SOMETHING ABOUT BABIES

that has been w

latter, end to end once, and then once more in the same direction. The outside one is now in three-cor- nered shaoe ; lay it down with point toward you, lay the other over it, as represented in diagram, and they are ready to put on. For night use. wear a bandage, a pinning blanket, and a flannel night dress, made witli sleeves long enough to gather in with a string over the hands. Of course no garment should be worn at night orn during the day.

Short Clothes. — A warm suit for first short clothes of baby during first winter is as follows: A knit flannel shirt, a loose flannel bandage about the body, over the bowels (an excellent iirotection against summer com- plaints, if continued through the next summer), a skirt of opera flannel with a muslin waist, with two rows of but- tons (four in each row), about an inch apart, one to support the skirt and the other for the diaper drawers, which are made of the same flannel as the skirt. The accompanying cuts will explain

clearly the manner in which these are made. This useful garment, either in flannel or muslin, may and should be worn from the time short clothes are put on until diapers are left off or even longer. The cut on left hand of page gives the form of garment, when taken ofl'. The one on the right, the same garment when put* on and buttoned up. The dress should l)e of the same material, and color as the skirt and drawers, and cut in Gabrielle style, with long sleeves. Over this wear a white dress of Nainsook, made plain or elaborate, as may be desired. In summer, this suit of skirt, drawers, and dress, made in Silicia, with the overdress of white, is a safe and comfortable dress for a child, and not easily soiled.

AUNT EVA's way.

This is the idea to start with — that we are dealing with little people. To be sure they are fearfully and wonderfully made, but only in the same sense as their parents. As many of these same parents do not understand tlie first principles of caring for themselves, we are obliged to begin at the beginning. It is important in the life of a child to begin right. The treatment many a babe receives during the first hours of its life causes it to be a puny, suffer- ing infant, giving it a constitution predisposed to disease. The first thing fs to x>rotect the sensitive darling from exposure. There must be absolutely no exposure to chill. This is easily done by plenty of soft, warm flannels— a dozen pieces or more, some of which need be quite shawls. When needed, they must be full of fire warmth, full as they can hold, no matter if it is a warm August night. When the child needs attention, make the physician take a large piece of this and cover it instantly. He can do his whole duty with the child well covered. Never use water for the first bath, but sweet oil ; I prefer the oil of sweet cream, made b_v simmering cream in a shallow disli on the stove until the oil separates, to be applied with a soft piece of warm flannel. If care is used in removing the oil, you will be-surprised to see how sweet the little one looks ; on no account use wateron the child until it is well climatized, say twenty-four to forty-eight hours. When the babe screams through its first toilet operation, it is either cold or frightened. De- sist at om-e, and fold it closely in its warm wrappings, making surethatnoth- ing soiled or damp is touching it. Let the little head be cared for first, then

1112 SOMETHING ABOUT BABIE5.

one arm, and so on, keeping the rest of the body carefully covered. After having the oil well apjilied, I would rather my child would lie a week with only its flannel wrappings than be dressed while screaming, but if you go right so far you will have no trouble.

Its clothing can be any thing that is warm enough and loose enough. Don't pin it up as if it was to be used to play ball with, and was in danger of getting tumbled to pieces. It is not even to be handled much, but laid away to rest as long as it will, and kept still ; don't let some loving soul keep it swaying around. If it acts like waking up or is uneasy, pass your hands carefully under it, and gently turn it on its other side.

Its food, first and only, at present is that which God has so wisely pro- vided ; this is all that it needs, even if it gets but a few drops at a time. If it cannot be satisfied without worrying the mother too much, a little — a very little — fresh cow's milk can be used with pure sugar and one-third water- Always remember this-;-the milk of a "farrow cow" will kill a young Zom6 just as sure as it enters its stomach.

I do not think it wise to insist on regular feeding times for nursing in - fants, or as long as milk is the chief sustenance. There are manj' days when the healthiest of children are fretful. Their gums begin to swell younger than is generally supposed. There is nothing more soothing than — well, just let the little pet have its own way ; it will prove to you when it is most comfortable. A baby never cries when it is comfortable ; when it cries it asks for something ; put yourself in its place and maybe you can come near to the understanding. Many of its sufferings are caused by unwise changes in its clothing. You give it a slight cold by your own thoughtlessness ; then for heaven's sake don't give it some soothing syrup to weaken its digestion, and render it liable to be hurt by all food except the simplest. My oldest boy is a victim to soothing medicines. lie must be so careful through water- melon and fruit season, or he will be sick all the time ; but four others, all past five 3'ears old, who never took as much as a cup of sage-tea, of medicine, can digest anything. My remedy for most of the ailments of children is fire warmth.

For colic, unpin the little one's clothing so that the fire can shine clear to its arm-pits, warming j'our own hand and pressing it gently over the rest- less little squirmer. This Avill either prevent or cure almost any thing. If it seems very sick, its head hot, you must watch that; I never knew a child to go into fits unless its head was hot and its hands and feet cold. In this case bathe the little feet in warm water ; and, if it is summer, get the leaves of horse-radish, or a plant of that nature, roll and wilt them, and bind on the soles of the feet and in the palms of the hands; not to blister, only to keep moist and warm. If you cannot get the green leaves, ginger on wet warm cloths will do. Then keep the head wet, and keep every one from the room but the one whom the child wishes to take care of it. Give water or milk — whichever the child prefers; or, if not weaned, let it nurse all it wish- es, no matter if it keeps throwing it up — that is nature's provision for nurs- ing babies. It is ready now to be soothed to sleep, and will generally waken with a gentle perspiration. When you think you must give some kind of warm tea, give pure warm water that has been boiled ; it is the best hot drink for either mother or child in pain.

My mother was once taken three miles on a cold winter's night to see a younginfant that they feared was going into fits. It screamed and strug- gled and fought for breath, while its young mother, pale with fear, was walk- ing the house crying too. "Why," said mother, "the child has only got the 'snuffles,' bring me a little soft grease." She rubbed the nose gently until the child was partially relieved. Being quite a bad case, she advised the

SOMETHING ABOUT BABIES. 1118

mother to milk a stream of breast-milk into the nostril ; she did so, the child sneezed three or four times and dropped asleep in two minutes. This is also all that is needed for weak or sore eyes in an infant — breast milk.

For sore mouth, a weak solution of borax ; but your child will not have sore mouth or any other disease, if you follow these directions and your own good sense ; and remember that soothing syrups are the lazy mother's cure. It is so much easier to put a child to sleep than to bathe it and warm it and nurse it welt.

For croup, take sweet hog's lard and tincture of camphor or camphor gum and simmer together a short time ; gum the size of a pea to a tablespoon of lard ; keep it in the house prepared, and rub on the throat at first symp- tom. This will relieve any hard cough almost instantly ; if it does not," mix one teaspoon of it with a tablespoon of molasses, and take inwardly. If you are called to a child too bad — too far gone — for these simple remedies, put it in a warm bath as quick as it can be prepared.

For whooping-cough, encourage the child to eat sour fruits, either cooked or raw, or both, all it wishes This keeps the system cool, the bowels open, and the throat clear.

In weaning your darling, be sure you have plenty of suitable food in the house that the baby is fond of. First teach baby to go to sleep without nursing; after he has become accustomed to this, teach him to do without it during the day, and to go to sleep at bed-time ; then let him nurse all he wishes through the rest of the night, only being careful to leave the bed be- fore he awakens in the morning. Let him nurse this way for several weeks, that the change of living may not be too sudden. I have weaned three children in this way without a single crying spell and no one about the house knew about it.

The family physician is a great blessing — more so than his medicine. Never fail to call him in time, if the disease proves stubborn; but let him understand that you wish advice as to nursing, and not his medicine, un- less it is very necessaay. Most people think if a doctor leaves no drugs be- hind his visit is so much lost money ; doctors understand this, and leave- medicine wheffxer necessary or not. As your child conquers one trifling ail- ment after another and grows in health and beauty, you will gradually gain a confidence in nature that will be a great rock of defense for a parent of a growing family ; if you will obey her laws she will never disappoint you.

The regular meals, so necessary to the health and comfort of a family, must be regular. If you insist on the children only eating at their meals, don't sit and sew, or visit, with hunger gnawing at their vitals. I think it safest to allow growing children to have a piece between meals, if they are hungry enough to eat dry, light bread ; no butter to grease things, or molas- ses or milk to tempt them to eat more than they need for necessary support. The only trouble, I find, is they soon get to be too fond of the crusts and "pudding pieces."

The care of the feet is the great picket post after the child begins to run alone. Watch, watch the little feet that no damp or chill is creeping up to chill the vitals. A pair of warm stockings to each pair of restless feet must be kept by the stove in all damp or cold weather, and never let a child stop a moment its active play until you know whether its feet are warm and dry. You had better change feet- covering four or fi'-'e times a day during tliose delightful, treacherous spring days, than to watch a sick bed and loose your darling at last. This is what neglect of the feet often brings the little ones to. I know the task I am enjoining on mothers and nurses. I have had twenty-three pairs of stockings hanging around my cook-«tove at once, each

1114 SOMETIIINi; AR<M T BABIES.

pair in daily use for exchanges. But I do not know what it is to lose a child, <jr hardly a nijrht's rest, and we have raised six from babyhood. Never let thoni go to V}ed without having their feet all aglow with warmth to their kneos from the bright fire shining upon them. This is my hobby; tire- warmth. It will cure ear-ache, stomach-ache, head-ache, leg-ache ; pre- vent neuralgia, white-swellings, rheumatic pains, indigestion. Yes, I'm a "fire worshiper," and you will be after you have tried its virtues on your- self and children faithfully for twenty years. -

In conclusion, my theory is incessant watchfulness of first symptoms — prevention rather than cure. But let no untried mother feel discouraged ; the care of a babe is no trouble to a true mother. As often as it needs at- tention, so often do her eyes long for a sight of the sweet dimpled flesh, the dainty limbs ; the loving touch of the little hands upon her neck has more than mesmeric power. And after all is d(jne fur them, if they seem to you to he growing coarse and unlovely, smile upon them oftener, kiss them, can'ss them. Don't let the pressing duties of the younger ones lea<l you to neglect the older ones. If a child once learns to be without mother's caresses you can never again make them necessary to that child.

Teething. — When first signs of teeth appear, salivary glands are so far developed that the secretion of saliva is large, and '"drooling" is noticed. This saliva moistens the gums and softens them, so that the coming teeth make their way through with less difficulty. At this time an ivory, coral or hard rubber ring is useful. There is a sensation in the gums which the child tries to relieve by biting. Later, when the gum is inflamed ami sore, a soft suostance is better than hard. If the gum is much swollen, and there are symptoms of thirst and fever and flushe<l cheeks, the child should be seen by a physician. There may be something more serious than teetlung. If the case is mild, soothing applications such as honey of roses, borax and honey, and syrup of gum aral)ic will relieve. If bowels are eonstipated an injection may be given, or even a mild laxative, with a warm foot-bath at bed-time. Lancing of the gums is sometimes necessary, and is harndess and not painful if done skilfully and at the proper time. Rubbing the gums with a thindjle is very harsh treatment. As children grow older te»th should be washed carefully and examined by a dentist at two years old or soinetimes sooner, knew a case of teeth being temporarily filled at one. The good care taken of the first teeth greatly effects tlie second set. After the first twenty come, the next four are permanent and must be well cared for. The last four of the twenty should be well guarded in order to keep them till new teeth come, thus to preserve a good shaped mouth.

Indigestion. — When a child falls ill, a good many charge it to "worms." The real cause of the troul)le is generally indigestion, which causes an in- creased secretion of mucus, and this makes a harbor for worms, which in themselves <lo not produce irritation, unless they exist in great numbers. Bottle-fed children oftener sufl'er from indigestion than others. The indica- tions are pining, peevishness, constipati(^n or diarrhea, a sour breath, etc. These may result from overfeeding or from unsuitable food. Overfeetling is most frequent. If the stomach is not able to digest the food it will irritate the bowels and produce diarrhea. The sununer diarrhea of children begins \s ith indigestion, which weakens the system, and makes it sensitive to hot weather. The proper color for passage from the bowels in infancy is yellow. In cases of indigestion the color is greenish, or, if yellow when passed, soon becomes green. In diarrhea they are offensive and greenish, or even a bright green. The point is to find'ont the cause of the trouble and correct it in the earlv stages of the disease.

SOMETHING ABOUT BABIES. 1115

Where an infant sleeps, light and noise should be excluded. The dailj'^ increase in weight of a healthy infant is from a quarter to three-quarters of an ounce.

Batliing ought not to be neglected for a single day. It ought to be re- gal'ded as a sacred maternal duty.

The hair should be kept short during infancy and childhood. No finer heads of hair are ever seen than those on girls whose hair has been cropped close, boy-fashion, until ten years old.

No more dangerous humbug was ever taught than that malt liquors or wine was necessary or healthful for a nursing woman.

Sugar should always be an addition to less palatable food, and never given alone.

A strict observance of the laws of licalth will strengthen a good consti- tution and improve a bad one.

Diarrhea in nursing children is always the result in a change in the composition of the milk, from whatever cause.

The pei'iod of weaning should be fixed between twelve and fifteen months, beginning by ceasing to give the breast at night.

Children should not sleep with sickly persons or with those of advanced age.

A young child should not be awakened suddenly, nor l)y any rude mo- tion or loud noise.

Pulling roughly, trotting, swinging from side to side, and all rude play of this sort does no good and may do great harm.

A wise mother, who has a cheerful disposition herself and performs well her duties as nurse, will have no good reason to complain that her time is all occupied by day and her rest disturbed b}- night.

A Young Mother writes : "I have a little boy seven years old , and a little girl of four. I have never had the tr(juble of some young mothers, simply because I was regular with them from their birth. They never slept with me but in a crib at the side of my bed. I had the crib lined so as to pre- vent a draught, and tucked their covers tightly over their feet and fastened them at the top with large safety pins to the pillow — then they can not throw them otf to take cold. I never nursed m_v babies more than twice in the night and often but once ; they slept better being alone. In the morning I nursed baby, and once between breakfast and dinner, and again between dinner and supper, also right after dinner was over, at regular hours every day. If they got hungry between times, they were fed bread and milk. After supper, the little ones were undressed, rubbed well, back and limbs, fiannel nightgown put on, then nursedand put to bed, and they seldom awoke before twelve o'clock ; so I had the evening for reading and practicing. In the morning they were taken up, bathed in warm water, dressed, nursed, and given a nap of two hours. In the afternoon they were put to sleep at one o'clock, and they would sleep till three. I think no mother should nurse her baby after it is a year old ; it breaks the mother down and does baby no good. As my children grew out of babvhood I still kept them regular in their habits. They get up in the morning at seven o'clock, wash, dress and eat l)reakfast, drinking milk instead of coffee, play all the morning and eat a iiearty dinner. At one o'clock they are put in a bath, their night clothes l)ut on, and put to bed. They sleep till three or half past,

1116 SOMETHING ABOUT BABIES.

apple, and never want anything else, but eat heartily at the table. I think if some young mothers will try my plan they will say there is no need of half-sick and cross children, caused by eating at all hours and being up late at night."

Milk For Babies. — The following is one mode of preparing the milk: Al- low one-third of a pint of new milk to stand for about twelve hours, remove the cream and add to it two-thirds of a pint of new milk, as fresh from the cow as possible. Into the one-third of a pint of blue milk left after the ab- straction of the cream, put a piece of rennet about one inch square. Set the vessel in warm water until the milk is fully curdled, an operation requiring from five to fifteen minutes, according to the activity of the rennet, which should l)e removed as soon as the curdling commences, and put into an egg cup for use on subsequent occasions, as it may be employed daily for a month or two. Break up the card repeatedly, and carefully separate the whole of the whey, which should then be rapidly heated to boiling in a small tin pan placed over a spirit or gas lamp. During the heating a further quantity of casein, technically called 'fleetings', separates, and must be removed by straining through muslin. Now dissove 110 grains of powdered sugar of milk in the hot whey, and mix it with the two-thirds of a pint of new milk to wiiich the cream from the other third of a pint was added as already de- scribed. The artificial milk should be used within twelve hours of its prep- aration, and it is almost needless to add that all the vessels employed in its manufacture and administration should be kept scrupulously clean. "Where pure milk is used without the preparation above, give for first five days, two tablespoons cream to a gill of filtered soft water. After that, the following table of proportions and daily quantity have been given by a physician and may be of help to many :

Milk. Water.

For a child from 5 to 10 days old l^i gills. 3}i gills.

10 to 20 days old ll^ " 4>^ "

" 20 to 30 (lavs old 2}.( " 6

" " 1 toll.; mcuiths old 3' " 6^{ "

" 1>.,' to 2 " months old 3ii; " 7 "

•' " 2 " to 2}., months old 4 " 7K ''

" " 2>.< to 3 ~ months old 4'^ " 7>| "

" " 3 " to 3>.; months old 5 " 7}4 "

«' " 3K to 4 months old oi.C " 7>^

<' " 4 ~ to 4W months old 0 " 7K "

" " 4>.< to 5" months old (>'.< " 7>| "

" " 5 " to fi months old 7 " 7 "

" " 6 to 7 months old 7 " 6)4 "

" " 7 to 8 months old 8 " 6 "

" " 8 to 9 months old S^i " 6

" " 9 to 10 months old 8'.< " 6 "

" " 10 toll months ol<l 8?4 " 6 "

" " 11 to 12 months old 9 " 5^ "

" " 12 to 15 months old 9 " 5}>i "

" 15 to 18 months old 9>^ " 5 "

" IS months onwards 10 " 5 "

!Sndden Checking of Prespiradoti. — A Boston merchant, in ''lending a hand," on board one of his own ships on a windy day, found himself, at the end of an hour and a half, jiretty well exhausted and prespiring freely. He sat ilown to rest, and engaging in conversation, time passed fastur than he

SOMETHING ABOUT BABIES. 1117

was aware. In attempting to rise he found he was unable to do so without assistance. He was taken home and put to bed, where he remained two years ; and for a long time after could only hobble about with the aid of a crutch. Less exposure than this have, in constitutions not so vigorous, re- sulted in inflammation of the lungs — "pneumonia" — ending in death in less than a week, or causing tedious rheumatisms, to be a source of torture for a lifetime. Multitudes of lives would be saved every year, and an incalcuable amount of human suffering would be prevented if parents would begin to explain to their children, at the age of three or four years, the danger which attends cooling ofT too quickly after exercise, and the importance of not standing still after exercise, or work, or play, or of remaining exposed to the wind, or of sitting at an open window or door, or of pulling off any garment, even the hat or bonnet while heated.

The following rules for the management of infants during the hot season are from Dr. Wilson's '"Summer and Its Diseases":

Rule 1. — Bathe the child once a day in tepid water. If feeble, sponge all over twice a day with tepid water, or tepid water and vinegar.

Rule 2. — Avoid all tight bandaging. Make clothing light and cool, and so loose that the limbs may have free play. At night undress, sponge, and put on a slip. In the morning remove slip, bathe, and dress in clean clothes if it can be afforded ; if not, thoroughly air clothing by hanging it up during the night. Use clean diapers, and change often.

R}de S. — Let the child sleep by itself in a cot or cradle. Put to bed at regular hours, and teach t.o go to sleep without being nursed in the arms. Give no cordial, soothing syrup, or sleeping drojjs without the advice of a phi/si- cian. They kill thousands of children every year. If the child frets it is hungrv or ill. Never quiet a child by candy or cake. They are common causes of diarrhea and other troubles.

Rule 4- — Give the child plenty of fresh air. Give it plenty of pure cold water. Keep it out of room? where cooking or washing is going on. Exces- sive heat kills children.

Rule 5. — Keep the house sweet and clean, cool and well aired. In hot weather leave windows open day and night. Cook in the yard, in a shed, or in the garret. Whitewash walls every spring, and keep cellar free of rub- bish. Let no slops collect. Disinfect privies and sinks by a solution of copperas, and get your neighbors to clean up.

Rule 6. — If the supply of breast-milk is ample, and the child thrives, give no other food in hot weather. If the supply is short give goat's or cow's milk in addition. Nurse once in two or three hours by day, and as seldom as possible at night. Remove child from breast as soon as it falls asleep, and never give the breast when overheated or fatigued.

Rule 7. — If brought up by hand, give goat's milk, or cow's milk, and use no other food while hot weather lasts. For an infant that has not cut its iront teeth, no substitute for milk is safe. Creeping children rcfust not be allowed to pick up unwholesome food.

Rule 8. — If milk is pure add one-third hot water to it until child is three months old ; afterwards gradually lessen the water. Sweeten each pint with a heaj)ing dessert-spoonful of sugar of milk, or a teaspoon crushed sugar. When very hot weather give milk cold. It must be unskimmed and as fresh as possible, and brought very early in the morning. Scald pans to be used with boiling suds. In very hot weather boil milk as soon as it comes, and remove to the coolest place in the house upon ice or down in a well. In a warm room it soon spoils.

111>> SOMETHI>'G ABOUT BABIKS.

Hull' 'J. — It tilt' milk disagrees add a tablespoon of lime water to eacli buttk'fiil- If i)Ure milk can not be had, try condeii.sed milk, sold by all jrro- cers. Prepare by adding to six tablespoons boiling water, without sugar one ta1)lespo(in or more of the milk, accordnig to age oi child. It this dI^l agrees, a teaspoon of arrowroot, sago, or cornstarch may be added to a l)int ot nnlk, as prepared under Rule 8, and cautiously tried. If milk can not be digested try, for a few days, pure cream, diluted with three-fourths to four-fifths water, returning to milk as soon as possible.

Rule 10. — The nursing bottle muHt he kept perfecthj dean, otherwise the milk will turn sour, and the child will be made ill. Empty after each meal, rinse Hrst with cold water, take apart, and place nipi)le and bottle in clean water, to which a little soda has been added. It is Ijctter to have two bottles and use them by turns. The plain bottle with rubber nipj)le is better than the tube, which is difficult to keep clean.

Rub' 11 — Do not wean a child just before or during hot weather ; nor as a rule, until after its second summer. If sucking disagrees with the mother she must imt wean the child, Init feed it in part from the nursing bottle as •lirecte(l. However small the supply of breast milk, the mother should keep it up against sickness. It v'dl often y.are tlie life of a cliild irJwn trcnjthinfj eh'' Jails AVhen over six months old the mother may save her strength by triv- ing it one or two meals a day of stale bread and milk, which should be i)ress- ed through a sieve, and put into a nursing bottle. When from eight months to a year old, it may have also one meal a day of the yolk of a fresh, rare boiled egg, or one of beef or mutton broth, into which stale bread has been cruml)led When oldei it can have a little meat, finely minced ; but even then milk should be its principal food, and not what grown people eat.

Rule 13. — If a child is suddenly taken with vomiting, and purging, ami l)rostrati()ii, send for the doctor at once. INIeantime, put the child for a trw minutes m a hut bath, then carefully wipe dry with a warm towel, and wraj) in warm blankets. If hands and feet are cold, apply Iwttles filled with hot watei wrappe(lin flannel. Place a mush ])oultice or flaxseed jmultice to which one (piarti'r part of mustard flour has been added, or flannels wrung out of hot vinegar and water, overthe bowels, (iiveevery fifteenminutes. five drops brandy in a teaspoonful of water; if vf)miting continues, give the brandy in the same quantity of milk and lime water. If the diarrluea has just begun, or if caused by improper food, jrive a teaspoonful of castor->il. or spiced syrup of rhubarb. If the cliild has been fed partially on breast-milk, mother's milk alone must l)e used now. If weaned, dilute ])ure milk with lime-water, or give weak beef tea or chicken water. Let child drink cold water fn-ely. Remove soiled diallers at once fn>m the room but save for the examination of the physician. The giving of an injection of a teaspoon or two oi ice-cohl water after each passage is of great benefit.

HINTS FOR THE WELL. - IIT^

HINTS FOR THE W^ELL.

Cleanliness is next to godliness.

Always rest before and after a hearty meal.

Do not eat too much. Do not eat late at night.

Food, especiallj' bread, should never be eaten hot.

Cliildi-en sliould never be diessed in tight clothes.

Never sit in a damp or chilly room without a tire.

Supper just before going to bed is highly injurious. If hungry, a bit of bread or cracker will check the craving without spoiling sleei>.

Never enter a room where a person is sick with an infectious disease with an empt}' stomach.

When reall}- sick, send for a good physician ; and as you value your health and life, have nothing to do until quacks and patent medicines.

The condiments, pepper, ginger, etc., are less injurious in summer. Fat l)eef, bacon, and hearty food may be eaten more freely in winter.

]Most people drink too much and too fast. A small quantity of water sip- jied slowly satisfies thirst as well as a pailful swallowed at a draught.

Let the amount of the meal bear some relation to future needs as well as present appetite ; but it is lietter to carry an extra pound in vour pocket tlian in your stomach.

A small quantity of plain nourishing soup is a wholesome first course at dinner. Rich soups an; injurious to persons of weak digestion, and a large (juantitj^ of liquid food is not beneficial to adults.

A famous caterer adds half teaspoon chicken pepsin to each pint mayon- naise dressing for chicken salad, and claims one can eat thereof late at night and yet have pleasant dreams.

Three full meals daily are customary but the number, the relative quan- tity and quality, and the intervals between them, are largely matters of opinion, habit and convenience ; regularity is the important thing.

Exercise before breakfast shoiild be very light , and it is better to take a cracker or some trifle before going out, especially in a miasmatic climate. Early breakfa.sts are a necessity to the young and growing.

Sponge ofT your neck, throat and chest in cold water every morning, dry quickly with a soft towel, then rub with a rough one ; do not be more than a minute about it , and a sore throat will rarely trouble you. A towel may be roughened by dipping in strong brine, tlien drying.

1120 HINTS FOR THE WELL.

Remember that when the stomach is sour after eating, the food is actu- ally rotting — that is a nauseating word but it expresses the absolute fact in the case— a'lid it means that some of the rules given have been violated.

Yj-dt in pure air and in pleasant company ; light conversation and gentle exercise promotes digestion, but hard work of any kind retards it. Avoid se- vere bodily or mental labor just before and for two hours after a full meal.

Drinks at meals should be taken at the close, and not too strong or hot. Dyspeptics especially should drink sparingly. Children need more than adults, but too much" is injurious.

Masticate well ; five minutes more at dinner may give you better use of an hour afterward. At meals never drink a full glass of very hot or very cold liquid. Never wash down a mouthful. xVvoid waste of saliva.

Adults need to eat at regular intervals two or three times a day, allowing time for each meal to be fully digested before another is taken. It would spoil a loaf of bread, half baked, to poke a lump of cold dough into the mid- dle of it.

Avoid colds and break up as soon as possible when taken. As soon as conscious that the pores are closed, keep warm within doors, drink warm ginger tea, relax the bowels, and take a vapor bath. Breaking a cold up early, often saves a severe attack of congestion, pneumonia, often even a fever.

Avoid tobacco, alcohol in all forms, and all stimulants. Every healthy man is better, stronger, has a clearer head, more endurance, and better "hances for a long life, if fiee from the habitual use of stimulants. The boy who begins the use of tobacco or liquors early is physically ruined.

When too many oysters have been incautiously eaten, and are felt lying cold and heavy on'tlie stomach, there is an infallible remedy in hot milk, of wliicli half a pint may be drank, and it will quickly dissolve the oysters into a l)land, creamy jelly. Weak and dyspeptic persons should always take hot milk after meals of oysters.

Use good palatable food, not highly seasoned, vary in quantity and quals ity according to age, climate, weather and occupation. Unl)olted ami par. tially bolted grains are good and sufficient food for men ; but nature crave- variety. As a rule, the flesh of meat-eating animals is not wholesome food- Hot soft bread digests slowly.

Don't eat too fast ; the digestive organs are something like a stove, which if choked up and out of order, burns slowly, and if you keep piling in fuel, grows more and more choked.* The wiser course is to let it burn down and put in fuel only when needed. It is a foolish notion that food always keeps up the strength. Onh' what we digest helps us ; all beyond that is a tax up- on the system, and exhausts the strength instead of increasing it.

Panaceas are prima facie humbugs ; their makers and takers, their ven- ders and recommenders are knaves or fools, or both. Nature cures most dis- eases, if let alone or aided bv diet and proper care. There are no miracles in medicine ; remember that to keep or to get health generally requires only a recognition of Nature's powers, with knowledge of anatomy and physiology, experience and common sense.

Never sleep in clothing worn during the day, and let that worn at night be exposed to the air bv day. Three pints of moisture, filled with the waste of the body, are given off everv twenty-four hours, ami mostly absorbed by clothing. "Exposure to air and sunlight purifies the clothing and bedding of the poisons which nature is trying to get rid of, and which woiild otherwise De brought a;;ain in contact with the body.

HINTS FOR THE WELL. 1121

Flannel underwear should reach from throat to wrists and ankles in winter. Why sliould the leas of children be lett with less protection from the cold than the rest of the body ? They sliould be loose and eas}^ in every part with allowance for shrinkage and growth. The legs should slope by botli outside and inside seams, from the calf of the leg down. Leave them open a few inches at the bottom of the inner seam, that they may be folded smooth- ly under the stocking.

Ventilation cannot be accomplished by simply letting the pure air in ; the bad air must be let out. Open a window at top and bottom, hold a light- ed candle in the draft, and see the flame turn outward at the top and inward at the bottom, showing the purifying currents. Windows on opposide sides ot the room ventilate still more perfectly. In sleeping rooms avoid "drafts" when possible, but danger of taking cold from them may be averted by extra clothing. In living-rooms, an open fire-place or grate insures ventilation.

It should be remembered that the use of chloride of lime, and other fu- migators, does not destroy filthiness, but onh' renders it less evident. Clean- liness, fresh air, and sunlight will purity. Chanliness is a very strong word. Carpets filled with dust or grease, dirty furniture, or walls covered with old paper, defile the atmosphere as much as a refuse heap in the cellar or back yard. A dark house is generally unwholesome and dirty. The sunlight is second only in importance to fresh air. To convince one that light purifies, it is only necessary to go into a darkened room and not the corrupt smell.

The lungs should be trained to free, full, and vigorous action "The breath IS the life." A man Avill exist for days without food, but when the breath is cut otf life ceases. If breathing is imperfect, all the functions of the bod}?^ work at a disadvantage. It is a common fault to breathe from the surface of the lungs only, not bringing into play the abdominal muscles, and so not filling the more remote air-cells of the lungs. By this defactive action the system is deprived of a part oi its sup])ly of air, and by inaction the air- cells become diseased.

Evacuate the bowels daily, and, above all, regularly; the best time is after breakfast ; partly to be rid of a physical burden during the day, but chiefly to relieve the boweis. Constipation is safer than diarrhoea. For the former, exercise, ride horseback, knead the belly, take a glass of cool water before breakfast, eat fruit and laxative food ; for the latter, follow an opposite course — toast, crusts, crackers and rice are the best food. Pain and uneasi- ness of digestive organs^are signs of disturbance ; keep a clear conscience ; rest, sleep, eat properly ; avoid §trong medicines in ordinary cases.

Keep the person scrupulously clean ; change the clothing worn next to the skin (which should be flannel) often. Don't economize in washing bills. A cold bath every morning for very vigorous persons, or once or twice a week and thorough rubbing with a coarse towel or flesh brush, mornings when bath is not taken, for the less robust, is necessary to keep the functions of the skin in health, and is very invigorating. After warm baths a dash of cold water will prevent chill and "taking cold." In bathing in winter, the shock from cold water is lessened by standing a minute in the cold air after the removal of clothing before applying water.

In the winter there is great necessity of dressing to keep the body warm by preserving its natural heat. The color as well as the texture of under- wear is a matter of consequence . Of all the different materials of which it is made, scientific researches, as well as practical experience and experi- ments, show very clearly that wool is the best material for warmth, silk coming next in the list, cotton next and linen last. The neglect to wear warm woolen undergarments is a very common cause of the ill-health of women and children.

1122 HINTS FOR THE WELL.

The use of close stoves, and close rooms, are the causes of the increased jtrevalence and fatality, in winter, of small pox, scarlet fever and other con- tagious diseases.

Colds are often, if not generally, the result of debility, and are preceded l)y disordered digestion. Such cases are prevented by a removal of the c .use by diet and pure air. Extreme cold or heat, and sudden exposure to cold by passing from a heated room to cold outside air, is verv injurious to the old or weak. All such should avoid great extremes and sudden changes. In passing from heated assemblies to the cold air, the mouth should be kept (dosed, and the breathing done through the nostrils only, so that the cold air maj'be warmed before reaching the lungs, which have just been immersed in a hot-air bath. Tlie injurious effect of such sudden changes is caused by driving the blood from the surface to the internal organs, producing con- gestion.

An intelligent physician says : "It is a good rule always to ride up in an elevator, and when coming down to take the stairs. Like goingup hill, walk- ing up stairs is hard work, and sometimes risky, especially for people with weak lungs, defective respiratory organs, or heart disease. P>ut going down stairs hurts nobody, but is good exercise ; going down on a brisk run is really a good thing — it sliakes up the anatomy, without incuring the danger of phys- ical over exertion. This shaking up is good for one's internal mechanism, which it accelerates, especiallv the liver, the kidnevs, and the blood circu- lation."

Bad smells mean that decay is going on somewhere. Rotten particles are floating in the air, and penetrating the nostrils and lungs. Their offen- siveness means that they are poison, and will produce sickness and death, or so reduce the tone of the system that ordinarily mild disorders will prove fatal. In all such cases remove the cause when possible. Many of these poisons are given off by the body, and are removed by pure air, as dirt is Avashed away by water. Soiled or foul air can not purify any more than dirty water will clean dirty clothes. Pure air enters the lungs, becomes charged wiih waste particles, which are poison if taken back again. An adult spoils 07ie gallon of pure air every mimitr, or twenty-five flour barrelfiils in a single niglit, in breathing alone. A lighted gas-burner consumes eleven gallons, and an ordinary stove twenty-five gallons a minute. Think of these facts be- fore sealing up the fire-place, or nailing down the windows for winter.

Let the sunshine into every room in the house. The sunlight is a great purifier. Keep the cellar not only clean and sweet, but give it fresh air and good ventilation, or it will poison the rest of the house.

If one is accustomed to sleej^ing with windows open, there is no danger of taking cold from the exposure, winter or summer. People who shut up windows to keep out "night air," make a mistake. At night, the only air to breathe is "night air." A bed that has been made up for a week or longer is not fit to sleep in. It has gathered moisture and should be aired. "When fixed wash-bowls stand in sleeping-rooms, the waste pipe should be carefully closed, as sewer gases often escape through them into the room.

]Many of the colds which people are said to catch, connuence at the feet. To keep these extremities warm, therefort', is to ettect an insurance against the almost interminable list of disorders which sjiring out of a "slight cold." First, never be tightly shod. Boots and shoes when they fit closely, press af'ainst the foot and prevent a free circulation of the blood. When, on the contrary, they do not embrace the foot too tightly the blood gets fair play, and the places left between the leather and the stockings are filled with a comfortal-le supply of warm air. The second rule is, never to sit in damj> shoes. It is often imagined that unless they are positively wet it is not neceesarv to chaufjc them while the feet are at rest. This is a fallacy; fur

HINTS FOK THE WELL. 1123

when the least dampness is absorbed in the sole, it is attracted nearer to the foot itself by its own heat, and thus perspiration is dangerously checked. Any person may prove this, b}' trying the experiment of neglecting this rule, and his feet will Ijecome cold and damp after a few moments, although, tak- ing off the shoe and warming it, it will appear quite dry.

Remember that there is no patent medicine or "patent pad," warranted to "cure by absorption," that will absorb disease half as rapidly as a wet towel wrapped around the body, and covered with a dry flannel. If people were re(iuired to pay $10 each "for this "valuable secret" there would be no difficulty in getting millions of testimonials to its efficacy. It is too cheap to be popular with people who liked to be humbugged ; but when humbugs all fail, try hot and cold water.

One of the most prominent writers on health topics says: "The great practical lesson which I wish to inculate, to be engraven as on a plate of steel, on the memory of children and youth, young men and women, the mature and the gray-headed : Allow no'thiny short of fire or endangered life to induce you to resist, for one single moment, nature's alvine call. So far from refusing a call for any reason short of life and death, you should go at the usual time and solicit, and doing so you will have your reward in a degree of healthfulness, and in a length of life, which very few are ever permitted to enjoy. If the luve of health and life, or the fear of inducing painful disease can not induce you to adopt the plan I have recommended, there is another argument which, to young gentlemen and j'oung ladies, may appear more convincing — personal cleanliness. [If you suffer yourself to become and re- main costive you will smell badly ; the breath of a costive child even is scarcely to be endured.] Cold feet, sick headache, piles, fistulas, these, with scores of other diseases, have their first foundations laid in constipation, which itself is infallibly induced by resisting nature's first calls. Reader, let it be your wisdom never to do it again."

A Dyspeptic's Fight fok Life.

Judge W. was a dyspeptic, for five weary years. He tried travel, but neither the keen air of the sea-shore nor the bracing breezes of the Northern prairies brought him relief. He tried all the panaceas and all the doctors at home and abroad in vain. Some told him that he had heart-disease, others tliought it was inflammation of the spleen, gout, Bright's disease, liver com- plaint, lung difficulty or softening of tlie brain. Bottle after liottle of nos- trums Avent down the unfortunate man's throat, and it was only when phys- icians and friends gave liim up, and pronounced him to all intents a dead man, that he threw bottles, plasters, powders and pills to the four winds, and, with the energy of despair, set about disappointing his doctors, and getting ready to live despite their ghastly predictions. Then begin a fight for life against dysjiepsia, a fight which many have begun, but few have won. He bathed the whole body every morning in cold water, summer and winter, not by a shower or a plunge, but by vigorously dashing the water on the body with tlie hands, and afterwards rubbing briskly with a coarse towel. This was continued without missing a single^norning for years. In the meantime the strictest diet was instituted. By experimenting the patient found what he could eat without harm, and ate that only in very small quantities, measuring his food on his plate before beginning his meal, and limiting himself rigidly to that quantity. His principal food for nearly three years was cracked wheat and Graham mush, and the last meal was taken at two o'clock in the afternoon — not a particle of food passed his lips from that time until the next morning, thus giving the stomach complete rest and time to beg

1124 JUM? l-Di; THE WELL.

fast, or too often, were rules strictly and rigidly observed. Bathing, diet, rest, sleep, and gentle exercise in the open air did the work. It was a dread- ful conflift — days of struggle and temptation, requiring more heroism and steady tenacity of purpose than would nerve a soldier for battle, for such a battle is for the day, but this fight was renewed every morning and contin- ued every day for montlis and years. But patience, courage, intelligent judgement, and a strict adherence to the above regimen won the day with- out a grain or a drop of medicine, and Judge AV. believes that the good Lord of us all has never permitted any man to discover or invent medicine that will cure dyspepsia. Nature is the only perfect physician. Cold water, fresh air, the natural grain (wAeat), sleeji, rest, and gentle exercise, make up the grand panacea. AVith these alone, and the self-denial and moral courage to persist in the good fight, the confirmed, nervous, miserable dys- peptic, became a well, strong and hearty man — in five days? No. In five mouths ? No. In five years ? Yes ; and after the fight when contemplating the victory won, he could say with the model idiilanthrojihist, Amos Law- rence, after his battle of fifteen long years with the same disease, "If men only knew" how' sweet the victory is, they would not hesitate a moment to engage in the conflict."

There are certain articles of diet that must be discarded by all persons who have a weak digestion and certain dietetic rules which must be con- formed to by all. To the most important of these we will now call attention : Kat slowly, masticating the food very thoroughly even more so, if possiljle than is required in health. The more time the food spends in the mouth the less it will spend in the stomach. Avoid drinking at meals, at most take a few sips of warm water at the close of the meal, if the food is A'ery dry in character. In general, dyspeptic stomachs manage dry fruit better than that containing much liquid. Eat neither very hot or cold food. The best temperature, about that of the body. Avoid exposure to cold after eating. Be careful to avoid excess in eating. Eat no more than the wants of the system requires. Sometimes less than is really needed must be taken when digestion is very weak. Strength depends not on w'hat is eaten, but what is digested. » -

Never take violent exercise of any sort, either mental or ]jhysical, either just before or just after a meal. It is not good to sleep immediately after eating, nor within four hours of a meal. Never eat more than three times a day, and make the last meal A'ery light. For many dyspeptics two meals are better than more. Never eat a morsel of anything between meals. Never eat when tired, Avhether exhausted from mental or physicial labor. Never eat when the mind is worried or the temper rutfied, if possible to avoid do- ing so. Eat only food that is easy of digestion, avoiding c(>mplicated and in- digestible dishes, and taking but one to three kinds at a meal. Most per- sons will be benefitted by the use of oat-meal, wheat-meal or graham fiour, cracked wheat and other whole-grain preparations, though many will find it necessary to avoid vegetables, especially when fruits and meats were taken. The flesh of wihl game is usually more easy of digestion than that of domes- tic animals, and is less likely to be diseased. Fats ai-e injurious to dyspep- tics almost without exception. If eaten at all, butter is the only form ad- missible, and this should never be eaten cooked, but cold on bread. Broil- ing is the best mode of cooking meat. ''High" meat should never be eaten as it has begun to decay. ^leat and vegetables do not agree well together. Fruit and vegetables often disagree. Some cases must be required to dis- card vegetables altogether. Milk does not agree well with either vegetables or fruits. Milk is easier of digestion Avhen boiled than when in its natural state. Warm food is easier of digestion than cold, with the exception of fer- mented bread, which should be eaten stale. Cold meat and meat that

HINTS FOR THfi~WELL. 1125

Popular Errors In Diet. — An eminent physician has prepared this article giving the following errors : It is an error to suppose that the appetite is • always a correct criterion of the quantity and quality of food. This is a widely prevalent error and some very distinguished physicians have given it countenance and endorsement by saying to patients, when asked for a diet prescription, "Eat whatever and whenever you have a mind to." No ad- vice could be more mischievous. It virtually assumes either that there is no relation between diet and health that it makes no difference what a per- son eats, or that the appetite is an infallible guide, both of which sup))osi- tions are palpably false. If all appetites were natural appetites, if there were no such thing as depraved taste, then might the appetite be relied upon, but in the present state of things among civilized human beings scarcely one person in a hundred has a perfectly normal taste and appetite, if the number be not even smaller. The appetite is to some degree a guide, but it must be controlled and governed by common sense, by a knowledge of the laws of digestion and the relation of elementary substances to the stomach and the system. Either extreme on this point is bad. The »ppetite must not be ignored and it must not be blindly followed unless it is known to be normal in its inclinations. It would be just as proper to advise a person to speak anything that comes into his mind, to do everything for which he has an in- clination, and to thus follow implicitly all the promptings of his various organs, as to tell him to eat everything which he feels disposed to.

It is an error to suppose that sick persons whose appetites are poor, should be tempted to eat by means of tidbits and dainties. Nothing is more common than for them to be besieged with such unwholesome substances as preserves, rich jellies and sauces, pies, cakes, confectionery, etc. About as soon as a person is taken sick, in some communities, the neighbors begin to show their sympathy by contributions of all sorts of unwholesome and in- digestible viands, and the invalid, whose stomach may be unable to digest any but the very simplest food, beeomes a victim to the kindness of friends. Many times have the best efforts of the intelligent physician been bafHed in this manner. "Killed by kindness" of this sort might be written on many a tombstone. The general belief that these things are essential for the sick when confessedly bad for the well is forcibly illustrated by the story con- cerning the old gentleman who arrived home late at night and not finding any pie in the cupboard awoke his wife with the exclamation, "Wliy, what would you do if anyone should be sick in the night!" Every physician ought to look carefully after this matter whenever he has a patient in charge and the absurdity of the custom should be thoroughly exposed. The want of appetite in sick people, especially fever patients is usually an indication that the stomach is not in a condition to digest food if it is received, and only the most digestible should be given, and that in small quantities.

It is an error to suppose that children especially, need large quantities of fat and sugar. The opinion has been gaining of late, that fat and sugar are preventitives of consumption when fed to children so as to increase their fat. From some considerable observation on the subject, we are decidedly of the opinion that the practice is a bad one and the theory upon which it is based wholly erroneous. These substances are themselves difficult of di- gestion (this is especially true of fat) and hinder the digestion of food, thus producing dyspepsia which causes decay of the teeth and doubtless an equally marked deterioration in other parts of the system. The notion that the ap- petite for sugar is a natural one is shown to be false by the fact stated by Dr. Anthony Carlisle, the Artie traveler. According to Mr. Carlisle, the lit- tle folks in the vicinity of the North Pole are not fond of sweets. He says that when sugar was placed in their mouths they made very wry faces and sputtered it out with disgust. There is no evidence whatever that it "pre-

1126 HINTS FOR THE WELL.

serves the teeth," "aids digestion," "promotes growth" or "prevents con- •siuuption," as many persons believe.

It is an error to suppose that many varieties of food are essential to good digestive nutrition. The common sense of most people who suffer with weak digestion has taught them that one or two kinds of food at a meal are more easily digested than a large variety, notwithstanding the erroneous teaching of some popular authors on this subject. It is true that the appe- tite sometimes refuses food when its use is long continued without change, but the variety should be obtained by employing different foods or dishes at different meals rather than at the same meal. There is no doubt that dys- pepsia is not unfrequently the result of the indiscriminate gormandizing in which people indulge wdiose chief aim in eating is to satisfy the palate.

It is a very great error to suppose that brain-workers, students, clergy- men, lawyers and other persons whose vocation is largely sedentary, require but little food. The very opposite is true. A brain worker uses upas much blood in three hours •f intense labor as the muscle worker in ten hours of ordinary toil. Brain workers should be well fed, but they must not be over- fed. Many of the cases of apoplexy in professional men, set down to over- work, are really attributable to overeating. A brain worker needs as much food and as nutritious food as a muscle worker, but he is compelled to be more careful in its selection, and cannot exceed with impunity the limits of his actual needs. This point is often neglected with reference to school- children, especially girls, who are not unfrequently allowed to make the at- tempt to live and study hard on a slice or two of wheat bread and a cup of coffee for breakfast, bread and butter and pickles for dinner and a morsel chiefly made up of "dessert" at night, when dinner is taken at six, as in many* of the large cities. In many female boarding schools the dietary is neglected, an insufficient amount of nourishing elements being furnished to support the vigorous mental effort required of students. Under such a regi- me it is no wonder that many young women break down just when they ought to be enjoying the highest degree of health and strength. We arc thoroughly convinced that a much larger share of the breakdowns among .students, both male and female, is due to poor feeding more than to overstudy.

It is an error to suppose that fish or any other single article of diet is brain food, muscle food, or food for any particular part of the system, A few vears ago a celebrated scientist made the casual suggestion that perhaps fish food might be especially nourishing to the brain, as there was considerable phosphorous in the brain and also in the fish. The notion spread like a her- esy, and soon fish of all sorts, big and little, scaly fish, shell fish, and fish with neither scales nor shell, were devoured in unprecedented quantities by microcephalous people and people whose brains were not obviously too small, tor the purpose of obtaining the supposed specific effects of a fish diet. A uentleman eager to cultivate his brain and induce an increased growth, ad- dressed a letter to a noted wag, asking for advice respecting the quantity of tish which he must eat per day. The answer he received was a fitting criti- cism on the theory and undoubtedly discouraged the aspirations of the young man, being to the effect tnat a small whale would be about the right quantity for a meal. The falsity of the theory has been repeatedly shown by the citation of the fact that the lowest of human races are those that live almost exclusively upon tish. In civilized countries, also, as in the vicinity of large fisheries, whole communities often make fish their alrnost exclusive diet, and vet there is no evidence that their mental capacity is increased thereby. In "fact, the low mental and moral status of these people would furnish an argu- ment on the opposide side of the question if it were neces.sary to offer such an argument.

ITIXTS 1 OI? TIIK AVEI.L. Vi

It is an error to suppose that people suffering with nervous debility, nau- rasthenia or other forms of nervous weakness, need large quantities of llesh food. It is a very common custom when it is decided that a person has any form of nervous disorder accompanied by weakness or impaired nutrition, to place them at once on a diet consisting largely of flesh, as beefsteak, mutton- chops, etc. Sometimes the drinking of blood is recommended. That this indiscriminate practice is a bad one we have often had occasion to notice. It not infrequently happens that the excessive use of flesh food is a cause of nervousness, as has been repeatedly pointed out, and we believe that whether its use is advised or not, its use should depend on the condition of the stom- ach rather than on the nerves. A person whose stomach is very feeble may be enable to digest sufficient vegetable food to replenish the tissues, for such persons a flesh diet or a mixed diet will be found to be very advantageous.

It is a most erroneous notion that ''rich food" is strengthening. The strengthening quality of food depends first upon its digestibility, and second upon the proportion of albuminous elements wh^ch it contains. Sugar, fat, spices and other ingredients which are added to food in making it "rich" are of only secondary importance as nutritive elements and in the case of condi- ments of exceedingly doubtful value, if not wholly worthless. In the manner in which these substances are combined in "rich food" they are worse than worthless. Really rich food is that which contains a large proportion of the essential elements of food in a condition to be easily assimilated. Graham bread, oatmeal mush, pea-soup, baked beans and kindred foods, are really rich, and in the highest degree strengthening.

It is an error to suppose that persons engaged in laborious occupations re- quire a large amount of flesh food. Persons who labor hard either physicallv or mentally, need a liberal supply of food rich in albuminous elements. These elements are furnished by such food as pease and beans in even laro'er (juantities than in the best beefsteak. A pound of pease contains four ounces of albuminous elements, while a pound of beefsteak contains but about three ounces. Oatmeal and wheat meal are also very rich in albuminous elements, The Scotch laborers who subsist largely upon oatrreal porridge are said to be among the finest developed and hardiest men in the world. Numerous sim- ilar evidences in favor of a liberal supply of vegetable food might be given.

It is an error to suppose that the system is better supported by meals at very frequent intervals than by food taken in accordance with the known time required for digestion. It has long been the c«stom to supply laborers undergoing severe exertion, as during harvest time among farmers with two or three extra meals during the day, thus often bringing meals within two or three hours of each other. We believe that the practice is a bad one and that three meals at most are much better than more. The custom of eating five meals a day, common in some foreign countries, is certainly unphysiological, and must be injurious. Children are often injured by too frequent feeding; not only while infants, but after having grown so as to be large enough to attend school, being very often supplied ])y fond mothers with luncheon for recess, and apples to eat at all hours. It is a most unwise thing to allow children to form the habit of nibbling at food between meals. The fact that they are growing and need a large supply of nourislnnent is no apology for the practice, but rather makes it the more necessary that thev should be regular in their habits in order to secure good digestion. The stomach needs rest as well as the arms and limbs and other organs of the body. ^lore food will be well digested with three meals than with a larger num})er, and hence a larger amount of good blood will be ])roduced and more healthv tissue formed.

1128 HINTS FOR THE WELL,

It is an error to suppose that the best preparation and support for extra- ordinary exertion is increasing the amount of food eaten proportionately. It is generally supposed that if a man has -an unusually large days work to perforn^ he must eat an unusually large breakfast and a proportionately large dinner. This is certainly an error. Large demands upon either the muscular or the nervous system for the time being detract from the power to digest. The stomach requires nervous energy to enable it to perform its lUnction. If the nervous forces are otherwise engaged or used they can not brt utilized in digestion ; hence it follows, theoretically at least, that instead of giving the organs an extra task in preparation for an extra effort, they should be required to perform less than the ordinary amount of labor. Ex- perience as well as theory supports this view. Sir Isaac Newton when em- ployed in his most ardous labors, lived upon bread and water, and fasted for long intervals. General Elliot, the famous defender of Gibraltar, is said to have subsisted for a number of days on a little boiled rice. The wonderful "L'Homme Serpente" of Paris, always fasted for twelve hours before at- tempting to perform his marvelous feats of agility. This plan not only se- cures a higher degree of efficiency in the effort made, but prevents in great degree, the injury liable to result from excessive exertion. When required to overwork for a succession of days, we have found that we were not only able to perform much more work, but do it with less effort at the time, and less exhaustion afterward, when taking a greatly reduced quantity of food, than when attempting to do the same work and still taking the usual quan- tity

HINTS FOR THE SICK-ROOM. 1129