The representative., 1901-04-25
BABIES MlxtO IN BATH TUB
Out-HOW sbe Nurses Didn't
Mean to Uc u.

San Francisco Ort 81 the county hospit al
I'm the matetnii. ~aru. it Is a wise mother
who knows Der o~o child. For there has
been mixup 10 ne matutinal tub. Four
teen yOungs ers. clad 10 swaddlings of the
at the same iire. and oow the question is
Whose baty YOU? Only the straw
berry mark aud i0e little brown mole can
tell: and these j.. oels OF Identification hap
pened to be sceree during this overworked
week of the stott. Fourteen youngsters is
an embarraSsiua crop for one week, and the
doctors and nurses could not keep up with
the rush. They los, alb, and the dip in
the tub did ne rest. Little Johnnie Jones
will grow up fn6 himself Smith, while
Willie Smith will bt concealed under the
ambiguous -patt mic Of say Johnson.
The Difficulty SOD Juggling with the young
sters took place several days ago. In the
maternity ward u iGAt cold, bleak charity
institution a~ay OUT on Potrero avenue, IA
babies entered ihs ~orld OF trial and trouble
In one week. 'iue nurses, hard worked but
patient, were - tuoir wits end to know
: how to accommodate mis- influx of howling
infants. On sereai days ther were as
many as three and four births. They came
into this world quickly. in fact, that the
doctors and nurses could not keep tab on
them, and when oe> gave them their morn
ing ablutionS oiIen returned them to the
wrong bed and mo,he.. They were dressed
alike, all about The me size and, except
in one or two instances, without any special
identifying marks rhen, how were these
good matrons know which was which?
One morning. when al OF the babies were
taken from their no, Eers into the nursery
to be washed lad -ciohed for the day sew
eIal assistants fro,n oi her wards were called
in to aid vi be ba bies were out of their
swaddling ctothes At he same time and
when the nurses negao to dress and return
~, H,o1r I,
their dismay that he. could not distinguish
between them. Il some sentimental nurse
hadn't tipped ihe developments of the
nursery room OF 10 ihe anxious mothers all
would have beeu we'll nd good. The moth
ers would have pseo zone the wiser; GER
tainly the babies themselves wouldn't have
objected. Bui some conscience stricken at
tendant couldu'i ietau herself and let the
cat out of the ose. Then there was con-
sternation in ne ma,ornity ward. Mothers
in their feeble be!tless condition. as soon
as the hint was dfopped as to the mixup in
the other room ifns sined that she was be-
ing robbed OF be- child.
In the mea III rne The babies are wearing
numbers on the So,es of their feet. done in
blue pencil Br' he days to some how
will No. know he * oot by rights No. A.?
And how will No. persuade herself that
she has not heen ,hecged from seven?
Now that toe m,Nup has been recognized
the good peop'e o. the hospital have made
every atonernsn IN heir power, SO that
the brightest ha by in be land need not fear
to be born III is maternity ward. They
have numbered he ieet of every infant in
a blue that viii MOI rub. But for the orig
inal IA of thai bus, week this precaution
comes too late The Nr. Brown of the f,l-
ture will alwsvt doubt the color of the
name the Law, allows him, and Miss Simp-
kins will doubi'es- we'd with the first suitOr
that comes along 20 secure signature that
is all her cwr "'h. parents will look ask