The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1875-10-21
Cause of Cholera InfantUm.

y PRACTICAL physician of Berlin, Ger
many, has been investigating the causes
of that horrible disease-cholera infantum
which yearly carries off thousands of
beloved children, and one of the principal
causes he finds in the patent nursing bot
ties, an American invention, which has
reached Berlin, by reason of its conven-
lent form. 1t consists Of a glass bottle,
WhIch is hlicd with warm milk through
the cork of this bottle Il glass tube passes
to its bottom and at the top Of the glass
tube is a rubber tube with a mouth piece
for the child. The physician referred to
publishes the following remarks and adj.
vice: 1.-The supposed advantage OF these
bottles consists in this, that they can be
placed beside the infant in bed, while
other bottles must be held in the hand all
the time. What sensible mother or nurse
would leave a child with a bottle without
Watching it? The danger of the bottle
consists in this, that it is absolutely i'm
possible to cleanse it. When sucked on.
little particles of milk become attached to
the tube and cork; these curdIe and soon
'H'N 'NS
turn sour; if some of this deposit be
placed under a microscope we see in
Vulnerable Interchangeable beings which
indicate decomposition and decay. At
every meal the child draws in thousands
of these germs. The decomposing proc
ess acts upon what it find in the mouth,
esophagus and stomach; and the result is
diarrhpa, cholera iniantum, etc. | will
here expressly remark that the usual
method of placing the apparatus in water,
or merely rinsing it out with a stream of
water, is in no way sufficient. Some deal
ers sell a suitable little wire brush with
the bottle; but even this does not answer
the purpose, for the apparatus is not clean
by a long way after drawing the, brush
through it several times; and who will
take the trouble to clean it so thoroughly
eight or ten times a day? How much
time it would require! Another disad-
vantage is that the bottle is alright and a
partial vacuum is formed, which renders
sucking so difficult as to exhaust the
child, and it stops before its hunger is sat
istied. Hence, parents, you who are
compelled to feed your children with a
bottle, throw away this apparatus, which
can only bring destruction upon your
children, and either select a bottle with a
glass mouth-piece which is filed from be
low, OF take a large rubber mouth piece
which is perforated by a small hole, and
can be drawn directly over the neck OF
the glass bottle. This large mouth piece
or nipple can readily be turned inside out
and thoroughly cleaned and rubbed with
dry salt"
For our part, we are in favor of the old
fashioned piece of sponge fixed N the
neck of the bottle, and projecting only far
enough to enable the child easily to take
hold of it. This piece OF sponge is thrown
away every day, or twice a day, and a new
piece substituted. If a strong glass bottle
is used, it may be washed with boiling
water every time before fresh milk is put
in. 1t is well to use two bottles alter
nately, letting one rest with hot water in
it, and never to add any other milk to
that which is in the bottle.
Observing these simple precautions may
save hundreds of infantile lives; but after
all many more might be saved of the 400
babies who now die in New York every
week if good milk was sure to be had.
Those who can afford to give the child
milk from a human breast should for no
consideration whatsoever neglect it; no
cows or goats milk, no nursing bottle,
nor any other continuance can equal ma
lures provision. Only in cases where the
financial condition of the parents makes it
utterly impossible to hire a wet nurse
should the nursing bottle be resorted to.
Under the existing circumstances in this
city, it is best to use condensed milk, di-
luted sufficiently with water, to which a
little white sugar can be added to initiate
better the nature of human milk. But
we repeat that nursing bottles are extreme
measures, and should never be allowed by
mothers to be used when they have nour-
ishment themselves, or by fathers when
have money to pay for a wet nurse.
Forty years ago, before we had the
knowledg, now in our possession, We lost
four children in succession through the
use OF nursing bottles, Notwithstanding
good country milk was used and no patent
bottles had been invented; the. life of a
fifth one was saved by securing a wctnurse
Immediately after the child's birth.-Man
'yacturer' and Builder.
A FEW sprigs Of horse-radish root put
IN the pickle Jar will keep vinegar in its