OUR BABIES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1752, 17 May 1913, Page 11

OUR BABIES.

[BT H*GEU,] Published under the auspices of the Society for tho Health of Women and Children. , "It is wiser to put up a fence at tno top of a precipice than to maintain an amoulanco at tho bottom." SOME BACTERIA 03? EVERYDAY LIFE. Dr. Champtaloup, Professor of Public Health and Bacteriology, delivered tho annual address at the meeting of tho Dunedin Society for the Health of Women and Children, taking for his subject "Somo Bacteria of Everyday Life." The lecture was profusely illustrated by kinematograph pictures and lantern slides, which had l entailed an enormous amount of personal work. The lecture demonstration was intensely interesting, and, although the pictures cannot be reproduced here, we feei euro that t our re&dera will share the general appreciation of tho subject matter, from which we extract the following:— Bacteriology is one of the youngest of the sciences, and the one that is probably to-day making tho most rapid strides. Within the last 10 years tho subject has become of great importance, and has grown to such on extent that» mstoud of the general bacteriologist, Ave now have the pathological bacteriologist or worker with disease-producing bacteria, the vetterinary bacteriologist, the agricultural bacteriologist, and 60 on all with wide fields of unexplored territory still before them. HOSTILE AND FRIENDLY BACTERIA', As the subject is so vast, I intend to confine my reniarks/principally to those harmful or disease-producing bacteria which are connected with infant life. It is against these that tho labours of health officials, bacteriologists, and such societies as yours are really directing their attention. If you consider for one moment the valuable work which this society is carrying out, and if you dissect cvory object and aim of the society, you will hnd that much of the mischief against which you contend is due to the innocent-looking and yet potent group of germs called bacteria. We must not imagino for one moment that all bacteria are harmful. Far from it. Many are apparently of little use, others are necessary to our bodily economy, while others play a great part in manufacturing processes. Without bacteria all refuse and decaying organic matter would remain, with us, and bo difficult to dispose of. The germs of putrefaction rapidly rednco this organic matter to simple and harmless elements, and pull tho tissues of dead trees and plants and animals asunder. The surface of the body, the mouth, and intestines are laden with bacteria, and yet they do us no harm, and even in some casos do good so long as we keep them in their place, and do not suffer our bodily strength to fall below par. It is only by some derangement of our' body tissues that they can gain entrance to forbidden grounds, and there set up various diseases processes. ' In plant life certain bacteria manipulate nitrogen frojn the atmosphere. Wo are all familiar with tho nodules on tho roots of clover, peas, and beans, and it has been found that these nodules are largely made up of rod-like bacteria, which are able to seize upon atmospherio nitrogen and work it up into an available form for the use of the plant. In commercial life bacteria play an important part. Those who tan leather, thoso who rot the flax plants to get them ready for the making ot linen thread, and the people who cure tobacco leaf are all jugglers on a largo scale with the capacities and whims of special forms of living bacteria. The lecturer then explained the nature and structure of bacteria, pointing out that they are really minute plants. He described the technique of tueir cultivation, and the wonderful rapidity with which, under favourable conditions, they increase—reproducing themselves by sub- ■ division. Dr. Champtaloup showed a few of the bacteria which commonly produoo disease in infants. In speaking of diphtheria, ho said:— "It is in connection with this disease that we see the splendid results of scientific treatment. A case of diphtheria is now treated by injection under tho skin of a serum prepared by injecting a horso with increasing doses of dead diphtheria bacilli and thtfr products. Tho effects of the 6erum are marvellous. It acts by neutralising the poison produced by tho germs, and which is circulating in tho blood. The earlier this Eerum, or antitoxin, as it is called, is administered tho 6oonor will it neutralise the poison and prevent its harmful action. INFANTILE DIARRHOEA. With regard to infantilo diarrhoea, tho lecturer said: .... "This disease is largely one of infants, 80 per cent, of the mortality occurring under two years' of age, while its incidence is by far the greatest on hand-fed infants. It is due in many cases to the consumption of tainted food, and as milk forms the bulk of the food partaken of at this age, tho tremendous loss of life from this causo surely warrants overy precaution being taken in'milkinc and in handling and storing milk prior to use. Where tho milk supply is doubtful, the baby's health may bo safeguarded by using pasteurised milk, which process deJ stroys tho germs which cause this disease. Dr. Hope, of Liverpool, conducted an inquiry among infants of artisan parents, and he found that for every death from diarrhoea amongst breast-fed infants 22 occurred among tho entirely artificially fed. These figures will appear more startling when I state that there dio annually in England and AVoles about 19,000 infants under one year of age frfliu diarrhoeal complaints alone. In New Zealand the average for a number of/ years is 360 deaths per annum upder one year of age from diarrhoeal eomplaints. It is appalling to think that such minute bacteria can be responsible for so many thousands of deaths when a little care in the handling of milk and the observance of the ordinary rules of cleanliness would be the saving of much of this waste of human life. Do not altogether blanio the little germ. It can do no harm if kept in its proper place, but when by cross neglect it gams entrance to .tho [ fjaby's milk it cannot lie p producing , those diseases peculiar to ibelt. ) Always bear in mind that _ the most i effective barrier against the inroad, of - hostile bacteria is a sound body, built up strong and resistive to disease by ! careful attention to all tho essentials for 1 hoalth. | 9 Glaxo Builds Bonny Babies.—Advt. | •