Who should be placed in the countryside?

This paper examines the processes behind the changes in the policy of placement in the countryside at La Inclusa, Madrid’s foundling hospital, in the period 1890–1935. Initially, foundlings’ stay at the premises was minimised to guarantee access to breastfeeding by a rural wet-nurse. Then, doctors extended their period of residence to protect them from the harms of early travel and the possibility of infecting wet-nurses with syphilis. However, increased stay lengths plus wet-nurse scarcity resulted in increased mortality. In a context of constrained wet-nurse supply, placement became an indicator of both infant health and of preferential treatment by doctors.