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22
Usually diarrhœal diseases are responsible for one
fourth of our infantile mortality, but if the records for
a series of years be examined, it will be found that
the actual number of deaths varies from year to year,
and that these fluctuations are influenced by variations
of summer temperature and rainfall. A hot, dry
summer is much more fatal than a cool, rainy one;
diarrhoea is a filth disease, and flies and floating dust
are mainly responsible for the distribution of that
filth. Nearly all the diarrhœal deaths occur in the
Autumn; and during the third quarter of last year
the earth temperature was low and the rainfall
excessive. This accounts for the fact that the number
of deaths from infantile diarrhœal diseases fell from
150 in 1906 to 77 in 1907.
The greatest risk of an infant dying from diarrhœa
appears to be in the third and fourth months of its
life. The mortality amongst artificially fed infants
from this disease is much greater than amongst those
who are naturally suckled. Farinaceous and most
patent foods are very hurtful to young infants, though
quite suitable for older children; their sale should be
restricted by law.
In France the sale of these indigestible farinaceous
foods for infants is prohibited by the "Roussell" law
which also forbids the use of feeding bottles with
tubes and of "dummy comforters" Dr. Newsholme
the recently appointed Medical Officer to the Local
Government Board and formerly M.O.H. for Brighton
has made a careful investigation into the effect of the
various methods of infant feeding and has arrived at
the following conclusions:—