The representative., 1901-04-25
BABIES MlxtO IN BATH TUB
Even Their Can't Pick Then
OMt-HOUr> sbe Nurses Didn't
Mean to &c ~.

San Francisco Out 81 the county hospital,
IN the matefnit. ~ard. it Is wise mother
who knows Der child. For there has
been mixup 'u fne matutinal tub. Four
teen youngs cers. clad "a swaddlfngs Of the
same fabric hesch ao1 size, were bathed
at the same time and cow the question is,
Whose baty YOU? Only the straw
berry mark aud 'oe little brown mole can
tell: and these J. eels OF Identification hap
pened to be scetce during this overworked
week Of the s,ott. Fourteen youngsters is
an embarrassius 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 viii bt concealed under the
ambiguous pa, .mic Of, say, Johnson.
The dificu'ts sod 'nx4ling with the young
sters took place several days ago. In the
maternity wafd .. lat cold bleak charity
institution aNav on Potrero avenue IA
babies entered ths ~ogsd of trial and trouble
In one week De nurses, hard worked but
patient were st their wits end to know
how to accommodate mis- influx of bowling
infants. On several days ther were as
many three :,rd four births. They came
into this world quickly. in fact, that the
doctors and nurses .ruld not keep tab on
them, and when oeN gave them their morn
ing ablutionS oiien returned them to the
wrong bed ard mothea. They were dressed
u,
In one or two instances, without any special
identifying marks Then, how were these
good matrons 20 know which was which?
One morning when all OF the babies were
taken from thtr no, hers into the nursery
to be washed end -cio ned for the day sew
eral assistants frO,n her wards were called
in to aid. All ne ba b'es were out of their
swaddling c'o'hes ~ he same time and
when the nurses negaa to dress and return
them to their eropei parent they found, to
xh4f~ all
between them. Il some sentimental nurse
hadn't tipped me developments of the
nursery room OF 10 me anxious mothers all
would have been we'll snd good. The moth
ers would have bseo rome the wiser; GER
tainly the babies themselves wouldn't have
objected. Bui some conscience stricken at
tendant cOuldu, ietaiu herself and let the
cat out of the bag Then there was con-
sternRtiOn In ne maternity ward. Mothers
in their feeble helpless condition. as soon
as the hint was dropped as to the mixup in
the other roon. inca sined that she was be-
ing robbed OF Der child.
In the mea tine The babies are wearing
numbers on he Soies OF their feet, done in
blue pencil ~, ~ he days to some how
will No. know ne IS not by rights No. 4
And how will No. persuade herself that
she has not heen he cged from seven?
Now that tue m,Anp has been recognized,
the good peop'e o. the hospital have made
every atonerusn, IN heir power SO that
to be born in i,s maternity ward They
have numbered he ieet of every infant in
q blue that viii MOI uo. But for the orig
inal IA of that bnss week this precaution
comes too late The Nr. Brown of the fu-
ture will alYsNs G,ubt the color of the
name the Law allows MIN, and Miss Smp-
kins will douhi 'es- we'd with the first suitOr
that comes aiope 20 secure a signature that
is all her owr. ri. parents will look ask
ance at stranoe irafs developing in their
progeny and ses Ne must have drawn
the wrong nsspsfer
The whole = ',si;aa Is sad and confusing
but In the tr.sf- which is stranger than fic-
tion II offers Re dts,ustist and comic opera
r1ibrettist an o.i.sa.furity that, cannot be
ignored. The ru.snEius of a mere brace
or babies was ,ss pivotal complication of
y such MASTERPIECES "PinafOre' and OF
i .Pudd 'nhead w.iSou. But there are IA
fatally shuffei IN he bath tub, with not
wart nor Ven 10 tell them apart. All of
size all of q voice. fairly divided in sex,
who shall say whtre cries the Smith or
where walls the Brown?
Already has he oyoblem reached the
mothers cots, end htree has been the strife
where tho COTS SC close, reaching easy,
anxH leag thnn q sAtspee enough. One