I was raised during the era of high infant mortality under 2 years of age, and I studied medicine under the enlightened era of sterilization of infant formulas. Over the years I have thus witnessed the tremendous obliteration of infant mortality due to gastroenteritis. When I began practice, we already had pasteurized milk and a water supply that was considered safe, yet I was taught that human error and mechanical failure could happen, and therefore mothers should be taught the "sterile field method" of preparation of formulas.