WET NURSERY AND CHILD CARE: BREASTFEEDING AND NUTRITION PRACTICES IN 13TH CENTURY CASTILE

Abstract

This article examines breastfeeding practices and the role of wet nurses in Castile in the 13th century. We use as sources the Canon of Medicine by Avicenna (980-1037), due to its influence in Castile, and the Siete Partidas by Alfonso X the Wise (1252-1284). Breast milk is considered essential for the health and development of children, hence the concerns about the health and behavior of wet nurses in these two sources. Avicenna starts from a medical paradigm, emphasizing the need for a balanced diet, offering advice to wet nurses and parents, while Alfonso X, in his legal work, specifies a social regulation of breastfeeding and the choice of wet nurses. These sources reveal a concern with childhood, recognized as a distinct and crucial phase that required specific attention and care.