Mortality is quoted as twenty-five per cent during the first year.  Between first and fifth year about five per cent, from fifth to tenth year about one per cent.  Rickets, or wasting disease (marasmus) and poor hygienic surroundings makes the outlook less favorable.

Mothers’ remedies. 1.  Whooping-Cough, Chestnut Leaves for.—­“Steep chestnut leaves, strain, add sugar according to amount of juice and boil down to a syrup; give plenty of this.  A friend of mine gave this to her children.  She said they recovered rapidly and the cough was not severe.”  They are not the horse-chestnut leaves.

2.  Whooping-Cough, Chestnut Leaves and Cream for.—­“Make an infusion of dry chestnut leaves, not too strong, season with cream and sugar, if desired.  The leaves can be purchased at a drug store in five cent packages.”

3.  Whooping-Cough, Mrs. Warren’s Remedy for.—­

“Powdered Alum         1/2 dram
Mucilage Acacia          1 ounce
Syrup Squills          1/2 ounce
Syrup Simple, q. s       4 ounces

Mix this.

This is one of the best remedies known to use for whooping cough.  It has been used for many years, and some of our best doctors use it in their practice.  I do not hesitate to recommend it as a splendid remedy.”

4.  Whooping-Cough, Raspberry Tincture for.—­“Take one-half pound honey, one cup water; let these boil, take off scum; pour boiling hot upon one-half ounce lobelia herb and one-half ounce cloves; mix well, then strain and add one gill raspberry vinegar.  Take from one teaspoonful to a dessertspoonful four times a day.  Pleasant to take.”

[Infectious diseases 183]

Physicians’ treatment for Whooping-Cough.—­The patient should be isolated and sleep in a large, well ventilated room.  In spring and summer weather, the child is better in the open air all day.  In the winter the child should be warmly clothed.  Pine wood and a fairly high altitude are probably the best.  The greatest care should be taken in all seasons to keep from taking cold, or bad bronchitis or pneumonia may result.  All complications are serious, especially in nursing children.  There should be no appreciable fever, and when the paroxysm of cough is over the child should sleep or play quite well, until the next one returns.  So if there is much fever the case needs watching.

Medical Treatment.—­Medicines have little effect in controlling the disease.  The severity can be lessened.  If the child is much disturbed at night, the following is good: 

1.  Acetanelid 1/2 dram
      Dover’s Powder 1/2 dram

Mix thoroughly and make up into thirty powders; for one year old one-half a powder every two hours while awake or restless.

2.  Syrup of Dover’s Powder 1 fluid dram
      Tincture of Aconite 10 drops
      Simple Syrup enough to make two ounces.