424 J. A. MYERS 
Secretion in the new-born 
It will. be recalled that twelve hours after birth a slight secre- 
tion appears in the lumina of the milk-ducts. This secretion is 
more abundant at the fourth and fifth days and remains present 
in approximately the same amount during the first week. At 
no time does it completely fill the lumina of the ducts. After 
the second week the secretion gradually appears present in 
smaller amounts; however, at the ninth and tenth weeks there 
is still some secretion to be found in the lumina. There is only 
a very occasional free epithelial cell present in the secretion. 
During the first few days of postnatal life such cells manifest 
no signs of degeneration, however, later a few were observed 
undergoing degeneration. A few red blood corpuscles were ob- 
served in the lumina of the ducts at twelve hours after birth, 
but none appeared in any of the later stages. An occasional 
leucocyte may be seen in the lumina at any stage from birth to 
ten weeks. In none of the stages studied could fat be demon- 
strated in the lumina or the epithelial cells lining the ducts. 
The secretion in the new-born or witches’ milk has been ob- 
served in human by a large number of investigators. According 
to Brouha (’05), Aristotle called attention to it. The writers 
of the second half of the nineteenth and the early part of the 
twentieth centuries presented different theories concerning the 
origin of this secretion. For example, De Sinety (’75), Rein 
(82), Barfurth (82), Czerny (’90), Unger (’98), Schalachta (’04), 
Brouha (’05), Berka (’11), Schil (12), and others regarded it 
in the human new-born as a true milk secretion, while K6lliker 
(54), Milne Edwards (’70), and Raubitschek (’04) believed it 
is the product of necrobiotic changes which result in the for- 
mation of the lumina. Still another view is that of Keiffer (02), 
who described the formation of milk in the new-born as a patho- 
logical process. 
Several theories have been offered to account for the stimulus 
which excites the secretion in the new-born human. The fact 
that Brouha concluded that the new-born secretion in well- 
developed human may completely precede the birth of the child 
