Drought Saves Infant Lives – On This Day in 1976

August 27 1976THE drought may be linked to an appreciable fall in infant deaths this summer, a research biologist suggested yesterday.Water supplies are getting harder as water levels fall, with higher levels of magnesium and certain other elements present, according to Mr William Lyster, a research associate at the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists, who believes hard water is better for us than soft.He says there has been a steady decline in the number of children dying under the age of one – the totals in late July and early August are 30 per cent down on those for late April and early May.In some areas, Mr Lyster said, bore water, which is two to three times harder than surface water, is being increasingly used.He suggested the hardening of the water may be linked to the declin