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5
To discover what proportion of children were normally
fed at the breast an enquiry was made. At 174 houses where
babies under one year were found in the course of house to
house inspection, it appeared that 82 per cent. of children
under one year were breast fed, and 91 per cent. of those under
3 months.
The following table shows the proportion of breast fed
and artificially fed children under one year among average
infants and those suffering from diarrhœa.
Average children. Diarrhoea children.
Breast fed 82 per cent. 9 per cent.
Artificially fed 18 „ 91 „
It follows from this table that an artificially fed child is
45 times more likely to get diarrhœa than a breast fed baby.
(In the above table children partly fed by the bottle or
hand, and partly suckled, are included with those wholly
breast fed).
Of those artificially fed among the average children, 17
had Nestle's Milk, and 14 cows milk, and among the diarrhoea
children, 50 had Nestle's and 68 cows milk. As far as these
small numbers go they indicate that there is little difference
between the incidence of diarrhoea on Nestle's fed and fresh
cow-milk-fed children, what difference there is being favourable
to the Nestle fed. This differs from the experience of
other observers.
The following interesting facts relating to infantile feeding
stand out clearly:—
1. That the great majority of infants in the Borough are
still fed naturally for about 12 months.
2. Of those fed artificially, the great bulk are nourished
either on fresh cows milk or on Nestle's condensed milk; the
use of the cheap brands of condensed milk for the sole food