Substitute for human milk / by William H. Cumming, M.D.

  • Cumming, William H.
Date:
[1858?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Substitute for human milk / by William H. Cumming, M.D. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

    1/8
    SUBSTITUTE tr^l^l FOR HUMAN MILK. BY \J WILLIAM H. CUMMING, M.D. Artificial lactation is the subject of this paper. In order to prepare our minds for its proper consideration, it will be well to examine the natural function in its normal state. Lactation exists as a function only among the Mammalia. These derive their title as a class from the existence of the organs of this function. Whether they spend their lives in tbe water or on the land, whether they swim or creep, or walk or climb, or fly, they all have milk-producing organs; they all suckle their young. And yet there are foreshadowings of lactation far down the scale of being. The bees and wasps and ants prepare a supply of food for their young, and the larva on his emergence from the egg, finds this provision near at hand and amply sufficient for his wants. Many birds bring insects and worms to their yet unfledged young. The swallow and the wren are familiar examples of this. Nothing can exceed the diligence and assiduity with which they devote them- selves to this important work of artificial lactation. The pigeon comes still nearer to the mammalia in this matter, for it supplies to its young an abundance of partly-digested food. The fact has not escaped notice, and pigeon milk is the name of this article of diet. The truth is, that most animals leave the egg or the womb in a state of development in which they are unable to obtain and use the ordinary food of their kind. In most cases their organs of locomo- tion do not enable them to obtain this food. The larva of the bee cannot fly, the puppy cannot walk, the monkey cannot climb, the beaver cannot swim. Nor can they in most cases masticate and digest such food as their parents use. The teeth are ordinarily still within the gum, and do not appear for some time after birth. Most of these