ABSTRACT
The history of the rationale for the fortification of infant formula products with vitamin D and ascorbic acid, public health measures that lead to the eradication of infantile rickets and scurvy, are indications of how recently our knowledge of infant feeding underwent change. Prior to 1960 physicians were indifferent toward mild iron deficiency anemia and did not appreciate the importance of iron to the growth process, cognitive and psychomotor development, work capacity and performance, and infection. Physicians caring for premature infants prior to 1970 focused on the need for rapid infant growth, which they considered important for control of the cost of hospitalization and nosocomial infection. Health care professionals, breast-feeding support groups and the public were targeted for educational and training programs. Physician and maternal attitudes toward use of whole cow milk for feeding infants in the latter half of the first year of life have changed dramatically within the last two decades.
