Sketching development of Idea of formula milk
The use of animal's milk for infant feeding is noted as far back as 2000 BC. Since then, alternative milk sources have evolved to include the synthetic formulas of today. The use of artificial feeding substances grew rapidly and was significantly influenced by advertising campaigns. This had a profound negative effect on breastfeeding trends, despite research that revealed many discrepancies between breastfed and artificially fed infants (Greer & Apple, 1991; Wolf, 2003). Although artificial or formula-feeding of infants is presently much safer than it has been in decades, breastmilk is still considered the best source of infant nutrition (Leung & Sauve, 2005).
Throughout the ages and until the end of the 19th century, animal's milk was the most common source of artificial feeding. As mentioned earlier, pap and panada were used only as supplements to animal's milk when the infant failed to thrive. The type of animal's milk used was dependent on the kind of animal that was available—goats, sheep, donkeys, camels, pigs, or horses. The most common and universally used milk for artificial feeding, however, was cow's milk (Radbill, 1981).
In the 18th century, the first chemical analyses of human milk and animal's milk began to appear. Jean Charles Des-Essartz published his Treatise of Physical Upbringing of Children in 1760, which discussed and compared the composition of human milk to that of the cow, sheep, ass, mare, and goat. Based on chemical characteristics, Des-Essartz justified human milk as the best source of infant nutrition. With mother's milk as the ideal, many scientists tried to formulate nonhuman milk to resemble human milk (Radbill, 1981). In 1865, chemist Justus von Liebig developed, patented, and marketed an infant food, first in a liquid form and then in a powdered form for better preservation. Liebig's formula—consisting of cow's milk, wheat and malt flour, and potassium bicarbonate—was considered the perfect infant food (Radbill, 1981).
Another important scientific advancement of the 19th century was food preservation. In 1810, Nicholas Appert developed a technique to sterilize food in sealed containers. His development was followed by the invention of evaporated milk, which was patented in 1835 by William Newton. In 1853, Texan Gale Borden added sugar to the evaporated milk, canned the substance, and sold it as Eagle Brand Condensed Milk, which became a popular infant food. In 1885, John B. Myerling developed an unsweetened condensed milk, labelling it as “evaporated milk.” Myerling's product was also a popular choice for infant feeding and was highly recommended by paediatricians from the 1930s to the 1940s (Radbill, 1981).
