View report page

24
3.— That it is desirable that when a woman inspector finds that a suckling
mother has insufficient nourishment due to the husband being out of
work, she should report the case to the labour bureau.
4.— That it is desirable that mothers should be urged not to wean their
infants until the ninth month of age except upon medical advice.
5.— That it is desirable that mothers should be warned that the hand-feeding
of infants is expensive, troublesome, and unsatisfactory, risky at all
times, and in summer dangerous and often fatal.
6.— That with a view not to encourage premature weaning, it is desirable
that milk for the hand-feeding of infants provided privately or publicly
by milk depots at or below cost should be distributed upon the orders
of medical practitioners.
D.— Hand-Feeding of Infants.
1.— That, having reduced the number of sucklings required to be hand-fed
to the smallest proportion possible, means should be devised for
providing suitable milk for the remainder.
2.— That it is undesirable to encourage the use of pasteurised or sterilised
milk for the use of hand-fed infants who unfortunately cannot be fed
from the breast.
3.— That it is desirable that cow's milk intended for hand-fed infants should
be milked, transported, and distributed under special precautions.
4.— That the special precautions required in the production of cow's milk
for infants should include not only care in the selection, testing, and
feeding of the cows, but also care in their pasturing, sheltering and
tending, not only extreme cleanliness in milking, but also rigid aseptic
precautions, accompanied by immediate refrigeration, maintained during
transport, and by prompt dispatch so that the number of microorganisms
and the lactic acid in the milk may be reduced to a minimum
at the time of delivery instead of the hundreds of thousands and millions
of organisms and excess of lactic acid now to be found in so-called
fresh milk.
5.— That, in order to prevent the pollution of infants' milk in distribution
and in the home, it is desirable that it should be protected in stoppered
Dottles ready for feeding, and not be transferred to other bottles.
6.— That on account of the facilities that hand-feeding affords for the overfeeding
and under-feeding of infants, due to want of knowledge,
especially amongst the poor, it is desirable that the quantity and quality
of milk required for each feed at the particular age should be distributed
in a separate stoppered bottle, and that each basket or crate of bottles for
use should be accompanied by written instructions as to the frequency
and manner of feeding, and that such instructions should be supplemented
by oral instructions given by women inspectors or health
visitors at the houses of the milk consumers.