The Washington times., 1922-05-14
KILK Is liquid meat, the

1Lk is liquid meat. the
V crowning triumph 6 ma
AVA ture throughout the ages.
The mother melting down and dis
solving the solid tissues of her
own body into life-givins liquid
food for her young.
The last and highest form of
animals which appear in the evolu-
ton Of life Is the great class of
Mammals. This Is named and
marked off from all the others by
the possession OF milk glands and
the power Of nursing its young
and stands head and shoulders
above all in intelligence. in organ
ization and in dominance. as wit
ness our own illnstrious selves.
Perhaps we may be biased
Judges; but many attempts to imi-
tate this magic power have been
made by some Of the highest forms
of the other great classes. tho
birds and the insects. Certain
birds. the great dove and pigeon
families, for instance. turn into fat
and break down the cells Of the
lining of their crops and inject
this milk-iike fluid into the beaks
Of their nestlings. Pigeon milk"
Is not a mere April Fool joke.
The toucan Of the tropics can
shed the Jellyfied lining Of her en-
tire crop like a seeded raisingrape
and drop that into the mouths of
her fledglings.
FISH DIGESTED FOR YOUNG.
Many of the fish-eating birds.
notably the pelican and the stormy
petrol. melt down and concentrate
by mixing and seething in their
own digestive Juices the fish which
they carry home for their young
so that the birdlings are fed on a
sort of fish chowder. the milk" of
which is supplied from the crops
OF their mothers.
In the petrol the fish il actually
dissolved into a sort OF creamy
oil. the flavor Of which would
hardly appeal to US for mixing
with our morning coffee, but
which is doubtless as good as ice
cream soda TO the baby petrels.
It was probably this habit in the
pelican, combined with the fact
that several species of the birds
have a crimson tip on their bills.
which gave rise to the curious old
popular legend that in times Of
famine the mother pelican tore
open her breast and fed her young
ones with her own blood.
While. OF course. those insect
marvels. the bees, carefully pre-
digest and add the Juices from
their own crops to the sugar from
the flowers, in order to make
honey for their own young. Of
which we basely rob them.
HONEY GOOD FOR MANY.
1t Is indeed these digestive fer
ments which In a large degree
give honey its peculiar pungent
and aromatic flavor and render 1t
easier Of digestion than plain
sugar for most stomachs. Though.
unfortunately, others are rubbed
the wrong way" by It and can
hardly digest 1t at all.
The fact that milk IL the care.
fully selected and distilled life es.
sence of the mothers tissues body
makes 1t such a perfect and suffi-
Client sole food for babies during
the first five or six months Of life.
But we are beginning to discover
that we have taken this perfection
too much for granted and been too
ready to feel that almost any clean,
healthy milk. whether human or
Holstein. will fill the bill, II GER
tain dilutions or enrichments with
fats, sugar and water are made.
On the contrary, the conviction
is steadily growing in firmness and
insistency that the very closeness
and exquisiteness Of this prediges-
ton and adaptation makes the
question an intensely personal and
individual one. Each particular
mothers milk is adapted for a par
ticular baby. whether a COW baby
or a human one. The milk gland
of modern woman has not lost its
powers, and 1t is of the utmost
vital Importance that a human
baby should be reared upon human
milk. even II only for the first few
weeks. While at the same time
the human mother should be sup
piled with certain elements in her
food which have been rather light
ly regarded in the past, such as
green vegetables and fresh fruits.
in order to be able to supply in her
milk certain vital essences called
vitamins, which she cannot manu-
facture for herself.
THREE GREAT FOODsTUFFs.