Composition of Human Colostrum and Milk

WITH the information available, the obvious approach to the problem of infant feeding is based on the use of human milk when feasible and of formulas simulating it as nearly as possible when for any reason breast milk cannot be made available to an infant. With knowledge of the chemical composition of colostrum and human milk as a pattern, corresponding formulas can be prepared to meet the requirements for growth and development of both premature and full term infants. A report by the Subcommittee of the Committee on Maternal and Child Feeding, of the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council,1which considered the advantages of breast milk as a specific food for infants, the advantages of breast feeding as a technic in child care and the objections and contraindications to breast feeding, stated: As a food, human milk still remains the best type of milk for