Massacre of the Innocents: Infanticide in Baltimore, 1860-1935

Massacre of the Innocents examines infant mortality and infanticide in Baltimore during a transformative period of American history. Through court records, newspaper accounts, and medical documents, Eric Schaefer reconstructs instances of infant death and investigates how society viewed and handled these cases. The book tracks changes in medical knowledge, law enforcement, and social services across eight decades in Baltimore. Schaefer analyzes the roles of police, doctors, social workers, and reformers as they confronted the complex issue of infant death and developed new approaches to investigation and prevention. Criminal cases involving infant death reveal broader patterns about gender, class, and race in late 19th and early 20th century urban America. Through these tragic incidents, Schaefer explores themes of motherhood, poverty, social reform, and the evolution of both medical science and criminal justice during this pivotal era. This historical study connects intimate family tragedies to larger questions about how societies protect their most vulnerable members. The book demonstrates how responses to infant death reflected and shaped attitudes about morality, responsibility, and justice in an industrializing nation.

There are not enough internet reviews to create a summary of this book. Instead, here is a summary of reviews of Eric Schaefer's overall work: Readers value Schaefer's rigorous research and detailed documentation of exploitation cinema's history. Students and film enthusiasts cite "Bold! Daring! Shocking! True!" as a thorough resource that illuminates a previously under-documented area of film history. What readers liked: - Clear writing style that balances academic analysis with accessibility - Extensive archival research and primary sources - Comprehensive coverage of exploitation film industry practices and distribution - Cultural context provided for understanding the films' social impact What readers disliked: - Academic tone can be dry for general readers - Limited coverage of films after 1959 - High price point of academic press books - Some readers wanted more film stills and visual materials Ratings: - Goodreads: 4.1/5 (87 ratings) - Amazon: 4.5/5 (28 reviews) A film studies graduate student noted: "Schaefer's research methods should be a model for any serious film historian." A reviewer on Amazon wrote: "Dense with information but never loses sight of the cultural significance of these overlooked films."

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🔹 Baltimore had one of the highest infant mortality rates in the US during the late 1800s, with up to 37% of children dying before age five in some neighborhoods. 🔹 The author discovered that many reported "accidental" infant deaths were actually deliberate acts, often committed by desperate mothers who could not afford to care for their children or faced severe social stigma as unmarried women. 🔹 The study exposed how poverty and lack of social services contributed to infanticide, with many women turning to unsafe "baby farms" - unlicensed boarding houses where infants were often neglected or intentionally allowed to die. 🔹 Baltimore's unique record-keeping system, which preserved detailed coroner's reports and police records from the 19th century, allowed Schaefer to uncover hundreds of previously unknown cases of infanticide. 🔹 The book's findings helped change historical understanding of Victorian-era morality, revealing that infanticide was far more common in "respectable" middle-class families than previously believed.