The Victorian 'Baby Farmer' who murdered nearly 400 infants
In short: Amelia Dyer was a prolific murderer whose business model relied on caring for abandoned children. This lecture explores the chilling reality of her crimes and examines whether she was a product of madness or a calculated predator.
Operating as a 'baby farmer,' Amelia Dyer was paid to take in unwanted infants, yet she is estimated to have killed around 400 of them. The lecture by Joanna Bourke investigates the psychological and social mechanisms that allowed such a high volume of murders to occur under the guise of nursing.
The presentation also addresses enduring historical mysteries, including fringe theories linking Dyer to the identity of Jack the Ripper. It questions whether her actions were driven by insanity or if she represented a specific type of predatory behavior in Victorian society.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Amelia Dyer: Baby Killer
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