Breast milk substitute: a bacteriological study.

The increased susceptibility of infants fed on cows' milk preparations has been attributed, at least in part, to differences in the nature of the large-bowel content-owing to the acidity of the faeces and their high content of Lactobacillus bifidus. In an attempt to mimic these features of the breastfed infant in one who is fed artificially, a breast milk substitute was devised which resembles breast milk in several important ways. When this material was fed to newborn infants the faeces developed the characteristics of those of the breast-fed child.