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114
The Infant Milk Depot at Liverpool, which is the largest in this
country, yields an infant death rate of 89 per 1,000 births. It
should, however, be remembered that the average age at commencement
of the use of the milk at Liverpool has been four-and-a-half
months, whereas at Finsbury it has been three-and-a-half months,
and more than half the infants were admitted under the age of
three months, and more than a quarter were under six weeks of
age. Moreover, the percentage of admissions of sickly children is
higher than at Liverpool.
The report next discusses the clinical results of each group of
children fed at the depot :—
A.—Infants who have shown steady improvement throughout.
B.—Infants who, whilst taking the milk, suffered from
epidemic diarrhoea and the results of the attack.
C.—Infants brought to the Depot suffering from epidemic
diarrhoea and who recovered on the milk.
D.—Infants brought to the Depot suffering from grave constitutional
disease and for whom this milk-feeding has
done little or nothing.
(Charts are issued with the report showing the increase in
weight).
The Summary of Conclusions was as follows :—
1. That the Finsbury Infant Milk Depot seems to illustrate
the essential principles upon which such work should be
carried on. The chief of these appear to be :—
(a) Direct control of the milk at the farm ;
(b) Treatment of the milk, whatever it may be, immediately
after its yield, and before the contained
micro-organisms have had time to multiply or secrete
their products ;®
(c) Medical supervision of the Depot and of the infants
using the milk.
* The importance of this matter is not sufficiently recognised by
Dairy-farmers generally.