ABSTRACT

Eating is one of the fundamental requirements, along with breathing, necessary

to sustain life. If a person does not breathe for some minutes death occurs

very quickly; for someone not eating, although it may take several weeks, the

fact of death is no less inevitable. Perhaps this is why, throughout the animal

kingdom, feeding is such a major part of the daily routine and has become in

some species a part of ritual. In primates in particular, feeding routines have

assumed particular importance, and are regularly used to placate aggressors. In

humans mutual feeding has also evolved as a major mechanism for showing

affection or sexual interest (Morris 1967).