408 



THE MILK OF MAMMALS OTHEE THAN THE COW. 



Various sugars are used, milk-sugar naturally being the most 

 universally adopted ; while cane-sugar, and maltose, and other 

 carbohydrates, resulting from the diastatic conversion of starch 

 are added. 



The artificial feeding of children is to a large extent empirical. 

 There is strong reason to believe that few of the constituents of 

 cow's milk are identical with those of human milk, though closely 

 analogous ; yet it has been found that cow's milk suitably 

 modified is an excellent food. 



Again, it is found that human milk decreases in proteins as 

 lactation advances. The best results have been obtained in 

 artificial feeding by an exact reversal of this rule. 



Peptonised Milk. — It is now conceded by the best authori- 

 ties that the use of peptonised preparations is not an 

 advantage, as, though the digestibility of the proteins is 

 increased, it is at the expense of the development of the 

 digestive organs. 



The value of the milk in the treatment of disease lies in the fact 

 that it is readily digestible, especially if diluted or modified so 

 that the formation of hard curd in the stomach is prevented. 

 As an example, it may be mentioned, that during the epidemic 

 of typhoid at Maidstone in 1897, the Aylesbury Dairy Company 

 sent many hundreds of bottles of humanised milk to the hospitals, 

 which gave most satisfactory results, and provided a food which 

 was readily retained and assimilated. 



Peptonised milk is also used in cases of gastric disorders. 

 Vieth gives the composition of this product as : — 



TABLE CXXVI. 



Water, 



Fat, 



Sugar, 



Casein, 



Albumin, 



Albumoses, 



Ash, . 



89-20 per cent. 

 3-41 

 3-80 

 0-96 

 0-07 

 1-88 

 0-68 



Diabetic Milk. — In cases of diabetes. Ringer has recom- 

 mended a solution of casein in a mixture of salts approximating 

 to those present in milk as supplying protein nourishment ; and 

 Overend has used a diabetic milk in which the milk-sugar has 

 been almost entirely replaced by leevulose with success. 



The author found diabetic milk to have the following com- 

 position : — 



