For thirty nine children having chronic thumb sucking, the preveptive medicine for thumb sucking in the form of a type of manicure was applied to the nails of these children. The duration of time for this experiment was one month.
The results were as follows:
1) Twenty two children stopped the habit of thumb sucking, thirteen decreased the frequency of thumb sucking, and four continued the habit.
2) In three to ten days thumb sucking recured in the case of four children out of the twenty two whose thumb sucking had been eliminated by the medicine.
3) Thumb sucking was eliminated in less than one day in the case of five children, less than three days in the case of six, and more than one week in the case of five.
4) The rate of the elimination of thumb sucking was 47.0% at the age of four,38.0% at the age of five and 83.3% at the age of more than six. And as the children become older, this medicine is more effective.