In spite of this treatment, however, the child will not be secure against relapses unless special precautions are taken to guard the body against chills. The catarrhal state, whatever be the organ affected, tends con stantly to repeat itself under the influence of slight causes, and there is little doubt that it induces an extreme sensitiveness to changes of tempera ture. Children who suffer from attacks of catarrh of the stomach and bowels, should wear a broad flannel bandage applied tightly to the ab domen, so as to ?each from the hips upwards to the arm-pits ; and the medical practitioner should look upon it as his first duty iu these cases to see that it is properly applied. The binder should be considered as part of the child's ordinary dress, and be cast off at night with the rest of his clothes. In many cases it is necessary, in addition to the above precautions, to fortify the resisting power of the child by cold bathing. Some caution, however, is often required in recommending this step to parents. Mothers are apt to take fright at the very mention of cold water ; and it is true that, in the case of weakly children, reaction is difficult to establish, so that a cold bath given in the ordinary way would not be attended with benefit. If, however, the bath be given according to the method advocated on a pre vious page (see page 17), and the skin be first stimulated by vigorous fric tion so as to enable the body to resist the shock of the cold douche, and the shock itself be lessened by making the child sit in a few inches of hot water, the bath will have a highly invigorating effect and be followed by immediate reaction. The continued use of this bath, besides having a re
markably tonic effect upon the system generally, confers great resisting power against changes of temperature, and considerably reduces the child's susceptibility to chills. .
By means such as have been indicated, the most obstinate gastric catarrh may be treated with success. But it must be borne in mind that success depends upon equal attention to all the points that have been insisted upon. A flannel binder will be of little value if the tendency to fermenta tion is encouraged by the immoderate use of starches and sweets ; and even cold douching may not be sufficient to neutralise the ill-effects of rapid changes of temperature acting upon a body imperfectly protected from the cold. In all cases, it is advisable to avoid the use of syrups in making medicines palatable to children. The pharmacopoeia syrups are not well borne by young subjects, and often do more harm than good. It is far better to sweeten the child's physic with glycerine, or a few drops of spirits of chloroform.
In cases where habitual pain after food is complained of, the treatment found useful in similar cases in the adult should be resorted to. The diet should be arranged on the principles already indicated. Both sauces and highly-spiced or fermentable food should be forbidden, and the child should take bismuth and soda, or small doses of dilute hydrocyanic acid with an alkali.