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61
deals with the third quarter of each of the six
years 1892-97. Taking the deaths from diarrhoea
alone, it appears that, at ages under six months,
the number dying in each year from 1892 onwards
was 35, 30, 16, 31, 29, and 52; whilst the numbers
at ages above six months were 15, 14, 18, 20, 16,
and 26. This shows the heavier incidence on the
younger children, and also the smaller range of
mortality among children in the older group, among
whom a fairly constant mortality from this cause
appears to have prevailed.
As it has not been possible to get out information
as to the social status of the parents of the deceased,
that part of the subject must be left for future consideration.
The streets in which the deaths from
diarrhoea occurred were given in the Appendices to
the Reports for the third quarters of the. years (q.v.).
What, then, is the cause of this mortality? The
answer may be given in one word—"Dirt." Dirt in
the soil, in the streets, in the house, on the person,
and last, and perhaps most important of all, in the
food. It has been shown on many occasions that
nearly all infants dying of diarrhæal affections are
"hand" (i.e., "bottle") fed, and therein lies the
causa causans of the mortality. Sour neglected
bottles will suffice to kill children under conditions
otherwise favourable to life, and when to such
poisoning by the bottle there is added starvation
by the use of condensed milks of the cheaper sort—