Introduction to the International Conference: The Effects of Human Milk upon the Recipient Infant

Abstract

The background of the conference is a history of concepts concerning the role of human milk in infant nutrition. Until the past few decades, human milk was considered to be simply a source of calories, proteins, lactose, lipids, and minerals. It was conceded that human milk differed from cow’s milk, but most clinicians believed that those differences were insignificant. Earlier reports of lower morbidity and mortality among breast-fed infants were attributed to infectious contaminants introduced into cow’s milk formulations, rather than to protective effects of human milk. Human lactation was not emphasized and that was mirrored by a decline in breast-feeding in many countries during the mid-20th century. This vital area of human biology was also neglected because the technologies used to examine lactation performance, human milk composition, or the effects upon the infant were rudimentary. It was, therefore, understandable that most scientists shrank from the daunting task of conducting research on this subject. Finally, the paucity of studies may have been a reflection of the comparatively low priority regarding children in many countries.