Occasional papers on the prevention of some common diseases in childhood / by J. Sim Wallace.

  • Wallace, J. Sim (James Sim), 1869-1951.
Date:
1912
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Occasional papers on the prevention of some common diseases in childhood / by J. Sim Wallace. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Gerstein Science Information Centre at the University of Toronto, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Gerstein Science Information Centre, University of Toronto.

    17/126 (page 5)
    healthy subject undergo concordant changes.'* Now, for the first six or nine months of a child's life it has been accustomed to extracting liquid from the mother's breast, and through all the ages of man's evolution nothing was mixed with this milk. When, with increasing age and concomitant changes, the first article of food was presented to the child, it was given at a different time from the suck- ing of the milk. I think it must be obvious that in a state of Nature it was utterly impossible to soak food in milk in order to effect the transition from mother's milk to the ordinary foods of children and adults. Moreover, there is no precedent which could in any way be interpreted as justifying the method of transition from milk to solid food which has been so universally adopted by the medical profession. I shall exemplify how the transition from milk to solid food is recommended by a few extracts from a recent authoritative textbook published to aid the young practitioner of medicine. As far as this is concerned, the author, it will be granted, is strictly orthodox. After nine months, he says, Dilution of the milk is not necessary. . . . Some solid food may be added in the shape of boiled bread, or porridge, or pudding. These additions must be small in quantity at first.' Then when the child is twelve months old, he says, The pomdge may be made thicker and of coarser oatmeal. A little potato and gravy or half an egg may be given once a day. Soft bread and butter or dripping may be taken. Pap * TomeSj Dental Surgery/' fourth edition, who says, furtlier : ''Dr. West, in his valuable work, 'Diseases of Infancy and Child- hood/ has brought together many facts which bear upon this subject.