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).