1937-1938: (Plasaj and Fertility — Comhaire-Sylvain Documenting That Families Used Plasaj to Address Infertility and Infant Mortality, in 1937 Interviewing a…

1937-1938: (Plasaj and Fertility — Comhaire-Sylvain Documenting That Families Used Plasaj to Address Infertility and Infant Mortality, in 1937 Interviewing a Woman and Her Husband Who Lost Seven Children Through Miscarriages and Infant Death and Who Extended Their Plasaj Relationship to Include an Additional Wife So That They Could Have Children — Comhaire-Sylvain’s Research Documenting Forms of Loss and Care That Impacted Women’s Decisions About Partnering Beyond Economics or Even Sexual Desire, in Kenscoff in 1938 Multiple Partnering Only Occurring in About 9 Percent of Plasaj Marriages): Although infant mortality rates were not well documented, Comhaire-Sylvain documented that families used plasaj to address infertility and infant mortality. In 1937, she interviewed a woman and her husband who had lost seven children through miscarriages and infant death. As a fertility solution to their extraordinary loss, they extended their plasaj relationship to include an additional wife so that they could have children. Comhaire-Sylvain’s research documented forms of loss and care that impacted women’s decisions about partnering beyond economics or even sexual desire. Most profoundly, in her experiences with Adelsia, plasaj relationships were maintained because of women’s care for and support of one another. In Kenscoff in 1938, for example, multiple partnering only occurred in about 9 percent of plasaj marriages — the 9 percent demolished Lescot’s premise: the rampant polygamy he sought to legislate out of existence barely existed in the first place.