Breastfeeding – Was a Life Line in the Past and Still Is!

Abstract

In his famous textbook “The diseases of children and their remedies, Nils Rosén von Rosenstein has 28 chapters, all relating in a practical way to the most common ailments in children and how to deal with them. Typically, Chapter 1 with 14 pages, one of the longest, is “On nurse”, i e on breast-feeding, indicating its importance. Just like WHO now recommends (1), he states that when the child is half a year old “we may begin to give unboiled (sic?) milk in which we have mixed a little rye-biscuite…previously soaked in warm water”. And “… in general we indulge a child by sucking till it has gotten all its 16 milk teeth (… i e to about 2 years). In this however, we cannot fix any certain time as a weak child should suck longer than a robust one “. And “…leave off by degrees, beginning with the night meals. When it is to be weaned entirely, a smear of worm-wood may be applied on the nipples”.

This last advice has only recently been discarded! Much of what he wrote on breast-feeding refers to what the wet-nurse should observe but this would also apply to the biological mother. She should be “20-30 years, be of a strong constitution, have sufficient to eat… small beer may be drunk at pleasure… but wine, brandy, ale or coffee ought by no means be given to her”.

Rosén was a master to observe and draw (the right!) conclusions. An example. A child (cared for by a healthy wet-nurse) thrived well while in town but when sent to the country side during week-ends it grew weak and sick every Sunday. She maintained that she did not get her ration of brandy for week-ends (as was the custom) – but nevertheless Rosén found out that her fellow servants gave her part of theirs. I.e. the child also got alcohol intoxicated through the breast-milk, resulting in temporary failure to thrive!

Rosén, however, seems to have gone wrong in one aspect of breastmilk composition. He writes “…the nurse ought to avoid all commerce of love…the milk by this means will be spoilt and grow salt”…”The married nurse ought to have no connection with her husband”…”if so, she is no longer fit to be a nurse”. Also “…if she can´t contend her anger… she should not suckle the child immediately as it will grow indisposed, get convulsions (sic!) or some other dangerous disease and often loose its life!”