170 



H. S. H. WARDLAW. 



that which the composition of any given sample of human 

 milk is most likely to be. This fact is not very generally 

 recognised, although a few investigators have pointed 

 out the indefiniteness of these mean figures, and have 

 despaired of making any general quantitative statement as 

 to the composition of human milk (Hammarsten, Voltz). 

 Other workers, for example Leeds, have endeavoured to 

 give additional value to the mean of the results of their 

 analyses by stating also the highest and lowest figures 

 obtained for the amount of each constituent, and thus indi- 

 cating the limits between which the variations occurred. 



In the following table are given typical sets of figures 

 representing the means of the results obtained for the per- 

 centages of the various constituents in series of analyses 

 of human milk. The maximum and minimum values for 

 the amount of each constituent are also given. The 

 examples chosen are from the only three exhaustive modern 

 investigations of the composition of human milk which the 

 present author has been able to find. The original figures 

 of an extensive series of analyses carried out by Adriance 

 and Adriance (1898) unfortunately could not be obtained. 



Table I. — Typical mean, maximum, and minimum figures for the 

 density and composition of human milk. 





Density. 



Total 

 Solids. 



Fat. 



Solids 

 not fat. 



Protein. 



Milk 



Sugar. 



Ash. 



Maximum 



1-0353 



16-8 



6-9 



12-1 



4-9 



7-9 



0-37 



Mean 



1-0313 



133 



4-1 



9-1 



2-0 



6-9 



0-20 



Minimum 



1-0260 



10-9 



2-11 



6-6 



0-85 



5-4 



0-13 



Maximum 



1-0426 



17-1 



8-8 





4-05 



8-9 



0-50 



Mean 



1-0313 



12-0 



3-07 



8-2 



1-97 



6-6 



0-26 



Minimum 



1-0240 



8-6 



0-47 





1-02 



4-4 



0-17 



Maximum 





13-9 



5-8 





2-04 



7-5 



0-34 



Mean 





12-0 



3-36 



8-6 



1-35 



6-4 



0-23 



Minimum 





9-4 



1-27 





0-81 



5-35 



0-11 



