Hi all

I was at a used book sale today and picked up a 1930 revision of the 1916 
Textbook of Physiology by William D. Zoethout, PhD. The sum total of 
lactation information is on two pages (706-707):

Lactation:  During pregnancy there is a marked development of the mammary 
glands. While these organs increase in size with the onset of puberty, this 
growth is confined chiefly to the connective tissue. But owing to the sex 
hormone the functional part of the glands is now increased, although they 
exhibit no signs of activity.

Two or three days after the birth of the child the glands begin to secrete 
milk. Before this they have formed a scanty amount of the opalescent fluid 
known as colostrum. While the existence of secretory nerves for the mammary 
glands seems very probable, at least in man, no experimental evidence is 
known proving any nerves to exercise such control. When the secretion of 
milk has once begun, it is kept up by the regular emptying of the ducts as 
occurs during the nursing of the infant. Somehow or other the emptying of 
these ducts stimulates the gland cells; if nursing is discontinued, the 
secretion stops and the gland cells degenerate.

The amount of milk secreted per day varies largely in different individuals 
and increases during the first six or seven months and then decreases. On 
the third day, about 200 cc are secreted; during the 28th week the amount 
may be a little over 900 cc. Lactation generally continues from six to nine 
months. The milk of each mammal is peculiarly adapted to the needs of its 
young. Table XLV gives a comparison of human and cow's milk:

                            Human milk            Cow's milk
Water                        88.5                        87.1
Proteins
   Casein                    1.2                           3.02
   Albumin                   0.5                           0.53
Fat                            3.3                            3.7
Lactose                      6.0                            4.8
Salts                            0.2                            0.7

[these are presumably percents--mcv]

According to Lusk, during the first year the infant requires per day not 
less than 80 Calories per kilogram (or 36 Cal. per pound) of body weight. 
The heat value of milk varies, but may be placed at about 20 Calories per 
ounce.

Growth. The average weight of a newborn babe is about 7 pounds; the average 
height, 20 inches. During the first six months the weight is doubled and at 
the end of the first year it is approximately 20 pounds. The great 
superiority of the breast-fed over the artificially-fed child is seen in the 
following report issued by the Children's Bureau of the US Dept of Labor in 
1915.

                                                        Artificially-fed 
Breast-fed
Deaths at two months of age                237 per 1000            72 per 
1000
Deaths at eight months                        53 per 1000             26 per 
1000

Hoefer and Hardy report* that artificially fed children were "inferior 
physically and mentally to the breast-fed. Except for height, they ranked 
the lowest in all the physical traits measured." They were poorly nourished, 
more susceptible to the diseases of childhood and slower in learning to walk 
and talk.

*********************************************************
Me again--interesting that Zoethout uses the breastfed child as the 
standard!

Fascinating reading!

Melissa Vickers, IBCLC
Huntingdon, TN 

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