ing the kicking in which children so much delight, and which is so necessary for the strengthening of the muscles; while, to add to the misery of the little sufferer, this napkin is generally secured by pins, which, however carefully inserted, are very apt to tear its tender skin and produce a fit of screaming, the cause of which can only be discovered on the dress being entirely removed. The use of pins may therefore be justly called a "crying evil," and we hope they will soon be entirely superseded by loops and buttons, which are not open to the same objections, while at the same time they afford infinitely greater security. We may here also mention that napkins are generally worn too constantly, and their use continued too long; as the heat they occasion over the loins has a great tendency to relax the muscles of the back, and thus give rise to a yielding of the spinal column, which we shall presently have to describe.
The next ordeal through which our little friend has to pass, is the being constantly held in one position. Nearly all nurses carry the child on the left arm, rarely, if ever, changing to the right; and with the affectionate feeling inherent in every woman's breast, the nurse hugs the baby closely to her, thus keeping its right arm close to its chest, which is by this means pressed inward, thus diminishing its capacity, and at the same time throwing its body out of the centre of gravity. Add to this, that the child's head naturally sinks on the left shoulder, the muscles of the right side of the neck are elongated, those of the left side contracted, and an incipient distortion is the result. Mothers frequently, though unconsciously, aid this mischief by the habit of suckling exclusively on the left side—-a practice which is not only injurious to themselves, but a remote cause of deformity to their little ones. Due caution should be observed also in washing and dressing the infant, and the head be so supported by the hand, as to obviate the danger of dislocation of the vertebræ. *[1]
The clothing of new-born children should be light and warm, and so constructed as to admit of easy removal, as its frequent change is
- ↑ * In washing the child care should be taken to have the water sufficiently warm, as if cold water be used the capillary circulation of the skin will be congested, the animal heat unduly lowered, the surface of the body will become blue and rigid, and the infant by its cries will vigorously protest against the cruel but mistaken kindness in which this practice originated.
