An introduction to the diseases of infancy / by J.W. Ballantyne.

  • Ballantyne, J. W. (John William), 1861-1923.
Date:
1891
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An introduction to the diseases of infancy / by J.W. Ballantyne. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    The first imitative movements are those of laughing and smilin<^ 0 erying with tears (for at first crying is a pure reflex, and is not accompanied by the flow of tears), of the making of gestures with t le hands, of pointing with the finger, and of nodding tlie head Many other examples might be given, but these are sufficient in order that an idea may be obtained of the kind of movement. M ith regard to the date of the first appearance of such'deliberate, \oluntary movements, it has to be remembered that individual children vary very much in this respect, and that, probably, the third month may be taken as roughly indicating the commence- ment of the epoch of the will. The holding up of the head is considered by Preyer to be the first voluntary movement, and this act, as is well known, occurs at or soon after the third month of life. . • • ' Put the question may be a.sked. Has the baby no thoughts prior to the third month ? AH that can be said in answer to this is that, if the infant has many thoughts or ideas before the third month of life, it is mo.st likely that they are associated with the sati,sfaction of hunger, with the feeling of the need of sleep, and with the painful impressions of loud sounds, brilliant lights, and rough handling. But after the third month the range of mental vision is vastly widened. To put it into everyday language,—“ The baby begins to notice things,” he begins to fix his gaze upon people, upon animals, upon brightly coloured and attractive articles, upon parts of his own person, as his arms and leg.s, and upon the hundred and one other things to be found in the nursery. He begins to try experiments in natural philosophy, he learns to measure distances with his eye, he appreciates the difference between hard things and soft, and he plunges into the mysteries of equilibrium and the law of gravity. He begins, also, to distinguish between auditory impressions; he likes to hear his mother singing gently over his cradle; he objects to being shouted at or spoken to loudly or crossly. Taste and smell are senses through which he begins to become more fully acquainted with the possibilities of the artificial preparation of viands with appetizing tastes and odours. It would be impossible to enumerate one-half of the baby’s acquirements in the fir.st year of life; and as the year is ending, a still greater advance is rendered po,ssible by the acquisition of the powers of language and of locomotion.