> I am just one who believes that if there was more participation in
educating and remaining current by docs in relation to >breastfeeding we
would see a considerable increase in our breastfeeding population.

My latest frustration:
        I have been asked to represent Family physicians on a
multidisciplinary committee tasked with redesigning the local medical school
curriculum.  I sit on the "Immunology and Skin" System.
        When asked what I would like to have learned more about in med
school, I jumped on the opportunity to include didactic lectures on
breastfeeding, benefits, management, etc --
        There was immediate strong opposition -- the "old school" felt to
include breastfeeding was to "RETURN TO THE 16TH CENTURY!" and to forget all
progress made in the last 4 centuries.
        These "dinosaurs" are very defensive about "their" sciences.  The
people who design curricula are mostly subspecialists-- feel it's more
important to learn about exceedingly rare diseases than to properly train
new family docs about common problems.  (By the way, they felt the same way
about chicken pox-- more important to know about things like Histiocytosis X!)
        I'm afraid it will be awhile before things change dramatically, but
I think everytime we change one person's opinion,  we've succeeded a little
bit.
        IMHO.
"It is better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one than to
have an opportunity and not be prepared."
                                       Barbara Whelan, M. D.
                                       London, Ontario, Canada
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