red, are points entirely overlooked: a little medicine is thought
necessary, because the child appears unwell, and a purgative, or a
little white powder, is forthwith given. The great art of
medicine is the proper application of the proper medicine, in the
proper dose, at the proper time; points never considered in the
nursery. For example, I have known a large dose of magnesia given by a
nurse to an infant, that had been suffering from a diarrhoea of some
days' standing, and very quickly cause death. Now, magnesia is one of
the most useful and harmless medicines that can be given to an infant
when indicated; when prescribed in a dose suited to its age, and when
the proper time is fixed upon for its exhibition; in the foregoing
case, however, every thing forbad its use, but none of these points
were considered.

Aperient medicine, too, is sometimes unwittingly repeated to remove
those symptoms which it has itself produced. Some incidental pain and
uneasiness, some slightly greenish appearance of the motions, leads the
mother to believe that more purging is necessary, when, in fact, both
circumstances have probably been induced by the irritation caused by
the purgatives already too freely administered. How frequently is this
the case, during the first week or ten days of the infant's life, when
the nurse doses the child with tea-spoonful after tea-spoonful of
castor oil, for the relief of pain, which her repeated doses of
medicine have alone created.

The bowels of an infant in health should be relieved two, three, or
four times in the twenty-four hours. The stools should be of the
consistence of thin mustard, and of a lightish yellow colour, having
little smell, free from lumps or white curdy matter, and passed without
pain, or any considerable quantity of wind. And a parent is only
justified in giving aperient medicine, when any deviation from these
conditions exists; and only then, when what may be called healthy
costiveness is present, viz. either the stools less frequent than they
ought to be, or lumpy and partially solid. Then, the only purgative
medicines that can be given with safely to an infant, without medical
sanction, are, castor oil, manna, rhubarb, and magnesia; the
application of the lavement, and the aperient liniment.

CASTOR OIL

This is one of the mildest aperients, prompt in its action, and
effective in clearing out the contents of the bowels; it is a
medicine, therefore, particularly appl