Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-11-23
Ifs- Lost Ills Grip.
DIR THOMAS BABY INCUBATOR
The First Patient Doing Remsrkab y
Well-Fear OF a Relapse

y. I , iress,
Ward, Island was shaken from center to
circumference yesterday afternoon f. was
not an earthquake, but for practical effect it
might as we'll have been.
The center of the catastrophe was the Emi-
grant Hospital In one of the rooms stood a
solid looking box three feet square and four
feet deep II had lid and in the lid WAS
set a large pane of gla,s. fine looking
man, evidently physician, was gazing
through the glass with intense anxiety,
amounting fairly to agony, depicted in his
face. He stood motonless The box was
perforated at the top with holes. and warm
air. - degrees by the Thermometer, perco-
lated through them. The box was divided
into two parts by horizontal partition
Below the partition was square sheet iron
box Allied with water. Two tubes entered
the small tank from the side. They con
nccted with a cylindrical tin box, under which
stood spirit lamp. The lamp heated the
water in the cylinder and the hot water rau
through the upper tube into the sheet iron
tank and the colder water in the bottom of
the tank ran out into the cylinder and thus
kept up circulation of warm water into the
tank The heat from the water rose into the
upper compartment of the square box and
thus kept up an equsble temperature of IS
degrees.
On the partition dividing the large box was
a miniature bed. soft aud comfortable. And
on the bed lay minute human being four
teen inches long with a girth of twelve
inches, a head as large as a cats of medium
sire, and feet and ankles small in proportion.
This was a baby, and the man gazing at the
bah, was DIR A. VI. Thomas. ''Ouly asleep,
after all, he finally exclaimed as he broke
the silence and heard sigh of relief. II
really feared she was having a relapse.
The baby was Edith Eleanor Mclean, and
she was born early in September last. Her
mother. Agnes Mclean, csme TO the city
from Glasgow, late in August; vas so i'll
tina, she had to be taken to the Emgrant
Hospital and there gave birth to the baby,
which at that time weighed but two pounds,
seven ounces. Was foot long and hardly
three inches in diameter at the waist. IL was
thought that the manikln could not live, but
Dr. Thomas, who had taken a special inter
est in such minute mortals, and who had al
ready had Matching cradle, as he calls it.,
put into process Of manufacture bad util-
ized this means of incubation. n it were, to
sustain the life of the child by proper
temperature and gradually lead it on to as
simulated vitality The box, with its two
compartments. with its cylinder attachment,
spirit lamp and hot water, was the invention
of Professor Tarnier OF Paris. whose plan Of
saving such weaklings as little Filth DIR.
Thomas had resolved to give trial The
temperature at first was 90 degrees, now re-
duced to 10 degrees. The spirit lamp got
away with the degrees for moment yester-
day and a rumor is current that the upheaysl
on Wards Island was due to DIR. Thomas
momentsry fear that the natural sleep of his
charge was dangerous lethargy.
A man in the Press office called up Wards
Island yesterday on the phone and this is the
conversation
Hello hello, IIows the baby"
what bsbyg'
"Dr. Thomas baby-Edith Eleanor Ne
Lean
There was a sound of laughter and then
the answer came:
"Oh. she's all right Dong bes itifully
She's nine weeks old, weighs four and a half
pounds and is fourteen inches long"
when will she make her debut?"
Tell the whole world that Edith will be
out in two weeks, She's a splendid success.
a triumph for science and DR.. Thomas,
glor, to her sex and a magnificent tribute to
the incubsting process fer wesklings. She's
- The connection was broken, but this
told the tale.