The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-07-11


only, and then only through
his column.
is due to the success of the cam
paign for clean and pasteurized
milk.
Infants still however, are sub
jet TO a good many forms of in
festival upsets, usually taking the
form of diarrhoea, less frequently
of constipation. And no wonder!
The baby comes into the world
with brand new set of intestines,
but they have never been tried
out. And within a few days after
birth they have to digest and alb
sorb enough energy to keep that
hot little machine going on high.
1t is no wonder that this takes
considerable adjustment in many
instances.
In seeking for causes we will
not consider here the infectious
diarrhoeas which are due to germs
in the milk or food. Those are
simply due to supreme careless
ness and a reminder Of the dark
ages. Aside from that there are
four common causes of infantile
intestinal upsets.
Infantile Intestinal Upsets
/. Overlooking, or improper
feeding.
This is the commonest form and
the easiest to recognize and to
correct. It results usually from
the natural affectionate desire of
the mother to see the baby gets
plenty to eat or to indulge it in
some way. 1t responds quickly to
a day or two of underfeeding, SIM
ply plenty of warm, sterile water
if the symptoms are serious
enough. The feeding of pectin
agar, or scraped apple is almost
specific as a curative agent In
most of these cases.
2. Diarrhoea due to infection
elsewhere-tonsillitis, middle ear
infection, bronchitis or any gen.
eral infection may touch off the
baby's sensitive bowels with an
explosive diarrhoea. Here the log
ical and natural treatment is to
go after the underlying cause.
8. Mechanical causes. These are
rarer and more serious. They in
clude all of the structural dis
orders of the intestinal tract, such
as congenital dilatation, coeliac
disease and tuberculosis. The
mother will finally recognize that
something is fundamentally wrong
because no amount Of adjustment
or fixing of the feelings serves TO
correct the condition. These cases
are not for amateurs or home
treatment. You need a doctor and
a good one.
Nutritional or Metabolic Causes
4. There remains a group which
can be called the nutritional or
metabolic set of causes. They are
fairly frequent, not necessarily
serious but very troublesome. The
great majority of infants adjust
themselves to a feeding existence
with no trouble at all, considering
what a revolutionary change it is
for the organism. Infant feeding
has been brought to such fine
science that mothers can be given
a simple and streamlined set of
instructions which work like put
ting gasoline in a new Ford if you
can remember back that far-to
the days Of new Fords, | mean.
But some infants have a diges-
tive system that is intolerant to
starch and some that is intolerant
TO fat and some have intolerance
TO lots Of things which is gener-
ally called allergy and let go at
that. Here the mother has TO get
down TO work and take all sorts
of pains. No streamlined instruc-
tons that avoid trouble for her
are possible. The starch intoleran,
cases begin to show symptoms a,
about the third 10 the twelfth
month. The fat intolerants at one
to eight months. Both kinds usu.
ally respond we'll TO a high pro-
TEN diet. But in all cases tn,
mother must weigh the baby daily
study the stools for starch or fa'
indigestion and be ready to change
the feeding formula in accordance
with conditions
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
E. T. B.: | am 81 years old ant
have what they call a race hcrs,
heart. What is the best kind o
treatment for this?
Answer: There is no such tern
as race horse heart known, use,
- $1,000 - J1uA1ra