The Reproductive Role of the Human Breast [and Comments and Reply]

Like that of many other mammals, our rate of reproduction is related to the carrying capacity of our habitat, and throughout our history low lifetime fertility has been advantageous. The most important determinant of lifetime fertility is the interbirth interval, and the major variable in this inter...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current anthropology 1983-02, Vol.24 (1), p.25-45
Main Authors: Anderson, Peter, Frisch, Rose E., Graham, Charles E., Manderson, Lenore, Orubuloye, I. O., Philippe, Pierre, Raphael, Dana, Stini, William A., Van Esterik, Penny
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Breast cancer
Breastfeeding
Breasts
Human reproduction
Humans
Infants
Lactation
Mothers
Pregnancy
Secretion
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Like that of many other mammals, our rate of reproduction is related to the carrying capacity of our habitat, and throughout our history low lifetime fertility has been advantageous. The most important determinant of lifetime fertility is the interbirth interval, and the major variable in this interval is the duration of postpartum anovulation due to breast-feeding. The need for a long birth interval is accentuated by our immaturity at birth and our requirement of prolonged contact between parent and offspring to learn the social and technical skills of human society. This paper reviews the evidence on the postpartum interval and mentions the !Kung hunter-gatherers, whose four-year birth interval is entirely due to the contraceptive effect of lactation. It is suggested that the main reason other communities do not have such a prolonged period of postpartum amenorrhoea is differences in patterns of breast-feeding, in particular less frequent sucklings, absence of nighttime feeds, and a reduced duration of breast-feeding. It is pointed out that the human female is the only mammal in which the breasts develop at puberty, and it is suggested that this may be due to the breast's having evolved an erotic role. Man seems to be adapted for a low level of continuous sexual activity unrelated to the production of offspring, and this may be important in reinforcing the parental bond which allows for a long period of dependence of the infant upon its mother.
ISSN:0011-3204
1537-5382
DOI:10.1086/202933