Mercurius. Much straining at stool, which is slimy, often bloody. The child is never so well during damp weather. Enlarged glands; night-sweats.
Nux v. Constipation of large, difficult stools; no appetite; dose not sleep after three or four in the morning.
Oleander. The food passes off unchanged in a remarkable degree and very easily, and almost unconsciously.
Petroleum. Emaciation, with diarrhoea by day, and none at night.
Phosphorus. Copious stools, pouring away like water from a hydrant, followed by exhaustion.
Phosph. acid. Stools yellowish and very offensive, and the child is very listless, -wants nothing and cares for nothing.
Podophyllum p. Emaciation; many stools daily, all of which are natural. Diarrhoea in the morning.
Pulsatilla. The diarrhoea is worse at night; no two stools alike, they are so changeable. For a time the child seems much better, then it gets worse again without any appreciable cause. The appearance of the child changes in this manner several times the same day; but it is usually worse towards evening, and always seems better in the open air.
Rhus t. The child always gets particularly worse after twelve o’clock at night; it has then more colic, -more diarrhoea, -more restlessness.
Stannum. The child is always relieved in its abdominal sufferings by pressing hard upon the abdomen, – leaning upon something.
Sulphur. The child frequently awakens from sleep with screaming; great voracity; wishes to put into its mouth every thing it sees; watches eagerly for every thing, – cups, tumblers, vessels of food;…. wants to swallow every thing it sees. Its passages excoriate the anus. The child jumps and stars and screams fearfully.
INDIGESTION.
Sour Stomach; Vomiting; Colic. – The infant equally with the adult is subject to attacks of indigestion; and the disorder in the one case bears a certain general similarity to that in the other, even as the same general cause is common to both. Stated in the simplest terms, this cause consists in a want of harmony between the food and the digestive force. In an infant whose stomach is perfectly healthy, this faut de rapport may follow the introduction into it of food either too abundant in quantity, or unsuitable in quality. Or on the other hand the disorder may arise, in spite of the utmost hygienic care, from some innate pathogenetic influence which finds an easy form of development through the high physiological excitement of the digestive apparatus. Should neither of these two conditions, of digestion primarily deranged, or of original dyscrasia finding vent through a digestive apparatus healthy indeed but highly excited, be present in force, the indigestion will prove symptomatic of some other malady. The vomiting which precedes an attack of scarlatina affords an excellent illustration of this.
When the stomach is simply overloaded, or rather over-filled, it relieves itself of the excess by vomiting; and this act takes place with little effort and no suffering. And the process of digestion of the still remaining food goes on undisturbed. But if on the contrary the still remaining food goes on undisturbed. But if on the contrary the indigestion arises from the unsuitable quality of the food, whether this be due to the unhealthy character of the milk of the mother or nurse, or to the imperfection of its f substituted, the mischief is not so soon arrested. In this cases the imperfect food passes from the stomach into the intestines in an imperfectly prepared condition, and occasions there a still greater irritation; an intestinal indigestion always succeeds to that of the stomach. In some rare cases, but especially in the first three months, this may give rise to constipation; but diarrhoeas of different kinds and of greater or less severity more commonly follow. Where the indigestion is not due to excess in nursing, and where nothing indicates an original disorders of the stomach itself, it is necessary to understand that there is something in the milk of the mother or nurse, or in the substituted food, which disagrees with the child. And besides this it is often observed that change in the accustomed diet on the part of the mother, violent mental excitement or distressing moral emotions, the return of the menses, coition, or other temporary causes, very greatly disturb the character of the milk; and result in the sudden and severe indigestion of the babe. For such cases, arising from influences usually unforeseen and not always obvious, the physician should be on his guard; nor, whatever conclusions be may arrive at as the result of inquires more or less direct, will it always be proper or safe to avow them. The knowledge that the child was suffering from a severe fit of anger or other passion of the mother, will enable the physician to give directly to the babe, and perhaps, on some pretence of soothing her nervousness, to the mother also, such remedies as will do good. But the simple consciousness on the part of the mother that the Doctor knows the exact cause of the illness of the babe, will sometimes complicate the excitement and render the case of both patients still more difficult to treat in the most successful manner. The physician must always hear and see and act with the greatest circumspection; but sometimes the less he says the greater will be the satisfaction of the parties more immediately concerned and the more gratifying his own professional success. When the babe is thus suffering from unusual external influences, conveyed through the medium of the milk, from the mother’s disturbed nervous system, every effort should of course be made to remove the cause as rapidly as possible and at the same time alleviate the morbid symptoms induced in the babe itself. While in any state of undue excitement, the mother should refrain from nursing her babe. when suddenly overwhelmed by the news of the death of her husband, the young wife and mother finds in her babe an exquisite consolation; she flies to the cradle, she clasps her babe in her arms; but if she allows it to nurse, it may die!
Aconite. The infant has a dry, hot skin; is sleepless; restless; cries much; bites its fists; and suffers from green and watery diarrhoea. A dose or two of Aconite cure all these difficulties in a few days.
Arsenicum. The food passes undigested, the stools are offensive; much crying during and after nursing, or as soon as the child begins to take food. Emaciation; restlessness.
Baryta c. Useful in colic of dwarfish children, those who do not grow.
Belladonna. The child cries out suddenly, and after awhile it ceases crying as suddenly as it began, and appears as if nothing had been the matter.
Borax v. The child cannot bear a downward motion, not even during sleep. It cannot be put down out of the nurse’s arms; it awakens and cries on the attempt being made. It has much colic and ingestion.
Bryonia. She must evidently be kept very still, in order to relieve her colic and other sufferings. The stools are dark, dry, and hard, as if burnt.
Calcarea c. In children of leucophlegmatic temperament; with large fontanelles. Profuse perspiration of the head; while chalk- like stools.
Chamomilla. Very irritable and fretful; must be carried. Distress after nursing. Sleepless; staring and jerking while asleep.
China. Colic comes on at a certain hour every afternoon.
Cina. The child is always cross and troublesome when awake. It will not sleep unless it is kept in constant motion. It is seldom still and quiet, whether sleeping or awake.
Coffee. Great restlessness and wakefulness with nervous excitability; much crying; hot skin.
Colocynth. The child writhes in every possible direction, doubles itself up, and seems in great distress; it cries very hard.
Dulcamara. When the child gets worse at every cool change of the weather.
Hepar. Colic, with dry, rough, pimply eruptions, that itch very much.
Ignatia. When the trouble seems to arise on account of grief of the mother or nurse.
Ipecacuanha. There is much sickness of the stomach; the more constant the nausea, the more certainly will Ipecac. be indicated.
Jalapa. When the child is “good” all day, but screams and is restless all night.
Lycopodium. The child always cries and screams before passing water; and is relieved immediately afterwards. Red sand is found in the diapers. Much rumbling and rattling in the abdomen.
Magnesia c. Very much colic, which is finally relieved by a green, liquid stool. This occurs very many times day and night.
Mercurius. Much colic, which i relieved by a slimy, bloody stool, with straining.
Nux v. Much colic, with constipation. The child cries much, draws its feet up and then kicks them out again, etc. Its mother lives on highly-seasoned and stimulating food.
Opium. The whole trouble seems to have arisen from fright of the nurse.
Podophyllum p. An attack of colic at daylight every morning. Severe colic, causing an absolute retraction of the abdominal muscles.
Pulsatilla. The child always gets worse towards evening, and remains so till towards morning.
Rheum. Much colic, with very sour stools.
