View report page

181
III—LEAFLET ON SUMMER DIARRHCEA.
Borough of Lewisham.
PREVENTION OF SUMMER DIARRHCEA AMONG INFANTS.
July, August and September, is the season in which Diarrhoea is most frequent.
When it occurs to young persons it should not be regarded lightly.
When young children are affected, especially infants, its occurrence is frequently
attended by grave danger.
Amongst babies this disease in hot, dry, summers, frequently appears as an
epidemic, and is exceedingly fatal.
In London last summer, Diarrhoea caused 3,356 deaths. The deaths so
caused were chiefly among infants under one year.
From enquiries made in Lewisham, it was found that the deaths from
diarrhoea in infants were most common about the age of six months. These
enquiries showed that the deaths occurred among babies who were not fed at the
breast, but who were fed by hand.
Summer diarrhoea is largely due to artificial feeding, contamination of
baby's milk by improper storage, uncleanly conditions of home, of clothing, or
of the infant.
It also ai ises from giving baby stale and contaminated milk obtained from
small vendors, who have not the means of cooling their supplies and are without
proper means of storage.
Another cause is giving unsuitable food to infants.
Always remember that summer diarrhoea is preventable to a very large
extent.
HOW ?
By taking the following precautions :—
IN YOUR HOUSE.
I. Be sure to keep everywhere in and around your house scrupulously
clean. Germs of diseases live in dirt.
II. Be sure to have your drains in good order and clean. Flush the watercloset
and the gully-trap daily with large volumes of water.—This is
very necessary in the summer. If your drains get out of order send
notice to the Health Department, Town Hall, Catford. Immediate
attention will be given.
III. Be sure to burn all potato peelings, stale cabbage, and vegetable
rubbish. If this is impossible put it in your sanitary dust-bin and keep
the lid well on. Never put anything wet in the dust-bin.
IV. Be sure to remember that diarrhoea germs live in manure heaps, and
collections of decaying matters.