OUR BABIES.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14823, 14 November 1913, Page 7

OUR BABIES.

(By Htpsia.)

SOME IMPORTANT QUESTIONS.

To "Hygeia." Dear Madame, —Having followed with great interest from the beginning the splendid work done by tho Society for the Health of Women and Children, it occurred to mc that perhaps you would be kind enough' to enlighten mc on one or two .points connected with the bringing-up of children, on which I am not quite'clear as to the-attitude tho authorities of tie Society would take-up. . ' '■•'<■

" In the case of a baby who has been fed on a patent food, do you advise' changing at once to humanised milk in'a-suitably weak form, or is it sometimes better to give, say, half the patent food and half humanised milk to begin with and to decrease the former and increase , the latter as quickly as possible, till the patent food is got rid of entirely? One knows that at the Karitane Home, where no patent foods of any sort are allowed, every, baby is ;put on to . humanised >milk of one strength or another at once (leaving out of account those whoso state demands whey or only boiled water for a time), # but in the work among the homos one. sometimes hears of a baby being, started by a Plunket nurse on the other method —that is, by giving the patent food in decreasing quantities along with humanised milk. The advantage of this seems to bo that a stronger grade of milk can ho given to begin with, co that by the time the patent food is worked out the. baby may bo almost on full-strength humanised milk.

I should bo very glad to know what circumstances wonld determine you in choosing which of tbeso methods to follow. The other point on which I should bo glad of advice is the question of children's pets. . One knows that there are certain great dangers, especially in keeping dogs and cats; on tho other hand, a child who has never had pets loses a great deal of pleasure, and a great deal of useful training besides. It might, perhaps, bo of interest to others besides myself to hear, tho Society's views on this matter, as it affects almost all children whether their parents and guardians have actually considered tho question or not. Wishing your excellent work all success in the future, —I am, etc., INTERESTED ENQUIRER.

THE REPLY

Tlio general rule is that no food should bo changed suddenly. Take the caso of a child well established on a patent food, and doing apparently well. Ono would certainly do everything in ontjls power to induce the "people gradually to change to humanised milk, it being the food that undoubtedly approaches most nearly to Nature's. In this caso ono might well pursue the method indicated— i.e., that of giving tho patent food in decreasing and tho humanised milk in ! gradually increasing quantities. One would bring about the change as quickly as was consistent with tho child's digestion. The , caso of a baby at KantaneHarris Hospital is obviously quite different. The fact of its, going there implies that .it is ill, and that the patent food used has disagreed, and consequently should bo ■discontinued at once The course then is cloar—to tako tho baby off the patent food and to put it on" a weakened • form of humanised milk; or. if it be very ill, on sugar solution or albumen water or whey as tho caso may be, and very gradually to work it on to humanised milk. -, I>R. TRUBY KING'S ADVICE. In this connection Dr. Truby King writes as follows: If baby is delicate, or v he has been fed with* patent foods or condensed milk, begiu with one part humanised milk to two of boiled water. Say baby has reached tho end of three months, and would need for full «" te ? a "*f{}f of normal weight and development) about 30oa <U pints) of mothers milk or of humanised milk, we might begin with lOoz humanisod mUk. and SOoz boiled water, allowing of tme mirture six feedings of soz each m 24 hours. This eifes baby only a third or the proper fllowanco-of food for «**«»»« humanised milk and correspondingly

diminish tho boiled water fairly quickly at first, to prevent keeping baby long on very weak food (below half-strength). Then go more slowly, watching carefully the effect of the food, and thus minimising the risk-of overstepping the digestive. power—judging by appearance and number of motions, comfort, discomfort, sleep, etc. .KEEPING PETS. . With regard to the other question, as to the advisability or otherwise of children keeping pets, I add the opinion, obtained from an eminent medical authority:—

"Interested. Inquirer" is no doubt quite right in saying that a child who has never had animal pots loses a great dear of pleasure, and a great deal of useful training pesides:. but there is another side, and a very important one, to this ' question. We : think it would be best for all practical purposes to limit the discussion, at any rate in the meantime, to tho subject of dogs and cats, which are, of course, tho commonest of children's pets. Now, dogs will be dogs, and cats will be cats, and they all have certain objectionahle characteristics which no amount of training can completely eliminate. Dogs are particularly liable to harbour parasites, especially tapeworms, and one tiny variety •of tapeworm in the dog, especially prevalent in New Zealand and other sheep-raising countries, is responsible for the spread of hydatid disease in human beings and in stock animals. The eggs of the hydatid tape-worm aro passed in the excrement of the dog and become distributed over the. surface of. the'land and into tho streams and ponds, whereby sheep, cattle, pigs, horses, and human beings may become infected from swallowing these eggs. In houses where dogs are made pets o.f and allowed perhaps to lick the.hands and faces of children, it' is obvious how infection may easily bo' transmitted. Thousands of animals and hundreds of human beings are every year, affected by hydatid disease in this country, and remember that it is in tho dog, and the dog only, that the hydatid tape-worm originates. It might.be asked, Where do dogs get.the tape-worm from; and the answer is, From eating the raw flesh of animals such as the Jiver and Rights of sheep infected with hydatid disease. .

In the dog, and the dog only, hydatid tape-worm grows; in other animals hydatid disease takes tho form of the growth of bladders called cysts in different parts of tho body, especially the liver and lungs. Tho raw cysts when oaten by the dog produce the tape-worm in that animal; the tapo-worm eggs passed in the motions of the dogs produce the bladder-like growths in man and stock animals, and thus a yicious circle is established. It is now generally known that there is a risk of catching hydatid disease from drinking unboiled or unfiltered water from'streams, pools, and reservoirs that have been open to pollution by dogs, and even pot dogjs are a possible source of danger in this respect. Dogs frequently suffer from mange, and tho ringworm of children is often traceable to infection from this source CATS. Cats, too, are sometimes mangy, and cats are known to suffer from diphtheria, wliich is, of course, highly infectious to human beings, especially children. Both cats and dogs harbour fleas and other similar parasites, which may cause trouble by migrating to ihe tender bodies of children.

Enough has been said to show that if children aro to bo allowed to make pets of dogs or cats scrupulous.euro must bo taken to see that these animals are kept as clean as possible in body and in habits, but that even with the greatest care a certain amount of risk, not very serious perhaps, must be run, in regard to infection from hydatid disease, ringworm, diphtheria, fleas, and other skin parasites. . .

It 13 very doubtful whether tho advantages to children of more or less intimate association with these animals will counter-balance : tho» risks enumerated. -