{"id":16065,"date":"2024-11-21T13:34:57","date_gmt":"2024-11-21T18:34:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itoronto.info\/?p=16065"},"modified":"2024-11-21T13:35:00","modified_gmt":"2024-11-21T18:35:00","slug":"the-invention-that-saved-thousands-of-infants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itoronto.info\/en\/eternal-the-invention-that-saved-thousands-of-infants","title":{"rendered":"The Invention That Saved Thousands of Infants"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Canadian history remembers a time when the nation faced alarmingly high infant mortality rates, reports <a href=\"https:\/\/itoronto.info\/uk\">itoronto.info<\/a>.&nbsp; The primary cause of this tragic phenomenon was the lack of clean and pasteurized milk. At the time, there was no baby formula that could serve as an adequate replacement for natural milk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Faced with this pressing issue, Canadian pediatricians and scientists undertook a vital mission: to develop a formula that would provide newborns with essential nutrients and vitamins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After extensive research, they introduced Pablum, a groundbreaking infant cereal. Developed at Toronto\u2019s Hospital for Sick Children, this product aimed to address the frequent infant mortality crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The doctors and scientists succeeded brilliantly. Thanks to their efforts, Canadian newborns began receiving the necessary doses of vital nutrients, leaving behind the era of questionable-quality natural milk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This article, based on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canadianaconnection.com\/2012\/03\/pablum\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">canadianaconnection.com<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/thecanadianencyclopedia.ca\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">thecanadianencyclopedia.ca<\/a>, dives deeper into the story of the cereal that became a lifesaver for Canadian infants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6aa7c2ebe1602\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6aa7c2ebe1602\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/itoronto.info\/en\/eternal-the-invention-that-saved-thousands-of-infants\/#Background\" >Background<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/itoronto.info\/en\/eternal-the-invention-that-saved-thousands-of-infants\/#Homemade_Baby_Food\" >Homemade Baby Food<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/itoronto.info\/en\/eternal-the-invention-that-saved-thousands-of-infants\/#Scientific_Research\" >Scientific Research<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/itoronto.info\/en\/eternal-the-invention-that-saved-thousands-of-infants\/#A_New_Product\" >A New Product<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/itoronto.info\/en\/eternal-the-invention-that-saved-thousands-of-infants\/#Meeting_Infants_Needs\" >Meeting Infants&#8217; Needs<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Background\"><\/span>Background<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the 1920s and 1940s, Canada faced alarmingly high infant mortality rates. Malnutrition was one of the leading causes of infant deaths. Additionally, many children succumbed to diseases caused by contaminated and unpasteurized cow\u2019s milk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Homemade_Baby_Food\"><\/span>Homemade Baby Food<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Canadian mothers often resorted to making their own baby food. These homemade mixtures typically involved soaking crushed biscuits in milk. However, such meals lacked the essential vitamins and minerals necessary to prevent childhood illnesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moreover, the development of infants&#8217; digestive systems was still in progress. This meant that the homemade food prepared by Canadian mothers often posed significant risks. Without refrigeration, these mixtures could easily harbor bacteria, leading to diarrhea and other gastrointestinal issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Scientific_Research\"><\/span>Scientific Research<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 1918, the Nutrition Research Laboratory was established at Toronto\u2019s Hospital for Sick Children. Dr. Alan Brown, the hospital\u2019s chief physician, hired doctors Theodore Drake and Fred Tisdall to lead laboratory research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This marked the beginning of in-depth studies on infant nutrition. Researchers utilized irradiated food products rich in vitamins to explore new feeding solutions for babies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_New_Product\"><\/span>A New Product<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.itoronto.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/39\/2024\/11\/17103313\/ad_4nxftuw4qifskfjwskltuab7cktideiccdzoktnmscf5ukh3zuondbd1mck21lkpv3fbocwub48p0kzztlr8-5doakzldnfilduu3vlcvz7iwmks1mwstowtmwgz79weal1xdxy9ccgkeyxm16ddxrbsfiotcisr1e_3nq.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Building on their research, Tisdall and Drake introduced a whole-grain biscuit in 1930. This product was enriched with vitamins and minerals, designed to combat malnutrition among children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Meeting_Infants_Needs\"><\/span>Meeting Infants&#8217; Needs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pediatricians eventually concluded that the biscuits created earlier were suitable for older children but were not appropriate for newborns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This led Tisdall and Drake to face a new challenge: developing a cereal specifically for infants that would provide essential proteins, vitamins, and minerals while avoiding digestive issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Through meticulous research into the best foods for infants, the experts decided to use only ingredients rich in vital nutrients. The final product included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ground wheat<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Oat flour<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Yellow cornmeal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bone meal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dried brewer&#8217;s yeast<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Alfalfa leaves<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to these ingredients, the product was fortified with phosphorus, iron, calcium, copper, and vitamins A, B1, B2, D, and E.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.freepik.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">freepic<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Canadian history remembers a time when the nation faced alarmingly high infant mortality rates, reports itoronto.info.&nbsp; The primary cause of this tragic phenomenon was the lack of clean and pasteurized milk. At the time, there was no baby formula that could serve as an adequate replacement for natural milk. Faced with this pressing issue, Canadian [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":485,"featured_media":12913,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4819],"tags":[7206,7696,5703,7695,7264,7692,7694,7693,7655,7207,7651,6003],"moimportance":[32,35],"motype":[4825],"moformat":[88],"class_list":["post-16065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-innovator","tag-canada","tag-canadian-innovation","tag-doctors","tag-important-innovation","tag-innovation","tag-innovation-in-canada","tag-innovative-solution","tag-innovative-view","tag-invention","tag-science","tag-scientists","tag-toronto-3","moimportance-golovna-novyna","moimportance-retranslyacziya-v-agregatory","motype-eternal","moformat-copywriting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/itoronto.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16065","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/itoronto.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/itoronto.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itoronto.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/485"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itoronto.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16065"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/itoronto.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16065\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16082,"href":"https:\/\/itoronto.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16065\/revisions\/16082"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itoronto.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/itoronto.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itoronto.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itoronto.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16065"},{"taxonomy":"moimportance","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itoronto.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moimportance?post=16065"},{"taxonomy":"motype","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itoronto.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/motype?post=16065"},{"taxonomy":"moformat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itoronto.info\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moformat?post=16065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}