> >This was apparently to tie it in with their conclusion that fossil
> >evidence showed that the "problems for the clan" posed by childbearing
> >and breastfeeding were often "cured" by infanticide.
> All cultures commit infanticide -- some before birth, some after birth,
> usually for unusual circumstances such as baby born out of wedlock or to a
> man not the mother's husband, physical deformities, albinism, twins,
blind,
> born too soon after the previous baby, etc. etc.
This makes me think, I once read somewhere (not sure where, though it
*might* have even been in Jean Auel's books about that era? "The Clan of the
Cave Bear" et al?) that some civilisations killed off triplets because mom
only ever has 2 breasts, so "could not feed them all".  I guess they'd kill
off all 3 to "be fair" and "not have to choose amongst them which 2 to keep"
maybe...

Well, although I know that moms can produce litres and litres of milk if
necessary, the idea of only having 2 breasts makes sense, in that if you
have 3 that are very very high-needs and need a lot of suckling time then
you may never ever get a rest.  I'M sure some moms of twins feel that way
anyhow!  ;-)

I don't know if there is any truth to this idea at all, but even if it would
not be something we'd (obviously) do nowadays, I can sort of understand the
reasoning behind it back "in the dark ages" if it actually did happen...

Interesting thought about the Neanderthals surviving and contributing to
certain gene pools in Europe.  I used to call my husband "my Neanderthal"
affectionately because he has a very sloped forehead like one hears
descriptions of Neanderthals having (he is Québécois, but of course the
original descent would have been somewhere in France, probably more likely
southern France?).  I did that until he pleaded me to stop doing it because
he hated it.  I think he thought I was meaning it in a derogatory way, which
was not my intention...

Fio.

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