irritate and en. <: ■". ne 'he p^rts, an 1 frighten the woman againft the renewal of fuch * •) t -Ful experiments. Much gentler means will produce the defired' ' e feet. Fee breats tioula* be fomented with flannels dipt in wa-rn wtT; an 1 then a glafs or ivory cup, mounted on a bag of ehftic gum, ought to be apphed in fuch a manner to the nipple, that it wail draw it out gentlv and gradually, while by moderate preffure on the fides of the breaft with the hands the milk will be pufhed forward. In obiiinare cafe?, inftruments of more attractive p wer may beufed, though with caution, f r fear of ir.juri g he bre-lt. ., If ihe difticulty be notowhg to a flat efs of »he nipple (upon the principal caule of which I before hazarded a c njecture) but to a li'tie rigiditvof the milk-veffels, noth;ng more is "e-eff'rv h:m the warm fomentation above recommend-^. The ft iff-ef? or con- tractions of the ends of thole fhe tu'es vv:ll gradually viel! t the r~oJ ; but every tiling degenerates in the hands of man. This is particularly trde of the human fpecies. If the mother du- ring pregnancy, has jot fuffered any injury from accident, or from her own imprudence; and if, after the acceflion of labour, neither fhe wx the midwife has dillurbed or impeled the efforts or nature ; the offspring of 'irong and healthy parents is fure at the birth to be well foraied, healthy and vigorous. Any inftances to the contrary arefo rare and extraordinary, as alraoft to leave fome doubt of the poffibiiity of fuch an eve it; yet it appears front the belt calculations, that at lead one half of the children born, die before they are twelve years old. Of the furviving half at that period, how many perifn before they attain to maturity! How many others are dinted in their growth, diftorted in their figure, or too much enfeebled ever to enjoy the real fweets of life! What a train of ills feem to await the precious charge, the moment it is taken out of the. hinds of nature! But as the moft of thefe calam- ities are the confequences of mifmanagement or neglect, I fhall en- deavour to fhew how they may be prevented by tender and ra- tional attention. SECTION I. Of the influence of Air on the Health and Lives of Children. THE firft want of a new norn infant is clsariy manifefted by its cries, not a^fing from any fenfe of pain, but from a ftimulous or imoulfe to expand the lungs, and therebv open a free paffige for the circulation of the blood, and foradmiflion of air, foeffential to the exidence of every living creature. While the child lay in the womb, its lungs were in a collapfed or fhrivelled ftate ; it received all its fupplies through the medium of the naval ftring. But at its birth a very obvious change takes place. The pulfation or throbbing of this cord firft ceafes at the remote"; pars and then by flow degrees, nearer and nearer to the child, rill th" whole ftring becomes quite flaccid, all circulation being confined to the body of the infant. It is then that the cries of a healthy child are heard; in confequence of which the air rufhes into the lungs, their tubes and cellular fpaces are dilated ; the bof m heaves; t .e cavity of the cheft is enlarged ; and the blood flows with the utmoft eafe.—- But as the air paffes out, the lungs again collapfe, and the ccurle of the blood receives a momentary check, till a frefh influx or in- fpiratioh of air in concurrence with the action of the heart and arter es, renews the former falutary procefs, which never ceafes during life. The air thus inhaled, after imparting its vital properties t3 the whole frame, takes up the perfpirable ma'ter conftantly uTtvng from the interior furface of the lungs, and carries off, on its expul- (3J 34 ADVICE TO MOTHERS. fion, a confiderable part of the noxious and fuoerfluotis humors of J the body. Its purity is of courfe deftroyed, an-1, in confequence of being frequently breathed, it becomes unfit for refpiration. In 1 a confined place, therefore, it is not air we inhale, but our own * effluvia; and evrv other caufe, which tends to wafte or pollute the air, renders it in fome degree injurious to the ftrength and i health of thofe who breathe it. m . In this account of one of the ry>ft important of the vital func- tions,! have 2 voided the minute del ails of anatomical feience, which would indeed, have made it more accurate, but lefs intelligible to the generality of my female readers. I thought it far better to explain to them in as familiar language as I could, the caufe of an infant's cry at the moment of its birth, with the hope of rendering ' them attentive to the purity of what pature foftrenuoufly demands. The quality of the air we breathe, is of much greater confequence | than our food or drink, at everv period of life, but particularly in j infancy, a ftate of the utmoft delicacy and weaknefs. Good air traces, bad air relaxes, the tender frame ; the former is a fource of health and vigour, the latter of infirmity and difeafe. It fhould therefore' be the firft object of a pregnant woman's care, to fecure, at leaft for the timeof her lying in, a wholefome fituati- n. Inftead of flving from the country to town, as manv .do, l fhe fhould fly from town to the country. If her circumftances j will not admit of this, fhe muft fix her abode in as open and airy a ftreet as fhe can, and at as great a diftance as poffible from noife, from tumult, and from thofe nuifances which contaminate the at- mofphere of great cities. Let her apartments be lofty and fnacious, dry rather than warm, and expofed to the fun's morning ravs. I have already explained the importance of cleanlinefs, and of occa- ' fionally letting down the upper fafhes of the bed-room windows in , fine weather, to admit frefh air, and to prevent fever. An atten- i tion to thefe points is not lefs neceffary on the new-born infant's ace mnt, than on his mother's. Let not the firft air he breathes •;« be foul from confinement, too much rarefied by heat, or charged ;' with any noxious exhalations. The mild temperature to.which he has been ufed in the womb, renders it very proper to preferve for fome time the'fame moderate degree of warmth in his new place of re(idence. But he is not on that account tobe roafted before a great fire, of kepi panting in fteam and pollution. , \ If the room be kept properly ventilated and free from impu- , rity, the infant will foon get hardy enough to be taken out into the ooeu air, not only without the leaft danger, but with the greateft advantage ; provided always that the feafon of the year, and the nVe of the weather, encourage fuch early experiments. A month , ; fpenr within doors, is confinement long enough in armeft every ' ( rnfa ; end the nurfery is then to be frequently exchanged, for green fiVds and funov eminences. There your child will drink, as it •«v.--re, the vi« a! ftr°am pure from its fource; he will draw in at » vtv breath-irefn fupplies of ftrr-Dgth ar.d alacrity; while the bra- tine; ?Kt~n of the air on the furface of his bedy, will give a de- gr;e of firmaeis unattainable by ar^ other neans. ADVICE TO MOTHERS. 3 $ In the conrre of a tew months, the ftate of the weather need not be much regarded ; and its unfavorable changes, unlefs toe h^at or cold oe inrenfe, muft not operate as a check on thofe daily excurfions from toe nurfery. Our climate is Very fickle ; we fhall futer muci from its rapid variations, if we are not freely expoled to them in early life; do not therefore facrifice the future comfort and fafety of the grown man, to miftaken tendernefs for the infant. If vour child be accuftomed from the cradle to go out in all weath* ers, he will have nothing to fear from the bleak north, or the ful- try fouth, but will bear every change of feafon, of climate, and of atnmfplv re, not only without danger, but without pain or incon- venien e. Whr*. is here faid of the importance of freftiair, and of fre- quent exoofure to all forts of weather, in early life muft derive ad- di' ional weight from a confideration of the bad effects of confine- ment md of ui wholetome air upon children. Thi* part of the fubject is pretrv fullv difcuffed in my "D mefticMedicine. I there ex?la;«i-d the reafon why fo few of the infants that are put L.to hofpitals or parifn work-houfes live. Such places are generally crowded with old,ficklv, and infirm people, by which means the air is rendered To extremely pernicious, that it becomes a poilon to young children. I alfo took notice of one of the worft aniicb/y s of poverty in great towns, where the poorer fort of inhabitant s live in low, dirty, confined h^ufes, to which -ne freftiair has nardly any 'accefs. Though grown oople, who are aardv and ro^uit, may live in ftrh fixations, yet they generally prove fatal to their oft- fpring, few of wnora arrive at maturity, and thole who do are weak a .d deformed. ■ ft - While I was countering the hard lot of the poor, moit 01 whofe children perifh oecaufe the wretched parents are not m a condit'on to take them often out into the open air. 1 could not bur obferve tlr>t the rich were without any excufe for neglecting f> effential a part of thsir duty. It is their bnfinefs to lee -hat their children be daily carried abroad and t:^at they be kept n 'he open air for a fuffiVient time. This will always fucceed better, it the mother goes along with them. Servants ar^ often negligent in thefe matters, and allow a child to fit or lie on the damp ground, inftead of leading or carrying it about. The mother lurely nreJ air as-well as her children, and how can fhe be better employed than in attending them ? _ ,.___' In the fame chapter, I had farther occafipn to cenfure a very bad, though a very prevailing cuftom, of making children lleep 10 fmall apartments, or crowding two or three be s ffitoone cham- ber. Inpaead of this, the nurfery and the fleepmg rooms ought always to be the lar^eft and moft airy apartments in the hcuie.-- When children arefnut up in fmallrooms, the air noit only^becomes unwholefome, but the heat relaxes their lohds render them deli- cate, and difpofes them to colds, and manv other disorders, partic- ukry"fthec-nvu!fivekind. All medical men, who have had nurfi practice in the treatment of children, agree in cramon, that SSvulLn-fi s,of which fo many infants die, are to be chiefly aicn. 36 ADVICE TO MOTHERS- bed to a confined and impure air. I wifh to imprefs this truth oa the minds of mothers and nurfes, to m^ke thern fenfible of the dan- ger of fmall or clofe rooms, and of the pernicious folly of covering an infant's face in bed or the front of its cradle, and thereby nu- king it breathe the fame air over and over all the time it lleeps. It may be of no lefs confequence to repeat and enforce my cautions to parents againft fending their children, while very yc ung, or indeed at any age, to crowded fchools, the atmofphere of which is really a floating mafs of putrid effluvia. The breath and perfpi- ration of fo many perforts in a room, even fuppofing them all to be in good health, muft wafte and corrupt the air, deftroy its vital properties, and of courte render it wholly unfit for the fupport of animal life'. But fhould any one child happen to be d'rfeafed, all the reft are very likely to catch the infection. When I fee a poor baby, before it can well walk, carried in a nurfe's arms to fchool, 1 really feel ftronger emotions of pity, and of alarm for its fafety, than if I had fee»> it conveyed to a peft houfe. In the latter place, Children would be kept feparate, and proper means would be ufed to prevent the fpreading of contagion ; in the former, all are thrown together, and there remain with relaxed lungs, open pores; and (learning bodies, fo as to render it almoft impoflible for- any to efcape. As thoufands of children die every vear, the viaims of difeafes caught at fchools, and as the health and conltitutions of ftill greater i numbers are irretrievably ruined by the confinement and the tad air of fuch places, parents muft not be offended at the feeming harfhnefs of my language in reprobating fo abfurd, fo cruel, and fo unnat- ural a practice. I know that as foon as children begin to run about, they require the moft watchful care to prevent mifchief—Will- any mother urge tHis as a reafon for being tired of them, and for confining,' as It were in flocks, that reftlefs aaivity which is wifely defigned by nature to promote their growth and vigour ?—Will fhe, from a wifh to fave herfelf fome trouble, or to gain time for other bufinefs infinitely lefs important fend her little babes to fchool, under the filly pretence of keeping them out of harm's way ? I hope what I have already faid is fufficicnt to convince perfons of com- mon underflanding, that they cannot be expofeel to greater harm, than by being fixed to a feat in the midft of noxious fteam for fix cr feven hours a day, which fliould be fpent in the open air and cheer- ful exercife. Should it be alledged, that children arc fent young to fchool, from a becoming zeal for their'early improvement, I need only reply, that learning, however defirable, is too clearly bought at the expenfe oftheconftitution. Befides, learning can never be acquired by fuch prepofterous means. Confinement and bad air are not lefs injurious to the mind, than to the body ; and nothing fo effectually prevents the growth of the intellectual faculties, as premature up. plication. Sending a child to fchool in his nurfe's arms, is the fure way to make him an ideot, or to give him an unconquerable dif. gi>Ct to hooks : the only book he fhould then look at, is the great vol- ume of tut tire* This is legible at every age, and is as gratifying to ADVICE TO ^OTHERS. 37 a child as to a man : i t abounds with the moft delightful and moft ufeful information : It is equally conducive to pleafure, health, and knowledge. A thouf and abfurdities in the fafhionable modes of education prefent themfelves now to my view ; but I muft only take notice of errors in the phyfical treament of children ; and furely no error of rhis fort can be more Teprehenfible, than that which I have been juf\ defcribing. Debility of body and mind is the certain confequence of fending very young children to fchool i and of fending them, at , any age, to crowded or confined fchools. The terms of inllruction are in general fo low, that a matter or miflrefs of a fchool is obliged to take a great number of fcholars, in order to get a living ; and can feldom afford to rent a fpacious room in an open and elevated fitua- tion. Yet not only this is asabfolutely neceffary for health, but a large play ground alfo, where even day-fcholars fhould be permitted to go out frequently to talte the frefhnefs of the vital breeze. The plants of genius and of manhood canpot flourifh but by frequent ex- pofure to the enlivening rays of the fun. SECTION II. Of warm and cold Bathing. IN obferving the regular fucceflion of an infant's wants, after the fupply of air procured by its firft cries, its feeming unc.leanlinefs attracts our notice. The fkin appears covered with a flippery glue, which foon dries and forms a kind of fcurf. This fhould be waflied off very gently with a foft fpunge and warm water, having a little foap diffoived in it. Nurfes, in general, are as' eager to remove ev- ery fpeck of it, as if it was the molt offenfive impurity, though it is perfectly harmlefs, and will ealiiy. come away in three or four wash- ings, without the danger of hard rubbing, or the aid of improper, and fometimes very injurious, contrivances. Ointments or greafy fubflances cannot fail to fill up the little orifices of the pores, and to put a ftop to infenfible perfpiration. Spirits of any kind are fti!l worfe, on account of their inflammatory effect.—Even Galen's advice tofprinkle the child's body with fait, that the glutinous matter may be more effectually rubbed off, is at bell unneceffary. I have* no . particular objection to the modern improvement on that hint, which confifts in difiblving fait in the warm bath, with a view of giving it . the agreeab*e flimulus, as well as the cleanfing and bracing properr ties of fea-water ; but I would not encourage any folicitude in this refpect, as the eafieft and fimpleft mode of proceeding willfully an- swer the dcfired end. Irfthe hardy ages of antiquity, we are told that the Germans ufed to plunge their new born infants into the freezing waters of the Rhine, to inure them betimes to the fevere cold of their native country. I need not take any pains to point out the danger of fol- lowing fuch an example in our times, when mothers and nurfes afe too apt to run into the oppofite extreme of unnerving effeminacy. Jn this, as in every thing elfe, the golden mean is the line of wif- dom—the line to be purfued oy rational aflec?. ic«. . It vculd c - 38 ADVICE TO MOTHERS. extremely hazardous to dip the tender body of a child, reeVng from the womb, in o Id water, and to keep it there during the ne- | ceifary operation of warning ; but the ule of the cold bath may Ke J] fafely brought ao ut by egreesin five or fix mouths after the b:m, i and will then be found not only one of ti e bell means cf promo- ,j ting health and ftrength, but of preventing alio many of the moft y diftrefhng complaints to which children are fubject. Ti e f Mowing I method 1 can confidently recommend, having had frequent oppor-1 tunities of obferving its huutary effects. . I The temperature uf the bath proper for a new-born infant,! fliould approach neariv that of the fituation uhich h' has juft quit- il ted. It is proper to acquaint thofe who may not hnvc an inftiii- I ment to afcertaiu the degree of heat, that abffute precifionin flat I refptct ir by no means neceffary ; their feelings will inform thera with fufficient exaanefs wh«i the w^.ter is rdther warmer than 1 new milk ; a little folution wf foap, as I before obierved, is; all f that is wanted to increafe its foftn-fs and its purifying effect. The » operation of warning fhould bt performed in a veffel large enough , to allow room fcr the expanfion of the infant's limbs, and for ealiiy difcovering any defeaiu its ftrufture, kt any accent which rnay :. ave happened to it during labor : either may be often reme- died by timely care, but may become incuraple through delay or: pegkct. The child fhould not be kept in the bath longer than five or fix minutes; and the moment it is taken out, it fhould be wrap- ped up in aloft warm blanket, and there kept for a tew minutes in a ftate cf gentle motion. ( i would not have any difference made, either in the tempera-, ture of the bath, or the time of the infant's continuance in v., tor the firlt month. The uncleaniinefs ot young children renders be- j quent warning neceffary. It fhould be the firft object of a:te: ti n J in the mcroing, and the laft at night; but it fhould not be perform- J ed with a full Ebroach, even when the child receives all its upphei| from the breaft. i his is the only caution v hich need be added tol thole already given concerning gentlenels in the manner of wafh- ■ ing, fpace enough in the bathing veffel, and ftrift care to wipe the child dry, and wrap it warm the irftant it is taken out of the bath, when expofure to cold would be doubly dangerous from the natuv rai delicacy of the infant, and from the immediately preceedihg tvarmth, and the opennefs cf the pores- ' , , After the firft month the warmth of the water may be Ieffened, , but almofi imperceptibly, fo as to guard againft the r?!k of fudden cr.anges crtoc rafh experiments. The mildnefsof the weather and ■* the evident increafe of the child's- ftrength, muft be taken into con- i fideration ; for, though cold water is very Serviceable in bracing weak and relaxed habits, yet, if tried too focn, its (limuljs on the furl ace may be too ftrong, and the powers of reaction within too \ weak, fo that the worftconfequences may fellow. Thtie will be prevented by a gradual diminution cf the temperature of the. wa- ter, and by clofe attention to its effec~h, when reduced nearer and ftiii nearer to a flate of cc.ldnefs. If imrcerfion in the bath le qr.ick- ly followed by a glow all over the bedy, and a rtrceitilit ii\tli-' ADVICE TO MOTHERS. 39 nets in the child, we may be fure that the water has not been too coid for his conftitution, and that we have proceeded wth due care.—But fhould it produce chilkaed', evident laegour, and de- preftion, we muft make the water a little warmer next time, and not venture upon the cold bath until we are encouraged by more fav rable appearances. It would tend rather to increafe than to clear up the doubts of mothers and nurfes, were I to enter into a detail of all the infirmi- ties and difeafes, in which the cold bath would be fervicable or in- jurious, not only during infancy, but at a more advanced period of life. There are many nice diitinclions in a variety of complaints, where the greateft medical fkill and experience are neceffary, tode- . cide on the propriety or impropriety of reforting to fo powerful, but at the fame time fo hazardous, a remedy. 1 muft, however, forbid its ufe in complaints of the bowels; affections of the lungs ; erup- tions on the infant's fkin; aad in cafes of extreme weaknefs, indi- cated by the beforementioned fymptoms of chillnefs and apparent bis of ftrength and fpirits after immeruoo. With fuch reuraints on indUcreet rafhnefs, it is hardly poffible that a woman can do wrong m purfuicg the plan which 1 have pointed out, for reducing the warmth of the water by very flew and alrncft imperceptible degrees, till it can be employed quite cold with fafety and benefit. There is do doubt but a great deal, of mifchief has refulted from the too early and injudicious ufe of the cold bath. I perfect- ly agree with Dr. Underwood in his equally fenfible and humane re- mark, that " to fee a little infant, three or four days old, the off- ipring perhaps of a delicate mother, who has not ftrength even to fuckle it, wafbed up to the loins and breaft in cold water, expofed for feverai minutes, perhaps in the midlt of winter (when children are more inclined to dileaie than thofe born in fummer) itfelf in one continued ftream, and the fond mother covering her ears under the bed-clothes, that the may not be diftreffed with its cries, has ever itruck me as a piece of unneceffary fevsrity, and favors as little of kindnefs, as plunging an infant a iecond or ihird time into a tub of water, with its month open and gafping for breath, in the old-fafh- ioned mode of cold bathing : both of which often induce cramps and pains in the bowels, and weaknefs of the lower extremities, but rarely an increafe of ftrength." I hope the advice whicn 1 have given refpecting the proper temperature of the bath during the firit months of infancy will op- erate as a check on the " unneceffary fever:ty" fo juftly cenfured in the firft part of this obfervatiou. But the error pointed out in the cid-iafhiuned mode of cold bathing, may not be fo eafily corrected,' ' uniei's fome ftrong and clear rcalons are aiiigned for dilcontinuiag uie dangerous part of that practice. Women fhould therefore be informed that the immediate effect of imraerfion in cold water, at any age, is a 1'udden ^ccn traction of the pores and blocd veffels of the ikiu, ind a general repuliion or • throwing back of tne fluids towards the internal' parts., Thedul- * ling feniation excites trie meft vigorc us t lie r.s cf the organ s cr life, / particularly the heart and arteries, to in< reaie the heat within the ^ 4* ADVICE TO MOTHER?. body, and refif' the fhcck given ic the fnrfgce. This is what rs called acticn and re-action, the degree cf the latter being always iu proportion to the violence of the former, acd to the f rergth ot the cmftitution. Hence arifes that delightful glow, which follows the firft impreffion of cold : acd, fo far, the full play of the vital organs is as pleafart as it is falutary. But, as the increafed heat foon paflfs off from the body, if it be continued in the water, or taktn cut and directly plunged into it again, the animal powers are liable to be exhaufted by inceffant or repeated efforts to produce mere heat and to overcome the acticn of the external cold. Grown perfors ' |iave off en experienced the fatal confequences of too leng a flay in • the water. What then muft the effects of a fecond and third dip be* upon the tender and delicate frame of an infant, whofe vital powcf is proportionally feeble ? Befides the riik of extinguifhing the faint fpatks of life, an accumulation of humcrs in ihe head, ft agnations of t e blood In other parts, rnd ccnvulfion fits, are very likely to take place. But though none of thefe melancholly circumftances j fhould happen at the moment, a ftoppage tf growth, and a pfcni? cefs of t abit, muft certainly fellow io ihcorfidtrate an abufe ot fhe ' very means beft calculated, under proper management, tc promote health, expanfion, and vigour. In cafes cf previous indifpofition, or difeafe; where the cold \ fyath may be prefcribed <:$ a remedy, the danger tc a pcor infant muft be ftill greater from an injudicious mode of proceeding. I took no fmall pains in my " Domeflic Medicine," to expi le the whims acd prejudices of nurfes in this refpect. They would be objects of ridict le,were they not often attended with the moft fe- ricus confluences. 1 fboujd fmile, for inftance, at the remains of fuperftitiouQ weaknefs, in believing that the whole virtue of the water depends upon its being confecrated to a particular faint, were it not that moft of thofe holy wells, as they are called, are very unfit for bathing, and, what is worfe, that the child is kept too long j in the water, and that due attention is not paid to friction and warmth afterwards. Some of thofe filly women place their confi- dence in a certain number of dips, as three, feven, or nine, though every dip after the firft, at each time of bathing, not only defeats the hepe of benent? but increafes the ftrong probability of much mif chief. This may indeed be avoided, by dipping the infant only once at a time; but even in that cale, the magical number of dips is very infufficient fcr any defirable purpde. I have alfo known riurfes who wculd not dry a child's fkin after bathing, left it fhculd deftroy the effects of the water; others will even put cloths dipt in the water upon the child, and either put it to bed, or fuffer it to go r.bor.t in ihat condition. This is fometimes done with impunity by grown perfons, Who refort to the famous fpring at Malvern in Gloucefterfhire^'fcr the cure of particular complaints of the cu- taneous clafs; but it would be little fhert of frenzy to make fuch an experiment upon children. 1 he ofily way of fecuring to an infant all the falutary effects cf( fhe cold bath, without tfe' leaft poft bility cf harm, is fc prepare" him for it ja the flov/acd caujjetis manner l;sfore rcccnn ended, ADVICE TO MOTHERS. 41 This may be accomplice* >, under favorable circumftrmces, in five or fix months. Rain cr river water is fitter for the purpofe of ba- thing, than pump or fpring wa'tr; thcugh the latter, in cafe cf ne- ceffity, may be ufeo, after having I eei. expcled ft r ibme hcurs to the lun or the atmcfphere. T"he child muft not be dipped when its body is hot, or its ftomarh full, and fnculd be put only cnce under the watrr at each time of bathing. Ail the benefit, as before oblerved; depends upon the firft fhcck, and the re-action of the fyftem. In order to prevent a fuc'.den and ftrong determination of the blood to the head, it is always advifable to dip the chhd with this part foremoft, and to be as expedition? as poffible in wafhing ' away all impurities. I have been already fo particular in my direc- tions to have the young bather inftantiy wiped dry, and wrapped up in a foft warm hlanket, that i need not repeat them ; -but 1 muft add another injunction, which is, nutto put the child*to bed, but to keep it for icmetime in gentle motion, and to accompany the whole prccefs witn lively fingmg. it is of far greater importance than moft people may De aware of, to afiociate in early life the idea of pletifure and cheerfulnefs with fo falutary an operation. During the uf of the lukewarm bathy the whole btdy is to be immerfed in it every night as well as morning. But when recourfe is had to cold bathing, it muft be ufed in the manner above prefcri- bed in the morning only. At night it will be enough to wafh the lower parts; and even for this purpcie a little warm water may be added to the coldinlevere weather. Every drmgerwiil thus be avoided ; every benefit will be fecured ; and the habit of perianal cleanlinefs being rendered familiar in childhood, will be getained through life, and will contribute very much to its duration and en- joyment. * SECTION III. Of Children's Drefs. THERE is not any part of my profeffional labours which I review with greater pleafure, than my exertions in early life to ref- cue infants from the cruel tenures of fwathing, of rollers, and of bandages. Vv hen 1 firft ventured to take up the fnbjtct, about half a century ago, it certainly required the ardour, the ccurnge, the enthufiafm of youth, to animate my eppofjtico, not only to the prevalence cf cuftom and the ftubbornefs of eld prejudices, but to r the doctrines of the Faculty themfelves. Abfurd as we may now think the practice of twaddling and wrapping up a child, till it was as ftiff as a leg of wood ; the arguments in fever of a lecfe and ealy drefs, which I madeufe-of in my Inaugural Dif'trtatkn* were vehemently combated by the moft erdntnt men, who at that time taught medicine in the Univerfity ct Edinburgh. The reform W> ich has fince taken place, though, not carried to the extent that it ought to be, is ar. encouragement to ufe .Ids relerve in condem- ning the remains of ih pernicious a fyftem. it cannot be deemed a matter of aftcnifhrrcrt, while rrecicLd men declared themfehes advocates fcr fuch a mcce ci ekihuoo * Di infantuir. vita confeiv^lj. to *~ ADVICE TO MOTHERS. that it fhould be curried to the moft dangerous excefs, by ignorant, bufy, or feif-conceited wemtn. they fancigd that the fhape, beau- ty, and health of the infant depended wholly on the expertnefs of the perfon employed in drefting it. The midwife was to new-mould the head, and to fhape every limb, according to her own fancy, and then to retain the parts, in the form fhe gave them, by clofe preffure. Her ilupid prefumption was farther encouraged by the vanity of pa- rents, who, too often defirous of making a (how of the infant as foon as it was born, were ambitious to fee it made ur> in perfect trim, and to have as much finery heaped upon it as poflible. Thus it came to be tisought as neceffary for a midwife to excel in bracing and dref- ling an infant, as, for a furgeon to be expert in applying bandages to a broken limb ; and the poor child, as foon as it came into the world, had as many rollers and wrappers applied to its body, as if ev- ery bone had*been fractured in the birth ; while thofe cruel liga- tures were often fo tight, as not only to gall and wound its tender frame, but even to obflrudl the motion of the heart, lungs and ether organs neceffary for life. In the progrefs of folly and vice, when the influence of depraved fociety had extinguifhed in the breafts of many mothers every fpark of natural affedtion, and had prompted them to abandon their chil* \ dren to the care of hirelings, the mercenary nurfe was glad, for the iake of her own eafe, to follow what phyficians taught, and mid- ! whres practifed. The infant was kept fwathed in the form of an Egyptian mummy, as incapable of motion as the latter, and almoft as defliiute of every fymptom or indication of life, except its unavailing cries. Though dwarfiflnnefs, deformity, difeafes, or death, muft have frequently been the confequence, yet the nurfe efcaped all blame ! as the bandages prevented any limbs from being broken, and the poor victim bound hand and foot, might be thrown any where, and ■ there left with the utmoft indifference, while fhe attended to her pri- vate concerns. The only thing relating to the drefs of infants which feemed to arife from any tendernefs, was a regard to its warmth : Unfortu- nately this was carried too far : and children fuffered from the quan- tity,-swell as from the tiglunefs of their clothes. Every child has tome degree of fever after the birth j and if it he loaded with tco nuov clothes, the fever mufl be increafed, often to fuch a degree, from the concurrerce of other caufesof heat, as to endanger the life of the infant. Even though no fever fhould be excited, the greatf ft debility mutt be the confequence of keeping a child in a ftate of per- 1 petual wafle by exceffive perfpiration. Befides, in fuch a condition, ' a child is liable to catch cold upon expofure to the leaft breath of J air-, and its lungs relaxed by.heat, and never fuflkientiy expanded, are apt to remain weak and flaccid for life, fo that eveT) cold will have the moft alarming tendency, and probably terminate in an afth- • ma, or a confumption. :. AH the former evils, arifing from the fallacy of medical theo- .' ries from the prefumption of midwives, the folly of parents, the v.n- i wilingnefs of fome mothers to do their duty in becoming nunts, the felfifli views of hirelings, and the quite oppefte, though ro lefs ADVICE TO MOTHKRZ. 43 fatal fuggfflions of mifguided ten^ernefs, were farther aggravated by the imperious dictates of fafhion. Reafon, expend ce, and true talte, would have long fince triumphed over filly f peculations, igno- rance and caprice, had not every confideration been facrificed to pre- vailing forms ', fo that'from the. intanc in its twaddling cicthes, to its grand-mother in her fhroud, drefs muft be wholly regulated by the etiquette of fafhion. Againft this fpecies of hitherto unlhaken tyranny, I fhall therefore point the chief force of my argumerts; after a few more ftrictures on the abfurdity and perniciouihefs of the other caufe—of tight and oppreflive cloathmg, which has re- ally inflicted deeper wounds on population, than famine, peftilence, and the fword. To begin with the error of phyficians : It is a! mo ft inconceiva- ble, how any fet of men, who profefied to be the admirers and fol- lowers of hature, fhould have been fo totally blind to her obvious mode of proceeding in the prefervation of iuiant life. She forms the body foft and flexible to facilitate its future growth ; fhe fur- rounds the fetus in the womb with fluids, to prevent its receiving any injury from unequal preffure, and to defend it againft every thing that might iu the iealt cramp-or confine its motions ; fhe adapts tf e fame means to the fate delivery ot the child, all whofe bones are fo griftly andelaftic as to yield'with furprifing pliancy to every ob- ilruction in the act of labour, and afterwards to relume their proper form, unlets reftrained or diftorted by the bufy interference cf man. ^"et people of pretended fcience have been bold enough to aflert, that a child when it comes into the world, is aJmoti a round b.iu; and that it is the nurfe'spart to t-JJlfi nature in bringing it to a proper ilmpe. We fhould rather fay, let the meddling hand he amputated, which dares to offer violence to the works of nature. If, through the inexpertnefs or impatience of the midwife, any of the child's del- icate limbs have been fractured or put out ot joint, they will require immediate care and proper bandages -, but let not prefumptuous fol- Jy attempt to mend what nature has made perfeft, or perverfely con- fine what was formed for the utmoft freedom of motion and expan- ' I have often had occafion to obferve. that the inftinct of brutes i» an unerring guide in whatever regards the prefervation of animal life. Do they employ any artificial means to mould the limbs of their young, or to bring them to a properJtape ? Though many of thefe are extremely delicate when they come into the world, yet we never find them grow weak or crooked for want of fwaddiing-bands. Is nature lefs kind or lefs attentive to the human fpecies? Surely not ; but we take the bufinefs out of nature's hands, and are juftly puniihed for our arrogance and temerity. This argument may be rendered ftill more unanswerable by an a-realtothe'conducYof thofe natiors that approach neareft to a fl'ate of nature. They have no idea of the necefiity of rollers or bandages to ftrengthen the imaginary weaknefs, or to bring tea proper fbope the imaginary deformities of their infants. 'Hey aKcw them fiom their birth the full ufe of every organ ; carry tl cm abroad in tic op-n air ; vv.fh their bodies dai'.v i;i cr'.d vi.ttv ; and give 44 ADVICE TO MOTHERS. them no other food or phyfic but the truly medicinal and nutritive fio-d, with which the mothers are benignantly fupplied by nature. Such management tends to tender their children fo ftrong and hardy, that by the tune our puny infaius get out of the nurfe s arms, theirs are abie to fhift for themfelves. I referve fome remarks on the jitrfect ihape of thofe lavages for a diflindt chapter, in which I mean to contrail it with the dwarfifhnefs and deformity of civilized nations. iLltead of confideringa child at its birth as a round ball, which ought to be brought to a properfhapeby a midwife's or a nurfeJs af- : usance, I would have both thefe defcriptions of people look upon its little body as a bundle of foft pipes, replenifhed with fluids in continual motion, the leait ftoppage of which is attended with im- minent danger. Tight preflure alwa^ weakens, and may fome* rimes fu fpend, with deadly effect, the action of the heart, the lungs, and all the vital organs j it impedes the circulation of the blood, and the equal diftribution of nourifhment to the different parts of the b©dy j it diftorts the pliant bones, cramps the mufcu:ar powers, pre* vents growth, and renders the whoie frame equally feeble and mif- « Oiapen. Even were reafon filent on thofe points, and were we unwarn- ed of the bad effects of fwathes and fillets by paft experience,-human- Ity ought to reftrain us from putting a helplefs innocent to the moft cruel torture, fqtieezing its tender body into a prefs at the inftant cf its releafe from former confinement, and loading it with chains as the firft mark of our attention. I have often been aftonifhed at the infenfibility of midwives and nurfes to the cries of infants while dtefllng—crieS that feldom ceafed till the powers of the poor crea- tures were exhaulted. Yet fo far from feeling any emotion of pity, it is-ufual for the midwife or nurfe to fmile at fuch cries, and to endeavour to perfuade the mother if within hearing, that the violence of the fcream is a fubject of joy, not of forrow, as it proclaims the child's health and vigour. I have already explained the caufe and important purpofe of a new born infant's firft cry, to promote refpiration and circulation. The loudnefs of that cry ;s indeed a proof of the ftrength of the child's lungs ; but every fubfequent CTy is the language of pain, the expreffive tone of irrita- tion and fuffering. If you do not inftantly attend to it, you may t>e guilty of murder. Think of the immenfc number of children 1 that die of convulfions foon after the birth ; and be afiured, that' thefe are much oftener owing to galling preflute, or fome external injury, than to any inward caufe. 1 have known a child feized with eonvulfion fits foon after the midwife had done fwaddling it, and immediately relieved by taking off the rollers and bandages. A loofe drefs prevented the teturn of the difeafe ; and though this '%:.U not always cure fits produced by tight clothing, as the effect of the injury may continue after the removal of the ciufe, yet it i^one of the neceffary means of relief, it being impoflible that a patient can recover, as long as the caufe which firft gave rife to the difordej continues to act. It may be p.rortv ;:> tliis pb.ee to give as clear, fimple, and ADVICE TO MOTHERS* * 4s concifc an account as I can of the nature of convulfions, that mid- wives and nurfes* may learn to fh udder at the idea of occafioning, by tj|eir mifconduci, the moft fatal, as well as the moft frequent diieaf- es incident to childhood, fhe heads of infants being proportionally larger, and the nervous fyftem more exte»ded, than in grown per- fons, their nerves are more fufcepttble of irritation ; and convultic*! fits are the confequences of keen irritation ; however excited. The great Bocrhaave was of opinion, that moil of the diforders of chi'drcn might be ranged under the ciafs of convulfions. It is certain that all the different caufes of uneafinefs to a child form but one general or undiftinguifhed fenfation of pain, which he has alfo but one way of exprefling, namely, by his cries ; and if thefe are not attended to, and no relief is or can be given, acute and unmitigated pain common- ly produces a fit. if any itrdtiger reafon need be urged for imme- diately attending to an infant's cries, it is that they are almoft always owing to mifmanagement. • I admit, that the moft incurable convulfions are thofe which pro- ceed from fome original fault in the ftrudture of the brain itfelf, whence the nerves iffue. But fuch cafes feldom occur, although the brain has unqueftibnably been often injured, and convulfions occa- sioned, by a midwife s prefump'uous attempts to model the fkull of the new born infant, i have already hinted at this detcftable prac- tice, and fhall prefently make fome farther remarks on its baneful' prevalence, and its horrid effects. Children are alfo fubject to convulfions from cutting the teeth with difficulty, or from a'feverifh irritation of the fyftem at the ap. proach of the fmall-pox, meafles, and other eruptive difeafes. I am far from being difpofed to blame nurfes for what they cannot pre- vent ; though I believe that the dangerous fymptoms, which often attend teething in particular, are chiefly, if not wholly owing to the previous improper and enervating treatment of the child. The other convulfions here alluded to generally gooff as the eruptive difeafe, of which they may be called the forerunners, makes its appear- ance. There is another caufe of convulfions, for which midwives and nurfes flatter themfelves that they are not in any fort blameable, I mean acute pain in the ftomach or bowels. But whence does this pain arife ? either from the tight preffure of thofe parts ; from the relaxing effect of a hot and ioipure atmofphere ; or from feme acrid fubftance in the fhape of food or phytic conveyed into the ftomach, and irritating the alimentary canal. If you attend to the directions before'given on the fubject of air, wafhing, and cleanlinefs ; if you pour nothing down the infant's throat but the wholefome, unvitiated juice, defigned for him by nature ; if you flacken, inftead of brr.c'.n. your wrappers round his body ; you may depend upon it that his ftomaoh and bowels will never be difordered as to ocaifion con- vulfions. < The only part of an infant'a drefs or covering which may b* applied pretty clofe, is abroad piece "of thin flannel round, the nav.l to <--uard againft any protrufion there,* from the accidental violence of the child's cries. But take enre not to make the preffure toy 4°* ADVICE 7 0 MOTHERS tight, or you will no: only hurt the howe:s, but perhaps, caufe in another place a much v.crfe rupture than that to which your precau- tion isMiredted. This is what happens in many fimilar cafes, when p-opie act rrom tvrrow or contracted views of the fubject, and in their eagernefs to prevent fome trilling and merely poffib'e incon. venience, too often occafion irreparable mifchief. Again, then, let me caution midwives and nurfes againft retaining any part of the old fyttem of tight fwathing, as the injury it muft do is certain, and the <;o6d Or inconvenience to which it may feem adapted, is imagina- ry. I am now fpesking of its immediate bad effects, in fquee/ing t!ie iniant's delicate body, fretting his tender fkin, keeping his little limbs in a Hate of painful confinement, exciting his cries, and, by all thefe caufes of nervous irritation, throwing him into convulfions. T■■■t female who cart hear and fee thefe effects of her own folly, and will yet peifift in it, after it is pointed out, certainly does not deferve the name of mother. * But the' moft cenfurable part cf the ufual conduct of midwives and nurfes ftill remains to be minutely examined and reprobated___ It is not enough for them to keep up the fhow of Jhelping nature,,as they call it, during the procefs of a I .?our, though fhe has been truly faid to difdthi and abhor off fiance ; but they prefume to mend her work after delivery, and to give a more proper form to the heads of new-born infants. I he midwife will tell you, that tlie foft bones of a child's fcuil are pftcn fo difplaced and fqueezed together in com- ing, into the world, that the head would be fhapelefs and frightful, were it not for her improving touches. Another reafon is afli£ned by the nurfe for her meddling : .">! e takes alarm at the imperfect in- dentation of the bones on the crown of the head, and not only ftrives to prefs them clofer and to brace them by means of fillets, but is. careful to keep the head warmly covered, to, prevent the poor baby, as (he fays, from catching his death by the expofure ©f thofe open * parts to the air. Deformity is the leaft of the evils that attend fuch acta of ailonithing infatuation The delicate texture of the brain is peculiarly liable to be affected ; and though neither convulfions nor any other perceptible complaint may immediately follow yet a weak- < iwfs of underilanding, or a diminution of the mental powers, is often the confequence,'and defeats all the efforts of the beft education af- terwards. The edification, or growing hardnefsof the bones of a chi!d, and particularly thofe of the fcuil, is incomplete in the womb, to fa- vour the purpofes of eafy and fq|e delivery. In confequence of their foftnefs and pliancy, they admit of being fqueezed together, and tven of lapping over without injury, fo as to make the head conform to the fhape-and dimenfions of the parts through which it is tc be expelled. They will focm re fume their proper phice, if left to the kind management of nature, and not tampered with by the profane finder of a conceited midwife or a filly nuife. As to the opening or impetfect identation of the bones of the fcuil, it ii>owiii.i to the fame caufe, and defigned fcr the fame irr.pcr- r to give her a flender waAIt. But the abfurdity of the contrivance is only changed from ADVICE TO MOTHERS. 49 ftays, to diagonal bandages, or ribbands, fatened acrofs the breaft and fhouTders with {training violenc3, to caufe an unnatural praai- nence before, a frightful indentatio i behind,and a wiery ftiffnefs in the motions of the pinioned ar as. Yet tnts is called grace and elegance. The poor fufFerer in fuch chains feels no relief from the difc 'ntinuance of the whaleoone prefs, when fhe finds that " filken fetters bind as faft." The breaft and fhoulders ar.-3 not the only parts which are thus corded. The necks of young females feldom efcape fome ligature that muft impede the free accefs of t e blood to the head, and its return thence. Ribbands or other faftenings of gloves above the elbow, bracelets on the wrifts, and irarte"? either above or below the knee, feem as if purpofely contrived to obftruct circulation in the upper and lower extremities. Trie toes alfo, the motion of which is as free and eafy in infancy as that of the fingers, are fooa fqueezed together, for fear of the young ladies becoming fplay- footed. Even this is not enough, without occafionally putting the feet into wooden ftocks, to make a child turn out her toes, after all power of motion has been previoufly deftroyed in them! Boys, indeed, efcape fome of thofe partial bandages, but they are fubjected to a general preflure no lefs injurious in the tight huffar dreffes before alluded to. Silly mothers are very impatient to ftrip them of their loofe frocks, and to make them look like little men, which is often the caufe of a much nearer refemblance to monkeys. It is really aftonifhing that health , and growth fhould be perverfely facrificed to fafhionable fmartnefs. All that nature J requires in drefs, is eafe and comfortable warmth. In the progrefs r of fociety to refinement, decency and elegance are united with the former. At length, falfe tafte becomes diflatisfied with natural Simplicity and beauty, and introduces in their ftead fantaftic finery and cumbrous ornaments. The way to reform is plain and eafy, if we have courage enough to fhake off the tyranny of fafhion, and to confult our reafon and our feelings. _ To mothers fo difpofed, ■ the following details will not appear uninterefting. . The proper drefs of infants has been already defcribed with fufficient minutenefs. Very little alteration neea be made for five or fix years, except that of fhortening the frocks and p tticoats, when children begin to learn to walk; and foon after fupplying them with eafy fhoes, adapted to the natural fhape of the foot, neither too large, which would caufe ?. fhuffling kind of pace,nor too fmall fo as to cramp motion, give prefent pain, and prepare the parts for greater fufferings. Where this cautioj*refpecting the proper form of fhoes to be attended torturing life, it would not only prevent . corns, and the painful confequences of nails growing into the flein, but many excruciating raaiadies which may be traced tc the tight preffure of the toes, and fufpended circulation in the feet. A well made fhoe anfwers the two-fold purpofe of cleanlinefs, and of de- fence againft external injuries, including cold and moifture. But when fafhion is more regarded than eafe, we have no reafon wonder at the number of cripples we meet with tottering about the victims of their own folly. Whatever changes may be thought ne- (4) jo ADVICE, TO MOTHERS- ceflaryin the fubftance or materials of fhoes, according to the age of ne wearer, the difference of exercife, of weather, r of *e ground for which they are intended, the grand principi^ of fov'-'g then made eafy, and fuited to the fhape of the foot, fhould ^ev^r be loftf'ght of. The diff rent direct-on alfo of the toes on each foot, renders it advifeable tovave a correfponding differ^oce in t e : forii f each fh>e, which fhouH not be afterwards changed from one f lot to the other. It may be faid, that fhoes wMl thus get a little cro^d, ad will the fooier wear ou' on one fi'e ; but furely eafe and health are infinitely fuperior to luch trifling confi.derntiors. It being of the firft importance :o keep the feer alwavs ctan, ' dry, and warm, chillren Rioul.i wear flaonel or worft=-d focks in ,, cold and wet weather. Befides toe other aot, as well as the '■ flioes, and fhould touch ev~rv part with gentle oreffure. If too 1 fhort or too tight, they will produce fhe effect :t>eady defcribed; : and if too big, fo as to make folds within the fh es, they will gall and irritate the fkin. It is farther defirahle to have f >ck~ *n«l the v, feet of dockings made wit", diff rent divifions or fpa~e<, lik° the \ fingers of gbves, to abforh the perfpiraole matter f,»etween th.3 toes, and thus prevmt the equally u pleafant and unwr.oh fome | effect of is rettling thee. Will rfic tr uble of having the toes as well as the fingers fitted with proper covering, be deemed an ob- jection of any confequence by peonle who 'ake infinite pahs to adapt th^ir drefs, in a thousand other inftances, to the m.ift incon- venient and nnhealthv fa tilers ? I leave grown nerf ins to be as filly as th°y ple**fein tve covering •} of their fee* and legs, and in predifpofng thofe prts f t the goat, rheumatifm, dropfy, and a variety of other complaints. But it is ; the height of cruelty to make children fufter through theigoonm:e, ■* folly, or perverfenefs of their parents. I muft theref re infift on the importance of woollen focks and of woollen ftcckr gs, as foon i as this ad 'iional nrticle of drefs fhdl be f~und necelltry. Silk, 1 cotton, or thread ftock'ngs, are far fr^m being fo well calculated to l prom:te infenfi le perfpir. tion in the lower extremities, or to favour. j the motion of the flirds to tee uopc parts. They are ^ ven injuria m ous in cafe o* fweat, either from exenrfe, or the nature of any in- J dividinl's cooftltiition. Inftead of fuffering the offecfive moifture ■ to efcape, as worded would, they retain it in clofe c ntact with I the fkm, increafe its ourefcent tendency, "and not orly check all '1 farther perfpiration, but caufe a re-abf rpti n of a p rt«. f t e mat- 1 terahea 'y nerfpired. Worfted ftockipgs may be w rn th'cker or thinner according to the ft"te of the weather ; and if the fhow of 1 greater fin-ry^ be thought indifperfable for y ung gentlemen or ] young ladies in their teens, a p?ir of filk ftockings may be drawn over the woollen nnes, tograt;fy parental vanity. 1 ftead of gar* 1 ters, the bad effect of which I have already noticed, ftockings may 1 be ea'dy kept up by flips of tape fattened to the band that encircled i the waift in the drefe of either fe#. 1 ADVICE TO MOTHERS. Sl My former r-narks on the tight huflar drcHes of little boys, who ought t. be kept much longer in petticoats, and on the diago- nal braces of you ,g la 'h-s, who are thus cramped and diftorted, preclude the neoaTi-:y of a:iy farther obfervations concerning the due degree of eafe wsiich ihould always be confulred in the body- clothes of both fexes. But it is proper to fay fomething of the chaoges in poim of warmth, which may be requifite in different fhtes of the weat:-er. I ha .*e met withieveral plaufible arguments in fav ur of an unit'r oiry of drefs in afnVafms; and the example of the greot Nrwton has been urged, to induce us, like him, to wear camlet in winrer as well as in ftr.nmer. But though that illuftri- ous phiiofopher made hinfelfimmortal by his amazino difcoveries, yet his natural life od not greatly exceed the ordinary period of threefcore years and ten. He cannot therefore be mentioned as a remarkable inftance of longevity; and wen had- he lved many- years linger, t^e number of his days might be m ire reafonably af- cribed to h;s temperance, h:s regularity, the habhual fweeinefs of his difpofiuon, and the.exqufite pleafure arifing from his fuccefsful refearches, than to the' unvarying famenefs of his drefs. It does not therefore imply thefraalleft diminution of our rev- er?n~e for t e great Newton, if we look upon nature as a more un- erring guide than any philof p er. Ooferve how kindly fhe varies the covering of anun ils, according to the temperature of the cli- : mate, -^nd the difference of the feafons. Their hairy coat is longer : and thicker in cold countries than in hot; and-its growth and warmth are evidently increafed, at the approach of winter, in the chilly regions of the north. Her care of the feathered race is dis- played in a different manner. She gives theinftinctiveimpulfethat makes them anticipate the rigours of winter,and wing their way to milder climates. Though men cannot fhift their places of abode at evcy feafou with the facility of birds of pafTage, they can profit . by the example of nature's kind prote&ion of other animals, and can accommodate taeir cloathing to the fenfible changes of the fea- ■■ fon and wc.f'.er. Let it not befuppofed that I am for recommending thofe peri- odical fifhions of drefs which are regulated by the dates of an al- manac, iii fuch a country as ours, where the weather is fo change- able, where the clofe of autunn is frequently fevere, and where, n~t ^nly in the fpring, hot even after the commencement of the furam-ir month*, we may fay in the words of the poet, T'iat winter eft at eve refumes the bre«e, Ch lis the pale n.orn, and bids his driving fleets Defoim the day del'ghtlefs. I fhould be ftill lefs inclined to encourage a ridiculous attention to ev*ry little change of the air and weather, as indicated by bar- ometers and thermometers. Our fenfes will afford us all neceffary information on this head, without the aid of mathematical L-ftrU- ments. P is only in cafe ot confideraMe tranfitions from heat t© old, or the contrary, that our feelings wil direct us to guard againft danger, by firtable changes of apparel. Poor, nervous, del - 5<*afe beings are aftected by a pairing cloud, or fhifting breath of ca ADVICE TO MdtH^RT.' wind. But my rules are intended for healthy children, habituated to the cold hath" every morning, and thus prepared to fear with- out uneafinefs or iojury, any flight variations of the weather which may take place in the courfe of the day. Yet even fuch children are'not »o be expofcd in thin cottons to the keen action of the win- ter's cold, nor fmothere'd with woollens in the fultry heat of fum- iner. Both thofe manufactures, which ar carried to great perfec- tion in England, are well fuited to the different feafons. But I muft obferve, that fine linen is at all times the mo^t proper covering next the fkin on every part, exrep! the feet and legs, for the reafons before mentioned ; it fuffkren ly increafes internal warmth, with- out any unneceffnrv ftdmulue, or difcgreeable friction. Particular infinites, or a defective perforation natural in old age, may ren- der flinnel or fleecy hoferv advifable; but Itnen next the fkin is beft fuited to early life, and requires little trouble to keep it always siean. The upper parts of the human fr me do not ftand in need ot much covering. Nature takes care of the head ; fo that even the thin cap. recommended at an infant's birth, becomes wh< Ily un- neceffary, either by day or by nighf, in three or four months.— When children are taken out, according to my former intimation, a light, eafy hat, mcde of ftraw or beaver-fur, is very proper; and jf the under fide of the brim be died gree~, it will afford a pleafing reiief to the eyes, and prevent, the i jurious effcts of too glaring a ligr.t. The pink or vivid colours, fometinvs ufed by females in the linings of their Ints or bonnets, may give f r the moment a feem- i£g fr^ftlnefs to the cheek, out mu'X very much impair the fight by their dazzling brilliancy. We fhould not apolv any covering whatever to the necks of 3'oung perfons of either f<-x When they grow up. in order to avoid being pointed at f r Angularity, they may preferve fome lit-} tie fhow of conforming to fafhion, but without checking the circu- k ion in fo drng^rous a part. Females malt never be induce 1 to wear tig: t necklaces ; nor muft males brace their collars, or u(eany ftiiTeningin their ft^eks or cravt?, through weak compliance with the whim of V-e. d;'v. Even keepiog the neck vtrv warm, thr.ugh wvhout any clofe preffure, increaf s its delicacy, or rather its fenfi- bility, and renders it fufceptible of cold upon the leaft expofure. The fleevrs of fr cks, gowns, and coats, fhould be made loofe, J to leave the motion of t; e arms perfectly free and unconfined.— '| Though gl ves are unneceflarv except in very cold w^a- her, y^t I have not any ftrong objection to t^eir ufe, provided they flip on eafily, and re made of porous materials, to facilitate f>e * vapora- tion of the perfp;r?ble matter. Le;>'her< is of all fubftances the leaft adapted to th/s important purpofe. I fh?dl conclude thereoblervationson drefs, with a pcture of fafhionable abfurdities given in t1 e hut edili n of my " Domeftic Medicine." !t i? not fr m an over-w ning fondnefs for my own emarks,that Ioccafiona^y refer to, it make extracts from that work; but as fome of the points there touched upon are here more ftdjydifcuffed, it would be the effect of falfe delicacy on my part, ADVICE TO MOTHERS. $, tp tupprefc now any thing ufeful or pertinent which then occured to me. After having applauded the judicious reforms of female drefs, fcr their attention to health, fimplicity, and real elegonce, I exprefl- ed tome concern at not being able to pay my own lex the lam- compliment : " An pffectation,' I obferved, " of what is crlled military fmartnefs, feems to have convert©.• their whcle apparel in to a fyft m of bandages. The hat is as tight as if it was intended for a helmet, or to defy the fury of a hurricane. Its form, alfo being by no means fuited to the natural fhape of the head, it muft be worn for a confiderable time, wi h very painful and unequal preflure, before it can be made to fit its new block. The neck is bolftered up and fwathed with the moft unnatural ltiffnefs. Eafy motion withour, and free circulation within, are alike obftructed. Blotches and eruptions in the face, head-ach, apoplexies, and Hid- den deahs, may be often traced to tits caufe; and if we view its effects in another lig^t, we fhall not be furprifed at any inconfift- c cy in th^ language or conduct of people, who take fo much pains to fufpend all intero urfe between the head and the heart." " The clofe prefliire," 1 a ded, " of the otner articles of drefs is equally reprehenfible. Narrow fleeves are a great check upon the mufcular exercife of the arms. The waiftcoat, in its prelent form mov be very properly termed aftrait one, and no doubt is, in manv inftances, an indication of f me mental derangement. The wrifts and knees, but more particularly the latter, are braced with ligatures or tight buttoning ; and the legs, which require the ut- moft freedom of motion, are fcrewed into leathern cafes, as if to convey an idea that the wearer is fometimes mounted on horfe- back. To complete tre whle, and in order that the feet may be kept in as tight a prefs as the head, when fhoes are to be worn, the ihape of the foot and the eafy expanfion of the toes are never con- fulted, but fafhior regulates the form of the fhoe, fometimes fquare toed, more frequently pointed, and always fure to produce cramps and corns, the keen, the fenfible announcers of every change of the weather. I have fo long employed ferious argument upon thefe fubjects in vain, that I am now accuftomed to view them with pHlantry; and when I meet with fuch figures difguifed, and ren- dered 'rulyaukward boti in their motic s and appearance, I can- not help thinking with Shakespeare, " that foms of Nature's jour- neymen had made them, and not made them iveli, they imitate humanity foj abominably J* SECTION IV. Of the Injury done to Children by the too early and unnetejfary ufe cf Med- icines. Of all the abfurdities that prevril in the treatment cf infant*, there is none fogrofslv repugi ant to common ferde, as the frenzy cl giving them phyfic before we give thtro food. They feared y be- no to breathe, when fome purgative flop is forced down ibe:r V -oars, and the tender ftomach and towels a: e thrown i;:to a ftato of the Lioft unnatural irritation. It often appeared to ir.e veiy 54 ADVICE TO MOTHERS. ! ftrange, how people came to think that the firft thing given to a child fhould be drugs; but after duly confideri: g the matter, I ;| perceived it to be the effect cf fuperficial knowh.-dg..-. The mere I examined this point, the more I was ftruck with the- truth of itfe ; philofcpher's remark, that mere ignorance hath never none any material. ' injury ; that error alone is deftrutlive; and that we do not err in things -we areprofejfedJy tgnoravt of, but'in thofe which we conceive we kmw. to begin wit'. < edicines at the birth, is a ftrong iliuliration of tne mif- : chief of conceited ikill. it would never enterjnto fhe minds of perfons wholly unac- quainted with medical fcience, that evacuations ought to precede \ the firft fupplies cf nourishment. But a little imattering of phyfic . gave rife to the idea of clearing the hrft paid- ges as foon as pcflible, in order to bring away the Mack, v.lcki, fyrup like fu fbnee con- tained in' the b'eftines of a new-borr infant. The fallacy of fuch • i a fuggeftion can only appear upou a mere accurate and compre- henlive view of the fubject. -] In the firft place, \ht meconium, as it is called, generally pafles J foon after the birth, without any excitetnect but the nK.re effort of i nature. When vhis dees not take place, every deniable purpefe is | fure to be effected by the thin, waterifh, and purgative quality of ' the mother's milk. Do you fupp fethat any chemical proctfs can ; equal this ? Or do you imagine that the retention of the meconium '\ for a few hours, can do half as much milchief, as your oils and your fyrups, your indigeftible or your acrimonious trafh, muft oc- cafion ? But it was enough for midwives and nurfes to hear phy- \ ficians, who knew very little more of the matter than themlelves- prefcribing things of an opening nature to purgf1 off the remains of the meconium. This acquifition of imaginary lcience was too flat- tering to female vanity, not to be difplayed upon every occafion ; and many a fevere twinge have poor infants fuffered, from a mid- _; wife's defire to (hew her profound ikill in phyfic. I was ence fent for by an intimate friena, to look at a new- born infant who appeared to be in great agony. 1 fcon dilb vered that the comphint was the belly-ache, caufed by feme injudicious pur,ative. As the midwife was prefent, I remonftrated with her ^ on the raftmefs of thus tampering with an infant's delicae confti- tution.^ She rephed in a tone of felf-fufticiency and furprife, " Good God ! Doctor, I onlv gave the proper phyfic to bring away , the economy." 1 fhould have finiled at her affectation of medical'\ cant, and het ridiculous attempt to catch at the found of the word ^ meconium, had not the feri-ius miichief fhe had done fupprefled every emotion of laughter I reprimanded her in very p imed terms, and made her feel the burning blufhes of confufion, when I fhew- 1 ed that poilcn was as likely to be ufed fcr phyfic, as economy for the word meconium, from the fame iir.pulfe of conceited folly. But the whole blame in fuch cafes is not, as I hrjve already in- timated, to be laid to the charge of midwives and nurfes ; the tac-1 ulty themfelves have, paid too ittle attention to the medical treat- ment of children ; and, in conlequence of their fuperficial knowl- - edge of theefe important fubje&s, have faoctJQned errors of tfrerapU ADVICE TO MOTHERS. & ktal tendency. I once heard \ : ledical profeffor of great celebrity fay, that he had met with a cafex where the meconium wos not brought away for three months rafter the child's trth, and then only oy means of ftro g draftic purges. Though o^e cf the firft an>t mits in Europe, be was led into this miftake by the blackifh colour of the c old's ftools, whicn, ^or want of practical obfervation an experienoe, he could not account for but oy alcribHig it to the fupp fed rem tns of the meconium. There is nothing fo abfurd, fays an ancient writer, wM^h has not been u ter;-:d by fome philofcpher. 1 ait> f rry to add, that a fimilar affertion might be made with ftill greater truth concerning the prof effors cf phyfic. It wuld be well, however, if the idea of the neceflity of giving medic"nes,to children, was cov fined to one opening dole to purge cff the meconium. Unfortun tely, the error committed at the birth is repeated agvia a^d again ; and feldom ceafes but with the poor creature's life. Opbtes are deemed neceffary to make it fleep ;,- carminatives '0 expel wind, or to cure the gripes ; laxatives and emetics to cleanfe the ftomach ; and ten thoufand other unavailing and pernicious contrivances to relieve complaints, which are entire- ly the eff-cts of bad nurfing, and which admit of no remecy but by a complete reform in teat department. When v medical rran is fent for to attend an infant, his firft duty is to inquire mto the c nduct of the nurfe ; and if there are fai its, to have them rectified. He will feidom find occafion to prefcribe any thing elfe. I here canm>t be a greater error than to tupp te that the faults of nurfes may be repaired by drugs. Medi- cine, however fkillfully adminiftered, cannot liipply the place of proper nurfing ; and when given without Ikill, which I fear is too often the cafe, ;t muft be productive of much miichief. The fol- lowing facts will place this matter in the cleareft light. About forty years ago whe I undertook the cnarge of a laige branch cf tre Foundling hofpital at Ackworth in Yorkfhire, I found that the children at nurfe had till then been attended by the country aptrecaries, wh •>, fure cf being paid frr their drugs, al- ways took care to exhibit tMem with a liberal hand. Every cup- board and every fhqlf in the houfe was filled with phials and galli- pots. Under fuch treatment, half the children died annually. As it w^s evident to me,'hat this mortality could not be natural, 1 fuggeft d to the g vernor*, that the cHldrrii had little or no occ a- ficn for medicines, and that with proper care they would ti.rive and do well. A new ?rrangement took place. The nurfes were tor-- bidden, at their peril, to give any medicine but what fhould be ordered by me ; and were advifed to rely more on the faithful Oil- charge of their duly than on dcfes of phyfic. The confequence was, that the expenfe f >r drugs did not amount to a hundredth part of what it had been before, and that not above one m fifty ct the children died annually. An opportunity of making experiments en lo extenfive a fcale feldom occurs. I had at ti.at tune the tole iuperintendanc- of an imrnenfe number of children Ipread over fine healthy country, where the nurles found it their mterelt to ao in every refpect what! defired, as thev loft their appointment * 5<5 ADVICE TO MOTHERS. cafe orthe h-ft -eg^.ct. The happy refult of the plan left no doubt cf it.•• it pTe'.v. It was theory verified by practice. ' A iitoc r five don would foon fatMy an attentive obferver of rir.tur., t'r. ^ o^ ;.-r defigned the young of any fpecies to be br-njiit up bv the id t medicine. Other an;mals, following the v guidance f i-.f c~:: ever fail in this important, bufinefs ; but man become • nail ngs ti>e creature of art, and is milled by it. I have frjqa-ntiy met wth inftances of families who had loft every child write tiity truRed to phyfic and employed the faculty, but who at kogth becoming wife through defpair, and conficlering that their offcprirg could only die, left off the ufe of medicine altogeth- - er, and from that time never loft a fingle child. If we wifh for a more generrl illuftration of the effects of thofe two different.modes 1 pf treatment, we fhall find it in that part of the ifland where i was born (North Britain) and where the common people have a ftrcDg and verv juft averfion to giving theiij children medicines. The fruits ot their good fenfe are dilplayed in a numerou and healthy progeny. But puDinefs, ficknefs, and death, find their way, in company with the. doctor, into the houfes of parents of higher rank. ' As the children of the latter are often obferved not to thrive, the i Common rerark is, No wonder / they gave the ptor things phyfic. It is indeed poftible, that cafe? may occur to juttify the ufe of ■ medicines ; but this very feldom nappens when children are prop- erly Burled, unlets the pot r creatures may have inherited debility frum the enervated corftitutions of their parents. I may go farther and plfcr', that ever when the frequent cr continued ufe of medi- cines is deemed receflary, a child kept in exiftenceby the help of drugs has little reafon to thank its parents for preferving its life.— It lives o ly to be a bnrthen to fociety ; and never can be faid to enjey life fo mveh ?s to render the poll' fficn of it a bleffing. In all ether cafes cf flight and accidertal ir.difpofiticn, 1 do net hefitate , to g:ye"a decider" opinion, that medicines do injury at eaft twenty times for once that they do good. A late writer on the management of children (Nelson) thinks it a matter cf regret that they can feldom be brought to take phyfic ' without force. When I confic!er the almoft infinite number of young martyrs to medicire, mf.ead of lamenting the circumftance i here ftated, [ rejoice at it, from the fulleft conviction, that if chil- « dren had no reluctance tc fwallow 'chugs, we fhould lefe a great \ many rrorecf then-. I knew it is arci. men practice with many \ others, telay'a child on i ADVICE TO MOTHERS. s7 early to refute nothing ; and it will not refufe to take medicine.— It will act from habitual fubmiffion to authority, not from the cruel impulfe of force, or the pernicious allurement of a bribe. . I could here point out many eafy contrivances to make chil- dren take phyfic, were I not allured that they are already too often poifoned by it. If drugs do not directly produce infirmity, cf- eafes, or death, thefe are fure to be ultimately the corlequence of ■ fubftituting medicine in the place of proper nurfing, and foolrihly fuppofing that the former can fupply the defe6s cf the latter. Art opens all her refources in vain; nor can the greateft efforts of nu- man ingenuity make amends for the want of g( od air, clearlinels, I healthy breaft milk, wholefcme food, and proper exercife. The ne- glect of any of thefe effential points is attended with irreparable ir.if- i chief; ana on the contrary, a due attention to thefe precludes the neceflity of any medical aid. Yet fo ftrangely addicted are lome women to drench infants with drugs, that, when 1 employed nurles I in my own family,it was with difficulty I cculd prevent them from giving medicines privately to the children. I'io.pe f.at father, will profit by this hint, to exert their utmoft vigilance and authori- ty in the like lituation. There is not any notion which I have found it more difficult to root out of the minds of mothers, than that children abound with ill humours, and that thefe can be carried off only by purging medicines. If a fpot appear on the fkin, the child muft have his | guts fcoured out, to make the oflenfive pimple vauifh, and to fweeten 'i his blood, as the mother calls it. They little know, and can haidiy be made to conceive, that all purgatives, however mild in their i operation, throw the ftomach into immediate diforder, weaken its | digeftive powers, vitiate the juices defigued for the foluticn of food, and thus prevent thedue preparation of the chyle whence the blood is formed. This is the fure way to generate acxicus humours, in- | ftead cf expelling them : and to taint or impoverifh the vital ftream, inftead of purifying it. The other medicines, which the fears and follies of mothers have introduced into the nurfery, are almoft as pernicious. H ad I leifure to make out the long lift of them, with a defcription cf their effects at an early age, it would appear that they ought to be more * properly denominated poifbns than remedies. They always do fome injury ; they cannot do any good; they are adminiflered either ,'. frivoloufly, or for the relief of complaints which are caufed by bad purfing, and which do not admit of a medical cure* To truft to phyfic for what phyfic cannot effect, is aggravating the evil cf for- mer errors by a ftill greater one, and quickening a pocr infant's career to the grave. Were a law to be made and ftrictly enforced, which fhould abfolutely prohibit the adminiftenrg of drugs to children, I am fure it would lave the lives of thoufands every year , in this metropolis alcne, I have elfewhere made a few remarks on the ufual conduct cf London mothers, whofe faith in medicine does not feem in the leaft abated oy the moft ftriking and the moft lamentable proofs, not .usrely of its in^: cacv. but of its perniciouiheii;. Whsnsvsr any ADVICE TO MOTHERS. of their children appear ind'fpofed, or do nn fc-em to thrive, which muft be frequency toe cafe where trey are fo badly n'jrfed, away ■ the mothers run tc the apothecary, His c ndr* is too often cherk- ed, and even his judgment is liable to ^e hiaffed by his immediate -j ir.tercf;. He derives his^fuppcrt from the fale of his drug?, and will feldom refift the temptation to fend large fuppiits wh re he knows the parents are in a condition to pay. I:hylic, ir a variety of tt.rms, is fubftituted for the only rational n eans < f rcftcring the child's health, fome neceffary change of a r, <-xercife, ch ; hing, ci ^ diet; the mifchief begun by the nurfe is completed by 'he d ct> r ; and death c-mes foouer or later to put an cud to the lufferings of thetcrtured victim. j It gives me pain to write any ftricturei. on the interefted views I and reprehenffole practice of even the lower 01 e'ers of the faculty; but the evil is of fuch magnitude, and fo truly alarming, that it j cannot be paffed over in filence, nor mentioned w thout burfts of J ftrong indignation. The weaknefs and the tears o' mothers Dring ^ in the apothecary ; and it rc-qnires an effort, to which not one in a thoufand is equal, to get him out again. A bold Kuiy man ot that profeition wants only a few timid mothers to make frs fortune.— ";• But, mercy on the poor babes who, *o make his ch^rkt roll, muft fwallow drugs every day! Yet, luch is the infatuatu n of m there, that, if this be rot done, they think their children neglected, and difrnif* one apothecary to make way f~r another, who adminifters medicim s with a m re liberal, or rather a mere deftructive hand. If the apothecary be a dangerous man, the quack is ftill more fo. Yet I hardly ever knew a mother or nurfe who had not by her the noftrum of fome quack, wi h which fhe every now atd then kept dcfing the infant. Were the b afted fpecific, like the anodyne necklace, a mere chip in porridge, it v. -juld do no harm to t e child, and W; uld ferve i ocly to amuie the mother, ard to levy a contribu ion on her credu- lity. But it is very often made up of active ingredients, which * oufcht to be admiuiftered with the greateft circumfpectv n. Moft , .-fthenoftiums given to chtdren are ftrong • piates or purgatives. of a iiature very different from the inn- cent efficacy of a good : tmrie's lullabies. 1 hey may quiet or compofe the infant, and Teem to give it eafe for a time, but they never fail to deftroy tne pc.w rs 01"digeftion, and to induce ur.iverfal debility, with all its baneful «:onf«eoooeiues. 1 here is, however, another clafs or defcription of quack ruedi- lini's, which, though they cannot kill with greater ultimate certain- :y than the former, are more fudden and violent in their fatal mode oi operation, I mean the cakes and powders, and various other compofitions, which are advertifed for the prefere'ed cure ot worms. A child's pale looks frig'- ten the mother into a belief that worios are the caufe: and fhe goes immediately to the worm dotlor, who admi^iitcrs his draftic doft-s, without the leaft regard to the delica- cy cf the patient's conftitution. His fole aim is to expel wcrros; and it any appeal, he triumphs in the fhow of fuccels, though al- 'ways attended with great ganger, and fometimes with death. I .ADViLH iu MOTHERS. $9 have known a noftrum of this kind to kill in twenty-four hours;— but that was nothi »g to the quack ; he had fold* his medicine ; and he gave himfelf little concern about the injury it might do in par- ticular cafes. 1 would not have faid fo much of this fhocking indifference to murder, had I not feeu proofs of it, and in fom? toe, who pretended to eminence in that line, i once told a lady, that her daughter was in a de.jp confimiption, and that fhe ought to g intr the com:try, to take exercife on horfeback, drink affes' nr.ik, and ufe a light reftorative diet. But inftead of following this adv\c°, fhe took her daughter to a very celebrated w,rm doct :r, who foon relieved her from all her t rouble. Here I cannot nelp lamenting that confidence in worm-powderfr or worm-cakes is not confined to«the weakeft of the lair fex, but ig dif~overed even in men of raok and tal nts. 1 have feen, though with hear -felt concern, na»/»es of tne firft refpectability fubferibsd to t;,e certificates of the efficacy of feme of thefe noftruius. i ara far from queftioning the i .tegrity of the perfons who fgned fuch papers; but t .ey certainly km w net what they did. They fancied they were only attefhng a plain matter of fact, though the thing was far beyond the pofuble r^acn of their judgment or knowledge* They had feen a quack medicine given to a child, and had alfo feen worms afterwards voided by that child. What then ? As the fame effect might be produced by very dangerous poifoj.s, how could people, wholly ignuraur of the ingredients, tell whether the operation -afcribed to them was not at the rifk of the child's ccnftiturion, or of its life? Even fuppofing that fome apparent good zvd no percepti- ble mifchief attended the experiment in one or two cafe?, are they fuificient grounds for the general recommendation of any jecret medicine, to which the lives of thoufands of children yet unborn may be facrificed ? I hope thefe remarks will prevent men of charac- ter from rafhly giving a fanction to thepoffible deceptions cf quack- ery, and will alfo leflen the refpect which individuals or the public at large may feel for fuch inconfiderate teftimonials. To refume now my detail of various inftarces of maternal weaknefs ; i have to obferve, that the ftrangeft, ai d not the leaft mifchievous infatuation of all, confifts r giving medicines to chil- dren in good health, with the filly view of prev<=ntirg difeafes. 1 he ' fpring and fall are the periods confecrated to phyfic in the calender of mothers and nurfes. At thofe feafons, if children are ever io well, they muft have a dole or two of what is falfely called an in- nocent purge, to keep them pure and hearty. Thus they are made really fick, for fear they fhould become fo ; and their conftitutions are enfeebled by the perverfe means employed to ftrengthen them, I have already faid fb much on the bad confequences which muft refult from the Ufe of laxatives, elpeciaily in childhood, that no far- ther difluafives againft fo abfurd a pracVce feem neceflavy, except this one remark ; that purging, like bleeding, induces a habit which cannot be left off with fafetv. Every purge paves the way for another, till the bowels are deftroyed. Such medicines, therefore fhould never be adminiftered but in cafcs of actual lllnefs, ana M> exoel loins greater poifon than themfelves. «o ADVICE TO MOTHERS As firs is a poi-t whi.-h cannot be too ftrongly enforced, T fr?ll lay Vtf r t^.e r ader Mr. Locke's 'entiments on the fane Ob- ject. I hey derived u le weight from his medical ikill, and from theextr"■ r'Mnary prtcifion .This manner of reafonmg upon any topic. As he was r. gui ?rly bred t >p yfic, he is exempt ftvm the fulpici ^n i cur d by fome lat.r philof pher?, of having written under the i flu nee f prejudice again,! the f cul y. " Perhaps," f-.ys he. "it w:U oo expect jd that I fhould give fome directions of phvfic, to prevent uifaf.s ,• 1 r wr'ich I have only this one, veryjacredly to be 6bfrved, never to give children any phyfic for prevention. 1 he ooferva- tion ot what I have already advifed vviil, ! lnpp le, do tnaf better, than the ladies' diet drinks, or apothecaries medicines. Have a great care of t imoering t a I wiy, I ft, in^ead A preventing, you draw w dilutes. Nor even up n even little iodifpoficion in phyfic tc oe given, or t;. phyfici n to be called to children, tfpeci llv if he be a buf man, that s it pr«.i:rtiy fill th.-ir wiad.-^s w.th gallipots, and the:r hVmarhs wth drugs. b is fafer to teav? them wholly to nature^ than fpt them into the wane's of one forward t tamper, or that th'rks drkiren r; to be cure-!, in ordinary diftempers, by any tni;.g but diet, or a method v=r\ lit le altering from it ; it feemi g f uitable both to my reafon nd experience, that the tender cooftituti us of children fh uld nave as little done to them as is pcflible, and as the -.tbfolute neceffity of the cte r. quires." loadd any thiag by wav of comment or ihV ration to lan- guage at once fo cl -r and fo forcible, woul. betray the greateft wt-.'kmfs. It is enough for me to quote fo uoexceptionable an au« aoritv in fupport of my favourite d ctrine. The c ief defign cf the prefent treatifeis tc foper ede the ufe of medicines in early Ufe, aid to fhew how health may be effe&ually prelerved by goxl nurfing alor.e. An at'-prion to trend s here laid down is the c-'fj method of preventing .'ifVafes. with whi h I am acquaintt-d.— A child ufed to the cold oath, and to the full enjoyment of frefh air, caor.ot he liable to coughs, colds, fore eyes, cr denuxions. A clean diy fkir, never relaxed by f ut not c vercharged, with fuch food as is fuited to its f-rer.gth ; and every thing that may irrita»e the nerves, or give rife fo convulfions, is averted with all pcflible care. Even in the midft of contagion, cr of epidemical diftemp'rs, the purity of a well- rurfc-d child's habit will correct the malignity of the infection, and -difarm it of itsufual terrors. ADVICE TO MOTHERS! tf, The eameftnefs with which I hav* reromm^nded inoculat^n m another work, may feem a little inronfiftent with the doctrine here lai? down ; but it is becaufe very few children are nurfed accor.on? 1 to my plan, that I think it advifeable to guard them all 23;ainft the poflible danger of catching the fmall-pox by ace dent. Befid^-, it is of importance to be aole to command time, place, and ctrcam- flanres, oarticularly as I have fhewn in my " Domeftic Medic«ne,*? with what eafe and fafety the operation may be performed by- mothers and nurfes without the )eaft occafion for any farther nodi- cal advice or afliftance. SECTION V. Oft he Food proper for Children. THE pernicious folly of making phyfic precede food at an in- v fant's birth is, I hope, fufficiently expofe! in the former f-ooon ; and notice is there takjn of t^e admirable manner, in which the thin diluted, and gently opening properties of the mother's raiik, are adapted to every medicinal as wed as alimentary purpofe.— Na'ure does not afford, nor can art contrive, aoy effectual (unfit- to te for that delicious fluid. By degrees the milk acquires cocfift- ence, and affords greater nourifhment to the child, as he becomes more capable of digesting it. At length, his bod'ly ftrength in- '<■ creafing, and his teeth burfting through the gums, he can take more folid and fubftantial food, which requires ftjll greater powers of digeftion. Thefe changes! are fo obvious, that they cannot be miftaken. Ignorance is pleaded in vain, and the leaft deviation from fo plain a road to health, is punifhed with laflang injury.— The infant, after having derived its whole fuftenance and growth, wh;le in the womb, from the mother's juices, cannot without the !■" greateft danger have its fupplies totally altered at its birth. It muft ftill be fed from the fame congenial fource, or the fhock of a fir*-. den and unnatural change will prove very trying to its tender con- ftituficn. In my advice to mothers at the time of lying-in, I endeavour- ed to convince tuem of the imminent danger to their own health, which would arife from their neglect of the moft facred of all to ies, that of fuckling their children. It is an obi gation fo ftr,.ngly en- forced by naure, that no woman can evade tne performance cf it with impunitv. But cheerful obedience to this fov« reign law is at- tended with the fweeteft pleafure of which the humat: heart is fuf- ceptible. The thrilling fenfations, as before obferved, that ac- company the act of giving fuck, can be conceived only by thofe who have felt them, whil»tho mental raptures of a fond mother at fuch moments are far beyond the powers of dofcription or fancy, bhe thus alio enfures the fulfilment ot the promdes made by the beft writers on this fubject—-fpeedy reccwrv from child-bed, the firm eftablifhment of good health, the exquifite fenfe of wedded joys, the capacity of bearing more children, the fteady attachment of her hufband, the efteem and refpect of the public, the warm returns of affectio. and gratitude from the objects of her tender care, and after all, th<» fatisfa&ion to fee her daughters follow her example and recommend it to others* fta ADVICE TO MOTHERS. Though I expreffed myfelf pretty fully on this head in the place above referred to, yet when I confi Jer it, new ideas arife in my mind, and I am more and m:re impreffed with a fenfe of its importance. People have been often amufed wita illusions of mi- rrrlal remedies. Long experience has almoft deftroyed my faith in theetli acy of even the bet fpecifics. But were I called upon to point out any one remedy for the areateft part, not only of the dif- eafes, but of the vices alio of fociety, I would declare it to be the ftrict attention of mothers to the nurfing and rearing of their chil- d*vn. " Would you have mankind re* urn all to their natural du- ties," fays the eloquent Rousseau, in one of his fine fallies of fen- ton^ntafenthufiafm, "begin with mothers of families: you will be aft«> titled at fe change this will produce. Almoft every k:nd of depravation flows fucceflively from this fource ; the moral order of thi -g; ?s broken, and nature qui e faoverted in our hearts; home is lefs cheerful and engaging ; the affecting fight of a rifing family no more ittaches the hufband, nor at racts the eyes of the ftra^ger; the mother is lefs truly refpecta'te, whofe children are not aoout her ; f ••mih'es are no longer places of refidence ; habit no longer enforces the t;es of olood ; t ere are no fathers, nor moiiers, chil- dren, br-thren, nor-jfters, they hardly know (how fhould th?y love) ea:h ith r ? Each cares'fcr no one buthimfelf; and when home aTords only a melancholy folitude, it is na'ural to feek diver- fion elfewhce. " Bnt," continues he, " fhould mothers again condefcend to KVRSB their children, manners would form themfelves ; the fen'i- m<-nts of nature would revive in our hearts ; tve ftate would be re- peopled ; this priucipal point, this alone, would re-unite every thiig. A tafteforthe charms ofadomeftic life, is the beft anti- dot o againft. corruption ot manners. The noife and buftle of chil- dren, which is generally thought troublefome, becomes h^nce agreeable; they render parents more neceffary, mere dear to each other, and ftrengthen the ties cf conjugal affecU n. When a family is all lively and animated, domeftic concerns afford the m ^ft de- lightful occupation to a woman, acd the molt agreeable am ufemeut to a man. Hence, from the correction of this one aoufe, will foon refult a general ref rmation ; nature will quickly re-affume all her rights; let wives :^ut o ce again pea me mother*; and the men will prefer.tly again become fathers and hufbands." ' o this iketch, dr wn by the pencil of fo great a matter, I mail only add, that the happy confequences f fuch a reform would be no lefs ftriking in a meiicd than in a moral pint cf view. A fbp would be put to the cruel ravages of death in early life. The long catalogue of infantile afflictions w uld aHoft become a bla^k or contain nothi-g toexcit* alarm. Every child, invigorated by his rnoher's milk, would, like the young Hercules, have force fumcient to ftran lem his cradl<- any ferpents that might affail him. * Uccainnal Ulnefs would be to hire only par' of a neceffary courfe •t dilciphne, to *nure him by times to bear pain wth manlv for- titude. Inthort, -alt-, ftrength, and beauty, would take place •ipunuiefs, deformity, and difeafe; fociety would be renovated- ADVICE TO MOTHERS* e care of mother? W11 fhe alone entail die curfe of her unnatural con- ' duct on her haplefs pofterity ?■ t But let me vindicate the female character from fo foul a re- ;. proach. It is n-t h much the fault of the women, as of w at is imor pedy call d civilized fociry. In its ruder ftate, this never . h ppened. It nave* happens among favage nations. I have already menrn ed fome remarkable i atances of their parental tendemefs. ■ The influence of fo ftr ng a prhciple can be weakened only by the i pr-valnceof vice, and of art firial refinement. Wh.-rever an in- n ;cen fimplicity of manners prevail, the children are not brought up by proxv ; the women ar- not fatisfied to be movhers by halves* as an old writer exor ffes it—to bring firth, and then caft off their offspring. They think with him, that nothing can be more contrary to nature, than fuch m imperfect fort of mother, who, after having : nourifVd in her womb, and with h^r blood, fomething which fhe dil not fe••, rcfufes now her breaft-milk to what fhe fees living, be- come a human creature, and imploring the afliftao.ee of its parent! In the pohfhed, or rather the depraved circles of f cial lifej thofe fcntiments are either unfelt, or difregarded. Women, ener- vated by luxury, allured by a falfe tafte for miftaken pleafure, and encouraged by fhamel°fs example, are eager to get rid of their chil- dren as foon as born, in ord-r to fpend the time thus gained from the difcharge of their duty in diflipation or indolence. Let net hufban Is be deceved ; let rhem not expect attachment from wives, who, in neglecting o fuckle their caildrea, rend afunder -the ftr ing-ft tics in nature. Neither conjugal love, fidelity, medefty, ehaftity, nor any other virtue, can take deep root in the breaft of a fij -ale t at is call us to the feeli ^gs of a mother. I am aware of th.* li tie tricks t at are fo often played r ff by new-married women to keep up the fhew of a wifh to nurfe their children while every engine is fe—etly empbved'ta make the deluded hufband conjure her torelinquifh her d fign, for fear of the injury it might do r.er co ftitutio . ffhe has not mjured her health by vice, nurfing will notleffea, but increafe her ftrength ; and if any conftitutional :e- fc h^r wholly unfi f r fuckling her child, fhe ought to ttb&ajyu from procreation* The woman who cannot difcharge the 64 ADVICE TO MOTHERS. duties of a mother, ought again and again to be told, that fhe has no right to become a wife. In cafes of accidental injury or difeafe, where it may be impof- JN? for the mother, or highly improper on her part, to give the child the breaft, fhe is to be pitied in being thus deprived of the greateft pleafure of life, the pleafure of feeding and rearing her own offspring. But the number of thofe women who really cannot fuckle is very fmall, compared with thofe who will not. The latter excite our indignation—not our pity ; they ftifle every emotion of ten- dernefs ; they are deaf to the voice of nature ; they facrifice the ■ moft important duty to vicious purfuits; and madly barter joys that will pleafe on every reflection, for fuch as never can bear to be recalled. Little do thofe diffipated mothers thmk of what their poor in- l fants are likely to fuffer, when committed to the care of hirelings.— Ougat thev not to confider, tha^ the woman who parts with her own babe to fuckle one of theirs, unlets fhe is impelled by the keeneft diftrefs, gives a proof in the firft inftance of her not being a good k mother ? How then is it to be expected that fhe fhould become a good nurfe ? Even fhould fhe acquire, in time and from habit, a tender affection for her fofter-child, ought not a mother of any fen- a Ability to take alarm at the idea of having that child's love tranf- ferred fro n herfelf to a ftranger ? Indeed, the claims of the nurfe ; who does her duty faithfully, are greatly fuperior to thofe of the ! parent who neglects her's. It was a faying of Scipio Africanus, that he took her to be more his mother who had nurfed him for two years, though/he had not brought him forth, than her who, after fhe had brought him into the world, deferted and abandoned him. But I am ftill better pleated with the anecdote related by Van Swieten, of a Queen of France; who gave her fon fuck, and would not defift from fo ; doing even when fhe was taken ill of an intermitting fever. It jj happened during one of the fits, that another matron gave her breaft to the thirty and crying child ; at which the queen was fo much difpleafed, that fhe thruft her finger into the child's mouth, in oHer to excite a vomiting, being unwilling that another fhould perform any part of a mother's office. I fhall not enlarge any farther on this fubject, I hope I have faid enough to excite good mo hers to the moft afliduous obfer- vance of the;r duty, and to warn others of the evils inseparable from the neglect of it. Such as may refolve to obey the dictates of nature and reafon, will find the .following directions of fome ufe in the profecuf ion of fo laudable a purpofe. The mother, after delivery, fhould be indulged with a few hours fleep, to recover her from the fatigue whicii fhe has lately undergone, and to allow due time for the fecretion of the milk, be- fore the infant is put to the breaft. The child can fuffer no incon- venience from this delay. Being replete with blood and juices, he has not th? leaft cccafion for any frefh fupply of nutriment, til -he mother is prepared by neceffary repofe to give him the grateful and fpontaneous beverage. I before pointed out the means to be employed when the nipples are not Efficiently prominent to afford ^UHMBE^ MOTHERS. a proper hold. But whatever the form of the nipples may be, they fhould be wafhed with a little warm milk and water, in order to remove toe bitter vifcid fubftance which is furnifhed round them to defend the tender parts from excoriation. 1 would alfo advife the mother, during the whole time of her nurfing, to wafh the nipples, immediately after giving fuck, in warm water. When- ever this can be conveniently procured ; and, ia cafe the fupplies of the nutritive fluid are very copious, or feem to exceed the infant's wants, fhe may always prefs out a little of the milk before the child is put again to the breaft, as the firft drops iffuing from the foun~ tain at every treat are th- mofWrable to fournefs and putrefcency. I need not urge a fond m«?fti£r freely to give her child wttat nature freely produces. The only check in this refp?ct is not to fuffer the infant to fleep at the breaft, or to fuck till vomiting enfues. But any attempts to entice the baby to ?he ufe of fpoon-meat are ftilr-more improper. This is a common practice, not only with hired nurfes, but even with affectionate mothers, from a foolifh though prevalent idea of leflening the demands on the breaft, or of ftrengthening the child with additional nourifhment If the nurle be not irregular in her own manner of living, fhe need not fear having a plentiful fupply for the infant; and fhe may reft affured that her milk is far better fuited to his young ftomach, and will afford a greater quantity of nutritious ehyle, than any preparation which art can devife. Another error no lefs prevalent, and more injurious than the former, is the idea that a woman, when nurfing, cannot eat and drink too heartily, as it is termed, to fupport her own ftrength and that of the infant. On the contrary, the tainted ftream of intem- perance muft enfeeble and diforder the child, while the nurfe really leffens her own power of giving fuck, and invites the attacks of a fever by her thcughtL-fs indulgence. The cooling regimen before recommended muft be ftrictly complied with for the firft week after delivery ; and though a more liberal diet may then be allowed, yet this allowance muft not extend to grofs meats or heating; liquids.— A pint of porter or ale twice a-day for at leaft a fortnight more, will be quite fufficient, and animal food fhould be very fparingly ufed for a much longer period. Inde d it would be happy for the children, as well as for tUir nurfes, if the latter would confine themfelves, without paiaful reflraint, to the falutary varieties of a milk and vegetable diet. It is a great miftake to fuppofe, that a nurfe is better fitted for her office by jiving on animal fubftances ; the reverfe is the truth. The mil^f women who live wholly on vegetables, is more abundant in quantity, will keep longer, and is far fweeter and more wholefome than what is prepared from _ ani- mal food, which, befides its inflammatory tendency, muft fuojcdt the children to gripes and worms. Thefe remarks are merely defigned to correct forae vulgar "errors refpecting the quantity and qualtty of the aliment moft prop- er for nurfes, but not toimpofe upon any woman theneceffny of a total change from her former and ufual manner of living. I would have her continue the temperate ufe of what fhe has fctmd fryext 66 ADVICE TO MOTHERS. perience to be moft conducive to her health ; and that will alfo * agree belt with her child. Her natural appetite may be lately in- "■ dulged ; but gluttony muft be repreffed, and a depraved tate for fpirituous liquors, or high-feafoned food, muft never be gratified. It has been juft hinted that the breaft-milk of a woman i:i good health is abundantly fufficieot for an infant's fupprrt. Nothing elfe fhould enter hislips for at leaft three or fcur months after the birth. A little thin pap or 'panada may tot-n be cccafiooally in- troduced, with a view of familiarificg it to the child's tafte, and thereby lettering the difficulty and danger of a complete and hid- den alteration at the time of weaning. But no fpices, no wine, no fugar, fhould at any time be mixed with his f >od or drink. Thefe and the like contrivances of filly women to make an infant's^ fpoon meat what they call palatable and nouriftrng, are fure to vitiate his • natural tafte, to inflame his blood, and to fill the ftomach withflime and acidities. Sugar, in parti ular, has another very bad effect: its frequent ufe not only gives children a dilreiifh for a wholefome ; fimplicity, but entices them to fwallow more than they otherwife ; would, or than they want, and thus makes gluttons of them even 1 before they can be ftrictly faid to eat. " j Infants are commonly deprived of the breaft too foon. What people call folid food is fupp->fed to contribute more to their growth and health. But, in the firft place, milk, though a fluid, is imme- • diately converted into a folid mbftance in the ftomach, where it is I toon after digefted, and then aff rds the beft nutriment poffible.— It alro appears contrary to nature to put folid fubftances into the mouth of a child, before it is furnifhed wirh teeth to chew them.— I fhould therjfore look upon the previous cutting of fhe teeth as the fureft indication,of the proper time for weaning children. I do net mean to lay this down as an invariable rule. The ftate of the j nurfe's health, as well of the child's, fhould be duly confidered. It feems only that the cutting of the teeth gives a fort of hint cf the ;v ufe to which they may be applied, It is farther remarkable that, , during the continuance of this ufually {harp and painful operation, children, as it were inftinctively, carry every thing that is put into their hands up to their mouf s. Give them on fuch cccafions ' crufts of bread, pieces of bifcui% dried fruits, or frefh liquorice- root, wh'ch they may fuck and chew. Corals, glafs, and the like hard bodies, ars very improper, as they will either bruife thi gums and caufe an inflammation, cr make them hard and callous '' by continual rubbing, fo as to render the cutting of the teeth ftill more difficult, and the pain more acute and lafting. A few, weeks before the intended time of weaning that is to fay, in the interval between the firft fymptoms of cutting the teeth and the appearance of at leaft four of tvem, fpoon-meat fhould be given more frequently, and in grea'er quantity, reducing In thehke degree the proportion of breaft-milk, till the gradual increafe of the. ' one md diminution ot the other render the change almof. iaaper- -,' ceptible. The beft fpoon-meat that I know, confifts of br:ad ani nhlk, prepared in the manner pointed out in my Domeflic Medi- ciae ; that is? ffrft boiling the bread it water, afterwards pauring the ADVICE TO MOTHERS. 67 water off, and then mixing with the bread a proper quantity of new milk unboiled. 1 there obferved, that milk ufed this way was more wholefome and nourifhing than when boiled, and was lefs liable to or.cafion coftivenefs. It is not neceffary, however, to confine children, after they are weaned, to one particular fort of food. The bill of fare may be ■ gradually enlarged with the child's growth, provided always that it ■ confift of an innocent variety. He may have bread and milk at I. on* time, bread pudding at another, and bread fliced in broth, ^r ; in the gravy of roaft meat, diluted with water, now and then, till at length his teeth beiag properly grown, and fit to chew meat it- felf, he may be allowed a little of it at dinner, with a due pr por- v tion of bread and of wholefome vegetables. But I muft forbid in the moft pofitive manner any ar; ificial-fweetening of his focd, all '■; fpices or feafohing, except f.dt, all farts of paftry, butter in every form, unripe fruits, and fermented liquors. « As 1 h«ve great reliance on fe difcretion of good mothers, when well informed of their duty, IftiAild be forry to tire them by too many details, or to fetter them by unneceffary reftraints ; I-1 fhall theref re only add one caution more on this part of the fub- ject, and that is, not to adopt the pernicious cuftom of giving food . or drink to children during the night. Even in the courfe of the | day, they fhould not be crammed every hour, and trained up in the habits of early gluttony. Temperance is that fure prefervative 1 of health, which they cannot be ADVICE TO MOTHERS. 6> v If Cato's wifd»m and parental affection could be heightened by contrail, I might eafily paint to a noble duke who is.more at- tentive to the breed of dogs than to th t of the human fpecies, and who has laid out more money up >n the magnificence of a kennel, t an he ever expended for the r lief cf poverty. 1 am told that his graceis very particular iu the choice of fkilful nurfes to wait upon the females of his canine family, when they are fick, or in the ftraw. I do not blame his tendeniels for brute animals ; but I am forry it fhould be confined to them, when a more naural fpha re lies open for the exercife of his humanity. This hint will be taken by thofe for w:.om it is intended : quifacit ilk capit. SECTION VI. Of Exercife and Rejl during Infancy. I MADE ufe of the plaineft reafoning I could in the firft Chapter of my " Domeftic Medicioe," to fhew how much the healtr,, the growth, and the ftrength of children, depended on ex. ercife: and to warn parents of the melancholy effects of inaction, and of fedentary employments in early life. It does not appear to me that any new argumints on that fubject are neceffary j but it may be of fervice to mothers and nurfes to be informed how the i< principles there laid down fhould be reduced to practice during in- ' Jancy. They are otherwife apt to fall into great errors, not con- ' fidering that as much mifchief may often ariie from untimely and ' violent exercife, as from the neglect of it when moft eflential. It has been juftly obferved, that children require no exercile for the firft and fecond months after their birth, but a gentle mo- tion fomewhat like that to which they had been accuftomed in the mother's womb. A frequent change of pofture, however, is ad- vifeable, left by always laying them on the fame li *e,.or carrying them on the fame arm, their fof- limbs may be moulded into aa improper fhape. But violent agitations of any fort may do them much greater iniury, by deranging the fine ftrudure of the brain, and giving rife'to the incurable evils of intelleaual or nervous W6a Other parts of the body, as well as the brain, are expofed to great danger by toiling infants on nigh, or rapidly dancing them, as it is called before their little limbs have gained fome degree of firm- nefs A great deal of the fpine is griMy, and the breaft entirely fo. Confider then what may be the effea of tne gralp or ftrong preffure of your hands againft thofe places in order to prevent the child from falling. As he advances in age, his boaes acquire ioUdi- R ty, and his whole body becomes able to endure a htte ^ock-- Brilk, lively, and frequent exercife. wdl then be of the g,eatelt fervice to him ; and you run no riifc of laying the foundations ot any difeafe, or of dettroving any part of that admirable fymmetry m the human frame on which health and beauty f^.^Pe^;%tLer.d In the courfe of a few months, a well-nurled child, uatetleroi bv any check on the free motion of his limbs, will be able to exer- n on the furface of his body muft deftroy the energy of the fkh,, acd rendet his whole frame both within and without, the ready receiver of difeafe. Horfe-hair cufhions and mattreffes are far preferable ; but if toft bran were ufed inftead of hair for the ftuffing of children's oeds and pill-ws, thefe would more readily let any moifture pafs through them, wo aid never be too much hei ted, and might be frequently chang d or renewed without any gteat trouble or expenfe. My former hints concerning a chtd's drefs are equally applicable to hs bed clothes, which ftionld be loofe, eafy, and as lig'«t as may be confident with due warmth. I fay the lefs on the fubject of cold, as m&ft mothers are too apt to run into the oppofite extreme. CHAP. V. OF DWARFISHNESS AND DEFORMITY JL HE chief caufes of defect* in the fize and form of Chil- dren, i:ave been occafionally touched upon in the preceding chap- ters ; but the prevalence of fuch evils, and the lamentable conle- quences with which they are followed, require to be more fully and diftinctly confidered.^ I muft not weoken the influence of im- portant truths by fuppreifir.g any part of ♦hem, or bv leaving them too widely fcattered. I muft {hake off the reftraints of falfe delU cacy, and by candity pointing out the grand f urce of lo many private and public cah rr.ities, e deavour to prevail on parents to adopt the moft effectu 1 rroe !y. Let not the faireft ptrt of the creation be offended wit*, me for faying, that, in all cafes of dwaif- ifhnefs and deformity, ninety-nine out of a hundred are owing to the folly, mifconduct or neglect of mothers. The following re- marks are not writt-n in the fpirit of reproach, but with a view to the moft defirahle reform. It would be difficult to mention any thing in vflhich fociety is fo deeply interefte', as in the proper union of the fexes. This has often engaged the attention of legiflatQrs, and marriages have been prohibited in various difeafes and perfonal difqualifications. We haveevea an iaftance upon record, wher^ the community interpo* fed, when degeneracy in th< royal line wis likely to be the confer que ce of their king's injudicious choice of a wife. Hift'Ty tells us, that the Laccdcemoniaus condemned thiir^ing Archidamus for ' ADVICE TO MOTHERS. 73 haying married a weak, puny woman; " becaufe," faid f hey," in- ftead of propagating a race of heroes, you will fill the throne with a progeny of changelings." f am aware that any checks on the liberty cf individurls in their matrimonial contrads, would be deemed inccmiftent with the freedom of the Britifti conftituticn ; and indeed, it is ftrange that laws fhould be neceflary to convince men, that health and form are, or ought to be, powerful confi 'erations in the choice of a wife. Every part of animated nature prcel ims aloud, that like begets likef and though a puny, dwarfifh, or diftcrted wcman, may become a mother, it will often be at the rifle of her own life, and always with a certainty of tranfmithmg fome of her infirmities to her Innocent and ill-fated offspring. *v • But the inheritance orp^arental weaknefs and deformity is one of thofe curfes which argument or expoftulation cannot avert — The voice of reafon is diiregarded, and objects of natural dtlire are overlooked by avarice and pride. Ifhafl therefore confine my ob- fervations to fuch evils as may be prefumed to admit of a cure, becaufe tney arife rather from error and felly, than from depravity or wilful perverfenefs. it feems to be the natural wifh of every pregnant woman to bring forth ftcut, healthy,and beautiful infants, Yet, Mr. Locke did not hefitate to affert, that, if mothers had the formation of their own children in the womb, we fhould fee nothing any where but j deformity. The foetus is happily placed in better hands, and under the guardian care of nature. But though it cannot be new mould* • ed, altered in its fhape, or disfigured by the mere fancies and capri- cious defires of the mother, it may fuffer no lefs injury from her ignorance, her folly, or mifconduct. I hope I made it fufficiemly evident in my cautions to women during pregnancy, that the f&tus, may not only be checkedtn its growth, but marked alfo and dif\ torted by tight or heavy preffure on the womb—by ftays, girdles, or the like improper ligatures. In vain does nature provide for the eafy and gradual enlargement of the embryo, if her ber.iguant pur- poles are counteracted by the bracing reftraints of a filly mother's prefs. After the birth, as I before obferved, ftill greater danger awaits the infant from attempts to mend his fhape--to keep his head and limbs in proper form—and to fecure him.againft accident. ITie went accident that can befal him is far lefs alarming than the certain confequences of fuch prefumpmcus improvements and ill- directed care. He becomes puny, ftunred, defcrmed, difeafed ; and, though perhaps caft "in nature's happieft mould," is fure to be fpoiled by the disfiguring touch of man. ' I have already explained the fatal effects of meddling with the foft bones of an infaut's fkull at the birth ; of confining them tw any check; or covering them too warmly. I fhe wed how wonder- fully the pliancy of thofe bones was contrived to yield to obftruc- tions, for the purpofe of promoting eafy and fafe delivery, and af- terwards to refume of themfelves their proper place and form, if Jhey had been fqueezed together in the act of parturition. I alfs ... ADVICE TO MOTHERS. i^ infifted on the importance of a thin and light cap, that the air may act upon them freely, to render them hard and coinpad, and of courfe fitter to defend the brain from cold or any external injury. But while midwives ar.d nurfes are fuffered to purfue a contrary plan, we need not wonder at meeting with fo many inftances of early convulfions, of idiotifm, and of heads misfhapen, infirm, or , fnlceptiWe of ccld upon cxpofure to the leaft breath of air. I was nolefsearneft in my cautions againft the ufe of banda- ges, or of oppreffive covering for any other part of the tender fraae. I did not magnify, the danger, but fimply ftated the refult of frequent obfervatioa. I never knew a fingle inttance of a child's j attaiument to full fize and vigour, after having been cruelly con- fined during infancy in fwathes or fwaddling-clothes. How, in- ■ desd, is it p:ffible, when theadion of the heart, the lungs, the ar- teries, and of all the vital organs, is cramped and enfeebled ?— when the free circulation of the blood and fecretion of the humours i are prevented *, and when the impatience of reftraint urges the in fant to wafte all his ftrength in continual but unavailing efforts to burft his fetters. As I knew that external objeds were more likely to make ■ fome impreflion on the minds of my female readers, than argu- ments drawn from the ftrudureof the human frame, I endeavoured j to fix their attention firft on the young of brute animals, many of ! which, as'kittens, puppies, &c. though very delicate when brought into the world, never want to be ftrengthened, kept in due form, or preferved from accidents, by means of fwaddling-bands. Chil- dren have as little occafion for any fuch defence againft danger. In reply to the idle objedions of mothers and nurfes, founded on the difference in point of alertnefs bef ween kittens and infants, it has been admitted, that the latter are certainly heavier than the for- ; mer, but they are more feeble in the fame proportion : they are in- . capable cf moving with fufficient force to hurt themfelves, and if . their limbs get into a wrong fituatioo, the uneafinefs they feel foon induces them to change it. Is it not abfurd to put them to real . pain by galling ligatures for fear of imaginary bruifes ; and to dif- i tort thrir tender bodies effcdually by fqueezing them into a prefs» left thev fhould grow diftorted from being left at liberty to ftir ? While I was writing on this part of the fubjed laft autumn, I could not help being ftruck with another illuftration cf it, which pre- , fented itfelf every day to my view. Above three hundred cattle \ were grazing in a field before my window- all of them nearly of the feme fize, well-formed and vigorous, without the leaft mark of fe- blenefs or diftortion. They had not been kept panting, when young, in tight and cumberfome wrappers, nor had they been munted in their growth by improper management. They might be %\ uly c.-lled the offspring of nature, reared and brought up in con- farmitv to her laws. How painful and humiliating did I feel the eon-raft, when 1 compared them with the fofter-children of art, : with bipeds of various fhapes andfizea—with the hunch-backed, crocked-legged, lame, ricketty, diminutive, and deformed human tjeings, whom I often few wajking through the fame field I ADVICE TO M01HERS. -, i.3 Should it be alledged, that inferences drawn from a fpecies fo different from our own are not conclufive, let us next turn our eyes to what takes place in faya,ge natiors, who are • 11 known to be tall robuft, and well proportioned. Indeed, any inftance to the contra- ry is fo very rare and extraordinary among them, that it was vul- garly believed they put ah their puny aod miffjiapen children to death. The fad is that they have net any fuch, becaufe they never thwart the purpofes of nature, or difobey her dictates in the treat- fment of their infant progeny. Theperfed form of the North American favages will be more ; clearly conceived from the following anecdote of the prefideiit of the Royal Academy, than from a whole volume of travel?. This juftly admired painter, who is a native of America, having difplayed • in his youth ftrong proofs of uncommon talents, was fent to Italy, 1 at that time the grand fchool for the imitative arts. Upon his hra feeing the Apollo Belvidere, he is faid to have exclaimed," O ! what a fine Mohawk Indian 1" Almoft every body has at leaft heard, that the Apollo Belvidereis one of the moft beautiful and exquifite pieces of ftatuary in the world. k I muft not here omit Buffon's account of the method of bringing up their young, purfued by other unpolifhed nations, as we proudly call them. " The ancient Peruvians," fayshe, "in loofe ly fwathing their children, left their arms at full liberty. When tney threw afide this drefs, they placed them at freedom in a hol- low, dug in the earth, and lined with clothes. Here their children^ unable to get out and crawl into danger, had their arms quite loofe, and culd move their heads and bend their bodies, without the rifk of falling or hurting themfelves. As foon as they were able to ftand, the nipple was fhewn them at a diftance, and thus they were enticed to learn to walk." The fame wri er obferves, " that the young negroes are often in a fituation in which it is with more difficulty they come st the p. breaft. They cling round the hip of *ha mother with their knees and feet, and by that means Pack lb clofe, that they ftand in no need of being fnpported, while they reach the breaft with their hands, and thus continue to fuck, without letting go their hold, or -. , being in any danger of falling, notwithftanding the various motions of the mother, who all the while is employed in her ulual labour. Thefe children begin to walk at the end of the fecond month, or t' -\ rather to {huffle al .ng on their hands and knees; an exercife that ' - gives them ever afterwards a facility cf running almoft as fwift in }. that manner as on their feet." To this very interefting defcription, lean add, upon the tetli- \ mony of a friend of mine who had been feveral years on the coaft i V of Africa, that the natives neither put any clothes en their children, ; uor apply to their bodies bandages of any kind, but lav them on a pallet, and fuffer them to tumble about at pleafure. Yet they are all ftraight, and feldom have any complaint. Good health, as well as a good fhape, is the confequence of their free, unconfined motion during infancy ; while, among us, on ihe contrary, reflraint, or what is the fame thing, tight preffure, checks growth, diftorts the 36 ADVICE TO MOTHERS. frame, and renders it at once diminutive, nnf ghrly and infirm.— There is always a clofe and very natural connection between de- formity, weaknefs and difeafe. The more we enlarge our furvey of the human fpecies in vari- ous parts of the world, the lefs doubt (hall we entertain of the prin- cipal caufe of dwarfifhnefs and deformity. We fhall find that man- kind are filiated and diftorted in proportion to their degree of civilization ; that people who go almoft naked from their birth, and iive in a fiate of nature, are well-ftiaped, ftrong and healthy—and that among others who boaft of higher refinements, the greater at- tention that is paid to drefs,thenearer are the approaches to the flat. ure and to the weaknefs of pigmies. Sterne, who knew fo well how to enliven the moft ferious fcbjeds, reprefents himfelf as ftruck with the number of dwarfs he law at Paris. 1 am very forry to obferve, that we need not go fo far as Paris to be convinced of the lamentable effeds of tight clothes, bad nur- fing, and confined impure air. Many ot thefe matters are not much better ordered in the Ecglifti metropolis ; every narrow lane in London fwarms with ricketty children ; and though we cannot fey of the people whom we meet witnin the ftreets, that every third man is a pigmy, yet we may with ftr d truth aflert, that many of the women are evidently ftunted in their growth, and, both in fize and robuftnefs, are below the ftandard of mediocrity. With re- gard to females, indeed, born and bred in this city, as more atten- tion is unfortunately paid to the tightnefs of their drefs, and to the artificial moulding or pretended improvement of their itiape when young, the far greater part of them muft be of a diminutive ftat- lire, and numbers are diftorted either in body or limbs. CHAP. VI. fANEFVl EFFECTS #Jf FOMENT AL "ENDERNISS, OK. OF tfHAT MAr BE CALLED AN EXTREMELY DELICATE AND ENERVATING EDUCATION. XTxAVING repeatedly had occafion to point out the evils that mcft arife from the inattention of mothers to any part of their duty, and efpecially from abandoning their children to the manage- ment of hired nurfes. 1 fhall now proceed to explain the bad con- iequences of the oppofite extreme. Too much care operates in the feme manDer as too little, and produces fimilar effeds. A cafe or two, feleded from many which haveoccured to me in the courfe of practice, will tufffc'iendy illuftrate the truth of this affertion. The grand rule of life, which reafon and experience concur to recommend, is always to purfue the golden mean; to fteer a middle •ourfe between dangerous ex remes; and to take care, in avoiding any one vice or folly, not to run into its oppofite. Mothers are too apt to forget this admirable leffon, in nurfing and rearing their chil- dren. They do not feem to know the proper medium between cru- el negled or indifference on the one hand, and the fatal exceffes of aascety and fondaefr oa the other. In giving way to the ftrong iirt- ADVICE TO MOTHERS. y, pulfes of natural affe&ion, they commonly go too far, and do as much mifchief to heir offspring by mifguided tendernefs, as by to- tal infenfibility. It is not my intention to combat thofe fine feelings of mothers, without which the human race would foon be extind. ionly wifli to fee them kept a little more under the control of reafon. I wifli to fee the moft amiable of all paflions, maternal love, difplayed in promoting the health and fortifying the comtitutions of children—■ not in relaxing them by every fpecies of folinefs and effeminacy^ When this paflion is carried beyond the proper bounds, it ceafes to be love: it becomes a fort ot blind infatuation, always injures, and often deftroys the objed of its regard. Mothers fhould never for- get the fable of the monkey {hatching up one of its young in a mo- ment of alarm, and, in order to fave it from danger, fqueezing it with fo clofe an embrace as to occafion its death. What a juft pid- ure of darling children fo frequently killed by kindnefsj Nature provides for the helplefs ftate of infancy in the ftrorg attachment of parents. A child comes into the world chiefly de- pendent on the mother's care for the prefervation of its being. She ' is tremblingly alive to all its wants. Every tender office fhe per- forms increases her fond f. .licitude, till at length it gains the full pof- feflion of her affedions, and her fole wifh is to make it happy.— '" What a lamentable thing it is that fhe fhould fo frequently miftafce the means! Indeed there cannot be a greater miftake than to imagine that ' extreme tendernefs or delicacy of treatment will promote the health, the growth, the prefent or the future happinefs of a child. It muft have quite a contrary effed. Inftead of fupplying the real calls of nature, it creates a thoufand artificial wants : inftead of guarding l the infant from pain and difeafe, it renders him much more fufcpp- ■ tible of both, and lefs capable of enduring either : inftead of happi- f nefs,it enfures mifery in every ftage of his exiftence, as the infirm- ities of body and mind, wMch are contraded in the cradle, will foU low him with incurable obftinacy to the grave. The writer, whom I quoted on the fubjed of fucklicg, is no [ lefs forcible in hisrenfure of matern A fondnefs. He fays, the ob- vious paths of nature are alike forfakea by the woman who gwes up the care of her infant to a hireliug, or, in other words, who negleds the duties of a mother ; and by her who carries thefe dunes to \ excefs ; who makes an idol of her child; increafes his we?knefs, by preventing his fecfe of it; and, as if fhe could emancipate him from ' the laws of nature, hinders every approach of pain or diftrtfs; f- without thinking that, for the fake of preferving him at prefent '. from a few trifling inconveniences, fhe is accumulating on his head a diftant load of anxieties and misfortunes—without thinking, that it is a barbarous precaution to enervate and indulge the child at the expenfe of the man. He then begs of mothers to attend to nature, and fellow the track {he has delineated ;—•" fhe continually exereifes her children i and fortifies their conftitution by experiments of every kind; in- uring them betimes to grief and pain. In cutting their teeth, they 7« ADVICE TO MOTHERS. experience the fever; griping colics throw them into convulfions; the hooping-cough fufrocatrs, and worms torment them; furfeits corrupt their blood ; and the various fermentations to which their humours are fubjed, cover them with troublefome eruptions ; al* moft 'he whote period of childhood is ficknefs and danger. But, in patting .hrough this courfe of experiments, the child gathers • ftrength and f rtitude; and, as foon as he is capable of living, the principles of life become lefs precarious. " This," he adds, "is the law of nature. Why fhould you act contrary to it • D a you not fee that, by endeavouring to cor red her work, youfpoil it, and prevent the execution of her defigns? * Act you from without, as fhe does within. This, according to yon, would increafe the danger ; on the contrary, it will create a civerfion, and leffcii it. Experience {hews, that children delicately < educated die in a greater proportion than others. Provided you do not make them exert themfelves beyond their powers* lefs rifk is run in exercifmg, than indulging them in eafe. Inure them there- fore by degrees to thofe inconveniences which they muft one day * fuffer. Harden their badies to the intemperature of the feafons, - ; climates, and elements; to hunger, thirft, and fatigue." ' As the philofepher was aware that the latter part of his advice would ftir up all the fears and alarms of fond mothers, he takes ] fome pains to convince them that it may be followed with perfed :! fafety. He very juftly obferves, that, " before the body has ac- quired a fettled habit, we may give it any we pleafe, without dan- ger ; though when it is once arrived at full growth and confiitence, i every alteration is hazardous. A child will bear thofe viciffitudes, which to a man would be infupportable. Thefoftand pliant fi- bres of the former readily yield toimpreffion ; thofe of the latter are more rigid, and are reduced only by violence/to recede frpm the i forms they have affumed. We may therefore," he concludes,' j "bring up a child robuft and hearty, without endangering either^ hs life or health ; and though even fome rifle were run in this re- ; fpect, it would not afford fufficient caule of hefitation. Since they o are rifks infeparable from human life, can we do better, than to run ti em during that period of it wherein we take thsm at the leaft . difadvantage?"—I leave this queftiontobe duly c;nfidered by ev.-ry mothe r who is not blind to thecleareft evidence of truth, or wilfully deaf to the moft commanding tones of eloquence and argu- ment. The familiarity of any objtd leffens our furpnfe at it, or there tire few infiances cf human folly which would aftonifh usraore,than that of a fond mother, who, in order to proted her child from a. little pain or uneafiaefs while he is young, multiplies his fuffering*jjj| when he comes to maturity. Strange infatuation ! to facrifice tnelfi man to the infant, and., through over-folicitude for a year or two ''. after his entrance h;to life; ,to fhorten its natural extent, and to fill ■; up that contracted fpan of exiftence with weaknefs, irritability, and 'V difeafe 1 Did any body ever think of rearing an oak plant in a hot- * houfe, thence to be removed to the bleak mountain ?»And is the puny, enervated nurfticg better prepared t« endure tfee tranfition ADVICE TO MOTHERS. ?0 from the lap of foftnefs to all the accidents of a rugged and a ftor- myr world ? As ftrong examples often make fome impreflion where other modes of reafomng fail, I fhall here beg leave to introduce the hif- tory of a young gentleman, whom I attended at a very early period pf my pradice, and who fell a vidim to the exceffive fondnefs of an indulgent mother. With every wifh to promote her f:n's health and happin t's, fhe was as far as refpeded intention, the innocenthut abfolute caufe of totally deftroy ing both. She brought on relaxa- tion and debility, by her mifguided endeavours to avert pain ; and while {he hoped to prolong the life of an only fon,.the means which fhe made ufe of for that purpofe, not only abridged its duration but precluded his power of enjoying it. Though he was buried at the age of twenty-one, he might be laid to have died in his cradle,, for life has been well defined, not to confift in merely breathing, but in making a proper ufe of our organs, or fenfes, our faculties^ and of all thofe parts of the human frame which contribute to t e confcioufnefs, of our exiftence. That he uever attained to this ftate of being, will fully appear from the following narrative. -Edward Watkinjon was the only fon of a country clergyman, of amiable manners and found learning, but of a reclufe turncf mind. The mother was a daughter of a London tradefman, and had been ' educated with extreme delicacy. She naturally purfued the fame line of condud towards her own child ; and her fond huflband was too much under the influence of the like fatal weaknefs. Many a , child is fpoiled by the indulgence of one parent; in the cafe now '. before us, both concurred to produce that enervating effect. For fome time after his birth, matter Neddy was reckoned a promifing boy. When I firft law him, he was about eighteen [' years of age: but, to judge by his look, ona wmli have fupp fed > him to be at leat eighty. His face was long, pale, and deeply fur- rowed with wrinkks—his eyes were funk in their fockets—his teeth quite decayed—his nofeand chin almoft touched each other— his breaft narrow and prominent—his body twilled—his legs like fpiadles—his hands and fingers approaching nearly to the form of \ birds claws—in fhort, his whole figure exhibited the truly, pitiable appearance cf a very old man, finking under the weight of years and infirjiities h.to the grave. ? It was atMidfummerlpaidmyfirft vifit. I then found him wrap- ped up in clothing fufhcient for the rigours of a Lapland winter, and To clofely muffled that one could hardly fee the tip of his ncfe. He wore feveral pair of ft ckings; his gloves were double, and • reached his elbows ; and, to compleat the abfurdity of his dref>, he was tight laced in ftays. Though armed in this manner at aft poinf s, he feldom peeped out of doors except in the dog days, aad then ventured no father than the church, which was only forty pa- ces from his father's houfe. I believe this was the moft diftant ex- * eurfion he ever made; and the extraordinary attempt was alw tys [Accompanied with peculiar care, and many additional prefervati/ss iifiimicold. , ,,/... The eye of his parents might fee truly, faid to watch over him U ADVICE TO MOTHERS. not only by day, but by night alfo, as he flept in the fame bed with t them, having never been permitted to lie alone, left he fhould throw the clothes oft", or feel the want of any immediate afliftance. It did rot once occur to his father or mother, that all the inconveniences which they fo much dreaded, could not be half fo injurious as the relaxing atmofphere of a warm bed, f unrounded by clofe curtains. and impregnated with the noxious effluvia from their lungs and bodies. His food and his drink were of the weakeft quality, always adminiftered warm, and by weight and meafure. When I recom- \ mended a more nourifhing diet, and a little generous wine, I was : told that theftrongeft thing mafter Neddy had ever taken was chick- ■en water, and that they durft not venture on wine or animal food j for fear of a fever. Thus was the poor lad reduced almoft to a fkeleton, through the filly apprehenfion of a difeafe, of which he was not fufceptible. Nature was in him too weak to fpread a hec- tic flufh even for a moment over his countenance, which had ac- * quired the ccbur of a par-boiled chicken. All his vital powers , were languid ; and even his fpeeeh refembled the fqueaking of a • bird, more than the voice of a man. When I fpoke of exercife, I was told he took a walk every fine day in the hall, and that was deemed fufficient for one of his deli- J ca*e conftituiion. I mentioned a horfe—the mother was frighten-1 ed at the very name of fo dangerous an animal. On' telling her •! that I owed the firmnefs and vigour of my own conftitution to j ridiag every day, fhe began to think there might be fomething fpe- " cific in it; and fhe therefore confented to the purchafe of a little J horfe. But tame as the creature was, it did not quiet the mother's I alarms. Mafter Neddy, though placed upon the poney's back,w2$ \ not entrufted with the reins. Thefe were given in charge to a maid-fervant, who led the horfe round the orchard, while the cau- j tious rider fattened both hands on re pommel of the faddle: and '■ the father wslkicg on one fide, and the mother on the other, held « him fr.ft by the legs, L ft he might be brought to the ground by any fudden ftart of his hith metaled racer. This exhibition was too ' ridiculous not to excite the laughter of th.3 neighbours ; which foon put an end to mafter Neddy's equeftrian exercife. The timidity of a youth thus brought up is more eafily con- \ ceived than de'isribed. ^ Fearful of every thing, he would run from r the moft in- -ffenfive aaimal, as if he had been purfued by a lion or a tiger. His weaknefs in this refped being known to the village boys,/it was a common pradice with them, whenever they faw \ himpeep'ngthrcuga his father's gate, to frighten him into the houte by calling to the pigs to bite him. This fportive alarm had the fame effed as t e fudden rufh of a mad bullock. vvhh fuch exceffive weaknefs both of mind and body, mafter Neddy had fome good points about him. His parents reprefented J him as a perfed model of morality ;and I had no right to doubt the truth of their reprefentation, though I did not give him quite fo much credit on that fcore, becaufe he did not poffels fufficient force J of eor.ftitution to be capable of any kind of viee. Bat I viewed, J ADVICE TO MOTHERS. St with mixed emotions of admiration and pity, fome proofs of learn- ing and abilities which he left behind him. I was the more fur- prifed, as the inceffant care beftow°d on his perfon feeraed to leave very little tioae for any mental acqai-ements. Improper food, tight or oppreflive clothing and want of frefh air and exercife, have in their turn proved deftrudive to thoufrnds. This young man fell a v'ctim to them all; and it would have been a miracle indeed, had he 'orvived their combined influence. He died without a groan, or any mark of difeafe except premature old age, the machine ben* fairly worn out before he completed his twenty-firft year. His death proved fatal to both his parents, whofe lives were clofely bound up in that of the lad. The father had perceived his ow error, bu not before it was too late. Oa reading ray inaugural differtation, which was then published in Latin, under the title already mentioned, he fent for me, and begged I wotjd endeavour to fave his fon. The youth, alas! was far beyond/the reach of my moft zealous efforts : I could only witnefs the certainty of his fate. Medicine was of as lit le ufe to him, as confolation to his afflided parents. The bitter- nefs of their grief was increafed by felf-reproach ; and friendfhip exerted her foothing voice in vain. The father on his death-bed conjured me to tranflate my differtation into Englifh, as he thought it might be of infinite fervice to mankind. My compliance with hisrequeft gave rife to the " Domeflic Medicine," of which that effay on the means of preferving the lives of children, constitutes (he firft, and, in my opinion, tha beft chapter. ^ ' The above relation may to fome app ar romantic; but did I fuppofe anv one capable of queftioning my veracity, I could name feveral perfons of t^e firft refpedabilitv, wha know, that, fo far from being heightened, it falls fh. >rt of the truth. Indeed I might. go farther, and affert, from mv own too froqueftt obfervation, that a mater Neddy is not fo fingular a phenomenon in many other fara^ iibs, and that the evils of p cental folly are much oftener entailei upon favourite heirs, than the power of fully e: joying the eftates which defcend to them. But it is in the female world, more efpecially, that maternal fondnefs fpreads its fatal ravages. Girls remain I. nger than boys under the immediate and almoft exclufive care ot their mothers ; and when the latter are mare guided by love,, than reafon, by the impulfes of a tender heart inftead of the dida'es of an enhghtened mind, the former are doooaed to weaknefs and oa.feryi I {hall not offend my fa;r readers by a repet-ti m of the remarks already made on the acquired defeds and infirmities of too many of our young women ; nor fhall 1 attempt to defcribe the long tram and almcut endlers variety of nervous difeafe?, from which fo few of them are exempt: I fhall now confine myfelf to a fingle inftanc? ot the ef- feds of extreme delicacy in the education of a daughter, as the counterpart of my ftory of a fon cut offby the like means. Ifabella TVilfon was in early life a very promifing child, and the object of her mother's adolatry. This good woman had no idea that health and beauty were morelikely to be deftroyed than mv (6) 8t ADVICE TO MOTHERS. proved or preferved by exceflive care. In the choice of diet, clothe^ ex3.rdfe, &zc. the delicacy of her fweet girl was always the ruling idea. It is eafy, indeed, to render the human frame more delicate; bu» t~> make it more robuft, requires a very different mode cf o^o- ceeding. As the chill did not kern affiiided with any oarticular complaint, the doting mother exulted at the happy effeds of her.' own management, and aevwar bought that the taper farm, the fine limbs, and the languiftvng f-fto.fs, which fhs fo much i.dmired, wereth? fure fympto-ojs of debility and of latent difeafe. Ifabellas mental improvement, in which fne fmpaffed many other young girls of her age at to" (bine fchool, was no lefs flatter- ing to hrr mi hake" p? rents. But ihe had fcarcely at rained ter fourteenth year bef re t" c fond illufion vaniflied, and the regular,. fuodionsof both mind and body were fufpended by a fit of the moft extraordinary nature. I cannot avoid making one remark here, which may be of grrat prad! -al utility. It is, that fits, th■■,u:.'"! they go by d.fferent n/'mes, and are Scribed to a gr :t vari- ety of caufes. may ail V racked under the general appellation of nervous affedioos, and are almoft always the confequence of bad nurfioe or injudicious treatment io childhood. Few children, prop- erly nurf'd, have fits; and of thofe who are improperly managed,.'] few efcape them. Poor Bell Wilson was one of the unfortu- nate cl .fs. On my Nring fent f r t~ attend this young woman, who was then fixteen, I was informed that fhe had been fubjed to fits for about three years, and had taken a great deal of medicine by the advice cf feveral of the faculty, but Without having experienced any benefit. Though the perfon who gave me this account made ule of the w r3' fits, I foon found that ftridlv fpeaking, it was only one fit, that affumed two different farms or ftates, which followed one ahother in coaftant fucceifion during the whole of the above period. In order to give a precifeidea of this fingular kind of fit, I flp.ll Call »ts firft ftate active, and the fecond paffive. During the former, the v ung woman made ufe of the moft violem exertions, fpringing up, throwing her arms about, and ftriking them againft every thing which care within her reach. At the fame time, fhe uttered a f:rt of noife, confiftirg of three notes, which was more like the cry of fome wild beait th.-n any thing human. An univerfal fpafm fuccfeeded thofe ftrange agitations, and everv limb became as ftiff and inflexible as if it had been (uddenly petrifiV. Her whole appearance was that of a ftatue made of Parian nari^K In this ftate of rigidity fhe continued fometimes* fcr ore hour, fom*';mes tw > and often three or four, but the mo- rn ec» it was over, ihe began with the cry and motion above detai- ned. • The act've convulfion never lafted fc long as the rigid ftate ; hut it was the only time at w'dcr. cry thing could be got down ' her throat. As fhe would not admt fubftances of the leaft foli.'i- ty in-to her mouth, the iitt1^ aurimeo which fhe received was al- wavs g'v-n ;n a fh*^ f roc, a-d chvfy copfifted rf fmall.beer, or wine andwater. Her evacuations, either by ftco! cr urine, were ADVICE TO MOTHERS. Sj ©f courfe very trifling, and fhe was wholly infenfibie of both.— Notwithftandir.g the thinnefs of her diet, fne did not appear ema* ciafedor ghaftlv ; on toe contrary, {he was tolerably well in flefh, and her ccuncenance. though quite vcid of colour, was rather pie-Ting. Her fi.A^e was exquifitcly fine, the difeafe did not feem to h ve prevented her growth in height, though it hi in ftrength, and in bulk cr expanfion ; {he was very {lender, but as tall as mcff. young- women of the fame a,.e. Such were the moft ftrikihg pe.- . culiaritias of her fituation whon I paid my firft vifit. As all the voluntary motions were fufpended, and the invol- untary alone took place, I thought by exciting the former I might fupprefs the latter, which had fo long agitated the fyftem. Bur before I had recourfe to ftimulants, I was induced, by the tone ■. £ confidence with which I had often heard anodynes and antifpafmo,. dies fpoken of by profeflional men of eminence, to try them firt ; but the experiment, though fairly ma -e and duly perfevered in, was not attended with the leaft fuoefs. And here I muft obferv, that, after forty years farther pradice, I havs never found the effed of antifpafmodics in fuch cafes to c rrefpond with the high reputa- tion which they long retained in the medical world. I know it has been the ufual method, when the adions of rhe fyftem appeared to be inverted, to empl y th:s clafs of medicines, in order to reftcre regularity and to take off the fuppofed fp ifm. I am far from be- ing inclined to queftion the veracity of the favourable rp.rts made . by others of the iffue of their experiments; I candidly ftv.te the re- fult of my own, which has whjHy deftroyed my reliance on that mode f was dead ; but that her burial had been delayed till I fliould lee her,,! When I called, I found h^r tc all apo^arance what the people had,' dercribed her, a lifelefs corpfe. On examining the body, however, ■ I thought I perceived tome degree of w arm th about the region tof tn he^rt. This confirmed me in my previous defign to make every attempt to r-oVre animation. It was a confiderable time before any fympto ^? of life appeared ; at length, the girl fet up her old Ory, and b;g >n to throw her arms about as ufu.il. j After hiving fofar fucceeded, the parents- implicitly followed! my farth .r diredions, and did not throw any new obftacle in the ] way of a cure. I again had recourfe to the tonics before metion-, ed, with fu^h nourifhment as the girl could be brought to fwalloWi The viole^ e of the convulfive motions gradually abated, and the durati n of the rigid ftate of the fit grew fhorter and fliorter ; till, in about fix months, the whole ceafedj and the regular and natural adions of the fyftem returned. The ftate of this girl's mind, as well as of her body, en herj recovery, was as extraordinary as her difeafe. It is common to alii' p°rf >ns, who f 11 iato fits, to have no remembrance of what hap- pens during the paroxyfm. This young woman not onlv was in-, fenfible of every occurrence and of the progrefs of time during her; long tit, but her malady had completely blotted out all recollediot of every event before that period, and even the traces of all knowl- edge which fhe had acquired from the moment of her birth till hejj illnefs. I have indeed kndwn a fingle fit of twenty-four hours du-: ration to deftroy the powers of the mind, and produce abfolute idiotifm ; but this was hot the cafe h re. The mental faculties, af- ter a total fufpenfion for four years, were not deftroyed, but re- duced to an bfant ftate ; and though void of all knowledge, were as capable of acquiring it as ever. It was juft the fame with regard to (beech. And to the prop- er management of the legs and arms, of which ftr: knew as little at the time of her recovery as at the inftaot of her birth. Nothing could be more curious than to hear her lifping fir fome months the I ntimby pamby of a child, and to trace her progrefs in the imitation of J founds and the ufe cf language. As feer, as fhe could converfeJ fhe was told how long fhe had been ill, fhe cried, but could not be- lieve it. When fome.books, which fhe had written at fqhool, were. . ft&wn to her,fhe thought it impoffible they could be her*s,and was ADVICE TO MOTHERS, 9$ pofitive that the whole muft be a mockery. In the ccurfe of time, fhe yielded to the concurrent teitimony of others ; but fhe remain*- ed unconfcious«. f any former ftate of exiftence. Her new attempts to walk were as aukward as her attempts to fpeak ; and fhe required nearly as much time to recover the perfed ufe of her legs as of her tongue. Even aft-r fhe had acquired a •onfideral lecksree ci'ftreng.-h, fhe wanted expertnefs in her .mo- tions, and was obliged to be led about by the arms like a baby.— Wheoever 1 called to fee cer, 1 made a point of taking her into the garden to walk with me ; but it was with great difficulty that I could prevent her from falling. , We often lament the weaknefs oi- infancy ; yet were we to come full grown into the World, we fhould not only be ss longv in learning to walk as infants are, but our firft effays would be infinitely more dangerous. It is unneceffary to trace any far her the fteps by which this young woman advanced to the full re-eftaolifhmentof her health, and to the perfed ufe of all her mental and corporeal faculties.— Thefe great ends were gained by a mode of treatment the very re- verfe of the enervating plan which had been the caufe of her long bufferings, but which, happily for her, was not afterwards refumed> I fhall leave tender parents to make their own refledions on this cafe, and fhall now only urge it as a farther caution againft the too bafty interment of perfors who may feem to expire in a fit. Une- quivocal proofs of death itiould always be waited for, and every advifeable means of refufcitation perfevered in, when we confide* how long appearances may be deceitful, and how unexpedediy the ; latent fparks of life may be rekindled. Befides the uncommon inttance of this young woman's re-aci- : nation, as it may be called, I have heard of a young lady in Hol- land, who was reftored to her defponding friends after fhe had .'been for.nine days apparently in a ftate of death. The day before her propofed interment, her dodor called to take his final leave of :her ; but fancying that he perceived fome vital fymptom, he re- newed his before hopelefs efforts, and had the happinefs to ibeceed. This girl's cafe differed from that of my patient in one very re* raarkable particular : I am told that, in her leemingly inanimate .ftate, {he was all the while perfedly confeious of being alive, ticugh fhe could not ftir, nor fpeak, and that her only terror was left fhe fhould be buried alive. CHAP. VII. OF EMPLOTMENTS UNFAVOURABLE TO THE GROWTH AND HEALTH OF CHILDREN. . X HOUGH my remarks on air and exercife render it lefs neceffary to be very minute in my detail of occupations which preclude the full enjoyment of thofe eflential requifites, yet fome little illuftration in a few inftances may have its ufe. The children of the rich and of the poor are alike facrificed to the miftaken views ©f their parejtfs, the fonner by tfieir confinement at heme or & Z6 ADVICE TO MOTHERS. fchool, fcr the fake of f me tr flier att. ir.: ents, and the latter, by premature ecdeavours to g t a livelihood, t r:ere is, . ovever, a very material iffenxce between both, as th . rror in one cafe, arifing from fafhion or caprice, is infinitely lefs pardonable than' the other, which is too often occafi ned by want. It is ftrange that mothers in the higher ranks of life, who muft' have felt or frequently obferved t! e debilitating effects of fafhic lia- ble modes of educarion, fhould prfift in making their own daUgjv, ters fit for hours together at a tambour-frame, or at the needle in learning fancy wroks, which can never be of the lt:aftferyio, but muft do their health and their form ;rreparable injury. The yery poftures, inwhichthey are thus empl wed, not only tend to citort' their pliact limbs acd bodies, but to impede the adion of the prin- cipal organs of life, which require above all things an expanded cheft for the eafy performance of their rdpedive fundions. I can- not too often repeat that perfonal deft rmities. pile compledions, head-aches, pains of the ftomach, lofs of appetite, indigeftion, con. fumptions, and numherlefs c ther enemies of youth and beauty, are the fure confequences of long coot: uaoce in a fitting or indui- ng attitude. Wha fo many young ladirs iuftor at a critical time of Ufe, and the ftill greater clanger which often awaits them when they become wives and mothers, are chiefly owing to the fame caufe^-eariy confinement in fedentary purfuits; and the want of frequent exercife in the open air. To fetter the adive motions of children, as foon as they get ! the ufe of their limbs, is a barbarous oppofition to nature ; and to do fo, under a pretence of improvement, is an infult upon com- mon fenfe. It may, indeed, be the way to train up enervated puppets, but never to form accompliflied men ,r women. 1 alwayi behold, with much heart-felt concern, poor little creatures of ten or twelve years of age, and fometimes youngc-x, who are exhibited « by their filly parents as prodigies of learning, or diftinauifhed for their extraordinary proficiency in languages, in elocution, in mufic,; in drawing, or even in fome frivolous acquirement. The ftrength . of the mind as well as of the body is exhaufted, and the natural: growth of both is checked by fuch untimely exertions. I am not, for difcouraging the early introduction of youth into the fweet fc ciety of the JVIufes and the Graces; but I would have them pa their court alio to the Goddefs of Health, and fpend a confiderabli part of their time, during the above period at leaft, in her enliven- ing ljaorts and gambols. It would be foreign to my immediate purpofe to fay any thing farther of the literary purfuits of boys, than that more frequent in- tervals between the hours of ftudy than are now ufual, fhould be allowed for recreation and adive exercifes. But a much greater reform is wanted in female education, the whole of whi :h appears to be upon a wrong bafis. I leave to others the moral part * j this bufinefs, and fhall only take a medical view of the fubjed. It grieves me to fee health impaired by a clcfe application to objed| of very little confequence while the moft important qualification* are difregaded. Every girl fliould be brought up with a view c: b ADVICE TO MOTHERS. 87 • ir.g a wife and a mother; or whatever her ctir-r accompli fhments may be, fhe will prove totally unfit fcr tr.e dilchargc of thole duties on which the affections of her hufband, the well-being of her proge- ny, and her own happinefs, muft dep ltd. If fhe herfelf is languid and indolent, how can fne hope to bri tg forth acta ve and v;g r-.us children r And if fhe knows ncih'iDgoi the proper 111 nagercent of them, muft fhe not have recourfe fo hirelings, and rauft en'irely to th'ir care, to their ikill, and to their fidell y, inthedeareft concerns Of life? It is common to fee w< men who are fupp..fed to have had a very genteel iducation? fo ignorant v. hen tney aoiie t-> have chil- dren, of every tring wiTh which a mother ought to be acquaioted. that the infant itfelf is as wile in thf fe matters as its parent. Had the time fpent by fuch females in the acquifition of what can never bsof any fervice to them, been employed under the eye of a iaga- oions matron in learning domeftic virtues and t he art of rearing chil- dren, they would have fecured tl e attachment of their hufbands, made their fons and daughters uleful lt.embers of fociety, and been themfelves an example and an omammt to thefex. If a young man be intended for the army or navy, he is fent to the academy to be inftruded in thofe branches of fcience which are deemed neceffary for his making a figure in the propofed de- partment But a young woman, who has got a more difficult part to ad, has n~ fuch opportunity afforded her. She is fuppofed to require no previous courfe of train ng,—to need no affiftance but . that of nature, to fit her fciothe difcharge of her duties when fhe •omes to be a mother. Did (lie live in a ftate of nature, that idea Would net he far wrong *, but, in fociety, every thing is artificial, and muft be learned as an art. * Tfce art in queftioo, however, can neither be learned from • books, nor from conversion. Thefe may have their ule, but, they will not make an ac'compiifhed nurf;. Indeed, nothhig can form l this firft of characters, but pradice; and if fuch practice is not ac- 1 quired under fome experienced matron, it will ccft many liver to learn it any whtre elfe. A mother may blunder on, as moft of thein do, till fhe has killed a number of children, before {he is ca- pable of rearing one. At laft, perhaps, {he fucceeds. It is in this - way we find many wealthy citizens, who have had feveral children, " yet die without any, or leave only cne to enjoy their a a pie fortune. All-practical things are the meft difficult to learn, becaufe they canoniy be learned from obfervation and experiment, thus I have known a girl, whofe mother had eighteen children, take one 4 of them and bring it up by the hand, merely from the force of ex- ample and imitation. Had this girl ftudied the art u::d:-r tae ahle.t medical inftrudors, or read the beft books that ever were written on the fubject, fhe could not have done what Cne effected with the utmoft eafe, becaufe fhe 'had fo often feen it fucceed under her * mother's management. • The inference is very plain ; that aequirementsof httlevatlue, or merely ornamental, ought nrt to be affiduoufly cultivated at the expenfe of health, or to the ne&kd tf things of tfce firft importance tft ADVICE TO MOTHERS. jsnd that a great part of the time inconfiderately fpent by young ladit> in v. .o j works, and in learning to draw, to paint, or to play u^co feme mufical inftrument, of which they will never feel the wapt, or which at beft will afford them only a momentary gratifi- avion, had mUch better be employed in pradicalkffcns en the du- ties of wives and mothers, vihich they will foci- be called upon t© difcharge, and their ignorance of which will coft them many an ach- ing heart. As to the other evil before hinted at, which is owing to pov- erty, and which cenfitts in putting young children to fedentary or unwholefome employments, in order to get their bread, it is a mat- . ter of the meft painful confideration, when viewed either by the eye ; f humanity or of policy. The fource of the fweeteft pleafures is thus embittered to the parent; and fociety lofes tie valuable fervices of the mar, through the feeble, untimely, and exhaufting efforts cf the child. In vain do we look for the full grown fruits of autumn, after a tco early expanlion of the buds cflprirg ; and we never fee a celt, if put too focn to hard labour, tum out a ftrong and ?dive j orfe. When I touched upon this fubjed in the firft chapter of my "Domeflic Medicine," I thought I could not urge a ftronger proof ,( of my affertion, teat the conititutions of children were ruined by fuch premature endeavours to earn a livelihood, than the immenle number of rickety, fcrophulous, and diminutive creatures, that (warm in all cur manufacturing towns. There the infants fuffer feverely in the very firft ft age cflife, for want of proper exercife and proper nurfing, while the diftrcfled mothers are bufy at other work, the next ftep, almoft as focr as they feel the ufe cf their legs and arms, is to employ them in feme of thefubordinateor pre* parat ry parts of the manafadures, which are the more injurious to growth and health for requiring conftant confinement rather than adive exertion. Very few of thofe poor objeds attain to ma turity, and fewer {till to manly vigour. Moft cf them die very i yen: g, and the reft are weak and fickly all their lives, fo that inca- pacity of labour at an advanced age is the fure confequencecf the lorry earnings of childhood. . But there is another fit cf devoted beings mere pitiable ftill than thofe which 1 have now dtferibed—I mean the children that are bound apprentices to chimnty-fweepers. If any creature can exift in a ffcte of greater wretchtdnefs, or is ajufter cbjed of com- miferaticn than a • oy who is fcrced to clean chimneys in this country, I am very much miftaken. Half naked in the moft bitter ccld, he creeps alorg the ftreets by break of day—the ice cutting through his feer—his legs bent—end his body twifted. In this ftate he is compelled to work his way up thofe dirty noifome paffages, many of which are alurft too narrow fcr a cat to climb. In or- der tc fubdue the terror which he muft feel in his firft attempts, Jhis lavage mail rcften lights up fome wet ftraw in the fire-place, which leaves the poor creature no alternative but that cf certain fuffocati n, or cf inftantly getting to the tcp. I have witneffed ftill 'greater cruelty : I have more than Once ieen a bey, when the ADVICE TO MOTHERS. 89 chimney was all in a blaze, forcedulown the vent, like a bundle cf wet rags, to extinguifti the flame. On the very day (the twcny.fecond of hit Odober) when I was come to this part of my fubjcd, an indidirent. for cruelty to a young ehimney-fweeper happened to be tried at the Weflrcintur ftffions. Thewretched fuflerer had been decoyed into the houfe cf a woman who carried on this horrid bufinef?, but who promifed to employ him only as an errand-hoy. He had not been long there, however before he was put to learn the trade, as it is called. Seme domeflic knots were deemed neceff ry to prepare him fcr public exhibition. The child, not being able to clmbw:th the readineft expeded, u'ed to be ftrryped naked by- the foreman, and whipped round the room with birch reds. His body, legs and arm?-, v ere feverely bfui'ed 1 y the beatings he had received. This was not all. Though hi? knees and elbows had been rendered foar by repeated trials, yet when the poor creature could not mount quick enough, his cruel ir-ftrudor ufed to goad him (while in the chimney) in the legs and thighs, by a needle put into the end of a ftick. ' ■ It alfo came out in the courfe of the evidence^ that unfortunate f. children of this fort-re taught to climb by being taken to the , porch of St. George's church, where, at the riik cf their lives, they are obliged to mount the perpendicular wall. I am always happy to feejuftice tempered with mercy, efpeeially when the punifhment is at the difcretion of the judge or magiftrate; but after a culprit had been fully convided of thofe attrccious ads, I cculd not help > thinking that lenity towards him was carried too far in fentencing him only to fix months imprisonment. I am ftill mere grieved to think, that any buhnefs which requires fuch dreadful modes of \ training, fhould be foleraar. us method of preventing danger ? How vain fhall we find the boats that are made of mighty improvements, in tne metropolis cf the Britiftr empire, if we fairly confider that it is at leaft a century be- hind the meaneft village in the kingdom in almoft every thing' that regards the prefervation of human life ! I have often heard the plea of neceflity urged to juftify doing wrong, but never more abfnrdly than in the employment of boys ^H* Til Ml" I 90 ADVICE TO MOTHERS. to dean chimnies. Experiencerlearly proves that it can be much better done without them ; ana fhall we, in perverfe orp°fif'rn 10 reafon and humanity,contmue a practice which is equally forbidden by both ? The abolition of the Have trade has of late years become a very popular topic among us ; and the caufe of the po:.r Afri- cans has been pleaded with lips cf fire in cur fenate. But while our pride is flattered by the idea of relieving flaves abroad, we make a fet ot our feliow-fubjeds at home infinitely greater t flave*, and far more milerable ! This is fomething like the faftiionable chimera of umverfal philanthropy, which pretends to be alive to the 1 fufferings of thediftant Hottentots, but in reality if eels the heait againftfpedacles. f much keener* wretchednefs in our own ftreets* 1 My late warthy friend, Jonas Hanway, who literally went about, J chbiggr,o\l, ufed all has influence to ameliorate the condition of ihofe 1 unhappy creatures ; which, in a certain degree, he effeded. But 1 there are fome cuftoms, that can be thoroughly mended only by 1 beii.g completely abojifhed. While boys are forced up chimrn s, j they muft be raiferable, whatever laws are made for their relief. A law prohibiting the pradice altogether, would be at once laying * 1 tho xe to the root pf the tree ; and the evil admits of no other re- } medy? * Had Mr. Hanw.iy taken up the matter upon this ground, he had fpirit and periev ranee fufficient to hve carried it thrugh^ - and to have obtained an ad; of parliament for the effedual relief of the moft wretched beings on the face of the earth. He confined ; hi&benevole it exertions to a partial alleviation of their mifiTies, be- caufe it had never occurred to him, that the climbing boys, as he icalls them, were wholly, unneceffary. What a pity he did not car- ry his views a little farther, as, in that cafe, he cctainly would not h we remained fatisfied with any thing fhort of their total emancipation from fuch cruel aod ufelefs bondage ! T» e fituaticn of thofe children of mif'-ry b new become more H hopakfs, in confequence of the death of Lady Montague, who ufed J to .r.ake fuch cf them as could go to her houfe, happy for at leaft 1 on2 day ha the long and lingering year. I often wifhed to fee her well-known talents exerted in their favour ; they could not have ■! had an abler or a better advocate. The amiablenefs of her charac- ter would have given additional force to the impreflive produdions of her p:-n ; and the legiflature might have been induced to inter. pofe its authority in tapprefling an employment at once fo deftrnc- ? ;ave and fo degrading to the human fpecies. i But furely there is humanity enough in both houfes of parliar i men;- to take up this iubjed, without any other appeal to their < feelings than a bare reprefeatation of fads. ( Many touches more would be neceffary to finifh the melan- -: choly picture of the wretchednefs of young chimney-fweepers. It is enough for me to fketch the principal uutlines, in hopes that lome perfon more at leifure may be induced today on the internal colouring. In addition, however, to the miferies already defcribed, 1 mult not omit the malignity of the diforders, with which thofe •pocT creatures, if they live long enough, are alincjl lure to be afflic- ADVICE TD MOTHERS. ^ ted. They are not only deformed and ftunted in their growth, but, in confequence of having their pores clogged, an I the fbrface of their bodies contnually covered with a coat of dirt compofed of foot, fweat, &c. they are fubjed to various maladies unkraow. to the reft cf mankind. I need only give an inftance of one of thofe difeafes, which is called by the ftofferers the foot-wort, but which ti:e late Mr, Pott has very proparly named the Ckimney-fweepers cancer. He defcrii^es it - • as a ragged, ill-looking fore, with hard and rifing.edges, rapid in jts progrefs, paiuful in all its attacks, and moft cerraioly dclirudive in its event. Extirpation by the knife, on its firft appearance, and the immediate removal of the part affected, he looks upon as the only chance of putting a ftop to, or preventing the fatal iffue of the ✓ difeafe. His refledion on the fubject does equal honor'to his heart and to his underftanding. " Tr.e fate of thefe people/* fays he, " feems fingularly hard. In their early kafancy, they are moft fre- • quently treated with great brutality, and almoft ftarved with cold and hungr. They are thruft up narrow, and fometimes not ccina-, nies ; where they ar bruifed, burned, and almoft fuftbeated ;and when they get to puberty, they i:ecome peculiarly liable to a meft coifdrriej gainful, and fatal difeafe." • ■■",''- CHAP. Viil. v OF ACCIDENTS. V^ HILDREN are not oo.ly lamed and ma'med,butthcy often lefe the;r lives by accidents, owing to the careleff efs or iaconfide- r.\le negkd c f nurfes aod mothers. A c ild fhould never be left alone in a place cf danger, or |a any fituaticn where he may, • through his own want cf experience, be exp:fed to the deftrudive <• elements of fire and water. We daily hear cf children that have been burned to death, in confequence of their clothes having caught fire ; and even grown people often life their lives by fimiiar accident^ Afflicting events of this kind often tdie place even under the mother's eye ; aud, what is furprifiog, their frequency does not prepare women for the moft eftcdual method of exringoiihhg the fire. Diftraded by the frightful fcene, acd the cri s c f th.; fullercr, they rufh to tear off the burning clcthec. But, before this can be efie&ed, the mifchief is done. The attempt, therefore fnould never be made. T he clothing, inftead ci being rorn oft, ou&ht to be preffed clofe to the body, and,whatever is at hand wrapped o\er it, foas to exclude the air, upon which the Maze will go out. It is the adion of the a;r that ke?ps it alive, acd tncrcales i's vehe- mence. A carpet, a table-cloth, a blanket, any clofe wrapper, wiil inftantly extinguifti it. Ladies, whofe drefs is fo very haoie to catch fire, fhould in fuch a cafe have recourfe to thefe means, acd be their own prefervers, inftead of running out cf tne room, fan ning the flame, and ufelefsly fcrearaing for help, which c-::r.t& top Jate to fave them from tortures and from death... .9? ADVICR TO MOTHERS. Our newfpapers frequently corta.n accounts cf perfons, wh©, byjunnirigabc^t, not only -accelerate their own deftruttion, but frighten oth£;o into an abfolnte incapacity of arFord;r.g them any afilftance. A cafe nearly cf this fcrt very late'.v fell under try ob- servation. A beautiful w; man, with her clotr.es in a blaze, had been fuffered tprun cut into the ftreer, 1 efore ary oody ventured' CD approach her. An hack:'.cy-coachman,feeicg her i 1 tltis fituation- jumped off his box, and wrapping his coat round her, extinguifhed' the flame?., Though her life was faved, no remedy could be found for the cruel ravages of the fire en her perfon. She loft the ufe o£ Lome of her ihnhs, .\rA was moft fhpckin^ly disfigured. Few pec*. gb are ignorant cf what ought to be dci e to extingu'ih flame ; but prefence of mind or courage is wanneg in the moment of fudden danger, and the confequences are cfcourfe deplorable. I adn.ire the pradical philofophy of the good wc men in North Britain, who are employed in fpmning flax, or tow as they call. it. Whenever the flax round the caftaff catches fire by accidei t,they immediately wrap their £pion about it, and it is out in an inltant. But Vvhere the fire affects ao animated being, efpecialiy a darling child, I am afraid few mothers would have the ixfolu'don to ad in the, fame manner. Nor is this the cafe with mothers only. I have known a father ftand by, and fee his darling daughter burned to death, with- cut any immediate and rational effort for her relief ; the. ^powers Lofh of his mind a. d b: y were fu'pended by the flict.k ; and he remained like a itatue at toe very crilis of the ;;1- lining catajirophe. Nay,I have known children carried.into the f'reet, that the air alight extirguifh the flame. It mult be evident enough, from what I have f id of exceflive oare in the treatment of children, that I would cot nave mothers or nurfes over-folic:t:us abt ut trifles. But where expefure to dan- ger rrav be attencVd with irreparable naif hi f, it cannot be too cauticufly guard o! aoiiim:. . I w old. ti ere fore ha.e Lhe upper gar- mets of children, when they cao run about, made cf wo den n.ate- rials, which do a ot fb readily catch fire as manufactures cf flax and eotton. 1 would alfo have children taught very early to dread the ire ; and I think that the beft way ci" iiv.preflinp, their mines with *had nger of coming too near it, is to fuffer them to burn their ficgers ffightly, yet fo as to give them feme pain. This would have mere effort than a thoufand sdmcodtions. When children are ccld; they are very apt to get clofe to the rtre ; by which means they net only run the rifk of being burned, hut cf inducing whitloes or cthtr inflammatory dilorders of the ex- lierr.ities. In thefe cafes, howcver,»I would not have tne preventive car* of the nm f<-s or parents carried too far. t he adual experience of ihe tingling effed will operate mere powerfully than any which can be.fak; to young people to make them avoid it; when they have cure felt the fir.art. a few words to remind them of tre caufe will be quite fufficient; and they will eafily acquire the habit of rubbing their hands and running abcut, rather than going to the fire to warm themfelves, after having been cut in the cold. I have always been ^ad, to find thofe ferei-eircalar irons, called ADVICE TO MOTHERS* 9% gbards,ftie& np round fire-places in nurf r -'.■■.. and m all the apart- . meats to which children had acccls. It glvo-s oae ftill greater plea- fure to fee wire-fenders, two or tar.-e feet in "eight, now frequently made ufe of even in parlours and drawing rooms. Th y arc excel- lent prefervMive°, from the choger t~ which grown perfors, para.;u- tariy ladies, as wjU as g'id }y boys and girls, may be expofed, waea ttanding or fitting by the fire. Children aro vtiy fond of roafting thingv, fuch as chefnufs, potatoes. &c. in the fire. I knew aiady, who hadnearly loft hr life by an accident aril in £ lV:on a circumftance of this fort. A hi- de boy was poking in the fire for apotat-.e, which he oaf: put in to roaft ; his clothes caught the florae, and, thoue.h his mother was ftanding by, he was dreadful]; born_d. bhe, beiog a nurfe at the time, held an infant in her arms, w ich rendered her lefs capable of aflifting the other clold. The effed of the fliock on herfelf was fe- rioufiy alarming ; it dredupher breaft-milk, and produced a fe- ver, the violence of which left little hopes of her recovery for three weeks : fhe was then feized with a convulfion fit, which ca a;e oa critically, like that which of en precedes the eruption of the fmall pox in infants, and is far from being an unfavourable fymprora___ Her fit proved equally falutary ; it abated the force of the fever^ and fhe grew better every day ater. This lady was attended by my excellent friend the late Dr. John Gregory and myfelf, who had both defpaired of her recovery. The accide ts from fcalding are ftill more numerous. Chil- dren are in continual danger where vidualsare cooking; and among the lower and middle ranks, the kitchen is the nurfery. One ci the fineftboys I evtrfaw, loft his life in this manner. He was dancing round the kitchen, when a pot full of food for fome do- meflic animals, which had been juit taken off the fire, ftood in his way ; he fell backwards, and was fofcalded, that, in fpite of all my beft endeavours, he died. Nothing hot fhouid ever be left within a child's reach ; other- wife he w'll verv probably pull it over him ; in which cafe, before the clothes can be got off, he may be fcalded to death. Children are alfo apt to carry every thing to the mcut> ; and a verv fmall quantirv of any liquid, boili g ho«-, will occafion death, if tak-jn in- to the ftomach'. A melancholy proof of this occurred not long fince. A child put the fpout of a tea-ket le *o its mouth, and drank a little cf the rio'iing water, which proved almoft roftautlv fatal.— Numberlefs inft th, than t' at which is the coi-fequence of foldi-g or burning. W< :en mftar taneous, it is no'hing; but when lingerh g, r is dreadful beyond imagination We can only form fome imported idea of it from the jntenie pais pecafioned bv fcaids or burns, t'do^gh not of deadly effed. I once had a patient, about one naif of whole flan was fcalded,-by falling 04 ADVICE TO MOTHERS. into a boiler. Though this man rec vered, yet fo great was his agcny, nat,every time he was dreffed,he ufed to beg and pray to be put to death. Accide ts by cold water, though not fo frequent in early l;re as t1 ofe occafioned by .fire, ought neverthelefs to be guarne 1 againft ■, with die precaution. Chii ,ren, who have no idea that thefe ele- ments are hotile to life, are often dead before they know their < danger. Weils and pieces of water rear houfes are frequently left i open, or without any fence round them, as if they were defigned for j traps to allure the unwary to deftrudicn. Is it not well known that young people are fond of looking into the water, efpecially J when tney car fee their own image or likenefs ? And, is it an un- j common thing fcr them, when viewing thmfelves in the watery J mirror, to tumble in, and be drowned ? Even to this day I fliuddeTr. l at the recolledion of a draw-well in my father's garden, without^ the leaft railing to ke^p children at a proper diftance. A thoufandt times, in playful mood, have I fported on the margin of the abyfs, and cannot now conceive how I efcaped a fatal flip. It is a weak feoirity againft the danger of open weil>, cr ponds, cr pits, or the like cavities to tell a c did to take care. The effect of fuch a filly * piece of advice is well expofed in Gay's fable of the old hen and the young cock of which the moral is— " Reftrsi?i your child—■you'll foon believe The text which fays we fprung from Eve." But it is not only in y rds and gardens that the leaft flip may fometimes be fatal to children ; they ?re often expofed to almoft as much danger with'n doors, by falls in various fituations. I fhall firft mention the dark an.' windingftair-ofes, which remain in all old houfes, efpeciallv in thn part of London which is called the City. Children muft he endowed with a degree of precaution far i beyond th ir years, to avoid tumbling upon thofe ftairs ; and, if i they do make a falie ftep, they often roll from the top to the bot- I torn. A?, from the ufual lightnefs of a child, a leg or an arm is feldom broken by fuch an accident) little notice is taken of it at the r nr.e ; but ah hough it may not feem to do much hurt for the prefeat, J it often lays the foundation of future maladies. The fine organi- ., zai ion or ftrudure eft ae brain may receive a dangerous {hock ; and there is r afan to believe tN.at the hydrocephalus internus^ is fome~ jj times 'hecooi^qoeoce of bruifes, cr blows, or other injuries dene ■ to the head. 1 hit a moft promifing boy, through an afledion of his brain, wh;ch I though- was owingto a fall from a kifchen dreffer. All children have an iocl n lion to climb, and to get upon ffools, chats, tables, &c. A fall from one of thefe is more danger- ~i ©its than mothers a;:d nurfes are apt to imagine. A ehild's head is large, and, being fpecificaily heavier than the body, is the part moft liable to ftrike the ground, and thus to caufe a c^ncuffion cf the brain, w' ich may be attended with fatal confequences. All the furniture of a nurfery fhould below, fo as to preclude at once ti c defire cr" climbing and the danger of falling. The tables fhould alio be made without comers, as thefe {harp projedions often do mifchief. I have ajready declared myfelf a warm advocate for in- ADVICE TO MOTHERS. g? dulging the reliefs activity of children, on which their growth and health very much depend ; but, till they acquire reafon and expe- rience to guide them, it is the bufinefsof their parents to take care, that they move about, and always remain in a fphere of perfed fafety. For the fame reafon, nurfes fhould never leave any deadly weapon within the reach of children. Knives and fharp inftri:- meots, with which they may cut or wound themfelveg, are verv improper playthings. Yet 1 remember to have read in fome newf- paper a curious ftory, of feveral lives having'been faved by a knife in the ha ad of an infant. It happened near one of thofe extenfive woods on the comment, whence hungry wolves often fally forth in • queft of prey. The wife of a peafant, who lived in a cott2ge at no great d'fbncr, was gone out upon fome bufmefs, leaving an in- fant in the cradle, under the care cf three or four more of h;r young family, one of whom gave a kn;fj to the baby to amufe ir- During tee mother'* abfence, a wolf, impelled by hunger, rufhed into the cottage, and made its firft frap at the infant's arm, which. being extended with the knife in a playful manner, it entered the throat of the ravenous animal, and proved its death. As the wo- men in our happy ifland Lave no occafion to arm their children againft fuch enemies, I do not fuppofe that they will Ke tempted by the defire of hearing their infants cried upas heroes, to intruii them with weapons, which are far more likely to hurt than to de- fend them. But to return to more f rious and neceffary precautions : 1 muft nexttake notice of fome fatal accid< nts which frequently occur, ' though they may be eafily guarded againft. We daily hear of chil- dren falling from windows c-nd b A ;g killed ; this muft be owing to the want of oroper prefervatives ; a few bars fixed acrofs the win- dows of the nurfery, or of any high apartments wh?re children are fuffered fo play about, would prevect fuch difafters. Yet eafy as~ - the remedy is, we find it too often negleded. How frequently have I feen, with much alarm, children hanging out of windows in a ftate of imminent danger, and no regard paid to them by any perfon within 1 this is peculiarly the cafe with tie children of the ' poor in London, who commonly live in the upper fteries, and fel- dom or pever have their windows fecured by bars. To keep fuch windows"conftantly fhut would exclude the frefh air, fo neceffary to health, and even to exiftence; while, on the other hand, having them open, without the guard or defence here recommended, is ex- pofirsg the giddy and th ughtlefs to certain mifchief. On the leaft noife in the ftreet, a child is apt to run to the window, and, leaning forward in eager gaze, is often dallied againft the pavement. In ray former remarks on hanging cots, mv chief aim was to fhew how much fafer and more condudve to fleep their gentle mo- tion was than the v-olent and dangerous rocking of a cradle. I have now an obfervarion of greater extent to make on beds in gen- eral, which is, that they often prove fatal to children, inftead of being places of ekfy and fecure repofe. It is too cuftomary for mothers and nurfes to take infants into bed with them for the whole 6 4DVICE TO MOTHERS- j night. This is always relaxing, and fometimes attended with the , melancholy effed of fuffocation. Either in France or in Holland, . T am not now pofitive which, there is a prohibitory law againft put- ting any child to fleep in the fame bed with its mother or nurfe.— Thnush we have no fuch law in England, maternal care ought to ,fup Viy the want of it, especially as it is not on extraordinary, or, a ' very uncommon thing to hear of a child's being ..nother^d by the accidental Hl:n* or preffure of a grown perfon during fleep. Tnenfeofft/m-ttgfcedfteads is not lefs noxious or dangerous* I They exclude the air Trom the bed-clothes all day, and render them ■ frotrzy and unwholefome. Children may alfo be inadvertently j killed in them. Thefervant, or perhaps the mother, turns up the .% bed in a hurry, without examining whether the child is in it or not; j the infant in< aDable of making any noife in this fituation, is 'fmoth- " ere I before the miftake is found out; and tears flow in vain to remedy what a little caution might have prevented, or what could never have happened in a proper bed. Children fuffocated in this manner, as well as thofe acc.dent- i ally overlaid, might be fometimes reftared to life. Yet I do not recoiled any inftances, except the one mentioned in my " Domeftie $ Medicine," of its having been done ; though it muft be as pradi- J cable as in cafes of drowning, of frs, and various other cafualties, at- I tended with a fufpenfion or feeming extind'on of all the vital pow- I ers. It is no* my bufinefs, however, to fuggeft the ufe of very pr ^carious reftoratives, when the means of prevention are fo eafy and certain. I fhould never have done, were I to engage in a particular de- fcrip ion of all the dangers to which children are exoofed in our flr-'eis, partlv thraugh the want of a good medical police, and part- ly throoah the negl'gence of their parents. The importance and iho neceflity of the former, I may take fome other opportunity to enlarge upon ; my prefent wifh is, to excite the attention of moth- ers to the pet'- which await their children at almoft every corner, when they are fuffered to run about by themfelves, cr intrufted to voting piopb who have neither fufficient ftrength nor experience to protect'hem. It always gives me great uncafinefs to fee infants dandled by frirls who are hardly able to hold them up, or led about by others whole gidainefs is more likely to plunge them intodanerer than t~ keep uieni out of it. At leaft half the accidents that befat children, both within doors and wit hour, are owing to the folly, the cruelty. 1 had almoft faid the murderous criminality of leaving ore child to the care of another, who, though a little older, is not lefs in want of a mother's or a nurfe's vigilance. Let me afk any parent of common fenfe and tender feeling*, whether it. can be fairlyconfide'-ed as much fhort of murder, toilet a little has m iy v duiole \ lives woul be laved t f c;-(.y, and i'<:.c a reroar~e would ue openw • J ed to unfortunate mot: ers, as vyWiI ' rem vr, a- eonfiderahly wtd of a curie* y fonr* re ', i a he d. Th i'ots werr thrown pa for the adnf.fff nefd ftrtedchil ren. fr m all part?, ret to bo iyi:4d and educated ther ,' ut to be bnt down to he oil art counties, aad in their conveyance numbers cf thepo'.r itsfaiMs p-rilhed. ' 1 am \ net h re making a v--gue or an imvgh.ary ■ alcttoior ; I am ftating what fell under my cwn notice, when I wa< phvfician tc a very cnfiderable brarch cf'he Fo unuliair Idofpital. I have elfewhvre defciil"rd the mortality v/ bh was occaWy.et by the improper ufe of medicines among rho " ag-iinfd havi? g them dragged av ay from thobnurfe? too fton, crowded I in*« hcfpUals, cor.fined in fchools,'or put nit to unhealthy employ.- " roenfs, were unavaiUrg. I was told, that the eftrblifred rule? and cuft'-ms of ihe'hcfpitai cf'iiid not be deviated from, thcugh their evident effed v as to dtftfo* heahh, and to enfeeble the minds as well as th- bode? of the uoforturate vidims. 1 have c.fte'-vi-wed with indigraocr t.e ftdJackus reports of the numbers of children find to be brcugh* up and provided for at fuch places. I rm very c o.hdert, that were an accurate i'ft made cut cf thofe who p-cr:ft ed through uid wafer/able removals, irr.pr pei treatment, bad r.voiiro, difeafes cccfcnecl oy too early confine ■ . ADVICE TO MOTHERS. gg irent in fchool?, as Weil as by bfrdba in hc-fpitals, and, laftiv, through wh-.r irail murderous occupations, it would appear that no one in ten of th infants received rh;r.-.ever lived to become an ufeful 'a- ni: er t f ckty. But, oefi'les-t'-e evils hereliio.ted at, there is a fundamental • err >r in th • plan itf If, not only cf the I'oundlirg Hofpital, but of all parchial and .ther charitarle iniLituticns for the maintenance and eduction of poor chil.uvo. Every fc erne w ich tends to lo pirate the rr.rent from tec child, whatever impofing appearance it i.' may wear, is a 'ot I -.r-e, anJ m\\ eventually be fomd to do mit chut*, b is Hying in th j bee of nature, a thing that never can he \ dore w th '.mpua'tv ; it is rendi g afun r the firft and the firoagt-ft bcods-' f bci \—p'.r.-ntui gnd fiiial altocnon : it is perv-rfeiy at- tea-pt:no rot%- ; but the nature of the lu; jedrequir- , ed the moft print d energy. " My Lard, I do r.qoe:° bat you w;ll take the trcuble cf reading the ace:not of this bvelerately illiberal inftitution in any common idniaoac ; an: every line will, t thick, carry its own rrp- " robation t • an ingenuous mind. be children, ;-s it is regulated in t'eir unnatur 1 fyiceri, are all placed in ich v Is remote from their farmer a'no'es; or, in other wo*-d?, t'-ey are torn from ail the fwtet allocations that attend t e irt reiiang idea cf home, this is, in ee J, a charity which thrives en the extinction of all the other charities of life ; and the feelings of nature mujl be er uLcated, before they can becomenurfliags or the [late, t'hry are b n.fhed from their vi in- ar.-toa remi'.e qu-.rtei* of the kingdom, wh re all the traces and ti?s of ki dred are 1 ft ar.d cut off"; all haoitudes of the heart fmoihncd in the c r: die ; and, when lent into toe w rid, the.yknow not 'he fp" t v hich g v them 1 irth, ihe mother that bore them, nor the blood that flows in their veins. I think of the fp:ech cf 1 o- gan, the Indian chief, \vhen ail his kb.dred were murder..d, " There remains not a drop of mi blood in the veins of any livir? creature." The v,rit .r here takes cccaiic.n to direct his remarks to the heart, as well as to tae head—to exenoall his powers of pathetic, as well asarguraeniat v-z eloquence. *' k is," f;ys he, " a cold, cheerlefs, and fori-rn fetlbg ci tiiis nature, whLh mutt freeze the you-g blood, and, placing the nnr.d in a f'ae cf lullen inhalation, makes its readier upon f cbty ra'h.-r danj.--ercus than beneficial.— t he ties of kindred operate as a fort of external ccnfcien.ee upon loo ADVICE TO MOTHERS. the ccndud of men, deterring them from the coTmiffion of great crimes, fcr fear of the dfgrace which w ouid be r fleded en t ieir relations. There is a family pride, a demeftic honour, among the very poore't and loweft of the community, that guards, and lanc- tions, and is a fort of Gcd ftr the little houfehcid. Fven the a;gh- eft have fuch workings cf nature. Lady Macbeth »xcfeii.is, had k he not refemblea my father when heflept, I had done it. The imagine 1 countenance cf her father was the only confdence left, -nd came between her and murder. But charter-fchool policy irakes a fort of maffacre of all thofe domeflic mcrai'ties which operate up n charader and condud, without being able to put a high: r and no- bler prirdple of adion in their place ; and thus, I ftar, the fame \ policy has bred up many vidims for the laws, while they only thought of making^rofelytes to religion." Though the iubjed is here confidered oHy in a moral light, | yet I cculd not reGft the ump'.ation to make a ltiort extrad from fuch a mafterly letter ; and I do not 'hink that any of my readers? J will be difpleafed at the perufal of it. But I have ftill lets occafion \ to make any apology f-r ftating the author's oph'bn of the moft, effedual means of remedying the evil, as the leading feature of is plan of reform exactly correfponds with what I recommended above J thirty years ago. 1 was then lamenting that poverty often obliged '" mothers to negled their offspring, in order to procure the neceffa- ries of life. 1 obferved, that, in fuch cafes, it became the intereft as well as, the duty of the public to affift them; but I contended that ten thoufand times more benefit would accrue to the ftate, by enabling the poor to bring up their own children, then fror. ail 'he hofpitals that ever could he ereded with that v;ew. In a fubfequent j edition of ?hofe remarks, 1 added, that, if it were made the intereft of the poor'o keep their children alive, we ftiouid lolie but v-ry few of them ; and that a fmall premium given annually to each poor family, for every child ihey had alive at t' e year's end, would lave more infant lives than if the whole revenue of the crown were ex- pended on holpitals for that purpofe. It gave me great pleafure to find, that the writer juft new quoted had reafoned in the fame manner on the hundr ds of thou- fands which had been expended, nerely, he fays, to create poundings; the tenth part of which, if properly employed, would have been of infinitely more fervice to fociety. The proper mode of f-mploying charitable contributiors, he thinks, fhould conhft chiefly in giving premiums to fuch parents as have {hewn moft zeal and capacitv in educating their children. Thus, rotwi hftanding the different points of view in which we examined the abufe of fo important a part of public charities, the Very means which I advifed for faving the lives, and promoting the bodily health of infants, appear to him the moft conducive ajfo to their intelledual and moral improvement, The prejudices in favor cf old inftitutiens muft be Prong, in- deed, when they can refill the cleareft evidence of fads, and tne plain dedudions of fair argument. Yet, in the queflicn before us, how the public, or the ftate, may moft effedually contribute to the nurfing and rearing of poor infants, one would fuppcfe that no ap- ADVICE TO MOTHERS. los peal to paft experience, nor any great depth of reafoning, were ne- ceffary ta denonftrate the impropriety of feparating children from their pa.rents. Nature for n" the chain that binds them j and, if poffible, it fhould never be broken. I have fhewn how the lives of the mother and the caild are entwined, not only during preg- nancy, but after delivery. To part them, is to endanger the health and exiftence of b -th. They are equally neceffary to each other's well-being ; and the long t they are kept together, the more fenfi- ble they become of the duties they owe to one another, which, when faithfully difcharged, tend greatly to increafe the fum of hu- man happinefs. But how are we to exped that any regard will be paid to this dodrine by narrow-minded unfeeling overfeers of the poor, who make a greit^r merit of faving a fhilling to their parifh, than of fa- ving fifty lives to the community ? We now and then hear of fuch perfons being dragged into our courts of juftice, to anfwer for their cruelty to pregnant wom:n ; but no account is kept, and of courfe no cognizance can be taken of the immeafe number of infants that are torn in our parochial receptacles, from the arms of their dif- treffed mother.:', and are consigned to an untimely death, or to cer- tain debility and protraded wretchednefs. Even the fhow of hu- manity in tome of thofe places, ferves only to excite our ftronger in- dignation. It is a cobweb, through waich the penetrating eye can ea'ily feewrittenup in letters of blood, Children murdered here under the fantlion of Charity. Are we not always fhocked at reading or hearing any accounts of the barbarous policy that prevails in Cnina, where avaricious as well as diftreffed parents are encouraged by the permiflion of the law, and by the force of example, to deftroy the;r female children, in order to avoid the expenfe of rearing them ? And is there a father or a mother in Great-Britain, who would not join in a gene- ral outcrv againft an ad of parliament for the immediate drowning of all infants taken to parifh work-houfes ? Yet, humanity itfelf muft acknowledge that inftant death is infinitely preferable to a lingering exiftence in a ftate of pain, of mifery, of continual fuller- ing and difeafe. I do not, therefore, hefitate to aflert, that luch policy as that of the Chinefe, or fuch an ad of parliament as I have now mentioned, would, in reality be an ad of mercy, conlrafted with the prefent moft barbarous,moft inhuman, and moft deteftabje method of taking care, as it is falfely called, ofpocr infants thrown . upon the parifh. , Nothing was left undone by the late Jonas Hanway to probe this fere to the bottom. He fpared neith> r time, pains, nor ex- penfe, to procure the fuileft information on the funjed, before he publifhed his " Plea fcr mercy to the children of 'he Poor. He there ftates, as the refult of his inquiries and calculations, that not more than one in feventy of the children configned to the parifh, ever attained to mature age; and that even that one feldom Le- came an uleful member of the community. Among many inftances of the moft horrid nature, he takes notice of a memorandum ne met with in the books of a certain parifh, where the names of particular roz a nra :e to mottif ••?3. nurfes w?^e nab'ted, with ^eremnrk of th.elr belnc " cx-y.llint hh- im; wirfes." Th:s taftrno"ibl of r-e'r exp \ta-ds in murder, was de.onH by th* wrfe^s, wha hnbrbd 'hem,'he ftr^aavll in m- m:-ndafioo_ to coa^aar ^^plovn^ent. Let it n ^r be fuppofe \ *':,^t 1 nrv-an to iovoh.■- all ovorC ers of the ooor in one geaer-al chargj.ofinfc:r;tb. 1 hn w feveral of them to be verv am,i ble :.o I tembr-V*-?^.! ".en,, who v.o'il.l do every thing j-j yher no A"°r to w-a^vte the ends.of true char y and . be real intereab of hiv^.ri'lv, were to. y not no4 .'n,n'a to- eftib-^ lrfh?drubs of the'r o(o>e. That p?rt 'fi 'he b'Nvtion when re-' bt-sto the mnaing -od rearing of coibr n, b^mv '""dbtH- wr n:, the moft zeaNis exertbns'"fan-bdvidon, rnr\y. h:s fh rt cciv ^ timnn.-e iti offbe, will op'-rr-e but as a te vp-rary pbnob *«. f an * evil initsown n-nn-e beurable. it is not a partial ref rm, but a total change of fyftem, that can in fuel: cob's be productive of'any t good eifeel". The fHpprr'ers^fF--und::"gT-7cfrt2ls nay imagine, ♦•■at its r redeffed \ objects : but I lo^e-red be abiffes which had arifen cut cf ir, or ] rather which were bbprablv connected \cito the rxvurion of (lie bheme. Its obvious ten bey and its 'dual effed have been to . crca-e foundlings* to en-ounce the dbeation cf-you^g cfrldr-n, whom maoy ^ th-irp -rents would never h'wr conns-',., cd to a -cccp- lardeof that lo-t, but from c-u I n-cefirv, vnd bom a vain h re that due carp w^ul; be taken of the great obbd will be no take awav from poor , mothers all temp'vU;on to a^and^a their children, But. ac> fonts w. verty, above hinted at, bet nvrVJ i ,< •> fiili VfTed, the number nf' foundlings ■■** the btter de- ; f-rption wi'l 'iways be fir»all, and will not require a;y very ex- i pr ifve ehbblifho^o. 1 Vf will bo no <>ccar!on for fhowy buil- i d-'ra.-s—no room fr In an we j<>b. ofiicc;, orapp~i tnentr.. Two rr b^-ee truftees. w-th-^uf ialarv ortannuuie' r, ?knd adnated foMy by humare a'id rhro-na.otc ;not;v°s, w'll be fufficient to receive the v'rv -v. ^n^ ir lav it out error1!•:■'/, to well regulated and maturely C'-nfi 'prad hiffrudbw-'. The prebnt abiibs are very great and. > ff-erant ; but th: reform is very cab. ifit.be zealpufly uudertaken j ADVICE TO MOTHERS. io3 and persevered in by men of talents and jir'ue. I take it for granted that fuch perfons will alio poT.-Is dignity of mi d enough to ueflrfethe wretched fugg-ftio is of ignorance, of pr judbe, of envy, malignity, fordid i.a-r ft, and diiappobted vanirv. ^ The f .reaping remarks re purpofely co fi \ d to f me of ur mole popular eftabhlh-nents for t e ourimg and rem-ng of'chil. r?n- It would lead me too f .r to cnter into a detail ofaU t e fch^nes which :»av■• affumed th ■ like name of charitable inditutions in the neighbourhood of London alone. The former ave n: leaft the me--it of navin?, been well iit ended ; fur moft of the latter are founded in fraud, and have no other aim but to enri.h bme ar;ful projed r, at theexpenfeof the puolic credulity. This is an inex- hav.ftable fund fcr any urv>n who can inv art a qu^ck me icine, ?,. new mode of faith, or 'he ohn of fome because arity. We live 'feen foot-Tien in the firft 'epartmem, coaUieavi-T* in the fecond, and fwindlers in the t.nrd, driving their cirri ts with rival lolea- dor and fuccefs. But tie vid:ms f the laft deception ?r? moft to be pitied, bec-aife they are p >or, innocent, and helplefs children ; while the dupes of be wo firft being people of mature years ana experience, cannot lay claim to any c mtiaffbn for fullering not only their puries, hut their very fouls aad bodies, to be fported with by ignorant and audacious bnpefbrs. C H A P. X. SKETCH OF A PLAN FOR THE PRESERVATION AND IM: PROVE Ml NT OF THE HUMAN UPCIES. W ERE this fubject. to be riifcufbd with a degree of ex- tent fuited to its importance, it would require a large volume.— Pxit I mean to touch only on a few of the nrbcin t points, rm r ly With the hope of exciting more general ettcrni n to a m;tt-r, which, though of behigheft -oncern,h s hitherto be-n v ay fttgmiy con- fided. I fhall not dwell upon mohs vvlvch a-.e okw us to aim. ft everv prion of common undemanding, that ti e r.-f u-ces and fta- b'itvofa ftate depend upon re mmabir, vigour,- and ledul ny of its fubjeds ; ?n\cn thecon'ra-v, th «.t wh re hi tie value is l.-t o-> the increafe of p puhtbn, on 'he growth, '''al , o- hie of (irn; the noiitbal fabric, however fh...vy, ftands :. n a. rctrtn loun.-a ion and' muft fooner or later fi;ik in.to an abyfs dm; ut ct ios wn y;* Immunity. It is orounh to mm ion th'f- *ruths, :n orc^r t Je- rome t -e'readvaCent of all tMikir.g peoole : ' m he predial ir> fe-nres to bo drawn ftvm them may adu i t a gi-at cow rfny o. crbbns. T':e man W-bch ! am abut to P-pbo.^ wnetlier -p iri- ved of or not, era- he procbclivecf ne y,.ed cm u at !e^, th?f of ci-rcfin* beW-my of <:b-rs. and oerhacs of ecu md ing puVnc and piivaro charity to more ufetul purp.ks t.ran thole lo°whbh they-re now ao::died. . . T -^P- I need not go ever bo old groan « agan, cr repeat my |\rn«r or i i-nts, ta pro v.? 'nit th .tc is n->t a-"-y l~{-'< ai na uie 1 clear", b> ibrcibe, or.fc iacred, as that which ordaicc ■.- ro.-'H; I04 ADVICE TO MOTHERS to be the nurfe of her own young. The well-being of both, as I before obferved, deoends on the faithful difcharge ot tins duty.— Every attemot to divert the breaft-rmlk from its proper ch-nn-ls, endangers the mother's life; and it is beyond the power of wealth to procure, or of art to devife, any nutriment fo congenial to the confti'utbn of the infant, as the very juices of winch it is compo- fed, and which have fo long ftifbhed it in the womb. Is it-equally impoffible to fupplv fhe tender care and unwearied attention of a parent; and the rich, who truft to hirelings, find by woeful expe- rience, that half their children oerifh in e^riy life, b it a wonder, then, that a far greater mortalitv fhould await the poor infants thrown upon the pari*, or confined to an hofpital, where no in- dividual is interested in their prefervation ? I have faithfully {fated, as a matter which came within the fphere of my own knowledge, that nine out of ten of the deferted foundlings died before they at- tained to maturity; and it appears from Mr. Hanway s unquetti.>n- able account, that fixty-nine out of feventv of the poor par ri chil- dren perifh in the fame untimely manner. Can it therefore be called charity to oerfevere in meafures which are fo detructive to the population of the country ? I before fugge^et what aopeared to me the beft fubftamte for a Foundling Hofpital, confined in its objeds to the preservation of fuch children as might otherwtb perifh by neglect, and ot luch as may be deorived of their mothers at an early aee by the hand ot fate.'* Poor orohans a" ' deferted infants being in the fame pre- dicament, though from different caufes, muft be reared by gran- gers. The only expedient in thefe unavoidable devutions trom nature, is to olace the children under the care of nurfes of unex- ceptionable charader, in a healthy part of the country, and not to take them away till of aste to he put apprentices. This very cr. curoftance will promo every nurfe to iite her belt endeavours to rear a child who is to ftay with her if he thrives and does well, till he is fourteen vears of age. It is the only chance of making a ftrange* acquire in time a maternal affedion for her nurfling. It is alfo the only chance of a poor chald's acquiring a good conftitu- tion, and that kind of early education which is beft fuited td rural employments. But for the rel'ef of noor women, who in pregnancy may be exDofed to numberie's afflidions, and who, after delivery, may of. ten be force1, to part with thcb children, I wcnld not recommend either houoitats or parifh work-houfes. Thefe receptacles are little better than half-wav houfes, or condudors to the grave. In their room, t would have a fund eftablifhed to afford indigent mothers every neceffary comfort and affir ance at their own habitations, du- ring pregnancy as w»H as in ch'dt-bed, and afterwards to enable them'to nurfe and bring up their infants themfelves. By thefe means more lives would be preferved than bv all the charitable in- ftitufbns now ex;f>ingin this ^ountrv, w-thoiu cofting one half of the monev, or ahenatine: the hearts of children from their parents. It is imooffible, without heart-felt forrow, *o think of the im- menfe number of fine children that areloft forwant of a little timely ADVICE TO MOTHERS.- IcC aid to mothers. How many of thefe poor women pine with their offspring m obfcurity, and in unavailing ftruggles for their fupport! The fk-ead of ill treatment, of difeafes, of death, and (what is ftill more terrible to a delicate mind) the dread of fliame, keeps them from work-houfes and hofpitals. Their groans are unheard—their wants unpitied—and they pafs like filent fhadows to the grave ! How many other?, no lefs tenderly attached to their young, are *'» driven by extreme diftrefs to leave them to the very uncertain care ot others, and to hir- out their breafts, and 'heir own diftraded at-c tention, to a ftranger! When a mother abandons her child, to fuckle that of another woman, one of the infants is almoft fure to die ; and it frequently happens that bofh fh»re the fame fate. There is a third chafs of truly pit' able objeds, though too often regarded with cruel indifference and contempt; I mean the poor women whom we daily fee begging with two, three, or more chil- dren, and entirely dependent on fo precarious a refource for a mor- fel of bread. While thefe can lie under hedges, and get fcraps of food they may live; but fliould a fevere winter overtake them,when they muft cling to the rock for fhelter, they will all be loft. It is not unlikely that many of thofe ooor infants may be the ifliie of men who have fought for their country ; and that they were turned out of houfe and harbour, left they fhould become troublefome to the parifh. Can public or private charity be better employed than in pre- ferving fo many lives to the ftate ? And how are they to be preferv- ed ? Not by tearing the psor children from the arms of their mo- thers, and fending them to hofpitals and work-houfes, to be put un- der the care of" excellent killing nurfes"—but by enabling the mo- thers to nurfe them agreeably to the defigns of nature, and thus Tendering fertility, not what it now is, a curfe to the po^r, but the fource of the fweeteft pleafures, and the greateft of all bleffings. A very fmall part of the vaft funis colleded in this kingdom by taxes, under the title of poor rates, and by voluntary contributions,would be fully fufficient for the propofed fund ; and I am perfuaded that the wifdom and humanity of parliament and of government could not be bstter exerted, than in preparing and carrying into effed either this, ar fome other more advifable plan, for faving the lives of fuch an incalculable numb°r of devoted vtdirns. Vanity, as I before obferved,hasavery great fhare in the erec- tion and fuoport of alms-houfes; or the rich and the truly hunane would readily difcov»r, in the hints now given, a much more ufeful as well as a more charitable method of employing tbeir fuperfluous weahh. I hope, however, that the confcious pleafure of doing real good, will induce many ladies, hlefled with affluence, toaffit poor women to nurfe and rear their children in their own little huts or habitations, though not infcribed on the outfide with any vain com- pliment to the pride of a patronefs or a founder. Is not the fight of arifing family, who **re indebted to voti for health, and even for exiftence, a thoufand times more gratifying to the human heart, than the fitly oftentation or oarade of a public charity ? It would imply a very unbecoming doubt of the good fenfe and 106 ; ADVICE TO MOTUFPS. natural feelingsof my readers, to dwell any longer on th'.i head ; but' jr.:v v of them may think the other part of my pan, expreffed in the title of the prefent chapter, and having tor its avowed objed U. im- fyjve'\tiit of the human fpecies, a iitt e romantic. Yer I {fitter myfelf that a.oi he able to prove, that there is nothing of fanciful or ini- pnol-eable theory in the fuggeftion ; and that the improvcme.it as well as :he prefervation of the human Ipecies, may .e etfedually pro- n,(nv\! oy the fame means—well-timed afhitance, and proper encour- ^ a !. n-r i to mothers. ■ ......i ie the firft chapter of this work I threw out fome hints on the " propc ••■ choiee of wives and of* hufbands, with a view to the procrea- ' tio!i of a head, y and vigorous iffue •, and I lamented, that the impulfcs or natural inclination were too often checked in civilized fociety by i the meaner paffions of avarice and falfe pride J alfo took notice of cafes in which marriage had been forbidden by thelegiflatures of dif- ferent countries. But though it would be difficult to frame, and to enforce any complete fyftem of laws for rcgu ating the union of the fexes, and though fuch legal reftraints on marriages would be in- compatible with the liberty of individu s in a free government like ! ours, yet it is in the power of every ftate to encourage the rearing of I fine children, by granting to every mother a premium annually, in. proportion to the age and number of healthy children fhe brought up*. The profped of a liberal and honourable reward at the end of every I year would encourage mothers to exert all their fkill, and ufe every endeavour, to rear a numerous and heal-hy offspring. It would ex- cite a general emulation amongj mothers; and the objed of the vir- tuo-j struggle would be, who fhould have the fmeft children. Th« name of Comc'ia that famous Roman mother, would no longer ftand alone on the re < ."rds of maternal afitdion : But Englifh women, when requefted to fhew their jewels or their brighteft ornaments, would throw open the nurfery, and exhibit1 a lovely family to the fpectator's admiiing gaze. Let it not be frivoloufly objeded, that a fond mother cannot want, or can'iot feel a if ronger Itimulus, than natural afiedion, to reake her take care of her child Poor women are forced by keen dif- trefs to negle sturi^n -ju MOTHERS. 10? The effe Is of premiums have been proved in a variety of other inftanees, fuch as the cuture of vegetables, the growth of flax pf hemp, of potatoes, the planting of trees and cue improvement of the breed of cattie. Is it not a m itrer of jut furpr.fe that no attention of this fort fhould ever have been paid to the perfoaal or bodily im- provement of the human fpecies f We know t -.it the mofl tender plant is not more fufceptible of any fhape or form than infant man. We know that his ftrength and figure are certainly as improveable as thofe of any other animal, were proper methods purfued for the ac- complifliment of fuch defirable purpofes. Yet the breed of men is alone negleded, while every effort of ingenuity is c died forth, and theTefounes of wealth are exhauded, in experiments to improve the breed of fheep, pf horfes, and of oxen ! I never met with more than one man who took up this fubjed on a ferious greuml. His plan was a good one had he pofTeffed fu indent # means to carry it into execution. He propofed to purchafe a fmall. illand, ?nd to plant it with as many pec pie of 1 oth fexes as it wouM very comfortably maintain. Of theie, he meant to fuperinterid the diet, occupations, marriages, and the management of their children, with a view to try how far the breed might be improved Ir was a fpeculation worthy of an enlarged mind. Were every perfon of land- ed property in the kin dom, of this gentleman's w. y of thinking, and could our country fquires in particular be induced to pay half as much attention to the breed of men as to that of dogs, horfes, and cattle, the progrefs of the human fpecies to perfedion would become more rapid, and more aftonifhing, than the degenerac y fo often com- plained of in every fucceffive age. Nor would this progreffive improvement of man be confined to the body only ; it would extend itfelf alfo to the mind. Every thing great or good in future life, muft be the effed of early impreffions; and by whom are thofe impreffions to be made but by mothers, who are moft interefted in the confequences ? fheir inftrudionsand example will have a lafting influence, and of courfe, will go farther to form the morals, than all the eloquence of the pulpit, the efForcs of fchool-mafters, or the corredive power of the civii magistrate, who may, indeed punifh crimes, but cannot implant the feeds of virtue.— If thefe are not fown in (fhildlu^d, they will never take deep root ; ?.md where they are not found to grow, every vice will fpring up with baneful luxuriance. In this view of the fubjed I could eafily find a thoufand argu- ments to enforce the political importance of the plan which ! have fuggefted ; but I undertook only to {hew that perfed heath and growth, that perfonal beamy and rigour, weie moft likely to be the' fruits of the well-dircded and well-encouraged care of mothers in the miring and rearing of their children. Other authors have enlarged on the culture of the heart and the underftanding, the firft and chief part of which they all acknowledge to be the iaconteftible province of mothers. 1 he eloquent writer whom I have repeatedly quoted,and who has taken fome pains to illuftrate this poinr, atgues with great juff.nei"3; that, if the early pirt of education, which concerns us moft, IOS ADVICE TO MOTHERS- had been defigned for fathers, the Author of nature would doubtlek have furnifhed them with milkfor the nourifhment of their children. It is in concurrence with his opinion, that I have addreffed this little book of initrudion to females ; and as he has very beautifully com- pared infant man to a fhrub expofed to numberlefs injuries in the highway of life, I fhall join him in calling on the tender and provi- dent mother, to preferve the rifing fhrub from the fhocks of human prejudice. I fhall fay to her, almoft in his words, Cultivate, water the young plant before it die ; fo /hall its fruit be hereafter delicious to your tajxe. F.recl an early fence round the difpofttion of your child: others ma) delineate its txtent; but it remains ivithyou only to raife the barrier. i APPENDIX. WHEN I firft turned my attention to the nurfing and manage- ment of children, the late Dr Cadogan's pamphlet en that iubjed f fell into my hands. I perufed it with greet pleafure. but foou lott it ; f and though I have been in queft of it for above forty years, i never f k could fet my eyes on it till within thefe few days ; which makes me conclude that it is out of print. That fo valuable a iragn.ent may not be loft, t fhall infert the principal part cf it in th.& Appendix ; and I hope it will render the book more extenliveiy ufetul, and, at the fame time, tend to coroborate my fentiments concerning mothers. « In my opinion, fays the ingenious writer whom i am now ! quoting, «' the bufinefs of nusfing has been too long fatally lettto the management of women who cannot be fuppofed to have proper knowledge to fit them for fuch a talk, notwithftandingthty look upon it to be their own province. What 1 mean is, i> phiiolophic knowledge of nature, to be acquired only by learned obfervation of experi- ence, and which therefore the unlearned muft be incapabie of. They may prefume upon the examples and tranfmitted cuftoms of their great grandmothers, who were taught by the phyficians ot their un- enlightened days ; when phyficians, as appears by late d'.icoverits, were jniftaken in many things, being led away by hypothetical rea- ;* fonings to entertain very wijd conceits, in which they were greatly I bewildered themfelves, and mifled ethers to believe ; know not what ftrange unaccountable powers in certain herbs.roots and drugs; and alfo in fome fuperftitiouspradices and ceremonies; for ail which . - notions there beinj no foundation in nature, they ought ro be look- ed upon as the effeds of ignorance, or the artifices of defigning quacks, who found their account by pretending to great knowledge in thefe occult qualities, and impofing upon the credulous. The art cf phyfic has been much improved within this laft century : by ob- ferving and following nature more clofely. many ufeful difcoveries have been made, which help us to account for things in a natural way, that before feemed myiterious and magical, and which have confequently made the pradice of it more conformable to reafon and good fenfe. This being the cafe, there is great room to fear that thofe nurfes, who yet retain many of thefe traditional prejudices, are capitally miftaken in their management of children in general, and, fancying that nature has left a great deal to their fkill and contrivance, often do much harm where they intend to do good. Of this 1 fliall endeavour to convince them, by fhewTng how I think children may be clothed, fed, and managed, with much lefs trouble to their nurfes, and infinitely greater eafe, comfort, r.nd fafety, fo the little ones. X10 ADVICr: TO MOTHERS- "When a man takes upon him to contradid received opinions and prejudice fandi ed by time, it is expected he Ihould bring v.ilid pro. t of what he advances, t he truth of what I fay, that the treat- ment of children in general is wong, unreafo'iabie and unnatural, will in a great meafure appear, if we but conlidcr what a puny val- etudinary race moft of our people of condition ale, chiefly owing to bad nurling, and bad habits coutraded early. But let any one who wouid be fully convinced of this matter, look over the Bills of Mortal- ity. There he may obferve, that almoft half the number ot thofe . , who fill up thatbiack lift, die under five years of age ; fo that half the people that come into the world, go out of it again before they become of the leaft ufe to it, or themfelves. To me this feems to deferve lerious confideration ; and yet I cannot find that any one ir,. n oi fenfc and public fpirit has ever attended to it at all •, notwiih- ft-nding the maxim in every one's mouth, that a multitude of inhab- itams is the greateft ftrength and beft fupport of a commonwealth. The mlfcondud, to which I muft impute a great part of the calamity, is .00 common and obvious to engage the idle and fpeculative, who are to be caught oity by very refined refearches ; and the bufy part of mar.r.ind, where their immediate intereii is not concerned, wil al- ways overlook what they fee'daily ; it may be thought a natural evil, and fo is fubmitted to without examination. But this is by no means t1 e cafe ; and where it is entirely owing to mifinanagement, and pcf- fi Iv may admit of a remedy, it is ridiculous to charge it upon nature, ae i.-o ,rvfe that infants are more fubjed to difeafe and death, than g- p-.ions ; on the co itrary, thev bear pain and difeafe much bet- t~>, severs efpecially (as is plain in the cafe of the fmall pox, gene- ' rally moft favourable to children) and for the fame reafon that a twig is iefshurt by a ftorm than an oak. In all the other produdion9 6f nature, we fee the greateft vigour and luxuriance of health, the nearer they are to the egg or the bud ; they are indeed then moft fenfi* b'e of injury, and itis injury only that deftroysthem. When was ther-? a lamb, a bird, or a tree, that died becaufe it was young ? thefe are under the immediate nurling of unerring nature, and they thrive ac- cordingly. Ought it not therefore to be the care of every nurfe and every parent, not only to protect their nurflings from injury, but to be well allured that their own officious fervices be not, the greateft the. helplefs creatures can fuffer. " In the lower clafs of mankind, efpecially in the country, dif- eafe and mortality are not fo frequent, either among the adults or t:tir children, ilcalth and pofterlty are the portion of the poor, I mean the laborious. The want of fuperfiuity confines them more within the limits of nature ; hence they enjoy blcffings thev feel not, and are ignorant'of their caufe. The mother, who has only a few r?gs to cover her child loofely, and little more than her own breaft to feed it, fees it healthy and ftrong, and very foon able to fliift for itfelf; while the puny infect, the heir and hope of a rjth family, lies Ian-' gu-.fhir.g uader a load of fir.cry that overpowers his limbs, abhorring -th' rejector the tlaintieshe is crammed with, till he dies a victim to th-; miftaker. care and lendtrncfij of his fond mother. In the ceurfe • ADVICE TO MOTHER S. m of mypradice,I have had frequent occafion to be fully fat^sfied of this ; and have often heard a mother anxioufly fay, the child has not been -well ever ftnee it has done puking and crying. Thefe complaints though not attended to, point very plainly to their caufe. Is it not vety evident when a child rids its ftomach feveral times in a day, that it has b en overloaded ?—When it cries, from the incumorance and confinement of its clothes, that it is hurt by th. m ? While the natu- ral ftrength latts, (as every child is born with more health and ilrength than is generally imagined) it cries at or rejedsthe fuper- f fluous load, and thrives apace; that is, grows very tat, bloated and dilUnded hcyonr meafure, ike ahoufe-amb. But in time the fame oppreftive . aufe continuing, the natural powers are overcome, being no longer able to throw oif the unequal weight; the child mw not able to cry any more, anguifhes and is quiet. The misfortune is, thefe complaints are not underftood; it is fwaddled and crammed on till, after gripes, purging &c. it finks under both burdens into a convuilion-fit, and efcapes any further torture. 1 his would be the . cafe with the lamb, were it not killed when full fat. r " f hat the prefent mode of nurfing is wrong, one would think | needed no other proof than the ^r.-quent mifcarriages itrei ' jg it, cne \ deaths of many, and ill health of thof- that furvive **** \\ hat I am going to complain of is, that children in general are over.clothed and ' over-fed ; and fed and clothed improperly. Tp thefe cauies im- pute almoft all their difeafes But to be a. little more explieit: The firft great miftake is, that they think a new-born infant cannot be kept toG w- rm; froir- this, prejudice they load nd bind it with flannels, wrappers; :wathes ftays &c which altogether ;.re almo'i equal to i!s own weight; by-whet): means a heaichy child in a month's tone' Is made fo tender cd by therr\ that ito bowels have net room, nor the limbs any liberty, n2 ADVICE TO MOTHERS. to ad and exert themfelves in the free and eafy manner they ought. this is a very hurtful circumftancc : for limbs that are not ufed will never be ftrong, and fuch tender bodies cannot bear much preflure ; the circulation reftrained by the compreffion of any one part, muft pro- duce unnatural fwellings in fome other, efpecially as the fibres of in- fants are fo eafily diftended. To which, doub'tlefs are owing the many ciftortions and deformities we meet with every where ; chiefly among women, who fuffer more in this particular than the men. « if nurfes were capable of making juft obfervations, they might fee and take notice of that particular happinefs, which a child fhews by all its powers of expreflion, when it is newly undreffed. How p!eafed,how delighted it is,with this new liberty, when indulged for a few minutes with the free ufe of its legs and arms ! But this is not to iaft long ; it is fwaddfed up as before, notwitManding its cries and complaints. <; I would recommend the following drefs : a little flannel waift- coat, without fleeves. made to fit the body, and tie loofly behind; to wli.eh there fhould be a petticoat fewed, and over this a kind of gown of the fame material, or any other that is light, thin, and flimfy. The petticoat fnoutd not be quite fo long as the child, the gown a few inches longer, with one cap only on the head, which may be made double, if it be thought not warm enough. What 1 mean is, that the whole coiffure fliould be fo contrived, that it might be put on at pnee, and neither bind nor prels the head at all ; the linen as ufual. This I think wouid be abundantly fufficient for the day \ laying afide all thofe lwathes, bandages, ftays, and contrivances, that are moft ridicu- louily ufed to clofe and keep the head in its place, and fuppoit the body. As if nature, exad nature, had produced her chief work, a human creature, fo carelefsly unfinifh^d as to want thofe idle aids to make it perfed. hhoes and ftockings are very needlefs incumbrances, befides that they keep the legs wet and nafty if they are not changed every hour, and often cramp and hurt the feet; a child would Hand firmer, and learn to walk much fooner, without them. I think they cannot be neceffary till it runs out in the dirt. There fhould be a thin flannel fhirt for the night, which ought to be every way quite loofe- Children in this fimple, pleafant drefs, which may be readily put on and off without teazing them, would find themfelves perfedly eafy and happy, enjoying the free ufe of their limbs and faculties, which they would very foon begin to employ when thus left at liberty* , I would have them put into it as foon as they are born, and continu- ed in it till they are three years old ; when it may be changed for any other more genteel and fafhionable ; though I could wifh it was not the cultom to wear ftays at all; not becaufe I fee no beauty in the fugar-loaf fhape, but that I am apprehenfive it is often procured at the expenfe of the health and ftrength of the body. There is an odd notion enough entertained about change, and the keeping of children clean. Some imagine that clean linen and frefh clothes dTaw, and rob them of their nourifhing juices; 1 cannot fee that they do any thing more than imbibe a little of that moifture which their bodies exhale. Were it, as is fuppofed, it would be of fervice to them; ADVICE TO MOTHERS. n3 fince they are always too abundantly fupplied, and therefore I think diey cannot be changed too often, and would have them clean every day; as it would free them from ftinks and fournefs, which are not only offenfive, but very prejudicial to the tender ftate of infancy. " The feeding of children properly, is of much greater import- ance to them than their clothing. We ought to take great care to be ! right in this material article, and that nothing be given them but ' what is wholefome and good for them, and in fuch quantity as the body calls for towards its fupport and growth ; not a grain more.— Let us confider what nature direds in the cafe : if we follow nature. I- inftead of loading or driving it, we cannot err. In the bufinefs oi nurnng, as well as phyfic, art is ever deftrudive, if it does not exad- . ly copy this original. When a child is firft born, there feems to be , noprovifion at all made for it; for the mother's milk, as it is now managed, feldom comes till the third day : fo that, according to this I appearance of nature, a child would be left a day and a half, or two I days, without any food. Were this really the cafe, it would be a fuf- F ficient proof that it wanted none ; as indeed it does not immediately ; \ for it is born full of blood, full of excrement, its appetites not awake, nor its fenfes opened ; and requires fome intermediate time of ab* , ftinence and reft to compofe and recover the ftruggle of the birth, and the change of circulation (the blood running into new channels) which \ always put it into a little fever. However extraordinary this might appear, I am fure it would be better that the child was not fed even all !. that time, than as it generally is fed, for it would fleep the greateft ■i part of the time, and, when the milk was ready for it, would be very [ hungry, and fuck with more eagernefs; which is often neceffary, for it feldom comes freely at firft. But let me endeavour to reconcile \ this difficulty, that a child fhould be born thus apparently unprovid- • ed for ; I fay apparently, for in reality it is not fo. Nature never intended that a child fhould be kept fo long faffing, nor that we fhould feed it for her. Her defign is broke in upon, and a difficulty ■■■ raifed that is wholly owing to miftaken management. The child, as ) foon as it is born, is taken from the mother, and not fuffered to fuck till the milk comes of itfelf; but is either fee. with ftrange and im- . proper things, or put to fuck fome other woman, whofe milk flowing in a full flream, overpowers the new-born infant, that has not yet ■ learned to fwallow, and fets it a coughing, or gives it a hickup ; the mother is left to ftruggle with the load of her milk, unaffifted by the 1 fucking of the child. Thus two great evils are produced, the one a prejudice to the child*? health, the other the danger of the mother's life ; at leaft the retarding her recovery, by caufing what is called a ' milk fever ; which has been thought to be natural, but fo far from it, that it is en.tirely owing to thh> mifcondud. . I am confident from expertence, that there would be no fever at all, were things managed l rightily were the child kept without food of any kind till it was 5 hungry ; whichtt'i6 impoffible it fhould be juft after the birth,and then ;.' applied to the mother's breaft : it would fuck with ftrength enough, J after a few repeated trials, to make the milk flow gradually, in due proportion to the child Vunexercifed faculty of fwallowing-, and the c%ti (8) i i*__________________ ... __________________________________.... ____________ ________________ .. __________________________ T14 ADVICE 7D MOTHERS. «f its ftomach. Thus the child would not only provide for itfelf the beft oNumrifhment, but, by opening a free paffage for it, would take off the mother's load, as it increafed, before it could opprefs or hurt her: and therefore effedually prevent the fever, which is caufed only by the painful diftenfionof the ladeal veffels ofthcbreafts, whenthe I milk is injudicioufly fuffered to accumulate*. Here let me deicribe a cafe of pure nature, in order to illuftrate this material point yet far- ther. When a healthy young woman lies in of her firft child, before * the operations of nature have been perverted by any abfurd pradices, her labour would be ftrong, and, a. I have chofen to inftance in the cafe of a firft child, perhaps difficu t; but in a few minutes after her delivery, fhe and her child, if it be not injured, wou . and never followed. The general pradice is, as foon as the child is born, to cram a dab of butter and fugar down its throat, a little oil, . i panada, caudle, or ome fuch unwholefome mefs. So that they fet out wrong, and the child ftands a fair chan t of being made fick from the firft hour. It is the cuftom of fome to give a little roaft pig to an in- fant, which, it feems, is to cure it of all the mother s longings. Much nonfenfe has been propagated, and believed, about women's longings, \ without any foundation in truth and nature. I wifh thefe matters . were a little more inquired into for the honour of the fex, to which \ many imperfedions of this kind are imputed, which I am lure it does not He under. " Hence I may be afked, what is to be done with a child born fick, that inftead of fleeping, cries inceflantly from ti.e birth, and is ,1 hardly to be quieted by any means ? Let good care be taken that it is not hurt by the dreffing, or rather let it not be dreffed at all, but wrap- ped up in a loofe flannel. If, notwithftanding this precaution, it ftill continues crying ; inftead of feeding it, for it is certainly a prepofte- ' rous thing to think of feeding a child becaufe it is fick, though poffi- bly this may flop its mouth for a little while, let it be appli-d to the • mother's breaft ; perhaps it may bring the milk immediately, whic'i ! would be the beft medicine for it in fuch a cafe •, or the t :nplc in its' mouth may quiet it, though it does not bring it. And it u certainly better it fhould be quieted without food than with it which mut ne- ; celfarily make it worfe. Sometimes indeed the child may be fo very i U, that it will npt even attempt to fuck. In fuch a cafe, which I ! think can happen but rarely, let the phyfic I fhall recommend a little farther on, where children are unavoidably to be dry-nurfed, be given, a little every hour, till it takes effed. ftill attempting to bring it to fuck the mother's milk, which is the beft phyfic or food it can t*ke. r ' " When a child fucks its own mother, which, with a very few ex- ceptions, would lie beft for every child and every mother, nature ADVICE TO MOTHERS., 2 r ? has provided It with fuch wholefome and fuitable nourifhment, fuppo- fing her a temperate woman that makes fome ufe of her limbs, it can hardly do amifs. The mother would likewife, in moft hyfterical ner- vous cafes, eftablifh her own health by it, though ihe were weak and fickly before, as well as that of her offspring. For thefe reafons I could wifn, that every woman that is able, whole fountains are not greatly difturbed or tainted, would give fuck to hr child. I am very fure that forcing back the milk, which moft young women muft have in great abundance, may be of fatal confequence ; fometimes it endangers ltfe, and often lays the foundation of many incurable difeafes. The reafons that are given for this pradice are very frivolous,and drawn fro n falfe premifes, that fome women are too weak to bear fuch a drain, whicl* would rob them of their own nourifhment. This is a very miftaken notion ; for the firft general caufe of moft people's difeafes is, not want of nourifhment, as is here imagined, but 400 great fullnefs and redun- dancy of humours ; good at firft, but being more than the body can employ or confume, they ftagnate, degenerate, and the whole mafs be- comes corrupt, and produces many difeafes. This is confirmed by the general practice of phyficians, who make holes in the fkin, perpetual blifters, iffues, &c, to let out the fuperfluity. I would therefore leave it to be conGdered, whether the throwing back fuch a load of humour as a woman's firft milk, be moft likely to mend her conftitution,or make her complaints irremediable. The mother's .firft milk is purgative, and clearrfes the child of its long-hoarded excrement; no child, therefore, can be deprived or it without manifeft injury. By degrees it changes its property, becomes lefs purgative, and more nourifhing ; and is the beft and only food the child likes, or ought to have for fome time. If 1 could prevail, no child fhould ever be crammed with any unnatural mixture, till the provifion of nature was ready for it; nor afterwards fed with any ungenial alien diet whatever, at leaft for the firft three month i for it is not well able to digeft and affimilate other aliments fooner I have feen very healthy fine children, that never ate or drank any thing whatever but the mother's milk for the firft ten or twelve months. Nature feems to dired this, by giving them no teeth till about that time. There is ufually milk enough with the firft child ; fometimes more than it can take ; it is poured forth from an exuberant, overflowing urn, by a bountiful hand that never provides fparingly.— The call of nature fliould be waited for to feed it with any thing more fubftantial, and the appetite ever precede the food; not only with re- gard to the daily meals, but thofe changes of diet, which opening, in- creafing life requires. But this is never done in either cafe, which is one of the greateft miftakes of all nurfes. Thus far nature, if (he be not interrupted, will do the whole butinefs perfedly well; and there feems to be nothing left for a nurfe to do; but to keep the child clean and fweet, and to tumble and tofs it about a good deal, play with it, and keep it in good, humour. " When the child requires more folid fuftenance, we are to inquire what, and how much is moft proper to give it. We may be well affu- red there is a great miftake either in the quantity or quality of children's food, or both, as it is ufually given them ; becaufe they are ma4e fick by it; for to this miftakel cannot help imputing nine in ten of all their difeafes. As. to quantity, there is a moft ridiculous error in the common practice ; for it is generally fuppofed, that, whenever a child cries, it wants victuals *, and it is accordingly fed ten, twelve, or more ,,<* ADVICE TO MOTHERS. times in a day and night. This is fo obvious a mifapprehenfion, that I am furprifcJ it fhould ever prevail. If a child's wants and motions be diligently and judicioufly attended to, it will be found that it J.ver cries but from pain ; now the firft fenfations of hunger are not attended with pain ; accordingly a child (I mean this of a very young one) that is hunirry, wi" make a hundred other figns of its want, before it will ry for food. If it be healthy and quite eafy in its drefs, it wi hardly ever crv at all. Indeed thefe figns and motions I fpeak of are but rarely to be obferved ; becaufe it feldom happens that children are ever fuffer- ed to be hungry: In a few, very tew, whom I have had the plea- fure to fee reafonably nurfed, that were not fed above two or three times in four and twenty hours, and yet w;re perfedly healthy, adive, . and happy, I have feen thefe fignals, which v/ere as intelligible as if I shey bad fpoken. . . " Thefe are many faults in the quality of their food ; it is not fimple enough. Their paps, panadas, gruels, &c. are generally enrich- ed with fugar, fpice, and fometimes a drop of wine, neither of which they ought ever to tafte. Our bodies never want them ; they are what luxury only has introduced, to the deftrudion of the health of man- kind. It is not enough that their food be fimple, it fhould be alfo light. Several peoole I find, are miftaken in their notions of what is light ; and fancy that moft kinds of paftry, puddings, cuftards, &c. are light, that is. light of disreftion. But there is nothing heavier in this fenfe than unfrrmented flour and eggs boiled hard, which are the chief in- gredients of *We preparations. What I mean by light, to give the bed Idea I can of it, is any fubftance that is eafily feparated, and foluble in warm w->'e<\ Good bread is the lighteft thing I know; the power of due fermentation, in which confifts the whole art of making it, breaks and attenuates the tenacious p-micles of the flour fo as to give it thefe qualifies T mention, and make it the fitteft food for young children. Cow's milk is al fo fimple and light, and very good for them ; but it is injudicioufl prepared ; it fhould not be boiled ; for boiling alters the tafte and property of it, deftroys it3 fweetnefs and makes it thicker, heavier, and lefs fit to mix and aflimilate with the blood. But the chief rj objedion is, that their food is wholly vegetable, the bad confequences j ,.l| of which is, that it will turn four in their ftomachs. The firft and gen- o era' caufe of aM the diCeafes °f infants is manifeftly this acefcent quali- tv of all their food. Tf any of thefe vegetable preparations I have named, be kept in a degree of heat equal to that of a child's ftomach, it wifl become four as vinegar in'a few hours time. Thefe things are there- fore very improper to feed a cbiM wholly with. Some part of its diet fhould be contrived to have a contrary tendency ; fuch as we find only in flefh, which is the dired ppofite to acid, and tends to putrefadion. In a due mixture of thefe two extremes, correding each other, con- fifts that faiubritv of aliment our nature feems to require. As we are partly carnivorous animals, a child ought not to be fed wholly upom Vegetables. The mother's milk, when it is perfedly good, feems to be this true mixture of the animal and vegetable properties, that agrees heft with the corftirution of a child, readily palfes into good b'ood, re- \ quiring but a prrtle exertion of the powers of circulation to break *nd fuhdueits particles, and make them fmooth and round, vmd eafily div fi- ble. I would ac'vife therefore, that one half of an infant's diet, lt rhin light broths, with a little br^ad or rice boiled in them 5 which laft is not fo afcefcent as any other kind of meal or flour. Thefe broths ADVICE TO MOTHERS. n? fliould be made with the flefh of full-grown animals, becaufe their juices are more elaborate ; efpecially if they have never been confined to be fattened. The juices of a young ox, taken from the plough, make the fineft flavoured and moft wholefome foup. I believe it is for the fame reafon, the flefh of all wild animals has a higher tafte than that of tame, faginated ones, and is therefore moft agreeable to the palate of the luxurious; but this is to be underllood of thofe creatures that feed on corn or herbage. The other part of children's diet may be a little toafted bread and water boiled almoft dry, and then mixed with frefh milk not boiled.* This, without fugar, ipice, or any other pretended amendment whatever, would be perfedly light and whole- fome^ of fufficient nourifhment, lomething like milk from the cow, with the additional ftrength and fpirit of bread in it. Twice a-day,. and not ottener, a fucking child ihould be fed at firft ; once with the broth and once with the milk thus prepared. As to the quantity at each time, its appetite muft be the meafure of that. Its hunger ihould be f tisfied but no more j for children will always eat with iome eager- nefs full as much as they ought; therefore it muit be very wrong to go beyond that, and fluff them till they fpew, as the common method is? They thould not be laid on their back;,, to be fed, but held in a fitting poifure, that fwaliowing may be eafier to them, and that they may the more readily difcover when they have had enough. W hen they come to be about ten or twelve month* old, and their appetite and digeftion grows ftrong, they may be fed three times a-day ; which i think they ought never to exceed their whole lives aftei. By night I would not have them fed or iuckled at all, that1 they might at leaft be hungry in the piorning. It is the night-feeding that makes them fo over-tat and bloat- ed. If they be not ufed to it at firft, and, perhaps, awakened on pur- pofe, they will never feek it; and if they arc not dilturbea irom the. tirth, in a week's time they will get into a habit of keeping all or moft partof the night very quietly, awaking poffibly once or twice ior a few minutes, when they are wet, and ought to be changed. Their meals, and, in my opinion, their fucking too, ought to be at ftated times, and the fame every day ; that the ftomach may have intervals to digeit, and the appetite return. The child would loon . e quite, eafy and fatisfied in the habit; much more fo than when taught, to expedt food at all times, and at every little fit of crying or uneafinefs. Let this method be obferved about a twelve-month when, and not before, they may be weaned ; not all at once, but by infenfible degrees ; that they may nei- ther feel, nor fret at> the want of the breaft. this might be very eauly managed, if they were fuffered to tuck only at certain times. Were this plan of nurfing literally purfued, the children kept clean and fweet, tumbled and tofl'ed about a good deal, and carried out every day in all weathers, I am confident, that, in fix or eight months time, molt chil- dren would become healthy and ftrong, would be able to fit upon the ground without fupport, to divert themfelves an hour at a time, to the great relief of their nurfes ; would readily find the ufe of their legs, and very foon ihift ior themfelves. " If it be afked whether I mean this of children in general, and * The London baleen are iufpe&ed of putting alum into their Lrc«d, wh en would be very pernicious in infants.. Therefore ruik-, or tne bifcuits called tops-and-bouoma, «i rice, may be ufed inftead of t. Thele wil! not turn four fo foon as common bread , which quali- ty is undoubtedly an obiedYion to uling much or it, eipecially when children are weakly.— The fafett and beft method in my opinion is, not o feed them ac ai. j at leaft till they are fix or eight monthi old. The iineft children I ever faw, lived wholly upoa lucking tili afUS that ?ge. ___ ne ADVICE TO MOTHERS. that weakly ones, born of unhealthy parents, fhould be treated in the fame manner : I anfwer, that it is not fo common for children to in- herit the difeafes of their parents, as is generally imagined ; there is much vulgar error in this opinion ; for people that are very unhealthy feldom have children efpecially if the bad health be on the female fide ; and it is generally late in life when chronic difeafes take place in moft men, when the btiunefs of love is pietty well over ; certainly children have no title to thofe infirmities which their parents have acquired by indolence and intemperance long after their birth. It is not common for people to complain of ails they think hereditary, till they are grown up ; that is till they have contributed to them by their own irregular^ ties and exceffes, and then are glad to throw their own faults back upon their parents, and lament a bad conftitution when they have fpoiled a vtry good one. Jt is very feldom that children are troubled with fami* ly diftempers. Indeed, when we find them affe£ted with fcrophulous or venerealcomplaints, we may reafonbly conclude the taint to have been tranfmitted to them ; but thefe cafes are very rare, in companion cf the many others that are falfely, and without the leaft foundation, imputed to paients ; when the real caufe is either in the complainants themfelves, or bad nurfing, that has fixed them early in bad habits, In one fenfe, many difeafes may be faid to be hereditary, perhaps all thofe of malformation, by which 1 mean not only deformity and diftortion, but all thofe cafei where the fibres and vefiels of one part are weaker in proportion than the reft ; fo that ^.pon any ftrain of the body, whether of debauch or too violent exercife the weak part fails firft,and diforders the whoie. Thus complaints may be produced fimilar ro thofe of the parent, owing in fome meafure to the fimilitude of parts, which poflibly is inherited like the features of the face ; but yet thefe difeafes might never have appeared, but for the immediate acting caufe, the violence ,done the body. Moft diftempers have two caufes : theone, a particular ftate of the folids and fluids of the body, which difpofe" it to receive certain infections and impulfes ,* the other, the infection or impulfe it- felf. Now what I contend for is, that though this predifpohe'nt ftate or habit of body be heritable, yet the difeafes incident to thefe wretch- ed heirs may be avoided by preventing the a&ive caufe ; which may be done in miny cafes by a due attention to the non-naturals as they are called ; in plainer words, by a ternparate, adive life j in children, by good nurfing. Therefore I conclude, that, inftead of indulging and enfeebling yet mo:? by the common methods, children fo unhappily born, what I am recommending, together with the wholefome milk of a hor.ithv nurfe, is the heft, the only means to remedy the evil, and by which afone they may by degrees be m^de healthy and ftrong. And thus, in ageneration or two, of reafonat'.e temperate perfons, every t int and infirmity whatever, the king's evil and madnefs not excepted, would be totally vvorn ouf. «« Ihe piain natural plan I have laid down is never followed, be- caufe moft mothers, of any condition, either cannot, or will not un- dertake the troublefome talk of fuckling their own children ; which is t'oublcfome only for w/3nt of proper me', hod ; were it rightly managed, t ere would be too much pleafure in it, to every woman that can pre- v-ii upon herfelf to give up a little of the beauty of her breaft to feed hsr offspring ; though this is a miftakeii notion, for the breafts are not fpoiled by giving fuck, but by growing fat. There would be no fear of offending the hufband's ears with the noife cf the fyuallir»£ brat. The ADVICE TO MOTHERS. ,^ child, was it nurfed in this way, Would be always quiet,in good humour, ever playing, laughing, or fleecping. In my opinion, a man of fenfe cannot have a prettier rattle (for rattles he muft have of one kind or other) than fuch a young child. I am quite at a lofs to account for the general practice of fending infants out of doors, to be fuckled or dry-nurfed by another woman, who has not fo much underftandin., nor can have fo much affection for it, as the parents ; and how it comes to paf9, that people of good fenfe and eafy circumftances will not give themfelves the pains to watch over the health and welfare of their children, but are focarelefs as to give them up to the common methods, without confidering how near it is to an equal chance that they are deftroyed by them. The ancient cuftonVtif expofing therh to wild beafts, or drowning them, would certainly be a much quicker and more humane way of dHpatching them. There are fome, how- ever, who wifh to have children, and to preferve them, but are mif- taken in their cares about them. To fuch only I would addrefs my- ' felf, and earneftly recommend it to every father to have his child nur- fed under his own eye ; to make ufe of his own reafon and fenfe, in fuperintending and directing the management of it; nor fuffer it to be made one of the myfteries of the Bona Dea, from which the men arc to be excluded. 1 would advife every mother that can, for her own fake as well as her child's, to fuckle it; if ihe be a healthy woman, it will confirm her health ; if weakly, in moft cafes it will reftore her. t need be no confinement to her, or abridgment of her time ; four times in four-and-twenty hours will be often enough to give it fuck j letting it have as much as it will fuck out of both breafts at each time. It may be fed and; dreffed by fome handy reafonable fervant, that will fubmit to be directed ; whom, likcwife it may fleep with. No other woman's milk can be fo good for her child ; and dry-nurfing I look upon to be the moft unnatural and dangerous method of all ; and, ac- cording to my obfervation, not one in three furvives it. To bteed a child in this artificial manner, requires more knowledge of nature and the animal oeconomy, than the beft nurfe was ever miftrefs of, as well as more care anii attention than is generally beftowed on chil- dred; the fkill of a good phyfician would be neceffary to manage it riphtly." ******** The Doctor is here led to ftate his opinion as to the precautions neceffary to be taken in the choice of hired nurfes, and his reafons why the children entrufted to their care fhould be, treated fomewlu* differently from thofe who are nurfed in a more natural way, and fuck their own mothers. Ke does not deem it enough that hired nurfes fhould be clean and healthy ; he looks upon their age as a material con- fideration. " Thofe," he fays, " between twenty and thirty are cer- tainly of the beft age ; becaufe they whl have more milk than the very young, and more and better than the old. But what," he thinks, •'ms difappcar entirely. I have often given it with good an$ great ♦effect, even when the children have been far gone in difeafes firft brought on by prevailing acid. *« It is always eafier to prevent difeafes than to cure them; .and, as neither children, nor indeed grown perfons, are ever feized with chronic difeafes fuddenly, the progrefs of decaying health being per- ceptibly gradual, it is no difficult matter for a phyfician of common (kill to obferve the firft ftep towards illnefs, and to foretell the confer quence, in all thofe whofe habit of life is well known to him. But to parents and nurfes in general, thefe obfervations may not occur, I will therefore point out a few certain figns and fymptoms* by which they may be affured, that a child's health is decaying, even before i$ appears to be fick. If thefe are negmted. the evil increafes, grows, from bad to worfe, and more violent and apparent complaints will fok low,' and perhaps end in incurable difeafes, which, a timely remedy, or a flight change in the diet and manner of life, had infallibly prevent- ed. The firft tendency to difeafe may be obferved in a child's breath, It is not enough the breath be not pffenfiye j it ihould be fweet ^n^ fragrant like a nofegay of frefh flowjgs, or a pail pf new milk from a young cow that feeds upon the'fweeteft grafs of the fpring; and this as, well at firft waking in the morning,as all day long. It is always fo with children that are in perfect delicate health. As foon, therefore, as a cfuid's breath is found to be either hot, or ftrong, or four, we may be affured that digeftion and iurfeit have fouled and difturbed the blood, and now is the time to apply a proper remedy, and prevent a train of impending evils. Let the child be reftrained in its food ; eat lef§ ; live upon milk or thin broth for a day or two; be carried, or walk, if it is. able, a little more than ufuaUn the open air. Let a little of this pow- der, or any other proper phyfic, be given ; not that I would advife phyfic to be made familiar ; but one dpfe adminiftered now, would prevent the peceflity of a greatmany that might afterwards be prefcri- bed with much lefs good effect, " If this firft fymptom of approaching illnefs be overlooked, the child, who, if it was healthy, would lie quiet as a log all night, will have difturbed deep, reftlefs, terrifying dreams ; will be talking* flatt- ing, kicking, and tumbling about.; or fmiling and laughing, as is com- mon with very young children when they are griped ; and the nurfes fay they fee and converfe with angels.. Alter this will follow lofs of appetite and compleaion, civ ck of growth, decay of ftrength, cough, confumption, or elfe colics, gripes, worms, fits, St'c. difeafes that re- quire all the drill of a good phyfician ; and happy for them, if the ut- moft he can employ will reftore them to any degree of laftinf; health. " There is one thing more which I forgot tp mention in its prop- er place, and therefore I muft take notice of it here : that is, the de- gree of exercife proper for children. This is of more confequence than all the reft ; for, without it, all our care in feeding and clothing will not fucceed to our wifhes ; but when by due degi ees a child is brought to bear a good deal of. exercife without fatigue, it is incon- ceivable how much impropriety and abfqrdity in both thefe articles it will endure unhurt, A child, therefore, fliould bs pufhed forwards, l2 ADVICE TO MOTHERS. and taught to walkas foon as poflible. An healthy childI a year old will be able to walk alone. 1 his we may call the *ra of their dehver- ance; tor this great difficulty furmounted, they generally do -well, bv getting out of the nurfe's hands to fh.ft tor themfelves. And here I muft endeavour to corred a great miltake, which is, that moil; people think it wrong to put weakly children upon their legs, efpecially it they are the leaft bent or crooked: but whoever will venture the experi- ment wil! furriy find thatcrooUd legs will grow in-time ftrong and ftraight by frequent wu king, while difufe will make them worie and worfe every day. As they grow daily more and more able, le their walks De gradually increafed, till they can walk two mne on a ftrach without wearinefs; which they^ill be very well able to do beioie they are three years old, it they aTe accuftomed to it every day. I o le. d them fuch a walk ih uld be impofed as an indifpenfible talk upon then maids, for to them it will be the igheft pleafure ; fo far from a burthen to them, that if they perform the daily duty, they will, irom the impuMe of their own active vigour, be found running, leaping, and playing, -ell cav long. Thus,, a tiu.i, heavy child may be made play- ful and fprigi tJy, a ueakiy one hfljlthy and ftrong, and confirmed in good habits and perpetual health.' • " I here art' fome other little niceties that were they obferved in the nurfing of children, wculd beoi Ibme ufe to them; fuch as making them lie fttaigl t in the bed. I do not mean extended like a corpfe, but that tt or limbs n ay be free and eafy. I have fometimes ieen children a year or two old lie doubled up in bed as in the womb, eipe- ciaily in cold weather ; and from theconftraint of their potture, fall into prof ufe fweats. '» his will be prevented if they are laid itraight; and fleep relaxing all the ^ufcles of the body, the knees will naturally be bent a little. IVv O.ouhi be taught to ufe both hands aliKt; for emp-oyinj, one more t'h.i. .he other will not only make the hand and arm fo ultd, but alfo that fide of the body bigger than the other. This is fometimes the caufe of crookednefs. it would likewife not I e amifs to forward their fpeaking plain, by fpeaking plain diiiinct words to them,inncad of the namby-pamby.ftyle, and giving them back their own broken inarticulate attempts ; by which meant, I believe, fome children lcarccly fpeak intelligibly at feven years of age. 1 -funk they cannot be made reafonable creatures too foon." ****** As this eflay was written in the form ot a letter, the Doctor con- cludes it with an apology to the gentleman to whom it was addrelled, for the loofe manner in which the thoughts were laid before him. the writer very candidly confefles that he had " neither time nor patience to think of form and order, or fupporting them by affecteddemonitra- tions taken from mechanical principles and powers. " AH I have en- deavoured," fays he, " is to be intelligible and ufeful; and therefore I have avoided as much as poflible, all terms of art; together with lear- ned quotations, as often produced out of vanity, and to fhew deep reading, as for the fake of proof. ***** 1 (hall only add by way of perfuafive to thofe who may be inclined to make a trial of the meth- od I recommend, that I am a father, and have already practiled it wjth the moft defirable fuceefs." ADVICE TO MOTHERS.' uS In a poftfcript to the tenth edition of this pamphlet, dated July r.y, 1769, the author expreffes himfelf in the following manner : " It is now above twenty years fince I wrote the foregoing effay 5 and though I have made a few alterations, it was only to explain thofe paffages that contained any apparent difficulty or cbfcurity : \ have , never yet found caufe to alter efferitially any one opinion delivered in ifc. I have through the whole induftrioufly laboured at the greateft plain- nefsand fimplicity ;and yet my meaning has been much miftaken.—- j Some have very ftrangely expected to find in it the general cure of chil- dren's difeafes, though it be profeffedly written only to prevent them, by eftablifhing good health ; a very different thing (whatever people may think) from the cure of difeafes. Sick or .weak children, wheth- er fuch by nature, orma^e fuch by bad nurfing, cannot perhaps be r brought immediately into the hab'ts here recommended, but muft .firft be cured of their maladies by a fkilful phyfician ; who, if he be alfo an \. honeft man, will introduce thefe, or fimilar habits of management to continue them in health and ftrength. But in treating their difeafes, as well as in nurfing them, I am very fure many capital errors are com- mitted. I object greatly in particujar to the frequent ufe of antimoni- al and mercurial medicines ; which, though they give fometimes a little temporary relief, by difcharging crude and phlegmatic humours, killing worms, &c. I am very confident a repeated ufe of them breaks ' the blood, relaxes the fibres, and is every way dettructive to the coniti- I tution of children. Prefent relief feems to be all that is defined, and f. therefore all that is intended by medication ; the (low, but permanent I effects of good habits few have patience to expect. Others have ne- f glefted eflentials, to lay ftrefs upon trifles. A lady of great fway among her acquaintance told me long ago, with an air of reproach, J that (he had nurfed her child according to my book, and it died. I afked, if fhe had fuckled it herfelf ? No.—Had it fuckled any otner ^ woman ?—It was dry-nurfed.—Then, madam, you cannot impute your misfortune to my advice, for, you have taken a method quite contrary to it in the moft capital point. O ! but, according to my direction, it had never worn ftockings. Madam, children may die whetheithey do or do not wear ftockings."' 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