As one who has mentioned Hartmann's name and expressed reservations I would
like to make it clear that I am not denigrating his work nor the work of the
team working with him.  I have learned a lot from it, been challenged to
revise my understanding of the breast and of breastfeeding, and been amazed
and delighted to see the films from the lab in Perth, (at least until the
company rep, who was NOT Hartmann, launched into the schpiel about his
machine).  As Ruth Fiedler points out, much of what we are learning supports
what we see in practice - watch the baby, not the clock or the scales, for
example.  The possibility of observing physiologic phenomena in real time is
a marvelous thing; I recall the days when x-ray pelvimetry was used to
decide whether a woman was capable of giving birth, and know all too well
the great damage that has resulted to women and to midwifery as a result of
a static model of the female body in labor.

For me, it detracts from the message when it is so relentlessly linked to
the promotion of the company whose products are evolving as a result.  Why
does a world-class researcher feel the need to spend up to several minutes
of an hour's lecture talking about a particular pump company, instead of
answering questions from an enthralled European audience consisting mainly
of IBCLCs who may not get a chance to hear him again for years?  (The
conference in question was hosted by a professional association, not by
industry.)  It makes me uncomfortable, I can't help it.  I am reminded of
downhill skiers who manage to get their skis off and turned so the brand
name faces the TV camera when it pans in on them as they are waiting for
their results to be posted - they lose their sponsorship if the logo isn't
on display the whole time their face is showing.  I wish Medela could recede
more into the background in the presentation of Hartmann's work.  It feels
too much like a hard sell to me, and that always makes me want to back off.
I'd prefer a small notice in the program or at the end of the talk, 'funding
provided by (company name here)'.

Rachel Myr
Still trying to argue for critical - which is not the same as negative -
thinking in Kristiansand, Norway

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