Page:Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.djvu/2116

1906 of a wet nurse; but as in some cases it is absolutely necessary, some hints on the choice and diet of the " foster-mother " may be useful.

The Wet Nurse.—Her age, if possible, should not be less than twenty nor exceed thirty years. Preference is to be given to the woman who has already had one or two children of her own, for the reason that the milk is richer and more nourishing in those who have already borne children, and she is likely to be more experienced. It is necessary that the ages of the children should nearly correspond; where there is any great disproportion, as when the age of one child is a few weeks, while that of the other is six or seven months, the woman should be rejected. Her health should be sound in every respect, and her body free from all eruptive disease or local blemish. The best evidence of a sound state of health will be found in the woman's clear, open countenance, the ruddy hue of the skin, the full, round and elestic state of the breasts, and especially in the erectile, firm condition of the nipple, which, in all unhealthy states of the body, is flabby and relaxed; in which case, the milk is sure to be imperfect in its organization, and, consequently, deficient in its nutrient qualities. Appetite is another indication of health in the suckling nurse or foster-mother, for it is impossible that a woman can feed her child properly unless she has a good appetite herself; and though inordinate craving for food is neither desirable nor necessary, a healthy zest at the proper hours is very essential. It is very important also that something should be known of the moral fibre of the wet nurse, as unless she is a woman of principle the child may suffer by her selfish indulgence in some favourite but forbidden article of diet, such as pickles, etc., or by her secret use of narcotics to secure a quiet night.

The ultimate choice of the wet nurse should of course, in all cases, be left to the doctor. Disregard in this respect may bring about the direst consequences. He alone is capable of deciding whether a woman may or may not nurse another woman's child. He will not do it until he has examined both foster-mother and her child, for if the latter is not thriving and healthy on its own mother's milk, it is extremely improbable that a stranger's child will benefit by it.

The conscientiousness and good faith that would prevent a nurse so acting are, unfortunately, very rare; and many nurses, rather than forego the enjoyment of a favourite dish, though morally certain of the effect it will have on the child, will, on the first opportunity, feed with avidity on fried meats, cabbage, cucumbers, pickles, or other crude and injurious aliments, in defiance of all orders given or confidence reposed in their word, good sense, and humanity. Then when the infant is racked with pain, a night of disquiet alarms the mother, and the doctor is sent for, the nurse covers her dereliction by a falsehood, the consequence of her gluttony is treated as a disease, and the poor infant is dosed for some days with medicines that can do it but little if any good, and, in all probability, materially retard its physical