The impaired appetite often renders any other directions about
the diet unnecessary, than a caution to the parents or nurse not to
coax or tempt the child to take food, which it is and will probably
for some days continue to be entirely unable to digest. The heatof
skin and the craving thirst are the two most urgent symptoms in the
early stages of the affection. The first of these is generally relieved
by sponging the surface of the body several times a day with luke~
warm water, The desire for cold drinks is often very urgent, and
no beverage is half so grateful as cold water to the child, Of this
it would, if permitted, take abundant draughts; but it should be
explained to the attendants that the thirst is not more

relieved by them than by small quantities of fluid, while pain in
the abdomen is very likely to be caused by the over-distension of
the stomach. The cup given to the child should therefore only
have a dessert or table-spoonful of water in it, for it irritates the
little patient to removo the vessel from its lips unemptied. In
the milder forms of the disease and during the first week medicine
is little needed; but a simple saline may be given, such as the
citrate of potass in a mixture to which small doses of vinum ipe=
cacuanbe may be added, if as sometimes happens the cough is
troublesome, Ifthe bowels act with due frequency, and the ap-
pearance of the evacuations is not extremely unhealthy, it is well
to abstain from the employment of any remedy that might act
upon them, for fear of occasioning diarrhwa, which is so apt to
supervene in the course of this affection. Wor the same reason, if
an aperient be indicated, drastic purgatives are not to be given,
but a moderate dose of castor oil should be administered. Now
and then, however, cases are met with in which the bowels remain
confined during a great part of the affection, and in which such
purgatives as senna are not only borne, but are absolutely neces~
sary. 