Good afternoon, Tony, Nikki and Pamela,

I didn't respond earlier to the long post by Dr Tony Mobbs, as I had
nothing to add to his comprehensive argument. Subsequently Nikki Lee and
Pamela Morrison have written thoughtfully worded responses.

Instead, I have a relevant anecdote to add. When I was completing my PhD
years ago, one of my supervisors drew my attention to an opinion piece on
human lactation and evolution by a leading medical man of a previous
generation. The focus of the short article was to canvas the idea that
breastfeeding might no longer be important because of supposed negative
effects of evolution on modern women's bodies and the advances of
technology in devising new recipes for replacement products. Phew!

Of course, the argument was naïve and speculative, and the writer of the
opinion piece had only a superficial understanding of evolution. He also
didn't understand where the biochemistry of designing manufactured milks
falls short. Even though he wrote at a time when less was known about the
importance to the infant of the known components in women's milk, as well
as the balance between them, the species specificity of milks of different
mammalian origin was certainly known.

Of course, I added a paragraph or two to my thesis discussing and refuting
the premise of the opinion piece, pointing out that evolution is a long
process, across millenia, not something that would eliminate human
lactation and breastfeeding in a few generations (let alone whether there
would be any evolutionary benefit).

 The biologically unsound idea of the onset of widespread lactational
insufficiency developing in a generation or two wasn't new, and had
previously been raised by public health officials in the early-20th
century, and at other times, as an explanation of low breastfeeding rates.
Sheer speculation, of course, ignoring the real effects of unhelpful or
erroneous information, lack of mother-to-mother support, long working hours
(paid or unpaid), squalid housing, and more.

The other point about this is that we all should read opinion pieces very
critically as just that - opinion - however respected the author. Let the
writing stand on the evidence.

Virginia

Dr Virginia Thorley, OAM, PhD, IBCLC, FILCA, GD Counselling
Medical Historian
Private Practice IBCLC Lactation Consultant

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