OF ACIDITIES.

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every four or five hours till they operate. These powders may eitherbe given in the child's food, or a little of the svrup of pale roses, andmay be repeated as often as is found necessary to keep the body open.It is common in this case to administer calomel; but as that medicinesometimes occasions gripes, it ought always to be given to infants withcaution.

Many things have been recommended for gargling the mouth andthroat in this disease, but it is not easy to apply these in very youngchildren; we would therefore recommend to the nurse the use of topicalapplications, such as either the expressed juice of roasted turnips, mul-berries, raspberries, or black currants, sweetened with honey or sugar-candy, or to rub the child's mouth frequently with a little borax andhoney; or with the following mixture: Take fine honey an ounce, boraxa drachm, burnt alum half a drachm, rose water two drachms; mixthem together. A very proper application in this case is a solution often or twelve grains of vitriolated zinc in eight ounces of barley-water. These may be applied with the finger, a camel's hair pencil, orby means of a hit of soft rag tied to the end of a probe.

The acid and watery purgings in this complaint may be relieved byclysters of barley-water with a little magnesia and syrup of white poppies.

OF ACIDITIES

The food of children being tor the most part of an acescent nature,it readily turns sour upon the stomach, especially if the body be anyway disordered. Hence most diseases of children are accompanied withevident signs of acidity, as green stools, gripes, &c. These appearanceshave induced many to believe that all the diseases of children were owingto an acid abounding in the stomach and bowels; but whoever considersthe matter attentively, will find that these symptoms of acidity areoftener the effect than the cause of their disease.

Nature evidently intended that the food of children should be aces-cent; and unless the body be disordered, or the digestion hurt, fromsome other cause, we will venture to say that the acescent quality oftheir food is seldom injurious to them. Acidity, however, is often asymptom of disorders in children, and, as it is sometimes a troublesomeone, we shall point out the method of relieving it.

When green stools, gripes, purging, sour smells, &c. shew that thebowels abound with an acid, the child should have a little small broth,with light white bread in it; and should have sufficient exercise in orderto promote the digestion. It has been customary in this case to give thechalk, crabs eyes, and other testaceous powders. These, indeed, bytheir absorbent quality, may correct the acidity ; but they are attendedwith this inconvenience, that they are apt to lodge in the bowels, andoccasion costiveness, which may prove very hurtful to the infant. Forthis reason they should never be given unless mixed with purgative me-dicines ; as rhubarb, manna, or such like.

The best medicine which wc know, in all cases of acidity, is that fineinsipid Jjowder called magnesia alba. It purges, and at the same