The quality of a mother's milk and the health of her child: Beliefs and practices of the women of Mithila

Nadja Reissland and Richard Burghart

Social Science & Medicine, 1988, vol. 27, issue 5, 461-469

Abstract: Among Maithil women there is an understanding of the relation between a mother's milk and the health of her child. Their understanding is supported by the Ayurvedic tradition. Characteristic is the way in which breast-feeding condenses so many meanings--nutritional, medical and moral--into one act. The mother not only nurses her child but also forms his character, fulfills her own personhood and perpetuates her husband's family.

Keywords: Ayurveda; breast-feeding; child-mother; relation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1988
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