London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Hackney 1911
Report on the sanitary condition of the Hackney District for the year 1911
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153
(b) Artificial Feeding.—From birth to the end oj six months.—
If the mother cannot, or can only partially, suckle her child, it
should be fed-on fresh cow's milk, diluted in the proportion of one
part of milk to two parts of either water or barley water, and slightly
sweetened with sugar. Two tablespoonfuls of this mixture should
be given to the infant during the first month every two hours,
between the hours of 5 a.m. and 11 p.m., and once during the night.
As this mixture is rather deficient in fat, it is better to add a
teaspoonful of cream to one of the meals each day, or to give half
a teaspoonful of cod liver oil twice a day.
After the first week the quantity and composition of the milk
given, and the periods of feeding, must be modified in accordance
with the following table up to the end of the sixth month.
FOOD TABLE FOR AVERAGE INFANT UP TO END OF
6th MONTH.
FOOD TABLE FRO AVERAGE INFANT UP TO END OF 6th MONTH.
| Period. | Intervals of feeding. | Quantities for each meal. | No. of Feeds in 24. Hours. | Composition of Food. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st week 1st month | 2 hours 2 hours | 2 tablespoonfuls 4 tablespoonfuls | 10 10 | One part milk, two parts water or barley water. |
| 2nd month | 2 ½ hours | 6 to 8 tablespoonfuls | 8 | Equal parts of milk and water, etc. |
| 3rd and 4th month | 3 hours | 8 to 10 tablespoonfuls | 7 | Equal parts of milk and water, etc. |
| 5th and 6th month | 3 hours | 12 to 14 tablespoonfuls | 7 | Two parts of milk to one of water, etc. N.B.—All milk or water used should be previously boiled. |
This table is only intended to be an average. It will, no doubt,
be necessary to depart in certain cases from the quantities and
proportions as experience teaches, perhaps more being given at one
time and less at another; but it would be advisable to keep as close
as possible to it, especially as regards the intervals.