COMPOSITION OF HUMAN MILK IN AUSTRALIA. 



191 



percentages of fat in human milk may be due to a faulty 

 method of obtaining the samples, it seems fairly evident 

 that the fat of the milk is secreted by a process which is 

 more less independent of that by which all the other con- 

 stituents are produced, and the samples obtained for 

 analysis must surely be comparable with the samples 

 obtained by a suckling child, which can hardly be regarded 

 as regulating to a nicety both the intervals between its 

 meals, and the quantities which it takes. The chief object 

 of the analysis of human milk is, after all, to ascertain the 

 composition of the food of the human infant. 



In the table given below the values for the most probable 

 percentages of the various constituents of human milk 

 obtained from the results of the present work and from 

 those of the work of the authors quoted are placed together. 

 The values of the mean percentages are also given for 

 comparison. 



Table IY. — Most probable and mean values of percentages of 

 constituents of human milk. 



Author. 



Total Solids. 



Solids not fat 



Protein. 



Sugar. 





Mean. 



Most 

 probable. 



Mean. 



Most 

 prob. 



Mean. 



Most 

 prob. 



Mean. 



Most 

 prob. 



Leeds ... 



Carter and Droop 

 Richmond 



Camerer and 

 Soldner 



Halcro Wardlaw 



13-3 

 12-0 



12-0 

 131 



13-0 

 11-7 



12-0 



12-8 



9-1 



8-9 



8-6 

 10-0 



9-3 

 8-6 



8-7 

 9-8 



2-0 

 2-0 



1-4 

 2-0 



2-0 

 1-7 



1-1 

 1-9 



6-9 

 6-6 



6-4 



7-4 



7-1 



6-9 



6-7 

 7-1 



From the above table it will be seen that the results 

 obtained in these four series of analyses, with the exception 

 of the percentage of protein given by Camerer and Soldner, 

 do not differ materially from one another. It would appear, 

 therefore, that climate has no very marked effect on the 

 composition. 



