[Report 1900] / Medical Officer of Health, Nottingham City.

  • Nottingham (England). City Council.
Date:
1900
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1900] / Medical Officer of Health, Nottingham City. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    97/104 (page 95)
    The following is a useful working rale for the feeding of a child, with such substitutes for mother s milk as mentioned above, during the period in which liquids should be exclusively used :— Begin with about 16 oz. a day of 24 hours, as under (a). Increase this by the addition of 1 oz. to 2 oz. a week up to the end of the first month. After the first month add 4 oz. a month up to the end of the seventh month. At this period, unless the child is regularly to have some quantity of the farinaceous food mentioned in the next paragraph, its milk should amount to at least 40 oz. a day. At 9 months a milk-fed child should have three pints in the 24 hours. (d) From seven months to 12 months old the child should be given five meals in a day of 24 hours. The number of meals will thus have been reduced by a little more than one-half (from 11 to 5) in the first seven months. Each meal should consist at the first of about 5 or six ounces (10 or 12 tablespoonfuls) of undiluted cow’s milk, with cream as under (c); but three of the meals may also each contain about a teaspoonful or more of some whole-meal farinaceous food, well boiled and stirred up with the milk. All the meals in this period should be given between 6 or 7 a.m. and 9 or 10 p.m. (e) From 12 months to 18 months old the child should again be fed only during the day, and at about the same intervals (on five occasions) between early morning and night. The amount of milk should be about twice as great as given under (d), and porridge, bread and milk, bread and gravy, bread and butter, and a lightly boiled egg occasionally, may with advantage be given with, or in place of the milk as time goes on. It must not be forgotten, however, that pure fresh cow’s milk, well boiled, is an excellent and sustaining food as well as a palatable drink for human beings at all ages. The quantities of food given above are those generally suitable, but the capacity of children for food varies much, and signs of indigestion due to over¬ feeding should not be overlooked because a comparatively moderate amount of food is being taken. It is unwise for a mother to undertake the medical treatment of her child, except, perhaps, to the extent of giving it a little opening medicine occasionally. She should never give it sleeping or quieting medicine except under medical advice. A young child should not on any account sleep in the same bed with nurse or parents. A young child should be warmly but loosely clothed over the whole of its body and limbs, and as few pins as possible should be used in dressing it. It should be remembered that a young child is exceedingly liable to suck or to swallow anything within its reach which admits of being so treated. It should al30 be borne in mind that a young child has no dread of fire or hot things unless or until it is actually burnt. PHILIP BOOBBYER, M.B., Medical Officer of Health, Nottingham.