National Republican., 1882-12-26
BABY INCUBATION,
A French Doctor Discovers n Way to Max,
Young Giants OF Sick Babies.


The immense success which has attended
the artificial incubation of chickens in France
recently attracted the attention of DR.. Tayer-
nier, learned and ingenious physician. He
was attached to hospital for foundlings, and
was annoyed at the large number of found
lings who died within the first six months of
their life. The majority of those admitted to
the hospital were weak and sickly, and he re-
solved to try what "artificial incubation"
would accomplish if applied to infants.
The doctor constructed u child incubator
on precisely the model of the ordinary
chicken incubator 1t was box covered
with glass slide, furnished with u soft
wooen bed, and kept at the temperature of
S6 degrees Fahrenheit by the aid of hot
water. He selected as the subject of his first
experiment a miserably made infant, one
that had come into the world at an iniu-
diciously early period This infant was
placed in the incubator, provided with n
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 in
cubator, and, although it had previously been
Il preternaturally sleepless child, it sank
into deep and quiet sleep. The
child remained in the incubator for
eight weeks, during which time it
never once cried, and never remained awake
except when taking nourishment 1t grew
rapidly, and when, at the expiration of sixty
days, it was removed from the incubator, it
presented the appearance of healthy infant
of at least year old. Delighted with the
success of the experiment, DR.. Tavernier next
selected an ordinary siX-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; it spent its whole
time in sleep, and it grew as if it had made
up its mind to embrace the career of pro-
fessional giant After six weeks stay in
the incubatorit was was removed aud weighed;
during this brief period it had doubled its
weight 1t had become so strong and healthy
that it reSembled child three years old, and
it could actually walk when holding on to a
convenient piece of furniture, These two ex-
periments satisfied DIR. Tavcrncr 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 400 infants
who Were in the hospital ON the 10th day of
February last With the exception of one
who died of congenital hydrocephalus, and
another who was claimed by its repentant
parents, the infants We're kept continuously in
the incubator for six months, when they were
removed in consequence of having outgrown
their narrow beds The result will seem al
most Incredible to persons who are unfamiliar
with the reputation of Dr. Tevernier, and
have not seen the report made TO the French
government by u select committee of twelve.
The average age of the infants last February
was months and 3 days-the youngest being
less than II hours, oldest not more than IL
months, Their average weight was 16
pounds, only / of the entire 800 having at
tained a weight of 81 pounds. At the end of
six months of artificial incubation the aver
age weight Of each infant was "A pounds,
and there was not one vino would not have
been supposed by a casual observer to be at
least three years old. In other words, six
months of artificial incubation did as much in
the way Of developing DR.. Tdyemier's found
lings rs three years of ordinary life would
have done The infants were strong and
healthy, as well as big; they walked within
week of leaving the incubator and most of
them have since learned to talk. These re-
suits surpassed DR. Tayerniers most enthu-
siastic expectations, and there can be no doubt
that his system of artificial child incubation
will be adopted not only in every child's hos
pital in France, but in every private family
throughout the civilized world.