2. THE INFLUENCE OF A HEREDITARY PREDISPOSITION TO CERTAIN DISEASES.--
Without entering into this subject at large, still it may be useful to
remark, that in some families there is a predisposition to some
diseases, which, occurring in the first child, will, as each succeeding
child is born, attack at the same age. Amongst other diseases of this
class are, croup, hooping-cough, and water in the head.
This observation should not only lead a mother to be alive to the
possibility of the successional occurrence of these diseases in her
family, and so early note their appearance, and seek medical advice,
but should at the same time make her most anxious, on the one hand, to
shield her child from all their exciting causes, and on the other, to
adopt those measures which may contribute indirectly to overcome the
constitutional predisposition to them.
Of the scrofulous constitution, I will merely mention here, that it is
of the greatest importance, where a predisposition to this disease
exists in a family, that a mother should immediately attend to any
alteration in the gait or contour of her child, and give prompt
attention also to any complaint made of swelling about a joint,
although it may be unattended with pain. The importance of this remark
will be seen by contrasting the result of the following cases which
occurred in children of the same family.
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