The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1898-02-11
HOW BABIES
ARE CARED FOR
Many Poor Tots Taken to Die
in a New York Hospital.
A Training School for Nursery
Maids Special Feature of
the Institution.

The Babies Hospital, at Nos. 657 and
| 659 Lexington avenue. New York city,
has been in existence only nine years.
but it is the oldest institution of it's
kind in America. Until it was start
ed there was really no place for the
hopeleSsly marasmic baby, who was
forced to die in his usually wretched
home. Bsbies under four years are
admitted, and a large percentage of
them are these same marasmic cases.
There are forty-three beds in the
hospital. and the beds are always full.
The large, sunny ward on the first
floor receives children between two and
three years old, and the white iron
cribs, with dainty blue afghans. make
a most attractive appearance. One
little patient is especially interesting,
Although above the allowed age, she
had been admitted for special treat
ment. She was four years old when
taken to the hospital, but had attained
a development only equal to that of
nine months old baby. The power of
speaking and walking was lacking, and
the child had only two teeth. She was
what is now known as a "cretan, that
is, a child who has no thyroid glands
in the throat. She has been i'll the
hospital six months being treated with
"A thyroid extract from sheep. Under
this treatment she has shown wonder
full improvement. She has been res
cued from a semi-idiotic condition. and
now has all her teeth and can walk
and speak.
On the second floor are children be-
tween one and two. and the many ba-
bies suffering from pneumonia are
cared for there. No medicine is given
in the pneumonia treatment, as II Is
found to upset the stomach and make
the luckless infant worse. COunter-ir-
ritation. mustard and steam are the
only remedies.
As one enters the first ward on this
floor. the most striking object is what
appears to be a small tent. 1t is one
of the cots. covered With heavy can
vas. The pneumonia patient is put in
side this, and then steam is brought
i'm through a small pipe. The steam
is usually passed through indicated
sponge the fumes from which break
up cough. a small gas stove and
water boiler beside the bed furnish all
the steam that is needed. Where the
death rate is 80 per cent on the Is
land. il is % per cent here.
The really truly babies are on the
lnlEd HbbT. anu a SUIT -ttpAiiAR ANN
they are. too for the most part. Near
" all of them seem to be cases Of ma
rasmus; little bits of babies with blue
skin and faces sunIen So that they
seem much older than they are. They
are the children of thu poor. OF moth
ers who have worked in factories and
had to let their babies grow up" of
mothers who could not nurse them and
have fed them with baby foods, and
dosed them with soothing syrups; OF
mothers who have had to see them
starve. A few of them are cured, but
the majority are taken TO the hospital
10 die.
one of the chief features of the hos
pital is training school for nursery
maids under the direction of the hos
pital superintendent, Miss Mariana
Wheeler. The course lasts six months,
during which time the women are
paid something for their services. and
they also gain a wide knowledge OF
the diseases of babies. In the six
months they come in contact with
more than 200 patients. There is
long waiting list of applicants for the
training school and the women are
eagerly sought for as yoon as they are
graduated. Miss Wheeler has sent
them to Texas. Maryland. Maine.
Pennsylvania. Ohio, Illinois. New Jer-
sey, New York, Connecticut, Massa-
chusettts and England.
During the summer months the work
is nearly all transferred to their hos
pitaI at Oceanic, n. ]. Here they own
about three acres of ground which
has been beautifully laid out. and
thr buildings-the main hospital. the
Hammersley Cottage for the older
children. and reception
cottage where patients are detained
tn avoid the possibility of contagious
disease. A small emergency ward is
kept open in the New York buildings.