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54
APPENDIX.
PREVENTION OF INFANTILE OR SUMMER DIARRHŒA.
Infantile Diarrhœa is a very serious and fatal form of illness
occurring during the hot months of the year (July, August,
September), and affecting chiefly infants under one year old. During
the third quarter of the year 1899 there were 314 deaths from this
cause in Hackney—250 being infants under one year old. The
disease is more common in towns than in rural districts.
Many circumstances, of which the following are the chief, favour
its prevalence, most of these being preventable.
Circumstances Favouring the Prevalence of Infantile
Diarrhœa.
(a) Heat and dryness of the atmosphere. Where a hot summer
is combined with a small rainfall, summer diarrhoea is at its
maximum. Whereas on the contrary a cool wet summer
brings this disease to its lowest point.
(b) Density of population and dwellings with over-crowding.
These conditions either singly or combined are invariably
found associated with a high diarrhœal death rate.
(c) Darkness and dirtiness of dwellings. These are other
ditions which promote a high mortality from summer
diarrhoea.
(d) Want of ventilation through and about the dwellings. The
want of ventilation gives rise to a " fusty" smell, which is
most unhealthy and is productive of an increase in summer
diarrhœa.
(e) Offensive smells, in or about the home, front decomposing
organic matter, animal or vegetable (such as frequently arise
from foul dust-bins, drains, w.c.'s, yards, &c.), favour the
disease.