London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Fulham 1911

Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health for the year 1911

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94
In very hot weather it Is advisable to diminish the
amount of milk given, either by adding more water or
by lessening the quantity of each meal, and to make up
the deficiency in fluid by giving cold water at intervals;
and it should be remembered that babies are often thirsty,
especially in hot weather, and cry fretfully, not from
hunger, but from thirst, and they are soothed at once by
a drink of cold water.
In any case of sudden diarrhœa, stop the milk at once,
and give only plain water, which has been boiled, and
take the baby to a doctor without delay.
Do not think that the diarrhœa will pass off, as the
baby may be so ill in a few hours that no treatment will
be of any use.
General Precautions.
Cleanliness in the home is essential. The floors of
all rooms, passages and stairways should be frequently
washed with soap and water, and dirty walls and ceilings
should be scraped and limewashed.
No decomposing refuse should be allowed to remain
in the house or its neighbourhood, and all vegetable
refuse should be burnt in the kitchen fire
The drains should be frequently flushed, and any
obstruction or fault in them should be at once reported
to the Public Health Department, Town Hall, Walham
Green, as well as any omission in the removal of house
refuse and the existence of any other offensive nuisance.
House Flies, which carry on their bodies the filth with
which they have been in contact and the germs of disease,
should be as far as possible exterminated.