DEATH TOLL OF DIARRHŒA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2809, 15 January 1908, Page 70

DEATH TOLL OF DIARRHŒA.

The above diagram shows the death toil among babies in Paris during a single year. The height to which each column ascends represent? the number of deaths for the corresponding .week. The weeks, starting at the New Year, are shown in succesion by the figures from 1 to 52 along the upper margin. The corresponding seasons are indicated below. The figures to the left shoAr the number of deaths from infantile diarrhoea occurring in Paris during each week. The height above the bottom line attained by the black columns shows the deaths from diarrhoea among bottle-fed babies, and the height of the white columns shows the deaths among the breast-fed. It will be noticed that in midwinter the bJack deaths are only some 20 per week, w'ule in midsummer they rise to 258 per week. However, even timong the breast-fed there is some increase in baby deaths from diarrhoea during summer. This is accounted for by the fact that mothers living in the slums rarely cleanse the breasts, while they allow the clothing over these organs to become filthy and crowded with microbes. It is humiliating to contrast the disgusting and fata! filthiness of a large section of humanity and the sweetness and purity of what we call the lower animals found free ia Nature and not confined and compelled to be dirty by man. What can be"cleaner and safer than the teat baJh^d in pure air and sunshine? What ran be more revolting and dangerous than the uncleansed jndiarubber substitute, oi even the human nipple itself when wrapped in filthy rags, kept damp, warm, and festering day after day wiih exuded milk and sweat? .'f women paid proper attention to such, malters there would possibly be fewer baby deaths ir summer from diarrhoea than occur in winter, just as there are found to be fewer deaths from chest complaints in warm weather. Certainly summer would agree quite well with infants if their nrothtjx'S would refrain from irritating and poisonn^ them with microbes, wrong food, and wrongmethods of feeding, and if they would

OF NINETY; AND LESS CHANCE^ OF LIVING A TEAK THAN A MAN OF EIGHTY.