their milk is simultaneously
lessened in quantity, and altered in its other properties.

If the suckling be still continued, their debility daily increases,
distressing pains in the back and loins succeed; the patients become
exceedingly nervous, as it is termed, and are unusually susceptible of
ordinary impressions; pain in the head, often of great violence,
follows, which, in some cases, is succeeded by delirium, in others, by
absolute mania. Nor is this the whole catalogue of ills to which
in such cases the unfortunate mother is subjected: the appetite
fails, distressing languor is experienced by day, while copious
perspirations deluge her by night, and dissipate the last remains of
strength--producing a state which may easily be mistaken for, or
terminate in, true pulmonary consumption;--finally, the sight becomes
progressively weaker, until vision is almost destroyed; the eyelids
exude a glutinous secretion, and ophthalmia itself is occasionally
induced.

These are the symptoms too often caused by lactation in delicate or
debilitated habits, even a few months after delivery; the same also are
observed when suckling has been injudiciously protracted beyond the
period to which it should be confined.

A few only of the foregoing symptoms may be noticed, or nearly the whole
may present themselves, in the same patient; and when this happens,
unless the cause which has given rise to them be at once detected, and
appropriate treatment employed, the most serious consequences may be
apprehended.

In these cases, the first step necessary is to discontinue the suckling
altogether: half measures will never answer. Sometimes it is proposed by
the patient, or her friends (more usually the latter), to compromise the
affair by feeding the child partly on spoon meat, and allowing him still
to take the breast, though less frequently than before.

This plan I uniformly object to, for the following reasons:--

1st. Because the mother will not be likely to recover so long as she
continues to suckle at all.

2nd. Because her milk being necessarily of a bad quality, it cannot be
expected that the child will derive benefit from it; but, on the
contrary, there is every probability that his health will suffer by
using diet of such an improper description.

The obvious dependence of the foregoing symptoms upon debility will, of
course, at once suggest to practitioners the nature of the treatment to
be adopted: which should be such