something wrong. In the normal state, Nature has made ample provision
in the structure of the female for nursing her offspring. In order to
furnish this nourishment, pure in quality and abundant in quantity,
she must possess a good development of the sanguine and lymphatic
temperament, together with vigorous and healthy digestive organs.
Formerly such an organization was very generally possessed by American
women, and they found but little difficulty in nursing their infants.
It was only occasionally, in case of some defect in the organization,
or where sickness of some kind had overtaken the mother, that it
became necessary to resort to the wet-nurse or to feeding by hand. And
the English, the Scotch, the German, the Canadian French, and the
Irish women now living in this country, generally nurse their
children: the exceptions are rare. But how is it with our American
women who become mothers? To those who have never considered this
subject, and even to medical men who have never carefully looked into
it, the facts, when correctly and fully presented, will be surprising.
It has been supposed by some that all, or nearly all, our American
women could nurse their offspring just as well as not; that the
disposition only was wanting, and that they did not care about having
the trouble or confinement necessarily attending it. But this is a
great mistake. This very indifference or aversion shows something
wrong in the organization as well as in the disposition: if the
physical system were all right, the mind and natural instincts would
generally be right also. While there may be here and there cases of
this kind, such an indisposition is not always found. It is a fact,
that large numbers of our women are anxious to nurse their offspring,
and make the attempt: they persevere for a while,--perhaps for weeks
or months,--and then fail.... There is still another class that cannot
nurse at all, _having neither the organs nor nourishment_ requisite
even to make a beginning.... Why should there be such a difference