Acidified Whole Milk as a Routine Infant Food

Some young infants may be satisfactorily fed on whole undiluted cow's milk given in the same amounts as human breast milk. The majority, however, when so fed fail to thrive in a normal manner and develop gastro-intestinal and nutritional disturbances. This fact has led to the common practice of feeding infants lesser amounts of cow's milk than of breast milk, and making up the deficiency in calories by the addition of some form of carbohydrate. The total volume of the food is made up by the addition of water. In other words, the milk is diluted and sugar is added. Various theoretical explanations for the necessity of such modifications of cow's milk have been given. It has been assumed, for example, that the infant is incapable of digesting protein when it occurs in a concentration of 3.5 per cent., as in cow's milk, but can digest it when its concentration