[61] "Newer Points of View Regarding the Part Played by Different Foodstuffs in Nutrition," by Lafayette Mendel, Ph.D. Read at the Sixty-fifth Annual Meeting of the American Medical Association, June, 1914. [62] See "Bacterial Action in the Body," p. 181. SECTION IV DIETO-THERAPY CHAPTER VIII PREGNANCY AND LACTATION There are many traditions in regard to the food requirements of the prospective mother. Many of these have been proved fallacies. As a matter of fact it is the woman more than the developing child who is likely to suffer if the diet is insufficient or badly balanced. ~Factors Affecting Diet during Pregnancy.~--In formulating a dietary for the pregnant woman, then, not only must the needs of the child be considered but those of the mother also, since the developing embryo draws from the body of the woman materials necessary for its growth, and if these needs are not covered by an increase in the diet, her body and that of the child also will show evidences of lack of nourishment. ~Phosphorus and Calcium Requirements.~--If, for example, the mother's diet is lacking in those materials which produce growth, or is deficient in those mineral salts, such as those of phosphorus and calcium, which are requisite and necessary for the growth of bones in the infant, the mother's bones and teeth will show this loss and in all probability the baby will sooner or later also show a like deficiency. However, it must be remembered that the pregnant woman is under a strain, both physical and mental. She must not be encouraged to eat beyond her needs or the digestion will be disturbed. ~Nutritional Disturbances in Early Months.~--The nutritional disturbance manifested by nausea and vomiting in the morning is due, not to the stomach or any disturbance therein, but to the fact that a mild form of poisoning occurs, resulting from the substances produced through the formation of the placenta reaching the general circulation on account of the incomplete establishment of the connection between the embryo and the mother. As soon as this connection is complete and fetal circulation is established this "morning sickness" disappears. ~Food Requirements of Prospective Mother.~--The food requirements of the prospective mother are not materially affected during the first four months of gestation, and even after this, when the infant is developing rapidly, and up to the date of its birth, the mother's requirements are only increased about 20%. The amount of food necessary to cover the body needs, for maintenance and energy of a woman living a sedentary or moderately active life, plus 20% for building materials for the growing child, will be adequate for the pregnant woman. Thus, if her needs are ordinarily from 2,000 to 2,400 calories per day, after the fourth month they will probably be increased to 2,400 or 2,800 calories a day and will rarely ever be more than 3,000 calories a day.