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impregnated with fome parts of the excrements, though otherwife carefully washed, that they will excoriate the infant. 3. The acrimony alone of the infant's fæces, urine, &c. independant of the former causes, will nevertheless have the fame effect. This is proved by frequent diarrhæas, or acrid urine, which rarely fail to excoriate children.

Though every one of these causes is capable of producing an Intertrigo, yet they do not equally act on all children; nay, on fome they will have no effect, whilst on others they have their proper influence, all which depends on the particular difpofitions of each infant, especially on the nature of the fkin; for a child whofe fkin is hard and clenfe, will bear dirt, acrid fæces, and urine, &c. without any excoriation; whilst others of a more delicate, tender and thin fkin, will fuffer confiderably thereby. Moreover, fuch as are very fat, or have feveral foldings in their fkin, will therein retain the fæces fo long, till by their delay they corrode and excoriate the parts; if fpecial care be not taken to wash them very frequently, and keep them clean, turning by degrees thefe folds, till no dirt is found in their interstices.

SYMP

SYMPTOMS. The symptoms of this diforder, are very few, and almoft confined to a little uneafinefs, watchings, and fome times a flight fever.

DIAGNOSTICS. The Intertrigo is eafily discovered by inspection, and hardly needs any particular figns. For as often as we meet a fat plump child, of a white and tender fkin, we may conclude, if he be excoriated in the groins, &c. that he has an Intertrigo.

PROGNOSTICs. The Intertrigo threatens the patient with no danger. The only

thing that may be apprehended is the rickets,

to which this disorder fometimes gives rise.

CURE. The principal thing in the treatment of an Intertrigo is to change frequently the child's cloths, and to keep him clean! If this won't do, let his fores be fomented with plaintain-water, or a decoction of the root of mallows, warm red wine, or all together, putting fmall pieces of fine linen on the excoriated parts. If the diforder be more confiderable, and inveterate, an absorbent powder may be exhibited. Such particu-› larly as is found in dry and worm eaten wood; which is a remedy well known to the good women, who daily ufe it to dry up

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those excoriations; for want of this, you

may order them mill-duft. The meal, or flour on the furface of new-baked bread will have the fame effect.

If the Intertrigo will not yield to these, we may have recourfe to more powerful remedies, which are to be fought for in the apothecarie's shop: these are the powder of cerufe, that of tutty, or the white ointment of rhazes.

As to the diarrhæa, acrid fæces, or urine, fince nurse's milk commonly produces them in children, her temperament fhould be rectified, and the peccancy of the humours corrected wherefore fhe is to take pulletbroths, in which are boiled cooling emollient plants, or other remedies proper to correct the acrimony of the juices. If this cannot be easily done, and the diarrhea, acrimony of the fæces and urine, ftill continue, it will be expedient to change the nurse, for another whose humours are more balfamic. If this does not meet with fuccefs, order fome gentle aftringent clyfter for the patient.

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CHAP. V.

Of the CRINONE S.

N children, are fometimes obferv'd be

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twixt their fhoulders, or about their loins, a great Number of coarse black hairs, called Crinones, from their likeness to the briftles of fwine. The Greeks and Latins have not spoken at all of them. The German writers, through a corruption of the above name, call them Comedones, fome call them Sete for the fame reason. In France, they are called Moustaches, being fuppofed to affect none but male children. These hairs are' very coarse and ftrong, whereas the hairs of children are commonly weak and pliable. They disappear in cold weather, and become more confpicuous by heat, fo that the fkin where they are lodg'd, is all black. By frictions, particularly of fweet fubftances, as breast milk or honey, they grow longer. feveral systems have been framed about the origin and nature of these hairs. The ancients imagined, that they were produced

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by the excrements of the third digestion. Afterwards fome fufpected they were animals; and at length, this notion has been confirmed by the help of microscopes, which discovered these hairs to be real Infects, having a distinct head with a pair of eyes, and a tail divided into three parts. Their heads are inferted deeply in the fkin, which they retract, or extrude, more or lefs, according to the various degrees of heat or cold, or by the frictions of fweet fubftances. Etmuller has accurately defcribed them in his practical works.

We are now to examine in what kind of pores thefe animals were lodged. I am of opinion they are implanted in the excretory ducts or pores of the febaceous glands; because the oily vifcid humour of these organs is very proper for the nutrition of fuch animals. Moreover, the febaceous glands are very numerous betwixt the fhoulders, and in the loins, where these animals are commonly obferved. But why are not they also met with in the head, &c. fince these parts are well furnished with fuch glands, as we obferved in treating the Crufta lactea? The reafon of this, I suppose, is, because the

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