BREAST-FEEDING 159 



In the series of 300 breast-fed infants whose records were 

 examined by me for the purpose of a report to the Local Government 

 Board, where all the babies had been fed on the breast up to the 

 age of four months, it was found that 52 out of the 300 had been 

 weaned between the ages of four and six months (some possibly 

 for other reasons than the failure of the milk), but that the great 

 majority were not weaned until nine months of age. The weight 

 charts, however, suggested that although the supply was sufficient 

 for the needs of the infant, the optimum rate of growth was not 

 secured in all cases for the full period of nine months. See 

 Chap. XL 



It is stated, however, by Finkelstein, Schlossmann (2), Engel 

 (2), and others that there is practically no limit to the period of 

 lactation of a good wet-nurse, and that the breast will continue to 

 secrete a good quantity of milk so long as the stimulus of suckling is 

 supplied. It is doubtful how far this can be considered generally 

 applicable to the mother of a family, the conditions in institutions 

 being of a somewhat unusual nature. 



Later Effects of Breast-feeding. The later results of breast- 

 feeding as compared with artificial feeding have not been adequately 

 investigated. 



The question of rickets in relation to breast-feeding will be 

 considered in Chap. XIII. 



The low mortality among breast-fed infants during the first 

 year of life, as compared with that among the artificially-fed 

 infants, has been so fully demonstrated that it is unnecessary 

 to deal with the matter here. Further information may be ob- 

 tained in Chap. XIV of the Supplement to the 42nd Report of the 

 Medical Officer of the Local Government Board. (See under 

 Newsholme.) 



The health of breast-fed children after the period of infancy is 

 considered briefly in Appendix B. 



REFERENCES IN CHAPTER VIII AND APPENDICES 



Breast-Feeding 



AURNHAMMER, ' Ucber die Beziehung zwischen Milchproduktion und Fett- 



gehalt der Milch,' Arch. f. Kinderh. 1909, li. 161. 

 BAMBERG, ' Zur Physiologic der Lactation mit besonderer Beriicksichtigung 



der chemischen Zusammenhang der Frauenmilch milchreicher Frauen 



und des Einnuss der Menstruation/ Zeit. f. Kinderh. 1913, vi. 424. 

 BARRATT. See Leven and Barratt. 

 BIRK, ' Zur Frage der Ernahrung stillender Frauen/ Munch, med. Wochensch. 



1911, Iviii. 1665. 



BOGEN. See Tobler and Bogen. 

 BRODSKY, ' Beobachtungen iiber die Lactation der Ammen/ Arch. f. 



Kinderh. 1914, Ixiii. 161. 

 BUDIN. (i) The Nursling," p. 156. (2) The Nursling, Appendices II and 



III, pp. 166-172. English translation. 



