THE GENERAL COMPOSITION OF MILK 17 



Human Colostrum. The estimation of the composition of 

 human colostrum is rendered difficult in view of the relatively 

 small amount which is present in the gland. It is not possible 

 to obtain more than a small fraction of the total amount of milk 

 produced, for purposes of analysis. The gland is not in working 

 order, expression of milk is painful, and the breast-pump, at all 

 times an insufficient method of obtaining the end milk, is of little 

 assistance at this juncture. It is probable that the infant obtains 

 a good deal more milk than can possibly be removed by artificial 

 means ; further, as the end milk is the richest in fat, it is almost 

 certain that the food value available for the infant will exceed 

 that suggested by the published estimates of the average composi- 

 tion of colostrum. Langstein, Rott, and Edelstein say that in 

 their experiments the child was usually able to obtain 10 to 15 

 grammes of milk at a period when it was impossible for any to 

 be expressed for estimation. 



The following figures are given by Camerer and Soldner (i) for 

 the values of colostrum : 



Zuckmayer gives figures for the nitrogen and ash in the early 

 days, in average samples taken from twenty-six women, viz. : 

 0*26 per cent, for nitrogen and 0*20 per cent, for ash, between the 

 third and eighth days. Bailey and Murlin give rather different 

 figures for five samples taken, as below : 



The extreme variation in the last three sets of figures, especially 

 in the fat, raises a doubt whether the specimens were really average 

 ones, more especially as the authors appear to have experienced 

 some difficulty in obtaining samples. The method employed is 



