The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-06-14

pute that compound has been perfected
which can be injected with absolute
safety Rather their use Is to be discour-
aged. for very frequently they retard
labor. Morphine notably, has this effect.
For this reason | do not see how the
effect OF Prof. Ribemont- Dessaignes treat
ment can be other than to Increase the
number of cases In which use must be
made OF foTceps, and this means. inevita-
bly,. an increase in tina danger OF fatal
issue, either for the mother or the child,
II not indeed for both.
ut should be borne in mind too that the
pains of labor vary greatly IN different
patients. Some c-ses call FOR no chlOro-
form others demand much. or as much
as the attending physician considers can
be administered with entire safety. There
are many factors entering into the con-
slderation of given case-many more
than the layman can realize and some
OF which are too technical for discussion.
- slender woman who has not par
tlcularly robust appearance may go
through her period OF labor with scarcely
a suggestion OF suffering. while a large,
buXom woman who seems to be the per-
son!ficatlon OF good health and who Is
able to keep on walking three or four
miles a day almost to the very last may
suffer intensely at the crucial moment.
Besides the questions Of nervous tempera-
ment and general vitality. but scarcely
less important. is that OF structural forma-
ton among others
1T may be set down as "A fact that
some women are certain to 20 through
the ordeal without great pain, whether
they try one of the new methods or not.
while others fear. are doomed to suf-
fer whatever precautions are taken
No Expert on Race Suicide.
In signed article In the PETIT Parisicn
OF Paris. recently. DIR. Georges VitouX,
well known practitioner OF that city.
expressed with enthusiasm the belief that
In the application Of Prof. Ribemont-
Dossaigne's discovery science has pro-
vided the solution OF the problem OF
depopulation. for which French socolo-
gists had for years been seeking In vain.
A New York physician laughed at this
idea.
81 do not believe that this treatment
even II II proved to be highly successful
will have the slightest effect on the so
called race suicide question" he said
"Some women simply do not want the
care Of children; some hesitate to be-
come mothers because the responsibility
OF directing the course OF human SOU
overwhelms them; yet others refuse be-
cause they feel they would be unable &c
give a child the financial and educationa
advantages which would enable him &c
compete in the struggle for existence and
the battle for achievement on an equa
footing with many OF his fellows. But
the woman with the real motherly instinct
does not shrk motherhood because OF any
! fear of personal suffering"
This same physician disputed the &C.
curacy OF some OF the figures quoted in O
recent publication exploiting the Frelbure
system
"a strong point is made of the fact
! that because OF the constant personal care
which IL required. the treatmcn mt should b,
| applied in a small hospital" he said, "Tht
Freiburg hospital Is small and, from the
published account. Or. Koenlg and Prof
! Gauss attend to all obstetr!cal cases
/ Moreover the discovery Is new one. Yet
despite all these limitations the CLAIM
IL made that 5000 cases have been treated
Under the conditions prescribed ] do no
believe this is possible. Nor IL II posi-
BILE that there could he 1900 consecutive
cases OF childbirth without n fatal issue
Whatever OF appeal there may be II
! the Frciburg treatment Il IL certain tina
| New York physicians have not the TIM
necessary to devote to II, demanding as !
does. the uninterrupted observation o.
the patient from the beginning to the enc
OF labor. Possibly that may seem lik'
cold blooded assertion. but II is merel,
a statement OF fact, AS matter OF truth
we are not cold blooded II would b.
to our interests to appear otherwise ever
! II the possession Of heart and of broaC
sympathies were not common In tn
American man--the physician not ex
cepted-which I maintain TO be a fac
which cannot he controverted But tn
demands upon our time are tremendous
"Do YOU consider II impossible, thei
that the sentence In Genesis, in sorrow
thou shalt bring forth children may on
day he amended to read Thou shalt Civ
birth without pain?'" was asked.
by no means" said the physician. en-
Enthusiastically "A few years ago I salt
that the perfection of the aeroplnne wa
impossible, ! have quilt making sucl
discouraging predictions, Nothing Is i'm
possible now"