The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1882-11-10
ARTIFICIAL INCUBATION.

ARTIFICIAL INCUBATION.
| There is not the slightest reasons to
! believe that when the ancient Egyp-
! tians invented method of artifcially
/ Matching eggs they were Influenced by
any desire to lessen the labor of benS.
/ Their sole object was to produce more
| chickens than the hens produced. AZ
/ though we may give a setting hen cTed-
it for the best possible intention, it may
be admitted that she is very clumsy
bird. She will tread on her eggs and
leave more or less of them out ih the
cold. Besides, her capacity to hatch
eggs is limited by her size. There are
very few hens who can hatch out more
than dozen chickens, and, of course,
if man wishes to raise chickens on a
large scale he must supply himself with
an immense number of hens. Artifi-
cial incubation obviates all these diff
culties. As invented by the Egyptians
and extensively practiced in our own
day, thousand eggs can be hatched at
one time in a single incubator, and not
one of these runs any risk OF being bro
ken or chilled
The immense success which has at
tended this process in France recently
attracted the attention of DR.. Traven-
ier, learned aud ingenious physician.
He attended to hospital for fOundlings
and although the position gave him an
admirable opportunity for experiment.
ing with new medicines, he was a hui
name man, and he was annoyed at tue
large number Of foundlings that died
within the first six months of their life.
The majority of those admitted to the
hospital were weak and sickly, but in
that respect they did not suffer from the
majority of French infants. DR.. Tav-
enier felt that it was a reproach to med
lcal science that French infants could
not be cultivated with as much success
as French chickens, and he resolved to
Try what artificial incubation-if it may
be called sO--wOulG accomplish if ap-
piled to infants.
The doctor constructed a child incu-
bator on precisely the model of the chick
en- sincubator 1t was a box covered
with a glass side furnished with a soft
woOlen bed and kept at the temperature
of So Fahrenheit by the aid of hot wa
ter. He selected as the subject of his
first experiment a miserably made in
fant, one, in fact, that had rashly in
sisted on beginning the world at an in
JudiciOusly early period. This infant
was placed in the incubator, provided
with a nursing bottle, and kept in
tor the child ceased to cry on the sec
ond day after it was put in the incuba-
tor, and although it had been a prefer
naturally sleepless child it sank into a
deep, quiet sleep. The child remained
IN the incubator about eight weeks dur
ing which time it never once cried, and
never remained awake except while ta-
ing nOuTishment. It grew rapidly, and
when, at the expiration Of sixty days, it
was removed from the incubator it pre-
sented the appearance of a healthy in
fant of at least year old.
Delighted with the success of this ex
pertinent. DR.. Tavenier selected an Ordi-
nary siX-months old child, addicted to
the usual pains and collie, and exhibit
ing the usual fretfulness of French in
fant. This child conducted itself while
in the incubator precisely as it's prede-
cessOr had done. It never cried spent
its whole time in sleep, and it grew as
If it had made up its mind to embrace
the career of a professional giant At
ter 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 healthvthat
it reSembled child of three years old,
and it could actually walk when holding
on to convenient piece of furniture.
These two experiments satisfied DIR.
Tavenier of the vast advantages of arti-
fetal incubation. He Immediately pro-
ceeded-with the permission of the au-
thOritieS of the hOspital-tO construct
an incubator of the capacity of four
hundred infants who were in the hOspi-
tai on the 10th OF February last, With
the exception of one who died of con-
genital hydrocephalus and another who
oIo J.,
the children were kept continually in
the incubator for six months, when they
were removed in consequence of having
Outgrown their narrow beds. The re-
suit will seem almost incredible to per-
sOns who are unfamiliar with the reputa-
tiOn of DR.. Tavenier. and have not seen
the report made TO the French govern.
ment on the subject by a select commit
tee of twelve. The average age of the
infants last February was three months
and three days-the youngest being less
than II hours old and the oldest being
twelve months. Theireaverage weight
was sixteen pounds, only one of the en-
tire 800 having attained a weight of 80
pounds. At the end of six months of
artificial incubation the average weight
of each infant was "a 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 of artificial
incubation did as much in the way of de-
velOping Dr. Tavenier's fOundlings as
eight years of ordinary life would have
done. The infants were strong and
healthy, as well as big ; they walked i'll
week after leaving the incubator, and
some of them have since learned to talk.
These results SURPASSED DR.. Tavenier's
most enthusiastic expectations, and
there can be no doubt that his system of
artificial child Incubation will be adopt
ed not only by every child's hospital in
France, but in every private family in
the civilized world. - Times.