THE SICK CHILD.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2574, 7 August 1909, Page 4 (Supplement)

THE SICK CHILD.

WHOOPING COUGH. (By Enielyn Lincoln Co olid go, M.D. ■ Former House-Physician of the Babies Hospital, New York, in tho “Ladies Home Journal.”) Whooping-cough is a very common and infectious disease. Children oi all ages may contract it, but young babies are especially liable to have ii if exposed. From the very beginning oi the first stage whooping cough may ho given, to others, and while there is the least whoop it is very contagious. Generally it is best to keep a child with whooping cough away from, other childIren tor two months. It is very rarely carried by a third person or by means of clothing. After exposure one may expect a child to come down with | whoop ng cough at any time from seven I to sixteen days.. I There are two distinct stages to I whooping cough. The first is the catarrhal stage; this averages about ten days. For the first five or six days the symptoms are those of an ordinary cold and cannot be distinguished from one, but generally after this time the cough comes in paroxysms',, although jio whoop may yet appear. There may also be a slight temperature. ifhe second stage of the disease is known the spasmodic stage; hero the par<^.p li:iS coughing are accompanied by typical whoop, although in cases of yl <w:u f babies no whoop at all may bo press'^. —simply the severe paroxysm. Many times an older child can foretell when a paroxysm is about to take place and will run to his mother or take hold of a cha’r for support. Ho becomes red or purple in the face, bis eyes protrude, a number of explosive coughs take place and then the typical whoop. This may be repeated several times in a single paroxysm, and then a mass of thick mucus is brought no or the. child may vomit. The latter especially likely to '}? tliG child lias been recently Foil:* "In very severe cases there may ifo a nosebleed, or even a convulsion. According to the seventy ot Am case there may be many or few paroxysms in twenty-four hours; as a rule, they are more frequent at night. This severe, spasmodic stage lasts usually for about one month, but may be much longer, especially during the winter, months. Even after the disease is over, if the child takes cold or has an attack of bronchitis there may be a paroxysmal cough with it, or even a whoop. In the average caso tho paroxysms become less frequent, the whoop gradually disappears, and tho cough again resembles that of a cold or bronchitis until it finally stops. Hemorrhages, pneumonia, diarrhoea and vomiting,- and convulsions are the most frequent complications of whooping cough. ‘No distinct cure for whooping cough has been found, and as a rule drugs do more harm by upsetting the stomach than good in relieving the cough. The chief thing to he considered is to keep tlie child as well nourished as possible and give him plenty of pure, fresh air. If possible it is well to take him away for a complete change of air; this will sometimes considerably lessen the duration of the disease. At any rate, the child should spend as much time as possible in the op-en air every day and sleep in a well-ventilated room at night. Tho question of giving the child .sufficient nourishment is often a serious one, because so much food will be vomited. It may be necessary to feed the child a little more frequently than when he is uvell. After a paroxysm of coughing, when the mucus has been expelled, and perhaps any food that has been in the stomach at" that time, a glass of milk or somo broth with perhaps a little zwieback—if the child is old enough to take it —may he given and will many times remain down, because another paroxysm is not likely -to occur right away. Food which is easily digested and which contains tho most nourish-' ment should he chosen. In rants may be given peptonized milk in place of the usual formula, as this wifi be digested more rapidly. If the child seems to be losing strength it may be necessary to give some form of predigested beef besides the regular meals. A croup-kettle with a few drops of creosote on the sponge may lie used for inhalation or be kept burning a part of the time fin the room. The bowels must be kept well open; milk of magnesia is excellent to use for this purpose, and an occasional dose of castoroil should be tried. If there is difficult breathing or any tendency to bronchitis with the whooping cough, a large mustard paste may be placed on tho chest once or twice in twenty-four hours until the skin is just red. The child must be kept m the house for at least a day after one of these pastes, however. Patent remedies to be rubbed on tho chest or taken internally should be avoided. If bronchitis is present a sponge bath will be best, otherwise tho tub batll may bo givon as usual. In somo cases a belt that will support the abdomen has given relief. AJ] of these measures should be tried before drugs are resorted to. If it is decided to try medicine internally a physician who understands the nature of the child should be asked to prescribe, and should carefully watch the patient. It is best to give the rooms where the child spends most of his time an occasional fumigation, during the disease as well as at its close.