ISRHML Milk Minutes | August 2023

Memoire from Carol Wagner: I first met Armond in Plymouth, MA at the 1997 ISHRML biannual meeting headed by David Newburg and Ardythe Morrow. It was my first time attending such a conference, and I was fully captivated. At that one meeting alone were the giants in human milk research Armond Goldman (a later Macy-Gyorgy recipient), Margit Hamosh, Stuart Patton (who received the Macy-Gyorgy Award at that meeting), Ruth Lawrence, and Robert Jensen, all leading the way to change our view of human milk and its importance in health and development. There was an energy between these leaders like none other, each adding to the knowledge of what was known about human milk that has led the way to important discoveries in the 21st century. Armond was no exception.

Armond shared with me his journey of how he and his colleague Dr. Smith came to study human milk and discover its abundance of milk leukocytes in 1968. He described taking a sample of freshly pumped colostrum and placing it on a slide and then looking under the microscope and seeing cells interacting with each other. He said that he would never forget that first glimpse into the world of human milk—the complexity and structure—and vastness that could be discerned but perhaps never understood fully—seen with the eye through a microscope. He and Dr. Smith went on to publish that seminal work: Smith   CW, Goldman   AS.   The   cells   of   human colostrum. I. In vitro studies of morphology and functions. Pediatr Res 1968; 2: 103–109. Their work led to other seminal publications that changed our perception of human milk and breastfeeding. Rates of breastfeeding in the 1960’s and early 70’s for all women were at all time lows around 28-30% and it was this awareness of human milk as an extraordinary living fluid and immunological delivery system involving the mother-infant dyad that turned the tide. Dr. Goldman was instrumental in turning that tide.

Dr. Goldman’s obituary appeared in the Galveston County, The Daily News. Click here to read the full obituary. 

We all miss Armond—his brightness, his laughter, his kindness, his sensitivity toward others, his willingness to go the extra mile to solve a scientific or medical mystery, and the vision that he shared with us. We are better scientists in our quest for understanding the mysteries of human milk. We bow our heads to acknowledge the loss of such a great man.

Donations to Dr. Goldman’s memory may be made to the UTMB Blocker History of Medicine Collections at the Moody Medical Library or the UTMB Department of Pediatrics.

Memoire from Paula Meier:  I first met Armond at the 1997 Plymouth ISRHML meeting, at which time he encouraged me to apply for full membership in the society and then served as one of my sponsors.  I recall sharing with him at a later ISRHML meeting that my young son had been diagnosed with learning issues, and he pulled from his own childhood to offer assurance.  He shared with me that his father noted early on during Armond’s education that he didn’t “learn” in the same ways as his peers. His father didn’t share the “why” with him, but subsequently, devised “home” work in addition to the school’s “homework” to augment his education and his own personal learning style.  Armond told me that he was well into junior high when he realized that his friends did not have “home” work in addition to “homework.” This story was so incredibly uplifting to think that Armond (whom I revered) also learned differently. My son outgrew these issues, but as all parents know, the period of getting there is fraught with angst, and Armond’s words were a blessing.

I also would share that Armond started every clinical presentation with the fact that he learned everything he knew about breastfeeding and human milk from his wife Barbara.  He told the story that as a physician, he was given courtesy packs of commercial formula when expecting the first baby, and was proud to provide them for the family.  He said that Barbara told him there would be no formula in this house—that she was going to breastfeed.  He always credited his interests in human milk with Barbara’s knowledge and influence.  

[Dr. Goldman also wrote a review article that details the history of ISRHML. Click here to read Armond S. Goldman; History of the International Society for Research in Human Milk and Lactation. Ann Nutr Metab 12 August 2021; 77 (2): 83–89.]