The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1882-11-22
Artificial Incubation

, cially Matching eggs they were H.
fluenced by any desire to lessen the
labor or hens. Their sole object wal
to produce more chickens than the
hens produced. Altho. gh We may
give setting hen credit for the best
possible intentions, it must be ad.
mitted that she is very clumsy
bird. She will tread on her eggs
and will leave more or less of them
out in the cold. Besides, her capac-
ity to hatch eggs is limited by her
size. There are very few hens whu
can hatch out more than dozen
chickens, and of course, II a man
wishes to raise chickens on a large
scale he must supply himself with
an immense number OF hens. Arti-
iicial incubation obvlates all these
difficulties. AS invented by the
Egyptians, and extensively practiced
III our day, Thousand eggs can be
Matched at one time IN single In
cubator, and not one of these runs
any risk of being broken or chilled.
The immense success which has
attended the artificial incubation OF
chickens in France recently attracted
the attention of DIR. Tayernier, a
learned and ingenius physician. He
was attached To hospital for found
lings, and although the position
gave him an admirable opportunity
for experimenting with new medl-
cines he was humane mah, and he
Was annoyed at the large number
OF fuundllngs who died within the
first six months of their life. The
majority of those admitted to the
hospital were weak and sickly, but
iii that respect they did not differ
from the majority OF all sorts OF
French infants. DIR. Travernier felt
that it was reproach to medical
science that French infants could
not be cultivated with as much sue
cess as French chickens, and he re-
solved To try what artificial incuba-
tion-if it may be SO called-wouid
accomplish If applied to infants.
the doctor constructed child in
cubator on precisely the model OF
the ordinary chrcken incubator. 1t
was box covered with a glass side
furnished with a soft wooden bed
and kept at the temperature of S60
Farenheit by the aid of hot water.
He selected as the subject of his first
experiment miserably made infant
one, in fact that had rashly insisted
upon beginning the world at an in
judiciously early period. This infant
was placed in the incubator, provid-
ed with a nursing bottle, and kept
in dark room. To the surprise of
the doctor it ceased to cry on the
second day after it was placed in the
incubator, and although it had been
preternaturally sleepless child, it
sank into deep and quiet sleep.
The child remained in the incuba-
tor for about eight weeks, during
which time it never once cried, and
never remained awake except while
taking nourishment 1t grew rapid
ly. and when, at the expiration of
sixty daj :, it was removed from the
incubator it presented the appear
ance ola healthy infant of at least
year old.
| Delighted with the success of his
experiment, Dr. Travernier next Sc
lected an ordinary months old
infant addicted to the usual pains
and collie and exhibiting the usual
fretfulness of French infants. This
child conducted itself while in the
incubator precisely as its predecessor
had done 1t never cried il spent
its whole time in sleep and it grew
as if it had made up its mind to en-
brace the career of professional
giant After six weeks STAY in
the incubator it was removed and
weighed. During this brief period
it had doubled its weight. 1t had
become so strong and healthy that
it reSembled a child of three years
old. and it could actually walk when
holding on to convenient piece of
/ furniture.
These two experiments satisfied
DR.. Taver lier of the vast advantages
Of artificial child incubation. He
Immediately proceeded-with the
permission of the authorities of the
hospital-to construct an incubator
of the capacity of four hundred in
fants, and in this he placed every
one OF the three hundred and sixty
infants who were. in the hos pital on
the 10th day of February last With
the exception of one who died Of
congenital hydrocephalus and anoth-
er VITO was claimed by its repentant
parents, the infants We're kept con-
tinuously in the incubator for six
months, when they were removed in
consequence OF having outgrown
their narrow beds. The result will
seem almost incredible to persons
who are unfamiliar with the reputa-
ton of DR. Tavernier, and have not
seen the report made to the French
government on the subject by Sc
lect committee OF twelve. The
average age of the infants last Feb
ruary was three months and three
days the youngest being less than
twelve hours old and the eldest not
more than eleven months. The
average weight was l6 pounds, only
one of the entire 360having attained
a weight of 32 pounds. At the end
of six months of artificial incubation
the average weight ofeach infant was
elghty-four pounds, and there was
not one who would not have been
supposed by casual observer to be
at least eight years old.
In other words, six months artiti-
cial incubation did as much in the
way of developing DR.. Tavernier's
foundlings as eight years of ordinary
life would have done. The. infants
were strong and healthy. as well as
big they walked within week af-
ter leaving the incubator, and most
of them have since learned to talk.
These results surpassed DR.. Taver-
nier's most enthusiastic expectations
and there can be no doubt that his
'system of artificial child incubation
will be adopted pot only in every
child's hospital in France, but in
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