It is certainly true that the diet of China, Japan and other countries in which the same general habits prevail, is not suited for the proper nutrition of young children. It has always been the practice of mothers there to nurse their infants for very long periods, even four or five years being not unusual. The early weaning of infants which is so widely practised in Europe and America, is made possible because of the availability of an abundance of milk of the cow and goat. If the Orientals weaned their children at nine to twelve months of age as is the custom in this country, their infant mortality would be very great, for their foods are not suitable for feeding to young children and older infants.

In certain respects this is to the advantage of the Oriental infants but in others it is a disadvantage. Thus, since the mothers are, in general taking diets which are sufficient to meet their bodily needs in a fairly satisfactory manner over a considerable number of years, they are able to secrete milk of moderately good quality and for many months or even for several years. Their infants are, therefore, protected against the intestinal disturbances which are so frequently the result of feeding milk which is in bad bacteriological condition in this country. They likewise fail to suffer from rickets as do a large number of children in Europe and America. Their mother's milk or that of a wet nurse is the most appropriate food for them, and they in general during the nursing period, but no longer, fare better than do those children in our country whose mothers are limiting their diets largely to bolted wheat flour and other de-germinated cereal products, potatoes and muscle meats, the meat, bread and potato type of diet. On this they are unable to secrete milk of good quality and after a few weeks or months their milk supply falls off or becomes of poor quality and weaning becomes imperative.