Infant mortality in Scotland / the report of a sub-committee of the Scientific Advisory Committee.
- Great Britain. Department of Health for Scotland. Scientific Advisory Committee on Medical Administration and Investigation.
- Date:
- 1943
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Infant mortality in Scotland / the report of a sub-committee of the Scientific Advisory Committee. Source: Wellcome Collection.
58/88 page 56
![CHAPTER 10—THE FEEDING OF INFANTS General Considerations: Infants spend their lives almost entirely within the restricted environment of their home. Their chances of survival depend largely on the kind of home into which they are born. Evidence has been presented in Part I, p. 28, to show that the high infant mortality in Scotland is associated with overcrowding in houses that are old and insanitary, often without indoor water supply. Such conditions increase the concentration of infective material in the home and make the hazards to infants acute. It is in these homes, too, that the mothers are ill-nourished and most liable to give birth to premature and weak babies, ill-equipped for the environment into which they are born. A large part of the infant population, therefore, starts life handicapped both by antenatal conditions and by the physical environment after birth. It is generally recognised that diet has a profound influence on resistance to certain types of infection, mostly of the gastro-intestinal and respiratory tracts. It is extremely important, therefore, considering the conditions Lusk described, to inquire into the feeding of infants in Scotland. Breast Feeding : It will not be disputed that, provided ihe milk is ade- quate in quantity and of good quality, breast feeding is best both for infant and mother. The findings reported in the last two chapters suggest that the diets of mothers may often be inadequate to support a sufficient yield of milk and that, since the vitamin content of milk depends on the mother’s diet and reserves, breast milk may often be deficient in essential vitamins. Information has therefore been sought on the incidence of breast feeding in Scotland and the health of Scottish infants. A number of recent studies of the incidence of breast feeding in England and Scotland are summarised in Table 45. Table 45.—Incidence of Breast Feeding Per cent. of cases. No. of Infant cases! Wie qGal Bolln TSH ly ea a otealit At 2 weeks. | At 3 months. | At 6 months. nate: Liverpool, : seu O37 439 86-87 48 29 89 [Robinson, 1939. ] Newcastle, j . 1938 | 1326 — 58 35 66 [Spence, 1938. } liford, ; . 1938 | 793 73 oo | 44 38 [Gordon, 1942. ] | | | Newbiggin, ; . 1940 112 67 32 vate 4) et [Hughes, 1942. ] | (1938) ‘Edinburgh . | 3000 87 55 38 rf 61 [Quoted by Spence, 1938, (1938) Aberdeen City, . 941—42 } 1932 15 47 37 79 (Mackintosh, sn dubligied ] Aberdeen County, : 1941-42 | 1548 — 52 | 42 55 (Mackintosh, unpubhshes } | St. Andrews Burgh,’ 921-37 | 1000 93 72 58 48 [Simpson, unpublished. 1 | 1 Only those children who were under observation for three years included. There is no indication in these sample surveys that the establishment of breast feeding at two weeks is less frequent in Scotland or that lactation is less well maintained than in England. Nor is the incidence of breast feeding higher in the two areas of relatively low mortality, Ilford and Newbiggin, than in the others,](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b32174640_0058.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
