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9
MARASMUS, DEBILITY AND CONVULSIONS.
These are mainly due to improper feeding. Owing to
the lamentable ignorance of mothers, infants are far too
early in life fed either with patent foods, consisting chiefly of
starch or they are given solid food such as the parents have, and
these things an infant stomach cannot possibly digest. Statistics
show that amongst the more educated classes the
infantile mortality from these causes is low. It is therefore
obvious that ignorance of the management and feeding of infants
is largely responsible for these diseases.
Recent work on the subject of Infantile Mortality has, however,
disclosed another important factor. It is found that the
the death-rate of infants is increasing chiefly during the first
three months of life. Conditions in the parents must therefore be
largely responsible for this, and evidence seems to point to the
fact that excessive indulgence in alcohol is the chief cause. This
leads to physical degeneration in parents, inability in the mother
to suckle her child, and consequently feeble offspring is the
result.
Knowing, then, the chief causes of this high mortality, our
efforts must be directed towards removing them. Great improvement
would, doubtless, follow could we but secure :—
(1) More breast feeding,
(2) Purer milk supply,
(3) Cleanliness both of children and their homes,
(4) Education of women in the feeding and management
of children.
(5) Diminished indulgence in alcohol.
Progress, however, in these things is slow and difficult.