When was formula first introduced

Many of them were unable to breastfeed, had to work or unfortunately died during childbirth. Often, livestock was used to feed children, also known as dry nursing. To ensure children were being fed and getting the proper nutrients for adequate growth, wet nursing was then introduced.

Wet nursing is when a woman breastfeeds another woman's child. Initially these bottles were made of glass. Shortly after, the first rubber nipple was patented.

Thomas Morgan Rotch of Harvard Medical School developed what came to be known as the "percentage method" of infant formula feeding, which was popular among medical professionals from to He taught that because cow's milk contains more casein than human milk, it must be diluted to lower the percentage of casein.

The process of dilution, however, decreases the sugar and fat content to less than that of human milk. To correct these deficiencies, cream and sugar were added in precise amounts. Cow's milk formulas prescribed by the percentage method were compounded by a milk laboratory or, more often, by a home method that was time and labor intensive. Physicians were taught to monitor growth carefully and to examine the infant's stool and modify the formula based on its appearance.

By the s, physicians were frustrated by the complexity of formula prescribing and modifications associated with Rotch's percentage method. They eventually began to recommend either commercial formulas or simple homemade formulas made with evaporated milk. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, physicians came to understand that diseases were caused by germs and could be transmitted by consuming contaminated foodstuffs.

In particular, raw milk, which spoiled readily refrigeration was not widely available until about , was found to transmit a variety of diseases, including tuberculosis, typhoid fever, cholera, and diphtheria.

In , Louis Pasteur discovered that keeping wine at a high temperature killed the bacteria that caused the wine to sour. Several years later, it was discovered that pasteurization also protected against milk-borne diseases. Many physicians vigorously opposed pasteurization, however, because they believed that the process significantly diminished the nutritional value of milk. In fact, pasteurized milk was found to be deficient in what were later identified as vitamins C and D, and children consuming pasteurized milk received daily doses of orange juice and cod liver oil rich in vitamins A and D to prevent scurvy and rickets.

Pasteurization of milk became a universal practice in the US by about Perhaps the greatest advance in milk science occurred before the Civil War. Gail Borden discovered and patented a process of heating milk to high temperatures in sealed kettles, which removed close to half the water content of the milk.

By adding sugar as a preservative to the resulting product, Gail Borden invented sweetened "condensed" milk that had a long shelf life and could be transported easily without fear of spoilage. Condensed milk was an invaluable ration for soldiers during the Civil War and was later promoted to mothers as an infant food. Because of its high sugar content, however, physicians discouraged its use as an infant formula.

A method of producing unsweetened evaporated milk was developed by John B. Myenberg in This process altered the physical properties of milk, homogenizing it and rendering the curd smaller and more digestible than boiled pasteurized milk.

Studies published in the s and s demonstrated that large numbers of babies fed evaporated milk formula grew as well as breastfed infants did. During the Great Depression, corn syrup replaced sugar as a source of carbohydrate because of cost and availability. Gradually the formula was simplified to the one described at the beginning of this article.

By the s and through the s, most infants who were not breastfed received evaporated milk formula, as well as vitamins and iron supplements. In the early 20th century, the focus of nutrition scientists shifted from modifying the protein content of infant formula to making its carbohydrate and fat content more closely resemble that of human milk.

Some researchers believed that the carbohydrate content of cow's milk should be supplemented with maltose and dextrins; at their request, E. Mead Johnson, the founder of the Mead Johnson company, produced a cow's milk additive called Dextri-Maltose. A few years later, in , a new infant formula was introduced that replaced milk fat with a fat blend derived from animal and vegetable fats. This formula, which more closely resembled human milk than cow's milk, was called SMA for "simulated milk adapted".

SMA was also the first formula to include cod liver oil. Soon after SMA was introduced, Nestle's Infant Food added cod liver oil to its formula, as did most other infant formulas.

In the s, other "humanized" infant formulas were produced and marketed to the American public. Nestle produced a formula with a vegetable-oil-derived fat blend, called Lactogen, that was positioned to compete with SMA.

Another humanized infant formula was developed by Alfred W. A competitive market saw improvements to both feeding vessels and the nutritional value of formula pretty quickly, thank goodness. This has resulted in babies getting sick or even dying right into this century. The rubber nipple had now been developed and home refrigeration had improved enough to ensure more babies were drinking formula more safely.

By the s a much less gross rubber nipple had been invented and formula was finally an acceptable alternative to breast milk. Improvements have been made to feeding apparatus and formulas ever since, thank goodness, and now parents can confidently feed their babies formula and know they will thrive.

He was moved on to milky porridge, as soon as he could take it. He is still going strong! Bottle Feeding The day formula milk changed my life. Bottle Feeding Using a bottle like a dummy?

How to cure your toddler of their bottle obsession. Do these nurses in the s breastfeed these babies? If so, I learnt that when a woman is pregnant then the body starts producing milk for the baby in this case how can an old woman past the age of reproduction produce milk for a baby? Women can lactate without pregnancy!

I'm an adoptive mother, who breastfed. I had to supplement with formula, but produced a significant amount of milk, just by having the baby suckle a lot. These days, adoptive mothers usually use a good breast pump and the medication, domperidone, which increases the amount of milk they produce, but the vast majority of moms will produce a significant amount, from suckling a baby, alone.

This has been done throughout history. Post-menopausal women can do it, too. Ovaries are not even required. The main hormone responsible for lactation, prolactin, comes from the pituitary gland. Here is a history of infant feeding from the Journal of Perintal Education that might help answer your questions.

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