Mothers and Medicine: A Social History of Infant Feeding, 1890–1950 (Wisconsin Publications in the History of Science and Medicine Book 7)

In the nineteenth century, infants were commonly breast-fed; by the middle of the twentieth century, women typically bottle-fed their babies on the advice of their doctors. In this book, Rima D. Apple discloses and analyzes the complex interactions of science, medicine, economics, and culture that underlie this dramatic shift in infant-care practices and women’s lives. As infant feeding became the keystone of the emerging specialty of pediatrics in the twentieth century, the manufacture of infant food became a lucrative industry. More and more mothers reported difficulty in nursing their babies. While physicians were establishing themselves and the scientific experts and the infant-food industry was hawking the scientific bases of their products, women embraced “scientific motherhood,” believing that science could shape child care practices. The commercialization and medicalization of infant care established an environment that made bottle feeding not only less feared by many mothers, but indeed “natural” and “necessary.” Focusing on the history of infant feeding, this book clarifies the major elements involved in the complex and sometimes contradictory interaction between women and the medical profession, revealing much about the changing roles of mothers and physicians in American society. “The strength of Apple’s book is her ability to indicate how the mutual interests of mothers, doctors, and manufacturers led to the transformation of infant feeding. . . . Historians of science will be impressed with the way she probes the connections between the medical profession and the manufacturers and with her ability to demonstrate how medical theories were translated into medical practice.”—Janet Golden, Isis In the nineteenth century, infants were commonly breast-fed; by the middle of the twentieth century, women typically bottle-fed their babies on the advice of their doctors. In this book, Rima D. Apple discloses and analyzes the complex interactions of science, medicine, economics, and culture that underlie this dramatic shift in infant-care practices and women’s lives. As infant feeding became the keystone of the emerging specialty of pediatrics in the twentieth century, the manufacture of infant food became a lucrative industry. More and more mothers reported difficulty in nursing their babies. While physicians were establishing themselves and the scientific experts and the infant-food industry was hawking the scientific bases of their products, women embraced “scientific motherhood,” believing that science could shape child care practices. The commercialization and medicalization of infant care established an environment that made bottle feeding not only less feared by many mothers, but indeed “natural” and “necessary.” Focusing on the history of infant feeding, this book clarifies the major elements involved in the complex and sometimes contradictory interaction between women and the medical profession, revealing much about the changing roles of mothers and physicians in American society. “The strength of Apple’s book is her ability to indicate how the mutual interests of mothers, doctors, and manufacturers led to the transformation of infant feeding. . . . Historians of science will be impressed with the way she probes the connections between the medical profession and the manufacturers and with her ability to demonstrate how medical theories were translated into medical practice.”—Janet Golden, __Isis__ Contents......Page 10 Table and Figures......Page 12 Acknowledgments......Page 14 Introduction. Infant Feeding in the Nineteenth Century......Page 18 I. "The Grand Prerogative of Woman"......Page 20 Part One. Infant-Feeding Theories and Infant-Food Products......Page 38 II "Establishing the Rules for Substitute Feeding," 1890-1915......Page 40 III "A Rational Means of Feeding the Baby," 1915-1950......Page 52 Part Two. Infant Feeding in Medical Practice......Page 68 IV "For Humanity's Sake," 1890-1910......Page 70 V "Under the Supervision of the Physician," 1910-1950......Page 89 Part Three. Scientific Motherhood......Page 112 VI "The Noblest Profession," 1890-1920......Page 114 VII "The Doctor Should Decide," 1920-1950......Page 131 Part Four. Mothers and Infant-Feeding Practices......Page 150 VIII "A Word of Comfort," 1890-1920......Page 152 IX "Count on Bottles," 1920-1950......Page 167 Conclusion. Infant Feeding in the Twentieth Century......Page 184 X "According to Your Own Preferences"......Page 186 Journal Abbreviations......Page 204 Notes......Page 208 Bibliographic Essay......Page 264 Index......Page 270 In the 19th century infants were commonly breast-fed; yet by the middle of the 20th century, women typically bottle-fed their babies on the advice of their doctors. Rima D. Apple analyzes the complex interactions of science, medicine, economics, and culture that underlie this dramatic shift in infant-care practices. Rima D. Apple. Includes Index. Bibliography: P. 247-251. English