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72
1908
It may be pointed out that of these 80 deaths 33 occurred in the third
quarter, or 41.2 per cent. of the total deaths from diarrhoea in that period.
This is of course the period of the year when, owing to certain meteorological
and terrestrial conditions, which have often been discussed in these reports,
diarrhoea is most prevalent and fatal. Many of the deaths, as the Medical
Officer of Health has frequently pointed out, are due to the improper feeding
of children, especially infants, who are too often given foods which they
are absolutely unable to digest, and which consequently cause disturbances of
the bowels, that on too many occasions ends in fatal diarrhoea.
In order to prevent infants being fed with unsuitable food, a series of
instructions are now issued to the mother of every newly born child, so that
she may feed her child in a suitable manner,
The following are the instructions referred to:—
Directions for the Prevention ot Summer Diarrhoea.
1.—Diarrhœa is generally very prevalent among infants during the summer
months, July, August, and September, and very many die from
it, in great suffering.
2.—It is usually caused by wrong feeding among bottle fed children.
3.—Breast suckled infants rarely die from it. It is therefore the duty
of mothers to suckle their infants, unless they are forbidden by
their medical attendant.
4.—If the infant is fed from a bottle, use one without a tube. The boat
shaped bottle with a teat is the best. Two of them should be kept
for use, so that one can always be clean and ready for use.
5.—Bottles with long tubes are always a great danger to the health
of the baby because the tubes can never be effectively cleansed.
6.—An absolutely clean bottle must be used at every feed. Dirty
bottles are the cause of much sickness and many deaths.
7.—After each feed thoroughly cleanse the bottle and teat in hot
water and soda, and kept it in cold water in a cool place until
again required for use. Finally rinse out the bottle and the teat with
hot water before again using it.
8.—The cows' milk that is used must be quite fresh. Old milk in hot
weather is usually sour milk, and should never be used. It is almost
fatal to infants.