The sun., 1901-06-23
Baby Incubators st Bunaio.

From the Nsr York Mcdicai Journdt
An intensely interesting Pan-American
exhibit TO physicians IL the infant incubators.
These are situated in n most carefully con-
structed and complete bull ding near the
Service Building and Emergency Hospital.
at the West Amherst entrance. The crude
ness OF the methods Of attempting TO rear
premature or weakly infants. by wrapping
them In wadding. sheepskin. or feathers. or
by keeping the cot close by the fire. impelled
DR.. Crede. some sixty years ago, to the in
vention Of an incubator consisting OF a metal
lie box with double sides. through which hot
water was caused to How. Dr. Tarnier OF
Paris, In 1878. conceived the idea from the
incubators for poultry installed by NJ. Odills
Martin. at the -Jardin d'Acclimation.- az
Paris. Of applying similar apparatus TO the
rearing Of prematurely born children. and
the first noubators on this principle we're
used In the Paris Maternity Hospital in 1880.
The results proved satisfactory. and led TO
s Berlin % for the re- hn Of tRsse unfortn IN
many healthy and fully developed ohiidren.
annual reunion 20 give indlsputable testi-
Of the system was given in london. and the
we We notioed the names Of such representative
obstetricians as Clement Godson and others,
amply testify to the satisfaction II aroused
the kind has eKisted successfully in London.
American physicians have now the oppor-
tunity OF examining Its workings for them
selves. Briefly. the construction In as fol-
lows. The incubator is a glass case in a
metal frame. supported on metal legs. In It
Is suspended cot OF woven wire. Adequately
tube from outside the room. This air, first
passing through an antiseptic fluid and being
filtered through cotton, enters at the bottom
Of The case and strikes, an umbrelia-hks
downward till il meets the warm current ~
air provided by a, Bunsen's burner placed
expansion. automatically works lever
outside. lowering or raising cover on the
burner, and thus directing more heat inside
the incubator. or letting II escape outside.
according as the inner temperature falls
below. or rises above the required degree.
A thermometer in front registers the degree
existing The foul air escapes from above
through an air shaft
In large sanitary room. well lighted. stand
by premature or weakly infants. swathed in
German fashion These infants are sent hy
the local physicians, and handed over 20 the
properly clothed and placed IN the incubator.
They are generally under five younds IN
weight on admission, 4 stan Of wet nurses
Is kept on the establishment, all Of them
being med ically examined and carefully
selected They live in the building and their
dict and regimen arc carefully regulated.
The infants are taken out Of the incubator
| every two hours to bc Suckled, a trained
nurse sitting by to sec that the child actually
receives nourishmeni. and is not merely
fruitlnssly put to the breast Those that
are too weakly to exercise suction are fed
with the Gavage spoon until they become
robust enough to feed themselves. At ths
back Of the incubator room is "a model nursery.
where all that forms part Of sanitary toilet
for tho infants i performed miniature
elevator takes the infants to the upstairs
quarters 10 b" fed durins, the night The tenn
peraturr IL kept cQnablc throu ghQut the
entire building Mt degree comfortable" for
adults. without oppressiveness, whit IN tho
incuhators the little patients can have any
| required temperature all 10 themselves
II is stated thnt out of tho very large num-
bers Of premature and weakly children that
have been submitted 10 this artificial rearing.
upward Of 81 per cent have been saved.
| AZ compared with the normal % TO 10 per cent:
under ordinary conditions. The success ~
this method In Germany, France and fng-
land should certainly lend American physi-
clans 10 take this opportunity of studying
T. for themselves