The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1897-09-11
INFANT INCUBATORS.
A Successful Machine for Raising
Weakly british babies.


At the Victorian Era exposition at
Earl's court recently a novel treatment
of prematurely born and weakly in
fants was opened to private inspection.
The situation Of the model institution,
which is of considerable dimensions,
having 6o-foot frontage and CORE
spending breadth of 25, is in the line
OF buildings in the Western gardens, OPP
posite the old Welcome club. 1t is con-
veniently divided into three sections.
In the central one are the handsome
nickel-plated and plate glass incuba-
tors. in which the infants are placed,
neatly wrapped in cotton wool and
laid on little white coverlets. One wing
of the building, which is built of brick,
the other is used for the offices of the
nurses and medical men in charge.
The most important considerations in
the vitality of premature infants are
weight and temperature, and on these
features depend entirely the chances
of saving their lives. AS general fact,
infants weighing less than two pounds
|
birth. OF those under three pounds
five ounces half are saved by the Altman
apparatus. In the primitive methods
of years ago the puny babies were
wrapped in wadding or in sheepsliin
with the wool adhering. In some coun-
tries they were put in jars of feathers
or cradle was drawn close to the
haa ~ 80 hor
done good service at the Paris Materni-
ty hospital, and other apparatus has
been usefully employed to n limited ex-
tent; but nothing so regular and uni
form, so pure and wholesome in its
operation, has heretofore been devised.
The new apparatus was explained to
the audience of Prof. Coney, of Heidel-
berg-its paramount qualification be-
ing the automatic maintenance of a
uniform temperature, the incubator
is q metal and glass case under cubic
yard in capacity. The front portion
is formed by two swinging doors. The
child rests on the coverlet of fine wire
hammock suspended from the four
corners. The air is supplied through a
pipe IOuT luclltS III OlulitlcI cOHHcCltu
with an air box, and before entering
it is made moist by passing through q
small sheet of antiseptic absorbent
wool. The air then passes through
dry wool, which retains the SCOT and
other impurities of the atmosphere.
From this filter the air traverses an
other pipe leading to the center of the
incubator. Over it's orifice is placed a
disk for uniformly distributing the air
and above all is three-foot chimney
with n horizontal revolving fan, which
compels the exhausted air to escape.
The uniform heating of the case is
produced by hot water drawn from an
external boiler heated by parafiin, gas
or electricity. the circulation being eff
fectedby a copper pipe running beneath
the wire hammock. In the right hand
wall is fixed thermostat, connected to
q light chain, which suspends an
aluminium cone lid over the lamp of the
boiler, and its expansions and contrac-
tions automatically control the tenn
perature to the degree TO which the APP
| paratus is set. A thermometer sus-
| pended inside one of the glass doors
| renders possible observations Of the
| temperature of the interior, while a
| hygrometcr similarly indicates the
moisture of the air within. - London
| Standard