RESULTS OF MATERNAL INNORANCE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7808, 12 September 1903, Page 4

RESULTS OF MATERNAL INNORANCE.

In many of London's'districts one child in every five dies beforo it reaches the age of one year. This high rate of mortality is undoubtedly due (writes an English paper) to the ignorance of mothers. In a recent report published by the Battersea Council it was shown that infants are not infrequently given boiled eggs, potatoes, carrots, cheese, tea, coffeej and even beer and spirits. No wonder the poor mites die, while, parents, blindly groping for oomfort, tell neighbours as blankly ignorant as themselves that: "We did all we oould. I'm sure we never stinted the poor dear. He always had just the same as we did." But something ia being don*e to 'stay thi* terrible wastage of lives. At Battersea an infants' milk depot was opened a yeai* ago f to supply, under the direction of the municipality, sterilised milk for young children, aaid the experiment has proved so successful that other districts are likely to follow the example. The milk issued frojai thia depot is so treated that no disease gexnui can possibly lurk in it. When it Is brought in it is first " humanised " by the addition of small quantities of milk-sugair and ,oreom. Water is added in varying quantities, to suit infants of different ages. Between the ages of two weeks and three months babies are supplied with " Preparation A, M which contains one part of milk to two parts o_ water. At the end of the third month they are given "Preparation B," which contains equal parts of milk and water, and this they live upon until the sixth month is reached. Then " Preparation C," whioh cohtaius only one pairt of water to two parts of milk, ls given until the children are one year old. The bottles are supplied, in baskets containing'sufficient for a day. For instance, supposing a child is two w-eeks old, a basket is sent every day containing nine bottles, in each of which Is one ounce and a half of the humanised sterilised milk. It thus receives in all 13£oz a day, which should supply all -tJbe nourisbmeT-t it requires. By the time it has reached one year the child will be taking 420z per day (two pants milk and one part wate_>), and this quantity will be sent in six separate bottles, each containing 7oz. . The charge of the full weekly supply fcr infants under six months of age is Is 6d at the Battersea Hospital, while that for older childiren is 2s. Carefully tabulated statistics show that among the children fed entirely from, the depot tbe death-rate has been 63.4, while the average tihn.ouiS.hout the entire borough has be.*n 118.9. Tn both oases the deaths r .„..,_r i-.i --- «v-„, -' vvfr-en-over one week old, but under one year.