The Sun.
London, England, 1869-03-16 00:00:00

BABY FARMENG.

At the ordinary meeting of the Social Science.Associa
Eon, on Monday evening, Dr. Farr, F.R.S. presiding, a
paper was read by Mr. J. B. Curgenven on the subject of
" Baby Farming and the Registration of Nurses." Not-
withstanding that all interested in the matter were invited
not more than a dozen persons were present. The paper
referred to the practice of a lowclass of midwives receiving
into their houses single women to be confined, taking
the child for a fixed sum, or a small weekly payment,
too frequently occasioning its death by neglect or ill-treat•
ment. The Jaggers and the Winden cases were alluded to
by way of illustration, and alter stating that the annual
number of illegitimate children born in this country was
50,000, of whom two-thirds were put out to nurse to these
baby farmers, it urged the duty of State supervision by
means of an efficient system of medical registration, and
advocated a scheme of colonisation for illegitimate children
"mong the families of the honest, industrious poor. The
•-riter recommended the association to frame a measure
to be submitted to Parliament, providing for the registra-
tion and supervision of all dry or foster nurses who receive
children to take care of, and all persons adopting chil-
dren for a money consideration. Provision to be made
for the registration of the child and the parent
or parents, the feeding medical care (by the
union medical officer), vaccination, education at
the parish school, and other obviously neces-
sary details. Captain Clode moved that the paper be
printed and circulated amongst the members, and referred
to the standing committee of health, recommending the
preparations of a bill embodying the chief points suggested
by Mr. Curgenven. Mr. Theobald, although agreeing that
registration was necessary, thought it wrong to commit
the society to all the remmmendAtions of the paper,
especially to the inference that all nurses or institutions
receiving nurse children were in a more or less
degree criminal. He thought the paper should
be simply referred to the committee for con-
sideration. Dr. Rendle considered that one great
cause of the number of illegitimate births was the tone of
society, which discouraged young men from marrying
by exempting them in one way or other from taxes and
other pecuniary burdens which married men were neces-
sarily liable to. Child murder was too often dealt lightly
with by our criminal courts, although it was well known
that in many instances when a child was entrusted to one
of these advertising nurses it was expected it would only
live for two or three months. He advocated more
stringent regulations for investigating and registering the
causes of deaths. The discussion was continued by Dr.
.Acton and another speaker, who suggested that, to go to
the root of evil, they must alter the bastardy laws, so as
to make the father of the illegitimate child more directly
liable. If the Foundling Hospital carried out the
objects for which it was founded in accordance with its
ample means, the existing evil would be reduced to a
considerable extent. In the end Mr. Curgenven was
thanked for his paper, which was referred to the com-
mittee.