SEC. 4. Quantity of Food.

“We all know,” says Dr. Dewees, “how easily the stomach may be made to demand more food than is absolutely required; first, by the repetition of aliment, and secondly, by its variety;—­therefore both of these causes must be avoided.  The stomach, like every other part, can, and unfortunately does, acquire habits highly injurious to itself; and that of demanding an unnecessary quantity of aliment is not one of the least.  It should, therefore, be constantly borne in mind, that it is not the quantity of food taken into the stomach, that is available to the proper purposes of the system; but the quantity which can be digested, and converted into nourishment fit to be applied to such purposes.”

There is a great deal of truth in these remarks; and especially in the closing one, that not all which is taken into the stomach is digested.  It is highly probable, that the least quantity which is usually given to an infant is more than sufficient for the purposes of digestion; and that nearly every child in the arms of its mother, is over-fed.

I know it has been said, by some physicians—­and by those who are sensible men, in other respects, too—­that the child’s stomach is a pretty correct guide in regard to quantity.  If we give it too much, say they, it will reject it;—­as if that were an end of the matter.

But it is not so.  It is by no means harmless to fill the child’s stomach as full as is possible without overflowing.  Such a process, though it should not create disease directly, would produce a gluttonous habit.  The stomach, being muscular, may be increased in size by use, like all other muscular organs.  The hands, the arms, the legs, the feet, the fleshy portions of the face, even, may be disproportionally enlarged by constant use.  Thus a sailor, who uses his hands and arms much more than his legs and feet, has the former unusually large; one who is much accustomed to walking, has large feet; and in a tailor, who from childhood uses his lower limbs comparatively little, they are both small and slender.  On the same principle, the stomach, by inordinate use, and by carrying unreasonable loads, may be made nearly twice as large as nature intended, and may demand twice as much food.  And I have no doubt that the bulk of mankind, young and old, eat about twice as much as nature, unperverted, would require.

If the suggestions of our last section are duly attended to, one of the causes which lead the stomach to demand an unreasonable quantity of food will be avoided—­I mean the too frequent “repetition of aliment.”  And if we never depart from the general rule, already laid down, not to give the infant anything but its mother’s milk, we shall escape the evils incident to variety.

SEC. 5. How long should milk be the only food.

On this point, there is a great diversity of opinion.  Perhaps the most approved role, of universal application, is, that the first change should be made in the child’s diet, when the teeth begin to appear.