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Need info on history of wet-nursing for a paper in World Lit class. Help?


I am doing a paper on the historical background and societal impact of wet-nursing, with an emphasis on the mid- to late-19th century in Europe. I know that there is a book that I might use (with a title close to what I've described) but I don't have time to get it. Can anyone help? (And please, no nasty responses or directives to go to websites that are contrary to what I am trying to do.) Thank you! Any assistance is greatly appreciated!

I only know what I suspect is general knowledge.

Wealthy women had used wet-nurses for centuries in Europe and the United States. They lived in a culture in which wealth meant doing nothing for oneself, including doing ones toilette, dressing, cooking, cleaning. It isn't surprising that they also preferred not to care for their children, especially tiny infants who required a lot of care. Thus, they selected women in the community or servant or slave women in the household, who had newborn infants at the same time, and these women nursed and raised both their own infant and the infant of the employer or owner. Typically, infants stayed with their wet-nurse for 3-5 years, long after they had stopped nursing. Wealthy women were viewed as too frail and dainty to be involved in the messy business of caring for an infant, much less nursing that infant.

This phenomenon resulted in children finding their best friends in the servant wing of the home. However, there was never any question about who won childhood arguments!

Wet-nursing faded out as servants faded out, and as other options became available besides nursing ones own child--bottle-feeding by the mother or household help. Bottle-feeding was viewed as much more hygienic and was attractive to "modern" women.

Wikipedia wet-nurse, but don't trust anthing you see on that site. Instead, have a look at what articles and books are cited are referenced. Have a look at those books. Either they'll be what you're looking for, or they'll include better books in their references.

Good luck.

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