The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1901-08-15
Interesting and Instructive
THE WONDERFUL BABY lNCUBATORS AT
PAN-AMERICAN EXPOSITION.

One of the Most Unique Attractions oI
the nidway-No One Should Visit
the Exposition Without Seeing the
Baby lncubators Scientific Methods
OF Baby CuIture-The Lives Of the
Little lnnocents Saved to Walk This
Vale of Tears.
What dismal dirge would that
archpessimist, Old Marthus, sing. il
he could see the infant incubator in
the Midway! He prophesied that,
with population increasing in swift
geomstrical ratio, while food products
multiplied in slow arithmetical ratio,
starvation and dire distress awaited
the race. From his point OF view. in
cubators would be the heighth of
folly.
That they do the work intended by
their inventor is we'll attested. They
are the salvation of infants prema
turely or weakly born. Statistics
show that only 20 per cent of that
class of babies ordinarily live; by
! means of the incubator about S5 per
cent. are saved TO walk this vale of
tears.
In individual cases, the incubator
is Godsend. 1t finishes the work
the mother was too weak to perform
and saves her happiness and the
child's life. From the scientific and
sentimental points OF view, the in
cubator babies are highly entertain
ing.
In 3 pleasant room well lighted by
stained glass windows stands dozen
metal cases that look like show cases.
They are elevated from the floor on
steel rods so that they are about the
right height for the ordinary observer.
The chamber in which the baby lies
! sleeping is glass-covered, so that the
little mite is plainly exposed to view.
He is suspended on bed of woven
wire, soft-covered with appropriate
padding and linen. Dressed like an
ordinary infant, except that his little
legs and feet are pinned up in swad-
ding clothes, after the German
cept his size to indicate that he was
handicapped at the start in the race
of life.
| Above each incubator is a card on
which are stated the child's initials,
the date of its birth, it's admission to
the incubator, the circumstances that
make artificial care advisable, his
! weight, and any other details of sig
nificance. The boys are distinguished,
French fashion, by blue ribbons, the
girls by pink ones.
The most important consideration
for child prematurely born is tenn
perature. The temperature OF the
incubators is kept uniform by means
of an automatic contrivance. At the
side of each case is a metal boiler
which holds about two gallons Of
water that may be heated from below
by either a Bunsen burner or an ordi-
nary lamp. Through the proper in
PRODUCTION Of cold water the circula-
tion is controlled in the pipes that
heat the incubator in the same man
ner in which it is done in homo
heated by hot water. If the heat
rises above or falls below the required
standard, an automatic spring inside
the incubator regulates the supply as
it should be. A centrigade ther-
mometer at the front of the incubator
is constant guide as to thermal con-
ditions.
Fresh air is introduced in the in
cubator through large pipe which
communicates with the outside world.
The air passes first through an anti
septic fluid which destroys any germs
which may be lurking in it, then
through cotton, which takes up any
physical impurities, is warmed. and
finally introduced into the chant Der
where the bady lies. A pan OF warm
water under the undulating couch
keeps the atmosphere humid, and the
amount Of moisture is registered by
small hydrometer at one side OF the
incubator.
Every two hours the babies are
taken out and brought to wet nurses
who supply them with natures food.
Graduate nurses are also in at
tendance to oversee all the details OF
the nursery. The theory is that
babies are only little animals and il
they cry it must be because they are
hungry. uncomfortable. or in pain.
"Mothering" is something not con-
sidered necessary at this tender age:
scientific care is thought to be All i'm
provement on old-fashioned coddling.
One of the little girls began to cry
Yesterday afternoon az she lay in her
glass cage. She stretched her tiny
arms, shook her miniature fists, puck
cred up her Lilliputian face and
bowled. Judging from the noise she
emitted even through that glass case,
her lungs are quite out OF proportion
to her size. An attendant bundled her
up and carried her off. When she
was brought back. her small features
bore the look OF contentment that
rightly belongs to well-conditioned
infancy and she settled down to a
deep and peaceful slumber. her thumb
in her mouth.
Twin girls. eleven days old. are two
of the most interesting inmates OF the
institution. They were prematurely
born and their combined weight a,
birth was only seven pounds. Yes
terday they weighed ten pounds,
showing a gain of about pound and
a half apiece in about eleven days.
In glass room back Of the incu-
bator, the workings OF the model nur-
sery NAV be seen. There is the tiny
bath tub where even the littlest baby
is daily tubbed. the scales where they
, are daily weighed, the hanging cribs
where they are laid after a swo
, months course in the incubator
Every article is beautifully. artisti
cally clean.
: The Qbata Company. which is max
ing this exhibit at the Exposition
hopes to establish incubating institu'
, tions all over the country in time
The practical working Of the inven'
tion must be seen to be appreciated