The maternal management of children, in health and disease

This practical manual instructs inexperienced mothers in preventive care and basic treatments for infants and young children, covering feeding (maternal nursing, wet-nurses, and artificial diet), weaning, diet and hygiene, sleep, clothing, bathing, ventilation and exercise. It discusses appropriate and improper remedies (purgatives, calomel, opiates, leeches, blisters, baths), offers guidance on teething and permanent teeth, and explains how to recognize early signs of illness. The final sections define maternal responsibilities in common neonatal and childhood disorders—birth injuries, digestive troubles, constipation, worms, infectious diseases such as measles, scarlet fever and smallpox, whooping cough, croup, and hydrocephalus—emphasizing prevention, early detection, and prompt, prudent maternal supervision.