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97
At the age of six months the infants are revisited and careful enquiries
made as to the exact feeding of the child since the first visit was paid after
birth.
The following Table will show the methods of feeding employed, and the
percentage of infants fed on the breast, cow's milk, &c.:—
Methods of Feeding for First Six Months.
Per cent.
Breast.fed entirely
78.1
Do. and Cow's Milk
8.1
Do. and Condensed Milk
4.5
Do. and Proprietary Foods
4.8
Cow's Milk entirely
1.8
Do. and other Foods
1.8
Do. and Condensed Milk
0.9
Total
100.0
At the age of 12 months the infant is again visited, and in this way full
particulars as to the feeding of the child for the first year is obtained.
It was found that—
57.89 per cent. were entirely breast.fed for first nine months.
21.05 per cent. were breast.fed with the addition of other foods, such
as bread and butter, soup, proprietary foods, &c., and in a few cases bits
of any food partaken of by the rest of the family were being given to the
child.
21.05 per cent. were not breast.fed at all, but brought up entirely by
hand from birth on cow's milk principally.
It is satisfactory that the percentage of infants fed on cow's milk this year
is comparatively small, as it was found in several cases that the milk given to
the child was obtained from a dirty and unsatisfactory general provision shop
instead of from a reliable dairy. The dangers threatening a child fed on such
milk is well understood when we realise the careless manner in which such
milk is handled and kept stored. Even under the most rigid supervision it is
almost impossible for milk stored in such shops to be kept reasonably pure.
A large number of the deaths of infants each year are due to summer
diarrhoea. It is a very small percentage of the babies who die from this
complaint that are breast fed, the majority being infants fed on cow's milk.