Thesis Format
Monograph
Degree
Master of Arts
Program
Anthropology
Supervisor
Waters-Rist, Andrea L.
Abstract
This thesis is a bioarchaeological study of infant feeding practices and early life stress in 18th -19th century Pointe-aux-Trembles, a rural community near Montréal, Québec that was known to practice wet nursing. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of 62 incremental dentine samples were used to reconstruct the feeding histories of 10 infants (age) interred between 1709-1843. At least 6 of 10 infants display evidence of breastfeeding, with weaning foods (e.g., porridge, bread) typically introduced between ~1.5-5.5 months of age and weaning completion around 10.5-13.5 months. Isotopic and/or dental evidence of stress (e.g., enamel hypoplasia) was identified in 8 of 10 infants and is likely related to disease burden, frequent food shortages, gastrointestinal distress, and/or maternal stress. This study sheds light on the short lives of infants from a wet nursing community and contributes to the growing body of literature on women and children in bioarchaeology.
Summary for Lay Audience
This thesis studies breastfeeding and weaning practices and early life nutritional and/or physiological stress in 18th to 19th century Pointe-aux-Trembles, a rural community near Montréal, Québec that was known to practice wet nursing. The foods we consume differ in their isotopic composition and leave signatures in our tissues (e.g., teeth). Breast milk has higher stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic compositions than alternative infant foods (e.g., animal milk, pap), and this difference can be used to reconstruct infant feeding practices in past populations. Teeth form incrementally, beginning prior to birth and continuing into early life. Since teeth do not remodel, isotopic analysis of different layers can reveal an infant’s feeding history. Periods of nutritional or disease stress during growth can also be identified via altered isotopic signatures, and via dental lesions that result from disruptions to enamel growth (such as enamel hypoplasia).
Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of 62 incremental dental samples were used to reconstruct the early life diets of ten infants (age) buried in Pointe-aux-Trembles (AD 1709-1843). At least 6 of 10 infants display isotopic patterns indicative of breastfeeding, with weaning foods (e.g., porridge, bread) usually introduced between 1.5-5.5 months of age, and weaning completion around 1 year of age. Isotopic and/or dental evidence of stress was also identified in 8 of 10 infants, and may be related to disease burden, frequent food shortages, gastrointestinal distress, and/or maternal stress known to have affected Montréal at the time. This study sheds light on the short lives of infants from a documented wet nursing community and contributes to our understanding of women and children in Canadian history.
Recommended Citation
Holland, Sydney, "Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of infant feeding practices and stress in 18th-19th century Pointe-aux-Trembles, Québec" (2024). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 9943.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/9943
Creative Commons License
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