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58
ON THE CARE OP INFANTS.
Advice to Mothers and Others in Charge of Infants.
During the last ten years the deaths of Infants under one year old
in Hackney have averaged over 900 per year. A large number of
these deaths has been due to preventible causes, such as improper
feeding and clothing, and carelessness on the part of those having the
charge of infants. This, it is believed, has arisen mostly from want
of knowledge ; therefore it has been thought desirable, in the interests
of the public health, to attempt to supply this want by compiling the
following few rules for the guidance of young mothers and others inexperienced
in the proper feeding and care of Infants.
(1) Infant Feeding.
(a) Natural Feeding.—If possible, all infants from birth until the
time of weaning should be suckled by the mother, if she is healthy.
This is the best and natural form of infant feeding. During the first
month of life the infant should be given the breast every two hours
from 5 a.m. until 11 p.m. It may be necessary to feed the child once
during the night. Afterwards the intervals of feeding should be
lengthened as set out in the appended table. If the mother can only
give the breast once a day this should be done in preference to wholly
feeding on cows' milk. No child should be suckled under the best
conditions longer than the first year or rickets may follow.
It may be explained here that human milk differs greatly in quality
from cows' milk, the latter containing a much larger quantity of
curd, and less sugar than the former. It is owing to the excess of
curd in cows' milk that it has to be largely diluted, otherwise it would
be impossible for infants to digest it.
Another disadvantage in the use of cows' milk is that most of it
contains preservatives, such as boracic acid and formaline, sometimes
in such quantities as to cause indigestion in infants feeding on it.