>When there was/is little medical follow-up do more boys not survive?

Little boy humans die more often at every stage of life, from conception
until old age.  They're just physiologically weaker.  They get sick more
often, get sicker, are more malnourished on the same diet, etc. than female
children.  This has been studied extensively.  It stands to reason that they
would have more trouble with the complex coordination tasks of
breastfeeding.  In some cultures, male babies are breastfed longer than
female babies, because the mothers recognize their fragility.

Patty Stuart-Macadam has just finished coediting a book on this topic!


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Katherine A. Dettwyler, Ph.D.                         email: [log in to unmask]
Anthropology Department                               phone: (409) 845-5256
Texas A&M University                                    fax: (409) 845-4070
College Station, TX  77843-4352
http://www.prairienet.org/laleche/dettwyler.html