Am.  Jour.  Pharin.  \ 
March,  1892,  J 
Infants  Food. 
INFANTS'  FOOD.1 
By  Dr.  Blackader. 
Practically,  all  unite  in  regarding  cow's  milk,  or  some  prepara- 
tion of  it,  as  the  only  serviceable  substitute  for  human  milk.  There 
are  certain  difficulties  in  its  preparation  which  must  be  clearly 
understood  to  be  overcome. 
(1)  Cow's  milk  contains  about  double  the  amount  of  albuminoids 
that  human  milk  does,  while  human  milk  contains  a  slightly  larger 
amount  of  fats  and  sugars.  Human  milk  is  always  alkaline,  cow's 
milk  usually  acid, 
(2)  Cow's  milk  always  contains  microbes ;  frequently  they  are  of 
the  varieties  which  produce  poisonous  products. 
(3)  The  supply  of  cow's  milk  being  unlimited,  we  have  not  the 
same  check  upon  the  amount  that  we  have  when  the  infant  is  on 
the  breast,  hence  we  are  apt  to  have  added  to  the  other  difficulties 
that  of  over-feeding. 
Either  of  these  difficulties  alone  might  defeat  an  attempt  to 
nourish  an  infant  with  cow's  milk ;  while  operating  together  they 
render  the  problem  in  many  cases  very  difficult.  The  author  had 
hoped  that  with  increasing  knowledge  of  the  composition  of  the 
two  milks,  and  of  the  proper  amount  to  be  administered,  together 
with  sterilization,  the  problem  of  artificial  feeding  had  been  solved. 
While  many  cases  yielded  gratifying  results,  hopes  in  others  were 
disappointed.  Changes  which  milk  undergoes  in  the  sterilizing 
process  may  be  epitomized  as  follows: 
I.  The  starch  liquefying  ferment  which  exists  in  cow's  milk  in 
minute  quantities  is  destroyed  when  the  heat  rises  above  165 °  F. 
II.  A  portion  of  the  lactalbumen  is  coagulated. 
III.  The  casein,  after  the  action  of  prolonged  heat,  is  less  readily 
coagulated  by  rennet,  and  yields  slowly  and  imperfectly  to  the 
action  of  pepsin  and  pancreatin. 
IV.  The  fat  globules  are  injuriously  affected  by  the  heat.  The 
fat  is  free  to  some  extent,  and  after  standing,  small  lumps  of  butter 
are  sometimes  observed  on  the  surface  of  the  milk,  while  the  portion 
not  freed  has  a  decidedly  lessened  tendency  to  coalesce.  When 
sterilized  and  unsterilized  milk  are  churned,  it  is  found  that  the 
unsterilized  yields  more  butter  and  in  less  time. 
1  Montreal  Medical  Journal;  Archives  of  Pediatrics,  Jan.,  1892,  p.  67. 
