The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1869-03-20 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

BABY FARMING.  At the ordinary meeting of the Social Science Association in London, on Monday evening, Or. 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." notwithstanding that all interested in the matter were invited, not more than a dozen persons were present. The paper referred to the practice of a low class 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 illtreatment. Two recent cases of baby farming were ' alluded to by way of illustration, and after stating that the annual number of ille2itimate 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 among the families of the honest, industrious poor. The writer recommended the association to frame a measure, to be submitted to Parliament, providing for the registration and supervision of all dry or foster nurses who receive children to take care of, and all persons adopting children 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 necessary details. Captain Clode moved that the paper be printed and circulated amongst the members, and referred to the standing committee of health, recommending the preparation of a Bill embodying the chief points suggested by Mr. Cur.(enven. Mr. Theobald, although agreeing that registration was necessary, thought it wrong to commit the society to all the recommendations of the paper, especially to the inference that all nurses or institutions receiving nurse children were in a more or lese degree criminal. He thou At the paper should be simply referred to the committee for consideration. Or. 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 necessarily liable to. Child-murder was too of ,;en 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 ni.ggested that, to go to the root ,f the evil, thy must alter the bastardy laws, so as to rirdre 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 committee.