Jean Geoffroy - L'Œuvre de la goutte de lait au dispensaire de Belleville (triptyque) - PPP61 - Musée des Beaux-Arts de la ville de ParisBorn on October 18, 1856, in Saint Lô, Léon Dufour studied in Le Havre, Rouen and Nancy.
Barely 25 years old, Léon Dufour was a winner of the surgery and childbirth competition at the Faculty of Nancy.
He settled in Fécamp on November 29, 1881 as a “Doctor-Doctor”, 65 quai Bérigny, in front of the forest of masts of the ships that make the Capital of the Terre-neuvas famous.
Fécamp, a town of 13,000 inhabitants, had then only 5 doctors
Dufour LeonAs soon as he settled in, Léon Dufour specialized in home deliveries with the help of his coachman, whom he had trained in asepsis.
At that time he noticed that infant mortality was much higher in the maritime district than in the downtown area.
This was due to the sometimes very precarious housing of the sailors, the poorly paved streets made of sea pebbles where fish detritus decayed and putrefied.
Carte Postale Fécamp Vue Prise De La Caisse D'epargneIn 1889, Doctor Dufour was appointed assistant physician of the Hospital of Fécamp and then set out on a crusade against the misery of the working classes who were victims of the lack of hygiene.
In Fécamp, the average number of births was higher than in all of France, but the average number of child deaths was much higher.
The delivery conditions of many mothers and the health conditions of the newborns worried Dr. Dufour a great deal.
Dr. Dufour observed that in the region, thanks to cattle breeding, milk was flowing freely. More than half of the mothers no longer breastfeed. They prefer to use a bottle filled with cow’s milk, especially since their work prevents them from breastfeeding their child. This practice turns out to be dangerous because cow’s milk is not suitable for the smallest.
This is the origin of the creation of “L’oeuvre de la Goutte de Lait” in 1894, intended to distribute sterilized milk bottles to indigent children.
Musée Des Pêcheries - The Infant - The Drop of Milk by Léon Dufour
Musée Des Pêcheries - Baby bottles - Childhood collection
Musee Des Pêcheries - Baby bottles - Childhood collection
Musée Des Pêcheries - stroller - Children's collectionThe goal is to “fight against the mortality of infants”. Doctor Dufour emphasizes the importance and quality of breastfeeding, but he is aware of the difficulty or impossibility that young mothers working in the workshop encounter.
To overcome this, he proposes a balanced diet as close as possible to breast milk: every day, in the premises of the “Goutte de Lait”, rue du Précieux Sang, are prepared small baskets of 8 to 10 bottles, daily ration for a newborn. Families in need can withdraw these bottles free of charge and a consultation for infants is open every day.
Young mothers gradually learn to monitor the weight, evolution and diet of their children. Dr. Dufour is not afraid to leave the door of his consulting room and waiting room open, each one can put to good use the advice repeatedly expressed.
He shows boundless patience and perseverance to educate young mothers who are often unaware of the dangers of poor hygiene for their babies.
- “A mother should never blame herself for not doing everything possible to breastfeed her child”
- “Wash or bathe your children, with warm water, as often as possible, every day is the best”
- “Ventilate your homes extensively”
It is from the creation of this institution, that Doctor Dufour helped by nuns of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul and by volunteers more and more numerous, that the infant mortality will almost disappear.
This example soon became a school, so much so that before the 1914 war, there were more than 100 “Goutte de Lait” in France and their installation spread across the continents, in America, Australia and as far as Madagascar.
The work of the Goutte de Lait, which would last until 1972, would take on an international extension even before being recognized as a public utility in 1923.
Dufour LeonThe good doctor was decorated with the great office of Knight of the Legion of Honor in 1923 and a street was named after him in Fécamp in 1926. He died in 1928, after having worked for 50 years to save the lives of countless children.
The Musée des Pêcheries dedicates a part of its collections to him, where you can see, among other things, baby bottles that are unique in the world.
