WEANING AND FEEDING IN INFANCY. The propriety of mothers nursing their own children is now so univerually acknowledged, that it is the duty of the physician less frequently to urge maternal nursing than to indicate cases in hich It becomes , necessary to substitute another mode of rearing the infant. Women, says Dr. Mann sell, " who labor under any mortal or weakening disease—as plithisis' hemorrhages, epi. lepsy—are obviously disqualified from the of nurse. Some who are in Othei respects healthy, have breasts incapable of secreting a sufficient supply of milk. In other instances, the breast may perform its functions well, but the nipple may be naturally so small, or may be so completely obliterated by the pressure of tight stays, as not to admit of its being laid hold of by the child. These are actual physical hindrances to nursing. Again, women may, and, in the higher classes, frequently do, possess such i extremely sensitive and excitable temperaments, as will render it imprudent for them to suckle their own children. Frightened and excited by every accidental change in the infant's countenance, and inordinately moved by the common agitations of life, such per sons are kept in a state of continual fever, which materially interferes with the forma tion of milk both as to quantity and quality. Women, also, who become mothers for the first time at a late period of life, have seldom the flexibility of disposition or the physical aptitude for the secretion of milk, required to constitute a good nursc."—it Treatise on the Management and Diseases of Children, 4th ed., 1842, pp. 39, 40. In ordinary cases, the child should be put to the breast as soon as the latter begins to con tain anything; and when the secretion of milk has fairly commenced, it will require no other food until the seventh or eighth month, provided the mother be a good nurse. During the first five or six months, the infant should be put to the breast at regular intervals of about four hours; afterward, when the teeth are beginning to appear, the child need not suck more than four times in the twenty-four hours, some artificial food being given to it twice during the same period. This at first may consist of soft bread steeped in hot water, with the addition of sugar and cow's milk; and subsequently a little broth, free from salt and vegetables, may be given once a day. The spoon is now the best medium of feeding, as the food should be more solid than could he drawn through the sucking bottle. The time of weaning should be that indicated by nature, when, by providing the child with teeth, she furnishes it with the means of obtaining its nourishment from substances more solid than milk. If the infant has been gradually accustomed to a diminished supply of maternal and an increase of artificial food, weaning will be a comparatively easy process; and much of that suffering both to parent and child will be spared, which commonly ensues when a sudden change is made. In ordinary cases, the period of weaning varies from the seventh to the twelve month; sometimes the child is kept to the breast for a much longer period, from the popular idea that lactation prevents pregnancy, but such unnaturally prolonged lactation is usually injurious to both mother and child.
In those cases in which it is inexpedient or impossible for a mother to suckle her own child, the choice of a wet-nurse becomes a subject of much importance. Upon this sub ject, Dr. Maunsell lays down the followina. important practical rules: "The great thing , we have to look to is to ascertain that both the woman and her child are in good health; and of this we must endeavor to judge by the following signs: The woman's general appearance and form should be observed, and they ought to be such as betoken a sound constitution. Her skin should be free from eruptions; her tongue clean, and indicating a healthy digestion; her gums and teeth sound and perfect; the breasts should be firm and well formed—not too large or flabby—and with perfect, well developed nipples. We should see that the milk flows freely, upon slight pressure; and we should allow a little of it to remain in a glass in order that we may judge of its quality. It should be thin, and of a bluish-white color; sweet to the taste; and when allowed to stand, should throw up a considerable quantity of cream. A nurse should not be old, but it is better that she should have had one or two children before, as she will then be likely to have more milk, and may be supposed to have acquired experience in the management of infants. Having examined the mother, we must next turn to the child, which should be well nourished, clean, and free from eruptions, especially on the head and buttocks. We should also carefully examine its mouth, to ascertain that it is free from sores or aphtlue. If both woman and child bear such an examination, we may with tolerable security pronounce the former to be likely to prove a good nurse."—Op. cit. pp. 44, 45. In one respect, we differ from this eminent physician. He holds that " the more recently the nurse's own confinement has taken place, provided she has recovered from its effects, the better." Supposing a nurse is required for a new-born infant, this rule holds good; but provided a nurse is required for all infant of three or four months old (for example), it is preferable to obtain a nurse whose milk is of that age. We believe it to ben general physiological law that the age of the milk should correspond to the age of the infant; that is to say, that an infant taken at any given age from its mother, before the normal period of weaning, should be provided with a nurse who was confined about the same time as its own mother A wet-nurse should be very much preferred to any kind of artificial feeding; but pecu liar cases may occur in which it is impossible to procure a nurse; or an infant whose mother is incapable of nourishing it may be the subject of a disease that may be transmitted through the infant to the nurse, In these cases, a food must be provided as nearly as possible resembling the natural food; and this is naturally sought for among the food of animals. The milk of the cow is most commonly used, in consequence of its being the most easily obtained; but ass's milk more nearly resembles human milk, as is shown from the following comparative analyses by professor Playfair: Woman. Cow. Ass.