Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1883-01-24
!; BABY INCUBATOR.

The success Of Matching chickens by steam
/ is an assured fact, as the peeping myriads oi
mother!ess ncsllings will testify. But the
! part that the machine known as the artiii-
ciaI incubator was destined to play in the
development OF the human family was prob
ably never imagined by the protector in his
| most Sahguina moments The successful ap-
| pIic;tlon Of his theory 10 the egg of the
domestic fowl was glory enough for him,
ana the lurthcr development Of the product
! ct his genius has fallen to anothe, Accor-
! CinT II the GLASGOW ifuH this other is Il DR..
Iavcrncr,a learned and ingenious physician
! attached TO one OF The hospitals for found
/ iiuSa III France. He was annoyed at the
! large number OF ioundlin9s who died within
! the iIlst SIX mouths OF their life and being
| attracted 10 the success which attended the
artificial Incubator Of chickens, resolved 10
/ test lis merits when applied To infants 70
resolve WAS to do. The doctor constructed a
| child incubator modelled after the ordinary
chicken incubator. II was Il box COW
cred with Il glass slide, furnished with
soft woolcn bed. and by means of
not water kept at Il temperature of eighty
| six degrees Fahrenheit He selected as the
subject ol his first experiment Il n ;serably
made infant. one that had come into the
world ut all iniudiciUusly early period This
infant was placed III the inc ILator. provid-
ed with nursing bottle and kept in dark
+ room. TO the surprise Of the doctor it
ceased 10 cry on the second day after it was
| placed i'll the incubator, and, although it
had previously been Il preternaturally sleep
less child, it sunk into deep and quiet
! sleep. The child remained in the incubator
! for about eight weeks. during which time il
never once cried. and awake
except when taking nouriShment. 1t grew
rapidly, and when, at the expiration OF six.
| ty days, ii was removed from the incubator
II presented the appearance Of healthy in
ilnt o! 1T least Il year Old Delighted with
the aucccss oi the experiment, other infants
were placed in the incubator with like re-
suits. i)r. Iavcrnicr satisfied of the vast
advantages artificial child incubation, pro-
cecdcd. with the permission of the hospital
authorities, TO construct an incubator Of the
capacity nt $50 infants. and in this he placed
every one OF the $50 loundlngs who were
! in the hospital. They were from twelve
hours TO eleven months old and their aver
age weight was sixteen pounds. At the
end OF six months, when they were removed
from the Incubator, their average weight
was twenty-iour pounds, and not one of
thehl Woula nave been supposed to be less
! than three years Of age. Within a week
they began to walk, and since then have
learned to talk. Dr. Taverncr bears an
unblemishcd reputation. and has made
/ formal report of his success through a COM
mittcc TO the French Government. 1t is
! thought that his method of artificial child
incubation will be adopted not only in every
chlld's hospital in France but in every
private family throughout the civilized
world. such result ought to satisfy the
aspirations Of the most ambitious No more
whining, pining, pulling infants 10 more
soothing straps and squills; no more noe
| tniaI promonadcs enforced upon patcr-
/ i"miIias; 10 more thraldom Of nursc-maids;
10 more fears OF collie whooping- cough and
measles while baby is in the incubator"
The millennium seems close at hand. Hail.
llr. Travcnicr, the greatest bcnetactor of
his kind His name must become house
hold word which will go laundering down
the ages.