View report page

50
their children, on the way to feed them. The providing of means of
amusement in order to counteract the attraction of the public house, the
restriction of grocers' licences for the sale of wine and spirits, the
energetic enforcement of the provisions of the Pood and Drugs Act, a
crusade against the increase in the drink habit among women, the
prevention of overcrowding, and the removal of all insanitary conditions
in the district.
Improper feeding of Infants.
The ordinary artificial foods are not suitable for the feeding of young
infants. They are deficient in the proper quantity of fat and do not
possess the anti-scorbutic quality found in ordinary milk. In selecting a
substitute for the mother's milk, the cheapest and best is sweet and fresh
cow's milk diluted with water, and strengthened by the addition of a
small quantity of cream and sugar. It is, however, almost impossible in
a large town to procure and keep ordinary milk sweet and fresh for the
baby's use. In warm weather, especially, it rapidly turns sour and
becomes when administered a veritable poison to the infant. The souring
of milk in hot weather can be prevented by sterilising it whilst sweet and
sound, and supplying it in stoppered bottles. Each bottle should contain
one " feed," and should not be opened until immediately before it is given
to the baby. At Infant Milk Depots supplying this sterilised milk 63
bottles are supplied each week at a cost of 1/6. The daily supply of nine
bottles is given out each morning.
The first depot for the supply of this sterilised milk for infants was
originated by Dr. Leon Dufour of Fecamp, in 1894. Afterwards similar
places were opened in Paris and other French towns. The first depot in
England was started at St. Helen's followed by others at Liverpool,
Ashton-under-Lyne, Dukinfield, Leith, Bradford, Leeds, Sheffield,
Battersea and other towns. Lambeth is on the point of organising a
milk depot in the crowded part of its borough.
Dr. McCleary has described the working of the Battersea Depot. He
says: "The method of working an Infants' Milk Depot varies to some
extent in these towns. The method employed in the Battersea Depot is
as follows:- The milk is supplied by a local dairyman and arrives in the
early morning. It is guaranteed free from chemical preservatives, and
to contain not less than 3.25 per cent. butter fat. The first process is the
modification or humanization. Three modifications are employed. The
first contains two parts water to one of milk, seven ounces of cream and
seven of lactose being added to each gallon of the mixture. This modification
is given to infants under three months old. The second