384 
Artificial  Foods. 
( Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
X      August,  1899. 
for  their  existence,  the  principles  of  their  use,  the  composition  and 
manufacture  ol  the  various  kinds,  and  the  great  possibilities  which 
are  open  to  this  comparatively  new  form  of  nourishment  which  is 
now  occupying  so  much  of  the  attention  of  the  medical  men  and 
scientists  of  the  world,  and  the  utility  of  which  we  are  just 
beginning  to  realize. 
Artificial  foods  so  far  have  found  their  greatest  use  as  a  substitute 
for  human  milk  in  infant  feeding,  and  although  they  are  sometimes 
used  in  diseases  of  adults,  yet,  since  there  are  many  other  forms  of 
diet  which  can  be  employed  in  such  cases,  they  have  not  found  as 
extensive  an  application  in  this  field. 
It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  among  the  more  cultured  classes 
mothers  frequently  do  not  have  a  sufficient  quantity  of  milk  to 
suckle  their  young,  whereas  among  the  poorer  classes,  for  instance, 
the  peasant  women  of  France  and  Germany,  this  statement  does 
not  hold  true,  and  it  has  been  this  fact  that  has  forced  us  to  find 
some  substitute  which  could  take  the  place  of  human  milk  and 
supply  all  those  ingredients  which  are  necessary  for  the  perfect 
development  of  the  young. 
The  belief  has  been  entertained  that  a  paper  on  this  subject 
would  be  of  interest  to  the  Pennsylvania  Pharmaceutical  Association 
at  this  time,  because  pharmacists  are  probably  more  frequently  con- 
sulted by  parents  than  even  physicians,  and  the  future  welfare  of 
our  race,  in  a  measure,  depends  upon  the  raising  of  the  children. 
This,  therefore,  becomes  a  subject  upon  which  none  can  afford  to  be 
ignorant. 
Although  much  has  been  written  upon  this  subject  by  authori- 
ties all  over  the  world,  no  one  has  so  far  undertaken  to  collect  this 
scattered  knowledge  into  one  book,  so  that,  in  order  to  get  a  com- 
plete understanding  of  it  in  its  physiological,  medical,  chemical  and 
commercial  aspects,  it  is  necessary  to  refer  to  many  text-books, 
journals  and  even  note-books.  Nor  do  the  authorities  all  agree  on 
many  of  the  vital  points  concerning  the  best  methods  of  artificial 
feeding,  and  the  various  physiological  phenomena  which  take  place 
in  that  most  fearfully  and  wonderfully  made  organism — the  human 
body.  In  other  words,  this  subject  has  not  yet  been  reduced  to  a 
science. 
Wc  can  best  approach  this  question  by  beginning  with  the  gen- 
eral subject  of  foods  for  man,  touching  upon  the  various  kinds,  their 
