The Milk Relationship: The Evolution And Significance Of Wet-‐nurses

This paper explores the evolutionary and cross-‐cultural significance of wet-nursing, an ancient, cultural practice in which infants are breastfed by women other than their mothers. With reviews of literature, meta-‐analyses, and fieldwork, this work explores the history and biology of wet-nursing and concludes the three primary evolutionary advantages of the practice: optimization of lactational beneficiaries, logical resource provisioning, and increased community altruism.