Human–animal breastfeeding
Cross-species suckling practiced historically for infant care and cultural reasons.
Human–animal breastfeeding refers to the practice of breastfeeding or suckling between humans and other species, occurring in both directions: women sometimes breastfed young animals, and animals were used to suckle babies and children. This practice has been documented in various cultures and time periods, serving as a substitute for human wet nursing, particularly after the rise of syphilis increased health risks. Animals such as goats, donkeys, cows, sheep, and dogs were employed to feed infants, while humans also breastfed animals for perceived health, religious, or cultural reasons.
- field
- Historical cultural practice
- known_for
- Use of animals as wet nurses for human infants and human breastfeeding of animals
- time_period
- Third millennium BC to 19th century and beyond
- regions
- Europe, Middle East, North Africa
- related_animals
- Goats, donkeys, cows, sheep, dogs, piglets, kittens, puppies, monkeys
Lore & Background
The practice of using animals as wet nurses for human infants dates back to at least the third millennium BC in Sumeria, where terracotta feeding bottles indicate that children not breastfed received animal milk, likely from cows. Direct suckling from animals was preferred over milking due to the risk of microbial contamination causing deadly diarrheal disease, a risk that persisted until pasteurisation and sterilisation became common in the 1870s. The Jewish Talmud permits children to suckle from even ritually unclean animals if the child's welfare demands it.
Reader's Guide
Human–animal breastfeeding holds significance as a historical response to infant mortality and the limitations of human wet nursing. In 18th- and 19th-century Europe, goats and donkeys were widely used in foundling hospitals to feed abandoned babies, as they were cheaper, easier to obtain, and less prone to passing on diseases than human wet nurses. The practice also intersected with medical treatments, such as feeding mercury-laced compounds to goats to treat congenital syphilis in infants, a method that improved infant mortality rates but often killed the goats. Beliefs about the transmission of character traits through milk influenced the choice of animal wet nurses, with goats thought to transmit a libidinous character and donkeys stupidity, while lionesses were believed to confer courage. The practice reflects broader cultural and medical attitudes toward infant care, disease, and the perceived properties of animal milk.
Did You Know?
- Goats were used in 18th- and 19th-century European foundling hospitals to feed abandoned babies, with some institutions having goats enter crib rooms to suckle infants directly.
- The Jewish Talmud permits children to suckle from ritually unclean animals if the child's welfare demands it.
- Mercury-laced compounds were fed to nanny goats to treat syphilitic babies, a method that improved infant mortality but often killed the goats from mercury poisoning.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Human–animal breastfeeding?
It is a historical cross-species suckling practice in which humans and other animals nursed one another, with women feeding young animals and animals serving as substitutes for human wet nurses. The practice is documented from the third millennium BC through at least the 19th century.
Which animals were most commonly involved?
Goats, donkeys, cows, sheep, and dogs appear most frequently in the historical record, though piglets, kittens, puppies, and monkeys are also mentioned. These animals were primarily put to work feeding human infants when a human wet nurse was unavailable or considered too risky.
Why did families turn to animals as wet nurses?
The spread of syphilis across Europe made human wet nursing a significantly greater health concern, prompting households to seek animal alternatives for infant feeding. This shift was especially common in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.
Why would a human woman breastfeed an animal?
In various cultures, women nursed young animals for what they believed were health benefits, religious observances, or traditions that emphasized the bond between person and creature. This direction of the practice is attested across multiple regions and centuries.
What time period and regions does the practice cover?
Records of cross-species suckling stretch from the third millennium BC well into the 1800s and beyond, with the densest documentation in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. It functioned as a practical, culturally embedded alternative to human wet nursing in those societies.
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