How dark world of baby farming was exposed in sensational trial that brought lasting change
WedWednesday 27
JanJanuary 2021 at 12:23am
The case led to a shake-up of public health care and child protection. Above, a nurse with babies in the Perth Public Hospital, 1919.
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For several weeks in 1907, the Australian public was gripped by a sensational trial in Perth that exposed the dark practice of baby farming.
While it was a trial over the death of one infant, proceedings revealed that 37 babies had died in the care of one woman, Alice Mitchell, over a six-year period, leading to headlines suggesting she might be Australia s worst serial killer.