Domestic medicine; or, the family physician. Being an attempt to render the medical art more generally useful, by showing people what is in their own power, both with respect to the prevention and cure of diseases ... / by William Buchan. With notes, etc., by a medical gentleman.

  • Buchan, William, 1729-1805
Date:
1802
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Domestic medicine; or, the family physician. Being an attempt to render the medical art more generally useful, by showing people what is in their own power, both with respect to the prevention and cure of diseases ... / by William Buchan. With notes, etc., by a medical gentleman. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    children require exercife. Every'creature endca^ vours to make ufe of its limbs as loon as it can, and many of them, even when under no necefiity of moving in quell of food, cannot be relirained wdih- out force. This is evidently the cafe with the calf, the lamb, and many other young animals. If thefe creatures were not permitted to frifk about, and take exercife, they would loon die. ’I'he lame in- clination appears very early in the human fpecies; but as they are not able to take exercife themfelves, it is the bulinefs of their parents or nurfes to alhlf them. • Children may be exercifed in various ways. The bell method, while they are young, is to carry them about in the nurfe’s arms. This gives the nurfe an opportunity of talking to the child, and of point- ing out every thing that may pleafe and delight its fancy. It is much fafer than fwinging an infant in a machine, or leaving it to the care of fuch as are not fit to take care of themfelves. Nothing can be more foolifh than to fet one child to keep another; that practice has proved fatal to many in- fants, and has rendered others lame for life. When children begin to walk, the fafell and beft method of leading them about is by the hands. The common way of fwinging children by firings fixed to their backs, has many bad confequences. It makes them throw their bodies forward, and prefs with their.whole weight upon the bread: by that means the breathing is obdrucled, the bread flattened, and the bowels comprefled. This hurts the digedion, and occalions confumptions of the lungs, and other difeafes. It is a common notion, that if children be fet upon their feet too foon, their legs will become crooked. There is reafon to believe, that the very reverie of this is true.' Every member acquires drength in proportion as it is exercifed. The limbs