Trends and regional differences in breastfeeding in Germany from 1871 to 1937.

article is based in connection with her dissertation, The Determinants of Infant Mortality in Germany from 1871 to 1933, Department of Sociology, University of Michigan, 1982. Abstract: This article describes trends and regional differences in breastfeeding within Germany from 1870 to 1937. Sharp regional differences in both the incidence and duration of breastfeeding are present around 1910. There is a complex pattern of trends in infant-feeding practices. Breastfeeding declined in urban areas between the late nineteenth century and the first World War. A strong nationwide resurgence in the incidence of breastfeeding occurred between the two world wars, accompanied by a decline in the average duration of breastfeeding. By 1937, the formerly great regional differences in breastfeeding had nearly disappeared. The article also discusses social, economic, cultural, and historical variables affecting infant-feeding practices, including local breastfeeding customs, a national infant welfare campaign, and allowances to nursing mothers.