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140
The mortality rates amongst the Depot-fed infants and
children are lower than those registered in the Borough
generally.
As has been pointed out in previous reports in connection
with these mortality rates, allowance must be made for the
difficulties of strictly comparing the rates amongst infants
and children fed upon the milk and under observation for
varying periods, with the rates for the whole, or portions,
of the Borough, for a year or period of years. To be
statistically correct, only those infants or children who have
been fed upon the Depot milk for continuous lengthened
periods should be tabulated, whilst the numbers of deaths
that occur during any given period less than a year should
be increased pro rata, when dealing with rates for a year
or period of years. It is assumed that the rates that are
found to exist for short periods would be maintained during
longer periods—an assumption that, in practice, is found
to be warranted. It must be remembered that, as already
stated, the infants who are placed upon the Depot milk
are, as a rule, unhealthy and below par constitutionally, it
not actually diseased, at the time of commencing the milk,
and the longer they use the milk, the better their chances
of life. If some children died during the first month during
which they were taking the milk, it would be misleading
to assume that all children would die at the same rate during
the succeeding period of eleven months.
The most conclusive proof of the value of a Milk Depot,
in so far as the infants and children fed are concerned, is
to be found in the medical histories of individual cases,
which show again and again, in the case of the Depot
that those infants and children who appear to be seriously
ill and wasting, if not moribund, as the result of improper
or irregular feeding, at the time of commencing the milk,
actually recover and become strong and healthy.
The educational value, too, of a Milk Depot must not be
lost sight of.