in apartment cool, well-ventilated, and free from visitors.

On the fourth or fifth day, if everything is going on well, and the bowels have been opened, the patient may take the wing of a chicken, or, what is better, a mutton chop; and, as beverage, equal parts of barleywater and milk, which will allay thirst, relieve any sinking of the stomach, and produce milk better than anything else.

At this time, if it be the summer season, she may be removed from the bed-the heat of which is relaxing -to the outside of it, or to the sofa, previously placed at the side of the bed; but on no account must the slightest assistance be given by herself in the removal; and, when on the sofa, the horizontal position, for the reasons stated under the head 'Recumbent Posture,' must be strictly kept. When this change is made, there must be no dressing-putting on the stays, 'for fear of taking cold.' There will be no danger of this, provided the nurse has properly arranged the coverings of the sofa, and the clothing of her mistress when upon it. If it be winter, it will be better to delay leaving the bed until a few days later.

The sixth, seventh, and eighth days pass; and the ninth arrives, which is considered a very critical one by most lying-in women, although it is not more so than any other. Such, however, is the popular impression; and perhaps no single prejudice prevails to a greater extent. Its existence would be harmless, except that now and then I have found it cause an injurious anxiety in the mind of the patient. Nothing can happen on the ninth day that is not just as likely to occur on the nineteenth.

After the tenth day it matters little whether the

patient remains in the lying-in chamber or not; if a sitting-room adjoins it, it is better for her to be wheeled into it for the day, returning in the evening to her chamber, the atmosphere of which will thus be preserved purer and more refreshing to sleep in. This plan, however, can only be adopted where the bedroom opens into a sitting-room, as it would be quite out of the question to remove the patient through any passage, or to another floor. And she should be wheeled from her bedroom lying on the sofa-not walk from it.

It is never safe to join the family circle before the expiration of the third week; and the month from delivery having terminated, if all be going on well, the patient may gradually resume her accustomed duties, and go out of doors without risk.

Before I conclude this part of the chapter, I must answer a very important question which would naturally be asked here Is a nursing woman better with, or without, wine or beer? I am daily more and more convinced that a healthy woman is better without either, both for herself and for her child. Her own health will be less likely to become deranged; her own feelings and sensations will be infinitely more equal and comfortable; and the milk secreted in her bosom will be more pure and nourishing; and, as a consequence of all this, her child will thrive and flourish better without the stimulant than with it. During the time such a person remains in the lying-in room, and indeed, until she can take active exercise in the open air, some increase in the amount of beverage will be found necessary; and the best she can take is the barley-milk already referred to. A tumbler of this occasionally in the day will meet the necessities of the case far

better than anything else; and this, or milk, in varying quantities, it will be found useful, and in most cases necessary, to continue throughout nursing.

Is wine or beer, then, it will be asked, never useful to the nursing woman? Yes, certainly. I have seen the bitter ale, for instance, taken in moderate quantity, of great service to those of weak constitution, yet free from disease. But will all such be thus benefited? Certainly not. Trial must be made, and the individual must interrogate her own sensations and experience; and if the effect is favourable, let her continue it; if, on the other hand, its use is followed by evident disturbance and discomfort, it is manifestly unfit for her, and she must discontinue it.

This subject will be dwelt upon more fully in the chapter on Nursing, to which the reader is referred.

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CHAPTER VII.

HINTS FOR THE LYING-IN ROOM,
REFERRING TO THE CHILD.

Sect. 1.-The Management of the Child directly after its Birth.

Washing. The infant being born, the medical man ties the navel-string, divides it, and then places the child in the piece of flannel called a 'receiver.' It is now to be warmly wrapped up in this by the nurse, and, if it be cold weather, to be carried to the neighbourhood of a good fire, though not in front of it. necessity of attending to the warmth of the infant is evident; for being accustomed, before its birth, to one uniform temperature, and that a warm one, exposure to a cold atmosphere would be attended with risk.

The

The first thing to be done is to wash the child. This may be proceeded with immediately, unless, as is sometimes the case, and especially when the labour has been at all premature, the child is found to breathe with difficulty, and shows other signs of feebleness. In this case it must be allowed to remain perfectly quiet and undisturbed, until it breathes freely and strongly, and appears more active and lively. On the other hand, if this be the case from the first, the washing may be proceeded with as soon as it conveniently can.

with fresh lard.

The body of the child will be more or less covered with a white, greasy, curd-like substance, particularly about the eye-lids, groins, armpits, and various folds. of the skin. This adheres very closely, and, unless proper means are employed, is difficult to remove. It is important, however, that the skin should, for the most part, be thoroughly cleansed of it; for, if allowed to remain, it dries, hardens, and irritates the surface, and sometimes produces severe excoriations. Water will not act upon it, and soap has very little effect ; lard, however, renders it soluble. Smear the whole of the body, therefore, first of all Then put the child into warm water (from 96° to 98° Fahrenheit), and, after five or six minutes, wash the body, while still in the bath, with a soft sponge, and the least irritating soap you can get. In this way the surface will be cleansed most readily, and generally perfectly; if, however, here and there, the nurse finds it difficult to get off any remains of the secretion, she must not be over-anxious to do so, lest by her overrubbing she irritate and inflame the skin: she must wait until the next washing, when it will be easily freed from it. Always use warm water. Some persons advocate the employment of cold water, under the impression that it is calculated to harden and invigorate the infant. This is a most hazardous and cruel experiment. As has just been observed, the infant has experienced hitherto but one uniform degree of temperature, and that a very warm one; suddenly, therefore, to subject it to a cold bath is to give a shock to its nervous system, which might be attended with fatal consequences.

The infant should be washed in the bath, and not on the nurse's lap. Its bones are soft, and incapable