Evening journal., 1912-12-02
EXONERATE
PRINCIPAL
dupont School Commissioners
Find Baird Child Was In
juTed Out Of School

Following au investigation. tho COM
missioners OF the A. D. DUPONT Public
School, ln Christians hundred. have en-
tirei} eXoueratol tho principal. W. Il
lorser, of "a chlfgo of ill-lrcatmcnt of
Nchecca Baird "a little girl who at-
tends tho school When 70 was dis
covered late IN October that Tho Baird
girls neck was SO severity injured
that she bad 90 be sent TO "a philadcl-
phla hospital she said tho injury had
been caused by p shaking she had
received at tho school DR.. William
\. Spcer. Who attended the girl and
sent her 20 the hospital. has submitted
"a report 90 Che School Commissioners
AS the report offers no proof that
the child was injured al school and
as a careful investigation has c-n-
finced the School Board that no such
INJURY could have been inflicted with
out the knowledge OF those Witnessing
the incident. we entirely exonerate the
principal OF the Alexis J dupont
school on the charges of in-treatmeut
of the child said Pierre S. dupont.
clerk of the commission in comment
ing ON the Incident Dr- Speer's
rcpori .is as follows
nr. speers report follows
was called to see tho child ON
October 2l, 1912 On FIRST examlna-
tion she seemed to have "a much-oxag-
seratcd case of stin-neck. AZ this
time the mother gave me history
OF violent treatment 10 the child,
happening two weeks before and
claiming that her disability dated
from that time. la did moi suspect
any severe injury, paying little at
lention To this history and treated the
child for am ordinary case OF stiff
neck My absence from the city
prevented me sooing the case for "a
period of one week liron my return
TO Wilmington the condition being mo
! better, ! at once arranged for an
X-ray picture ia order to clear the
matter up, the result OF which show
cd an injury between the first and
second ceryical vertebrate Tho ulp.
usual feature Of the case is this.
There was no attending injury to any
of The spinal nerves or TO the spinal
cord itself To further our diagnosis.
on the next day we took some more
N-ray pictures. Realizing that the
condition (whilo not alarming at the
timel might prove serious. the child
was then taken to the University OF
/ Pennsylvania and there given the
treatment that the x.ray pictures
seemed to warrant The physician
at the University, under whose care
the child was placed, makes the fol-
lowing reports
"The child, Rebecca Baird, is be-
levod 90 have sustained an injury TO
the cervical vertobrae, or upper por-
! ton OF the spine There has been.
however no evidence whatsoever to
indicate that the spinal cord or
moves have been injured. The x-ray
pictures and the symptoms of which
the child complained suggest an I'M
jury TO the spine between the first
and second cervical vertebrae. The
injury rs of such a character that tho
child VIII fully recover from It i'm All
probability and win not suffer am,
. permanent disability"
After the injury was reduced x-ray
pictures were again taken and show
cd the bones TO be I'm natural pOsi
tion. While the neck was broken
d was not attended by all SYMPTOMS
that we think Of when we say broken
neck Il was a break In that ih,
continuity Of the line OF tho necl
bones was broken, namely a sub.
taxation; there being. however. nc
fracture OF the bones. At the pre-.
sent time the child Is entirely well
with the exception OF slight ten.
dency TO rest her head toward the
right side, which will clear up I'm q
month or so