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An Introduction to Lactation and Breast-Feeding

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Lactation

Abstract

An essential characteristic of mammals is the capacity of the female to nourish her offspring with milk, the secretion of the mammary glands. This fluid provides not only nutrients for physical growth but also both immune and nonimmune elements for protection against disease and an opportunity for interaction between newborn and mother which may, at least in higher species of mammals, initiate the learning process necessary to the transition to independent living. In this introductory chapter, we will begin by viewing human lactation from an evolutionary standpoint. Two sections will then be devoted to the historical development of our understanding of milk secretion and its hormonal control. Finally, we will consider breast-feeding in its historical context, a discussion which provides a perspective from which to view the controversy over breast milk versus formula in underdeveloped countries.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, Colorado, 80262, USA

    Margaret C. Neville

  2. Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, Colorado, 80262, USA

    Marianne R. Neifert

Authors
  1. Margaret C. Neville
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  2. Marianne R. Neifert
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, 80262, Denver, Colorado, USA

    Margaret C. Neville Ph.D.

  2. Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, 80262, Denver, Colorado, USA

    Marianne R. Neifert M.D.

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© 1983 Plenum Press, New York

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Neville, M.C., Neifert, M.R. (1983). An Introduction to Lactation and Breast-Feeding. In: Neville, M.C., Neifert, M.R. (eds) Lactation. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-3688-4_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-3688-4_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-3690-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4613-3688-4

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