View report page

45
showed that 82 per cent. of all infants under 12 months were fed
wholly or partially on the breast. In my report on Summer
Diarrhoea, previously referred to, I estimated that an artificiallyfed
child was 45 times more likely to die of diarrhœa than a
breast-fed child.
Of the three children who were fed on depot-milk, all had been
taking the milk for at least two months before the zymotic
enteritis began. In one, the conditions of the house were
satisfactory, the mother careful and intelligent, and there was
nothing to account for the infection having been conveyed. The
child had done very well on the milk, and it soon regained its
normal health. In the two other depot-fed cases, the mothers
were ignorant, and did not attend to the directions as to the use
of the milk. One of these no doubt gave the child other food
besides the depot-milk. In one of them the child and the home
were not kept clean; the baby was wasting and suffering from
indigestion at the time of beginning the milk. This one also
recovered. The other had had an attack of diarrhoea and vomiting
before commencing the depot-milk. The mother, in spite of
directions to the contrary, insisted on putting depot-milk into a
long-tube bottle, and, on being blamed for this, she discontinued
the milk. The child died a month later.
Table V. shows the cause of weaning of 34 cases which were
weaned under the age of six months. It appears from this table
that only three children were weaned on account of the mothers'
going to work. 26 children were weaned owing to the failure of
the milk, and to death, illness, or other condition of the mother.
Action taken.—The cases notified were visited by Miss
FitzGerald. A leaflet of instructions as to cleanliness, feeding of
infants, disinfection, and other matters, was left and explained.
Mothers were particularly directed to wash their hands before
preparing the baby's food. When any insanitary conditions were
found at the house, the usual steps were taken for remedying them.