1 Department of Medicine, The Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
Just when it appeared that conflicts about the proper way to feed infants had been resolved, the recent debate about the propriety of some commercial firms advertising on television as well as selling milk formulas directly to mothers in supermarkets has reenergized the issue of infant feeding.1 That infant formulas have reached a state where they may even be considered by some to be safe enough for feeding most infants without the advice of health care professionals demonstrates the huge leap forward in the evolution of infant formula feeding. A short historical review will help us to understand how we have reached our present knowledge of infant feeding practices.