Kathy Dettwyler's posts from her 1935 text sent me to my 1941
revision of a 1934 text "Mothercraft" by Mary Truby King, daughter
of Sir Truby King who was a major influence on New Zealand and
Australian child care practices early this century.  His
pro-breastfeeding legacy may explain, even today, our higher
breastfeeding rates

Dr Truby King started out with a great interest in decreasing
mortality in hand-reared calves, but progressed to babies.  He aimed
to save one baby per day (in NZ) with his methods, but achieved 3
per day within 5 years (by getting mothers to breastfeed).  However,
he had many rules and schedules that must have doomed many women to
failure unless they cheated.

The book lists many enlightened benefits to breastfeeding, but the
following amused me in light of recent dental discussion:

"The exercise which baby gets by sucking directly at the breast is
splendid for him, bringing a free flow of blood to the jaws, which
aids the perfect building of the growing teeth within."

The book also cites the causes of "nasal obstruction, mouth-breathing,
adenoids, defective jaws and teeth and the whole train of evils to
which these conditions give rise".  The causes include failure to
breastfeed and the use of the "dummy" (pacifier).  T.A. Hunter of the
NZ Dental Association is quoted as saying "During early childhood the
bones are soft and easily moulded, so that the use of any such
appliance ....... is highly injurious.  By its use the bones of
the mouth and nose are involved.  It is the cause, in most cases, of
what is called the V-shaped arch, interfering with proper dentition,
causing the teeth to erupt irregularly and be misplaced.....which in
turn leads to mouth breathing, adenoids, enlarged tonsils, etc.
thereby lowering the vitality of the child and rendering it more
susceptible to diseases of every kind."

And you thought it was just what went in the bottle, not the method
of delivery!

Ros Escott
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