The bottom line for any company who sells and markets a product is to
increase sales.  If we take a close look at the marketing of prescription drugs or
infant formula, what we see is that the "seduction" of the medical profession is
part of a successful marketing stragedy.  According to some statistics, the
drug industry spends some $12,000 per doctor in the USA on marketing their
wares.  Clearly the industry would not spend this amount of money, without good
results.

One can presume to believe that one is above seduction or seductive
techniques.  Yet, I think we must recognize human nature.  We all are influenced by
gifts, be it free products or funding.  Gifts have reciprocity built into the
act.  It is very difficult to distance yourself from the
person/company/institution who has given you a gift or funding.

We certainly need breast pump companies for the products they sell.  But good
science requires that we maintain a distance from them.  This maybe difficult
to do, because many of our brightest and best are employed by these
companies.  Yet I think it imperative that we try to maintain that distance.  It is
quite easy to judge harshly the medical professions' seduction by the drug and
infant formula industry.  And very difficult to see that we are as easily
seduced.
Valerie W. McClain, IBCLC

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