Nutrition and thermoregulation in the newborn pig.

SYMPOSIUM PROCEEDINGS I969 early feeding with milk by gastric tube, regardless of the baby's clinical condition, as recommended by Smallpeice & Davies (1964); but others prefer to give the calories intravenously, fearing that regurgitation may be followed by inhalation, and influenced by the results of the controlled trials carried out by Wharton & Bower (196 j), and by Cornblath, Forbes, I'ildes, Luebben & Greengard (1966). Recognition of the dangers of hypoglycaemia in the newborn and of the aetiological factors concerned, preventive administration of calories starting within a few hours of birth, early diagnosis and treatment where prevention has failed, are already combining to eliminate one of the avoidable causes of death and permanent handicap, which is essentially an acute nutritional problem.