Los Angeles herald., 1907-04-05

DEAD; BABE
WILL LIVE
Remarkable Case in
New York
Physician Works Two Hours Over
Infant and Finally Restores II
Alive to Its
Mother
Special to The Herald.

Special to The Herald.
NEW YORK, April 4.-Baby Lena
Gerst, wailing in pain in her mothers
arms stiffened out her chubby body,
gasped, then ceased to breathe. Her
eyes glazed and became fixed Her
face took on a blush tinge, which
gradually turned to a deathly pallor.
The huttering pulse stopped and the
heart action ceased. A highly polish
ed mirror held over the mouth and
nostriis showed not the slightest sign
of moisture.
1t was a most remarkable case of
suspended animation, in which there
was not tho slightest evidence of cat
alepsy. DIR. l. r. Lowenthal of No
402 Fifth street had never seen any
thing even remotely similar in his
own experience, nor was he able to dis
cover anything like It, either in adult
or infant, in the records of apparent
or simulated death. There have been
hundreds OF instances of cataleptic
seizure, in which all the outward
signs OF death were present with the
exception of faint but visible respir
alton, but the Gerst baby's lungs
ceased absolutely to perform the func-
Sions of breathing, and the most care
ful listening with the stethoscope failed
to give the slightest sound.
The Gersts live at No. 410 Fifth
street, on the third floor of a tenement.
Henry Gerst. father of the baby, is
machinist. He is big and brawny. The
mother is sturdy. The baby was born
seven months ago and is the only
child. She is plump and pretty, and
has wonderfully wise eyes.
Baby Developed Pneumonia
The baby was in perfect health up to
IL
pneumonia. This was followed by
cOlitis-inhammation of the inner coat
Of the large intestine. DR.. Lowenthal
made this diagnosis.
DR.. Lowenthal last Monday morning
found the baby breathing with diff
Guilty. Her temperature was 104 de-
grees, but her skin was damp. DR..
Lowenthal was listening with his ear
pressed closely to the baby's chest,
when with two long sighs her breath
ing ceased.
''I am afraid it is all over" said DR..
Lowenthal.
The little body in front of him was
limp and motionless. He felt for a
pulse and found none. He listened with
his ear at the chest and could not de-
tect a pulsation. Then he used the
stethosoope, and that delicate re-
curder Of the throbs OF the heart gave
no sound
CouNincs6 Baby Was Dead
Il WAS then convinced. said Dr..
Low Buthal. that the child IVES dead.
My bearing is keen, and think could
have detected the hearts action with
cut amy artificial aid. but 10 make sure
/ placed the cup Of The s1ethoscope over
the cardiac region There was no sound.
Respira ton had ceased absolutely. and
the blush palor in the face and limbs
deepened. Working more TO relieve the
grief Of the parents than with any hope
of restoring the patient from what
believed positively was death, 1 in
jected, hypodernicaIly, one-twentieth of
a grain of strychnine, with the syringe
cylinder filled with whisky 1t was a
heroic dose for such a baby. I had all
the windows thrown open. 1 could not
get oxygen at that early hour.
without the slightest confidence in
the result I massaged the baby's legs
to stimulate circulation and then I tried
to induce artificial respiration. From
time to time l made tests with the
stetheoscope, but the heart was still. 1
kept this treatment up for two hours,
and then, to my intense surprise l must
admit, the child began to breathe. The
heart resumed its bc lting with a clear,
steady rhythm, the eyes moved in their
sockets and the BLUSH, deathly color
of the skin faded away. Soon the child
was in normal condition-with the ex-
ception, Of course. of the pneumonia
and colitis-and now 1 have hope Of it's
ultimate recovery"