HEALTH NOTES.

Inangahua Times, 27 September 1913, Page 3

HEALTH NOTES.

hOUF, IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

To " Hygeia." j Dear Mfwlamo,— Having followed, with great interest from the beginning I the splendid work done by the. Society j for the Health of Women and Children, ! it occurred ic nifs that 'perhaps you would be hind enough to enlighten m< on one or two points connected with tho bringing' up of children, on which I am not quite clear is to the .attitude the authorities of the Society would triko up. In tho caso of a ibaby w3io lias been fed on a patent food, do you advise Changing .at .once to humanised milk in a suitably wo.Uc forfo, or is ■■iti.Bometimes better to give, say, half the pa' ent food and half humanised milk to begin with and to decrease tho former and increase the latter as quickly .as possible, tilt the patent food is got ml of entirely ? One knows that at the Karitano Home, where ito patent tood.s of any sort are allowed, every baby is 'Hi'( on--fo humiini.sed milk. of one strength or .uJiothfv in'. once (leaving, o.nt of account those whose state v!e:r>a»ds whey or only boiled water for a time), but*in the work among the homes one sometimes 'hears of a babv being started by a MtinWfc nurse on the other method—that k- by giving the patent food , iii decreasing, quantities along with humanised, milk. Tt'o advantage of this seems to be that ia stronger fjrade of. mUk can bp given to begin with, so that itune fh^o.patent food is worked' out, tho bai/y mny. : _ almost on full-strength humanised milk. I should be very glad to know what circumstances would determine you an choosing which' oE these methods to follow The other point 011 winch 1 should !v gjad of advice is the question of Children's pets-' . , , One knows that there are .ceflij-ni o-veat dangers, especially in keeping dow and cats; on the other hand a child wlfo luis tie vet' had pets loses a great den I of pleasure, iiriil a great /leal cA useful training besides, it baps, be of interest io. others bosuios f myself to h'ar i-.e society's , views oil this matter, as it- allnds alum it -i children, whether their parents or o . n .,r;lians have actually considered t ie ° iatt ; r -not. Wisl.iiig VOlHwork all .success in the future,----. 1 * ' etc. INTERESTED IXQUIRF.i?. THE KEPTA The general rule is that no food should be changed ■suddenly. Take the case of a. chdd woll established on a-patent food, and doing apparently well. One would certainly do everything in one's powei' to induce the people gradually io change to humanised milk, it be ng t]je food that undoubtedly approaches most nearly to Nature's. To this case one m ghf. well pursue the methods indicated—i.e.. that of giving Ihc patent food an decreasing and the humanised nv.lk in gradually increasing quantities. One would bring about the change as quickly as was consistent With the child's digestion. The case of a baby at Karifcane-TTarns Hospital is obviously quite different. The fact of -its .going there implies that it is ill, and that the patent, food used Ims d'sagrml. .and consequently should bo discontinued at once. The course then is olerr —to take the baby oil the patent food and to put it. on a weakened form of humanised milk; or. il it very ill, on sugar.solid'on or albumen water or whey, as the case may be, and very gradually to work it oh to humanised milk. DR. TRUI3Y KINO'S ADVICE. Tn this connection Dr. Trilby King writes as follows: If a babv is del'eate, or if ho has been fed with patent foods or condensed milk, begin with one part of huinaniod milk to two of boiled water. Say b::by has reached .the end e.( three months, and would need for fwU snst, nance (if of normal we : ght and development) about- .'lOoZs (li pints) of mother's milk or of humnmsod in.lk and boiled water, allowing oi this mixing six feedings of H.v/, cadi m Iwontv ionr liouvs*

I crivr-. b;iby only a third of the j propei' allewaU' e ,tf f.for sustaining ! normal growth and n'. volipmont. j llowovor, the mam point at first is t.> | get tie. dg si iv" organs into proper j working order. !•:<• ease fho prop'-rO; >i i '■r iniiti.'UHsid r.nd convspi-ndmgl> . ' dimmish ih>. boded water fairly (piickly j at first, to prevent keeping baby on very weak food (below halt strength,! Then go more slowly, watching' carefully the effect of the food, and thus minimising tho risk of overstepping the digestive power—judging by appear- j niico ami of motions, comfort, discomfort, sleep, eiic. KEEPING PETS. W" it'll i&gnid to the oth q y j as to the advisability «r otherwise of children keeping pets, I add tho opinion, obtained from an eminent medica-i authority:— . , "fntP.rested Inquirer' js no douot quite right iii sSyvnK/'hat a child who has never had annnai pots, a oreat deal of pleasure, and a giep of useful training besides; but there as another side, ami a very_ important „ue, to this question. We think il Would he best tor all practical purposes tll i limit the iii;-ciissi(Ui, at any rale m the meantime.. to the subject ot dogs ; an'd cats, which, are, .of course, iie comnioiio ,, t of cliildren, s pets. Now, dogs wn'i lie 'logs and cats wJI I | U . cats, and they all 'have <'evtMUi objectionable characteristics whien •"» ammill | : 0 f training can elnnDoes are part.cumrly liable to harbour parasites. «.s])ee.ally tapewoi'iiis. and one tmy variety of I, poworni rn ti.e> <tog, especiallly p<^'a hmi in New Zealand ai.d .ot ' & 1 „;:!i Ki'U Th. of the hvdatid inpe worm are .passe, in the excrcmen tof the dog and bec.un , distributed over the surface of i Pmd and into tho streams and ponds J'horeby sheep, cattle, livgs, horses and hirnair beings may become infected : wallowing these egg>. In 'houses Whore, dogs, arc made pets • of and allowed perhaps io iiok the fi ,,, „f vliiM'vn. , t ~; , i- ■ infection mav easit, >< ■ of member that It is the aml d< f ■ only, that the hydatid ( ' ifiliates. Tt might be asked. vl» e ' , doers eet the tape-worm from , am . +l,], i s .. From ealing the i.iw answer ( • ns the liver -ami flosil of airtinals f-- , T ,.'"< hydatid ifejiLs of A'-'l' ;

diseaso.' • ; , i i.0.,' fu the dog. and the dog only, Indat o tape-worm grows; ;| i't other an una ■ hydatid disease takes the torn, ot <, T „wth of bladders calh'd cysts m d tiVrent parts of the body, especially tljc liver and lungs. The raw eaten bv the dog product' the tnp.wolm in that animal; tin- eggs 1 passed in the motion oi tbo dogs .- ]. U(V Idadder-liko growths m man an 1 ~tock animals, a.nd thus a vicious cue o !; s established. It is innv general known that there is a nsk of catching hvdatid disease from drmkang unbo.led or unfdtefetl water fi'pm streams, poo s, and reservoirs that have been open o pollution by dogs, and even pet dogs are 1 possible source of danger m this res- '' Dogs frequently suffer from niaiige, aii'l tlio of childn'U is o on traceable to infect'on from, this source. CATS. Cats, too, are sometimes mangy, and cats are known to suffer from diphtheria, which is, o;f course., highly infectious to human beings, especially children. Both eats and dogs harbour Ilea:; and other similar parasites, which ma> cause trouble by migrating to the tender bodies of children, lion. After judging at IWlarat, >'r. Enough has been said to show that if children .'ire to be allowed to make pets of dogs or cats scrupulous car:' must, be taken to see that these animals aro kept, as dean as possible m body and in habits !>nt that even with the' greatest care, a certain amount of risk, not very serious perhaps, inusr. be run. in regard to mlection from hydatid disease, ringworm, diphtheria. Ilea-, and other skin parasites.