EXCEPTION 1.—­The first of these is when the supply furnished by the mother is scanty.  There may be two causes of the scantiness of this supply; 1st, the want of suitable nourishment by the mother; and, 2dly, a feeble constitution, or bad health.  In the former case, it should be her first object, as it undoubtedly will be that of her physician, to improve the quality of her diet; and in the latter, to restore her health, or at least invigorate her constitution.

In regard to the proper diet of a mother, as such, as well as the general management which her case requires, a volume might be written without exhausting the subject.  But I have already said as much on this subject, in another place, as my limits will permit.

But we cannot wait for the mother’s health to improve, and allow the infant to suffer, in the mean time, for a due supply of food.  The appropriate question now is, How shall such a supply be furnished?

This should be done by means of an article resembling in its properties, as closely as possible, the mother’s milk.  For this purpose, we have only to mix with a suitable quantity of new cow’s milk, one third of water, and sweeten it a little with loaf sugar.  This is to be given to the child, at suitable intervals, and in proper quantities, by means of a common sucking bottle.  It is, indeed, sometimes given with the spoon; but the bottle is better.

To the question, whether the child should be confined to this, till the period of weaning, Dr. Dewees answers, No.  I am surprised at this; and my surprise is increased, when I find him, almost in the very next breath, urging with all his might, numerous reasons against the very common notion, that children in early life require a variety of food.  He even insists on the importance of confining the child to a single article of food when it is practicable.  Yet he has not given us so much as one reason why it is not practicable in the case before us; but has gone on to speak of barley water, gum arabic water, rice water, arrowroot, &c.  I venture, therefore, to dissent from him, and to answer the foregoing question in the affirmative.  When one good and substantial reason can be given for change, the decision will, however, be reconsidered.

I have already stated the general rule for preparing this substitute for the mother’s milk.  But there are several minor directions, which may be useful to those who are wholly without experience on the subject.

If possible, the milk used should not only be just taken from the cow, but should always be from the same cow; for it is well known, that the quality of milk often differs very materially, even among cows feeding in the same pasture, or from the same pile of hay; and the stomach becomes most easily reconciled to the mixture when it is uniform in its qualities.  Great care should also be taken to see that the cow whose milk is used is young and healthy.