OUR BABIES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 87, 5 January 1918, Page 5

OUR BABIES

fBY HTCSIA.I

Published under the auspices of the Eoyal Now Zealand Society/ for the Health of Women and Children. "16 is wiser to put up a ience at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom." SUMMER MAKKHOEA. When dealing with this subject in a previous article we pointed out that hummer diarrhoea rarely attacks babies unless they have been a little "out of sorts, or actually failing i" health beforehand. Wo now enumerate some of the dangers to be avoided and the precautions to be When will mothers and nurses realise that a. child who has apparently thriven for mouths, in spite of wrong treatment, may suddenly fall a victim to some milii'v against which his system would hav, oeen quite proof had lie hcen kept in u, atato of perfect health and litness, by paying due attention to all the simple laws of life and primary needs or mXbaby may hold out against almost any form of inattention or carelessness during spring, and yet succumb to «ve first drink of tainted milk given to /nm on a warm summer's day- The ettca 01 such food on a perfectly healthy bahi might be merely to bring on passing coin,, or to cause one or more green, motions; but it the system had been insidiously undermined previously (though there might have been nothing apparently wrong with the baby) the effect of a single feeding with risky food might be an attack of acute diarrhoea, ending fatally, simply btcauee the child had not acimirert enough stamina, to put up a z°°<\ tyf™- . \f a baby is fed artificially, and there " no mean, ot keeping prepared milk Wow GOdcg. I'ahr., the mother should heat up to Scg. any residue left over at the end of 12 hours after preparation, and then .cool it down rapidly as directed on jwgc l» "Feeding and Care of Ilaby," and keep t cool If there is no thermometer in the house the milk may be mildly scalded as Tacfuii iug of milk in a saucepan of hot water, heat until the water boils, awl | keep boiling tor ten minutes. '1 hen coo rtinidlv in running water, etc.. keeping coS as directed* in ti.p »«icty> boo t. Dr Kiilnh Vincent, bcihoi physician to theinfan?" Hospital, W«tmin«l«r. ina*« the following remarks on **» ?™ commonly known as "summer (ll.mnooa ot infants":-

This disease is peculiarly liahle to a»neur at certain times ot the jci . I is practically absent in other potions of the year. The conditio, « which the disease arises °f »M 1" hot weather, and especially. timing a hot summer. The charnc ensue, of tl c Aiseaao In regard to the date ol W> *V poarancc is that it appears mojUJi"wards the latter end of s''m>ner, when the heat has continued for some conHidorable time. (Memo, by JW-f'lf..,; Tho worst months in New Zealand aie January, February, 8»'l March.) As a mortal disease affecting babies, epidemic, diarrhoea, is the most serious of all. The number of deaths depends on the temperature. If it is a cool summer the number of deaths is eompauitively low; if it is a hot summer tl o number of deaths is very high imlecid. (Naturally the hotter the summer Iho more the germs grow and nourish in he milk.) The year 1904 afforded a sad illustration in England. The summer of that year was very W>t. ami m many towns throughout the comitiy nearly one-half the babies under 12 months old died in .the three months July. August, and September. I hero inflicts died becauso they were bob. oncd. (Poisoned, ns Dr. Vincent pio- ' cecds to show, nmiiily by the microbes contained in tainted milk, acting: on babies who had not been kc.it >n Ml'!> a state of first-rate health and condition aB to enaole them to resist the attaokß of germs.-"Hygcia. )

Dr. Vincent emphasise the fact that the name "Bpidomio Diarrhoea, is liable to be somewhat misleading, because, a - though all epidemic diseases tend to alto™ the bodily "unfit" rather than thf "fit," yet people who are auite well may fall victims. How to Prevent Diarrhoea. In the case of so-called epidemic diarrhoea of infants, however, the disease is strictly avoidable. It can bo avoided by taking the following very simplo precautions—namely : 1. By always supplying "What Every llaby Needs, Whether Well or Iill" (see the Society's book, pagos 1 and 2). Don't invite tho microbes to establish themselves iu the interior of the baby by keeping the soil ready lirepared for their growth. A stitch in time saves nine. Don't be careless about the baby's health mcrjly because tho season happens to be good and he appears to be flourishing and scorningly ill no need of special attention. Don't omit anything that ho is rightly entitled to have and that tendu to keep iiiin always nl the highest pitch of health and fitness. • 2. By not feeding. him with germladen, poisoned milk or any other improper food.