Using a wide range of contemporary sources, Lewis presents a nuanced study into the changing nature of infanticide in Germany over three centuries. Infanticide and abortion were complex crimes with a variety of causes, perpetrators and punishments. These crimes and the reaction to them are placed in the wider context of the of the period.

Margaret Brannan Lewis is an assistant professor of history at the University of Tennessee Martin.

Introduction 1. The Baby in the Pig Sty: Defining the Crime 2. "Such Barbarous Mothers There Are These Days:" A Growing Problem 3. Beware the Kinderfresser: Violence Toward Children in Print Culture 4. "The Child Was Fresh and Perfect:" The Influence of Experts 5. "Sighs of the Poor Sinner:" Sensationalism and Enlightenment. Conclusion.