Symptoms. — The earliest is a common cold or catarrh, ac-
companied by a cough ; there is also a slight amount of fever,
restlessness, and sometimes running at the eyes and nose.
The cough" in a few days becomes most troublesome, and
some glairy fluid may be brought up from the chest; in a
week or ten days, but often later, the child will begin to
have the characteristic whoop; the cough comes on in
paroxysms and is more frequent by night than by day, each
paroxysm begins with a deep and loud inspiration, followed
by a succession of short and sharp expirations, again followed
by a deep inspiration, and the repeated expirations; this may
go on several times, and last one or two minutes, according
340 Diseases of Infancy and Childhood
to the severity of the case. Just before each attack comes
on, the child clings to its nurse or mother; it sits in an erect
position. During the paroxysm the face is flushed, the veins
in the head and face prominent, the eyes suffused and watery,
and generally there is some glairy fluid expelled from the
mouth, or vomiting may come on. After the paroxysm the
child will rest for a time, and appear pretty well until the
next attack comes on. These symptoms last for three or four
weeks, and then the cough abates in severity and frequency,
and finally ceases altogether. In most cases there is some
bronchitis attending this complaint, and this is shown by
the hurried breathing, rise of temperature, and by hearing
rattling noises over the chest. The more mischief there is
in the lungs, the greater is the danger" to the child. Con-
vulsions are a sign of bad import, and are generally the im-
mediate cause of death in such cases.
Treatment. — In all cases it is best for the child to be kept
in the house as soon as the malady has declared itself; in a
very mild case it need not be kept in bed, but it should be
in a room of warm and even temiperature, and protected from
draught; it can then be allowed to play about as it likes. If
there is any lung affection, it must be put to bed and treated
according to the requirements of the case. Other children
must not be allowed to come near it, unless they have had an
attack previously, in order that its spreading may be prevented.
The child must be fed in the usual way, but solid food should
be given sparingly. Steel wine is very valuable in cases of
whooping cough, and more especially when there is no fever
and during convalescence: it may also stop the diarrhoea,
which is now and then present. Numberless remedies have
been tried for whooping cough, but as many of them are
powerful and require careful watching, they ought only to be
given under medical direction. Some sweet mucilaginous
fluid may be given, such as the mucilage of gum acacia mixed
Diseases of Infancy and Childhood 341
Page 192
Presented as published in 1894. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Symptoms. — The earliest is a common cold or catarrh, accompanied by a cough ; there is also a slight amount of fever, restlessness, and sometimes running at the eyes and nose. The cough in a few days becomes most troublesome, and some glairy fluid may be brought up from the chest; in a week or ten days, but often later, the child will begin to have the characteristic whoop; the cough comes on in paroxysms and is more frequent by night than by day, each paroxysm begins with a deep and loud inspiration, followed by a succession of short and sharp expirations, again followed by a deep inspiration, and the repeated expirations; this may go on several times, and last one or two minutes, according
340 Diseases of Infancy and Childhood
to the severity of the case. Just before each attack comes on, the child clings to its nurse or mother; it sits in an erect position. During the paroxysm the face is flushed, the veins in the head and face prominent, the eyes suffused and watery, and generally there is some glairy fluid expelled from the mouth, or vomiting may come on. After the paroxysm the child will rest for a time, and appear pretty well until the next attack comes on. These symptoms last for three or four weeks, and then the cough abates in severity and frequency, and finally ceases altogether. In most cases there is some bronchitis attending this complaint, and this is shown by the hurried breathing, rise of temperature, and by hearing rattling noises over the chest. The more mischief there is in the lungs, the greater is the danger" to the child. Convulsions are a sign of bad import, and are generally the immediate cause of death in such cases.
Treatment. — In all cases it is best for the child to be kept in the house as soon as the malady has declared itself; in a very mild case it need not be kept in bed, but it should be in a room of warm and even temperature, and protected from draught; it can then be allowed to play about as it likes. If there is any lung affection, it must be put to bed and treated according to the requirements of the case. Other children must not be allowed to come near it, unless they have had an attack previously, in order that its spreading may be prevented. The child must be fed in the usual way, but solid food should be given sparingly. Steel wine is very valuable in cases of whooping cough, and more especially when there is no fever and during convalescence: it may also stop the diarrhoea, which is now and then present. Numberless remedies have been tried for whooping cough, but as many of them are powerful and require careful watching, they ought only to be given under medical direction. Some sweet mucilaginous fluid may be given, such as the mucilage of gum acacia mixed
Diseases of Infancy and Childhood 341