This paper presents some research into the activities and influence of the New Zealand psychiatrist Frederic Truby King , in relation to a clinical case where Truby King's baby-feeding methods played a crucial role as major pathogenic agent. Truby King is seen as the product of his time and of his biography. The pros and cons of his ideas are examined in contrast to D.W. Winnicott's thoughts about babies and mothers which explicitly overturned his predecessor's influential dogmas.