INFANTILE DIARRHŒA.

Otago Witness, Issue 3327, 19 December 1917, Page 57

INFANTILE DIARRHŒA.

The time has again come round for issuing our annual warnings and advice regarding the safeguarding of children in summer. Som; of vou have read these articles before; buj. the simple truths they contain cannot bo inculcated too often, and there' are always now recruits in our ranks who will now read the articles for the first time. As the season is approaching during which Summer Diarrhoea tends to become rife among babies, it is important to emphasise the fact that the disease GENERALLY ATTACKS INFANTS WHO HAVE BEEN MORE OR BESS OUT OF SORTS FOR SOME time previously. Mothers should now be on their guard, and should watch carefully for any sign of failure, such as listlessness, dullness, loss of appetite, fretfulness, etc.

Indigestion due to unsuitable food and irregular feeding is the main predisposing causo " of diarrhoea in babies, so that all mothers should bo specially vigilant in summer. They should be perfectly regular in feeding, and should give the children nothing unsuitable or liable to disagree. THE HOLIDAY SEASON. Unfortunately, it is just at Christmas time and throughout the holidays—the hottest season of the year —that our New Zealand mothers become most irregular and careless in these matters. One frequently sees tiny tots being stuffed with cakes, bananas, and sweets of all kinds, and a feeling of great indignation arises at 'the gross ignorance which makes such folly possible. Travelling by rail or sea, or visiting friends, the" child's power of endurance is strained to the utmost, and many an unfortunate infant in the Dominion makes no progress from Christmas time 'to mid-January on this account; hence, when the most trying days come, and Summer Diarrhoea, is rife, the fatal disease knocks. effectively Rt the houses where the doors are ah-eady ajar. In such caeeg, if the disease does gain a foothold, the unfortunate baby cannot escapo unscathed. Ho mav not die, but at best he will be thrown back for months, and more or less injured for life. I need scarcely say that preventive measures of almost equal importance to proper food and regular feeding are the other essentials of hygiene—namely : Pure, cool, free-flowing fresh air day and night. Suitable clothing by day and night. Plenty of outing. Regular exercise and sleep. Regularity of the bowels and other HABITS. Cleanliness. Dummies should be got rid of at once. The above applies to all_ children. It is, however, among your babies that Summer Diarrhoea plays the greatest havoc. What should mothers do to prevent its onset? NATURAL .FEEDING THE BEST PREVENTIVE. THE main preventive measure is " to feed babies as Naturo intended. Bottle-fed

babies are fax moro liable to got tho disease than those that are breast-fed; therefore, if possible, do not wean during January, February, or March. The mother must, of course, do all she can to make sure that her supply of milk is good and sufficient by taking-plenty of exerciso in the open air, by restricting herself to good, eimplo food taken at regular intervals, including from one to two pints more fluid than she would drink if not nursing, by having a current of pure, fresh free-flowing air coursing through her bedroom all night long, and by regularity of all habits. The nursing mother should take NO alcohql in any form. All the above-mentioned hygienio measures must bo attended to as carefully when the baby has tho inestimable benefit of good mother's milk as when ha is. bottle-fed. If it is absolutely necessary to wean your baby, do it gradually, and give properlygraded Humanised Milk. Never give fullstrength Humanised Milk to start with, but begin with a weak food and gradually work up to the standard as advised in the Societv'a book "Feeding and Care of Baby,'' page 30. A THREATENED ATTACK. If a motion appears green when passed, the mother should bo on her guard at once,' and should watch carefully the next motion. If. it is also green, she should oroceed as follows, whether baby is breast-fed or bottlefed:— 1. Give a dose of castor oil —one or 'two drachms, acocrcling to age,. The average need is an ordinary teaepoohful. .2. Give boiled water only for the next two feedings. If baby is breast-fed, the mother must draw off the milk from her breasts at the usual feeding times either by manipulation or by a breast-pump or a sodawa t;er bottle. (See* "Baby's First Month," page 10, and illustrations opposite page 12; or "The Expectant Mother and Baby's First Month," pages 24 and 25, and illustrations on page 30.) ' .

'lt green motions still persist, continue Jiving boiled water and call in a doctor, f there are no more green motions after the two feedings of boiied w#tci*, proceed as follows: 1. In the case of a breast-fed eabt, give a few ounces of boiled water just before nursing, and allow baby to Buckle for a few minutes only. At the next feeding pfive less water and a longer period of suckling, and so on, the allowance of water being cautiously reduced at each feeding and the euckling extended. 2. In the case of a bottle-fed babt, boil the Humanised Milk for 10 minutes, and dilute it with boiled w?tcr. At the first feeding 1 following the two of boiled water only, give one part of boiled Humanised Milk to four parts of_ boiled water. At the next two feedings give two parts of Humanised Milk to three parts of boiled water : 'then give three parts of Humanised Milk to two parts of boiled water for two or three feedings If all has gone well, there being no further green or frequent motioiio, full strength boiled Humanised I Milk may bo reached at thv end of another day. After that only half the milk need he boiled; then a quarter, and then the boiling may. cease. Older. Children. During the summer months children eo frequently eat unripe or pariialiv-deoayed fruit that a constant watch should be kepf for signs of Indigestion and Diarrhoea.

Treat older children in the same way- as babies—that is, give a dose of castor oil and boiled water only for two or three meals. Then give boiled milk and rice waters When the attack has -passed off. gradually work back to ordinary food. . V HEALTH OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN. The monthly meeting of the committee of the .Society for the Health of Women and Children was held on Friday, Mrs. Carr in the chair. The matron of the Karitane-Harris Hospital reported for the month as follows: ~ Admitted—mothers 3, babies 14; discharged —mothers-3, babies 11; deaths, nil. Of the 17 cases admitted one came from Invercargill, one from Qtago Central, two from Mosgiel, one from Palmerston, one from Gore,, one from Mataura, one from Milton. and the remainder from Duncdin. All the mothers and babies discharged were mak-_ ing excellent progress. Gifts from the following were received:— Mcsdamcs King, Johnstone, Iheomin, and Miss Girvan. Nurses in training on 30th November:—Plunket nurses, 7; Karitane nurses, 11. All babies in hospital are making satisfactory progress. The Plunket nurses for the north and central districts reported, as fellows: Babies on . tho list, 659; new babies, 30; babies wholly breast-fed, 86: babies partly breast-fed, 55. Plunket nurse Mathieson reported as follows for South Dunedin district:—Babies on the list, 374; now babies, 19. The Plunket nurses reported a few cases of whooping cough among the babies, but all cases were of a very mild form. Several co-nplaints were received from mothers living near Lake Logan re the insects coming from the lake. On this account mothers cannot put tho babies outside to sleep, and' they consequently are not thriving as thev should. Mrs Jos. M'George (convener of the House Committee) submitted the sub-com-mittee's report, and was authorised to purchase'the articles required for the hospital. The secretary was instructed write to Messrs Nimmo and Blair, thanking them for their-""donation of plants and seeds for the Karitane Hospital, v. \ The Hon. Treasurer reported the maintenance for the month to be £3B 3s 7d, also the receipt of a number of subscriptions and donations. ; . - Mrs Gibbs reported the receipt of a parcel of baby clothes from the Taieri Patriotio Association. to ""be distributed among soldiers' wives. At the conclusion of the branch meeting Mrs Carr, on behalf of the committee, took this opportunity of wishing Dr King bon voyage, and presented him with a travelling case. A meeting of the Central Council was then held. A letter was received from the Public Health Department in .connection with the extension of the work of tho St. Helens Hospital by the establishment, of district) midlives, asking what arrangements cosld be made for nurses appointed who have not had sufficient experience in . approved methods of infant feeding, to have a supplementary course at tho Karitane-Hai-rls Hospital. The counoil replied that it would be only

too' glad to cooperate with the Public Health Department in this matter. The appointment of Nurse Hilda Thomson as Plunket nurse for the Nelson district was approved by the department, the appointment to date from the middle of February. Karitane Nurse Honcyficld to be appointed as temporary Plunket nurse, and Karitane Nurse Bisley to be appointed assistant to the Plunket nurse for the.first three months of 1918.—Referred to _the department for approval. The hon. secretirj of tho Westport branch advised the council that the- West port Committee had decided to appoint Nurse Ewart as Plunket nurse for that ■ district, on completion of her training at the Karitane-Harris Hospital. The committee considered that the heavy travelling expenses did not warrant the appointment of a temporary nurse pending this appointment.