The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-05-21
SAYS BABIES GET.
LESS ATTENTION
THAN CATTLE
If They Sold at 80 Much a Pound
Phydcians and Parents Would Be
More Interested" DR.. Charles
Douglas Tells D. @. M. Alumni.
Strongly Denounoes Practice Of Cool
" Accepting Infants Ailments as
Part Of Expected Program.

Addressing the alumni OF the De-
troit College OF Medicine in st. Mary's
hospital, Friday morning, during their
annual clinic. Dr.. Charles Douglas, OF
Detroit, eminent authority on feeding
and care OF babies, declared babies are
neglected. not only through serious
mistakes OF the parents, but also by
the average physician. DIR. Douglas
made the broad implication that the
expert stockmans cattle get more
careful attention than the average
baby.
IF babies were for sale at so much
a pound, their proper nutriment would
become question OF dollars and
cents, and we would probably be more
interested In Them" was one OF his
tart statements.
"The man raising stock is very care
full about what he feeds his cattle. The
dollars and cents TO him. Parents do
not raise their children with that
same care. They are proud of their
children. but 1t doesn't make any DIFF
ference whether the child grows up TO
be four feet tall or six feet tall
"The physician, too, neglects the
baby. He gives attention to mother
and baby, about in accordance TO their
relative weights. He spends much
time and care on the mother. Then
he turns to the nurse and asks, 'How's
babyr The nurse replies, oh, the
baby's all right, and the doctor says
That's good. Good morning.
"And in nine cases out Of ten the
baby Is not all right. II is restless,
colicky, has gas on its stomach, but
tho nurse and the mother and the
mothers mother, and the doctor all
say, oh, that's all right. All babies
are like that It's just the three
. months collie
"Restlessness, collie. poor digestion,
are natures danger signals, showing
that something is wrong. II Is very
serious mistake to ignore those sig
nails. n the cork blows out OF a cat
sup bottle, or II canned fruit starts
to bubble. the housewife Immediately
decides that something Is wrong. and
she starts to remedy 1t. But when
nature shows signals that something
Is wrong with the baby, physicians,
mothers and nurses say, Babies must
all have these disturbances That Is
the most serious mistake that doctors
make"
Dr. Douglas stated that most
troubles Of babies were from over
n feeding, of one OF the three elements
Of food. fat, carlo hydrates, or
starch. with fat the most frequent
II cause OF disorders. Fat was forced
on babies too often, he said. Dimin-
lshing the allowance of fat would not
remedy matters after disturbance had
once resulted. II would have to be
gradually diminished and finally done
away with altogether. The baby
would lose weight, necessarily, as its
digestive organs will take care OF on
ly a certain portion OF food. for each
pound Of the babes weight.
A tiny mite OF boy, weighing just
10 pounds, was exhibited as the hero
of one OF the hardest fights for exist
ence on record The boy was FIVE
years old. He was big and fat, with
rosy cheeks, but his digestive appar.
atus was not equal to its task. Years
Of most delicate care and experiment
with foods have. at the end of Ave
years, started its baby body and Its
fve-year-old digestive apparatus off
Out even anu Lie 10 uOW
expected to live a healthy life and
develop.
Or. F. B. Walkers clinic on frac-
lures was absorbingly interesting.
showing how the surgeons can now
use the human body much as a piece
OF broken furniture is treated. DR..
Walker exhibited the silver plate and
screw method OF scientifically setting
splintered bones, to get them back in
to exact alignment. Splinters of bone
are screwed back on the main bone,
Just as a piece OF splintered furni-
ture would be screwed back In place.
Silver plates, much like cleats, are al
SO used The skin and tissues are
laid bare over the fractured bone, the
plate applied. to the bone, screwed In
place so as to hold each splinter. and
the tissues are then pulled back,
growing over the plate. Sometimes the
plate Is removed after several months
but IL can be left In place indefinitely.
The method is better than the here
kofore wonderful metod of winding
broken bones with wire, as there Is
more exactness, and no give" to the
eleated hone.
At 1:45 Friday afternoon the alumni
hook q special car to the Eastern
Michigan asylum in Pontiac, where
[Dr. e. A. Christian held clinic on
points in the differential diagnosis of
insanity.