THOMAS S. SOUTHWORTH, M. D. 253 



been no profound studies of the important possibilities of making 

 a seemingly scanty milk good and abundant. Since scanty 

 milk was assumed to be bad or useless, it has been the rule 

 and is today in many quarters to discard it entirely as soon 

 as the infant seemed to show by its behaviour that the quan- 

 tity or quality was not sufficient. Circumstances, or some tem- 

 porary indisposition of the mother, often causes a sudden dim- 

 inution in the milk, and no proper measures are instituted to 

 restore it. Thousands of babies are weaned each year on the 

 plea that the mother's milk is bad or insufficient, when a little 

 common sense investigation would result in the discovery that 

 such is not the case. Almost any abnormality in the behaviour 

 of the infant, and almost any apparent abnormality in its stools, 

 is seized upon as sufficient reason for inaugurating bottle 

 feeding. Unfortunately, many of the criteria upon which such 

 judgments are pronounced have no scientific basis, and upon 

 careful investigation would be found to be fallacious. 



No claim is made that every mother can nurse her child, 

 but that many more can do so than has been thought possible 

 in the past. Under no other form of feeding do so many new- 

 born infants make so favorable a start in life, and while some 

 supplementary feeding may at times be helpful, the breast should 

 not be abandoned until at least two weeks of effort has been 

 given to intelligent attempts to build up the mother and increase 

 her supply of milk. Short of that time many infants have not 

 learned to nurse properly not to extract all that is possible from 

 the breast. Regular stimulation by the infant of the breasts 

 also causes them to respond to the increasing demand. Scanty 

 milk often results in stools which look bad. This is no sign that 

 the milk disagrees, for on giving additional food with the 

 breast, the stools become normal. Even when the milk is scanty or 

 of poor quality, it is exceptional for it to be bad, and it is only 

 rational that when the mother is below par attention to her 

 health and diet should improve the secretion of her breasts. 



Successful as such methods, when properly applied, have 

 proved to be, it is not always possible to make the quantity meet 

 the full needs of the infant. What should we do under such 

 circumstances ? 



Those who stop to think, will realize that even partial breast 

 feeding favors an undisturbed digestion in the infant, and a 

 safer and more continuous development. Yet many a mother 

 whose milk could readily be made to assist in the early nutrition 

 of her infant is ignorantly advised or allowed to discard it for 

 the greater uncertainties of total bottle feeding. The forces 

 which are behind this organization can do much, not only to 

 forward a campaign of education concerning the advantages of 



