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bor's wife is a living example of the influence which the habit of fidgetting may exercise when yielded to. A good mother and a faithful wife is she, yet the cares and duties of the home so completely exhaust her stock of patience and composure that she is unable to meet an emergency in a capable manner. A short time ago, when lifting her baby from its cradle she bumped its head against the wooden hood under which it had beem sleeping, and so upset was she at the mishap that she straightway got a hammer, and smashed the offending article. We may never reach such an uncontrollable condition, yet the lesson to be drawn is good for all to whom the responsibilities of a household are committed. There are so many matters demanding close attention, and the moods of home life are so variable, that unless a cool and even deportment is maintained the little things will rob us of self-control; and, if the heads of the home are fussy, nervous, and easily disturbed, what must be the condition of the rest of the family? In the absence of any reserve power, the slightest derangement of the ordinary routine involves a state of things which amounts almost to a panic. The children generally inherit the characteristics of the parents, and this fact, together with the constant example set them, develops an irritable, uncertain temper that is very uncomfortable to live with. There is friction and unnecessary heat in the household machinery. Family life is uneasy and unsafe, for not only is there an absence of steady, quiet contentment, but there is also the constant danger of some one throwing the house into a ripple of excitement by his fidgetting and restlessness.— Farm and Home.

CONVULSIONS IN CHILDREN.

Fits occur at all ages. During childhood they are called convulsions, and may come on within a few hours of birth. When a baby has a convulsion he should be at once undressed and put into a bath of warm water. The water must feel comfortably warm to the hand; in this the child should be kept until the seizure is over. If wind escapes from the bowels, an injection of warm water will cause an action of the bowels and often immediate relief. Fits occurring in babies are nearly always due to wrong food or overfeeding. The nervous system of babies is more developed than other organs, consequently any food that disagrees may cause a convulsion. To avoid these alarming attacks

mothers must not overfeed their offspring nor give them wrong foods. A baby fed by the bottle or on the bosom does not need feeding more than once every four hours during the day, and once or twice in the night. Babies must not be given any foods but the bosom milk, or the milk of the cow, goat, or ass, until it has cut at least two teeth, and even then not before it is nine months old. To give bread and milk, or oatmeal, or biscuits, or arrowroot, or any patent food, is to render a baby liable to these attacks. When babies suffer from any kind of illness this often begins with a convulsion, as in measles, scarlatina, inflammation of the lungs, &c. When children from one to ten years old suffer from convulsions, it is usually because food or other irritant is disturbing the stomach or bowels. A child whose nervous system is highly developed may have a fit if he has eaten some food which has disagreed with it. In a case of this kind the clothes about the neck must be unfastened, a cork or bit of wood placed between the teeth to prevent the tongue from being bitten, and hot fomentations should be applied over the stomach and bowels. If the attack is due to indigestible food, making the child sick by giving salt and water, mustard and water, or the tickling the throat with a feather, will quickly stop the attack.

MENTAL AND PHYSICAL WORK.

During the whole of my medical experience, says Professor Nussbaum, a celebrated Munich doctor, I have met with but few patients who had been made ill by overstraining their bones or their muscles; but, on the other hand, I have had to treat many hundreds of very serious cases of illness brought on by mental over-work-illnesses which were often most troublesome and difficult to cure. I am thoroughly convinced that the human body was not intended for the studytable, but for manual labor. I have always found that the healthiest and cheerfullest people are those who work in fields and gardens, and move about the greater part of the day in the fresh air. How different is the health of men who spend their time in offices. All of these usually suffer from cold feet, hot heads, and weak digestions-there are very few who do not constantly complain of nervous excitement. We all know that the exercise of any organ causes the blood to flow more copiously to it, and that its veins become thereby enlarged. This applies to the brain. When it acquires a greater flow of blood it does so

at the expense of other organs. The arms, hands, and feet become poorer in blood as the brain becomes richer. The earlier such a state of things comes into action in the human body, the younger the individual is, the more damaging are the consequences of the balance thus faultily adjusted. A wretched future lies before the man whose mind is overworked while he is still a child. It is a thoroughly mistaken notion to believe that a child nine years old learns more in seven or eight hours a day than in four or five hours. Children should be in bed by nine o'clock, and should not be allowed to get up before five or six, otherwise the brain does not get enough rest. I hold that the principle of keeping a child occupied the whole day is an excellent. one; only a large proportion of the time should be devoted to bodily exercise, to the education of limbs and muscles, and, whenever it is possible, in the open air.

EPIDEMIC INFLUENZA.

For about thirty years I have taken especial interest in all the influenzas, whether of Pitcairn or of the Chatham Islands, or of St. Kilda, or the great wave of epidemic which was sweeping round the world about this time last year. My own conviction is that there is nothing which one can take either as a prophylactic or a cure which exerts any material influence on the disease. Or, if one must take something, let it be great care; care, I mean, to avoid chills, ulcerations, over-heat, and everything calculated to produce inflammation or a feverish condition, either localized as in a sore throat, or general as in a universal chill. For I have a steadily growing belief that influenza is a microbic disorder, whose microbes do not readily take hold on the human system at its normal temperature, but if there be even a slight degree of fever, either local or general, the germs find a readier entrance, and this idea is strengthened by the fact that the animals which are most susceptible of it, and which feel its approach much earlier than men do, are all animals whose blood-heat is normally higher than that of man. There is a theory now afloat that influenza is due to excess of ozone in the air. It is true that a person who sits in the vicinity of an electric machine which is generating ozone gets something very similar to influenza. But if the theory be sound, the best way to avoid influenza would be to live near a drain; for the good of ozone, and the only good from the sanitary standpoint, is that it neutralizes putrescible

matter. So, if "Fenman" lives in the fens, there should be no such visitation as an influenza epidemic-ozone and the fen exhalations should destroy each other.-R. A. CHUDLEIGH, in Farm and Home,Eng.

SPRING TONICS.

Of the many positive antiseptic medicines that antidote the disease germs, one of the most simple and valuable, is sulphur; it is a powerful antiseptic and rapidly destroys the bacteria and diseased germs in the blood. This is the reason why sulphur is unrivaled in the treatment of diphtheria and kindred diseases. It is also very valuable in the treatment of chronic rheumatism, piles, boils, and eruptions of the skin. As a spring remedy, it should be combined with cream of tartar, as follows: B Sulphur, 6 teaspoonfuls; cream of tartar, 3 teaspoonfuls. Mix.

One teaspoonful of the above powder mixed in molasses or syrup should be taken by an adult every morning for a week or ten days; then omit for a week, after which it should be repeated as before. Simultaneously with the administration of the above, we would suggest the administration of the second valuable remedy for this season, viz: muriate tincture of iron. This we would give in small doses, say five to eight drops in a wineglass of water after each meal, during the time the sulphur is being taken. Always take the iron through a straw or tube so it shall not come in contract with the teeth. have been taken, give quinine twice a day, from doses, according to whether you live in a malarial proper administration of these old, well tried remedies will prove all sufficient in almost all cases where it is essential to give any medicinę.

After these remedies one-half to two grain region or not. The

TENDENCY TO PHYSICAL DEGENERATION.

Decided tendencies to physical degeneration in the American people are commented upon by a recent medical writer. This degeneracy he attributes to unnatural conditions, concomitants of our civilization. Recent studies of our population indicate a rapid growth of the nerv ous and intellectual organism at the expense of the muscular and vital system. The extraordinary mental activity of the American people has long been a matter of national pride. Experience and observation show, however, that where this is purchased at the price of physical

degeneration, it should be a matter more of anxious concern than of patriotic complacency. A quickened cerebral and nervous system makes heavier draughts upon bodily strength, and if these are not met by a corresponding increase of nutrition they will undermine the action of the whole system.

Among the causes for a decline in physical vigor, are noted the increased population of our cities and towns, and the relative decrease in farming population. The close confinement of city occupations and the lack of proper sanitary regulations, have made city life a serious absorbent of muscular and vital energy. Nervous and mental activity are greatly quickened in these centers, but the accompanying physical decline has been a matter of common as well as scientific observation. Added to this cause, are the artificial influences of education, which tell even more fatally upon the female than the male constitution. Each generation of mothers imparts a decreasing measure of vitality to their offspring.

DON'T SHUT UP THE WINDOWS.

Where the body is not overheated the draught caused by the ordinary incoming of air through an open window will do infinitely less harm than the impure air caused by closed windows. The way to enjoy pure air in cold weather is to turn on the heat when the room gets cold, not to shut up the windows. If the room becomes too warm, don't turn off the heat, but open the windows. By this means a person who knows any thing about ventilation can have an equable, summer-like atmosphere about him all winter long. The necessity of open windows is doubly apparent where tobacco smoke is indulged in, as the smoke is dangerous to the breathing apparatus and makes it liable to lung troubles.

SUNLIGHT AND HEALTH.

This is what Florence Nightingale says of the value of light to those who are ill, no less than for those who are well. "Second only to fresh air, I should be inclined to rank light. Direct sunlight, not only daylight, is necessary for speedy recovery." Instances could be given, almost endless, where in dark wards, or in wards with a northern aspect, even when thoroughly warmed, or in wards with

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