The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1897-01-27
BABY %INCUBATORS.
. PHYSICIAN TELLS OF TIE CON-
STRuCT,OM AND OPERATION.

sTRucTloM AND OPERATION.
The Apparatus Is Very Simple and Inex-
pensivc. but Attendance Is Costly-In
Addition to Saving a Life, Each Incuba-
ton Contributes Useful knowledge.
In sharp contrast to tho lavish reck-
lessncss with which noble, splendid
lives are often sacrificed to some futile,
ignoble cause, is the infinite vigilance
and care, the ingenuity and skill that
are sometimes expended upon preserving
and tanning into fame q little spark
that has hardly attained the dignity Of
being called a life.
Dcrbtless Most ers familiar with the
metal receptacle 4 BY 2, Standing on
four legs about waist high, vita, a small
water pipe and heating apparatus on
one side and a cold air pipe and addi-
tional apparatus on the other known as
the infant heabster. But perhaps few
realize the patient skilled watching and
the consequent expense necessary to the
bringing forward Of the little inmate,
until 1t shall be able to take Its place in
the world as a real 1.-Two aud Kicking
baby.
At the first appearance upon lifs's
stage Of this speck of humanity "scarcs
half made up" 1t is swathed in a bun
die Of absorbent cotton and laid in its
little nest, with nothing to distract its
attention but q perfectly accurate ther.
monaeter, to which 1t, however, seems
wholly Indifferent The glass lid is then
almost closed. Exgsrisace has Taught
the physicians that 1t is better to leave
it open a. little space. A trained nurse
at once takes her place by the side Of
this Unique object and keeps constant
guard oTr temperature, conditions Of
air, etc. Abaolute quiet and a snbdued
light are ameng the requirements. The
temperature may range from 90 to 9S
degrees. In cases Of low vitality It Is
kept at 08, and with the NEST robust is
never allowed to go below 80 degrees
Then every hour the little charge must
be fed. This is sometimes accomplished
BY means Of q dropper, but more often
q little rubber tube is passed through
the mouth and esophagus into the stom-
ach, and into this tube is slowly poured
a dram, about q teaspoenful, Of pre-.
pared food. Thus In the "a hours about
three ounces Of food are absorbed. This
food is made after a formula arranged
by a most expert chemist and changes
from day to day according to the devel-
opment Of the baby.
Every SO hours the little gown Of alb.
sorbent Gotten is exchanged for a per-
fectly fresh one Of the same material.
The food ard clothing Of this embryo
parsonage are not, therefore, great bills
Of expense, but It's lodgings, its phHi-
clan and nurses make up a pretty sum
fer its indulgent parents.
1t will easily be seen that the only
requirements for raising a baby In an
incubator are a perfectly even, high
temperature, pure air and q food the
nearest approach possible to its natural
food. But simple as this sounds it has
taxed every resource Of the best engi.
neering and sanitary authorities, the
finest psychologists and chemists In
the country to arrive at the present
state CT advancement An incubator al
1t is now perfected costs about $500. A
few firms have them to rent, and as the
demand for them is materially small ono
may be rented at any time.
DR.. Rotch, who 10 responsible foi
many Of the recent improvements Of the
incubator. has been very successful II
its use. he insists upon having always
two trained nurses, 70 that no moment
may there be the risk of q change il
conditions which might turn the scale
the wrong way. This Of itself means
$50 a week. and the time Of incubation
is usually from two months 10 ten
weeks. But the baby SO saved comes In
time to be quite the equal Of his fellows
who followed the good, old fashioned
ways.
Hospitals cannot boast al great sue
cess from their experience with incu-
batorH, although several include one
among their appliances. In the first
place 1t is often a case where fhe tiny
Mohammed must go to the mountain,
and it is almost impossible to- ecomplish
this without some little exposure. Then
in most cases the child has not only
premature birth to struggle with, hut
tho worst factor Of having come from III
conditioned, badly rourished and otter
Incorporate parents. Besides, no nurse
in a hospital, no score Of nurses, can 50
arrange that one shall always hxve an
eye on the thermometer; and the 90 OF
more full blown babies will not upon
demand refrain their voices from weep
ing out of consideration for the sensi-
t~iveness of their delicate little eomrade.
The hospital people are sometimes
asked why they make 30 great an effort
to a Y the lives Of these poor little
creatures who, at the best, must enter
the race Of life fearfully handicapped.
Their argument, Of course, is that the
tiniest life in embryo has a right to ita
chance; but their interest is doubtless
largely scientific. Physicians from
Maine to California, from the st. Law.
renee to the gulf, are constantly looking
to these hospitals for the latest and best
results Of their reSea.ches and expert.
ments, and by studying the treatment
and watching the developments of cases
here, the incubating process included,
thay may be able to ave many q life
nearer home. Besides, who can foretell
whether the tiny atom may not turn out
a Lincoln or a Wagner as we'll as a com
monplace Smith or Jonas!-M. D. in
Chicago Record.