Abstract

In mid-18th-century Sweden, the newly enhanced census records revealed higher-than-expected infant mortality rates in certain regions of the kingdom. This convinced contemporary elite men of common women deliberately refusing to breastfeed out of vanity and lack of care. One of the worst regions in terms of infant mortality was the province of Ostrobothnia, located in the area of what is now Finland. To explore the allegations, we measured the carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) stable isotope ratios in the collagen of incremental crown dentin segments of the permanent first molars (M1) of six individuals excavated from the early modern churchyard of the town of Oulu, Ostrobothnia. The results do not directly support the worries over the lack of breastfeeding but imply a variety of related practices in Oulu at the time.