Question

Although losing seven children at birth was unusual, infant mortality was high in Puritan New England. The simple explanation for Mrs. Putnam's losses is not witchcraft but the lack of medical science at the time. New England had a bitterly cold climate. Houses were heated only by open fires and could not be cooled in hot weather except by leaving windows open. Flies and mosquitoes, which can spread disease, are prevalent throughout North America, and screens for doors and windows were far in the future. If crops did not do well, families went hungry; an undernourished mother might not have enough milk for her baby. Babies were as prone to illness then as they are now, but Puritans had no antibiotics with which to cure their children. What was the reason for the high infant mortality rate in Puritan New England?

1) Lack of medical science
2) Witchcraft
3) Bitterly cold climate
4) Lack of antibiotics

Answer 1

The high infant mortality rate in Puritan New England was due to a lack of medical science, no antibiotics, harsh climates, and potential malnutrition, not witchcraft.

Step-by-step explanation:

The reason for the high infant mortality rate in Puritan New England can be attributed primarily to the lack of medical science and the absence of antibiotics. Other contributing factors included the harsh climate, poor living conditions that facilitated the spread of disease, and the possibility of malnutrition if crops failed. While the Puritans believed in witchcraft, it was not a factual cause of infant mortality but rather a reflection of the cultural and religious beliefs at the time