This child health articles about “Disease In The Child - Early Detection” were divided into 6 parts, go to part one, part two, part three, part four, part five and part six.
It is highly important that a mother should possess such information as will enable her to detect disease at its first appearance, and thus insure for her child timely medical assistance. This knowledge it will not be difficult for her to obtain. She has only to bear in mind what are the indications which constitute health, and she will at once see that all deviations from it must denote the presence of disorder, if not of actual disease. With these changes she must to a certain extent make herself acquainted.
Of the gestures
The gestures of a healthy child are all easy and natural; but in sickness those deviations occur, which alone will often denote the nature of the disease. Suppose an infant to have acquired the power to support itself, to hold its head erect; let sickness come, its head will droop immediately, and this power will be lost, only to be regained with the return of health; and during the interval every posture and movement will be that of languor.
The little one that has just taught itself to run alone from chair to chair, having two or three teeth pressing upon and irritating the gums, will for a time be completely taken off its feet, and perhaps lie languidly in its cot, or on its nurse’s arm.
The legs being drawn up to the belly, and accompanied by crying, are proofs of disorder and pain in the bowels. Press upon this part, and your pressure will increase the pain. Look to the secretions from the bowels themselves, and by their unhealthy character your suspicions, in reference to the seat of the disorder, are at once confirmed.
The hands of a child in health are rarely carried above its mouth; but let there be any thing wrong about the head and pain present, and the little one’s hands will be constantly raised to the head and face.
Sudden starting when awake, as also during sleep, though it occur from trifling causes, should never be disregarded. It is frequently connected with approaching disorder of the brain. It may forebode a convulsive fit, and such suspicion is confirmed, if you find the thumb of the child drawn in and firmly pressed upon the palm, with the fingers so compressed upon it, that the hand cannot be forced open without difficulty. The same condition will exist in the toes, but not to so great a degree; there may also be a puffy state of the back of the hands and feet, and both foot and wrist bent downwards.
There are other and milder signs threatening convulsions and connected with gesture, which should be regarded: the head being drawn rigidly backwards, an arm fixed firmly to the side, or near to it, as also one of the legs drawn stifly upwards. These signs, as also those enumerated above, are confirmed beyond all doubt, if there be present certain alterations in the usual habits of the child: if the sleep is disturbed, if there be frequent fits of crying, great peevishness of temper, the countenance alternately flushed and pale, sudden animation followed by as sudden a fit of languor, catchings of the breath followed by a long and deep inspiration, all so many premonitory symptoms of an approaching attack.
This child health articles about “Disease In The Child - Early Detection” were divided into 6 parts, go to part one, part two, part three, part four, part five and part six. You are in part three, continue to part four.
About the Author:
This article was write by Johny Do, a contributor at UniqueArticlesDirectory.com You can read all his articles here.
Tags: appearance, approach, arm, article, assistance, belly, bent, bowels, brain, cannot, chair, change, character, child, child health, cot, countenance, denote, Detection, deviations, Disease, disease-in-the, disorder, doubt, extent, face, fee, first, first appearance, fit, forebode, gestures, gums, habit, hand, head, health, health articles, infant, information, interval, knowledge, legs, look, make, medical assistance, mind, mother, movement, nature, nurse, pain, palm, part, post, posture, power, presence, press, proofs, reference, return, seat, secretions, sickness, side, sign, sleep, Start, Sudden, suspicion, suspicions, teeth, thing, time, turn, Use
This article was published
on Tuesday, May 20th, 2008 at 1:15 amand is filed under Babies, Disease & Illness, Health & Fitness, Home & Family, Kid's Issues, Parenting.
You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
