Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-10-25
lanrastcr :0ntelligrnrrr.
WEDNESDAY EVENING, OCT. IS. 1882
Atidcial Incubation.

WEDNESDAY EVENING, OCT. IS. 1882,
At,nciaI Incubation.
New York Times.
There is not the slightest reason to be-
lieve that when the ancient. Egyptians in-
verted a method of artifcially Matching
eggs they were Influenced by any desire to
lessen the labor Of hens. Their sole object
was to produce more chickens than the
hens produced. Although we may give a
setting hen credit for the best possible
intentions, it must be admitted that she is
g. very clumsy bird. She will tread on her
eggs and will leave more or less Of them
out in the cold. Besides, her capacity to
hatch eggs is limited by her size. There
Il e very few hens who can hatch out more
than dozen chickens, and, Of course, if
man wishes 10 raise chickens On large
scale he must supply himself with an i'm
incnse numoer OF hens. Artificial incuba-
ton obviates all these difficulties. As in
vented by the Egyptians, and extensively
practiced in our own day, thousand eggs
can be Matched at one time in q single in
cubator. and not one of these runs any
risk of being broken or chilled.
The immense success which has attend
ed the artificial incubation of chickens in
France recently attracted the attention of
DR.. Tavernier, learned and Ingenious
physician. He was attached to hospital
for foundlings, and although the position
gave him an admirable opportunity for
experimenting with new medicines ne
was hnmane man, and he wa annoyed
at tho large number Of foundlinys who
died within the first six months Of theil
life. The majority OF those admitted to
the hospital were weak and sickly, but in
that respect they did not differ from the
majority of all sorts of French infants.
DR.. Tavernier felt that it Wis a reprcach
to medical science that French infants
could not be cultivated with as much sue
cess as French chickens, and he resolved
to try what artificial incubatioD-if it may
be SO called-wOuld accomplish if applied
t. infants.
The doctor cOnst,ucte child incuba; OF
on precisely the model of the ordinary
chicken incubator. 1t was box coveret!
with a glass side furnished with a soft
wOOlen bed ard kept at the temperature
of $50 Fahrenheit by the aid of hot water.
He selected as the subject of his first ex-
pertinent miserably made infant, one,
in fact, that had rashIy insisted ;lpon be
period. This infant was placed il the in
cubatOr, provided with a nursing bottle,
and kept in dark room. To the sur
prise of the doctor it ceased to cry on the
second day after il was placed in the in.
cubator. and although it had been a pre-.
terna:ura'ly sleepless child, it sank into a
deep and quiet sleep. The child remained
in the incubator for about eight weeks
during which time it never once cried, aDe
never remained awake except while taking
Ecurishment. 1t grew rapidly, and When,
at the expiration of sixty days, it. was re-
moved from the incubator i: presented the
appearance of healthy infant of at leasl
year old.
Delighted with the success of this ex
pertinent, DR.. Tavern;er next selected al
ordinary six months-old infant addicted t,
the usual pins and co';c and cxhibitin,
the usual frestuiness of French infants
This child Conducted itself while in th.
Incubator precisely as its predecessor ha,
done. 1t never cried it spent its who'll
time in sleep, and it grew as if it ha'
made up its mind to embrace the aiee
of professional giant. After six weeks
stay in the Incubator it was removed ant
weighed. During this brief period il ha.
doubled its weight. It had become S
strong and healthy thar it resenhled
child Ot tnree years CID, AID If cuGid ac!
ually walk VIXEN holding On TO conve
nlent piece Of furniture.
These two experiments satisfied DR.. Ia
vernier of the vast advantages Of artiflcia
child incubation. He Immediately pro
ceeded-wi;h the permission of the al
thorities Of the hospital-to construct al
incubator CT the caDacity cf four Eundre,
Infants: and ia tiiis he placed everyone q
the three hundred and sixty insautS VII,
were in tac hosnita, on the 1C.h day O
FEBRUARY last. With tho exception Of or
Who died Of congeuital ;:yhroccpllalCs ant
another who -as claimed by It's repeutaa
parents. the imfants were kept contiGucus!
IN the Incubator for sig ncntls, when the
We're removed ID consequences o. .,avin,
cutgrown their narrow btds. The rcsuI
will seem almost incredible to pe,sous VIII
are unfamiliar with the reputation of D,
Tavernier, and have not seen the repor
made to the French government on the s,ll
ject By s-i2c5 committee of twelve. Tn
average age O. the infau,:. last Februar-
was 3 n nths aod 6ays-tha youngcs
being less that H. hours old and t'a elGss
not moro than Il months. Their ayerae
weight Was 1G pounds, only l OF the entir
3GO having attained weight Of 90 pounds
At the end of six months Of artificial in
cubatiOn the average weight of eacl
infant was 81 pounds, and there was no
one who would not have beer supposed b.
casual abserver to be at least eight year
old.
In other words, six months of artific:a
incubation did as much in the way of dc
veloping DR.. Tavernicr's foundlings a
eight years Of ordinary life would hav
done. Tho infants were strrn- an,
healthy, 80 we'll as big {; they wake
within q week after leaving the incubator
and most Of them have since learned t
talk. These results surpassed DR.. Tavei
nier's most enthusiastic expectations, an
there can be no doubt that his system 9
artificial child incubation will be adopte
not only in every chiId's hospital j
France, but in every private famiI
throughout the civilized world.
There is hardly an adult person living bu
1s sometimes troubled with kidney difficult,
kA