V. A. Veremenko, Ju. V. Sutula. Conquering the children’s world: foreign “milk” formulas and
metropolitan consumers in Russia in the second half of the 19th — early 20th centuries // Petersburg historical journal, no. 4, 2024, pp. 79–91.

Abstract:

The article, based on a wide range of sources, characterizes the Russian market of artificial
feeding products in the second half of the 19th — early 20th centuries. Attention is drawn to the fact that the main consumers of these products were representatives of two extremely different categories of children (the poorest and the most affluent). This circumstance contributed to the capture of the domestic market by foreign manufacturers. Only specialists of children’s institutions could prepare the milk formulas proposed by European inventors on their own, in accordance with an extremely complex recipe, and the expensive instant “patent product” was affordable only for wealthy families. It was the latter category of consumers that was targeted
by a large-scale advertising campaign, conducted by foreign companies, promising mothers a full guarantee of baby food quality and the incredible ease of its home preparation. Responsible parents, not believing in the quality of either the dairy products sold in the capital or domestic mixtures, preferred to pay huge amounts of money for diluted starch or crushed crackers.

Key words: second half of the 19th — early 20th century, capitals, children’s artificial nutrition, “milk” formulas, foreign manufacturers, orphanages, “Drop of Milk”, responsible parents, hygienists.

Author:

Veremenko, Valentina Alexandrovna — Dr. of Sciences in History, Professor, Head of the Department of Russian History, Pushkin Leningrad State University (Pushkin, St. Petersburg, Russia).
E-mail: v. a.veremenko@yandex.ru
ORCID: 0000-0002-5217-560

Author:

Sutula, Julia Vitalievna — Postgraduate student of the Department of Russian History of Pushkin Leningrad State University (Pushkin, St. Petersburg, Russia).
E-mail: jmitlina@gmail.com
ORCID: 0000-0002-5338-0065

References:
Gigiena detstva v Sankt-Peterburge i Peterburgskoj gubernii (seredina XVIII — nachalo XX vv.): sbornik dokumentov i materialov [Hygiene of childhood in St. Petersburg and the St. Petersburg province (mid-18th — early 20th centuries): collection of documents and materials. In Russ.] / Comp. V. A. Veremenko, I. V. Sinova, S. V. Zajceva, O. A. Semenova, A. E. Zhukova, S. V. Stepanov, T. V. Volgina. St. Petersburg: Propaganda, 2023.

KAL’SINA A. A. Prichiny detskoi smertnosti v Krasnoufimskom uezde Permskoi gubernii v nachale XX v. (issledovanie zemskogo vracha M. Mizerova) [Causes of child mortality in Krasnoufimsky district of Perm province at the beginning of the twentieth century (research by zemsky doctor M. Miserov). In Russ.] // Sem”ia i detstvo v povsednevnoi zhizni: istoriia i sovremennost’: Materialy mezhdunarodnoi nauchnoi konferentsii: in 2 vols. Sankt-Peterburg, 6–8 aprelia 2023 goda / Ed. by V. A. Veremenko. Vol. 2. St. Petersburg: Leningradskii gosudarstvennyi universitet imeni A. S. Pushkina, 2023. P. 115–119.

MICJUK N. A. Rasprostranenie detskikh smesei v Rossii (nachalo XX v.): medikalizatsiia i kommertsializatsiia detskogo pitaniia [Distribution of infant formula in Russia (early 20th century): medicalization and commercialization of baby food. In Russ.] // Material’nyi factor i predprinimatel’stvo v povsednevnoi zhizni naseleniia Rossii: istoriia i sovremennost’: Materialy mezhdunar. nauch. konf., Sankt-Peterburg, 17–19 marta 2016 goda / Under the general ed. V. N. Skvorcova, otv. red. V. A. Veremenko. St. Petersburg: Leningradskii gosudarstvennyi universitet im. A. S. Pushkina, 2016. P. 155–160.

MICJUK N. A., Pushkareva N. L. Kormilichnyi promysel v Rossii v 1850–1917 gg. [Kormilichny fishery in Russia in 1850–1917. In Russ.] // Voprosy istorii. 2016. No. 3. P. 151–158.

SEMENOVA O. A. Popechenie o materiiakh i mladentsakh v Sankt-Peterburge v nachale XX v. na primere gorodskoi “Kapli moloka” [Taking care of mothers and babies in St. Petersburg at the beginning of the 20th century on the example of the urban “Drop of milk”. In Russ.] // Istoriia povsednevnosti. 2019. No. 4 (12). P. 72–81.

SIMAHODSKIJ A. S., BULATOVA E. M., JERMAN L. V. Ot “Kapli moloka” k “Zdorovomu malyshu”
(novye organizatsionnye tekhnologii v obespechenii detei pervykh 2 let zhizni l’gotnym pitaniem v Sankt-Peterburge) [From a “Drop of milk” to a “Healthy baby” (new organizational technologies in providing children of the first 2 years of life with preferential nutrition in St. Petersburg). In Russ.] // Voprosy detskoj dietologii. 2003. Vol. 1, no. 1. P. 102–104.

VEREMENKO V. A., SUTULA JU. V. Gigiena pitaniia doshkol’nikov v stolichnykh dvoriansko-intelligentskikh sem”iakh Rossii v kontse XIX — nachale XX v. [Nutritional hygiene of preschoolers in Russian metropolitan noble families of the intelligentsia in the late 19th — early 20th centuries. In Russ.] // Vestnik Rossiiskogo universiteta druzhby narodov. 2023. Vol. 22, no. 3. P. 496–509. DOI 10.22363/2312-8674-2023-22-3-496-509

ZAJCEVA S. V. Detskaia gigiena na Pervoi Vserossiiskoi gigienicheskoi vystavke v Sankt-Peterburge v 1893 g. [Child hygiene at the first all-Russian hygienic exhibition in St. Petersburg in 1893. In Russ.] // Sem’ia i detstvo v povsednevnoi zhizni: istoriia i sovremennost’: Materialy mezhdunarodnoi nauchnoi konferentsii: in 2 vols. Sankt-Peterburg, 6–8 aprelia 2023 goda / Ed. by. V. A. Veremenko. Vol. 2. St. Petersburg: Leningrad State University named after A. S. Pushkin, 2023. P. 119–124.

ZAJCEVA S. V. Popytki reorganizatsii gorodskoi “Kapli moloka” v Sankt-Peterburge v nachale XX v. Kak sposob bor’by s detskoi smertnost’iu [Attempts to reorganize the urban “Drop of milk” in St. Petersburg at the beginning of the 20th century as a way to combat child mortality. In Russ.] // Reformy v povsednevnoi zhizni naseleniia Rossii: istoriia i sovremennost’: materialy mezhdunar. nauch. konf. / Ed. by. V. A. Veremenko, V. N. Shajdurov. St. Petersburg: Leningradskij gosudarstvennyj universitet im. A. S. Pushkina, 2020. P. 161–167.

Similar Posts

PHJ № 4 (44) 2024 – A. S. Mayorova. M. M. SPERANSKY AND THE ZLOBIN FAMILY FROM THE TOWN OF VOLSK IN SARATOV PROVINCE

This article examines the relationship between M. M. Speransky and the family of the wealthy tax farmer V. A. Zlobin. Historians who have studied Speransky’s biography, as well as scholars from Saratov who have written about the Zlobin family, have observed the existence of a familial connection between this family and the statesman. Konstantin, the son of the tax farmer, was married to Marianna Stevens, the sister of Speransky’s wife. His rapid ascent within the upper echelons of state institutions and the conferral upon him of a rank that bestowed upon him the right to nobility gave rise to rumours in St. Petersburg concerning Speransky’s patronage of the Zlobin family. The documentary evidence pertaining to Konstantin Zlobin’s career corroborates the assertion that he was promoted on three occasions within a three-year period and subsequently married. His marriage to Marianna was unsuccessful, resulting in his departure from St. Petersburg for Volsk and subsequent resignation from his post. Later he entered into a second marriage. This would suggest that Konstantin had managed to obtain an official divorce from his first wife, who was still alive at the time. The Zlobins did not terminate their relationship with Speransky during his exile from St. Petersburg. The family experienced a decline in financial status following the War of 1812, with both V. A. Zlobin and his son passing away. However, Konstantin had children from his second marriage. His son, Konstantin Konstantinovich, obtained a university degree in St. Petersburg, served in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and subsequently in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He attained the rank of Privy Councilor and concurrently assumed the roles of head of the State Archive and the Main Archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in St. Petersburg. It seems plausible to suggest that Konstantin Konstantinovich’s successful career was facilitated by Speransky’s connections with the ministers under whom Zlobin served.

PHJ № 4 (44) 2024 – I. M. Nokhrin. COLONIAL NATIONALISM IN BRITISH NORTH AMERICA IN 1830S

The article is devoted to revealing the role of nationalism in the socio-political crisis in Canadas in the 1830s and the subsequent uprisings of 1837–1838. The author argues that this was the time when colonial politicians and intellectuals began to abandon their British nationalism, which was very characteristic of them before and began to develop the idea of a Canadian nation actively. Unsuccessful attempts to achieve the same rights and privileges that the inhabitants of Britain had convinced the colonists that there was no equality between the subjects of the king in the Old and New Worlds. Therefore, without equal rights, Canadians could no longer consider themselves British. Moreover, the whole system of the colonial government, its legitimacy, and, in the end, their loyalty to the king, were called into question. Moreover, the ideas about Canadians as a nation in Upper and Lower Canada were quite similar and, which is especially noteworthy, were, in fact, civil, not ethnic. But the most important thing was that if the Canadians were not British, then it logically followed that they lived under the rule of foreigners, as the compilers of ninety-two resolutions put it, their land was ruled by a foreign power with a priori different interests, goals, motives than Canadians. And this, in the era of the triumphant march of nationalism across the Western world, was considered a problem of a much larger scale than the struggle for office or reform. This state of affairs was perceived as completely wrong, unfair, and intolerable. And it could not continue indefinitely. Once this idea had won the minds of patriots and reformers, their further radicalization, a complete break with British nationalism, and a confrontation with the empire were inevitable.

PHJ № 4 (44) 2024 – V. S. Stefanenko. ANNE OF FRANCE, MADAME DE BEAUJEU: POLITICIAN AND DIPLOMAT

The article examines women’s political and diplomatic activity in France at the end of the 15th century, with a particular focus on the actions of Anne of France, Madame de Beaujeu. A review of theregent’s correspondence reveals that Anne was able to reinforce France’s position, maintain the territorial gains of Louis XI, and expand the kingdom through matrimonial diplomacy. She accomplished this through an extensive network of informants, clients, and her own ambitions. In the context of the Renaissance, Anne of France endeavoured to establish her own teachings and political theory, integrating traditional perspectives on women in power with the emerging realities of her era. This period witnessed a growing influence of noble ladies on political decision-making, a phenomenon that Anna of France sought to navigate.

PHJ № 4 (44) 2024 – B. N. Kovalev. KILLERS ABOUT KILLERS: TESTIMONY OF FORMER PUNISHERS AGAINST THEIR ASSOCIATES (THE CASE OF G. M. GUREVICH-GURVICH)

The 667th Shelon Battalion, comprising individuals who had collaborated with the Nazi regime, left a trail of violence and destruction in the vicinity of Leningrad. The Soviet state security agencies continued their search for war criminals until 1991. It is regrettable that, following the conclusion of the Second World War, a considerable number of these individuals were able to regularise their immigration status in a number of Western countries, including the USA, the UK, Australia, Canada and West Germany. However, some former punishers who returned to the USSR were subsequently held to account for their actions. From 1947 to 1950, the death penalty was abolished in the Soviet Union. In 1955, an amnesty was proclaimed. The sentences handed down to those who had collaborated were reduced by a factor of two or three. Following their release from incarceration between the 1960s and 1980s, these individuals provided testimony as witnesses to the crimes of their former associates. One of the most notable trials occurred in Novgorod in 1962.

PHJ № 4 (44) 2024 – E. B. Barinova. THE ROLE OF RUSSIAN AND SOVIET ORIENTAL STUDIES IN THE FORMATION OF CENTRAL ASIAN ARCHEOLOGY

The objective of this study is to delineate the intricate and protracted process of archaeological investigation into ancient Central Asia by Russian and Soviet scholars up until the early 1930s. This will enable the identification of the distinctive characteristics of the formation of Central Asian archaeology. The material for analysis was derived from the findings of archaeological research conducted by various expeditions in Central Asia. In selecting research methods, the objective was to define the archaeology of Central Asia as a field of inquiry pertaining to material objects that, in conjunction with other data, can shed light on the history and way of life in ancient societies. In addition to the descriptive element, the primary methodological technique employed in the study of the archaeological investigation of ancient Central Asia by Russian and Soviet scholars was the analysis of individual developments pertaining to the socio-economic and cultural history of the region. The period preceding the 1930s can be regarded as the inception of Central Asian archaeology. This was marked by the establishment of state committees for the study of ancient cultures (including the history of Central Asia) and the formation of independent union republics in the region. These developments stimulated the growth of the national economy and culture, while the organisation of republican departments of Sredazkomstaris played a pivotal role in the registration and protection of ancient monuments, marking the first instance of a research organisation in the Central Asian republics. The findings of the research conducted by Russian and Soviet scholars into the ancient history of Central Asia during the 1920s can be regarded as the genesis of a new academic field: the archaeology of Central Asia.

PHJ № 4 (44) 2024 – G. A. Grebenshchikova. EMPEROR PAVEL: ON THE ISSUE OF FORMING VIEWS AND ASCENSION TO THE THRONE. TO THE 270TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS BIRTH (1754–1801)

The article employs new sources and rare literature to examine significant events in the Russian Empire during the final year of Catherine II’s reign and the subsequent transfer of power to Emperor Paul. The article presents the views of renowned historians on the personality of Paul, the factors that shaped his worldview as the highest authority in the state, and his subsequent actions. The article underscores the significance of Catherine II’s associates for the new emperor during the inaugural phase of his tenure on the throne. Additionally, it highlights the role of France and Sweden in influencing Russia’s foreign policy trajectory towards the end of the 18th century.