Lactnetters, I collect old books that mention breastfeeding somewhere in their
depths.  I have one titled Our Baby for Mothers and Nurses, by Mrs. J. Langton
Hewer, printed in 1902. It says '... and it must be weaned or have a wet
nurse'.  later on it says 'two alternatives present themselves - a wet nurse
or a bottle'  'In ninety-nine cases out of a hundred a wet nurse is almost an
impossibility, although the best substitute for a mother's milk is certainly
that of a foster mother.  But now that bottle feeding has reached such a high
state of perfection, wet nursing is a far rarer thing than formerly. A wet
nurse should be about twenty-five years old, and have had a child
previously... Wet nurses usually require a great deal of looking after, and in
London and big towns are often most unsatisfactory.  They are apt to be
untruthful, careless, and given to drink, and upset the whole household.  Of
course, a wet nurse can never have a mother's feelings towards the child, and,
therefore, often takes very little interest in its welfare, simply performing
her duties in a routine manner for the sake of the money.  By far the best wet
nurses are respectable farmers' wives.

I have a Wellcome's Professional Nurse's Diary 1915-16 and it mentions finding
a wet nurse.

In another book Titled 'The Ladies Physician' which I am sure is pre 1900, it
states..'No wet nurse should be employed unless she has been seen and
recommended by a doctor.  The selection of one is a question of very great
importance, for upon it will depend the health of the child.  She should be
between the ages of nineteen and twenty-eight; healthy, and from the country
if possible; free from skin rashes or any disease which could be transmitted
to the child.  The breast should be well developed, secrete sufficient milk,
and the nipple ought to be well formed and ffee from fissures or excoriations.
Her child should be as nearly as possible of the age of the child which she is
to nurse.  If her child is strong, healthy, and well nourished, or if she has
nursed previously in a satisfactory manner, it speaks greatly in her favour.
Her diet should be carefully regulated.  The belief that a woman cannot nurse
unless she takes a certain quantity of stout or ale daily is much too
prevalent, and mothers anxious for the welfare of their children not
uncommonly over-stimulate their nurses, and thus bring about evils they wish
to avoid.  As a rule, two glasses of ale or stout a day, are ample, and unless
the nurse has been accustomed to take malt liquor she should be allowed none.
The diet should be plain and easily digestible: meat, bread, and vegetables,
in the quantities she has been used to.  Over-feeding and over-stimulation is
sure to upset the stomach and alter the character of the milk, so that it
irritates the infantile stomach, sets up diarrhoea and vomiting, which are
frequently difficult to control.  It may even upset the secretion of milk, and
in some cases suppress it altogether.
Hope you have enjoyed the read, Helen M. Woodman NCT Breastfeeding Counsellor
UK.