ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on several variables of infant feeding and the effects of these on health and disease patterns of mothers and infants throughout history in Western Europe. These variables include whether or not an infant was breastfed, the timing and duration of breastfeeding, and the type of supplemental and weaning foods. The idea that the mother's first milk or colostrum is a "bad" substance that should be expressed and discarded before the child is allowed to suck was a belief of a number of cultures throughout history. The Historical data show that there are very complex interactions between the biology and culture of breastfeeding. In preindustrial European and colonial society, infant feeding practices remained relatively unchanged for many centuries. Not breastfeeding was also known to have health consequences for the mother. For example, it has commonly been assumed that women in preindustrial Britain were unaware of the contraceptive function of breastfeeding.
