In 1958 (68 years ago) Dr Herbert Ratner gave a speech at the AMA convention, Division of Pediatrics. He ended with  5 points.

This brief summary of the organic advantages of breast feeding -- and here we must not forget the solid consensus of mental health specialists that the psychologic  advantages  of nursing are immense -- makes one pause and soul search in the light of the steady decline of breast feeding to a new low of 21%. We carry the mantle of a great tradition in medicine.  It goes right back to the teaching of Hippocrates "to do good or at least to do no harm."  In this instance it may be worth our while to cogitate on Benjamin Franklin's wonderful and witty observation  that there is a great deal of difference between a good physician and no physician at all.  It is too late to hope that 'no physician at all' will restore breast feeding to this country of ours. It will take good physicians to accomplish this, through their convictions, their authority and their persuasiveness, and through their command of hospital routines.  I suggest the following practical principals:

1. Physicians should rediscover the art of not being ruled by their patients. [wonder what he would think of Dr Google]   They should teach their maternity patient to want what she needs rather than to need what she wants.

2. Physicians hould rediscover the art of breast feeding.

3. Every physician should have as his goal successful lactation for all of his maternity patients for a bare minimum of one month [ :-(] It should be expected that a large majority or successes will continue to nurse upwards of six or more months.

4. Hospitals should order their services to maternal and  physiologic needs and not to expect mothers and infants to adapt these needs to conform to the routinized regimen of the hospital.

5. The excellence of a hospital's maternal and infant service should be determined in part by the per cent of babies discharged from the hospital who have had nothing but breast milk for food.

Naturally, physicians should not expect overnight miracles.  A reversal of the present trend, however is imperative for the promotion of the optimum health of the public.

.....back to my question - why does it take medicine so long to change????

If you want to read the whole thing, ask me :-)  Pat in SNJ

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