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La mort du nouveau-né et l'amour des parents : quelques réflexions à propos des pratiques de « répit »

1984; Éditions Odile Jacob; Volume: 1983; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.3406/adh.1984.1564

1776-2774

Jacques Gélis,

Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research

To get a good idea of the quality of feelings which parents — and not only mothers — had for their very young infants many years ago, it is essential to take into account the cultural context in which they lived. Couples were scared of being sterile, but what frightened them most was having a still-born child, that is a child which died before having been fortified by the act of baptism. The parents' honour and tranquility, the fruitfulness of their union and the fertility of the soil were also tainted, for a barren pregnancy was synonymous with the curse. Thenceforth, the last resort was the "sanctuary of respite" ; the father and mother were willing to make any sacrifice whatsoever fort their child to give, if even just for a moment, the "sign of life" which would allow it to be considered a Christian, to replace Evil with Good, to chase away any evil spirits and to bring back fertility. In making baptism such a very high stake, not only for the child but also for its family, attendance at these "respites" was, of course, greatly encouraged ; but, as in Southern Germany in the xvmth and xixth centuries, parents' negligence towards new-born babies could be encouraged when the latter had been baptised : fortified by the Sacrament, the last-born of the family could die ; they feared nothing ; they even became precious helpers for the salvation of their parents.