OUR BABIES.

King Country Chronicle, Volume IX, Issue 740, 27 January 1915, Page 2

OUR BABIES.

Published under the auspices of the Society for the Health of Women and Children. "It is wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom." HUMANISED MILK PREPARED FROM UNSWEETENED CONDENSED MILK. The formula I gave last week Bhows the easiest, moat economical, and on the whole the moat satisfactory means of feeding a baby artificially, where fresh cow's milk cannot be obtained for the preparation of humanised milk. However, the mother or nurse may like to have something more than my mere assurance on the point, so I have made out the table, given below, showiighow the mixture recommsnded compares with other preparations and above all with human milk; because the great question in regard to any artificial food for babies is: How closely doe 3 it conform to Nature's standard?

Humanised Milk, Prepared as Directed Last Week from Unsweetened Condensed Milk, Compared with Mother's Milk, Cow's Milk, Ordinary Condensed Milk, Etc.

Number of ounces 01 th 9 three essential food elements present in eacb 100 ounces of the Milk aa rcad« Ready for the Baby.— Mother's Milk, the Standard: 6£oz sugar of milk, 3|oz fat, l£oz proteid. Cow's Milk, or Unsweetened Condensed Milk or Dried Milk ready for use: 4|—4—3£. . Ordinary Condensed Milk, ready for use: 9*—2—if. Humanised Milk prepared from Unsweetened Condensed Milk as directed, for temporary use in hot weather, where the dairy supply is bad; or for rearing babies where cow's milk is not obtainable: 6J —3 to SH —I|. A typical patent Baby Food, Glaxo: 51-4—3. *ln reality, under 1\ of this is Milk Sugar, the rest being common Cane Sugar. tAcccording to the quantity of oil used. JWilhoiit the addition of White of Egg the Proteid is a little below 11, with White of Egg it is just above 1£ per cent.

HOW DOES IT COMPARE WITH MOTHER'S MILK? Our effort must always be to get as near aa possible to Nature. The formula has been made somewhat below the average strength of human milk, but this is intentional. It is always safer to keep slightly below Nature's standard, especially for use' in the first few months of life, and in summer time. If the quantities given in the table for feeding on page 34, of the Society's Book are allowed, the average baby will get about as much food as he needs for hot weather, but in cold weather he may want a few ounces more in the 24 hours.

The Wildest Departures from Nature. Contrasting the above figures, the most glarin of the departures from Nature's standard are as follows: — If baby is fed on ordinary Condensed Milk, rather more than half his food consists of mere cane sugar, none of which is present in human milk, and he' ia kept very short of fat. If baby is fed on Cow's Milk or Glaxo, he ib kept short of Mlik Sugar, and receives double the proportion of Proteid allowed by Nature. This latter may not strike;the mother as a very serious matter, but in reality it doubles the work of the delicate, growing kidneys, and affects the whole of the nutritive processes of the bcdy. "We can never monkey with Nature with impunity."

Other Defects and How to Counteract Them. —A general objection which applies to all the milks dealt with in the Table, excepting Mother's Miik and Fresh Cow's Milk, is that they have been over - heated, and devitalised in the course of manufacture for tinning and export. We try to counteract this defect by the use of fresh White of Egg and fresh Fruit Juice —using both if possible. This is imperatively necessary., 88e page 40 of the Society's Book, "Feeding and Care of Baby." Indeed, after a bahy is three months old, Fruit Juice should be regarded aB part of the daily regimen, even where Humanised Milk is prepared from fresh cow's milk though in that case the milk has not been subjected to superheating. The use of some fresh, raw material is joubly necessary where the btby's food has to be prepared from tinned milk, and may then be begun as early as the end of the second month. Before this addition the of white of egg to the baby's food —every day, if possible, and not less than twice a week —will suffice. I shall have something more to say on the use of white of egg and fruit juice next week. Note on the Reheating of Any Remainder of Humanised Milk, Prepared from Unsweetened Condensed Milk, Standing Unused after 24 Hours in Warm Weather. —Before reheating make sure that the mixture is thoroughly blended by pouring backwards and forwards from jug to jug half a dozen times. Then place the jug in a saucepan of boiling water and keep it there—with the saucepan standing on a hot part of the Btove —for a quarter of an hour. Now pour backwards and forwards again a few timeß; then cover the jug with a saucer and let it remain standing in cold water —running if possible—for half an hour, and transfer to a cool, outdoor safe.