Mamka i jej rola w ewolucji sposobów żywienia niemowląt. Część I

Abstract

Wet-nursing – the breastfeeding of another woman's child for payment or as an act of charity – was a common social phenomenon in all civilizations for centuries. In certain cultures this phenomenon was sporadic, limited to breastfeeding the children of relatives or neighbors, and in other cultures wet-nursing was popular and well organized among certain classes of the society. The involvement of doctors in formulating the principles of infant feeding was more or less influential in a given society, but the general practice usually differed significantly from their recommendations. The propagated and practiced principles of wet-nursing differed substantially in countries of the Western world. The main aim of the authors of this article is to present in 3 parts the role of wet-nurses in infant feeding and upbringing in Poland since ancient times to the present. The first part of this study deals with wet-nursing in ancient Greek, Roman, Muslim and Jewish cultures, as certain beliefs, principles and customs they developed permeated modern European civilization and influenced also social behaviour in contemporary Poland. Ancient moralists and doctors described, sometimes in great detail, required physical and mental traits of a good wet-nurse and important principles of wetnursing. The influence of ancient knowledge and practice on the evolution of infant feeding methods in Poland will be dealt with in the next 2 parts of the paper.