CHAPTEE VIll 



MILK AND CHILD MORTALITY 



It is not possible statistically to measure the extent to which 

 dirty and contaminated or chemically unsuitable milk con- 

 tributes to the morbility and mortality rates of infants and 

 young children, since the different factors which conduce to 

 our high rate of infant mortality are so inter-related. There 

 can, however, be no doubt that of these factors polluted milk 

 is one of great potency. 



Apart from the evil effects of milk deficient in its full 

 chemical constituents or administered in incorrect quantities, 

 effects which will not be dealt with here, milk is a cause of 

 child mortality and ill-health in three distinct ways : 



(«) Milk is a not uncommon vehicle for the transmission 

 of infectious fevers, and in this way shares in the mortality 

 rates caused by these diseases. This relationship has been 

 dealt with in Chapter V. 



(&) It has been shown that a considerable proportion of 

 cases of tuberculosis in children are of bovine origin, and, 

 for the most part, derived from milk infected with tubercle 

 bacilli. This aspect of the subject has been considered in 

 Chapter VII. 



(c) There is a large body of unimpeachable evidence 

 showing that the mortality in hand-fed infants is very much 

 higher than that of breast-fed infants, and that a large part 

 of this mortality is due to infected food and particularly milk. 



The mortality from bacterially contaminated milk has not 

 yet been dealt with and requires further consideration. 



The problem of infant mortality is a serious one, and has 

 been engaging much expert attention during the last few 



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