62 THIRTY CENT BREAD 



handle fat. Inanition also causes acidosis in infants. 

 Fever is a very common cause. 



"In all these cases whey is especially valuable. 

 Many a child has been taken through long sieges of 

 fever on whey. Children do not lose weight rapidly 

 on whey alone. Egg white and fruit juices, espe- 

 cially that of the orange, may be used with whey to 

 advantage ; they furnish some nutriment and appre- 

 ciable amountis of alkali, 



"The infant is born with a store of iron within 

 its body. During the nursing period this store is 

 gradually depleted, since the milk contains little 

 iron. 



"At weaning time the infant stands in need of 

 iron. This is usually supplied in egg yolk, prunes, 

 whole wheat foods and oatmeal, and some physicians 

 of unquestioned standing recommend spinach. I 

 happen never to have seen spinach used, however, 

 for an infant. 



"Egg yolk is of especial value as a source of iron, 

 calcium, phosphorus and lecithin. But it is an ex- 

 ceedingly rich food. It must be fed with great care 

 on two accounts, first, to avoid making the baby 

 sick, because, while it is usually well taken, it acts 

 like poison to some infants, and second, because the 

 value of egg is so great that it is especially unfor- 

 tunate if you upset the infant by an over-allowance, 

 since it may be a long time before it will regain its 

 tolerance for this food. • 



"The existence in infants and older children of 

 simple malnutrition of the bones, a common malady 

 in young farm animals, is not well established ; and 

 the prevalent imperfections of children's teeth are 

 due to the fine milling of our cereals and the increas- 



