PART I.

OF THE

GENERAL CAUSES OF DISEASES

CHAP. I.

OF CHILDREN.

THE better to trace diseases from their originalcauses, we shall take a view of the common treat-ment of mankind in the state of infancy. In this pe-riod of our lives, the foundations of a good or badconstitution are generally laid: it is therefore of im-portance, that parents be well acquainted with thevarious causes which may injure the health of theiroffspring.

It appears from the annual registers of the dead, thatalmost one half of the children born in Great Britaindie under twelve years of age. To many, indeed, thismay appear a natural evil; but, on due examination, itwill be found to be one of our own creating. Werethe death of infants a natural evil, other animalswould be as liable to die young as man; but this wefind is by no means the case.

It may seem strange that man, notwithstanding hissuperior reason, should fall so short of other animalsin the management of his young: but our surprise willsoon cease, if we consider that brutes, guided by in-stinct, never err in this respect; while man, trustingsolely to art, is seldom right. Were a catalogue of

l. B