A popular writer well observess, that " an effeminate education will infallibly spoil the best constitution, and if boys are brought up in a more delicate manner than even girls ought to be, they will never be men." The same author, with great justice, applauds the practice, of late introduced, of teaching boys the mili tary exercise, as not only an admirable mean of strengthening their body and limbs, but of inspiring them with early ideas of courage, and educating them so that they may, at a future period, be ready and able to defend their country in case of emergency.
To uniform exercise, add the use of the cold bath : it will prove an admirable auxiliary, and may be even a substitute for exercise where it cannot be duly ob tained; and if the salt-water bath can be had, it is certainly preferable. By gene ral immersion, the body is braced and strengthened, the general circulation in creased, and all stagnation in the smaller vessels prevented. The commencement of this practice early will be the means of preventing the appearance of many constitutional diseases. It cannot be too mach inculcated, and has been in use from time immemorial with those nations, who have been most distinguished for the enjoyment of health and vigour of consti tution. No prejudices, therefore, of the mother or nurse, should prevent the use of this salutary prophylactic • and even where it cannot be employed to its full extent, still the extremities should be every day bathed in cold water, and af terwards well dried, and the skin well rubbed. In this view, boys, instead of
being prevented by their fond and fearful mothers, should, on every account, be en couraged to learn and practise the salu brious and useful exercise of swimming.
Diseases of Infants.
The diseases of infantile life are very numerous, and some of them very com plicated. It would be absurd to attempt a discussion of the whole of these with in the limits of a narrow, and what is merely designed as a popular, essay. We shall confine ourselves, therefore, to those alone, which are more common or more manageable, and a general knowledge of the nature of which may enable mother to co-operate with the intention of the medical practitioner, whom she may find it expedient to consult. These we shall arrange under the heads syncope; retention of meconium ; jaundice ; cos tiveness; looseness ; acidity, and flatu lence ; thrush ; cutaneous eruptions ; den tition ; convulsions ; and rickets, For the rest, we must refer the reader to their regular classification, under the article