the medical guide.
ERUPTIONS OF THE SKIN.
Causes.——In children, want of cleanliness; irritation from teething; disordered bowels from bad milk, &c.
Symptoms.——The symptoms depend upon the cause; one resembles measles, another the itch, and a third consists of large loose scabs on the forehead and face.
Treatment.——The utmost attention to cleanliness is indispensable; if bowels are costive, give a teaspoonful of magnesia; when the rush is present, keep the child moderately warm to prevent it striking in.
Observations.——The occasional employment of the warm bath, light food, and abundant supply of pure water as drink. A not unfrequent cause of eruptions on the skin is venereal disease, which descends to the offspring; in such a case the infant must be treated for this disease. Scorbutic eruptions must be treated as scurvy.
EXCORIATIONS OF INFANTS.
Causes.—Want of cleanliness, inattention to drying the infant after washing, &c.
Symptoms.——Chafing in the neck, behind the ears arm-pits, or groin.
Treatment.——Dry the skin well, after washing, with a soft thoroughly dry cloth, sprinkling a little dusting powder over the excoriated parts, and excoriation will speedily vanish.
Observations.——Children of a full habit, during teething, are very liable to excoriations, and require opening medicines frequently repeated. ——N.B. Clean dry under clothing is indispensable.
EYES, INFLAMMATION OF.
Causes.——Effects of cold, external injuries, extraneous bodies, &c.
Symptoms.——Pain, heat, redness of the eyeballs, intolerance of light, &c.
