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160
November 7th 1907, when a year old, weighed 22 lbs 15 ozs.,
which is much over the average.
W.S., born February 4th, 1907 ; started Depot milk April 16th, 1907 ;
weaned by doctor's orders, on account of the mother's health.
Baby was wasting and suffering from indigestion at the time
of starting Depot milk. Notified as suffering from zymotic
enteritis on July 28tli ; mother ignorant and neglectful ;
cleanliness of the premises and of the child not satisfactory.
The mother asserted that she did not give the child any other
food besides Depot milk, but her statements are not reliable.
L.B., born February 28th, 1907 ; started Depot milk June 13th,
1907 ; was not in good health at the time ; had recently
suffered from an attack of diarrhoea and vomiting. Notified as
suffering from zymotic enteritis on September 5th. Premises
clean but the mother admitted that she put the Depot milk
into a long-tube bottle; Baby ceased having Depot milk
September 6th ; died October 2nd of zymotic enteritis
11. T., born April 11th, 1907, started Depot-milk 18th May. Child did
very well on the milk, doubling its weight in four months.
Mother very careful and premises very clean. Died 24th
October, 1907, of epidemic enteritis.
Deaths of Infants havin'o Depot Mii.k. We have seen that
although Depot-fed infants are to the extent of more than one-half
ill or delicate when commencing Depot-milk, those who gave the milk
a fair trial gained in weight more than average children mostly
breast-fed. As regards death-rate, infants who are not breast-fed
have a very high infant mortality, which in Derby was found to be
three times that of breast-fed children. There are no statistics at
present available for Woolwich, but it is probable that the death-rate
of hand-fed children in the Borough is twice as great as the general
infant death-rate (including both breast and hand-fed infants). It is
therefore very satisfactory to find the small number of deaths of
children fed on Depot-milk.
Other milk-depots have given a death-rate for the children fed,
but,proper allowance does not appear to have been made always for
deaths of children who have left the Depot. A large number of these