e trouble and evil consequences of
taking medicine at all. Meanwhile it will be advisable to call in a
physician--not to give drugs, but to prevent the necessity of giving
them. There is a foolish fear abroad that physicians, if called before a
person is violently sick, will dose him with their drugs, as a matter of
course, till they _make_ him sick. But this, no judicious physician will
ever do. It may _have been_ done, though I believe it has been seldom.
The more general course is to defer calling for medical advice, till it
is too late to use preventive means; and medicine is then resorted to by
the physician as a sort of necessary evil.

A judicious physician, seasonably called in, would in many instances
save a severe fit of sickness, besides a great deal of expense, both of
time and money.

But if the first symptoms of approaching disease are overlooked--if the
child is fed, or rather crammed; with solid food as much as ever--and if
no medical advice is sought, his sleep will soon become disturbed; he
will be talking, starting, and tumbling about, and will have frightful
dreams; or he will at other times be found smiling and laughing. To
these, in the end, may be added, loss of appetite, paleness, emaciation,
weakness, cough, and consumption; or colics, worms, and convulsions.

I do not undertake to say that the most judicious parental management,
aided by the greatest medical skill, will always prevent disease; far
from it. The child may and undoubtedly sometimes does inherit a tendency
to a particular disease; or he may be made sick by error in regard to
dress, exercise, &c. But so long as nine tenths of the disease and early
mortality of the young might be prevented by due attention to all these
means combined, so long will it be necessary to reiterate the sentiments
of the present section.

CHAPTER X

EXERCISE.

SEC. 1. Objections to the use of cradles.--SEC. 2. Carrying in the
arms--its uses and abuses.--SEC. 3. Creeping--why useful--to be
encouraged.--SEC. 4. Walking--general directions about it.--SEC. 5.
Riding abroad in carriages.--SEC. 6. Riding on horseback--objections.
Riding schools.

This subject may be considered under the following heads: ROCKING IN THE
CRADLE; CARRYING IN THE ARMS; CREEPING; WALKING; RIDING IN A CARRIAGE;
AND RIDING ON HORSEBACK. These I shall consider in their order.

SEC. 1. _Rocking in the Cradle._

There are two opinions in regard to the use of the cradl