General Information

     I have told you about how Paul was called "rather fierce." Well, as soon as we got his formula right he was fine and was a delight, just like our other babies. Due to Ma's urging I did not breast feed you kids—something I regret today, but you did not seem to suffer too much for it. But, what I did do was hold you in my arms as you were feeding, so you all got plenty of cuddling. Ma was very wise in most things and I tended to trust her common sense. But I think she liked to do things in the easiest way—and she thought that bottle-feeding was trouble—but why she thought that baffles me.  Preparing formula surely takes much more time? Regardless, I listened to her. In other ways her instruction was wonderful. Ma was, as you know, a Rhodes Scholar, and subsequently she kept herself well-informed on many subjects. One thing she learned when my brother Carl was born and was so sick  that he was in mortal danger. She had learned about a New Zealander, Doctor Truby King, who specialized in deadly infant illnesses, and who found that children who are very allergic to the curd in milk, can be kept alive on liquid whey. He showed how whey can be produced by using rennet tablets which separate the whey from the curd, which is subsequently strained through very fine fabric, example handkerchief material, so that the curd was completely separated and disposed of. The babies were then fed the whey, and survived. This was how she kept my younger brother, Carl, alive—and he is still alive for me to tell the tale. Well, in Rhodesia,  green diarrhea was common in babies. When it first happened to one of you kids (I don't remember which one) I ran to my mother, next door. Fortunately I often made junket for the  family as a dessert, so I had rennet in the house. After being fed whey for a couple of meals their tummies would come right. It was a real life-saver and made it unnecessary  to take them to the doctor.
    More next time, probably tomorrow.