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Preventable Diseases of Children: Cholera

INTESTINAL DISEASES Summer Complaint (Cholera Infantum). This fatal disease which kills thousands of infants every year attends continued high temperature.

Excessive heat if long endured profoundly affects the nerves and fretfulness (nervousness) always precedes attacks of cholera infantum. The digestion is depressed by nervousness. Then if the child happens to over-eat, or to be fed unwholesome food, it quickly develops this dreaded disease. The micro-organisms (germs) which cause this and other intestinal diseases of infancy are most numerous and active in hot weather. Thus they are always at hand to attack infants when their powers of resistance have become lessened by a long continued heated term.

Cholera Morbus (summer diarrhœa and dysentery) also occurs PREVENTABLE DISEASES OF CHILDREN principally during the summer and autumn. This is caused by improper food and sudden chilling of the body after exposure to great heat. Certain substances will produce it in certain persons, as, for instance, veal or shell fish. And all dishes cooked with milk such as rice pudding, cream puffs and even ice cream, are dangerous when they have been kept too long. Take care that the baby does not get any remnants of stale food.

Under-ripe and over-ripe fruitespecially if taken with large draughts of ice water-will cause this disease. But sound ripe fruit is a natural food in hot weather for children over two years of age, and wholesome. Avoid chills during sleep. In temperate and changeable climates have a light blanket always at hand to draw over an infant, if the weather suddenly becomes cold during the night. Persistent summer diarrhœa is sometimes caused by malaria or impure water. Any conditions liable to contaminate air and water should be carefully sought out and remedied. Water of doubtful purity can and should be rendered safe by boiling. Mosquitoes and flies should be exterminated. As dysentery is often epidemic, it is wise to consider every case as a possible source of danger to others and to disinfect all diarrheal discharges with the greatest care. > Symptoms of Intestinal Diseases. -Vomiting of soured and partly digested food (not simple regurgitation or "raising" of milk from overfeeding in young infants) is often the first sign of approaching illness.