CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Children breastfeeding was seen as a tool for disease prevention and combating the problems of public health, children malnutrition and hunger in the late 19th century in Argentina. In a scenario of a growing population and a heterogeneous country, rapidly transforming as a result of massive immigration, each ethnic group arriving to the country brought their own cultural patterns related to breastfeeding. This widespread practice generated discussions among various groups, including doctors, civil society organizations, political groups and journalists. This work seeks to understand the various medical perspectives on breastfeeding held by physicians in Buenos Aires between 1880 and 1914. The study is based on a documentary analysis of primary sources from the revision of 300 doctoral theses from the School of Medical Sciences, University of Buenos Aires from which 12 dissertations took breastfeeding as an object of study. Since these theses were considered a prerequisite for obtaining a medical degree, they can therefore be seen as a relevant source of reference for an overview of the medical thoughts of that time. How did physicians signify breastfeeding? What were the social, scientific, economical and political issues related to breastfeeding they observed? What were the objects of study? What intellectual movements and authors influenced their recommendations? What were the controversies that arose? What arguments did the actors use to legitimate their perspectives? This paper reviews the problems related to the industry of mercenary wet nursing, the nutrition of the nurses? own children, home breastfeeding and its high mortality rate, the abandonment of children motivated by occupational factors and the pregnancies sought for utilitarian purposes. This work also reviews the differences between social classes and the contemptuous look on the lower classes by medical elite members.

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