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31
Illustrative Cases.
1. The baby was 3 months old. There had been 11 children,
but only 4 now lived. The family occupied one room, only. The
mother was a widow who sold flowers in market streets. She had
ample breast milk, but gave the baby a bit of eel pic night and
morning. She said, "Baby enjoys a bit of eel, it is very good
for the chest."
2. The baby was 4 months old. There had been 6 children.
Five still lived. They occupied 2 rooms. The father was a costermonger.
The mother had very little breast milk. The baby was
being fed on biscuits. The mother's method of preparing them
was, "Soak a biscuit in hot water, pour the water off, beat up
with a pinch of sugar, a pinch of salt, and a knob of butter.
Baby looks for it now."
3. The baby was 4 months old, and the sixth child. There
were 3 other children. The baby was thin and wasting. Its feet
and hands were purple; its face and buttocks were very sore. It
was being bottle-fed, but the mother did not know how much water
she ought to add to the milk, and she did not know the degree of
dilution she was actually using. She just made the mixture "all
accordin,'" from which it was inferred that the dilution depended
upon the amount of milk available. The amount of liquid in the
bottle was said to be always the same. When milk was scanty
the deficit was made up with water. The milk bottle was excessively
dirty, and the diluted milk actually found in it and which
the baby was drinking was sour. On a subsequent visit, the
bottle was being washed in a small enamelled bowl, 10 inches in
diameter, containing soapy water already used for washing the
hands and faces of members of the family. The mother had a
wound on her face which had been stitched in four places. She
explained that her husband "had been paying her "—he had been
"knocking her about."
4. The baby was 9 weeks old and the ninth child. Seven
children now lived. The family occupied 2 rooms. The baby was
very thin and wasting. It was being fed on oatmeal, sugar, and
water. This diet was most unsuitable, and had given the baby