The representative., 1901-04-25
BABIES MIXED IN BATH TUB
Even Their Wc,e~~s Cant Pick Them
Out-HOxss tie Nurses Didn't
Mean to DC ~.

San Francisco ort 3, the county hospital.
who knows Der child. For there has
been mxup To ne matutinal tub. Four
teen youngsCers clad "a swaddllngs OF the
same fabric his, ch aui size, were bathed
at the same tin.e. sod oow the question is,
Whose baty YOU? Only the straw
berry mark aud zoe little brown mole can
tell; and these nels ct Identification hap
pened to be ecerce during this overworked
week of the stort. Fourteen youngsters is
an embarrassias crop for one week. and the
doctors and nurses could not keep up with
the rush. They los iab, and the dip in
the tub did ne rest. Little Johnnie Jones
will grow up fnd himself Smith, while
Willie Smith viii bs concealed under the
ambiguous .pst ert mic of, say, Johnson.
The Difficulty SOD Juggling with the young
sters took place several days ago. In the
maternity ward @. i6.t cold, bleak charity
institution a~see oui on Potrero avenue, IA
babies entered his esos!d of trial and trouble
In one week. I De nurses, hard worked but
patient, were =, their wits end to know
how to accommodate mis- influx of bowling
infants On seNetai days ther were
many as three toor births. They came
into this world unickly, in fact that the
doctors and nurses ;uld not keep tab on
them, and when toey save them their morn
ing ablutionS often returned them to the
wrong bed apd mothei. They were dressed
alike, all about the ssme size and, except
In one or two Instances, without any special
Identifying marks Then, how were these
good matrOns know which was which?
One morning when all OF the babies were
taken from their mo,bers into the nursery
to be washed eod -cot hed for the day sew
eral assistants fro,o Der wards were called
in to aid. III Toe ha bas were out of their
Swaddling CO. hes he same time and
when the nurses began to dress and return
them to their prope, parent they found, to
their dismay ,htl hes could not distinguish
between them. Il some sentimental nurse
hadn't tipped developments of the
nursery room OF ne anxious mothers all
would have beeu we'll and good The moth
ers would have none the wiser; GER
tainly the babies themselves wouldn't have
objected. Bli some conscience stricken at
tendant cOuldui ie,aiu herself and let the
cat out of the ese. Then there was con-
sternation in he matet nifty ward. Mothers
in their feeble helpless condition, as soon
as the hint wss djopped as to the mixup in
the other room. irnssined that she was be-
ing robbed OF be- child.
In the meau ite The babies are wearing
numbers on the Soies of their feet, done in
blue pencil r." n The days to some how
will No. know ne IS not by rights No. A.?
And how will No. > persuade herself that
she has not heen ,hecged from a seven?
Now that toe m,Np has been recognized,
the good peore o. the hospital have made
every atonemeny IN heir power, SO that
the brightest b by IN he land need not fear
to be born in is ma sternity ward. They
have numbered ht ieet OF every infant in
a blue that vii MOI ruo. But for the orig
inal IA of thai bus, week this precaution
comes too lafe The Nr. Brown of the fu-
ture will alwsxs d.,ubt the color of the
name the Law allows nim and Miss Simp-
kins will douh' less we'd with the first suitor
that comes along 20 secure signature that
Is all her owp. ''he parents will look ask
of at ra n