The second point in regard to milk lies in the effect of pasteurization.
This measure is now well nigh universal and in America at least has played
a tremendous part in the reduction of infant mortality, especially during
the summer months. At present, however, we know that this treatment while
removing dangerous germs may also eliminate the antiscorbutic factor. The
sensible attitude then is to recognize this fact and if a clean whole milk
is not available retain the pasteurization and meet the vitamine
deficiency by other agents. Such agents are orange juice and tomato juice
and experience has already shown that these juices can be well tolerated
by infants much earlier than used to be thought possible.
While the pasteurization does not appreciably affect the content of "A" or
"B" vitamines, the variability in content of these vitamines in milk
indicates that it may at times be necessary to supplement them in the
diet. In this connection it must be borne in mind that cereals vary widely
in content and cannot be, as they often are now, considered equivalent in
growth stimulation power. This is a subject that needs special attention
on the part of vitamine experts and dietitians and finally by the food
manufacturers. A good vitamine-rich cereal combination would form an
excellent adjuvant to infant dietaries after they reach the age of
tolerance to such a diet. But even before that time the expressed juice of
various vegetables as well as fruits is found to be well tolerated when
mixed with the milk or given separately, and carrot and spinach juice are
now being used in this connection with good results. These juices like
orange juice contain the B type in abundance and there is no doubt that in
their stimulation to the appetite they play an important part in making
the desirable daily gain.
Fortunately for the layman he has in the scales a good indicator of the
normal progress of his child and so long as growth is normal he can fairly
assume that the diet is adequate but if the scales say otherwise it is
time for him to seek advice and then he is wise who insures that his
medical adviser knows the newer aspects of nutrition. The parent can do
this only by proper selection, but with a little knowledge he can soon
satisfy himself as to whether his pediatrist is the right sort and it is
one of the purposes of this text to bring home to the layman his
responsibility in this matter.
There has grown up in this country a great regard for prepared milk
substitutes in infant feeding and a wide usage of condensed milks,
reinforced milks, diluted milk formulae, etc. All such preparations must
be examined anew in the light of the vitamine discoveries and unless the
given preparation can show a clean bill of health in vitamine content, it
should be either discarded or properly supplemented.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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