Historical research: Marie-Elise Kayser (1885–1950): pioneer of milk banking
Creators: name: Steger, Florian
name: Kosenko, Oxana
Publisher: name: Universität Ulm
Year: 2021
Subjects: subject: historical research
subject: human milk collection
subject: infant nutrition
subject: milk banking
subject: DDC 570 / Life sciences
subject: History Research
subject: Breast Feeding
subject: Milk, Human
subject: Breast Milk Expression
subject: Milk Banks
subject: Stillen
subject: Muttermilch

description: “The mother’s milk collecting station should be used where the breastfeeding of a vulnerable or sick infant is not possible” (Kayser, 1933, p.). The German pediatrician Marie-Elise Kayser (1885–1950) wrote those words in 1927. However, understanding the great value of mother’s milk for the normal development of children has not always been self-evident. Practices of infant feeding have differed over time and from country to country. For example, with a decrease in extended breastfeeding rates due to nursing mothers’ complaints of their milk inadequacy in the United States by the end of the 19th century, cow’s milk was becoming increasingly common for infant nutrition (Wolf, 2001). In England, cow’s milk was also widely used as baby food (Newman, 1906). In Germany, there were regional differences in infant feeding. While the breastfeeding incidence in northwestern Germany was high (70%–100%), this practice in southeastern regions of the country barely existed (Kintner, 1985; Vögele &amp; Rittershaus, 2020). Infants were mostly fed with so-called “meal-pap” instead of human milk. Inadequate feeding practices were one of the main reasons for a high infant mortality rate. In 1900, the infant mortality rate amounted to almost 20% per 100 live births in Germany, and 70% of those deaths resulted from gastro-intestinal disorders (Vögele &amp; Rittershaus, 2020). According to data from the United States, 13% of infants died before their first birthday, and more than half of them died of diarrhea (Preston &amp; Michael, 1991). To motivate women to breastfeed their children, the German state launched breastfeeding campaigns and other welfare measures, which led to an increase in breastfeeding frequency by the mid-1910s (Vögele &amp; Rittershaus, 2020). While the breastfeeding rates in the United States were decreasing during the first third on the 20th century (Wolf, 2001), Germany showed a different picture. The food shortages during World War I forced women to breastfeed, so the breastfeeding rates increased significantly after the war, even in German regions known for the custom of never breastfeeding (Kintner, 1985; Vögele &amp; Rittershaus, 2020). Although the infant mortality rate declined, it was still high and amounted almost 15 death/100 live births (Razum &amp; Breckenkamp, 2007). At the same time, it became increasingly difficult for clinics to find wet nurses, as alternatives to wet-nursing opened up to single mothers. Therefore, it was important for German pediatricians to collect and provide human milk for needy premature and newborn babies (Sunder-Plaßmann, 2016). In the present study, we examined the role of Kayser as one of the most engaged protagonists of human milk banking in the 20th Century. We analyzed her concept of milk banking, networking, and organizational activities, as well as the methods of advertising used by human milk banks.