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33
Pneumonia and Bronchitis.—The deaths numbered 68, as
against 71 in 1908 and 85 in 1907, so that here apparently there
is some slight improvement.
Some of these deaths are possibly due to pneumonia supervening
on a previous infection such as measles or hooping
cough—others are doubtless due to exposure to inclement or
wet weather. They arc nearly all in the main preventible, and
should be prevented if parents would only exercise reasonable
care. Twelve of the cases died in St. Bartholomew's Hospital,
9 in Poor Law Institutions, 3 in other hospitals, and the rest at
home.
Diarrhœal Diseases amongst infants caused 64 deaths in 1909
as against 80 in 1908 and 42 in the preceding year. These
diseases are much commoner in hot and dry weather than they
are in cold and wet weather. For this reason epidemic diarrhœa
is often called summer diarrhœa.
Many of these deaths may be prevented by seeing that the food
of the infants is clean, by seeing that it is cleanly prepared and
cleanly stored in clean utensils. These deaths occur not only in
hand-fed children, but also in breast-fed children, especially if the
mother is slovenly or of dirty, careless habits.
It is part of the work of the lady health visitors to instruct
mothers in the clean and careful feeding of their children.
Breast feeding is everywhere encouraged, but if this is impossible
or inadvisable a suitable bottle and a suitable teat are
provided by the Public Health Department at the cost price of a
penny each in the case of those mothers who cannot afford to
buy feeding bottles at the chemist.
C