children, looking on as a detached outsider, seeing nothing of the
teeming activities of the quick, restless little brain, and the
persistent, though faulty reasoning--it is natural for her to blame
another's work, and to flatter herself that her own routine would have
avoided all these troublesome complications. The mother of the nervous
child may often rightly take comfort in the thought that her child is
worth the extra trouble and the extra care which he demands, because
he is sent into the world with mechanism which, just because it is
more powerful than the common run, is more difficult to master and
takes longer to control and to apply for useful ends.

It is through the mother, and by means of her alone, that the doctor
can influence the conduct of the child. Without her co-operation, or
if she fails to appreciate the whole situation, with the best will in
the world, we are powerless to help. Fortunately with the majority of
educated mothers there is no difficulty. Their powers of observation
in all matters concerning their children are usually very great. It is
their interpretation of what they have observed that is often faulty.
Thus, in the example given above, the mother observes correctly that
defæcation is inhibited, and produces crying and resistance. It is
her interpretation that the cause is to be found in pain that is at
fault. Again, a mother may bring her infant for tongue-tie. She has
observed correctly that the child is unable to sustain the suction
necessary for efficient lactation, and has hit upon this fanciful and
traditional explanation. The doctor, who knows that the tongue takes
no part in the act of sucking, will probably be able to demonstrate
that the failure to suck is due to nasal obstruction, and that the
child is forced to let go the nipple because respiration is impeded.
The opportunities for close observation of the child which mothers
enjoy are so great that we shall not often be justified in