Stuart S. Stevenson

The adequacy of artificial feeding in infancy.

Summary 1. Breast feeding in infancy is natural and preferred when practical and feasible. 2. The great majority of all infection in infancy is respiratory. 3. The only valid objection to the proper artificial feeding of infants would seem to be the resulting higher incidence of respiratory infections during the second half year of life, amounting to 1.43 respiratory infections per artificiallyfed infant and 0.95 respiratory infections per breast-fed infant. 4. It would seem that the breast-fed infants greater resistance to respiratory infections arises from some substance or substances contained in human milk. 5. There is no significant difference in the amount of diarrhea and miscellaneous infections between babies breast- and properly artificially-fed. 6. The high incidence of diarrhea in partially breast-fed infants may result from attempts to have an unwilling mother breast feed her baby. 7. The vitamin A daily intake of the 6-month-old, breast-fed infant approximates 3,250 I. U. as compared with the daily 1,500 I. U. recommended by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council. There is evidence to suggest that the infants need for this vitamin is great and some evidence which suggests that he absorbs it more completely when he is breast-fed. 8. The ascorbic acid daily intake of the 6-month-old breast-fed infant approximates 55 mg. as compared with the daily 30 mg. recommended by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council. There is considerable evidence that the infants need for this vitamin is great and that he absorbs it more adequately or needs it less when he is breast-fed. 9. Vitamin A and ascorbic acid may be the substances that are stored by the breast-fed infant in quantities such as to give him greater resistance to respiratory infections in his second half year of life. 10. It seems reasonable to offer the artificially-fed infant vitamin A and ascorbic acid in quantities at least as great as he would receive if he were breast-fed and to include these in the diet of the first days of life. Two hundred and twenty I. U. of vitamin A per pound of body weight, and 100 mg. of ascorbic acid in divided doses, are suggested as daily allowances. 11. It is hoped that the artificially-fed infant who receives adequate amounts of vitamin A and ascorbic acid will possess resistance to respiratory infections equal to that of the breast-fed baby.