Scurvy.—­This disease is sometimes seen in infants.  It attacks infants who have been fed for a long time on a proprietary food or else on milk that has been over sterilized.  Nursing children seldom have it, or those who have been properly fed on modified cows’ milk.  Babies who are delicate and poorly nourished are more subject to it.  The first symptoms a mother notices is that it seems to hurt very much when his legs are touched; sometimes both hurt, and then again only one is painful; at other times the arms will be most painful and again both arms and legs seem to pain alike.  So it goes on; the joints enlarge somewhat and sometimes little red spots appear just under the skin and very often the gums will become red and spongy; this is especially noticeable around the incisor teeth of the upper gums, if they have already appeared.  Rheumatism is very rarely seen so early and with that, there is generally fever.

Treatment.—­A cure is soon affected.  Stop the patent food at once, or if the milk has been sterilized, it must be discontinued and the baby put on unsterilized milk diluted to the proper strength for his special age.  Strained juice of an orange should be given him every day; if under six months he can have the juice of one-half an orange; over that the juice of one orange.  This is given in intervals during the day.  Beef juice is good, about two ounces in twenty-four hours.  Smaller amount if necessary.  Improvement is noticed twenty-four to forty-eight hours after treatment.

Malnutrition. (Marasmus).—­Marasmus is a term applied to infants who grow thinner and thinner.  No matter how much or little they eat there is a constant wasting or fading away of the body.

What are the causes?  Syphilis, tuberculosis, chronic vomiting, persistent loose bowels, poor assimilation of the food.  Marasmus is really a later and more severe form of malnutrition.

Symptoms.—­He looks shriveled, the skin is dry, eyes are sunken, anemia is marked, the belly is much distended, while the other parts of the body seem to be all bones and no flesh; he is constantly whining and fretful, has a tired and anxious expression most of the time; under six months it is hard to cure.

Treatment.—­A physician is needed to watch over and prescribe, no set rule can be given.  Sometimes cod-liver oil or iron is needed.  It needs constant care and watching to cure this trouble.

[616 Mothers’ remedies]

Convulsions.—­Young children are more subject to convulsions than older people.  Convulsions may be due to brain trouble, but an overloaded stomach is the first thing a doctor thinks of, and so the mother should remember what was eaten that might be unusual.