OF CHILDREN.

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oblige her to give it coarse clothes; but if she does not keep themdean, it must be her own fault.

OF THE FOOD OF CHILDREN.

Nature not only points out the food proper for an infant, butactually prepares it. This, however, is not sufficient to preventsome, who think themselves wiser than Nature, from attempting tobring up their children without her provision. Nothing can shew thedisposition which mankind have to depart from Nature more thantheir endeavouring to bring up children without the breast. Themother's milk, or that of a healthy nurse, is unquestionably the bestfood for an infant. Neither Art nor Nature can afford a proper■substitute for it. Children may seem to thrive for a few monthswithout the breast; but when teething, the small-pox, and otherdiseases incident to childhood, come on, they generally perish.

A child, soon after the birth, shews an inclination to suck; andthere is no reason why it should not be gratified. It is true, themother's milk does not always come immediately after the birth; bf.tthis is the way to bring it: besides, the first milk that the child cansqueeze out of the breast answers the purpose of cleansing betterthan all the drugs in the apothecary's shop, and at the same timeprevents inflammations of the breasts, fevers, and other diseases inci-dent to mothers.

It is strange how people came to think that the first thing given toa child should be drugs. This is beginning with medicine by times,and no wonder if they generally end with it. It sometimes happens,indeed, that a child does not discharge the meconium so soon ascould be wished ; this has induced physicians, in such cases, to givesomething of an opening nature to cleanse the first passages. Mid-wives have improved upon this hint, and never fail to give syrups,oils, &c. whether they be necessary or not. Cramming an infantwith such indigestible stuff as soon as it is born, can hardly fail tomake it sick, and is more likely to occasion diseases than to preventthem. Children are seldom long after the birth without having pas-sage both by stool and urine ; though these evacuations may bewanting for some time without any danger. But if children must havesomething before they be allowed the breast, let it be a little thinwater pap, to which may be added an equal quantity of new milk ;or rather water alone, with the addition of a little raw sugar. If thisbe given without any wines or spiceries, it will neither heat the blood,load the stomach, nor occasion gripes.

Upon the first sight of an infant, almost every person is struck withthe idea of its being weak, feeble, and wanting support. This na-turally suggests the need of cordials. Accordingly wines are uni-versally mixed with the first food of children. Nothing can be morefallacious than this way of reasoning, or more hurtful to infants than'.he conduct founded upon it. Children require very little food for>ome time after the birth, and what they receive should be thin,• VCa (e. p' 1 *' anc ' °f a cooling quality. A very small quantity of wineis sufficient to heat and inflame the blood of an infant; but even