Karleen,
Here is the web site for the Scariati et al. paper that was in Pediatrics, 
which was called, "A Longitudinal Analysis of Infant Morbidity and the Extent 
of Breastfeeding in the United States."  This study had a sample base of 2614 
mother-infant pairs.

http://www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/99/6/e5

and the Raisler et al. study:

Breast-Feeding and Infant Illness: A Dose-Response Relationship? J. Raisler, 
et al. American Journal of Public Health 89 (January 1999): 25-30.
Full breast-feeding in the first 6 months of life, without any other types of 
feeding, protects against infant illness and provides the same health 
benefits to all, regardless of income.
This study used regression techniques to analyze the association between 
breast-feeding dose and illnesses in the first 6 months of life. Infants 
(7,092) from the National Maternal and Infant Health Survey had their ratio 
of breast-feedings to other feedings categorized as full, most, equal, less, 
or no breast-feeding. Mothers were asked how many times a day they fed breast 
milk, formula, cow’s milk, fruits or vegetable, cereal, and meat to their 
infants during the first 6x months of life.
Full breast-feeding was practiced by 27 percent of mothers in month 1, almost 
13 percent in month 3, and fewer than 2 percent in month six. Full 
breast-feeding infants had lower odds ratios of diarrhea, cough or wheeze, 
and vomiting, and lower mean ratios of illness months and sick baby medical 
visits compared with infants who had not been breast-fed. Infants who were 
mostly breast-fed also had lower odds ratio of cough and wheeze. Less 
breast-fed infants had no reduced odds ratios of illness. Results were 
similar for all economic classes."

I have never read or heard of the statement that "all a mother needs to 
provide is 15 ml of breastmilk per feed in order to be giving her child all 
the immunolgical benefits of breastfeeding,"  It sounds like something a 
formula company would say, similiar to the common tale that made its rounds 
in my neighborhood about 10 years ago--"Babies get all the breastmilk they 
need in the first 5 minutes of feeding."  I haven't heard a mother say this 
in a long time. 

I guess I am trying to figure out how researchers determined this "magic"
 number and how this information will help mothers or LCs?  If breastfeeding 
was just immunology, but it certainly is more than immunology.  It's more 
than nutrition.  I often think our science breaks things down to the point 
that our understanding becomes senseless rather than enriched.  Valerie W. 
McClain, IBCLC

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