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Renato Perani
In ancient Rome, the phenomenon of infants fed by hired nurses could be dated back as early as the late republic. The practice became even more widespread during the imperial age, owing to the updating social customs and the medical culture of that time. Although it is widely believed in the literature that the age of the Antonines there was an attempt to curb this tendency, by reverting back to encouraging mothers to assume the role of feeding the infants, there is no specific legislative intervention to attest. However, my research points out that the testimony of Gellius, who reports on Favorinus, a strenuous defender of traditional maternal care for infants, and some other sources from the 2nd century seem to give actual confirmation of the great topicality of this subject at that historical moment.
