may have much
difficulty while teething.

The degree of sickness varies quite considerably. There may only be, as
stated above, slight fever, restlessness, with loss of appetite; or
there may be, in addition to these symptoms, a pronounced fermentative
diarrhea, which may lead to serious intestinal diseases; frequently
there is a cough. This is more apt to be the case if the child is
teething during the hot season.

TREATMENT.--When dentition affects the child's disposition it is a good
plan to reduce the feeding in quantity and quality for the time being.
If the child is bottle-fed, two ounces can be taken out of each bottle
and one ounce of boiled water added. If the child is breast-fed, he
should be given two ounces of warm, boiled water before each feeding,
and the actual feeding time at the breast shortened.

Rubbing the gum over the erupting tooth with a clean cloth may aid in
helping it through. If the child is very restless and has lost sleep,
the cloth may be moistened with brandy and water. Lancing the gum,
though it is seldom done now-a-days, is justified in a few cases.
Teething is not the cause of actual disease as was once thought, but it
must be remembered that a child whose vitality is reduced by fever,
restlessness, loss of appetite, loss of sleep, and irregular bowels, is
more susceptible to disease than when enjoying robust health.

Sometimes a child will have a fever for one or two weeks during a hard
dentition. There is apt to be more or less intestinal indigestion and
fermentation at this time and as a consequence actual intestinal disease
may develop. To avoid such a possibility it is an excellent plan to give
an occasional dose of castor oil to clean thoroughly the whole
intestinal canal. This should be done irrespective of the condition of
the bowel, because frequently a diarrhea is caused by retained
fermenting products.

Mothers must not acquire the habit of attributing all symptoms to the
teething process simply because the child is teething. It must be
remembered that a child may get a disease, or an ailment, while
teething, that has nothing to do with teething. If this is neglected,
serious consequences may result. Many children have lost their lives by
a mother's carelessness in this way. Be on the safe side, consult your
doctor; let him assume the responsibility.

HOW TO WEIGH THE BABY.--The test of weight is one of the most
satisfactory we possess as an indication of physical pro