Does anyone understand the sense (смысл) of this Soviet-era poster?

Question

I forgot how I found this poster on the internet, but it looked strange so I thought I would translate it so it would make sense:
However, it seems even more bizarre and non-sensical after translating it. Specifically, my translation is the following:

Do Have you taken care of your breasts?

Chill your nipples every day by daily washing with cold water.

However, I have never heard of any health benefits of chilling one's nipples daily. Am I misunderstanding this poster, or was nipple-chilling a regular part of Russian/Soviet culture for historical reasons? Is this the origin of the expression "chill your nips"?

http://historydoc.edu.ru/catalog.asp?cat_ob_no=17037&ob_no=13735

If anyone could explain to me the смысл of this poster or correct my translation so that its sense becomes self-evident, I would greatly appreciate it.

Answer 1

Apparently it was/is believed to soften the nipples for easier lactation and preventing cracking. How medically sound this is I cannot tell. Now it obviously wasn't a regular part of culture since it had to be promoted with public awareness posters; and the very reason you came across this particular one was that Russian internet users had found it amusing. Dating back to 1930, it was just one of many posters promoting greater health/hygiene awareness in a nation that, only a few decades ago, had been mostly illiterate and "folksy" in its approach to healthcare. Most of those posters are entirely uncontroversial from the perspective of the medical knowledge we have today; as I said, I'm not qualified to comment on the nipple-chilling one, but if indeed it was based on a misconception, there should be nothing surprising about that. A host of "learned" superstitions have accompanied genuine scientific progress everywhere and in every age, and were slow to go even after they'd been discredited. In the case of medicine, much slower than in other fields since it plays such a part in ordinary lives. Few of today's physicists would dabble in astrology like Sir Isaac Newton, but we still have cupping marks on Olympic athletes, Hollywood celebrity anti-vaxxers, etc. etc.

Answer 2

Do Have you taken care of your breasts?

Chill your nipples every day by daily washing with cold water.

fresh mothers share their experience

http://www.baby.ru/answers/planning/category-4718015/question-169019524/

сейчас напарница говорит что мне пора уже соски закаливать, ледяной водой обтирать а потом вафельным полотенцем энтенсивно растирать, это чтоб потом не трескалась! вы так делали? я боюсь что так можно друдь застудить

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Врачи советуют после 20 недельки каждый день утром и вечером холодной водой обмывать

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растирать грудь нельзя, можно тонус вызвать. Я до беременности просто соски обливала прохладной водой и постепенно воду делала холодней