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1 6.

The influence of poverty.
It is the general experience that infantile diarrhoea
is more common in poor localities. In five of the notified
cases there was definite evidence of poverty and in eight
other cases the mothers went out to work. Infantile
diarrhoea is not, however, confined to the poor and in
seven of the cases the families were in very comfortable
circumstances.
Sanitary Conditions.
With regard to the sanitary conditions in the homes,
only in five of the 60 notified cases of epidemic enteritis
were obvious insanitary conditions present. These consisted
in two cases of damp walls, in one of defective
drains and in two of serious overcrowding.
As regards cleanliness the homes were in an exceedingly
dirty condition in two of the notified cases, in seven
the cleanliness was very indifferent and in the remaining
forty-one the houses were clean. It is obvious
therefore, even if one knows that dirty and insanitary
home conditions and overcrowding predisposes to infantile
diarrhoea, that they are not entirely responsible.
This brings us to the vitally important question
of infant feeding.