For a very long time and for diverse reasons, babies were breast-fed by women others than their own mother, but this practice remains confined on a part restricted by the population until XVIII Century. The demographic increase and the evolution of the customs are going to favor the development of this feeder industry which takes then two forms.
The "nursemaids to take", or "on the spot", the most former and the most numerous, welcome in Morvan a child of the Welfare services, the "Small Paris". The "nursemaids on place" leave the country temporarily to breast-feed the children of easy families, mostly in Paris.
"Small Paris"
In XIXth Century, the industrial revolution gives birth to the proletariat. Small poor ruined or peasant craftsmen come to the city to sell their working force constitute this new social class which considers as numerous eradicated, cut by any family tie. The important number of abandonment of a child in big cities makes necessary the organization of the investment of the orphans, notably in Morvan where we call them Small Paris.
The nursemaids on place
Under the Second Empire, new bourgeoisie of the business and the industry of Paris, the need of which to appear is evident, gives its preference to the nursemaid onto place, which becomes a privileged element of the domestics.
In its works (cf. bibliography opposite), Noëlle Renault, speaks to us about these women who left out of necessity children and husband in whom they wrote and remained faithful. Once their finished food and on returning to the country, they kept mostly relations with their family of reception and had with it or the infants breast-fed by the followed and affectionate contacts.
Besides the improvement of the living conditions, fruit of their Parisian experiences, the situation of the woman in the household evolves in the sense of a certain independence. Thanks to the feeder industry, the wife releases himself bit by bit from the supervision of the husband and begins to reach certain power in the household. She introduces in Morvan the customs more civilized, new, dietary and clothing customs.
These women find an important complement to resources for the family there which will often allow the purchase of lands, the recovery of the thatched cottage or the addition of a new construction called then « house of milk ».
The office of the nursemaids
From the very beginning, the organization of the feeder market made the object of a fruitful business for the intermediaries who put in contact the nursemaids and the parents.
The management of the nursemaids was confided at first to recommanderesses, then to office of the nursemaids by a statement of July 27th, 1769. The law not having established exclusive privilege for the benefit of the office of the nursemaids, it existed in Paris, several other offices were held by private individuals.
The private offices very fast gave place to abuses and their competition quickly made the number of the children decrease placed by the intervention of the municipal office.
On the other hand, the municipal administration, since 1851, guaranteed and effectively to these nursemaids, for lack of payment by the parents, a monthly 15-franc salary, during ten months, and it resulted from it a considerable load for the municipal finances. So the abolition of the office of the nursemaids of Paris was pronounced by a decree of November 22nd, 1876.
Employment exchanges
From 1850, employment exchanges supply indifferently nursemaids on place and nursemaids to take. The women find a place for finance there. They go with their own child there (which the examination allows to make sure of its good health) and, for the most fortunate, with their mother or mother-in-law who returns her grandson and, very often, the pupil, at least during 14 months, even more if the mother stays as " dry nursemaid ".
The mortality of the children
In 1865, the doctor Monot, in his book " Of the industry of the nursemaids and the mortality of the children ", demonstrated that the mortality of the children from one day to one year, put in nursemaid in Morvan since 1850, amounted to the 70 % proportion. It is so, that in 1869, home secretary, in an official report, summarized in these terms the results of an inquiry to which had proceeded the Academy of Medicine: " of all the statistics, it results that by virtue of an invariable law, the children kept, fed in the family, escape most from the causes of mortality which decimate on the contrary the children sent to nursemaid, far from the surveillance and the care of the parents. This surveillance not being, the other one has to substitute itself for it. "
The law Roussel
On initiative of the Doctor Roussel, then delegated of Lozère, the National Assembly voted for the law of December 23rd, 1874 which establishes the surveillance of the Public Authority of every child of less than two years placed, for salary, in nursemaid, in weaning or on guard outside the place of residence of his parents (Art. 1). Articles 6 - 14 of the law enumerate the obligations falling to the parents, to the offices of nursemaids, intermediaries of the feeder investments, to the nursemaids and the penalties corresponding to the malpractices. They were completed by a regulation of public administration of February 27th, 1877 which contains three titles in which is clarified the organization of the service (title 1), the methods of assessment of investments (title 2) and the holding of the registers of statements (title 3).
The war of 14-18 marks the end of the industry of the nursemaid on place. It has for consequence an evolution of the woman, which begins to release itself from the supervision of her husband, notably by his salary which exceeds his.
This diploma, undated, but signed by Rostaing Joseph, Arthur, prefect of the Nièvre from July, 1898 till July, 1901, was awarded to Mrs Thiéblot, been born Taron Marie, nursemaid at Brassy, because of the good care by her given to the infants whom she brought up.
